BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew

Subject: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Mickey191
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 12:38 PM

20/20-Mountain Dew

Last night's show was a heartbreaker.. The poverty, ignorance and hopelessness of this area in the Appalachians is appalling.

Why is this allowed to continue-the politicians serving these people should be ashamed. What the heck are they doing with their time & votes? To see toothless children-homeless people-drunks-the land being raped-providing the only jobs in the area is mind boggling. One young man living in his truck - because his home is unbearable.

Much of the area has no potable water-thus the popularity of teeth rotting Mounain Dew.

We can build bridges to nowhere; but to ignore their plight is sinful. I'm ashamed.
What say you?

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: pdq
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 12:56 PM

Can you be a bit more specific about the state or states you are concerned about?

The Appalachian Mountains stretch nearly from New Orleans to the middle of New York State.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 12:56 PM

It is very sad. I think there should be some sort of community kitchens where some of the women are employed to cook healthy meals (or men)..especially for the coal miners who went to the mines with candy bars and mountain dew. I think, and have always thought, there should be restrictions on Food Stamps so they can buy a few treats, but mostly nourishing foods, real foods that need cooking.

They definitely need home ec classes, home repair classes, vocational education in the schools. They need some positive attention for their skills...some of them were singing quite well..their endurance, their willingness to work in the mines, which I hope they won't have to in the future...I would far rather see some sort of ecologically safe strip mining than send men and women down in the mines.

There are Heifer projects to bring back some small agriculture..think what goats could do there..and Mudcat has a Heifer place to donate...

The Mountain Dew situation is seriously bad. A statewide high tax on soft drinks, combined with a subsidy for milk and vegetables and fruits could go a long ways...

It was a very good but tragic show. Of course, there were terrible drug problems and a whole drug economy, which will drive out other businesses, retirement income, etc. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 12:57 PM

The Appalachian mountains stretch into Newfoundland, or so I have been told by geologists. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 12:58 PM

Mickey,

Classism is a many-headed monster that hides, lurking underneath other oppressions. Take my word for it that the fastest route to eliminating it can be found here: www.rc.org. PM for additional info.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Ed T
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 12:58 PM

What "show" was this?

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Ed T
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 12:59 PM

Sorry, did not notice the 20/20

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: pdq
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 01:00 PM

Thanks, Mary. I am a biologist, not a geologist.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Ed T
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 01:02 PM

http://abcnewsstore.go.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/DSIProductDisplay?catalogId=11002&storeId=20051&productId=2025853&langId=-1

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 01:16 PM

There also need to be some sort of freecycle where people can bring them stuff they need...building supplies left over from projects, baby clothes, insulation, prom dresses, car seats, freezers, etc. People are dying to help out in these situations and have basements full of old bikes and toasters and storm windows that they would like to donate if a truck would come through and collect it and drive it there...

I think this will be done by variuos church groups etc. One church collection there one week they said was $1.85.

Now, this is an ongoing chronic situation..it is not an immediate dire emergency..this is an excellent example of where we need to get goods from point A to point B, perhaps along with some incentive for them to clean up the strewn garbage etc.   

Feed the Children does a lot in these areas I believe..brings truckloads of food down.

Think if 25% of the students in the high school were trained in simple home repairs and materials in a community "free" store were availale. Another 25% were trained in home economics. Another 25% in CNA nursing. Another 25% in auto mechanics. Oops..lots in office management programs. This in addition to their regular schooling..doesn't mean they can't go to college..in fact it increases their likelihood of getting into and staying in college..witness football star who dropped out for lack of money. Aren't there work study programs there? I have worked at more than one college where there were more work study jobs than people able to qualify for them. Sad but true.

So vocational counseling and education right away to help the young people. Heifer and small ag programs to help older. Nutrition programs, visiting professionals to educate them.

Lots can be done, starting with education, nutrition, small agriculture and some cottage industries..and confronting the drug problem. l mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Ebbie
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 02:08 PM

I didn't see that show but I will see if I can find it online.

