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I have spent a lot of time thinking about my Dad over the last few days. Had he lived, he would have been 94 years old.  He has been gone for over 10 years now, and still not a day goes by that I don’t think of him.  I learned a lot of valuable lessons from my Dad, but not a lot of them were the sort of things you learn by sitting down and having a long talk.  Most of what I learned from my Dad was learned by watching how he lived his life. Dad taught me the value of an “old school” work ethic.  He left for work at the Pepsi-Cola plant every morning at 8:00, and aside from taking an hour for supper, he worked straight through until 7:00 or 8:00 every evening.  I can’t remember a single instance of my Dad leaving his office for lunch, and I don’t remember him missing a day of work because he was sick.  In his later years with the company, when he moved from office manager to warehouse manager, Dad would be on the job by 4:00 a.m. every day.  He retired at age 76, complaining that the company wouldn’t allow him to keep working.  I generally leave my house for the office at 6:30 or so each day, and whenever my wife asks why I’m leaving so early, I just think back to my Dad and smile.   At 75 years old, Dad would have already had two hours in. Dad also taught me important lessons about respect.   After 40+ years, the owner of the plant where Dad worked was still “Mr. Ovies”.  All of the other supervisors referred to him as “Joe”, but not my father.  I asked him about that once, and he proceeded to explain the importance of showing respect where respect was due.  Outside of the workplace, Dad always demanded that I show the appropriate respect for him, and especially for my Mom.  There were only two times in my life that my father laid a hand on me.  The first was when I was six or seven years old, when he delivered a well-deserved spanking.  The last was when I was seventeen, and I used some inappropriate language while arguing with my Mom.  A quick right hand reminded me that I should never disrespect my mother that way again. More importantly, Dad taught me about the value of kindness.  I don’t know that “kind” would be the first word people who knew my Dad would use to describe him, but those who knew him best would certainly agree.  I remember him buying an extra box of pizza at DiCarlo’s to give to the co-worker whose family was struggling.  I remember him slipping $5.00 to the disabled young boy who used to hang around the Pepsi booth during the circus on Wheeling Island.  I remember him getting out the snow blower in the winter, and proceeding to clear the sidewalks of seven or eight different houses around the block before he stopped.  “They’re older folks and they need the help,” he would explain.  He was 75. I don’t ever recall my Dad sitting me down to have a long talk about the important lessons to learn in life.  Maybe that’s because he wasn’t always great at putting his thoughts into words, or maybe he just didn’t want to lecture me.  Maybe he thought it best to teach by example.  Whatever the reason, I will always be proud of the life he lived and the example he set.  Lessons learned, Dad.  Lessons learned.

John Kennedy, in his inaugural address, said that America would “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, or oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” He need not have said this in West Virginia. West Virginia had already done that. West Virginia — and her coalfield communities and miners, in particular — won two World Wars. West Virginia turned mountains of coal into rivers of steel for ships, tanks, and rifles. And her servicemen fought those wars – securing the blessings of liberty not only for ourselves, but for millions of strangers on the other side of the world. Over 100,000 Americans have died mining coal, and 100,000 more died later on from black lung. No one has counted all the costs paid by West Virginians to bring coal up from underground. Even so, West Virginia has never been rich. As ton after ton of coal came out of the earth to fuel America, and to save Europe from fascism and Nazism, the working people of West Virginia never profiteered — never made more than a bare living on the hard work of mining coal and working steel. The great fortunes made in timber and coal were never widely shared. Even at the height of the industry (in terms of employment), more than 50 years ago, poverty in West