LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 2-3-18

Hotels

Over the years there have been many places to offer a night’s stay for the weary traveler. I started out trying to list all the hotels and motels, but the list of just the hotels was overwhelming.

         

Two of the longest standing hotels until the huge Wicomico Hotel was built in 1925 are the Peninsula Hotel on Main St. and the Salisbury Hotel on Railroad Avenue. The Peninsula Hotel was started and operated for many years by John Tracy. It was subsequently owned and operated by O. J. Schneck and Harry Phillips. The end of this hotel came in devastating fire in 1929. A bank was built on the site at Main and St. Peter Streets and remains to this day. The Salisbury Hotel was operated by George L. Bradley and operated at least until 1921. Both were in business in 1878.

         

The next two old hotels are the Central Hotel on E. Church St. and the Merchants Hotel. While many people remember the Central because it remained open until the 1960’s, only the building where the Merchants Hotel was in business remains on the corner of Main and Church Streets near Mill Street. The land where the Central Hotel was is now under the Government Office Building on the corner of Church and Division Streets.

         

Other lesser known hotels operated from 1907 until 1925, when the huge Wicomico

Hotel opened, driving the smaller hotels out of business. After their life as a hotel, many of them became rooming houses, renting accommodations for longer stays than the overnight traveler needed. Some of them are the Davis House on Division St., the Maryland House on E. Church St., Parker House on High St, Salisbury House on Main St., the Hotel Claiborne on Main St. and the Ross Hotel on Main St. Many of these were probably eating or drinking establishments on the first floor and rooms on the upper floors. Businesses such as the Arcade Hotel on W. Main St., the Chantry House on Water St., the Majestic Hotel on E. Main St., the Mayflower Grill on W. Main St., The William Penn on N. Division St. and the Travelers Inn on Main St. also provided accommodations for the weary traveler.

         

When the Wicomico Hotel was opened in 1925, the accommodations were such that their business practically put every other establishment that served overnight guests out of business. They were “the place to stay” until after World War II, when the motel emerged. Motels served an ever-growing clientele of travelers that had automobiles. The alternate to the Wicomico Hotel was a proliferation of tourist homes. These were large homes that had the space to rent out on a nightly basis and were mainly located along N. Division St., which was Route 13 until they built the “by-pass” in 1939.

         

Nowadays, hotels are only found in the larger cities. The modern motels are very similar to the grand hotels of yesterday, having many accommodations attached to them. You can eat shop or be entertained at most of them.

         

Salisbury has had its share of different kinds of hotels, but the purpose was always the same – providing a night’s rest for the weary traveler.

LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 1-27-18

Salisbury Jewelers

Throughout history, jewelry has been a part of human adornment. Some of the earliest artifacts of the human race are jewelry. They have found shells with holes in them that were probably worn as jewelry thousands of years ago. The modern jeweler fills that place in today’s society. Along with retailing rings, necklaces and bracelets, many of the jewelers along the way were also watchmakers.

Salisbury has the sixth oldest jewelry store in the United States in Kuhn’s. The original owner was Amos W. Woodcock, who started the business in 1853. He sold it to G. M. Fisher in 1906, who sold it to his employee, John A. Kuhn, in 1923. The store remains today on Main St. in Salisbury operating as Kuhn’s Jewelers.

When Amos Woodcock started, he was the only jeweler in Salisbury. By 1878, a D. B. Farlow was listed as a jeweler. Farlow is not listed by 1891, although two new businesses listed themselves as jewelers. They were C. E. Harper and George W. Phipps. Harper took on a partner by the turn of the century, and their business was listed as Harper & Taylor.

The Salisbury Directory of 1907 lists Harper & Taylor, George W. Phipps along with the newly acquired store of Amos Woodcock by G. M. Fisher. G. M. Fisher put out a “calendar plate” beginning in 1910. In 1912, there were many different plates with the central theme of fruits, flowers or a Victorian lady in different styles of dress. The last one he put out was in 1913 and is slightly smaller than the previous plates. The same basic list of jewelers was in place in 1916 with the only difference being a W. J. Collins replacing George W. Phipps. Five years later, in 1921, only G. M. Fisher and Harper & Taylor were listed.

