REVIEW POTPOURRI: The Headliners

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The Headliners, Volume 3

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

The Headliners, Volume 3

Columbia Record Club, GB 11, LP, released December, 1962.

A number of record collectors with very long memories, including myself, joined the now-extinct Columbia Record Club which started in 1955 and was based in Terre Haute, Indiana. Every year around Christmas starting in 1960, it would send a free limited-edition album to its members as its way of saying thank you for their continued spending and good standing.

There were two series of titles — The Sound of Genius for members in the classical division and The Headliners for those in the four non-classical categories; listening and dancing, country and western, jazz and Broadway musicals. Each record was an anthology of complete tracks from current releases on Columbia and its subsidiary labels.

Headliners, Volume 3, contained 14 selections from 14 musical artists, each one very pleasant listening:

Steve Lawrence – Tell Her That I Said Hello.
Dave Brubeck with strings – Kathy’s Waltz.
Marty Robbins – Never Look Back.
Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats – Chiquita.
Bobby Vee – Tenderly Yours.
Andre Previn Trio – Lose Me Now.
The Banjo Barons – Hello My Baby/Red River Valley.
Ray Conniff and His Orchestra and Chorus – To My Love.
Andy Williams – The Wonderful World of the Young.
Ferrante and Teicher – Theme from “Goodbye Again.”
Les Paul and Mary Ford – Go on Loving You.
Roger Williams – Greensleeves.
Brook Benton – Revenge.
Andre Kostalanetz – Cielito Lindo.

Steve Lawrence, Marty Robbins, Bobby Vee, Andy Williams, Mary Ford and Brook Benton were singers; Dave Brubeck, Andre Previn, Ferrante and Teicher and Roger Williams, pianists; Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats, The Banjo Barons and Les Paul, instrumentalists; and Ray Conniff and Andre Kostelanetz, orchestral conductors. Information about their lives are more than likely to be found on Wikipedia while their records, including these, could be heard on YouTube.

AARP SCAM ALERT: Medicare Open Enrollment Scam

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Medicare Open Enrollment season is here, which means it is also Medicare fraud season. Between now and December 7th seniors across the country will be shopping for the best deal for their health care dollar. Unfortunately some of the deals they will be offered won’t be deals at all.

Medicare scams are expected to spike during open enrollment season with scammers posing as impostors calling and emailing seniors offering free gifts or limited time offers. These scams are all designed to capture your Medicare number so the crooks can charge Medicare for services you didn’t receive.

Be suspicious of anyone who calls, emails or visits you promoting a Medicare plan. Legitimate health plans can only contact you if you’ve requested information. Don’t give personal information to anyone who calls or visits out of the blue and always review your Medicare statement to ensure fraudulent charges aren’t included.

Be a fraud fighter!  If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork  or call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 to report

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Give ‘em what they want

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

Learn to say yes!

The old adage goes that rule one is that the customer is always right; rule two, the customer is always right and rule three, when in doubt refer to rules one and two. Then why is it that so many companies these days do not follow these rules.

There is a chain of sandwich shops in Milwaukee where I used to live that have pickles, not only do they not have pickles, they don’t have pickles with extreme prejudice and look at you, the customer, like you are the weird one, because, well after all who ever heard of a Deli having pickles?

Then there is “In N Out Burgers.” They are loved, nay adored, by customers out west where they are mostly. They pride themselves on only having what they have and not bothering to have anything else. When we were in Tucson, Arizona, a while back, my wife innocently asked for mayonnaise to go with the tomato and lettuce on her hamburger (what, growing up in Auburn, we used to call a North Burger). The person taking our order proudly told us that In N Out burger does not have mayonnaise! Not only was she telling us she could not give us, the customers, what we wanted, she was proud of it; acting like we were the idiots for asking for such something so esoteric as mayonnaise on a burger. By the way this is the same chain that prides itself on having a “secret menu” …please!

The important lesson here is to give customers what they want, when they want it and how they want it, and you will create a loyal customer base, whether we’re talking about restaurants or any other kind of business, for that matter.

Every customer wants to feel special. Every customer wants to know that you care for her and for her business. The rule is simple, give customers what they want, and they will keep coming back.