Virginia’s coalfields was a scandal, that President Kennedy himself brought to the nation’s attention, and worked to end, before his assassination. For more than 150 years, West Virginia has done her part, to build, to preserve, and to defend America. Come to find out it’s not enough. Even more is being asked of our state, much of it on behalf of people who don’t live here. Over the last 15 years, West Virginia has been asked to give up more and more of the industry that built the state. Once the entire nation burned its lights, cooked its food, and heated its homes with our coal. Fifteen years ago, half the nation’s electricity came from coal – now it’s under 40 percent. Once the undisputed king of fuels in our country, and the world, coal has lost ground to cheap, fracked natural gas and other sources of energy. But it isn’t just the economics — as competition has risen against coal, the country started complaining about it. “Too dirty,” “too dangerous,” “too much carbon pollution” — coal has lost its popularity in other parts of the country that don’t mine it and use it as West Virginia does. Energy sources that coal trounced in the marketplace 20 years ago are now selling better and better here and abroad. Like any other major change, some people insist on denying it. Some people say it will all go back the way it was if we refuse to accept it. But the realistic question is: what are we going to do about it? One thing that has to be recognized as we think our way through these changes is this: the country owes a literal and moral debt to our coalfield communities. West Virginia has done its part, and others have reaped the benefits, for a long, long time – that debt must be repaid. We’re not talking about companies, owners and executives. West Virginia has minted a thousand millionaires in coal. No one owes them a thing. It remains a great scandal that executives, bankers and owners are trying to renege on retirement benefits and health benefits that coal miners were promised. It’s sickening to see millions, and tens of millions, taken by suits while working families suffer for want of the modest sums they worked hard to earn. We’re talking about the people and families who made coal a way of life — not an easy life, but a life — that made this country great. The country owes them respect, and a lifeline, as the American colossus moves on to the next big thing. Our leaders have to demand it, and deliver it, to those who need it the most. If the national plan to more heavily regulate emissions of carbon — which fall most heavily on coal communities — goes forward – as it seems it surely will, it must be accompanied by fair compensation and support for the cities and towns that will pay the price, and bear the burden, for what the country as a whole has chosen. Like the miners of Patriot Coal — West Virginia has earned the right to that. We are not talking about a “handout,” any more than the retirements miners worked for and were promised are a “handout.” We’re talking about fair treatment and just compensation — an even playing field, and a chance to make it to the future. There are billions of dollars to be had to re-tool, re-train, and re-vitalize our state and West Virginia must seize them. We don’t have time to waste trying to sue the federal government into submission. There’s no light at the end of that tunnel. We can’t refuse to accept the market conditions or the decisions of millions of other people to burn less coal. The longer we take to squarely face the facts, the harder the road will be. We’re going to need help and we can’t afford to look gift horses in the mouth or play momentary politics with the future of a generation of West Virginians hanging in the balance. Help from those we have helped for so long must be forthcoming. Anything less would be a betrayal. Not of Arch, or Murray, or Alpha — not of any company or boss. It would be a betrayal of the veterans of the coal mines, and West Virginia’s honored dead who gave their lives to bring coal out of the ground to a country that was once greedy for it. We’ve done our part for the country and we must call on it to do its part for West Virginia now. Our representatives must fight to make sure the moral debt the United States of America owed to our coalfield communities is met in full. It is the least they can do for the men and women who have paid every price, borne every burden, and met every hardship, to make this country what it is today.