By 1931, Harper & Taylor was not listed. This could be as a result of the Peninsula Hotel burning down in 1929. Harper & Taylor had their business in the hotel and probably elected to not relocate their business elsewhere after the fire. Although they did not continue, two new jewelers appeared on the scene, W. C. Collins and Russell P. White.

In the directory of 1940, there appeared two more familiar names, Charles A. Blizzard and Preston W. Burbage. These two, along with Kuhn’s and White’s, were the mainstay jewelry stores well into the 1960’s.

There have been other names listed as jewelry stores that are all but forgotten now. Names such as S. Goldinger, Ira F. Hearn, Joseph W. Brown, Herman W. English and Richard W. Fields are now but a memory. And businesses such as Bailey’s Time Shop and Dixon’s may bring back a memory to someone.

The largest jewelry store of my youth was Castleberg’s. It was located initially in the Wicomico Hotel and had the large corner store that faced both Main and Division Streets. They later moved down Main St. where they maintained their jewelry and watch business. The last of the great watchmakers in Salisbury, Rodney Graves, was employed there and still works out of a shop behind his house.

Now, you can get jewelry from any number of stores, but you can’t get your watch repaired by a true artisan. I remember Mr. Graves always had a series of magnifying loops attached to his glasses for close viewing, In fact, with the advent of the new digital watches; there is not much to repair. When something happens to it, you just throw it away and get a new one. Another example that we have become a throw-away society.

LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 12-16-17

The Christmas Tree

         

A long-held practice has been to put up a Christmas tree at this time of the year. Over the years, there have been many different ways to accomplish this. People used to go out and cut down their tree. This was fine if you knew who owned the land where you were getting the tree. Or, you could just go out and hunt the public lands for that most perfect of trees. Either way, it was always a good adventure for the father and the kids to spend a Saturday at this time of the year. It sort of added to the excitement that children always had. Sometimes, the children would pick one out that was somewhat less than perfect. It didn’t matter to them, it was their tree, and the decorations would more than make up for any defects nature had bestowed upon it.

         

Following this practice was the advent of the Christmas tree lot. These were usually trees that had been cut as early as September, and it was only a knowledgeable father that could tell if the tree would fall apart as soon as it was brought inside. Making sure the needles were firm was of the utmost importance. If they weren’t, you might have a very scraggly-looking tree within a few days of putting it up. Cutting the bottom few inches from the base was very important as that is where the tree would absorb water. Watering the tree was a daily ritual and one that was usually assigned to a child because of their small stature making it easier to get under the lower branches.

         

The old-fashioned decorations are not seen much anymore, and that is a shame. Strings of popcorn took a lot of time but provided activity for the children. There were also the strings made out of construction paper. Strips about one inch wide were cut from different-colored sheets of construction paper and then glued together to make a long string that would then be hung on the tree.

         

Electric lights replaced candles many years ago and they were always the job of the father. Along with the standard bulb-shaped bulbs, there was the occasional bubbling candle light. I can remember we had only one of them and, when it heated up and started to bubble, we were properly amazed. In the old days, when a light burned out, you just replaced it. The new strings all go out when any other light burns out.

         

The next-to-last accoutrement of the tree was the tinsel. The tinsel of the 1950’s was made of aluminum, and my mother always saved it from year to year. It was quite a job to take off all that tinsel and store it properly, but it was aluminum and that was something like gold is now. I, myself, am particularly fond of tinsel. One year, I put on 11,000 strands of tinsel when my boys were small. When the lights were off, it looked like a large silver tree in our living room. But when evening came and the lights were on, it was the most magnificent tree ever. Pictures and memories of that tree are all I have left now.