Avoid saying “No,” as in: NO substitutions! NO sharing entrees! NO doggie bags! NO reservations! And NO one seated until the entire party is here! You know what? All of these could be easy yeses, and the customer would be happy. And your business would thrive

Try saying “yes” as much as possible. I was in a nice restaurant in Chicago a few years ago just finishing a very nice dinner with a group of business associates and when it came for dessert, I asked for a dish of chocolate ice cream. The woman waiting on us made a sad face and said she was sorry, but they had run out of chocolate ice cream that evening. She asked if there was anything else, I’d like instead and I said, “No, I’ll just have a coffee.” A little while later when she brought desserts and coffees to the rest of my party, she put a dish of chocolate ice cream in front of me with a big smile on her face. When I asked if they had found some, in the freezer somewhere, she said, no but there is a grocery store two doors down and we sent a busboy to get some for you. Now how about that for saying “Yes,” and by the way, for growing your business!

VETERANS CORNER: The veterans pathway to getting medical assistance needed

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Veterans Administration facility at Togus. (Internet photo)

by Gary Kennedy

Each veteran who is trying to file a claim for what they feel is a service connected medical condition should seek the formal advise of a service officer from one of the many agencies, American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Amvets, or Paralyzed Veterans of America. Although clerks and secretaries can give you minor advice you should not rely on anything other than the forms that they may give you.

Although many people want to be of assistance, not all are qualified to give good sound advice. Some of you have probably discovered that there are some that are trained to assist you with your needs and others that can just muddy up your water. In any case, unless you yourself are a trained authority on how the system works, you will probably be doing your case more harm than good.

There are several issues that put you in the ball park for VA help:

(1) You might have a direct service connected issue; something that happened while in the military.
(2) Secondary service connection which is a condition which is caused by a previously service connected condition.
(3) Aggravated service connection and outside conditions that are aggravated by military service.
(4) Presumptive service connection which is a condition that is presumed to have been caused or aggravated by the job the veteran was assigned to do.
(5) VA faulted situation such as, error in adjustment, negligence, lack of a proper skill set, also carelessness and/or negligence.

The government doesn’t allow anything to be easy. So, of course, it would be wise to begin these things with a good representative/advocate to assist you with all the hurdles. All successful cases are based upon honesty and the compilation of all the relevant data that could possibly be necessary. Never assume you have a winner because you know it to be the truth. The government sees the truth only through the eyes of evidence. I used the word mostly intentionally as I previously mentioned the presumptive issue. There are situations that can be presumable, by the nature of one’s injury, the position held by the veteran in the military and the probability of the happening is a few other venues. Examples could be flat or damaged feet of a foot soldier wearing combat boots or perhaps a rifleman with Tinnitus and/or hearing loss. In these cases the story might be the decision maker. There are avenues a good advocate can use to help prove his/her clients case. I don’t want to sound demeaning but like any kind of business, there are good and not so good advocates. Think of your advocate like a lawyer and you will understand what I am trying to convey.

It’s wonderful to have copious amounts of support data, which all advocates should have but then again it’s another thing to know how to use and deliver that information. Also, your veterans representative must have time for you. All cases are not black and white and some require stepping outside of the coveted box and do a little extra. I have had many veterans who have applied for help on several different occasions and failed. Some used themselves as a representative and others had an advocate who couldn’t /wouldn’t give enough time. Don’t be discouraged because you have failed in the past. I personally have presented many cases that had failed previously and won. You must follow the appropriate pathway no matter how tedious and difficult. The quality of someone’s life depends on it and the advocate’s reputation relies on it.

When you begin your claim you need to have your form DD-214, you will need copies of your medical records, both military and civilian, especially those which are relevant to your claim. If you need assistance with those documents, visit your local VBA and they will assist you. You will still need an advocate after you receive these things. (Building 248, first floor or bldg. 205, third floor).

As far as administrative records, you can request a form for the procurement of these also. They are usually housed at a different facility. I always look at administrative records for the entrance exam and the exit exam. There is much information that may be disseminated from the admin, file. Cases have been won with just that file. So in conclusion of this brief explanation I will explain the pathway. You are not eligible for VA services and compensation just because you would like it. You need to present evidence that military service was in some way more likely than not the causation of your problems. I probably should mention that being in direct contact with one of the many chemical agents such as Agent Orange can be relied upon in many cases as, Direct Service Connection or even, Presumptive Service Connection, it depends on the situation. Help is available to all Honorably Discharged Veterans. In Maine just call 207-623-8411 and press “0” when you get the recording and explain the nature of your need. The operator will direct you to the correct department.