Fall certainly feels to be in the air this past week. Cool nights and mornings.  A healthy blanket of fog and dew when we wake up.  And football seasons kicking off around the Valley.  For many of us, this is the time of the year when we start buttoning up our homes for winter, cleaning out the gardens, disconnecting the hoses, giving the lawn one last seeding and weeding, and often times power washing our wooden decks.  A new University of Florida study shows we need to approach this last task with extreme caution.  Because power washing that old wooden deck in your back yard might make it look better, but by doing so, you may be creating a significant cancer hazard that puts you, your children and your pets at risk in the process. You see wooden decks manufactured before 2004 are made almost exclusively with a chemical wood preservative called Chromated Copper Arsenate (“CCA”).  As the name implies, CCA-treated wood, contains arsenic and chromium, which are both classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning they have been scientifically proven to cause cancer in humans (and not just animals).  And the recent University of Florida study shows that wet wood releases arsenic at three times the rate of dry wood. Not only that, but using bleach to power wash, a common practice to get that deck really clean and shining, causes the wood to release chromate, another carcinogen. Although the EPA pressured industry to stop using CCA to treated wood used in residential construction in 2003, current estimates put the number of CCA-treated decks on American homes at 20 million or more. CCA was widely used, because it is highly resistant to termites, which should have been a clue that it is no good for humans.  After all, if even the termites won’t go near it . . . . But even though this practice has been discontinued CCA-treated wood can last up to 40 years, so most of the decks built with it are still in active use today. Even just mopping the deck puts you at risk.  The Florida study demonstrated that water alone caused three times more arsenic to form on the surface of the wet wood than that of dry wood.  They also found much higher levels of arsenic and chromate, if bleach was used, in the rinse water.  Dumping this rinse water can also pollute the soil around the decks and present an additional exposure risk.  And of course, applying highly pressurized water to a CCA-treated deck only magnifies the risk of harm.  If your deck absolutely needs cleaning, do everything you can to avoid skin contact with wet decking, particularly right after cleaning with bleach.  The Florida study also offers some additional tips for concerned homeowners, including not growing vegetables on soils near the CCA-treated deck, keeping children and pets off the deck when its wet, washing children’s hands after they play on or near the deck and avoiding giving kids finger foods while outside playing near the deck. If you’re inclined to remove a CCA-treated wood deck, the Florida study advises not to cut it into pieces.  The study showed that sawdust is high in arsenic that dissolves easily into the soil.  For the same reason, avoid burning the wood.  The arsenic in the resultant smoke can also harm humans and animals.  If you live in a home with a deck built before 2004, chances are it contains CCA-treated wood.  Ultimately you and your neighbors might just have to live with the deck’s appearance.  A fresh coat of paint seems preferable to a good power washing.  But no amount of aesthetic improvement is worth your health or your life.

It’s an ugly subject, but we cannot turn a blind eye. I would venture to say that just about everyone reading this has been impacted by the devastating effects of heroin addiction. Whether it be a neighbor, a friend of a friend or a personal situation of your own, whatever the case may be, it’s everywhere.  It effects every economic status, every race and every age right in front of our eyes.  This drug has such a powerful impact on the brain that if you survive even “just trying it once,” you eventually end up with a lifetime battle.  The effects of this are immediate and the addiction is devastating to everyone around the person involved. U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld has been doing an exemplary job in battling the drug dealers that are bringing this into our neighborhoods and making it so accessible, but he needs our participation, too.  We have a duty to work together in this fight for the lives of so many innocent people in our town and surrounding areas. A couple weekends ago, some 18 people overdosed, including three deaths in one night in Washington County, Pennsylvania.  I read something in the newspaper daily about a drug bust and the most common drug of choice seems to be heroin.  I know our local news stations seem to have a top story nightly revolving around this vile drug, not to mention the very powerful locally advertised commercials that we have all seen. With eyes wide open, this drug comes in many different forms.  It can be sniffed, snorted, smoked or injected.  Many times it’s mixed with other drugs, as well.  Its power overcomes the user.  Within seconds, it enters the brain and the euphoric feeling, hours later, is followed by unbearable withdrawal symptoms that keeps the user seeking more.  Supposing you survive, continued use only increases because now you need it. Convulsions, abnormal heartbeat, heart attack, stroke, suicidal behavior, criminal behavior, kidney failure, death – sound like a good time?  I don’t think so. If you have never tried a drug, that is a wonderful thing and may you always keep it that way.  If you have, go to someone and get help because it’s not an addiction you can beat alone.  You need support from family, friends and professionals. Report any suspicious activity.  Families need support.  They need not be ashamed - this is no time to judge.  Be proactive with what may seem to be tough love at times because you may just save a life.

