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Washington Square Shopping Center Announces First Annual Dashapalooza, Saturday, June 22nd

In Children and Family, Entertainment, Food, Health, Local News, Senior Lifestyle, Uncategorized on June 11, 2013 at 2:28 pm

Smoked Ribs_WSQ_2011_0004Washington Twp.  –  The merchants and management of Washington Square Shopping Center are proud to announce the First Annual Dashapalooza – The Party Before the Dash, from noon until 4PM on Saturday, June 22nd in and around the WashingtonSquareShopping Center at Far Hills Ave. and Whipp Rd. in Centerville. The event is free and open to the public.

Dashapalooza is a one-day art and merchant festival on the eve of the 4th Annual Dorothy Lane Market DLM Dash 5K Run/Walk.  Along with sidewalk sales and special offerings from participating merchants at Washington Square, Dashapalooza will feature exciting physical and art-themed activities for all ages.

Participants can barrel down a giant, inflatable slide, express themselves on the monster mural, draw on the sidewalk for prizes in the sidewalk art “chalk off” or take the obstacle course challenge.  Because it is important to “keep it local”, community based artists have been invited to exhibit and sell their work throughout the shopping center as part of the event.

Plus a smoked pulled pork sandwich cookout will highlight just one of many food and refreshment options on hand. Throughout the day, visitors will be entertained by live music featuring the acoustic sounds of internationally recognized Blues Duo, Izzy and Chris.

According to Melissa DeHart, property manager at Washington Square, the majority of the stores are participating in what they hope to make a long-running partner event to extend the excitement and anticipation of the annual DLM Dash.

“Washington Square is dedicated to the community,” DeHart says. “Our neighborhood of merchants, offers some one-of-a-kind places to shop, enjoy great food and even join an exercise group.”

IMG_3128Wendy Preiser is the owner of T-Willy’s Frozen Yogurt Emporium and one of the center’s newest tenants. “Some of the shops are hosting a scavenger hunt where visitors can win some great gift baskets,” she says. “Special deals will be offered throughout the shopping center as well including 25-percent off boxed invitations at the Envelope, one free mini album to each family that visits Moto Photo, a book signing at Tropical Smoothie Café, $10 coupons toward the purchase of “Art to Wear” at Nettle Creek Interiors, and in honor of our runners, energy pops at T-Willy’s.”

Dashapalooza is sponsored in part by Dorothy Lane Market, Up and Running, Boston Stoker, The UPS Store, Montage – The Salon, T Willy’s Yogurt Emporium, Pizza Hut, Knapke Cabinets, Trophy Nut, Nettle Creek Interiors, The Envelope, Utopia Salon & Day Spa, Helms Shoe Repair, Universal 1 Credit Union, Clark’s Home Medical, Moto Photo, Fox Cleaners, and Tropical Smoothie Café. For more information contact Melissa DeHart by calling 937-535-5690 or go online to http://www.dashapalooza.com.

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Science and the public benefit from storm chasers

In Education, Local News, Media, National News, Opinion, Science, Technology, Uncategorized on June 3, 2013 at 10:52 pm

Deer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

WHIO-TV's weather radar as it appeared on April 3, 1974 approximately 4:20PM as the Xenia Tornado touched down. Notice the "hook" echo indicating the twister.

WHIO-TV’s weather radar as it appeared on April 3, 1974 approximately 4:20PM as the Xenia Tornado touched down. Notice the “hook” echo indicating the twister.

In the 48 hour period between April 3rd and 4th, 1974, the Midwestern United States experienced one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in history. Known as a “super outbreak,” 148 confirmed tornadoes touched down from Michigan to Alabama and Illinois to West Virginia, with 30 of them in the F4-F5 categories and resulting in the deaths of 300.

One of the most devastated towns was Xenia, Ohio, where a massive F5 funnel tore through the city leaving a mile-wide path of destruction, killing 33 and injuring more than 1,100. The low death toll is attributed to advanced warning provided by WHIO-TV weatherman, Gil Whitney using the first local weather radar system in the Dayton area.