I am not sure if you will read this article before Veterans Day or not, but November 11 is the day we officially honor our veterans. I honor our vets with information that can help them along the way. “Veterans Day” has been known by several names, Remembrance Day, Armistice Day and now Veterans Day. Veterans Day got its day because WWI. Armistice day ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In any case, remember, freedom isn’t free even if sometimes it is taken for granted. We owe so much too so many for the ultimate sacrifice they gave to God, Country and those that they loved. God bless all that have served and God bless America. Happy Veterans Day and remember to pray for those who made it all possible.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Lady bug, lady bug, fly away home…

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

That is the beginning of the popular child’s rhyme about lady bugs. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Many years ago, when our kids were growing up, we did a lot of camping in our popup camper. Every year, after the campgrounds closed, usually on Columbus Day weekend, we would take our “last picnic of the year.”

Last week, our daughter called and wanted to do that again. It was a little strange request seeing that she is 48 years old. Maybe it was the anticipation of the empty nest syndrome seeing that her youngest child is a senior at Waterville High School, and will be leaving after the school year to pursue her education.

So, my wife and I agreed. It was just a matter of where we would go with limited time on our hands. We decided on Blueberry Hill, in Mt. Vermon. From there, we could have our picnic, and take in the brilliant foliage from that vantage point. Looking east, you can see Great Pond and Long Pond, along with miles and miles of colorful fall leaves.

While there, we were infested with lady bugs. They were swarming around us, landing everywhere on us. As we tried to flick them off more would come. As we were leaving, they also were inside the car.

We finally decided to go to Lemieux’ Orchard, in North Vassalboro. My wife wanted to make an apple pie for our trip to Vermont this coming weekend, and some homemade apple sauce.

While there, the lady bugs made their appearance. They were everywhere, also. I ran into an old friend and we began talking. He also commented on the lady bugs.

The family is commonly known as lady bugs in North America, and ladybirds in Britain. Entomologists prefer the name ladybird beetles as these insects are not classified as true bugs.

The majority are generally considered useful insects, because many species prey on herbivorous insects such as aphids or scale insects, which are agricultural pests. The lady bug, or ladybirds, are only minor agricultural pests, eating the leaves of grain, potatoes, beans and various other crops, but their numbers can increase explosively in years when their natural enemies, such as parasitoid wasps that attack their eggs, are few. In such situations, they can do major crop damage. They occur in practically all the major crop-producing regions of temperate and tropical countries.

The lady bugs usually begin to appear indoors in the autumn when they leave their summer feeding sites in fields, forests and yards, and search out places to spend the winter. Typically, when temperatures warm to the mid-60s F, in the late afternoon, following a period of cooler weather, they will swarm onto or into buildings illuminated by the sun. Swarms fly to buildings in September through November depending on location and weather conditions. Homes or other buildings near fields or woods are particularly prone to infestation.

A common myth, totally unfounded, is that the number of spots on the insect’s back indicates its age. In fact, the underlying pattern and coloration are determined by the species and genetics of the beetle, and develop as the insect matures. In some species its appearance is fixed by the time it emerges from its pupa, though in most it may take some days for the color of the adult beetle to mature and stabilize.

The harlequin ladybird, is an example of how an animal might be partly welcome and partly harmful. It was introduced into North American, from Asia, in 1916 to control aphids, but is now the most common species, out-competing many of the native species. It has since spread to much of western Europe, reaching the United Kingdom in 2004. It has become something of a domestic and agricultural pest in some regions, and gives cause for ecological concern. It has similarly arrived in parts of Africa, where it has proved unwelcome, perhaps most prominently in vine-related crops.

It does explain something, maybe. As we have discussed before, toward the end of the summer, particularly in September, we were inundated with parasitoid wasps at camp, and saw no lady bugs. On Blueberry Hill, we saw plenty of lady bugs, but no wasps. We have yet to see a lady bug in our house this fall.

