on the edge of Appalachia

Millfield Coal Mine Disaster

Important details are on the sign. Sunday Creek Coal Company Poston Mine #6  was considered the safest mine in the Hocking Valley. Two hundred and fifty some miners were working that day. The mine was known to be gassy. An electrical line arced, and the explosion came. Nearly all those died were choked by a non-explosive gas, carbon monoxide. Most of the men who escaped, climbed ventilation shafts. The nineteen that were found alive, only two were conscious. That group had walled themselves off from the gas by an ersatz wall they made from mud, burlap, scrap wood. This was Ohio's deadliest mining incident. The mine continued until 1945. Not until the 1970s was there some interest in marking the lives, and the event. 

 

I heard a professor of geography say, that the mid-West began in Lancaster and ended in Denver. East Millfield is in Athens County, which is wholly in Appalachia; and as Joe Burrow realised growing up, the area has much poverty. Lancaster is midway between the state capital and Athens. If one were to drive south on 33, you will see the flat ground approaching a rising wall of trees. Those hills of trees commence to Appalachia. While the Middle West is agricultural land of fecundity, Appalachia is one of rock. There is clay for pottery, pipes, and bricks. There is coal. Coal mining is dirty and deadly. When the coal has been tapped out, poverty remains. Ohio is not a coal mining state anymore.

Not very far from Millfield and Chauncey is Morristown Holiness Church. This was part of their campus. This is a Pentecostal sect.

basketball hoop on the porch of a rental unit 

The big engine of money generation in the county is the first college in the Middle West (the old North West), Ohio University. The county seat is there too in Athens' County, the biggest of the county's two towns, and in most decades the only town.  The government's definition of a town is 5,000 people. Each county has a county seat. In south east Ohio, several county seats are villages. One of the money makers in Athens is renting to college students. And, each year new bodies with fresh dollars in many old shabby abodes.

Black vultures high atop the old Athens Lunatic Asylum. 

The main building had a administrative core, with one wing for female residents, and one wing for male residents. There is a big stone on the building, 1868. The first patients came in 1874. Seeing the building's date alone, it would have been the great war to save the Union against insurrectionists, and secessionists. I have not seen the records, i would have guessed a number of war veterans might have been there. I did see a note, that many epileptics were sent there. Epilepsy was considered a form of lunacy. The name of the hospital was changed many times, and the patients were not all mad. Tuberculosis victims stayed there.

The place had many buildings. It was also a working farm, and some trade shops operated there. Physical labor was considered therapeutic, and it help sustain the enterprise. At one time, it was the largest employer in the county. It was like a village. In 1993 it was no longer a hospital, Ohio University absorbed it. 

 

Ohio University's oldest buildings are on what is called the College Green. In the 1950s & 60s the campus expanded with dormitories on the new East, West, and South Greens. The State Asylum was called the North Green unofficially by the students. Now the university is calling the class room buildings near College Green, "North Green".

In recent years, an interest has developed over the three cemeteries, WOUB-TV did at least one documentary. Also as a place where many lobotomies were performed, has made it a further interest to medical history.

Between the outdoor steps of a classroom under an arch, is this Jonah? 

James Edward Leonard Eldridge *1930, 2018 was a Michigan Wolverine footballer, who became a navy pilot. In 1958 was an art professor at Ohio University, and became Æthelred Eldridge. He was an avant-garde painter in black and white, and an eccentric enthused by William Blake. In 1967 he painted a very large mural on the arch connecting two parts of Seigfried Hall. The powers that were, were not amused. He painted it over in white, with two little hands trying to break through from behind the whitewash. For years it remained that way. I read that it was brought back in 2015. Eldridge lived in Millfield on a place he called Golgonooza (Blake's city of imagination).

Keith Wilde. Release. 2018. This is where Carpenter becomes Stimson. I took a snap on another day [click].

Ombrellino, there are seven of these in Ohio. This is the newest one. Saint Mary in Lancaster has been raised to a minor basilica. The dedication was on the Assumption of Mary, also a name of the parish, on its feast day on August 15th. Papal colors are scarlet and gold, the umbrella is kept half open, if the pope comes it becomes fully open. A tintinnabula (bell) is also given. Both are meant to be used in procession.