How many times have you gone by that one house in your area and seen a poor dog that is living on a chain outside all year round? My first thought is why would these people have a dog?  They’re not lawn ornaments.  Dogs have only one instinct and that is to love their family unconditionally. Even when you have gone by and seen the owner out in the yard with the dog begging for their attention, the dog still seems to be neglected. Personally, I think people like this need to be tied outside on a chain for a few days and see how they like it. Since Wheeling has a sleep-out to raise money for the homeless, why don’t we have a chain-out (for people) to help raise money for our local shelters to take these dogs away from people who don’t care for them? This way we could find them good, loving homes. I know people say that their dog is mean or not good with people, but are they really sure?  How do they know?  How many hours have they spent with the dog to know whether this observation is accurate? I’ve heard so many heartbreaking stories about people getting rid of their dogs for the following reasons: they chew, go to the bathroom in the house or they just had a baby and they don’t want the dogs around because they are not sure what the dog might do.  Who was there first?  The dog. This is when a dog can be placed outside on a chain and if the dog is lucky, they will give them a dog box to protect them from the elements. Unfortunately, a lot of times this is not the case and the owners tie them to trees or put the chain on a stake in the ground and walk away. Really? That dog would never turn its back on you. Today, August 26, is National Dog Day.  Wouldn’t it be great if all those dogs living on chains could find someone to take them and love them the way they should be?  I, personally, have rescued dogs like this on chains because they have been so wrapped up in their chains, had no food or water and no one noticed. One time, I even had a person call me to report that local homeowners moved and left their dogs tied outside for days. This person was humane enough to provide the dogs with food and water until they called me and told me about the situation. They truly thought that the owners would come back for them.  How sad; this kills me. My point is, if you see a dog in your area that is chained outside and is not being taken care of, please report it to the local authorities so they can keep a watch on this animal.   Never go on the owner’s property and take a dog; that’s why we have dog wardens and police officers. Our job is to report this abuse to them. I know people have said to me, “You know you can’t save them all.” I know they are right, but I’ll die trying just to save that one dog and find that one dog a loving home that they need.  Not every home deserves a dog, but every dog deserves a good home. Bark on Bordas Dog Nation, Bark on.

I’ve heard it said that the further south you travel in the states the nicer the people are. I have done a lot of traveling around the eastern part of the United States, north and south, and I have to admit I think it’s true.  I’ve noticed this “southern hospitality” in hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, and just people in general out on the street.  Could it be that the warmer climate creates an atmosphere where people tend to be more laid back and tranquil? I have written before about the road trips that my mom and sisters began to take in 1990 after the loss of my dad and brother.  I would now like to share another one of the more memorable trips we took in May of 1991.  Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  The Great Smokey Mountains.  Gatlinburg together with its sister city, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, have become two of my favorite vacation destinations. That year we stayed at the Rocky Water Motor Inn which is located at the entrance to Gatlinburg where the Little Pigeon River runs between the road into Gatlinburg and the Inn.  Sitting out on the patio of our room that spring, I remember the feeling of peace I felt just letting the sounds of nature fill my senses and help to heal my grief-stricken mind.  It seemed like the perfect vacation for all of us that year.  It was also close to the trolley pickup so that we could leave our car parked and use the trolley cars that shuttled people around wherever they wanted to go.  