I do know that 'helping' many of these mountain (or isolated) communities is difficult on many different levels. It may be hard to understand but there is a pride in many communities that resists outsiders' efforts to change things even for the better. I am familiar only with the hill communities of Virginia but I would guess that the same suspicion and resentment figures also in other areas.

Not that I think there aren't ways around it.

I never served in the Peace Corps but it seems to me that they must have found ways. Maybe the Peace Corps is a beginning step.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Mickey191
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 02:38 PM

pdq, Sorry I was not specific. The area in question covers about 15 Eastern Counties in Ky. One town mentioned was Barbourvile.

A local dentist, Dr. Edwin Smth, spent $150,000 of his own money to turn an 18 wheel truck into a mobile dental clinic. Good Man! It showed him giving young kids false teeth. Babies are presenting with a mouthful of cavities, While Mom walks around with 2 tatoos on her neck! Crazy!

Pepsi is supposed to be making donations now that a health problem has been associated with one of their products. Maybe foodstamps should disallow the M.D. purchase?

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Ebbie
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 02:50 PM

If the kids are drinking soft drinks - and with their parents' approval - and one of the reasons is the safety and potability of the available water, that should be the place to start combatting it.

There are places in Appalachia and elsewhere where the water has been so contaminated and grossly unappealing that there is no question that government, whether state or federal, should step in and force the mining companies to remedy it immediately. It is criminal to allow a generation of children to grow up in such conditions.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: gnu
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 03:46 PM

The Appalachian Mountains do indeed stretch into NF. They go just past me to the NW in NB. And, there are just as many poor people trying to scratch a living out of them here as anywhere else. In one of the richest countries in the world. All the while playing silly bugger in Afghanistan and.... oh, what's the use?

"We can build bridges to nowhere; but to ignore their plight is sinful. I'm ashamed. What say you?"

I say, "me too."

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: eddie1
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 04:45 PM

You can watch the programme here.

Children Of The Mountains

I have seen enough of young children trying to be carers for their mothers and I've seen what it can do to these kids in later life.

Like Gnu, I wonder why Afghanistan seems so much more important.

Eddie

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: gnu
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 05:11 PM

Maybe if our Prime Minister would take a walk with me thorugh the fly infested bog country of Kent County, New Brunswick on the side of the Appalachian Mountains and work a day in the side of a hill digging out coal for heat he might think twice about our lads dying in Afghanistan... and Iraq... and Sudan... and...

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 05:13 PM

The Appalachians, however, DO NOT reach almost to New Orleans. They peter out in Alabama.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 05:30 PM

The Appalachian culture extends far beyod the borders of the mountains, though, as groups left for "better" conditions in some urban areas and set up mini-cultures there as groups tend to do.

Eventually they lose the accent, but not much else, tho they learn to hide their inner selves well from the prevailing culture. Sometimes they hide it so well they no longer recall that it is their culture of origin, and that it continues to drive their mindset and worldview.

Again, I refer folks back to www.rc.org. Also see video if you can find it-- I believe I have a copy-- "Though Their Fields Were Streets." Another good resource is the Jane Fonda film, "The Dollmaker."


I do know what I am talking about, tho I do not have time to conduct the seminar here that would ne needed-- I eat this stuff for breakfast, IRL. One possible starting point, without the semimar, would be for people to look back into their OWN ethnic and cultural background, take pride there, work thru the victimizations there, and THEN try to embrace a new culture and think about how to impact it in a positive way. The other "short version" starting point is to find out what the Apps are asking from their allies, and do it/give it, remembering that they are indeed in charge of their own path out of the bad situations they find themselves caught up in. Between these tow starting points lies the real work that creates real change and not just "Ain't it a Shame"-type thinking that usually co-opts sincere caring into apathetic, paralyzed, numb non-action.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: pdq
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 05:47 PM

" The states of the southern region of the Appalachians are eastern Kentucky, southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee."...and not a great distance NE of New Orleans which is just SE of Mississippi..