Concerning the use of personnel

Concerning the use of personnel by the Cleveland football team, the players are well compensated by pay--good.  Playing an injured player is stupid. It increases the injury of the player, and possibly decreases his career. There are healthier players in the interim, who could prove, at least, adequate.

In regards to the quarterback, a healthy Keenum is a good quarterback, better than an injured Mayfield. Cleveland's management caused game defeats by playing an injured quarterback.

This i expand to all management that deals with physical (and some other) work. Some workers are valued above others, and will be given preference beyond equity, and beyond what circumstances allow, and consequential efficacy of results be damned. And/but, once management sours on a person, management will create situations for the worker to fail, and if said worker manages to succeed, he will still be belittled. When management decides to get rid of someone, they go about it methodically and without scruple. Management denies all of its machinations throughout.

After the Pittsburgh loss last week, it was quickly announced that Mayfield would have surgery. I heard on the teevee, that the Pittsburgh game might be the last time Mayfield will wear a Browns uniform.

I have no idea who will be the #1 quarterback next year.

a statue honoring the working man

 

Alan Cottrill. Rubber Worker. 2020. Akron.

The look of this 12' bronze sculpture comes from the foto on this book, “Wheels of Fortune: The Story of Rubber in Akron”, written by Steve Love and David Giffels, and published in 1999. The sculpture was ready for a September installation. It was delayed more than a couple of times, over the creation and delivering of the stone base. The statue was lowered in place Wednesday, and Thursday the 13th it was shown to the public. It is the centerpiece marking the end of construction of “Main Street Phase 1”. Traffic circles/roundabouts are new to Akron, and this will give people something to look at. Later a kiosk will be installed nearby to access oral histories, and films.

A short walk up the street is a historical marker of the 1936 Akron Rubber Sit Down Strike. United Rubber Workers began in 1935. The conditions and pay for rubber workers were bad, and the Great Republican Depression made things worse. Roosevelt's New Deal favored unionisation. Later in 1936 the more famous Flint autoworkers' strike took place. What made such strikes effective was that management could not bring in scab workers to bust the strike, since the workers were in place occupying; and while management was always prone to bring in police, private thugs, and the National Guard to attack workers, management was not willing to risk the equipment and machinery in the factories, and mills.

Route 33 to Athens

Well, Athens is the only bastion of democracy for many miles around.  I was displeased when my nephew said it was "in the middle of nowhere".  For many people Athens, and Ohio University are synonymous.

It may be 37 years since i was on the stretch between Columbus and Athens on route 33. It has changed. It is high speed four lane all the way. Lancaster, Logan, Nelsonville are invisible.

It is not easy to find free parking, this cardinal was resting on a very computerised meter. NASA had less technology to send men to the moon.

The paw print was the University's logo for years. It is not permitted since the attack cat was commissioned, and phased in from 1996 to 2002. People preferred the paw, but the university payed outsiders for something new. All approved clothing, all university athletic promotion can only have the attack cat. Paw print is prohibited, a private building has a few prints painted anyway.

The dogwoods here are still with their white bracts, and the green leaves have not yet come. In Athens the bracts (and wee flowers) are gone on nearly every tree, and they are fully green leafed. Before, some people followed the northward bloom of the dogwood. The interest began to pique when they bloomed in North Carolina, and then through the Virginias.They are still in bloom in Northern Ohio.

There still are steps on Jeff(erson) Hill. A lot of bricks have been replaced, or covered over. Jeff Hill, the last time i was in town, still had bricks, but bollards were on top and bottom. Athens had/has a lot of old brick with the name of the brickyards it came from. There is a lot of clay in the area. 

Students used to take trays from the cafeteria, to use as sleds in the very few days there was snow. When it was icy, it was humourous, to watch at a distance, cars try to go up. Some would fail, and lose control.

Chris Stain. “Without Labor, Nothing Prospers”. 2015. 

This mural, on Court Street (the main drag uptown), was dedicated for Workers' Memorial Day (April 28) 2018. United Mine Workers Local 1 was in nearby Nelsonville.

   Memorial Auditorium has several plaques from illustrious speakers that visited campus.

