Look for Jaime Cooper Gallery in the Diamond by the library courtyard.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, LIGONIER!!

2016......2016..............2016.....2016

Woohoo!

Connections Cafe in the news

Sharon Detar was tired of the same-old, same-old for lunch, and she thought other people probably were, too. So, she opened a restaurant that serves “the kind of food I like to eat,” namely fresh and healthy alternatives to the usual burger and fries.

The Laughlintown resident opened Connections Cafe in Ligonier about five years ago, followed by a second location in downtown Greensburg in September.

Read more: http://triblive.com/aande/diningout/9388922-74/cafe-ligonier-connections#ixzz3vaP8pmcr 
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

ski resort ahead of schedule

Warm weather since Thanksgiving has put work to revamp the long-defunct Laurel Mountain Ski Resort far ahead of schedule.

“This weather, it certainly has not been good for skiing, but it is great for those in construction,” said state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources spokesman Terry Brady. “And that's what we've seen at Laurel Mountain ski area. The engineers and construction representatives met Wednesday on the project, and the word is they're already 30 percent complete with all the work there.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/9678330-74/mountain-laurel-resort#ixzz3vaOhQBcW 
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Clean Water Kenya has a new web site.

Clean Water Kenya is a grassroots non-profit organization supplying Water Filtration Systems to rural Masai villages throughout the Great Rift Valley of Kenya.

www.cleanwaterkenya.com

Merry Christmas!

Mountain Palace Weekend Special

Lomein with Ground Beef & Chinese Special Sauce

This lomein has been very popular. Made with a special Chinese sauce, it also contains ground beef, tomato, shredded cucumber and cilantro if you like. It's hau chr gila! A perfectly refreshing treat for the post Christmas traditional meals.

Mountain Palace is closed Christmas Day

Open Saturday 12 to 9 & Sunday 12 to 8

Eleven miles north of Ligonier left off of Route 711 onto Creek Road across from Mirror Lake

724 717-8614

724 288-3872

claysh@gmail.com

Updating Ligonier Living

Will look for a new comment system that also works in mobile form. Intense Debate can only be used in the web version of the blog. Any suggestions?

Doris

Thank you to Elizabeth for her diligent posting.

I hope that you will encourage Elizabeth to start a blog if you miss her posts.

I have decided to move Ligonier Living back to it's old style voice and will make the effort to post more regularly.  Thanks for your patience, Ligonier!!!

gotta love Julie

SLEEP WELL LIGONIER!

for your pleasure....

Shrimp Youcai Mushroom Special & Christmas Sale of Chinese Porcelain

Mountain Palace Weekly Special

Shrimp, Youcai & Mushroom with Rice
 Youcai is a water vegetable resembling a baby bok choy rich in nutrients. Health benefits include cancer prevention, digestive health, eye health, reducing high blood pressure, weight loss, pregnancy health, immune support, strong bones, as well as nervous system and cardiovascular health and reducing anxiety. Mushrooms boost the immune system, reduce cholesterol, and have been demonstrated to possess anti-cancer properties. Shrimp contain zinc which activates enzymes essential for energy production and support your immune system, selenium abundant in shrimp activates enzymes needed for healthy muscle metabolism as well as enzymes that fight cancer growth, and vitamin A in shrimp supports healthy red blood cell development.
Best of all, it tastes great!

Chinese Porcelain Christmas Sale
Drastic Reductions on Select Pieces

All from world famous Jingdezhen, location of the Chinese royal kilns for 2,000 years. Mountain Palace has reduced pricing on a number of pieces which we haven't room to display. Ideal for a unique Christmas gift!

Friday 5 to 9, Saturday 12 to 9 & Sunday 12 to 8

Eleven miles north of Ligonier left off of Route 711 onto Creek Road across from Mirror Lake

Mountain Palace

111 Creek Road

Bolivar, Pa 15923

724 717-8614

724 288-3872

claysh@gmail.com

Ligonier Country Inn Open House - December 20, 2015

Cathi Rhodes and Diane Paul will be performing our Christmas show from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 20 at the Ligonier Country Inn in Laughlintown for their Holiday Open House. The Inn is beautiful and the food and drink are delicious! Come and join us for the Sounds Of The Season! The event is open to the public!