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Mickey191
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 05:52 PM

At the end of Susan's last post is an offering for a free case of Mountain Dew. (from Google)
Is this irony or just the marketplace at work?

I have a friend who has put wells in India. He tried to do the same in Appalachia (totally cost free to the people) but did not get any help from local officials. He then wanted to go there by himself to select sites. I and others advised him against the trip. We thought it too dangerous.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: pdq
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 05:52 PM

"SW of Mississippi" it should read.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: gnu
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 05:54 PM

The bog lands alongside the Mountains are just as much of the mountains as not.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 06:01 PM

Si Kahn wrote a great one regarding Wyzzy's point........

Blue Ridge Mountain Refugee, by Si Kahn

I'm workin' in a factory, thinkin' of how it feels
To be bringin' home good MONEY like my daddy never seen;
But a feelin' follows after me, like a hound-dog at my heels.
And I know that I'll never see my mountain home again.

CH:Cause they say that I can't go back again,
Never sit and talk among my childhood friends,
Never live among my neighbors and my kin,
No, I'll never see my mountain home again.

Down by the railway station, in the early afternoon,
You can see them with their bundles that are all done up in twine.
They hear the whistle from the south,
And they're sayin' their good-by's,
And they say that they'll come back again;
But they're leavin' for all time.

CHORUS

Cinncinati, Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit;
You can see us by the thousands, with our husbands and our wives.
You wonder what we're doin' here, so far from our mountain homes.
Well, we're Blue Ridge Mountain refugees,
And we're fighting for our lives.

CHORUS
**********************************************************************

Its not the Peace Corps Ebbie. The group founded out of LBJ' time was then VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America). Like so many other things it was underfunded but worked well in some places and not so well in others. Many VISTA's were students such as I was and some (like me as well) had been working in other programs like the Appalachian Volunteers prior to being absorbed by VISTA. Most were attached to some other organization to have a local group make the best use of them. This was also an up and down deal.

Telling the story of Appalachia is a lot more than any single or even single group of issues. Fixing things starts in a hundred different ways and most will have to address the dichotomies of the region and of this country today. Coal is still a great not fully tapped resorce but coal is losing its place in the energy market. Even so, look at how badly the regional people have been treated by everyone even related to the mining business........Black Water and Black Lung....Property you don't really own, poverty level wages.............

Christ I can't even begin to get into all this here....Its volumetric........


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: pdq
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 06:04 PM

Years ago, a friend of mine was talking down the poor, toothless awful people in the Appalachian Mountains. He had just seen "Deliverance" and, I suppose, thought it was a documentary.

I quipped "poor toothless peolpe of the Appalacian Mountains? You mean the Catskills?

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 06:08 PM

There is a little bit of that upland area in the far North and East part of the State of Mississippi. The Alabama part of the range is closer to New Orleans, if you're looking to draw a line from the end of the mountains to the city. According to a geologist I worked for, most of the state is the delta of the river (as opposed to the MOUTH of the river, which is down near New Orleans).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 06:17 PM

Regardless of the true geographical boundaries and admitting there are problems in much of the area, referring to "Appalchia" pretty much refers to about 400 counties from Virginia to far northern Georgia including West Virginia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. There are about 250 counties at this area's center comprising some of the poorest in the United States.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 06:18 PM

and of course eastern Kentucky.....Sorry

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 08:30 PM

Fixing App issues from the bottom up is not the way it will happen. Pressuring change by aiming protest at the top ain't the way either. Thiose are both corporately-encouraged masks to how true change actually hapopens.