Satellite, GPS and advanced warning networks, along with modern Doppler radar have all helped increase early warnings for tornado victims from less than 3 minutes to more than 15 minutes. Much advancement in severe weather detection might never have happened, however, without the work of the brave men and women who call themselves, storm chasers.

Storm chasers are serious scientists working to increase our knowledge of tornadoes and how they behave. Unlike those depicted in the 1996 movie, “Twister,” however, chasers experience little glory instead spending days and weeks in preparation that may result only in a few moments of tornado spotting.

As you might expect, purposely trying to outmaneuver the proverbial “finger of God” carries with it some inherent danger. Unfortunately, that danger can turn deadly at any moment.

On May 31st, revered storm chaser Tim Samaras, 55; his son, Paul, 24; and meteorologist Carl Young, 45, were killed near El Reno, Oklahoma as they tried to document one of several tornadoes moving through the area. Since their deaths, many have asked, “Is the data gathered from storm chasing worth the risk?” In my opinion, yes, it is.

I’ve always been fascinated by tornadoes. The day after the Xenia tornado of ’74, my parents took me along as they assisted with the cleanup efforts by using our grain trucks to help haul away debris. I never forgot what I saw there. Nor will I ever forget the darkened, green sky and the strange, coldness of the air as the monster storm was passing through. It marked my psyche for years to come.

Possibly the most famous photo of the Xenia Ohio 1974 Tornado. Taken from Greene Memorial Hospital by Fred Stewart.

Possibly the most famous photo of the Xenia Ohio 1974 Tornado. Taken from Greene Memorial Hospital by Fred Stewart.

The experience left me nearly terrified of storms, until one day in 1988, when I was alone at our family farm and stepped outside after hearing tree branches break during a storm. I stood on our front porch, paralyzed, as I watched a small funnel cloud worm its way across the pasture in front of me, parallel to our house.

My ears popped as I stood motionless, surrounded by completely still air except for the slim tube descending from the sky into a swirling mass of dust. With almost no sound at all, it smashed the wooden sideboards of one of our old trucks, crossed the field about a half mile away and totally demolished a neighbor’s barn.

As quickly as it came, it was gone. That day, my fear gave way to a new respect for one of nature’s most dangerous, ephemeral phenomena. Since then, I’ve been within eye-shot of two more tornadoes and educated myself about them as best I could without taking to the road as a chaser.

But, I have the utmost respect – not to mention appreciation – for those who have. While there are probably some storm chasers who are just thrill-seekers, I have no doubt that most are in it for the science and the potential benefit that comes from the effort.

Early warning systems now broadcast through TV, Internet and cell phones, and most air raid sirens have been re-purposed for use as tornado warning systems. Everyone in and around Tornado Alley should remain diligent when severe weather approaches and heed warnings when they are issued.

It’s doubtful we’ll ever be able to fully predict when and where a tornado will strike but, thanks to the work done by storm chasers, scientists can give people a fighting chance to be better prepared.

 

Gery L. Deer is an independent columnist and business writer based in Jamestown, Ohio. More at http://www.gerydeer.com.

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Author Shares Journey of Love and Despair as Caregiver for a Mother Ravaged Dementia

In Books, Education, Entertainment, Health, psychology, Senior Lifestyle, sociology, Uncategorized on May 30, 2013 at 1:43 pm

Elaine Pereira yearbookGREENE COUNTY, OH –  Author Elaine Pereira shared the seemingly never-ending journey of caring for her mother stricken with dementia in her newly-released book I Will Never Forget: A Daughter’s Story of Her Mother’s Arduous and Humorous Journey through Dementia (ISBN 978-1-4759-0690-5). The award-winning author will be visiting Xenia for two public events, June 6 and 7.

