Hits and Misses
MISS: Anyone who loves history and poring over its artifacts has to feel nothing but sorrow in the wake of the fire that destroyed Brazil’s National Museum last weekend. Museum officials say that scores of fossils, dinosaur skeletons, art and ceramics from Brazil’s indigenous cultures and recordings of now-extinct languages were reduced to ashes in the blaze. What makes the calamity even worse is there had been repeated warnings over the years that a catastrophic fire was bound to happen at the 200-year-old structure in Rio de Janeiro. Blame must be assigned to Brazil’s government for never providing the proper amount of resources for its upkeep. The museum had no working sprinkler system, had endured leaking roofs and even a termite infestation. To make matters worse, there were only a couple of fire extinguishers in the building and the fire hydrants in front of the building were dry. And yet Brazil was able to scare up millions of dollars not long ago to build and renovate stadiums for the World Cup, many of which are now sitting unused. To say this is a sad commentary on the priorities of Brazil’s leaders is a vast understatement.
HIT: It’s a fact that many Americans are all but clueless as to how the food that ends up on their tables is produced. Around these parts, where agriculture is still a fairly big business, we’re a little more “in the know.” But unless you’re actually involved in farming or raising livestock, you don’t really know the whole story. The folks who run the West Alexander Fair are making it a point to educate youngsters in McGuffey School District about their rural heritage, bringing all of the district’s second-graders to the fair to learn about farm animals, plants, farm equipment and more. Judy and Bob Wright, a pair of retired McGuffey High School teachers, pay the bill for the buses that carry the students to the fairgrounds. We salute them, and the fair, for a job well done, and well worth doing.
HIT: A piece of Pennsylvania history has returned home. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission announced this week that a long-vanished minute book from the commonwealth’s 1779 unicameral Revolutionary General Assembly was unearthed in a home in Mechanicville, N.Y., and its owner agreed that it rightfully belonged in the Pennsylvania State Archives. “More often, people sell such records for personal gain and ignore the fact that this is a public record, paid for by public funds, that belongs to the people of the commonwealth,” said David Carmichael, the state’s archivist. He added: “The return of this volume fills a gap in the early legislative record, providing a more complete story of Pennsylvania’s early governmental proceedings.”
HIT: Weary of offering comment on animal abuse cases, we take satisfaction in recognizing two people who helped save the life of a dog last month. Matthew Steele saw smoke coming from his neighbor’s home and broke a window to pull a canine named Cindy Lou out of the burning house in Morris Township. The homeowner, Marty Goodrich, then performed CPR on his beloved pet, who is expected to make a full recovery after spending more than a week in an animal hospital for treatment of scorched lungs and eyes. We met up with Goodrich and Cindy Lou this week and watched a peppy – and seemingly grateful – Cindy Lou give high fives to her owner. For their efforts and this happy ending, we’re giving Goodrich and Steele high fives, too.