         

The absolute last ornament to go on the tree was the Christmas angel on the top of the tree. When that was proudly resting on the topmost branch, the tree was ready for the season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 5-6-17

Sandwich Glass

Benjamin’s department store had two major fires throughout its history. The first was in the 1930’s and destroyed the entire store with the exception of the linen and glassware departments. The second was in 1974. My grandfather entered into an arrangement with Benjamin’s after the first fire that he bought the entire site and contents. He then rebuilt the store and sold it back to them. The Benjamin’s store was where the City Center is located now. Of course, he ended up with a lot of linens and a lot of glassware. I was grown before I knew they made towels in any color other than white. That was the downside. The upside was the many boxes of glassware he brought home. They all contained Duncan Miller sandwich glass. This was the original clear crystal glass with the very ornate sandwich pattern. Throughout the years, I have managed to save many pieces from the original stock and have added many more pieces.

Sandwich glass was started by the Duncan Miller Glass Company in 1924. They continued making the original quality until 1955. Throughout the years, two other companies have put out sandwich pattern glass, and it is hard to distinguish from the original. The Indiana Glass Company manufactured it from the late 1920’s until at least the 1980’s and may continue to this day. The Hocking Glass Company produced the clear crystal sandwich pattern in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The distinguishing feature is on any piece with a ring on the bottom. The original pieces will have a very flat ring whereas any other piece has a more rounded ring.

As with any collectible, you should get a good reference book and get to know what is out there. The original Duncan Miller glass has 138 different pieces listed. Some of them have added to my knowledge of glassware. A flower vase is not a flower vase, but an epergne. They list two different. Live and learn.

Because Benjamin’s sold it, there is a quantity of it around Salisbury and it can be fun to collect. It’s not very practical in this day and age, but it can be a beautiful addition to a corner cupboard or curio cabinet. Sandwich pattern glass is very decorative and, I think, Victorian looking. The adornments of a Victorian home have given way to the electronics of the 21st Century.

Because I drank from so many of the goblets when I was growing up, it is a reminder of my youth. We used the glasses but never used the plates or any of the other pieces. These were preserved in my mother’s and grandmother’s corner cabinets. Now they are preserved in boxes again, except for the few unusual pieces that adorn one shelf in one of my corner cabinets.

LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

Isolation

It has long been a bone of contention with Eastern Shore natives that they have to contend with “come heres”. They have a good argument in that people come here from off the Shore because they like the life style, the climate and the amenities. But the problem lies in the fact that as soon as they get here, they treat the locals like a bunch of bumpkins and try to change things. Before the Bay Bridge was opened in 1952, the Eastern Shore was fairly isolated.

         

I remember my grandmother telling me that the Depression went over Salisbury virtually unnoticed. We had everything we needed without outside help. She said the only difference was that more men showed up at her back door asking for some work to do so they could earn some food.

         

The Eastern Shore had plenty of things to eat that are grown right here on the Shore. There were fish aplenty wherever you wanted to go to get them. The Atlantic Ocean was bountiful, as well as the many rivers and streams for fresh water fish. My grandfather used to go to Roaring Point down by Nanticoke and fill a bushel basket with rock fish in a half hour. I never saw a can of cat food until I was grown. All our cats were fed fresh fish.

         

For those who chose to hunt their food, there were deer in the forests. Rabbits and squirrels also were a staple in some families. In the spring and fall the Atlantic flyway sent enough ducks and geese over the Easter Shore that you could get all you could carry home any time at all.

         

The late Bill Phillips from Party Line on WICO grew up in Caroline County. I once heard him say that he never saw any money growing up. When it came time to go back to school at the end of summer, his mother used to go to town and barter eggs and butter for his new school shoes. Everything else he wore, she made. Many a farm wife had their husbands bring home feed sacks from the farm supplier in identical patterns. Many times she would accompany him to make sure he got the right pattern. From these feed sacks, she made her dresses, curtains, bed clothes, shirts and what ever else she needed.

         

What we had here on the Shore was enough to sustain the population. With the Bay Bridge and now the Bridge-Tunnel, we have lost forever that feeling of independence we knew for so many years.

LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

The Barber Shop

Now almost a thing of the past is that bastion of masculinity – the barber shop. In 1899, there were six barber shops listed in the City Directory. That figure increased to nine in 1907, but was reduced to eight in 1921. In the following years the number of listed barber shops rose to 17 in 1940 and dropped down to seven in 1961. The current yellow pages have no less than 68 listings under “barber shops”, most of which are out of Salisbury and listed as “salons” or “stylists”, certainly not barber shops.

         

The barber shop of bygone times offered shaves as well as haircuts. Many had a rack on the wall that kept individual mugs of shaving cream for the various customers. A shave from a barber cannot be had today, due to the current health laws. They have had to add certain amenities to their product line that may include a hair washing or “facial” just to make ends meet.

         

Every man has memories of his first trip to the barber shop. Mine were of Johnnie’s down on Church Street near what is now Route 13. I think he had another shop farther east on Church Street on the corner of Railroad Avenue. My mother told me this, but I don’t remember it being there. He then moved west on Church Street in a long narrow shop. There were chairs on either side leading up to the single barber chair manned by Johnnie Adkins. He also had a fake parrot in a cage that always fascinated me. He then moved to a house just a couple of addresses west. The one farther west on Church Street is still visible and the stone addition on the front of a white frame house is all that remains of Johnnie Adkins barber shop. Somewhere during this period, my mother entrusted me alone in the barber shop. She would walk down Church Street to Kelly’s Drug Store and wait for me there, which I always looked forward to because it meant a “soda fountain” soda.

         

I grew up in the “crew-cut” era and always had a stick of the red goop that made your hair stand up in front. I think they called it butch wax. The barber shop of choice was Krause & Taylor’s on N. Division Street. The price of a good butch cut went from 25 to 50 cents during this era. Of course, there was always the barber school located on S. Division Street. They charged 35 cents for a so-so haircut.

         

When longer hair became the style men, the local barber shops offered “hair-styling” for about seven dollars. I worked on the Plaza for Ralph & Gaskill at the time and all the young people on Main Street knew each other. It seemed that what barbers liked to refer to as styling, the beauty parlor at Benjamin’s considered a short cut. Since it was only three dollars, I never felt any embarrassment going there.

         

Another thing that has disappeared through the years is the Daisy & Bozman Barber Supply Store. They used to make their own after shave and my favorite was something called Bonita Bouquet. It only cost two dollars for a 16 ounce bottle. It also worked in your cigarette lighter and gave off a wonderful aroma. Ah, memories!

The Wooden Bowl

This was submitted by a reader -

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son.
'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor..'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done..

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family... And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

***************************************

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you
But, if you focus on God, your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone..

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I've learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about ... I just did.

Talent Blossoms at State Fair

The flowers lay bundled with greenery, forming 21 loose bouquets spread apart on the tables.

Then, simultaneously, 21 pairs of hands seized scissors and knives and began trimming and pruning, then stabbing the stems into pieces of foam in the small baskets in front of them.

"You don't have to use every single flower that's given to you," called out Susan Krabill, superintendent of the Delaware State Fair's flower department. "Whatever you feel comfortable with."

Lined up at the tables in a room off the exhibit hall early Saturday morning were eight boys and 13 girls, ages 8 to 15, vying for bragging rights to be Delaware's top floral artist in the fair's annual flower arranging competition.

READ MORE …

Cool Your Car Down Quickly

The summer sun has a way of transforming cars into ovens, and it's no fun sweating while you wait for the air conditioner to provide some relief. You can speed things up with a bizarre yet apparently effective little trick.

To pull off the magic, roll down a window on one side of the car, and open and close the door on the opposite side several times. The increased air circulation can drop your vehicle's overheated temperature by double digits.

