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May 24, 2017: Columns

Take two aspirin and cut me out a steak

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

A while back, I wrote about the sale of the old Thrift Super Market building on the corner of Fourth and C streets in North Wilkesboro .

At the time, I really had no idea as to the future of the site, but frankly was afraid it would become part of yet another parking lot.

I'm glad to be wrong. While I still do not know the plans for the building, work is going on that appears to mean restoration, not demolition. Yea!

Through the years, I have written many times about my job as a bag-boy at the Thrift, about H. D. and Ann Ball, the owners, and their three daughters, who all worked there at one time or another. Most of the stories have been about my favorite person - me - but when I write about the owners, it is always fun as well.

Mr. and Mrs. Ball were the ideal couple in that they balanced perfectly. Mr. Ball was all about the business of making money and was frugal to say the least. Mrs. Ball, on the other hand, was a kind soul with a big heart and, as I have often said, would give stuff away out the back door to folks in any kind of distress as quickly as her husband could bring it in through the front.

But it was the amazing variety of customers that made their way into that little neighborhood grocery store that made the place truly memorable for a 14-year-old kid bagging and delivering groceries. Of those none was more memorable than J, W. Paisley, Jr., MD.

I am fairly sure that Dr. Paisley was the first black physician with a private practice in Wilkes County . He started out on A Street , but when I met him he was on Main Street in the old Carolina Mirror office building behind what was then the FCX store. (This same building was later the office of another wonderful healer, Dr. Walter C. Holloway.)

Dr. Paisley was always dressed like Beau Brummel heading to a fashion show or a Sunday church service. Always in a three-piece suit and tie with a matching handkerchief, his shoes shined like new pennies. His office hours ended at 7 p.m., and the Thrift was open till 8 p.m. Quite often Dr. Paisley would drop by the store to grab milk and bread and eggs to take home. Many times on his late evening shopping visits, Mr. Ball would fall in behind him seeking one kind or another of medical advice. Up and down the aisles they would go, one shopping, one suffering.

Well, one fateful Saturday evening a very dapper but visibly tired Dr, Paisley came into the Thrift Super Market. This visit had an uneventful start, as he ambled by the magazine rack, past the produce department and on to the dairy case. However, as Dr. Paisley approached the meat counter in the back of the store, Mr. Ball spied him standing next to the Chit-Chat Cookie rack. Immediately Mr. Ball flew out of the meat market and began to recount his problems to the good doctor. Mr. Ball suffered through the pickle loaf and luncheon meats on into the hamburger and chuck roasts. His pains continued through the rib-eyes and T-bone steaks and into the sausage, livermush and country ham. By the time Dr. Paisley and Mr. Ball had made it to the very end of the meat counter where the old-timey fatback (with the hair still on it) and souse meat resided, their conversation was complete.

All the way down the meat counter, as Dr. Paisley patiently dispensed medical advice he was gathering up his order of steaks and chops. Then, as he completed his (doctor) visit with Mr. Ball, he slid his hand under that stack of steaks and such and tucked them under his arm.

As he walked away, he remarked, "Mr. Ball, I'd say we're just about even, wouldn't you?" And he sailed down the toilet paper aisle, past the cash registers up front, and out the door without another word.

I dared not laugh out loud, but I was sorely tempted. Ann did laugh out loud when I told her. If Mr. Ball was ever going to have a heart attack, it would have been then. As long as I worked there, my memory is that Dr. Paisley, from then on, shopped in peace.

Adverse to failure

By LAURA WELBORN

We all have an adversity towards failure, yet it is through our failures that we redefine ourselves- repurpose if you will.

But who wants to go through it? I do not believe people start off the day looking to do harm or find something they can fail at- it just happens. Who wants to emulate or be like someone who has failed? Yet these people have the most to teach us.

And if failure happens despite our best effort, I want to know at the end of the day that I have been intentional at being kind to others and having "done no harm" at the very least. If my intentions are good then I am ok with failures- or shall I say it just wasn't the right time for my brilliant idea.