It will change when someone who can think clearly and lovingly enough gets through, via close personal relationship, to people in control and helps them make their painful and slow way to personal change. Without blame. By calling them back to their better self. By trusting that the better self is positively alive and well, in there. Not a religion thing-- personal growth thing.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 08:37 PM

One thing that would and does help rural communities is mobile butchers..of course they need to be inspected, have extremely good sanitation etc....but most people don't have the skills or the desire to butcher their own small animals...they could be raising pigs, (large animal), goats, rabbits, chickens, turkeys, pond fish...guess they could butcher a fish..

And it should be presented to them wrapped ready to freeze...with perhaps if they can't afford it a percentage taken back for a food bank or something.

We also need to look at smaller livestock..easier to butcher, more manageable amounts of food. I really want one of those Kerry cows..not a miniature..just a smaller cow than usual.

Every school should be rimmed with fruit trees, every church, every home. It seems to me Appalachia would be a natural place to grow various nut trees and bushes too..

We have lost our skills and lost our way and need to retrace some of our steps in America. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 08:50 PM

http://www.kerrycow.com/

This is a breeder in Kentucky, but the breed is so in danger of dying out that they won't let just anyone have them. They are afraid of not having purebred cows. But if Heiffer or some organization got them....who knows..you can get them for implanted embryos and they are trying to increase the population that way. They aren't as pretty as I thought..I swore I saw some in Kerry but maybe they were something else..

Anyway, the milk is supposed to be excellent. And it sure looks like those children could use some milk..oh I know people are going to go off on milk now..but it is part of our collective history that of the Northern European population at least..in pioneer days when they brought in a cow the children were so much healthier..wouldn't work for everyone who didn't evolve to drink milk...

Homemade butter, cheese, ice cream. People would come out of their way for a Sunday drive..throw in some fiddle music...lots of possibilities here.

So now, we tax the Mountain Dew so no one will drink it hopefully. We have a herd of Kerry cows, goats, pigs, rabbits, turkeys, gooseberries, hazelnuts, pond fish, trout perhaps, apples, pears, cherries, blackberries (I could send them 5 blackberries from Washington and they would take over Kentucky)....sounds mighty tasty to me. Add a few vegetables and they might have to buy some flour and baking powder and that is it. Looks like lots of wood there for making animal pens etc...

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 09:53 PM

http://www.heamourfarms.com/pdf/Kerry_Intro.pdf

More about Kerry cow..adapted to hilly areas suitable more for goats..great producer of milk of high quality...

I am going to email Heifer International..mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Ebbie
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 11:24 PM

Not too much hope of obtaining a Kerry cow any time soon, not to mention a herd of them. From the link:

"The bad news is that Kerry cows are generally not for sale at any price. The handful of people who own them generally will not sell any female animal and even buying a bull is difficult. They're scarce.   Any cow that becomes for sale is gobbled up by the present breeders regardless of price. It's not that the breeders want to be a hog. Most present Kerry owners are very dedicated to the breed and they want to make sure the few Kerry cows remain pure and reproducing and they don't want to risk a single animal to a beginner who might not succeed.   It is not acceptable for even one cow to be lost or sold on the livestock market for slaughter. If the Kerry breed survives every single purebred animal must be fully valued. Not a single one can fall through the cracks for any reason. It is our goal to increase the Kerry population so that the average person can once again own a Kerry cow.   Kerry cows can soon be obtained from us through embryo transplant. We will also have bull calves for sale."

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 01:17 AM

Well, hopefully we can get some embryo ones..supervised closely by Heifer, keeping out any stray bulls, cut-rate donors etc. it would ahve to be supervised very very strictly, but if they were authorized breeders etc., another source of income and pride...I have written to the Kentucky breeder and to Heifer. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 01:23 AM

I heard back from the breeder already..


"Kerry would sure be the best breed of cattle for such a mountainous, hostile environment. Goats might be better. Price and scarcity would eliminate purebred Kerries, but bull calves are readily available at a fairly low price and those bull calves could be used to produce a lot of half Kerries or even 3/4 Kerries."

Heck...I am half Kerry myself I guess...no.1/4..half on my father's side.

