Opinion
PAGE
A4
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 2, 2015
CHEERS AND JEERS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Our holiday longing for home
CHEERS to the students who participated in the All County Orchestra Concert at Grimsley High School Nov. 21. It was a professional performance by students and directors. – Carolyn Lewis CHEERS to Leadership High Point for performing a facility face-lift at Hand to Hand Food Pantry by painting walls, adding shelving and building a wheel-chair ramp. Great work … great group. – Dean Jordan Hand to Hand Food Pantry Coordinator JEERS to the homeowner in the Cedarwood subdivision on Tangle Drive who parked a tractor trailer on their property. Remove it and buy a standardized outbuilding. Note: the Cedarwood subdivision is an extraterritorial jurisdiction area of Jamestown. – Anonymous
Submissions
Letters to the Editor
The Jamestown News welcomes letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 400 words or fewer, and include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Letters are limited to one per month. Email to: jamestownnews@northstate.net. Mail to: The Jamestown News, P.O. Box 307, Jamestown, N.C. 27282. Fax to: 336-841-4953.
Cheers and Jeers
If you have a CHEER or JEER, let us know by calling 841-4933, or emailing jamestownnews@northstate.net. Please include your name, address and phone number, but submissions may be run as anonymous if requested.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Dec. 2, 1823 – President James Monroe introduced his “Monroe Doctrine,” prohibiting any further colonization of the American continents by European powers. Dec. 2, 1859 – Abolitionist leader John Brown was executed for treason at Charles Town, West Virginia, following his raid on the U.S. Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. Dec. 2, 1942 – Physicists led by Enrico Fermi carried out the world’s first successful nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago. Dec. 2, 1954 – The U.S. Senate condemned Senator Joseph McCarthy for misconduct following his ruthless investigations of thousands of alleged Communists. Dec. 2, 1979 – Electors in Iran voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new constitution, granting absolute power to Ayatollah Khomeini. Dec. 2, 1982 – The first permanent artificial heart was implanted in 61-yearold Barney C. Clark by Dr. William De Vries at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Dec. 3, 1967 – The first successful heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard at Cape Town, South Africa, on Louis Washkansky. Dec. 3, 1984 – A deadly gas leak of methyl isocyanate at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killed at least 3,000 persons and injured more than 200,000. Dec. 4, 1991 – The last American hostage held in Lebanon was released.
Fifteen Americans were held hostage for periods ranging from two months to more than six years. Dec. 5, 1933 – The 18th Amendment (Prohibition Amendment) to the U.S. Constitution was repealed. For nearly 14 years, since Jan. 29, 1920, it had outlawed the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. Dec. 5, 1955 – In Alabama, the Montgomery bus boycott began in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat on a municipal bus to a white man. Dec. 6, 1865 – The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery. Dec. 6, 1877 – At his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, Thomas Edison spoke the children’s verse “Mary had a Little Lamb...” while demonstrating his newly-invented phonograph, which utilized a revolving cylinder wrapped in tinfoil to record sounds. Dec. 7, 1787 – Delaware became the first state to adopt the new constitution of the United States. Dec. 7, 1941 – The U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by nearly 200 Japanese aircraft in a raid that lasted just over one hour and left nearly 3,000 Americans dead. Dec. 8, 1941 – A day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan. Dec. 8, 1991 – The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) ceased to exist.
“There is something about the holidays,” says Chapel Hill minister Bob Dunham, “that stirs memories and longing for home. “Even if they are better in memory than they were in reality.” He explained that student homesickness is not just about freshmen. Longing for home affects everybody. There is an aching for family now separated and for particular places. Dunham told how minister and author Frederick Buechner remembered when another minister asked in a sermon, “Are you going home for Christmas?” The question brought tears to Buechner’s eyes. Such memories more often than not take me back to family meals when I was growing up. I start to smell my grandmother’s Sally Lunn rolls, taste my mom’s tomato aspic and remember the fried chicken, ham or shepherd’s pie. There was always talk about the sermon or politics or special family challenges. Sometimes there would be gentle teasing of each other. These kinds of memories also stir Raleigh writer Bridgette Lacy, author of Sunday Dinner, a “Savor the South” cookbook from UNC Press.
by guest columnist D.G. Martin In her introduction to the book, Lacy remembers summertime Sunday dinners at her grandparents’ house, sitting down with “parents, aunts and uncles, siblings and cousins to a meal of fried chicken, potato salad, green beans and yeast rolls. On cold winter afternoons, Sunday dinner meant generous portions of perfectly seasoned pot roast with mashed potatoes and carrots.” “Sunday dinner,” she writes, “was the artistic expression of my grandfather’s love of family, and it was a masterpiece.” These are the kind of memories that fuel our longing for home. But, writes Lacy, “Today, there are fewer large family clans. Children have moved far away from parents and grandparents. Uncles and cousins no longer live within walking
distance. Many of us who grew up eating Sunday dinner surrounded by family now eat dinner alone. For others, Sunday dinner has become an afternoon at the local all-you-can-eat buffet, eating among tables of strangers.” Lacy lives alone, far away from surviving family. So, how does she celebrate Sunday dinner today? Some Sundays she gets in her car and drives three hours to Lynchburg, Va., to be with a few relatives. Other times she “recreates” her Sunday dinner family. She turned her African American Classics Book Club into a monthly pot-luck get-together with the host providing “standard Sunday dinner staples.” Also she encourages singles to invite others to make together or bring parts of a meal to share. “It’s a chance to connect with others and nourish the body and soul. The Sunday meal should remind us of our personal relationships with food and the people we love.” Lacy helps by sharing about 50 simple recipes from her family and friends, including Grandma’s Fried Chicken, Mama’s Meaty Crab Cakes, Papa’s Picnic Ham with Jack Daniels and Cloves, Short Ribs and
Pork Chops with Onion Gravy. There are side dishes and vegetables like Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese, Esther’s Summer Potato Salad, Scalloped Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping, Savory Stuffed Crookneck Squash, Butternut Squash with Sage, Collard Greens, Green Beans with Fingerling Potatoes, Sweet and Spicy Corn Cakes, Corn Pudding and Classic Buttery Mashed Potatoes. She gives directions for salads, including Sweet and Crunchy Broccoli Salad, Roasted Pears, Cucumber Tomato Salad, Salmon Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes, Gala Apple Chicken Salad and a variety of breads and desserts including Papa’s Nilla Wafer Brown Pound Cake, Peach Cobbler, Easy Blackberry Cobbler and many more. “Nilla Wafer Brown” describes the desired color of the crust of the pound cake. No actual vanilla wafers are required. Of course, Lacy’s homage to old-time Sunday dinners feeds our longing for family and the meals we shared together. But she includes a wonderful antidote, especially good at holiday time: Gather your friends together and feed each other like family.