I Will Never Forget is a powerful true story of the author’s talented mother, Betty, and her poignant and humorous journey through dementia. As their mother-daughter relationship evolves, Elaine copes with her mom’s uncharacteristic verbal assaults and watches as her brilliant mind is slowly destroyed by dementia’s insatiable appetite for brain cells.

Elaine Pereira earned a BS in Occupational Therapy and an MA in Family and Consumer Resources from Wayne State University and worked as a school occupational therapist for more than 35 years before retiring in June 2010. In this moving account, Pereira shares warm and humorous incidents as well as tragic and overwhelming encounters from the death of her father, sister-in-law, brother and her mother’s journey through a new world after her familiar world fades from her memory.

“This is a true story which validates the incredible events that happened in my mother’s life,” says Pereira. “From writing nine checks to the same payee, on five consecutive days, and later on the Great Houdini Escape when she nearly froze to death, Mom’s journey through bewildering dementia is real.

Cover I Will Never Forget 1-15-13I Will Never Forget is educational and therapeutic but is a journal full of insights that will provide helpful assistance and tips to other caregivers of dementia patients. “I want newly-commissioned caregivers to learn from my unwitting mistakes, to realize that reasoning and logic are rarely helpful dialogue techniques with a dementia patient,” explains the author.

“That approach is confrontational and often creates agitation and a fear response in someone. Redirection, re-phrasing, waiting and patience are the most helpful response strategies to diffuse potentially hostile situations.”

During the year long writing process, Pereira was able to put the troubling incidents in her mother’s final years in perspective. “The little problems faded away and the core of her wonderful life surfaced for me. That is how I want to remember her, as she was in my eyes as a child.”

Pereira’s book was named a finalist in the Best New Non-Fiction category of the 2012 USA Book Award and was an honorable mention finalist in non-fiction in the 2012 Hollywood Book Festival and was bestowed a ‘Rising Star’ and ‘Editor’s Choice award by iUniverse. The book most recently won the aging category in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards.

At 7PM, Thursday June 6, Pereira will speak to the members of the Western Ohio Writers Association at  Blue Jacket Books, 30 S. Detroit St. in Xenia, Ohio, with an emphasis on how and why she wrote the memoir about her experience. The event is $5 per person, open to the public, and RSVP is requested by emailing the organization’s director, Gery L. Deer, wowainprint@gmail.com

The next evening, Friday June 7, beginning at 7PM, the author will be at Blue Jacket Books, 30 S. Detroit St. in Xenia, Ohio, to speak about the experiences so many people now have in caring for a parent or other loved one suffering the ravages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. There is no charge for this event and seating is first come first served. For information call 937-376-3522. The author will be selling and signing books at both events.

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Disasters help us appreciate the easy things

In Children and Family, Opinion, psychology, Senior Lifestyle, Uncategorized on May 22, 2013 at 11:13 pm

Deer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

What’s your life like? Are you regularly faced with life-changing decisions? Is your life in danger with uncommon regularity? Fortunately, not many of us have to face such situations in our daily routines.

First response officers (police, fire, EMS), U.S. Secret Service agents and military personnel in war zones are probably some of the few groups of Americans who routinely face life-threatening events. For the rest of us, a visit to Walmart can put us into fight of flight mode.

A favorite author of mine once noted that when faced with a completely hopeless, potentially life-ending situation, one should consider how good life has been up to that point. On the other hand, if life hadn’t been so good, one should think about how lucky it is that it won’t be troubling you for much longer. The point is that usually, life’s situations are rarely as hopeless as we think.

Nearly two decades ago, on a beautiful summer day, on a quiet country road in the middle of nowhere, I was faced with just that kind of situation, but it all happened in the blink of an eye. While driving one of our farm trucks to pick up hay, a massive cement mixing truck struck my vehicle, head on, left front fender to left front fender, with unbelievable speed and force.

The power of the collision destroyed my truck and literally cut the front wheels and axle out from under me, burying the frame, nose first, into the asphalt below. A heartbeat later, I was sitting motionless in a shower of debris, dust and glass as the big Louisville Ford crashed to a halt in the hot sun.