So, what about that rhyme? Here goes:

Lady bug, lady bug, fly away home;
Your house is on fire and your children are gone;
All except one, and that’s Little Anne;
For she has crept under the warming pan.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Of the four remaining teams in the MLB playoffs, which team has never won a World Series?

For the answer, click here.

SOLON & BEYOND: Many activities planned at Embden Community Center

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Received the following from the Embden Community Center, Upcoming Events (subject to change), October 27 Country Sunday/Open Mic , 1 – 4 p.m./second and fourth Sun./By donation. Kitchen Open. November 9, supper: complete Thanksgiving meal, 5 p.m./seocnd Saturday of the month. By donation. November 10: Country Sunday/open mic. 1 – 4 p.m./second and fourth Sunday/by donation. November 24 Country Sunday/open mic ; 1 – 4 p.m./second and fourth Sunday / by donation. Kitchen open. December 8, Country Sunday/open mic; 1 – 4 p.m. / second and fourth Sunday / by donation. December 22, Country Sunday/open mic; 1- 4 p.m. Sunday/by donation. Kitchen open.

Other events that takes place at the Embden Community Center 566-7302, 797 Embden Pond Road, Embden, Maine 04958, Neighbor to Neighbor Thrift Shop/Lending Library; 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Suppers: 5 p.m., second Saturday each month, except December. Sewing Class: 10 a.m. – noon / Wednesdays. Weight Wathchers 5 – 6 p.m./Wednesdays; Come in and sign upm new members accepted. Tops (Take Off Pounds Sensibly : 10:30-11:30 a.m., Wednesdays. Pickle Ball: 6 p.m.; Mondays except second week it’s on Tues. Yoga: 5:30 p.m. / Thursdays ( 3/4 hr.) (Chair Yoga (All levels ) 6:30 p.m. / Thursdays ( 1 hr.) Bring mat (All levels) 8 a.m. Saturdays (1 hr.) (All levels); by donations.

Community Center meetings: 6:30 p.m., Thursday prior to the second Saturday Supper. If you have any questions, contact Wayne at 474-1065.

The above is the only e-mail I received this week with recent news, and thanks so much Carol for sending it to me.

What I am about to write about now is from one of my old columns which I had used on July 10, 2004, in The Town Line. It is one I found years and years ago, called simply, “Youth!” It is very inspiring to me and I hope many of my older friends will find it so as well. ” Youth is not a time of life – it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees.

“It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; It is a freshness of the deep springs of life.

“Youth means a temperamental pre dominance of courage over timidity, Of the appetite for adventure over love of ease. This often exists in a man of fifty more than a boy of twenty.

“Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years; People grow old only by deserting their ideals.

“Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair – these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust

“Whether 70 or 16, there is in every being’s heart the love of wonder; the sweet amazement at the stars and the star-like things and thoughts; the undaunted challenge of events; the unfailing, childlike appetite for what’s next; and the joy and the game of life.

“You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

“In the central place of your heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage, grandeur and power from earth, from men, and from the Infinite-so long are you young.

“When the wires are all down and all the central place of your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then are you grown old indeed and may God have mercy on your soul.”

Hope the above inspires some of you to continue to live life to the fullest, no matter what your age.

And now for Percy’s memoir entitled HOPE: Hope is a robin singing on a rainy day; He knows the sun will shine again though skies may be gray. Like the robin let us be, meet trouble with a smile; And soon the sun will shine for us in just a little while. (words by Roxie Lusk Smith.)

Central Maine at peak foliage

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The foliage is in its peak at Pine Grove Cemetery, on Grove Street, in Waterville. (photo by Roland D. Hallee)

The foliage as seen from Blueberry Hill, in Mt. Vermon, looking east over Great Pond and Long Pond, and the Belgrade Village. (photo by Roland D. Hallee)

I’M JUST CURIOUS – School: then and now

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by Debbie Walker

I believe most of us went to school as children, different years, and different eras in some cases. To start, just in my family, there was dad and mom’s generation. Yes, we all know dad walked 30 miles to school, rain, shine, or snow and that’s after the chores were done.

Mom I discovered was in the top of her classes. I know they studied the three R’s, ‘Reading and ‘Riting and ‘Rithmatic, taught to the tune of a hickory stick. Mom used to sing that for us.

