Cop Car's Beat

Good life, refreshing obituary - Kay Arvin

Today's edition of The Wichita Eagle contained the obituary of Kay Arvin who had lived in the Wichita area until 2001. She was well-known, admired, and respected in the community. Unfortunately, I never met Ms Arvin. Here is the obituary, as published.

Kay Arvin

Arvin, Kay - 1922-2014. Kay grew up in 1920's Kansas on a working farm. At 3 years old, she followed her sister to a one-room schoolhouse. Since education had yet to be ruined by bureaucracy, Kay was given a desk and invited to listen. Thus began a life of engaged learning. Kay was modest, pretty, and popular. In college, she met the love of her life while putting up decorations for a dance. She didn't like Les in that particular way that made love inevitable. "Arrogant," she wrote in her diary that night. Also, "After I danced with him the 1st time, I knew I wasn't going to dance with anyone else." When Les was stationed in Hawaii during WWII, he conspired to get Kay a job in Honolulu at the War Department. They were married in a hillside church overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Their love never faltered. Shortly after marriage, Kay was blinded by an accident. In spite of this, she got a law degree, raised 2 sons, and practiced law at the highest level. She was the 1st female lawyer to argue a case before the State Supreme Court and win. She served as Judge of the District Court. She advocated for battered women and won awards too numerous to list. She was also a sculptor whose work astonished those unaware she worked in complete darkness. While pundits argued the merits of feminism, Kay quietly embodied its best ideals. Still, she scorned the idea of "having it all." She considered her man the most important person in any room, including the White House. But she was fully capable of standing her ground against all comers. She was formidable. Kay and Les traveled the world together, and co-taught a class on the U.S. legal system in Singapore. They moved to Nashville in 2001. They made friends and enjoyed life. Kay's faith sustained her, and, believing God would always catch her if she fell, she made a trapeze out of life. 15 minutes before her death, Kay said, "I can do this. All is well." If you wish to honor her memory, try something new in life. Pray fervently and without artifice, as Kay did. Take stock of whatever whining you do in life and reduce it by at least half. Then, smile and get on with things. Kay and Les are survived by their sons Scott and Reed, both married and residing in Nashville. "Good-bye, Mom. We love you."

Published in The Wichita Eagle on June 29, 2014

I don't know who wrote Ms Arvin's obituary; but, with the exception of praying, I can certainly be enthusiastic in following their suggestion concerning honoring her memory.

Kay Arvin

        

 

Death Notice

Guest Book

• "A wonderful lady who will be missed by all who knew her~"
  - Gretchen Maronde

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Arvin, Kay - 1922-2014. Kay grew up in 1920's Kansas on a working farm. At 3 years old, she followed her sister to a one-room schoolhouse. Since education had yet to be ruined by bureaucracy, Kay was given a desk and invited to listen. Thus began a life of engaged learning. Kay was modest, pretty, and popular. In college, she met the love of her life while putting up decorations for a dance. She didn't like Les in that particular way that made love inevitable. "Arrogant," she wrote in her diary that night. Also, "After I danced with him the 1st time, I knew I wasn't going to dance with anyone else." When Les was stationed in Hawaii during WWII, he conspired to get Kay a job in Honolulu at the War Department. They were married in a hillside church overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Their love never faltered. Shortly after marriage, Kay was blinded by an accident. In spite of this, she got a law degree, raised 2 sons, and practiced law at the highest level. She was the 1st female lawyer to argue a case before the State Supreme Court and win. She served as Judge of the District Court. She advocated for battered women and won awards too numerous to list. She was also a sculptor whose work astonished those unaware she worked in complete darkness. While pundits argued the merits of feminism, Kay quietly embodied its best ideals. Still, she scorned the idea of "having it all." She considered her man the most important person in any room, including the White House. But she was fully capable of standing her ground against all comers. She was formidable. Kay and Les traveled the world together, and co-taught a class on the U.S. legal system in Singapore. They moved to Nashville in 2001. They made friends and enjoyed life. Kay's faith sustained her, and, believing God would always catch her if she fell, she made a trapeze out of life. 15 minutes before her death, Kay said, "I can do this. All is well." If you wish to honor her memory, try something new in life. Pray fervently and without artifice, as Kay did. Take stock of whatever whining you do in life and reduce it by at least half. Then, smile and get on with things. Kay and Les are survived by their sons Scott and Reed, both married and residing in Nashville. "Good-bye, Mom. We love you."                                                                      