Watch this Chinese-subtitled Japanese video for a demonstration:

 

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

Lessons To Learn From The Recession

No matter what the gross domestic product says, the recession isn't over for you unless you're gainfully employed and not mired in pay freezes or threatened with downsizing. But as the economy slowly recovers, you can use what you've learned during the economic downturn to strengthen yourself for whatever is coming next.

MSNBC compiles a list of lessons learned from the recession. The tried and true financial advice works in boom times as well as busts:

*Buy with funds you have rather than those you've borrowed. Unnecessarily leveraging yourself is a way to invite financial ruin if expected income falls through.

*Stockpile savings. If the worst-case scenario arrives, you can't have too much money sitting in the bank. It's tough to sit on large sums of money rather than investing them aggressively or spending them on dream vacations, but discretion can pay off.

*Set and stick to a budget. Deviations and unforeseen expenses will happen, but if you set a plan in place and stick to it as closely as possible, you'll be better equipped to survive a downturn than those who spend according to their whims.

What did you learn from the recession?

Lessons learned from the recession [MSNBC via Budgets Are Sexy]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

Chase Those Hiccups Away

Holding your breath, gulping water and getting scared are the traditional ways to eradicate the hiccup menace, but those tend to be hit and miss. Just when you think you've managed to stop hiccups, on comes the next round.

The Awl checks in with alternative home remedies. A sampling:

*Trigger your gag reflex with a tongue depressor.

*Place some sugar or a lemon wedge on the back of your tongue.

*Breathe into a paper bag.

*Just give up and wait the hiccups out.

I've found that forcing myself to yawn gets rid of my hiccups. How do you get rid of yours?

Some Cures For The Hiccups [The Awl]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

GM Giving One Year of Car Insurance with New Car Purchase

To try to lure customers back into the dealership, GM is trying out a novel idea. They're giving new car buyers a free year of car insurance with their purchase.

CNN Money reports that the bailed-out American automaker is trying out the program in Oregon and Washington. If it does well, they'll roll it out nationally. Buyers can decline the insurance if they want but it won't affect the final price. The test runs through September 6.

Unfortunately there's no insurance plan to protect against GM cars sucking.

GM to offer free car insurance [CNN Money]

from Ben Popken @ The Consumerist

What To Do If Your Child Is Being Bullied

You know your kids and you can tell if they are going through a rough time. But sometimes finding out the root of the problem can be very difficult. Talking with your child while doing something together, like playing outdoors, eating dinner, or shopping can often allow him to talk openly and honestly about what’s going on in his life. By paying special attention to mentions of interactions with other kids at school, you can begin to get a better picture of how well your kid is doing with others. If she mentions that other kids have threatened her, caused harm, or spread rumors about her in school then your child may be the victim of bullying. Don’t blame your kid for being bullied or being put in harmful situations. Let him know that you are there, as always, to support him, and that you will do your best to help.

Plus: Study Links Frequent School Nurse Visits to Bullying

Here’s how to help:

READ MORE …

Four Tips for Storing Bread

The days when no kitchen was complete without a breadbox are long gone. But storing bread in a way that doesn’t leave it too crusty, chewy, or dry is no less of a challenge. Follow these tips to make your loaves stay fresh longer.

Pass on the plastic and skip the fridge.

Plastic bags hold in moisture, which means fresh, crusty bread will soon turn unappealingly soft and chewy and will become moldy before long. In the refrigerator, the opposite will happen and the cold temperatures will cause the bread to dry out. The exception to this rule is store-bought, pre-sliced bread, which can be stored in its bag unrefrigerated for 5-7 days.

Swaddle it.

Stored in a paper bag alone, bread will quickly dry out. Wrapping fresh bread in a cloth napkin or tea towel and then storing it in a paper bag will help prevent it from drying too much. Many kitchen stores also sell linen bread bags, which serve the same purpose and look attractive on your counter while taking up less real estate than a breadbox.

READ MORE …

Is Your Doctor a Dud?

Whether you just received a scary diagnosis or moved to a new town, consult a variety of sources to find a trustworthy doctor. Here are seven resources to aid your search.

