6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 3, 2016 The Chatterbox Winter doldrums lead to the Internet BY BETTY KAISER For the Sentinel I am a true Capricorn. I get up most mornings with a mental list of what I am going to do, where I am go- ing to go or whom I am going to see. I make lists and check off the fi nished projects at day’s end. I like to be busy and productive. So what changed me this year? This winter I have been more in- terested in being a slug than a worker bee. None of the items on my many lists have been crossed off. Interior woodwork has not been painted. Pho- to albums have not been dated and organized. I did get one desk drawer cleaned out but have not tackled even one closet. I have not even been tempt- ed to go outside and weed around the tulips that are popping up. As a rule, I am never bored, but you might say that currently, I have been lazy to the point of boredom. I’ve even been considering the pros and cons of joining social media to jolt me out of my lair. Maybe I need some of that “face time” everyone talks about. It seems that I’m that only one that hasn’t joined “an electronic form of communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content.” Frankly, this kind of communica- tion (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) just isn’t appealing to me. I obvi- ously stand alone in my thinking, as all of my kids, grandkids and friends are currently profi led on Facebook. If they’re not texting one another, they’re posting friends, or sending messages, status updates, videos and photos via social media. In turn they receive no- tifi cations when others update their profi les. Why? My friends tell me they do this to keep up with their grandkids’ activi- ties. My grandsons’ parents tell me the same thing. The grandsons aren’t talking. In fact, I don’t believe that I have ever seen my grandsons actu- ally have a voice-activated telephone conversation with their friends. Why should they? They can knock out a 25- word text faster than I can fi nd my cell phone in my purse! Knowledgeable sources say that Facebook is the world’s most popu- lar social media site. If I read my facts correctly, every month the site has over 900 million visitors. That is mind-boggling when you consider that the population of the United States is only about 320 million people (give or take a few thousand). Still, this whole business of baring one’s soul on social media doesn’t in- terest me. But Facebook is tempting. Everywhere I go, people are saying, “Did you see it on Facebook?” Maga- zine/newspaper/radio/TV ads request that you “Like us on Facebook.” It’s like a mysterious club, and I’m not a part of it. Now I may not be a joiner, but I don’t like to be left out either. So I in- vestigated the pros and cons of social networking. The pros are many and compelling: the ability to meet new people, re-acquaint with old friends and distant family members; brag- ging rights when something good hap- pens and bringing awareness to social causes. The cons are worrisome. The big- gest is probably the privacy issue. Ironically, this newspaper columnist can’t quite see herself sharing activi- ties to friends and family that could be broadcast around the world. On the other hand, my life is pretty bor- ing. Who would care if I shared what I had for breakfast or that a gorgeous gray squirrel is eating out of our bird feeder? Some cite that Facebook is addict- ing and therefore time-consuming. Others object to the advertising, and everyone distains those users who are hateful and spiteful. Peeking at one page, I was appalled at the angry dia- logue over a difference of opinion. It’s not my style. Ultimately, I once again said “No” to Facebook and started looking around for a less public way to spend my time. A segment on “Good Morning, America,” caught my eye. Perhaps you have seen their on-going episodes of “Free Money.” i.e. “Unclaimed money that may be waiting for you and me to fi nd. Now that’s interesting! More Brew for Your Buck Great Prices & two