Well, we will see what Heifer says. Also there are extension offices run by state universities and 4-H programs etc. for at least ordinary breeds.

mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: eddie1
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 03:58 AM

I apologise for what might appear to be total thread creep but the posting from WYSIWYG above is not only annoying - it is downright dangerous. There is NO counselling/therapy technique of the "One Size Fits All" variety. A counsellor, as in many other forms of work has a vast range of tools at their disposal and the skill comes in using the right tool for the occasion. One can, at a pinch, use a hammer to put in a screw but it is useless for any kind of fine work. I am not knocking co-counselling - this can be very valuable when taking place between two people of similar levels of experience where there is no hidden agenda. Certainly not one so blatant as the furtherance of the interests of a rather doubtful organisation. See this:

Sex, Lies & Co-Counseling

"I do know what I am talking about, tho I do not have time to conduct the seminar here that would ne needed-- I eat this stuff for breakfast,"

Who the blazes do you think you are talking down to? I hope not too many Mudcatters are going to fall for this. Folks, please have a look at the link above and make up your own minds.

"Classism is a many-headed monster that hides, lurking underneath other oppressions. Take my word for it that the fastest route to eliminating it can be found here: www.rc.org. PM for additional info."

Sorry, I won't take your word for it, I am reminded of a visit I made to the "Reichstagsgelaende" in Nuernberg (this was the setting for so many of the Hitler rallies we see on TV) when the guide (German) showed me a part of the building where the very thin marble veneer had fallen off revealing some very poor, crumbling brickwork. He compared this to National Socialism which looked so wonderful from the outside but inside was pretty nasty. I get the same feeling about Re-evaluation Counseling.

Once again, I apologise for taking this thread away from the situation these poor folks are in but it seems to me that they are not in the position to be able to sit down in a co-counselling situation. Is the plan that "experts" from Re-evaluation Counseling should move in and promote their own ends under the guise of

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: eddie1
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 04:00 AM

Sorry, the last word shouls have been "helping"

Eddie

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 09:32 AM

Eddie, I am sorry you feel talked down to. As I said repeatedly, I just do not have time to get into this subject any more deeply than I already have, and I know from solid experience that a Mudcat thread is not how change is going to happen-- in addition to the other ways I referred to in my post of 14 Feb 09 - 08:30 PM. And nowhere did I suggest we go to Appalachia and teach RC to the people who live there. Read my post again. I suggested pretty much the opposite, actually. :~)

And, BTW my experience includes what I learned in RC, but in no way is my approach limited to it. You made an impressive chain of assumptions when you took aim at me, that don't actually have much to do with me. You kinda thre the baby out with the bathwater there, Eddie. :~)


Competition arguments among people who want to hellllllp are typical in classism..... it's just one way potential help gets disabled and headed off. It doesn't matter. Folks here might feel better that they had done something, but every Mudcatter here could send every dime they have to Appalachia and the Powers That Be would still be in firm control.

People like me will still do what we do, quietly, and I hope there are folks already at work as I have described. "They walk among us," you know. :~)

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: eddie1
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 12:47 PM

Sorry WYSIWYG - think it was the "I eat this stuff for breakfast,"
bit that was just too much. Other than that, I'm happy to let people make up their own minds.

Eddie

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 12:54 PM

I'm happy to let people make up their own minds.

Well as it happened, I WAS eating that stuff for breakfast, for the last several weeks as well as when I posted that. But I can see how it hit you, because you can't see me here at home wearing a doubled-over sleeping bag as a leg sack, running a slow sack race at home from one cold room to the next to get my hot brekky tea while working away on a leadership summary/resume thingy for just such issues as have been under discuission hereabouts of late.

Or the lingering image, thanks to the article you linked, of the next Mudcat Gathering's orgy. I had not thought of THAT activity, but I think most Catters who have attended them were too busy tiptoeing around my faith roles to suggest it. :~) It's so hard to see people in 3 dimensions, eh? Next time you come, run the orgy, OK?