Because I am trying to be intentional about my life- I looked at some ways to be focused and intentional.

Intent exercise:

Set aside five minutes to sit quietly. Choose a happy place. Take a few minutes to settle, breathing in deeply, inhaling and exhaling without trying to control your breath or control anything... just letting it flow and its rhythm relax you. Then ask yourself the following questions...- just take time to experience what comes to mind when you ask:

Who am I? This question is meant to have us look at what is important to us, what we value in life etc...

What do I want?

Again this is to go beyond material things but what we want in our lives- to make us happy, loved secure, energized and purposeful. Intents aren't merely goals they come from the soul, somewhere deep inside you. When we think out our intents, cultivate and express them we create an atmosphere where they are more likely to happen.

How can I serve?

When we This is how to bring meaning to our actions and to live each moment with integrity in keeping with what matters most to you.

What does the universe want from me? When we start to look around us for how we can impact others we start to on the path of taking action and taking action is a definite "stimulation of the feel good hormone dopamine". Dopamine is the root of how pain pills work and other drugs that artificially stimulate our brain. The more we stimulate naturally our own Dopamine the more we get the same effect that drugs can give us.

This exercise is important as it makes our mind start noticing and paying attention to our thoughts and actions. Sharing our intention with others increases our chance of taking action as we become accountable towards others when we make the smallest of commitments towards our intentions,

So why failures are absolutely no fun, they can help guide us into repurposing ourselves until maybe we are that person we want to be.

And thank you Sandy Tilley for reminding me of the good in our small part of the world, and how important it is to be intentional.

Paying terrorists and teaching children to hate not a path to peace

By EARL COX

Special to The Record

When President Donald Trump met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House, Trump requested that Abbas halt the PA's overt incitement to violence and terrorism against Israel, and its $137.8 million in annual payouts to jailed terrorists and suicide bombers' families. Abbas insisted, "We are raising our youth, our children, our grandchildren on a culture of peace." This double-speak not only denies well-documented evidence; it's consistent with Islamic ideology which condones deceiving non-Muslims to advance Islam's political interests. But a highly ranked-and rankled-PA official spoke more to the point. Senior foreign-policy adviser Nabil Shaath said: "It's absurd to request that we stop paying the families of prisoners. That would be like asking Israel to stop paying its soldiers." The PA insists that Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons for committing acts of terror are not terrorists but rather "freedom fighters" and therefore are entitled to receive salaries. The PA also claims that these payments are a type of social welfare to help the families of the prisoners although the prisoners are under no obligation to give any portion of their "salaries" to their families.

A Glimpse Into the 'Absurd'

Shaath's response is a window into the Palestinian mind-specifically, how it perceives its "army." The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded in 1964 to oppose Israel. It consisted of Palestinian refugees under Fatah leader Yasser Arafat. Abbas, a PLO co-founder, and former Arafat deputy, is currently PLO chairman.

The PLO charter, on which the PA Constitution is based, calls for Israel's destruction; declares "armed struggle" as "the only way to liberate Palestine"; and describes armed "fedayeen [paramilitary and terrorist] action as the nucleus and "protective force" of the "Palestinian war of liberation." The Constitution calls for training all Palestinians to "prepare them for the battle of liberation." Training for this battle begins in kindergarten, with teachers inciting children and teens to hate, violence and murder against Israelis.

Though the PA has diplomatically softened the language of its original charter, the politically appealing word "liberation" in its founding documents literally means Israel's total destruction and the Palestinian takeover of its "homeland" which they consider all of Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank. That's why the official PA/PLO map of Palestine, draped in the PA flag, depicts Israel plus the West Bank as its future Palestinian state. To lay a contrived "legal" groundwork for "liberation," the charter states "claims of historical or religious ties of Jews with Palestine are incompatible with the facts of history"; and the 1947 partition of Palestine, Israel's establishment, the Balfour Declaration and the Palestine Mandate are "entirely illegal" and "null and void" because they are "contrary to the will of the Palestinian people." So much for international law and recorded history.

Militant or Military?