                                                Published in The Wichita Eagle on June 29, 2014

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansas/obituary.aspx?n=kay-arvin&pid=171533374#sthash.rn0I8Xsn.dpuf

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kan

Arvin, Kay - 1922-2014. Kay grew up in 1920's Kansas on a working farm. At 3 years old, she followed her sister to a one-room schoolhouse. Since education had yet to be ruined by bureaucracy, Kay was given a desk and invited to listen. Thus began a life of engaged learning. Kay was modest, pretty, and popular. In college, she met the love of her life while putting up decorations for a dance. She didn't like Les in that particular way that made love inevitable. "Arrogant," she wrote in her diary that night. Also, "After I danced with him the 1st time, I knew I wasn't going to dance with anyone else." When Les was stationed in Hawaii during WWII, he conspired to get Kay a job in Honolulu at the War Department. They were married in a hillside church overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Their love never faltered. Shortly after marriage, Kay was blinded by an accident. In spite of this, she got a law degree, raised 2 sons, and practiced law at the highest level. She was the 1st female lawyer to argue a case before the State Supreme Court and win. She served as Judge of the District Court. She advocated for battered women and won awards too numerous to list. She was also a sculptor whose work astonished those unaware she worked in complete darkness. While pundits argued the merits of feminism, Kay quietly embodied its best ideals. Still, she scorned the idea of "having it all." She considered her man the most important person in any room, including the White House. But she was fully capable of standing her ground against all comers. She was formidable. Kay and Les traveled the world together, and co-taught a class on the U.S. legal system in Singapore. They moved to Nashville in 2001. They made friends and enjoyed life. Kay's faith sustained her, and, believing God would always catch her if she fell, she made a trapeze out of life. 15 minutes before her death, Kay said, "I can do this. All is well." If you wish to honor her memory, try something new in life. Pray fervently and without artifice, as Kay did. Take stock of whatever whining you do in life and reduce it by at least half. Then, smile and get on with things. Kay and Les are survived by their sons Scott and Reed, both married and residing in Nashville. "Good-bye, Mom. We love you."  - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansas/obituary.aspx?n=kay-arvin&pid=171533374#sthash.rn0I8Xsn.dpuf

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansas/obituary.aspx?n=kay-arvin&pid=171533374#storylink=cpy

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New subject brought on by an old subject: how about those sports teams?

In a previous posting, I was scratching my head over the fact that the US Trade Commission had (retroactively) denied trademark protection to a sports team because "Redskins" was judged to be pejorative. The comments got so far off track that I closed them down - a first for me. So...let's talk about how insulting it is for Native Americans to have sports teams named after them, such as Chiefs, Redskins, Braves. Should those teams be required to change their names?

My personal opinion: I don't give a rat's ass. I'm not a sports fan and I don't care much what they call the teams. To me, we have a tempest in a teapot. In addition, I am prone to judging speech/labeling by intent and I fail to be a very sensitive person.

All of my life, strangers have been calling me "Red". While I didn't/don't like it, never once have I felt insulted. Intent is very important when it comes to that sort of thing. If someone called me a "dirty, rotten Redhead", I might feel differently. Well..even worse than being called "Red" is that Hunky Husband has called me by a shortened version of my real name (he uses the first syllable, for those blog friends who know my real name) for about 58 years, now - a name that I really, truly dislike. HH's whole family, and anyone to whom I have been introduced by HH, have always used the shorter version of my name. BUT...I know that he means/they mean no harm and that it is just easier for him/them to use one syllable instead of three, so I don't make an issue of it. And...one VP insisted upon calling me "Doll"! (I usually tell people once what I prefer and ignore whatever I'm called, thereafter.)