I'm happy to let people make up their own minds, too. It's a good summary statement for my resume, in fact. :~)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 10:38 PM

Oh for heaven's sake. They say the Appalachians stretch to Mississippi because that allows the power companies to participate in TVA projects.

There is a tiny corner of the state which touches the Tennessee River. The highest point in Mississippi is I believe 806' above sea level. The state is mostly gently rolling hills and coastal plain, with a large chunk of Mississippi river alluvial plain. No mountains, no hollers.


"There is a little bit of that upland area in the far North and East part of the State of Mississippi. The Alabama part of the range is closer to New Orleans, if you're looking to draw a line from the end of the mountains to the city. According to a geologist I worked for, most of the state is the delta of the river (as opposed to the MOUTH of the river, which is down near New Orleans).

SRS"

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 09:11 AM

OK, so..... if we take a step back and look at this thread, how many of us actually DID anything with any of the great ideas? How many of the posts amount to arguments about the problem? Did a leader emerge to inspire any joint action?

Classism, in action.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 11:34 AM

Well, I wrote to Heifer and a cow breeder in Kentucky and to the 20/20 people. What did you do? mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 11:40 AM

I did my work this week.

I am not posting to chastise, but just want to point out how quickly strong feeling quickly becomes inaction.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Alice
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 12:53 PM

Here is a link to organizations - you can help the children in the area covered by this 20/20 program, including the mobile dental clinic of Dr. Edwin Smith. Look for the link on this page that says "Kids First Dental".
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=6845926


Here is a direct link to Kids First Dental.
http://www.kidsfirstdental.org/

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 01:21 PM

Thanks, Alice.

It's good to see a network doing something to help.

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 02:57 PM

Does anyone know if Feed the CHildren is good to contribute to? They send fleets of trucks out all the times to hardup places.

It is very intresting to read the comments of 20/20. I have to see if mine got in or not. Several have offered to take in the college student and send him to their local community college. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 04:31 PM

Here is the Heifer project in Kentucky..seems like more or less the same area.

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.201440/

Remember there is a Mudcat Heifer link..maybe someone can figure out how to make any donations..which could be funded painlessly by people selling a couple of CDs they no longer listen to...go directly to Appalachian projects.

mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 04:44 PM

If anyone with more library skills than I have could find an email or contact for this Lew Jones I would like to contact him. I googled..no luck. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,guest_olddude
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 04:54 PM

It is a disgrace to allow people to live like that and children to suffer like that. In this country of all places we let this happen. Decades go by and nothing changes for those people, just the same misery. I heard people say in the past they can pull themselves out, yea right, pick yourself up by the bootstraps, that is fine but what if you don't own a pair of boots.

It is a disgrace to allow this to happen in this country. They are one of the forgotten people, too small a group to have political clout, throw away people our system regards them as IMO.

Breaks my heart. I hope that special puts some pressure on the powers to get off their arse and do something

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 16 Feb 09 - 05:16 PM

Like what is a good idea? I would certainly say more public health nurses, mandated vocational education for every student (in America), free tuition for any student wishing to study nursing, electricity, civil engineering, dental hygeine, carpentry, diesel mechanics, agriculture, pulp and paper if that is doable there, teaching, especially vocational, computer science. Maybe others as well, especially in health fields.

Reform of food stamps so that only a small percentage could be spent on soft drinks, candy etc. Most should go to whole foods, benefiting the local farmers as well hopefully.

GED programs right there where they are needed. One girl, granted with a drug history, had to walk eight miles in the rain each way to get to her classes.

Some rural transportation so people could get to shopping centers, doctors etc.

Trash collection on an ongoing basis.

Water supply. Maybe Mountain Dew could be involved in this. Surely there is water there, hopefully untained. If not, truck some in with the Mountain Dew.