I am guessing that last summer, there was some political notice about town concerning the extra-judicial killing of black people. Here are the two sides of a sign planted in 2020.

Breonna Taylor was killed by Louisville Kentucky police March 13. 2020. This storefront window reminds us.

There is a Civil War Monument at the entrance to the College Green since 1893. One of several plaques reads, "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (Sweet and proper to die for the fatherland)". It was a good place to sit and eat, and smoke.

Guitar man singing on the town's establishment church. Though this area of Ohio was heavily Methodist, the first presidents at Ohio University were Presbyterian ministers.

There used to be Varsity Cinema directly across the Athena, years ago. Covid 19 has been bad for the picture show.

On old 33, Richland Avenue, with the Convocation Center under the clouds.The building was considered a white elephant.

forgot, it's May Day...

 

The sun in the late morn was clear. It had rained heavily, the day before, and the sky was quite clear. We went for a stroll about the end of  East Boulevard. The temperature was moderate for the time of year. In the garden of Cleveland Art Museum, the dogwoods pink and white were open in beautiful sprays.

  

There is a Frank Gehry designed building on Case Western Reserve University's campus. Sunny it was about noon, we walked around, looking at it to see its angles and undulations. Mentioned this before, it is a goofy, and ugly building. There is a minority that ooh, and ahh over it. It is slightly reminiscent with the painted urban scenery of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Well, it was a great day for a walk around the Art Museum. We met four month old Zeus from Akron. Cassius is on the right.

Karma used to be a professional athlete. Here she is wondering how it would be as a fireman, or a pipefitter.

Other people were having events around the museum too. People were posing for wedding fotos.

 

There was a May Day rally, Workers' Assembly.

McKenzie Levi was there recording the event.  He is interested in Alex Jones' infowars. He shows up to many demonstrations, dressed as a mediæval crusader. As we walked passed him, he was talking to his companion about the only meat we will have is the fake meat created by Bill Gates. He has been a Republican candidate for Congress in 2018, and 2020. He is running for governor in 2022.

Did not notice until looking at the fotos, his partner has a hand gesture printed on his cap. It is for white power, in real sign language it is the part of the body where poop exits.

In Union There is Strength

 

This was from 1949 to 1999 Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America,  Sidney Hillman Memorial Building. Hillman was the union's leader and died in 1946. The bold script on top, and the concave front of the building is in art deco style. The architect, Milo Holdstein, was a Clevelander. This must have been one of the last buildings in the style, which flourished in the '20s and '30s. As that style waned, so did the union. Locally they never unionised Richman Brothers. The union merged with other garment workers in 1976, and again in 1995. Since 2004, the building has been Norma Herr Women’s Center. Her name is where Hillman's name was. Vertically, from the far left, Amalgamated was spelled out. The previous lettering was in similar font of the motto, "In Union There is Strength".

on Payne Avenue, Cleveland

grievance culture

A grievance is a complaint, often at a perceived unfairness or injustice. Sometimes they are justified. But crying for justice is not always appreciated. Some grievances are false. Some people are not interested at hearing any grievance (outside of their own). In slightly coarser language, complaining is called bitching, which is so applied to downgrade the process of any complaint. Truly there are people have suffered great harm and distress, and truly there are people who claim such for every instance of their displeasure over even the slightest matter. 

In a non-genteel occupation i labored in, which is rife with gossip, one fellow complained so often he was nicknamed “Bitch” ; later his son joined the same labor force, and was christened “Son of Bitch” . Years later, when they were no longer working, and not seen, they were still recalled; and their tale was spread to new workers. 

This year was a very angry year in this country. The chief subject was race. Lyndon Johnson did say,“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”  He was right then, and is still right. Bernie Sanders, who is class conscious, ran in 2016 and this year always gives economic arguments. It is true, that the wealthy, obscenely wealthy bank on race to camouflage their mercenary greed. To divide and thus conquer the population over racial antagonisms has been a sure winner. Trump was the champion of white grievance.