Without sounding overly dramatic, had the other vehicle been six inches further to my right when it struck my truck, I’d have been killed instantly. There is much more to the story, but what stands out here is how different your life’s perspective is when you come that close to death. In fact, I actually remember bursting out in laughter.

My father had been in front of me, helplessly watching all of this unfold in his rear view mirrors. As we stood in the street surveying the wreckage, I busted out laughing and said, “My brother’s going to kill me.” After all, it was his truck and he hadn’t had it too long. Oh well, I thought, that’s life.

When faced with life-threatening events like the massive tornado in Oklahoma on May 20th, our perspectives change in an instant and what seemed important one second becomes the last thing on your mind a moment later. Maybe the lesson to take away from these events is about how much we value our day-to-day lives, or rather, how much we devalue them.

Every day without suffering, disease, pain or trauma is a gift. We should appreciate anytime we can just sit back, take a deep breath and think how calm and good life is at that moment. Most of us don’t do that, though.

In our country, we seem to be a little too preoccupied with what we don’t have to appreciate what we do. I remember times at family events when I literally stopped, sat there and looked around, and, like on a camera or video tape, tried to capture the image of family and friends laughing, smiling and being happy to be together, just in that instant. I have stored countless gigabytes of space in my head full of nothing but that – appreciation for the moment.

Admittedly, I don’t do it as much as I should and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone else who does that. But when life’s hard, or you can’t seem to find the good in a moment, it’s nice to be able to close your eyes and go back to those times to give yourself a sense of peace and calm. It makes you appreciate every moment just a little more.

 

Gery L. Deer is an independent columnist and business writer from Jamestown, Ohio. More at http://www.gerydeer.com

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Who am I, and what am I doing here?

In Entertainment, Health, Opinion, psychology, Religion, Senior Lifestyle, sociology, Uncategorized on May 15, 2013 at 12:04 pm

Deer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

We’ve all had moments when we’ve turned to someone, a father, a brother, a God and asked, “What was I meant for? Am I doing what I was supposed to do?” It’s a normal exercise for us to question our situation, regardless of its status.

But we have to be careful to realize, regardless of how much we’d like the world to be a mystical place, our own choices landed us where we are and nothing was “meant to be,” that wasn’t directed by personal decisions.

I think it’s pretty normal to think we were meant for something more than we are, at least most of us probably feel that way. What many people tend to miss is how much value their lives have to others and how much would be different in the world without their contributions.

Over the last few years, I’ve written a great deal about my late mother, Lois. She passed away in November of 2011 after long battle with Alzheimer’s disease which among other things robbed her of a lifetime of memories.

Mom wasn’t an overly complicated person but she was very smart and caring, always putting others ahead of her – particularly her children and grandchildren. She only ever worked as a school volunteer, on the farm with Dad and for a time as a waitress in a little hometown restaurant where I grew up.

She might not have had the life people grow up dreaming about, but I’d like to think she felt like she had made a difference in the world. I know she did for me and my family. She didn’t have money or status or important connections, but she had wisdom and a level of understanding of her world and those in it that I truly wish I could emulate.

To some people a basic, down-home lifestyle could seem like Purgatory; a futile, pointless existence. Even though she didn’t have a list of college degrees after her name, nor did she work some high-powered job (unless you count managing my dad), her mere influence upon those around her probably had far greater reach than she ever knew.

In my mind, Mom had the life she was “meant” to live, evidenced by the efforts of those who helped care for her and offer support to our family as her illness advanced. We all have a place in the world and it might not seem like it matters at the time, but we are often more influential than we realize.

Since the kind of work life I have chosen does not lend itself to earning fistfuls of cash, far from it, I have always hoped that my labors have at least helped to enhance someone’s life, even in the slightest. Whether I am making people laugh on stage during The Brothers & Co. variety shows, or passing along my worldly observations in my writing, I always try to give people something that will help make their life better, even if it’s only for a moment. To me, that’s rewarding in itself.