Then there was my generation. Our school had four grades in the two buildings in town. One teacher for each of the two grade rooms. No kindergarten, just 1-4 and 5-8.

I imagine the teachers had plenty to complain about. I am reasonably sure my teachers have all gone to their reward by now. I bet they would have plenty to say about what their days were like.

After having volunteered in a classroom for two-and-a-half years, a thought crossed my mind. I have no idea what my daughter’s class days were like. I didn’t know how she was taught. What was the ‘theory’ behind the math style she was taught? The Common Core Math being taught now in Maine, oh, brother, it’s crazy!

I am not writing any of this as any kind of criticism of the teachers now. Believe me, from what I saw in those volunteered years I really don’t know how they do it without a volunteer or aide in their room. There is so much to be taught and, of course, there are children at different skill levels. My example would be the reading. The teacher must find a way to teach them all. They must make time for the computer-generated tests. And I don’t want to get started on that one!

There are possibly stations, in their classrooms, for their different types of class work. The teacher might be at the table teaching one level of reading to a group. There would be the group who sit at their desk and finish some class work, and there is probably a computer station for another group to get in their number of minutes for the week. There may be a library corner and a group will be there reading quietly, hopefully. Keep in mind now, the teacher must teach her group activity plus oversee the other stations. Imagine how that works out with one or two little ‘actors’ in the class.

Teachers must keep a schedule going all day. They must deal with morning break, lunch, and afternoon break. A lot of people think teachers get paid such a high wage. If you figured all the hours teachers work, including time they need to use on the weekend to prepare their classroom for the next week, hours they use up in the evenings, yes, divide those into their salary for hourly wage. They wouldn’t even be making minimum wage.

My intentions for this column was to give you a little view of the classrooms “then and now.” I’m sure you remember ‘then’ and I hope I gave you a look at ‘now.’ These are all my thoughts and opinions and not the responsibility of The Town Line.

I’m just curious how you remember “Then.” Let me know at dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

In last week’s column, I wrote about the pianist Glenn Gould and mentioned his classical hit record, the 1955 Bach Goldberg Variations for Columbia Records but failed to mention another million seller, his 1981 remake of the same work, of which many of his fans, including myself, also consider basic to any collection.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Born and raised in Portland, Maine, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was arguably the most well-known American poet of the 19th century. Many one-room schoolhouse children memorized such poems as Paul Revere’s Ride and Psalm of Life, a learning experience that is, unfortunately, not part of most curriculums these days.

Longfellow had a gift for evoking the sense of wonder behind everyday life. Its reality could be boring, routine-ish, sad, almost unbearable, yet, if a person had an open mind and heart, life had its silver linings and rainbows.

One of his contemporaries stated, when the poet was still living, “There is something so tender, so gentle, in the nature of Mr. Longfellow that his poems imbibe it bountifully and it brings them home to the heart, not the mind alone, and what the heart loves and admires will linger long before time can obliterate it.”

One of his poems, A Passing Thought, is a nice example of his tender, gentle nature in dealing with life’s challenges :

“O what a glory doth this world put on
For him who, with a fervent heart goes forth
Under the bright and glorious sky and looks
On duties well performed and days well spent!
For him the wind, ay, and the yellow leaves
Shall have a voice and give him eloquent teachings.
He shall so hear the solemn hymn, that Death
Has lifted up for all, that he shall go
To his long-resting-place without a tear.”

The Longfellow House is a well-known tourist attraction, in Portland, Maine.

AARP SCAM ALERT: National Cyber Security Month

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October is National Cyber Security Month and there are three keys to staying safe online: Own it, Secure it, and Protect it. The “it” is your digital profile – the personal things about yourself that you put online. Living in the digital age means putting a lot of personal information online like your home address, where you work, family members, and much more. Keeping that information safe requires a bit of work. First, you need to own it by understanding what you’re putting out there (such as what you’re posting on social media). Next, you have to secure it with strong passwords or using a password manager and enabling two-step authentication where available. Lastly, you need to protect it by staying current with the latest security updates on your devices and using Public Wi-Fi safely. Learn more at staysafeonline.org.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 to report a scam or get help if you’ve fallen victim.