Moving along: one of my blog friends (in the previously mentioned comments) thought that I was excusing a practice without having a basis for judgment. Were I to have an opinion on the appropriateness of the name "Redskins", I would agree that I have little basis on which to form an opinion. Among my friends/acquaintances, there are a number of Native Americans - to varying degrees of inheritance. Since closing the comments to the previous posting I've had the opportunity to quiz two self-identified Native Americans on the whole thing. I asked if they thought the teams should be required to change their names.

Woman - Did not care one whit. She saw nothing insulting in the name "Redskins" and thought that people were getting upset over nothing. She volunteered that her husband (also Native American) didn't care a whole lot, but that he would be just as happy to have the name changed. BTW: She's a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Man - Thought the whole thing silly. He's a sports fan. He didn't give a [obscenity omitted]. He felt that people were going out of their way to find insult where none was intended. (His wife is not a Native American so I won't include her thoughts.)

That's not a large sampling size, but it's a start.

__________

Historical tales to give you a laugh: 1) In grade school, I was terribly jealous of Ruth Sunday (and several other classmates) because she was 100% Native American. I believe that one of my 3X great-grandmothers was Cherokee [not enough for me to have bragging rights!] 2) Our teams in high school were the Knights - never once did anyone think we were insulting knights. 3) Back in the late 1970s, Bogie and I were driving in Oklahoma. Stopping to get directions, the two of us were salivating over the gorgeous cop from whom we asked directions. He was obviously pretty much 100% Native American and, to this day, Bogie and I agree that he was the best-looking guy we'd ever seen! *pant, pant*

The Ventures

Hunky Husband was kind enough to send me the link to a blog, Stumptown Blogger, in which had been embedded the video below. The video is included in a posting titled WHAT A COOL VIDEO! I hope that you enjoy it.

Sitting here scratching my head

The carpeting in our bedrooms is being replaced, today (I guess I never got around to posting about it when the rest of the carpeted rooms in our house got new carpet - not wishing to bore everyone to tears?), I have more time for posting. Thus, I'll share with you that I find a recent US Patent & Trademark Office ruling beyond comprehension.

Washington Redskins Stripped of Trademarks 546                        

Posted by Soulskillon Wednesday June 18, 2014 @04:17PM from the i'm-sure-this-will-pass-without-debate dept.

BillCable writes: Politico reports, "In a major blow to the Washington Redskins, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday canceled six federal trademarks of the 'Washington Redskins' team name because it was found to be 'disparaging' to Native Americans. 'We decide, based on the evidence properly before us, that these registrations must be canceled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered,' the PTO's Trademark Trial and Appeal Board wrote. The panel voted 2-1 in favor of the decision." Perhaps this move will speed up the inevitable name change, which was expected within the next few years."

 

 

I can understand that folks might not appreciate some names; but, their being disparaging should be a reason for barring issuance of a trademark? Obviously, this must stem from some anti-discrimination law or another, but it is beyond my understanding. I'm wondering if companies that make products such as the line of Tired Old Ass bath products are denied trademarking? The name, after all, disparages elders. Aren't elders protected from discrimination? *wandering off mumbling to myself*

More on Camp Clark

Excerpted from Camp Weingarten - WWII POW Internment Camp. (The whole posting is only about twice the length of this excerpt.)

Thirty prisoner of war (POW) camps were established in Missouri during World War II. The camps were populated by more than 15,000 prisoners between 1942 and 1946, the majority of whom came from Germany. While in the camps, the prisoners were well-fed and allowed to pursue a wide variety of diversions. Most of the enlisted prisoners were incorporated into a POW labor program, and were paid by the government for their exertions in coupons that could be redeemed for luxury items at the camp canteens.