Even when people don’t agree with something I’ve written, the point to take away is that they read it, and it made them think. I don’t want everyone to agree with me, nor am I trying to persuade them to alter their life paths based on my opinion of something. My job is to enhance someone’s life just by giving them something new to think about and that is the accomplishment.

So, a sense of accomplishment isn’t always derived from academic or financial achievement, and in my limited view of the world, it almost never comes from material success. Sometimes just being who you are and contributing to the world around you makes the longest-lasting difference.

Were you “meant” to be who you are, though? That’s a question best left to you. Only you can evaluate your level personal satisfaction from the world you’ve created for yourself. You are who you are, right or wrong. So like I heard once in a song, “This is it. This is life, the one you get, so go and have a ball.” And enjoy being you. It doesn’t matter how you got there.

 
Gery L. Deer is an independent columnist and business writer based in Jamestown, Ohio. More at www.gerydeer.com.

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Excuse me; is that your nose in my business?

In Children and Family, Entertainment, Opinion, psychology, sociology, Uncategorized on May 8, 2013 at 2:43 pm

Deer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

On "Bewitched," nosey neighbor, Gladys Kravits (Alice Pearce) always got more than she bargained for with her cup of sugar!

On “Bewitched,” nosey neighbor, Gladys Kravits (Alice Pearce) always got more than she bargained for with her cup of sugar!

Fifteen years ago, I was shopping for my first house when I realized I had no idea exactly what it was I wanted. I grew up on a farm with a house smack in the middle of a valley of trees, pasture and corn fields so I was lacking some of the social necessities of being a ‘neighbor.’

I had no idea what it meant to have to “keep up with the Joneses,” and I never saw my mother so desperate for sweetener that she needed to bang on someone else’s door and demand they fill her measuring cup with sugar. I just didn’t get it. And, after a good fifteen years, I still don’t.

Growing up in such isolation taught me self-reliance and a good feeling for minding my own business. Even as an adult, as public as I might seem between my published work, music and television appearances, I tend to be a bit of an introvert. It’s not that I’m unfriendly, quite the opposite, but I just feel like I should keep my nose in my own cupboard and leave others to do the same.

For some, however, that’s not the case. When I first considered a suburban home, I visited several developments and each put me in mind of TV shows of years past. On TV, the houses looked all the same and there was always that one, nosey neighbor who just couldn’t keep off your grass.

Inevitably, I think of Gladys Kravits, the screeching butinsky from “Bewitched,” who spent her day tormenting her happily ignorant husband Abner all about the goings on at the Stevens home across the street. Granted, there were weird things happening on Morning Glory Circle (that’s the street where Samantha and Darren lived on the show), but rarely did those events directly impact the neighbors.

I tend to be an observer of human behavior, which helps me, I hope, to be a good writer. I’ve noticed over the years that the preoccupation of people with the activities of their neighbors can be close to a debilitating obsession.

Constant worry about the concerns of others is, to my mind, ridiculous and kind of neurotic. What if you did nothing all day but ponder such things like … When did John cut his grass – for the tenth time? How did Bob buy that above ground pool when he doesn’t make that kind of money? Do those people have anything else to do but remodel their house every month?

It can get out of control. I’m hoping that level of unwarranted curiosity isn’t the norm but the exception. I would hate to think that my comings and goings were costing a good night’s sleep to anyone but me. That’s not to say that even rural suburbs don’t offer some level of low-brow entertainment of a kind that would even sour Jerry Springer’s sensibilities.

Fortunately, where I finally chose to buy a home turned out to be the perfect fit for me. But I know people who live in suburbs where you can’t make a move without someone commenting on it or having an opinion to gossip about. I’m sure it happens everywhere, but I think people should spend their time worrying about their own lives and stay out of the affairs of others.