That first day, we hopped the first one that stopped at the pickup booth in front of the Inn but when we were ready to return to the Inn we had a bit of trouble deciding which one to take. We knew that the trolleys were color coded for various routes but being new to the area, we were unfamiliar with the layout of the towns. This was when we got to experience, for the first time, that “southern hospitality.”  While we were in a huddle debating about which trolley to take a man stopped and in a southern drawl told us we needed to walk up to the trolley booth and catch the next trolley.  We were not used to people being so nice so we were skeptical.  Plus we all have the habit of “over thinking” a situation.  We thanked him, walked down to the trolley booth and when it came we, of course, didn’t get on it.  As we stood there studying the city map at the trolley stand, the nice gentleman came along again, pointed his finger at us and in his sweet southern drawl said, “Now, y’all didn’t listen to me.  I told y’all needed to take that last trolley.”   We laughed and admitted to him that we just didn’t follow directions very well.  He explained to us that Gatlinburg was actually made up of two streets, one going in one direction and one going in the other.  Sounded easy.  So when the next trolley came we took it. There was so much to do in the area that we literally were running from one thing to the next for the three days we were there.  One thing I suggest you must do if you are ever in the area is ride the tram up the side of the mountain.  The view is breathtaking!  The year we went we found a ski lodge restaurant at the top and a few shops where we found freshly made fudge.  If there is one thing that my family has in common it’s a sweet tooth!  We must have purchased about 20 pounds of fudge then rode the tram back down to the foot of the mountain and walked through an inside shopping mall.  My sister, Annie, mom and I discovered a huge candy store that must have had hundreds of different kinds of candy.  When my sister, Jean, who had lagged behind caught up with us and found us at the candy store, she shouted an exasperated voice, “We just bought 20 pounds of fudge!  Why are you in a candy shop?”  Red faced and laughing, we left the store. By the time we were ready to go back to the Inn, we were very tired and made our way down to the corner where we saw a trolley approaching. Annie hopped up on the step to ask the driver if he was going back to our Inn.  Mom, who was suffering a bit of altitude sickness from the tram ride ( later in our room we decided it might also have been because we made her carry all the fudge!) chose that precise moment to topple backward and for some strange reason called Annie’s name all the way to the ground.  Ironically it was Jean and I who were standing beside her.  We reached down, slipped our hands in her armpits and lifted her to her feet again before she had touched the ground for two seconds.  The driver jumped out of the trolley and helped my mother to her seat, offering to call an ambulance.  The other occupants of the trolley watched us with concern.   After the EMTs checked Mom out and made sure she was okay, we all settled into seats and the trolley continued back to our Inn.  Now, this is where any normal family would have been shaken by the incident, but not us!  As soon as we made eye contact with each other, we had to smile, then the smile turned into a giggle, then the giggle turned into a chuckle and soon we were all in a “full-fledged belly laugh.”  The people around us gazed at us because we were having such a good time at my mother’s expense.  This made us laugh even harder.  The laughter bubbled up out of us uncontrollably, our hands over our mouths, trying to stifle it, unsuccessfully, all the way back to the Inn.  Back in our room when we finally settled down for the night and were lying in bed, Annie expressing how delightfully comfortable it felt to finally rest, quipped, “Oh, Mom, now I know why you laid down in the street.”   It was another hour before we stopped laughing and got to sleep! Over the years I have returned to the Great Smokey Mountains several times, to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, either with my sisters and mom, my husband or friends.  Every trip there is etched in my memory with great fondness; but it is this first trip that remains my favorite. If you have never had the pleasure to travel in this area of the states, do yourself a favor and plan your next road trip there.  Experience a little “southern hospitality.”  You won’t regret it.