Drive Drive-thru Windows to serve you Across from Wal-Mart next to Taco Bell Coffee the way it should be. Stop inside and get... 50¢ OFF Any Drink 1220 East Main Street (Next to Darimart) Depending on the source, it is esti- mated that over 90 percent of Ameri- cans have some sort of unclaimed funds or assets available. Every state in the Union, the District of Columbia, Canada (and more) have unclaimed funds and assets that have they are holding because the owner has forgot- ten them or the recipient is deceased. Typically these funds were origi- nally held in bank accounts, insurance companies, tax refunds, safety deposit boxes, etc. After an extended period of time, if the funds aren’t claimed, they are turned over to a government agen- cy until the recipient can be located. Filing a claim is a free public service. The trick is fi nding the money. In Oregon the Department of State Lands handles unclaimed money and property. According to the unclaimed- money.org website, every year in Nov. as much as $40 million in property be- longing to individuals are added to the Oregon Unclaimed Money base. To fi nd out if you have any money waiting you can start here at www. unclaimedmoney.com. If you’re a life- long Oregon resident try: http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/up/Pag- es/index.aspx and follow the prompts. Every state is different in where un- claimed money is handled. So if you previously lived in California, un- claimed property is the responsibility of the State Controller’s Offi ce: http:// www.sco.ca.gov/upd_msg.html. Now, a warning: Be sure that you don’t fall for a fee scam. Look for the name of the state government in the link and the search will be free of charge. And be sure to look in all states of former residence. At the end of this day I didn’t make any new friends nor did I fi nd any free money for the Kaiser family. I did, however, stay warm, learned some- thing new, watched the weeds grow and fi nished this column. Mission ac- complished. Now back to normal. Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other mat- ters of the heart. Contact her at 942- 1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com COMMUNITY BRIEFS LWV to meet in CG The League of Women Voters will be having a unit meeting at Cottage Grove’s Lane Community College branch on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 2:30 p.m. The discussion topic will be mental health issues. Anyone interest- ed in this topic is welcome to attend. Shrove pancake supper Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mar- di Gras — they’re all names for the same day — it’s the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church will again join forces with St. An- drew’s Episcopal Church to provide “your last meal of fat” before Lent on Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the OLPH Catholic Church Parish Center, 1025 N. 19th St. for $5 per person or $20 per immediate family. The menu includes sausage links, pancakes with syrup (sugar free available), jam, jelly or peanut butter, applesauce, coffee and orange juice. Proceeds benefi t Cottage Grove Community Sharing. College Springboard at LCC A new College Springboard pro- gram will be offered at the LCC Cot- tage Grove Center. College Springboard is designed to start students on the right path to earn their college degree or certifi cate. Stu- dents taking the program will com- plete an Effective Learning course, take a tour of Lane Community College’s main campus, attend career workshops and complete an academic plan. Successful completion of these elements will fulfi ll requirements of the Southeast Lane Scholarship spe- cifi cally for residents of Creswell, Cottage Grove, Culp Creek, Dorena, Drain, Lorane, Lowell and Pleasant Hill areas. An information session is planned at the Cottage Grove Center on Mon- day, Feb. 8 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Those interested in more information about the program can contact the LCC Cottage Grove Center at cg@lanecc. edu or (541) 463-4202. CoffeeTrivia Coffee Fun Facts: t$PòFFXBTPSJHJOBMMZFBUFO"GSJDBOUSJCFTNJYFEUIFDPòFF CFSSJFTXJUIGBUBOEBUFUIFN t$PòFFJTPOMZHSPXOOFBSUIFFRVBUPS‰GSPNUIF5SPQJDPG $BODFSUPUIF5SPQJDPG$BQSJDPSOXJUIJOBNJMFMJNJU )BXBJJJTUIFPOMZQMBDFJOUIF64UIBUHSPXTDPòFF t$PòFFJTUIFUIJSENPTUQPQVMBSCFWFSBHFJOUIFXPSMETFDPOE POMZUPXBUFSBOEUFB.PSFUIBOCJMMJPODVQTBSF DPOTVNFEFBDIZFBS t$PòFFJTUIFTFDPOEMBSHFTUUSBEFEDPNNPEJUZPJMJTöSTU t$PòFFIBTEJòFSFOUDIFNJDBMDPNQPOFOUToNPSFUIBO IBMGNBLFVQJUTøBWPS t.PDIBJTUIFOBNFPGUIFTFBQPSUUIBUXBTBSPVUFUP.FDDB XIJDIJTXIFSFDPòFFXBTUSBEFE t5IFöSTUDPòFFIPVTFTXFSFPQFOFEJO%BNBTDVT4ZSJBBOE *TUBOCVMJOUIFT5VSLFZöOBMMZPQFOFEPOFJO t(FPSHF$8BTIJOHUPOBO&OHMJTIDIFNJTUJOWFOUFEUIFöSTU JOTUBOUDPòFFDBMMFEi3FE&$PòFFwJO*UUPPLBOPUIFS UISFFZFBSTUPMBOEPOTUPSFTIFMWFT t0OFDVQPGDPòFFIBTUPNHPGDBòFJOF t%FDBGDPòFFTUJMMDPOUBJOTBTNBMMBNPVOUPGDBòFJOF*UXPVME UBLFUPDVQTPGEFDBGDPòFFUPHFUUIFTBNFBNPVOUPG DBòFJOFJODVQPGSFHVMBSDPòFF t"DVQPGSFHVMBSDPòFFIBTNPSFDBòFJOFUIBOBDVQPG FTQSFTTPPSDBQQVDDJOP t$PòFFBMTPDPOUBJOTBOUJPYJEBOUT5IFBOUJPYJEBOUTHJWF DPòFFJUTCJUUFSUBTUF t$PòFFIBT[FSPDBMPSJFT tPGDPòFFJTDPOTVNFEBUCSFBLGBTU"OETPNFUJNFTJT CSFBLGBTU tPGDPòFFJTDPOTVNFEBUIPNF8PSLJTUIFTFDPOENPTU DPNNPOQMBDFGPSDPòFFDPOTVNQUJPO t"DPòFFESJOLFSBWFSBHFTDVQTPGDPòFFBEBZ Coffee Legend O ne story about the history of coffee, as found on the Internet, claims the following as the origin of coffee. Kaldi, the goatherd, around 600 to 800 A.D., was tending his animals on a mountainside in East- ern Africa, when he noticed that they were acting strange- ly. He realized that they had been eating the cherry-red berries of a nearby shrub. They remained awake, jumping and leaping around the whole night, even the older goats. Curious, the goatherder picked some and tasted them himself. He found that they invigorated him and made him more awake. A monk named Chadely, or Scyadly, from a nearby monastery passed by. Kaldi told him about the goats and he demanded to be shown the plant. The monk crushed a few of the berries into a powder and poured boiling water over them to make a drink. This was the first cup of coffee. (It was not until much later that coffee beans were roasted.) Expires 2/29/16 Impressed with the results of the drink in making him wider awake and yet not affecting his capabilities, the monk took the new discovery back to his monastery. Coffee soon spread from monastery to monastery and, therefore, became in much demand with devout Moslems, believing it to be a divine gift brought by an angel. — By Mary Bellis, About.com Income inequality discussion Is inequality an incentive for hard work and invention? At what point, if ever, is the gap too large? This is the focus of “How Much Inequality Is Acceptable?” a free con- versation with Julia Hammond on Fri- day, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. at Hard Knocks Brewing. This program is co-hosted by Hard Knocks and Opal Center for Arts and Education and sponsored by Oregon Humanities. Julia Hammond is a writer and edu- cator. She is the owner of Folklala and the developer of the Folklala blog. The company creates products and projects that explore culture through the arts. Through the Conversation Proj- ect, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state’s future. For more information about this free community discussion, please con- tact Leah Murray at 541-946-7252 or OCAE@opalcentercg.org. Dubious Rubes at Saginaw Vineyard Saginaw Vineyard will present the music of the Dubious Rubes from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5. The show is for those 21 and over, and there is no cover. George Fox Fall Dean’s List More than 850 traditional under- graduate students earned Dean’s List recognition at George Fox University in the fall of 2015. The list included Sabra Chambers, a freshman from Cottage Grove majoring in elemen- tary education and Mason Mueller of Cottage Grove, a sophomore major- ing in management. Students must earn a 3.5 grade point average or above on 12 or more hours of graded work to earn a spot on the Dean’s List.