If the concerns of those around you occupy your thoughts more than your own actions, it might be time to take a look in a mirror instead of out the front window. Being nosey isn’t the same as being neighborly.

Thoughtful compassion for a neighbor with a sick parent or welcoming a new baby is not the same as feeling the compulsion to always see what’s going on next door. It’s important for people to know the difference and respect those boundaries.

 

Gery L. Deer is an independent business writer and contributor to the WDTN-TV2 show, “Living Dayton.” More at http://www.gerydeer.com

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Metro FC Youth Soccer Tryouts, Delco Park, May 28-June 1

In Children and Family, Health, Local News, Sports News, Uncategorized on May 6, 2013 at 7:50 pm

metrofclogoDAYTON – According to the 2009 U.S. Census Bureau: Participation in Selected Sports Activities report, soccer is the third most played team sport in the U.S., falling just short of baseball and basketball. More than 13 million Americans play soccer each year, with most starting out in youth soccer clubs.

One of the Dayton area’s largest and fastest growing youth soccer organizations, Metro Football Club (FC), has announced that it will hold open tryouts to fill some 40 teams with approximately 800 players ranging in ages 8 through 23. Tryouts for the Metro FC 2013 season are scheduled from Tuesday, May 28 through Saturday, June 1st, at DelcoPark. 1700 Delco Park Dr., Kettering, OH, 45420. Players can register at the park on the day of their tryout, but organizers recommend early registration at the club’s website, http://www.metrofutbolclub.com.

Metro FC director of coaching and player development, Kevin Arcuri, has been involved with youth soccer in the Dayton area for over ten years. He has served as an Assistant Director of Coaching for Centerville United Soccer Association (CUSA) as well a women’s assistant coach at WrightStateUniversity from 1997 until 2005. Prior to working for CUSA, Arcuri coached in the Team Dayton organization.

“What sets us above and beyond everyone else is our top-notch training,” says Arcuri. “Our teams are trained by a professional trainer at least once a week and all of our coaches are appropriately licensed, dedicated and excited about working with the kids.”

“Our staff really goes above and beyond to help players improve and grow in their long-term development,” he says. “We try to teach good morals and good sportsmanship, avoiding the fighting among parents and players that’s so common in today’s youth sports.”

Tryouts are open to players from all over the greater Dayton region. According to Arcuri, the club has a diverse community of participants who come from all over the MiamiValley area, as far north as Sydney and east as Chillicothe.

Metro FC teams have a history of turning out some great athletes. One their best known alumnus is Drew Basil, starting kicker at OhioStateUniversity, who played for the Metro FC from U-9 to U-19.

Arcuri also notes that Metro FC is not just for those on the career track but offers something for every participant’s level of interest. “We have teams that compete at the top level, but we also have others that compete in other areas to meet the needs of kids who might be in multiple sports,” he says. “Some just want to play and enjoy the sport but have no interest in traveling for tournaments or being part of a high-level of competition and we can offer them a place as well.”

Fees to participate vary depending on the level of play. At the high school level, for example, play can cost anywhere between $600 and $1200 per year. Individual and corporate sponsorships of the club are available to those in the community who would like to help support the club’s efforts.

Metro FC is affiliated with the Miami Valley Youth Soccer Association, Buckeye Premier League, and the Midwest Regional League. For more information and to register, go online to http://www.metrofutbolclub.com or call Kevin Arcuri at 937-371-0869.

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Free show by The Brothers & Co. May 18 at Beavercreek cafe

In Entertainment, Food, Local News, Theatre, Uncategorized on May 1, 2013 at 9:07 am
Gery Deer, Jim Karns, Ed Jones and Gary Deer Jr - The Brothers & Co. Entertainers! (Photo by Debra Bays)

Gery Deer, Jim Karns, Ed Jones and Gary Deer Jr – The Brothers & Co. Entertainers! (Photo by Debra Bays)

BEAVERCREEK, OH – Music and variety group, The Brothers & Co., will present a free and unusually casual performance beginning at 7PM on Saturday May 18 at 4 Starters Coffee Café in Beavercreek. The two-hour show features classic country and oldies in four-part vocals, as well as comedy variety routines and much more.