I have a reputation for being a bit of technophobe.  It really isn’t fair.  I’m not afraid of technology.  I’m cautious, that’s all.  I like to take things slow.  I dangle my feet in the shallow end of the techno pool instead of diving head first. Now I don’t pretend to understand everything about my personality, but I think I know where this technophobe stuff comes from.  I’m not very old--not by my own reckoning anyway.  I’m only in my 50’s.  But in my 50+ years I’ve seen a lot of technology come and go.  And, to be honest, that’s a little scary… When I was in junior high school, I liked math and my geometry teacher talked me into buying my first slide rule.  In a world before computers and calculators, the slide rule was a true technological wonder.  I still don’t know how it worked, but you could multiply, divide and do much, much more by simply moving the slider and the curser back and forth.  I decided I would invest in a luxury model--a beautiful, sturdy slide rule made of wood laminate that set me back around $75.  If you’ve ever watched Apollo 13, you’ll remember all the NASA engineers working feverishly on their slide rules, checking and rechecking their calculations.  That was me.  I had the newest gadget.  I was cutting edge.  I was high tech. But within a year or two my slide rule was reduced to dinosaur status.  Calculators began making their way onto the market.  I had to buy one.  I can’t say it was a “pocket” calculator because that would imply it would fit into a pocket.  Not this one.  No way!  As I remember, it was around eight inches long, six inches wide, and three quarters of an inch high.  Despite its monstrous size, this calculator did almost nothing other than the basics.  But $75 later, I was the proud owner of technology’s latest and greatest. Fast forward a year and I was using my new calculator as a paper weight.  I was getting ready for college and I needed a bigger, better and newer calculator.  So I plunked down $100 and I added a Texas Instruments (“TI”) calculator to my ever-growing collection.  It was probably only half the size of my first calculator, but this one had all the latest bells and whistles.  Logarithms.  Square roots.  You name it, and my brand new $100 calculator could do it all. So let’s recap, shall we… In a span of five years, I spent $250 on the simplest of math accessories.  According to an inflation calculator, that’s the equivalent of spending $900 in 2015.  Yikes!  Not only that, my slide rule literally became extinct.  My first calculator too.  I’m guessing in a very short span of time my new “TI” met the same fate. And that, I think, is the root of my phobia.  You invest time and money.  You slowly become comfortable with the newest technology.  But the only constant in the world of technology is change. And change is coming.  Trust me.  It’s right around the corner.  As the Red Queen said in Through the Looking Glass, “it takes all the running you can do” just to keep up.  And that, unfortunately, is what runs headlong into my cautious nature.   I admit it.  I get nervous about the future.  Unsettled.  Maybe, I guess, a tiny bit afraid… So what about you?  Be honest.  Are you running to keep up with technology?  Or do you have a touch of technophobia like me?

Creating magical/memorable experiences for my children was always something I so loved to do and when one of them lost a tooth, it was “show time”. When my daughter lost her first tooth, I sprinkled “fairy dust” down the hallway, across her room and onto her pillow, tucked money under her pillow and left a special note from the tooth fairy for her to find. I took a small piece of paper and in my tiniest, “pixie” handwriting, I would create a note to my daughter, Jenny, from “Thumbelina the Tooth Fairy” about the importance of good oral hygiene and always added encouraging sentiments about what a good girl she was, how proud her parents were of her, how much she was loved and promises of another visit next time she lost a tooth. My daughter was astonished to find that note – imagine “Thumbelina” actually flying into her room and taking the time to leave that sweet note! She would then tuck the note away for safe keeping in her special little jewelry box. Every time Jenny lost a tooth, “Thumbelina” would leave a trail of fairy dust and a note and that was something Jenny came to look forward to. Jenny is 19 now, and she still has “Thumbelina’s” notes tucked away in her jewelry box, has fond memories of “Thumbelina” and an appreciation of her “momma’s” efforts and imagination. My son, Nick, was always about the money when he would lose a tooth, and the promises of a visit from the tooth fairy was a motivator to get him to go to sleep on time. I remember one night I accidentally fell asleep and forgot to leave the money under his pillow. When he awoke the next morning he was distraught to find the tooth fairy had not visited and he had no money. Scrambling for the imagination, I sent him into the kitchen to get something and while he was in there, I threw money under his bed.  When he returned, so disheartened, thinking the tooth fairy had forgotten him, I nonchalantly mentioned that he did roll around in bed a lot when he slept…perhaps the money moved away from the pillow…perhaps, just maybe, the money fell off his bed. So, of course, he ran back into his room to search and, lo and behold, the tooth fairy had not forgotten him after-all! Nick’s is now 16 and fondly remembers his visits from the tooth fairy.

