 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rev. Carlos Nutter filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. Church.
Wilma Wyer, age 70, passed away in Columbus after a long illness. The daughter of Gordie & Ruth Haggerty Garrettson, she was married to the late Ronnie Wyer.
Christopher C. Bell, age 21, was killed in a car wreck on the Enon straight. He was the son on Harold "Buddy" and Angie Bell and worked at Flying W Plastics.
Leander "Pete" Husk, age 68 of Mineral Wells passed away. He used to play music at the Creston sings.
Goldie Starcher Greathouse, age 81, passed away. She was the widow of Lewis (Deacon) Greathouse.
Grey Merrill, age 70, of Newark passed away. He had been active in farming, timbering and the oil fields.
Local residents were again required to set their clocks up one hour for the government mandated "fast time" which is just a little example of big brother telling us what is good for us. Also with the warm weather the government lady bugs (actually Asiatic beetles) have come out to pester homeowners.
The weather go warm with crocuses and hairy bitter cress in bloom and the USDA's multiflora rose has already started to grow. The amphibians have started to sing, as have many songbirds. The turkey buzzards have returned from their sojourn to the south and have been feasting on venison killed along the highways.
Calhoun County Commissioner Bob Weaver, Lewis Jones, Carl Knight, Kenneth Belt, Roger Grim, Ronald P. Hart, Casper Shuman and Virgil Maze were among those attending to business in Creston over the weekend. Bobby Ray Starcher noted that if folks had special orders for double yolk eggs, pepperoni & cheese, they should contact Alvin Engelke with their special requests.
Anna Engelke and friend Adam Yates were visiting in Creston and attending to business in Vienna over the weekend.
One well-placed oilman who is well known statewide predicted that, "Chesapeake will likely become the new Enron." Of course while a few at Enron did a little time and the taxpayers were stuck for millions in losses, Robert Rubin (look at your money for his signature) and friends are still out and about and all the good assets were transferred to a new name company with business as usual.
Black Crow Oil officially shut down the other day. Ryan Cunningham was the local face and then the field man went to work for an outfit called Genesis which is said to be based in that famous old oil field town with expertise, Myrtle Beach. Cunningham had first been associated with Mountain Country Partners before Black Crow came along. He is a member of a prominent Clay County family.
The price of local crude oil rose to $39.50/bbl. while the price on the market rose to just under $47/bbl. The OPEC gents were said to have cut production 13% to stabilize prices. 2008 was the first year since whenever for a decrease in the demand for crude and it is predicted that 2009 will also show a drop, reflecting the economic woes that have now spread world wide.
While there has, for the first time, apparently, a decline in the use of electricity, the 'green' people and a rag tag bunch of others continue to clamor for new humongous electric transmission lines across the area so that the elites can have more power. Of course, now it can be proved that there is no real need for the new lines.
In writing about the Big Eared One's snub of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (change was that we were going to reach out to the world), Mark Steyn noted that this is the first contraction of the global economy since 1945 and the first crisis of globalization. Steyn wrote, "Obama made it clear for him that the economy takes a very distant back seat to the massive expansion of the government it provides cover for. That's why he's indifferent to the plummeting DOW. The president has made a strategic calculation that to advance his plans for socialized health care, "green energy" and a big government state, it's to his advantage for things to get worse." Steyn also noted that if it gets bad here, elsewhere in the world there will be societal collapse.
One commentator noted that it seemed apparent to him that several of the "financial experts" in the federal government's financial training was limited to watching cartoons showing Scrooge McDuck and his money bin. Of course in the real world such is far from the case. While those in the drug cartels deal in large sums of cash, those, such as Bill Gates who make the economy run have their money working for them.
While ordinary families watch their savings, stock values and home prices fall it seems that elsewhere there are no worries at all. The "White House' now has a reputation as a party place where the guests are served $100/lb. steak. No doubt all that makes the fellows who lost their jobs at Ravenswood Aluminum proud to know that "the friend of the working man" (or at least the friend of organized labor) is "feeling the pain."
The expert on hair transplants who also promised a severe test of the nation's security soon recently visited with the big boys of organized labor at a very posh Miami resort where ordinary folks are not allowed. While the bankers are to learn how to feast on brown beans it seems that the "real elites" have no such restrictions.
A little closer to home the Greenbrier resort in Lewisburg has come upon hard times and the turnpike has had a decline in commercial traffic so now the Big Boss and his buddies are talking toll increases again so that "the boys" can continue going to Kentucky for boar hunts whilst on the payroll, etc.
The Census Bureau has been trying to find folks to hire to do the census but they seem to be having very little luck finding anyone who wants a job. This is in spite of the highest unemployment since Jimmy Carter and Bert Lance were running the show. It will be interesting to see what percent of those drawing food stamps (that is to say being fed by those who are working and paying taxes) actually plant a garden this year.
While the postal system cries the blues about hard times and plans to raise rates again and curtail service, it was learned that they recently paid $1.2 million for an 8,400 square foot 6 bedroom house in South Carolina so the highly placed postal mogul could take another job in a distant state. A postal spokesperson said that on 500 houses that they bought last year they lost an average of $58,000 per transaction and they hoped that the market would allow them to sell the $1.2 million property.
The high priest of the Church of Anthropomorphic Global Warming, Albert Gore, Jr., recently was confronted by a scientist who wanted to debate him. Before Junior left on his luxury jet (which obviously runs on hot air & waste abdominal gasses, not jet fuel) he chastised the scholar with words to the effect of, "Oh ye of little faith." Of course, the earth continues to cool and more of the "data" used by Gore (or his ghost writer) is shown to be either false, fictitious or lacking.
"Boots" Griffin who now lives up in Ohio called to say that he reads the Creston news every week and that he took offense with those who were critical of the local columnist. Several others called to express similar "sediments". The fans of the big eared one might want to check out a speech titled "A New Era Begins" by Sam Webb that was given in Cleveland on January 31. The speech is on line at CPUSA.org.
A number of local residents returned after visiting in Florida.
Several Creston residents were called for the jury for the Brent Butler murder trial but all were sent packing for a variety of reasons including being related to the victim. The fellow (Murray) was convicted even though his lawyer made an effort to "dumb down" the jury. Some hope that now the others involved in the murder will be charged and tried.
The Wirt County Farm Bureau will not meet in March as the meeting date (March 17) conflicts with the day Farm Bureau members statewide go to Charleston to meet with legislators. Those who support agriculture and rural life styles should plan to spend the day down at the Mouth of the Elk. In the morning one can visit under the golden dome (meet at the well) and at 5 P. M. there will be an update for FB members & friends at the Holiday Inn Charleston House and at 6 P. M. there will be the famous "Taste of West Virginia" reception for legislators and members at the hotel.
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