The Brothers & Co. began in 1995 and, over the years, became a complete stage show with full instrumentation, variety acts and, what they call, “Commagic™” (Comedy Magic) routines. Best known for updated versions of The Statler Brothers classics, their repertoire also includes covers of country and oldies including Merle Haggard, John Denver and the late George Jones as well as many original pieces.

Usually, their show features piano, guitars, percussion and saxophone instrumentation. But for this performance, “The Boys in Black,” will be doing a more laid back show, without their traditional western costumes and only acoustic accompaniment by member Ed Jones. Vocalist, pianist Gery Deer will add harmonica to some sets as well.

“If you’ve ever seen The Statler Brothers, they’re almost as good as we are,” jokes Gary Deer, Jr., percussionist of the group. “Mostly, we want to entertain people and give them a show like most haven’t seen since the 60’s.” The show may seem retro, but the guys insist it is not just for the older generation.

“We put a modern spin on an old kind of entertainment that’s nostalgic and originally presented all at the same time,” offers bass singer, magician and the most recent addition to the quartet, Jim Karns. “If you’ve never seen a live variety show, this will be just a taste of what our big show has to offer and something the whole family will really enjoy.”

Located at 2495 Commons Blvd., tucked quietly behind LaRosa’s Pizzaria, 4Starters Coffee Café is a hidden gem of Greene County. The family-owned shop offers gourmet coffees, soups, sandwiches, specialty dishes and a selection of fine wines. Musical performances and wine tasting events are featured weekly.

The show is free and open to the public. For more information go online to http://www.thebrothersandcompany.com.

 

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Money cannot buy eternal salvation

In Charities, Media, National News, Opinion, psychology, Religion, television, Uncategorized on April 30, 2013 at 10:55 am

EVANGDeer In Headlines

By Gery L. Deer

Have you ever turned on the TV early on a weekend morning and heard something like this, “Friends, dig deep for those green rockets of salvation. Help us to lead the sheep to His lovin’ care with your kind love offering. Operators are standing by to pray with you – all for just $49.99.” A cross between an infomercial and a bad Saturday Night Live parody, television evangelists have been conning millions from the pockets of the devout since the medium was invented.

These clergy-covered con men (and women) take the stage amidst gold-plated, throne-like chairs, religious statuary and acrylic podiums to convince us all that we’re damned to the fiery pits of Hell unless we give and give generously. Armani-suited, well-quaffed, jewel-bedazzled TV preachers spout dramatic sermons from a teleprompter while holding up a Bible as if it were the newly presented cub in the Lion King movie.

If that’s not enough drama, it’s is followed by repeated moments of squint-eyed, hand-raised prayer and Lord praising before thousands of onlookers in the audience who are doing the same. Without opening their eyes, the host preacher prays that God will direct the viewers to the telephone number that appears at the bottom of the screen and give generously to the ministry so that more souls can be saved.

At home, viewers dial quickly, handing over millions upon millions of dollars to what could easily be compared to a guy begging on a highway exit ramp. The difference is that at least you know the panhandler is exactly that. He’s not pretending to give you a direct phone line to eternal salvation at the same time.

Holier-than-thou in their demeanor and testimony, eventually they fall from their pedestals in some kind of sex scandal or tax evasion allegations. I’m sure everyone remembers the rise and fall of Jim and Tammy Baker, Oral Roberts and Jimmy Swaggart.

Religious panhandling – might as well call it by name – is a real problem in America and, unfortunately, it’s completely legal and largely tax-exempt. For the truly devout, there is a clear understanding that man is meant to be humble and kneel before God. That doesn’t mean we were meant to live in abject poverty, but we’re not supposed to use the Almighty as a way to dupe billions of dollars out of unsuspecting people searching for answers in a life full of uncertainty and hardship.