The chief beneficiary of race hatred to gain political office in this country has been Donald Trump. He began his public 2016 campaign with hatred of Mexican migrants, and he never relented. He began the private campaign in response to Barack Obama, a man of color. Now and always, Donald is a wretched soul. Opposition to Obama was immediate. Soon tea-baggers formed, financed by rich Republican interests, and Fox News [sic]. This ersatz 'populism' appealed sotte voce to racists, and also screaming racial hatred directed at Obama, his wife, and others. With Trump the white racists found their standard bearer, and the grifter Trump would sell standards for them to bear.

Trump was born a rich man, and failed at everything, but being the son of a rich man failure became a success. If we were to put Donnie on the couch, he might remember his first grievance was he was not breast fed enough, if at all. That baby crankiness enveloped him to a mental sickness [krankheit]. Look at him in film, and fotos. He looks the opposite of happy. His smiles are always posed frozenly, and never come to him naturally. His humour exists only in mean-spiritness. He has a near permanent, fish pout.

Trump projects continuously. In April, in Concord N. Hamp., he again told the Scalise (the congressman, not the mobster) story. Scalise was shot, and his wife cried; Trump says a lot of wives wouldn't (his three). Also, for years he has told the snake story, “Foolish woman, you knew i was a snake when you took me in.”. Trump always talks about himself.

White people, and black people have grievances. Some of both think there are only two people: me, and the other person of the other race. Because you have a grievance, it was not caused by society favoring the other guy against you in every situation. America has angry white people, and angry black people who resent each other. Sometimes it is a turf war (and it should be acknowledged, when a formerly white neighbourhood becomes a black neighbourhood, the white people left behind are often targets of hooliganism, and crime; and this is never described as racially motivated). Other times it are the economic interests manipulating, and playing with people's lives. First look at the numbers. There are many more whites than blacks. Every white man is not set back by advantage to a black man, there are not that many black men. Also, because there are so many white men in spots, not all of them are there because a black man was cheated; there are not that many black men to be cheated.

“...Who renderest the iniquity of the fathers to the children, and to the grandchildren unto the third and fourth generation.” — Exodus 34. vii.

“...who visitest the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” — Numbers 14. xviii.

“The past is never dead. It's not even past.” ― William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun

Systemic racism exists. Some white people object to the term, and the idea. The effects of history last far longer than those who propelled them. A hundred years is not much time in history, history lingers. The chief event in American history is the war fought between 1861 and 1865. All those alive then, are dead now. Many in America to-day are not descendants from those in America at the time. That war was fought over black chattel slavery, and yet some people lie about it. The losing side, as Faulkner pointed out, was defeated but unvanquished. The social antagonisms, and classism did not stop. It still exists. Why are people publicly lamenting the confederate war banner? and confederate statues? The Germans do not fly nazi flags, and there are no nazi statues in Germany. Now, some white people resent this, and some black people are permanently angry. There is no collective guilt for future generations. There are lingering effects.

Black Lives Matter is a response to police brutality. Police in America are often given extreme latitude, often to the point of carte blanche. The black population, especially, feels like a captive population. Police have freely killed black people often enough, and without penalty. It is perfectly expected for black people to be upset. The examples of their lives being treated as something without any value is too frequent. One of the cliches, that are so often recited, is that nothing is worth more than a human life. It is not true in America. To this openly, obvious reality the police and their supporters go ballistic. Of course the use of ballistics is part of the problem. Police accept no reproach, and fiercely bristle with anger over criticism. Blue Lives Matter is a nonsense slogan. Black people did not say other lives do not matter, but many people do not value black life. Further, police have created a fiction, in which they are warriors preserving society. And when anger spills into rioting, many people damn the rioters while ignoring the reasons for anger. Police aggression is then positively viewed. Also the slogan “defund the police” was self defeating. Police are a political power in cities, and politicians (especially Republicans) love to use their support, and this year they were part of their campaign language. In Cleveland the police union president, Steve Loomis, in 2016, and later when he was out of office was himself an organiser of Trump events. Loomis is one of 2020's Trump electors.

White privilege is a stupid, and self defeating term. It is not a privilege to be white. Being white is not an extra gift: it even suggests that not being white is existentially inferior, and that truly black lives do not matter. It is often an advantage in America to be white. All white people are not privileged, many suffer the problems other people have. There is a privileged and favored class, and that status is primarily based on wealth. Using the term, white privilege, is meant to be provocative, and is counter productive. When making a plea for justice, to attack people with accusation, and condemnation when they are not those who are your enemies is asinine. 