Further specials to focus on the positive aspects of the place, with some of the folklore, musical talent, stories of people who did escape the povery. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Feb 09 - 01:10 AM

And who pays?

I honestly don't want to come off as a smart-ass here but before you go off half cocked..........The ideas here are all good and many workable too but you need to understand the region and the history. Over the past 50 years there has been god knows how much pumped in through the ARC and others yet progress regarding living conditions and quality of life has been virtually nil. I know. I was part of some of those programs. Yeah, its better now..........but its a lot better elsewhere.   The region is still deep in the grip og King Coal.

May I suggest with all sincerity and true humilty that you read a giant of a book written in 1962 by Harry Caudill called Night Comes to the Cumberlands. When you're done you'll have a much sharper and clearer vision than 20/20, so to speak.


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Alice
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 12:07 PM

20/20 did an update on the Mountain Dew program this week. They said in the week since the airing of the first program, a great number of people had responded to the issue seeking to help. More than 2,000 people had commented on the 20/20 web site. PepsiCo, the makers of Mountain Dew, promise to donate to the mobile dental lab. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6899312&page=1


Over $60,000 has been donated to the people and organizations featured in the 20/20 web page. The show was the highest rated 20/20 since 2004, with 10.9 million viewers.

From Kentucky.com news
snip
"Eller said the program has already been "a tremendous success. It has generated more discussion about the region than I have seen in the last three decades."

"Appalachia had dropped off the national stage for a long time and has not drawn much attention in recent years," he said.
snip
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/699179.html


Here is the follow up done this week on 20/20:
one week made a difference (a week after the program)
snip
Shawn, the 18-year-old football player from Flat Gap, Ky., who believed he had to move away from home to keep his dreams on track, received scholarship offers from three local universities. He's chosen the respected Union College, the school he has always wanted to attend. His dorm room is ready, and he starts classes on Monday.
snip
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=6922892&page=1

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Alice
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 12:12 PM

another quote from the follow up link I posted in my last message:

"Kentucky's leaders are hopeful that the stimulus bill signed this week will bring help to their region.

We're getting money to build roads and bridges," said Gov. Steve Beshear. "And part of that's gonna be done in eastern Kentucky. There's money in there for water and sewer projects. And, that's in demand in eastern Kentucky."

Lawyer and community leader Steve Cawood said that the stimulus money for train improvements is ideal for the skills of the mountain residents.

"We have hundreds and hundreds of men and women who could be the welders, be the mechanics, be the tradesmen that could build that equipment," he said. "

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Kent Davis
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 02:39 PM

I am not familiar with the quality of the water in Eastern Kentucky. My patients who live in Zanesville and McConnellsville, Ohio, have safe municipal water supplies, yet many of them get almost their entire daily fluid intake, and sometimes more than half of their daily calories, from Mountain Dew or other brands of pop. I saw the same thing in Beckley, West Virginia, when I lived there and, again, the safety of the water supply was not the problem. (I drank the water there for 11 years.) Drinking a liter of pop a day is fairly common among my patients and some report drinking 2 liters a day. I have "cured" insomnia, dyspepsia, or hyperglycemia in a few patients by persuading them to switch to water. All of my patients had already heard that drinking so much pop is unhealthy, so I conclude that this is not an educational issue.

Buying all that pop is expensive, yet I see excessive consumption at least as often among the poor as among wealthier patients. Water is cheaper than pop everywhere, even in eastern Kentucky. Even if the region lacks potable tapwater, bottled water costs the same, or less than, pop. If this is a poverty issue, it is a strange one.   

Since many national convenience store chains and fast-food restaurant chains sell pop in single servings of 32 and even 64 ounces, and since Zanesville is not Appalachian, I conclude that excessive pop consumption is not specifically an Appalachian issue.

I don't know the solution. I plan to ask my patients if food stamps can be used to buy pop. I'll let you know. It might be of interest that, when I have asked my patients why they drink so much pop, they say it is because they like the taste, because they don't like water, and because they want the caffeine.