With multi-million-dollar homes, limousines and servants, there is nothing holy about these so-called “evangelists.” In fact, in my opinion, it’s just flat out criminal. These people soil the image and intentions of faithful, honest people all over the country who are genuinely trying to do some good in the world. Most live modestly, often with a second job or from a share of whatever comes in the offering on Sunday morning. There are no limousines, golden thrones or evangelical stadiums.

There is nothing to excuse the fact that some of the poorest people in America, the elderly, are the most common victims to this kind of nonsense. Looking for spiritual leadership and often lonely and shut-in, seniors often send money to these TV charlatans before even paying for food and medicine.

Of course, these religious phonies don’t care who they hurt because they can hide out in tax-sheltered mansions, go for a dip in their Olympic-sized swimming pools or jet off to vacation homes in the Cayman Islands.

Not convinced? According to CelebrityNetWorth.Com, one of the most popular TV evangelists, Benny Hinn, is worth more than $42 million; all from donations to his “ministry.” Another extremely popular – and rich – television pastor, Joel Osteen, is reportedly roughing it on only $40 million. And more money is still pouring in.

I don’t have a problem with people living prosperously and giving generously from hard work and the success built from that labor. I am deeply offended, however, when those claiming to be men and women of God live in luxury at the expense and from the charity of lost souls desperately searching for comfort. It would do them well to go read that book they’re always waiving around on TV; particularly the book of Matthew, Chapter 19, Verse 24.

 

 

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Eleven local authors featured in new book launching May 3 at Blue Jacket Books

In Books, Business, Entertainment, Local News, Senior Lifestyle, Uncategorized on April 20, 2013 at 9:02 am
"Flights of Fancy" is an anthology of stories set in southwest Ohio by local authors from the Western Ohio Writers Association. It will hit shelves in mid-April 2013 and features local talent and production.

“Flights of Fancy” is an anthology of stories set in southwest Ohio by local authors from the Western Ohio Writers Association. It will hit shelves in mid-April 2013 and features local talent and production.

Xenia, OH –The Western Ohio Writers Association (WOWA) invites the public to attend the official launch event for their first book, Flights of Fiction, an anthology of short stories set in and around southwest Ohio, published by Loconeal Publishing / Handcar Press.

Officially released on April 15, the book and its authors will be presented publicly at 7PM on Friday, May 3rd, at Blue Jacket Books, 30 S. Detroit St. in Xenia with a 2-hour reception and signing. The event is free of charge and open to the public. It will begin with an introduction to the authors and a reading of parts of the book by the authors, followed by a signing and reception.

The WOWA was founded in 2008 by Gery and Barbara Deer, of Jamestown, in an effort to provide local writers with peer critique, educational and networking opportunities previously unavailable except at tremendous expense. Gery is a full-time business writer and author of the syndicated, weekly op-ed column, “Deer in Headlines.”

“Flights of Fiction is a group effort by just a few of the most talented authors in our organization and in the southwest Ohio region,” explains Gery L. Deer, co-founder of the WOWA and executive editor of the anthology.

“These soon-to-be classic tales let you follow one man’s tragic story at the end of the world in “Dead of Winter”; experience a night at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in “Nose Art”; and get lost in a haunting image from the past in “Tabitha’s Portrait,” plus many more. From detective tales to a trek into the mysterious world of wrestling, Flights of Fiction has something for everyone.”

He adds that Blue Jacket is a kind of second home to the WOWA. “We’re honored that Blue Jacket Books is hosting our book launch. We have had several signing and public reading events at the store and it’s great to see it growing and doing well.”

A limited number of copies of Flights of Fiction will be on hand for sale at the event with a cover price of $11.95. The paperback is available now with an electronic version set for release in mid-May. Find further information about the Western Ohio Writers Association or order Flight of Fiction online at http://www.westernohiowriters.org.