1. Board certification search tool
Among the first steps for evaluating quality is to check to see whether a physician is board certified, says the American Board of Medical Specialties, which sets standards in more than 145 specialties.

Physicians who are board certified have gone beyond legal licensing requirements to meet national standards for education, knowledge, experience and skills. To see whether your doctor is board certified, log onto CertificationMatters.org, which lets you search by a doctor’s name, specialty or location.

Plus: The Top Group Health Insurance Questions

2. Medical and scientific advisory boards
Looking for physicians at the top of their fields? Check out doctors on medical and scientific advisory boards. If you can’t go to those physicians, learn about doctors who have trained under them.

3. Patient advocacy groups
Unless you have a rare condition, you probably don’t need to travel across the country to find a qualified physician. Find local patient support and advocacy groups online for your condition and ask about doctors in your area. Pay attention when the same name is mentioned more than once.

READ MORE …

Organic Meat May Have More Preservatives Than You Think

If you avoid standard processed meats because of labels indicating they're packed with potentially damaging preservatives including nitrate and nitrite, your efforts may be in vain. The "organic" and "natural" alternatives may include similar chemicals, despite what their labels say.

The New York Times reports USDA labeling requirements go astoundingly easy on organic products that derive nitrate and nitrite from natural sources, requiring them to misleadingly state on packaging that the meat, which is cured and may contain nitrate or nitrite, is "uncured" with "no nitrates or nitrites added." Some food manufacturers, the story says, are pushing for rules that allow them to be more clear about the content of the hot dogs, bacon, lunch meat and other products.

Studies have linked processed meats to colon cancer. Consumer advocates including Consumerist-affiliated Consumers Union place the blame for the labeling confusion on the USDA and not the manufacturers.

What foods and chemicals do you avoid for safety reasons?

What's Inside the Bun? [The New York Times]

from Phil Villarreal @ The Consumerist

Six Ways to Tame the Cost of Having a Pet

As nice as it is to have a furry, feathered or fishy companion around the house, between food, medicine, the vet and other expenses, it can sometimes add up to a lot of red ink in your checkbook.

That's why our pet-loving partners at Consumer Reports have come up with a list of six ways you can cut down on the cost of your animal sidekick.

1. Don't pay a premium for pet food.
"A significant part of the national pet-food bill goes for so-called premium and super-premium varieties. But 'premium' has no legal definition in terms of nutritional quality." Even in cases where pets have special dietary needs, CR says you're likely to find significant price differences among equally appropriate foods. Definitely hit up the big box stores for pet food bargains, says Consumer Reports. Their secret shoppers found that Target and Walmart often had the lowest prices compared to supermarkets and specialty retailers. Among the least expensive pet foods CR found (on a unit-price basis) were Costco's Kirkland Signature, PetSmart's Grreat Choice, Safeway's store brand, and Walmart's Ol' Roy.

2. Consider new options for flea and tick protection.
The patent has expired on fipronil, one of the active ingredients in Frontline Plus, opening the market to competitors. CR found two that were new to the market, SentryFiproGuard Plus at Petco and PetArmor Plus at Walmart. The savings can be sizable. PetArmor Plus was the best deal CR saw: A three-month supply cost $28, compared with $50 for FiproGuard Plus and $62 for Frontline Plus at Petco.

And comparison shop online before you buy. CR found cheaper prices at 1-800-PetMeds, Drs. Foster & Smith and PetCareRx than at Petco or PetSmart. But the internet sellers didn't sell PetArmorPlus, and only two of the three carried FiproGuard Plus when CR checked in early June.

READ MORE …

Man’s Credit Score Damaged by Surgery He Never Had

While going through the process of obtaining a mortgage, a California man found out that his credit score had dropped nearly 100 points because he had been referred to a collections agent for $2,800 owed to a doctor in Texas for an appendectomy. Only problem is, he still has his appendix.

The man tells CBS Sacramento that he tried dealing directly with the collections agency, but they were unwilling to listen. So he contacted the Federal Trade Commission who advised him that this falls under the umbrella of identity theft and to file a police report and notify the three main credit bureaus.