Kent

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: catspaw49
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 04:57 PM

True on Zanesville but McConnellsville is part of the region, although on the fringes. Money from other Appalachian projects affects part of eastern and southeastern Ohio as do the problems still associated with coal.

But I agree with you Kent regarding the Dew and Pop problems. Even in my own family!   One of my sons is completely hooked and when I don't buy the stuff he finds plenty of other ways to get it. Most of his friends are also hooked on Dew and assorted "energy" drinks. Of course he has bad role models as both Karen and I are huge coffee drinkers and Karen loves Diet Dew. My bet is that the same holds true from coast to coast no matter where or how you live.


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: GUEST,hey there
Date: 24 Feb 09 - 03:06 PM

I stumbled upon this thread when I did a google search for "20/20 Mountain Dew." I was looking for more information on Mt. Dew after watching 20/20 a week ago. I'm 45 years old and I drank Mountain Dew for over 20 years. My stomach started hurting so badly I just had to stop drinking it. I swear---within days---my stomach pains have gone away. But I can't eat tomatoe sauce anymore. I guess the acide in Mt Dew ate away at my insides and they'll need time to heal.

I live in an urban area. I had NO IDEA that Mt. Dew had 50% more caffine than other soft drinks. I didn't know it was more acidic than other drinks too. I was shocked when Mt Dew responded "this is old news and irresponsible reporting." I was sitting there thinking "WOW! I've been drinking this stuff for 20 years and this is the first time I've heard about it." And I'm not living the rural areas.

It's not necessarily an education issue, but an information issue. The amount of Caffine isn't listed on product labels. The amount of acide isn't listed either. People have a right to be informed of content. It shouldnt' require a computer and internet connection to find information.

Now that I'm off my soap box, I have to ask: who are all of you people? I've never seen an active forum with such old style software. What is the Mudcat Cafe? How did you all find each other?

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 09 - 03:33 PM

Hi.

I bet the FAQ has links to the history of the site. :~) When it was created, the software and indeed forums themselves were cutting edge. Look around and you'll see why we keep it the way it is. It's actually a musicians' site.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Kent Davis
Date: 25 Feb 09 - 12:17 AM

Today I asked one of my anxious, insomniac, caffeine-addicted patients how he was buying so much pop and coffee. He gets it courtesy of a government nutrition program, the food stamp program.

Kent

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: meself
Date: 25 Feb 09 - 12:47 AM

GUEST hey there,

Welcome! And thanks for your contribution. If you click on "Forum Home", and look at the thread titles on the top half of the list, you will readily see that they are almost all to do with folk music, particularly from North America and the UK and Ireland - we are all musicians, fans, and/or afficianados. The lower half of the thread list is devoted to BS - anything non-music, but it's mostly the same bunch of musicos spouting about things we know even less about. There you go!

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: mg
Date: 25 Feb 09 - 10:23 PM

They have to absolutely have to reform the food stamp program so that only certain foods qualify..like WIC..or maybe that is just local. The obvious foods qualify, milk, eggs, vegetables etc. HOpefully some canned ones..I think they do, or they should.

I would recommend a supplementary food stamp program for non-nutritious items, like occasional cokes or cake mixes or something..but in very small amounts.

We have to get money going to the farmers. We have to get food surpluses going to hungry people. We can't be afraid of food surpluses. We should rejoice in it and store it and pass it on. They are slaugtering hundreds of thousands of dairy cows right now because of bad milk prices while children drink mountain dew. Why should America tremble, as my father used to say. mg

Subject: RE: BS: 20/20 & Mountain Dew
From: Barry Finn
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 01:10 AM

Not just the food stamp progran but the schools, colleges, high schools, middle schools push this crap. Some are changing but not nearly enough & not fast enough. Many day care providers (exceptions are State or fed funded like Head Start) are still pouring sugar down the throats of kids too.

Barry