As the oil and gas industry continues to develop throughout the tri-state area, I have continued to receive more and more calls from people asking for help with their leases and potential lawsuits. While many oil and gas leases are complex, I thought it would be informative to do a small series regarding some of the basic legal aspects of oil and gas law. One of the most common misunderstandings I hear while talking with clients is “my lease is only for five years.”  In mineral rights leases, the type of lease that is used to by oil and gas companies, there is almost always a “primary” and “secondary” term.  The primary terms is the length of time established in the lease and agreed upon by the parties.  The primary term is usually five to ten years and many people believe this is the entire length of their lease.  However, when leasing mineral rights, a person must be aware that the oil and gas company will more than likely not be done with your property within this primary term. The secondary term is the amount of time the lease carries on after the primary term.  While all leases are different, in many leases, the oil and gas company is required to produce oil and/or gas, or the property must be operated by the company in the search for oil and/or gas, during the primary term.  If the oil and gas company does not work on a property during the primary term, the lease expires. However, if the oil and gas company does start operations during the primary term, the lease continues past the primary term of five years (for example) and enters the secondary term.  You might be wondering, “how long does the secondary term last?”  While the terms of a lease govern its length, secondary terms usually last for as long as oil or gas is being produced in paying quantities.  Generally, this means that a lease will last for as long as oil or gas is still being taken out of the ground.  We have cases where the old leases have lasted up to 100 years because oil and gas was still being removed, despite the fact that it was a small amount. At Bordas & Bordas, we have mineral rights attorneys that specifically focus on landowners’ oil and gas rights.  We have many oil and gas cases where individuals were not being paid correctly, their land was being used when the oil and gas company did not have the right to do so, and many other diverse issues.  Many times, a person’s mineral rights may be their most important asset and selling that asset without understanding every aspect of the lease has lost many people their property rights and significant sums of money.  If you have any questions regarding your oil and gas rights, always feel free to reach out to one of our attorneys for a free consultation.

The Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce and Bordas & Bordas Attorneys will present Business After Hours on Thursday, Aug. 20 at our Wheeling location. Perhaps you are a college graduate or new business owner.  Joining the Chamber of Commerce is a great way to start making career contacts and building clientele. Business After Hours is an enjoyable event for area professionals to network while learning about other local businesses and what they have to offer. It’s a laid back environment which allows professionals to unwind a bit. During these types of events, you could come to find out that you may really like to do business with that person or perhaps you could learn some new and different options that are available in helping your business grow or run more efficiently. You find this all out from sharing your experiences with other local business owners. Not only can you share great business ideas, but you may make some friends, too. We all get caught up in the everyday work demands and the family responsibilities so attending Business After Hours is a great way to keep up with other entrepreneurs and our commitment to the people of the valley so that we can all provide them with the best services that they deserve.

I had my second neck surgery in as many years on Monday, so I have had a little extra time to just sit and think over the past few days. With the beginning of a new school year just around the corner, I found myself thinking back to my younger days, reflecting on the wonderful teachers I had along the way, and how each of them helped to get me to where I am today. I believe very strongly that teachers are likely the most under-appreciated and underpaid members of our society.  When we consider the value of what we expect our teachers to accomplish, it’s hard to think of a profession that is more important, especially in today’s economy.  Teachers are charged with the responsibility of training the next generation of leaders.  They very literally hold the future of our nation in their hands every single day.  Yet for some reason, there are those who continue to downplay the importance of teachers in our country.  I will never understand why. As I look back over my own education, it’s easy for me to pick out the teachers who had the most significant influence on my life.  Miss Hahn, who taught second grade at First Ward Elementary, showed me that learning was something that could be fun.  (I guess I’ll have to forgive her for her rabid support of her beloved Ohio State Buckeyes.)  Miss Edge, my sixth grade teacher, cultivated the seeds of self-confidence by having students speak in front of the entire class.  Mrs. Hyre, my junior high algebra teacher, was the epitome of patience and grace; a professional in every sense of the word.  Mr. Burk (quiet confidence), Mr. Chambers (dedication and perseverance) and many others added important ingredients into the mish-mash of character traits that would eventually become important parts of “me” as an adult.  These were all consummate professionals who taught not only by what they explained to us from textbooks, but by how they carried themselves in and out of the classroom.  The things they taught from the texts were important, but it was the examples they set while teaching that had the greatest impact on my life and the lives of my fellow students. We in the United States have a habit of proclaiming ourselves as #1 in the world in pretty much everything.  Unfortunately, at least where our educational accomplishments are concerned, that label may not always be appropriate.  Schools in places like Singapore, Finland, South Korea and Japan are consistently turning out students who are higher achievers than those who come out of the U.S. system.  It can’t be a mere coincidence that in those countries, teaching is a highly selective profession whose members are afforded tremendous prestige and substantial compensation.  If our goal is to turn out the best-educated students we possibly can, we must first make sure to provide them with the best teachers available.  It follows that if we want to attract the best teachers, we have to make the teaching profession attractive to the best and brightest students coming out of college.  We can do that by paying them according to their value, and treating them with the respect they deserve. And while we’re at it, we might want to consider going back to some old school parenting techniques.  When I got in trouble at school, I was more worried about what would happen when I got home than the punishment I got in school.  Teaching is hard enough without having to add parenting to the mix.