For those who respect democratic values, what's most startling about Shaath's retort is his stark equation of the "protective force" of terrorists who blow up buses, stab women, and ram cars into pedestrians with a legitimate army like the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF was forged in 1948 to defend its citizens and borders after pan-Arab attacks attempting to eradicate the fledgling Jewish state. In line with Israel's moral code which cherishes life, every recruit studies the IDF code of ethics which states: "The soldier shall always bear in mind the supreme value of human life," and must limit the "use of force… to prevent unnecessary harm to human life and limb, dignity and property." It's important to note that the IDF code of ethics refers to ALL human life as being of supreme value and this includes the Palestinians.?

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee is examining the PA's siphoning of foreign aid to its "army of martyrs." These salaries violate American laws that prohibit U.S. aid from benefiting terrorism. Rep. Grace Meng, (D-N.Y.) said, "There cannot be peace if children are raised with hatred" and that she'll work to end the program. "Abbas' denial of the reality of incitement is something that we need to continue to strongly look into," she said. Trump's visit to Israel offers a timely opportunity for Americans to appeal to Congress.

Considering the Palestinian mindset and its goal to destroy Israel, a paper agreement that Arab states will "recognize Israel's right to exist" should be a precondition for negotiations-not the ultimate goal. The right deal should enforce a complete, properly monitored end to Palestinian incitement to violence and terror, and should include strenuous safeguards and penalties against such attacks.

A boat ride to Ocracoke and talks of Blackbeard

By Carl White

When I started out for my third visit to the Island of Ocracoke, I remembered a friend telling me he enjoyed taking the Swan Quarter Ferry because he had less drive time and more time to relax or do a bit of writing on the ride over. I normally enjoy taking the longer way, especially when the opportunity to see something new is around the corner. Today was different. I was traveling solo and the idea of having a driver for a few hours appealed to me.

The weather was clear. However, it had been raining for days and I saw a lot of standing water in yards as I made my way closer to Swan Quarter, I also noticed the already white cotton fields were heavy with water; I was sure that would not be good for the harvest.

The line to get on the ferry was long, but moved at a comfortable pace and it looked to me as if there would be little room for additional passengers. Once onboard, I sat down on the passenger deck with iPad in hand, reflecting on my travels. I was sitting up front on the inside in a comfortable seat. The outside deck was just in front of me and looked inviting. There were four or five windblown couples sitting arm to arm with the sun warming them from the west.

About thirty minutes into the journey I decided to step out on the forward deck. When I first sat down amidst fellow travelers it was like I could hear all the conversations, but the sounds of the gentle waves soon took over, and before long they became the center of my awareness.

The waves were mild and the clouds had broken from three days of heavy rain. I loved the wind over the water. There was a fresh, sweet smell in the air and the warmth from the sun provided what I would consider a near perfect moment.

One couple was still sitting where they were when I first saw them; she now had her head on his shoulder and he seemed proud to have his love so near. I enjoy seeing people travel to special places like Ocracoke. They seem happy and full of hope.

I, too, was looking forward to my visit on the island. I had reservations at The Cove Bed and Breakfast, which has a good breakfast and a nice at home feel to it. It's also within walking distance to Springer's Point, a part of the Coastal Land Trust. It has great natural beauty and is of historic note as it was the place where Edward Teach aka Blackbeard engaged in his final battle. On a previous trip I enjoyed conversations at Springer's Point with the charismatic Kevin Duffas, an author who has written extensively about Blackbeard.

The natural beauty and history of the island makes it the perfect type of place for me to visit.

I’m not sure how it is for you, but I am convinced that nature can be some of the best therapy if we allow it, even the birds that follow the ferry seem to drift along in an almost hypnotic flight path.

On this voyage, the things that wowed me the most was the simplicity of gentle waves, relaxed travelers, the warm sun and a few hours of tranquil thoughts.

Carl White is the executive producer and host of the award winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In the Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its 8th year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte viewing market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturdays at 12 noon. For more on the show visit www.lifeinthecarolinas.com, You can email Carl White at [email protected].

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