The experiences of prisoners within the camps varied widely, but all enemy prisoners were processed in the same manner. Upon arrival in Missouri, the prisoners found that the character of each camp was unique. The four main camps in Missouri were Camp Weingarten, Camp Clark, Fort Leonard Wood, and Camp Crowder. Each of these locations housed thousands of prisoners and was in continuous operation for years. As such, the records for each were more thorough than for the smaller, temporary camps.

The construction of each main camp brought controversy, as the federal government took farmland that had been held in families for many generations for the construction of prison camps. Accompanying the thousands of prisoners of war were camp officers, guards, support personnel, and civilian jobs. As a result, each main camp had a significant if temporary effect upon the local economy. Hundreds of local civilians were employed at each of the main camps, serving primarily in clerical and support positions. The arrival of large numbers of young men also had a distinct, if not always encouraged, social impact. Some Americans living near prisoner camps were afraid of the prisoners, but many young civilians, particularly young women, treated the prisoners primarily as a curiousity. There were even occasions in which prisoners were able to pursue romantic relationships with local American women.

My family not only lived near Camp Clark (near my birthplace of Nevada, Missouri); but, if I recall correctly, my father worked near Neosho, Missouri, at Camp Crowder (also mentioned above) as an electrician. I recall that the people living next to us (I no longer recall whether we stayed in Neosho or Joplin - I was only 4 years old!) kept a goat and that we, coming from dairy cattle farmers, did not care for the milk and butter from it.

Ah, yes, the 1940s were strange, indeed!

Privacy at home

Our furnace/air conditioning system is scheduled for replacement this coming Monday which made me pay a bit of extra attention to the following item at Slashdot.org. The cooling coil of the current air conditioning (heat pump) system had been leaking since about year six of its 14.5 years of use, but only now enough that the location of the leak was easily detected, and the new system is touted to be much more efficient - by 15-20 percentage points. It was not for the reason mentioned in the posting that I asked Hunky Husband to check into having the "internet control" feature of the new thermostat disabled. I don't want any of my appliances to be connected to the Internet.

When the Apocalypse comes, I don't want "them" controlling my home. (It's bad enough that "they" will be controlling our on-purpose computing systems and our cars!) As it turns out there are two versions of the new thermostat - one of which is NOT connected to the Internet. That is the one that HH ordered.

Privacy Worries For 'Smart' Smoke Alarms 72                        

Posted by Soulskillon Tuesday June 17, 2014 @06:23PM from the remember-when-we-just-had-to-worry-about-our-devices-catching-fire dept.

Advocatus Diaboli sends this excerpt from an article about the data collection capabilities of the Nest Protect 'smart' smoke alarms, and how they could become a privacy concern:  Consider that each Protect is packed full of sensors, some of which are capable of much more than they're doing right now: From heat and light sensors to motion sensors and ultrasonic wave sensors. This simple little device could scrape an incredible amount of data about your life if Nest asked it to: From when you get home, to when you go to bed, to your daily routine, to when you cook dinner. Now imagine how a device like that would interlock with another that you keep on your wrist, like the forthcoming Android Wear. Together, they would create a seamless mesh of connectivity where every detail of what you do and where you go is recorded into a living, breathing algorithm based on your life.
Neither Nest nor Google has stated any intention to turn Nest's hardware into more than it is right now. Protect is an alarm, the Thermostat is a thermostat. But as Google ramps up its vision to connect every aspect of our world, from Android Wear to its acquisition of a company that specializes in high-res, near-instantaneous satellite imagery of Earth, it's easier than ever to see why it would cough up billions for a company that has installed hundreds of thousands of Wi-Fi connected devices in the homes of Google users."

Older Ladies

I had to come back to post a video that Ronni posted yesterday. I'm not much on country-style music, I'm not much on "ain't", I'm not much on "ladies" (preferring "women"), and the women in the video are considerably younger than yours truly; but, I got a real kick out of the video. I hope that you do, too.