Time to sign up for health insurance By JANET TRAUTWEIN
The Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges opened for business last month. Now, millions of Americans who do not get coverage through work have the opportunity to shop for policies that will take effect in 2016. But they only have a few months to do so. This open enrollment period will end on Jan. 31, 2016. Those who currently lack insurance should sign up without delay. And those who have had coverage this year should investigate whether there’s a better deal available to them for coverage that will kick in next year. Picking a plan can be complicated, but it’s worth it – and there’s help available to ensure that consumers make wise decisions for themselves and their families. There are many advantages to getting covered. The most important, of course, is that insurance ensures access to medical care. Robust coverage can be a life-saver in the event of a serious medical emergency. But insurance also keeps people from having to pay the Affordable Care Act’s penalty for not maintaining coverage – a penalty that increases dramatically in 2016. This year, those who were unin-
sured paid either $325 per adult and $162.50 per child, up to a maximum of $975, or 2 percent of their income – whichever was greater. In 2016, those who don’t secure coverage will pay much more. The per-person rates will more than double to $695 per adult and $347.50 per child, up to a maximum of $2,085. Wealthier uninsured will have to pay 2.5 percent of their incomes. That’s a lot of money to spend on not getting insurance. Additionally, federal tax credits subsidizing coverage are available through the exchanges for low-income individuals who need help paying for their policies. This year, 85 percent of those who bought private plans on the exchanges got financial assistance. However, the online insurance exchanges can be very complex. Fortunately, buyers who find themselves overwhelmed can seek the expert counsel of a licensed, professional insurance broker. The easiest way to do so is via a free tool available online, at agent-finder.org. Brokers are specifically trained to help consumers work their way through the maze of plans, coverage levels, deductibles, networks and premiums. Nearly three-quarters spend most of their time explaining coverage to clients, according to
the Kaiser Family Foundation. And nearly two-thirds of brokers devote significant time to resolving claims questions or disputes with insurance carriers. Brokers also yield results for their clients. According to research from the University of Minnesota, premiums are 13 percent lower in areas where there are the most brokers, compared with those with the fewest. It’s no wonder that nearly 84 percent of shoppers who got assistance purchasing exchange coverage in 2014 rated their agent or broker as “helpful.” No other enrollment assistance group received a higher satisfaction rate. Selecting a health plan can be confusing. But help is readily available. And the Affordable Care Act provides incentives for buying insurance – carrots in the form of subsidies to those with low incomes, and sticks in the form of penalties for those who fail to sign up. During this open enrollment season, getting covered should be a nobrainer.
Janet Trautwein is CEO of the National Association of Health Underwriters. To learn more, visit www.BrokersMakingaDifference.org.
There’s more than one way to get your news. Want to find out about breaking news, road closings or lost dogs? Sign up for email alerts by emailing jamestownnews@northstate.net and putting JN email alert in the subject line.
USPS 457-850 - ISSN 1074-5122
Also, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
Locally Owned & Operated Since 1978
The Only way to keep up with All the Local news is with a subscription to the
The Community’s Best Source of Local Information
Office Manager/Layout: Carolyn Lewis Staff Writers/Layout: Norma B. Dennis Carol Brooks Legal Advertising/Writer: Jane Whitehorne Display Advertising: 316-1231
MAIL SUBSCRIPTION: In Guilford County: $25 per year, $16 per
6-months. ALL OTHER AREAS: $33 per year, $22 per 6 months $53 per year in foreign countries. Published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers Periodical postage paid at Jamestown, NC 27282 Postmaster: Send address changes to Jamestown News, P.O. Box 307, Jamestown, NC 27282 Office: 206 E. Main Street, Jamestown, NC Phone: (336) 841-4933 Fax: (336) 841-4953 Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Email: jamestownnews@northstate.net
Member North Carolina Press Association, National Newspaper Association (NNA) and Jamestown Business Association. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily the opinion of this publication. Copyright 2015 by Womack Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use without written permission is prohibited.
Visit us online: www.jamestownnews.com
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Just $25 per year in Guilford County and $33 per year everywhere else in the U.S. Fill out the coupon and send it with payment and you’ll start enjoying home delivery, via mail, every week. If you have questions, call 336-841-4933. Drop by our office at 206 E. Main Street.
We accept VISA, MasterCard and Discover
Mail coupon, with check, to:
NEW Subscriber RENEWAL
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
Jamestown News P. O. Box 307 Jamestown, NC 27282 NAME: ADDRESS:
CITY: STATE: ZIP: