THE ROMAN AQUEDUCT
By: Stan Jordan
All my life I have been in awe and wonder about those old Roman aqueducts we see in our history books and now I read that the Turks used the aqueducts to move their water long before the Romans. The following is some facts and history of them from Wikipedia.
Rome’s first aqueduct was built in 312 BC and supplied a water fountain at the city’s cattle market. By the 3rd century AD the city had eleven aqueducts sustaining a population of over a million in a water-extravagant economy; most of the water supplied the city’s many pubic baths. Cities and towns throughout the Roman Empire emulated this model and funded aqueducts as objects of public interest and civic pride, “an expensive yet necessary luxury to which all could, and did, aspire.
Most Roman aqueducts proved reliable and durable; some were maintained into the early modern era, and a few are still party in use. Methods of aqueduct surveying and construction are noted by Vitruvius in his work De Architectura (1st century BC). The general Frontinus gives more detail in his official report on the problems, uses and abuses of Imperial Rome’s public water supply. Notable examples of aqueduct architecture include the supporting piers of the Aqueduct of Segovia and the aqueduct-fed cisterns of Constantinople.
THIS IS NO BULL
By: Stan Jordan
The above picture is of a steer named Knickers. He looks like a cow, but he really isn’t.
The world was introduced to Knickers, an extremely large Australian bovine. The steer is out in the field towering over his female friends. Cows are female cattle who have had a calf, a steer is a neutered male.
Knickers is a Holstein Friesian species that originated in North Holland and Northern Germany, those people have been breeding this type of cow for over 2000 years for more production.
This young fellow lives on Geoff Pearson’s farm in western Australia. Knickers stands 6 ft. 4 inches from hoof to shoulder and weighs about a ton and a half. An American, Dr. Daniel, says he is more of an overgrown Holstein than a freak.
Knickers eats about 100 lbs of hay each day, 15 lbs of grain and drinks about 100 gallons of water each day.
Yes sir, this is no bull.
See ya.
A GLORIOUS WEEKEND
By: Stan Jordan
I and some of my family went down to the Methodist church and had a fine Thanksgiving Day dinner. I told you about that last week, but the weather was great all of these days, Thursday all the way through Sunday, the temperature was great, almost 60 degrees.
Then on Saturday, I was invited and treated to another fine holiday dinner by the Mike Knapp family. A fine time of talking and fellowship. Then on Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes played their best game of the season as they beat the Michigan Wolverines in a football game. Now that makes them eligible to meet Northwestern in a game on Saturday at the Lucas Oil Stadium for the Big 10 Conference Championship as the Bucks won the eastern division and Northwestern won the western division. All kinds of good action for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Let’s hope they can keep up their winning ways.
If they beat Northwestern they will be moved up in the playoff standings to #6.
See Ya!
WHAT I REMEMBER
By: Stan Jordan
I sit here at my desk and look out to the east toward the Marathon station and beyond and just stop and let the dust clouds in my mind settle down a little.
There has always been a gas station on that corner where the drive thru is now. But on that vacant lot to the east was at least 4 houses, a barber shop and Abe’s little Kewpie Doll restaurant. There is a whale of a lot of history to be seen just out my famous window. Just on the south side of East River Street is just as much history.
Right on the south east corner of Main and River Street was a tin shop. It was torn down and a Sinclair Station was built there over my life time there has been a number of restaurants, gas stations, a doctor’s office, a cigar store and student driving school.
Then on east at the second house, it was torn down and C.A. Quisno built some apartments on the that lot. Bob Battershell lived there in the 1930’s.
Then on the east was some fine big homes and these are some of the families who lived along there from those apartments on.
J.B. Johnson, Taylor Long, Alverdo Johnson, Mr. Kadich, L.L. Long, Rev. C.D. Childs, Otha Fleck. Now this is where Jim Schmunk lived and Walter Joe Ross lived next door. And that last have was named in from right across the street and come the methodist parsonage.
Then on east where we call the Park Station that was a Texaco stationed owned by Warren Seslar. Now that was built about 1940-41. Mr. Seslar also owned and operated a garage and Texaco station on South Main Street as well as a distributor for Texaco products.
The Park Station has been a bar and grill with many different owners over the years.
That’s all just out my window, what about the history out your window?
See ya!
A BIG SCREEN T.V.
By: Stan Jordan
The big screen t.v. business has gone out of sight. Some of the first t.v.’s back in the 1950’s were 13 inch sets. Our first one was a 19 inch set, of course in black and white, with a big, tall antenna in the back yard and we really enjoyed it.
Then over the years the screens have gotten wider and after a few years we were able to buy a color set. The t.v. business just went on in leaps and bounds, bigger sets, more coverage, everything was in color new and the sets were 36-48 inches.
Now the t.v.’s have blown clean out of sight. You can buy a flat screen rather than the big heavy, bulky one. This one can hang on the wall, it is a space saver and the price has really come down.
Most of my male friends have gotten the big sets, like 48 inch, 54 inch and some even 64 inch…where will it stop.
The t.v. builders have made what they call HD or hi-definition, so you must buy a new set with HD or you don’t get a picture, it’s that simple.
Now your old t.v. set is worthless. It has no trade in value at all, the dealer won’t give you a dime on a trade in.
If you sit it out to the curb on garbage collection day, it won’t get stolen, it’s worthless. The big, fat, heavy set has gone from priceless to worthless.
See ya!