He followed that advice and the collections action was ultimately removed from his credit reports. Unfortunately, it wasn't done in time for him to get the home he was attempting to purchase when the ordeal began.

CBS Sacramento says the collections agency admits it made a mistake and apologizes for the error. Isn't that sweet of them?

from Chris Morran @ The Consumerist

Higher Ethanol Gasoline May Void Your Warranty

Even though gasoline containing upward of 15% ethanol content (E15) hasn't come on the consumer market, the government has already finalized the labels that will be affixed to pumps carrying the fuel, a sign of E15 will likely make it to your local gas station at some point. Now Bloomberg reports that nine automakers, including GM, Chrysler and Toyota have warned regulators that putting E15 in your tank may void your vehicle's warranty.

"While Chrysler has been a strong advocate of renewable fuels, we have concerns about the potential harmful effects of E15 in engines and fuel systems that were not designed for use of that fuel," Chrysler's senior vice president of external affairs, wrote in a letter to Wisconsin Congressman James Sensenbrenner, vice chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

The E15 label released last week by the Environmental Protection Agency alerts consumers that the gas should only be used in vehicles with model year 2001 or later and that it may do damage — and is prohibited to use — in "other vehicles, boats and gas-powered equipment."

Following the label's release, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, claimed that it doesn't provide sufficient information to consumers. A rep for the group told the NY Times that the label should tell drivers to check their owners' manuals when deciding which fuel would be best suited to use in their vehicles.

Ford, Carmakers Criticize EPA's Ethanol-Blend Proposal on Warranty Concern [Bloomberg]

E.P.A.'s E15 Pump Labels Raise Ire of Automakers [NY Times]

from Chris Morran @ The Consumerist

HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

School Lunch

Throughout the years, school lunches have changed dramatically. The children of a hundred years ago were usually fed as a group by either the teacher or some parent that would send something with their child and then it was heated up on the ever-present wood stove. Some children brought a sandwich and maybe some cookies or a piece of fruit.

         

This arrangement continued for many years except for the wood stove. There were no cafeterias as there are today, and certainly no free lunches. I remember lunch time at St. Francis as being herded to the basement where several 8-person tables were set up. The only thing available was milk, which cost three cents. At the end of lunch two of the older boys walked around with a trash can and emptied the trash from each table that the children had passed down to the end of the table. A vivid memory I have is of one boy who always positioned himself at the end of the table so that he could take anything edible and consume it. When I think back on the situation, he must have been desperate to do what he did. The remnants of a sandwich or a half eaten apple never escaped his grasp.

         

Since no food was provided by the school, everybody had to “pack”. The different methods of carrying lunch varied from the standard brown paper bag to fancy metal boxes that displayed your favorite TV show or maybe a hero of the day. Some of them are quite collectible now. Of course, the most valuable are the ones that weren’t so popular then and therefore fewer of them were made. Mine was what you would call generic. It was gray and green like the one pictured above. I used mine from the second through the eighth grades and by the eighth grade it looked like chrome. I did go through many Thermos liners, though, as did every kid that carried this type of lunch box. If you dropped the Thermos, the glass liner was sure to shatter. They screwed in and were fairly easy to replace. I imagine Thermos made quite a bit selling glass liner replacements as everyone was good for a couple each year.

         

I was looking at my granddaughter’s lunch box this year and it was something to behold. She didn’t have a Thermos as she got her drink at her school. I went there for lunch a couple of times and they have a selection that would make any restaurant proud. They have a regular cafeteria where you can obtain a hearty meal and dessert. Kids have their favorites and I think everyone buys on pizza day. Ice cream is always popular. They have a computer set up that the parent pays into and from which the student can draw.

           

Things have certainly changed over the years and the responsibility of feeding our own children has been taken over by “the government” because they know best. People of my generation seemed to have survived because our mothers made sure we had what we needed, not what we wanted.