Please take a minute to peruse the “Central Blood Bank” notice that I received in the mail recently.  Check and see if you are available to donate blood at the above blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 20, at the Spring Hill Suites located at 908 National Road, Wheeling, W.Va. in the ground floor conference rooms. As I stated in a previous blog, so many lives can be saved when you donate blood for a “life saving” transfusion.  If you have never donated blood before, see the Central Blood Bank’s donation process below.  I am going to attempt to donate blood, so come on and join me. Here is a review of what happens in preparation for you to be approved to donate blood: Step 1: Registration - You will be asked general information such as name and address.  In order to maintain accurate records, all donors are asked to present proper identification (e.g. driver’s license, personalized Central Blood Bank donor ID card or military ID card, birth certificate and a picture ID with full name, etc.). Step 2: Mini Physical – During the mini-physical, your temperature, pulse and blood pressure will be checked.  Your hemoglobin will be tested as well — which involves a small drop of blood drawn and tested to ensure the donor has enough iron-carrying red blood cells to safely donate blood. Step 3: Medical Interview – You will meet privately with a Central Blood Bank staff member to review your medical history.  This information is kept strictly confidential. Step 4: Pre-Donation Refreshments – before the donation, you may be asked to drink a glass or two of decaffeinated fluids to help hydration levels. Step 5: The Donation – In the donation area, a trained phlebotomist will sterilize the area of your arm before drawing the blood.  When donating whole blood, one unit (approximately one pint) is removed. An automated or apheresis donation means you are donating the individual component(s) – everything that you are not donating is returned to you.  For example, if you donate platelets, whole blood is withdrawn and spun in a sterile, self-contained centrifuge to separate the platelets; then your red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma are all returned to you through the same needle.  Apheresis and automated processes take longer than the whole blood donation process. All materials used during each donation are pre-packaged, sterile and disposable.  These materials are used only once and then discarded. Step 6: Refreshments and Relaxation – After the donation, you will be directed to the café/canteen area, where you will rest while enjoying light refreshments.  After 15 minutes, you will be permitted to leave that area and resume your daily routine. So, it is not hard to donate blood and usually only takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour.  Please consider scheduling an appointment or just walk in. To schedule an appointment, you can visit www.centralbloodbank.org and click “Make an Appointment” and search with the group code: C612.  You can also schedule an appointment by calling Rachel at 421-209-7241. There’s an added bonus! Every donor receives a $10 off $50 merchandise coupon that is redeemable at any official Steelers merchandise store and at steelers.com. Donors will also be able to enter into a random drawing for the Ultimate Game Day Package which includes: two tickets to a VIP tailgate party tent, pre-game field passes and tickets to a 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers regular season game. Even if you are not a Steelers fans, please come on out and donate blood.