And there are people who use the complaint of political correctness, as a term for censorship. They are upset of being socially not accepted for saying often rude things. There is also times when the powers in charge do not want to hear views, and they have the situational power to keep people silent. Some of those views silenced are considered politically liberal. Other terms in this realm are call out culture, and cancel culture. And then it also goes for noting lewd behaviour, e.g. slut shaming. Not all grievances carry the same weight, or importance.

foto safari—Columbus & Dublin

Alvin Meyer. c. mid 1930s. Georgia marble sculptures on Ohio Supreme Court Building (originally Ohio State Office Building).

 Dr. Seuss combination figure: Thing 1, Thing 2, Lorax?

 view from I-270

 bicycle rack Dublin Library parking garage

 Dragonbrush. 2005. Columbus. Earlier the brush had a red handle.

 Dublin daffodils, between library, Veterans' Memorial, and Indian Run Cemetery

 giant I-beam travelling north on I-71, perhaps to be part of I-480 bridge

 Mona Lisa, Columbus

split "buckeye" rock, Columbus Rose Garden

Tim Willis

 

Just recently i saw a foto on a photographer's page, and Friday past, Leon Bibb from WEWS 5 broadcast a goodly piece on Tim Willis, monster car mechanic, builder, and racer. The story was almost five minutes, about triple the length of most local news stories. I have known, Mr. Willis does vehicular work. I did not know, until then, about the robot. 

He is next door to a bus turnaround (now barricaded by plastic orange fencing), and on the other side of Central is Saint Adalbert. I had passed his property a few times. The Fairfax neighborhood bridges East 55 with University Circle, and the two medical behemoths. East 55th is often torn up, and Carnegie has a passel of cameras, and both have too much traffic.

The television story spurred me to see if he had the robot out and about. He did. He was entertaining children, brought by their mothers. They were climbing and investigating the rides. He told them, repeatedly, there is a casket in the one van, "Don't open it". He the adults told, there is a mannequin inside, and they will open it. In a few moments, children screamed and bolted from the van. People, who know him, are respectfully proud that he stays in the neighborhood he grew up in.

His humour (and talent) is joyous, and it brings good feelings to people. He truly enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences. He talks and talks. Someone should schedule him on Letterman, or other national programmes.

In January the work began on this unnamed robot. It took five and a half months to complete, with many nights of work and redesign. The fingers move, by joint. Each finger has three pneumatic cylinders. Robot is made from a quality Pennsylvanian carbon alloy steel. The original feet were too insufficient for support. Straight feet causes one to topple, to walk properly the feet need to be splayed. Robot is six feet wide, wider than the sidewalk. The sword weighs 150 pounds, and officialdom was worried of its sharpness being perilous. [Permits and permission of barely comprehending private and civil bureaucrats were constant obstacles.] Other objects were made for the other hand, and upper arms. Robot also spews fire.

Timothy thinks the robot is lonesome and needs a missus, and perhaps a dog. The mechanical dog would be more complicated.

operating the controls for the robot

As visitors and passing neighbors came and went, Tim greeted, chatted, and gleefully explained, and demonstrated. He tells people, he is 54 and now retired from racing. His energy is almost that of a child. He radiates happiness, and his work pleases and amazes many.

He brings his vehicles to many local neighborhood festivals. Upcoming is the Puerto Rican festival, and a week at the Cuyahoga County Fair.  His biggest local audience is the Patricio parade. The one year he painted some vehicles shades of green for that, for a time they remained so. They have returned to the older paint scheme.

 St. Patrick Cleveland parade 2011

 St. Patrick Cleveland parade 2013

21 October 2009 St. John on East Ninth Street

Tim brought a few of his many vehicles, a couple of times, to offer Richard Lennon travel out of Cleveland. The banner on this trailer reads:

 "Bishop your ride is here

You have got to go"

Cathedral security called the police department. Tim, and his vehicles were told to leave.

But before that, Timothy Willis spoke on the concerns of parishes, and parishioners.