This is just too logical for the state to approve, but we can hope!

United School Board on Tuesday heard from citizens of neighboring Ligonier Valley School District who would like to see students in a section of that district — Seward Borough and a portion of adjacent St. Clair Township — instead attend United schools.

Dennis Rudnik of St. Clair Township and Kevin McLaughlin of Seward proposed that scenario to the board during its monthly non-voting work session. They noted that the idea is in its infancy and that several years of effort would be required to make it become a reality.

“We thought this was the first appropriate move, to come here to talk to you to see if it was a feasible option,” McLaughlin told the United board. “It's not something we see happening fast.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/indiana/9597503-74/board-united-matava#ixzz3u2QG3l6X 
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Chinese Eggplant, Potato & Ground Beef

Mountain Palace Weekly Special

Chinese Eggplant, Potato & Ground Beef with Rice

Animal studies show that eggplant may help lower overall cholesterol in the body and help to improve blood flow, help promote healthy brain function, provide fiber to promote digestion, contains multiple B vitamins, promotes bone health, and contains a phytochemical known as BEC5 which can effectively treat certain types of skin cancer.

DVD - Traditional Chinese Medical Exercise

Christmas Special - $25 or Two for $40

Regular Price $35 Each

Lingzhi Cai, M.D., Ph.D. 

46 minutes of the entire program on one DVD 

A great gift for yourself or someone for whom you care!

Mountain Palace

111 Creek Road

Bolivar, Pa 15923

724 717-8614

724 288-3872

claysh@gmail.com

Eleven miles north of Ligonier left off of Route 711 onto Creek Road across from Mirror Lake

Friday 5 to 9, Saturday 12 to 9 & Sunday 12 to 8 

Peace Education Program

The Peace Education Program (PEP) is a Free, 10-week, non-religious, non-sectarian set of workshops designed to encourage people to explore their own inner resources for finding personal peace. It consists 10 workshops at the Ligonier Library from 6:15 - 7:45 PM each Thursday evening beginning on January 7, 2016.. 

Each workshop presents an animated story related to the workshop's theme, and video selections from various speaking engagements Prem Rawat has recently delivered around the world. Each week the focus is on a different aspect of personal peace. There is time for reflection and expression built into each workshop.

Those interested in attending are asked to pre-register at wkgrayii@aol.com by December 31, 2015 in order to have a workbook prepared for each attendee.

The program was created by Prem Rawat and produced by The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF). Workshops are facilitated by volunteers. My wife Katie and I are the facilitators for this workshop.  More information about the Prem Rawat Foundation and the Peace Education Program is available at tprf.org.

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Medi Home Health Agency, a division of Medical Services of America Inc., is currently seeking an experienced RN or LPN to join our team as the Home Health Patient Care Coordinator for our location in Ligonier, PA

http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/jobs/jobdetails.aspx?showNewJDP=yes&job_did=JHP7JY79N1LCFC0G9BB

Holiday vendor show this Sunday 13th

Clean Water Kenya Christmas Challenge

Hello Everybody!

Good News for YOU and Clean Water Kenya! We are in the process of completing our non-profit application and expect to be certified as such within a few months! When this happens, all donations made by you are 100% deductible retroactive up to two years.

Our CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE is underway: I will match dollar-4-dollar and filter-4-filter your donation if you donate by check by Dec. 31st to:

Clean Water Kenya
PO Box 861
Ligonier, PA 15658

Our goal is 100 filters! 8 filters have already been donated and I've matched that with 8. 16 filters so far! Our goal is 100 to be delivered in the Spring of 2016. That will be 10,000 Masai who will have clean drinking water. With your help we can do this!

"SOME GIFTS ARE FOR SHOW. OTHERS SERVE A PURPOSE. GIVE A GIFT THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE."

Thanks for all you do! May you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Judy and Ken Clark
CWK
724-309-6173

How to cut 80% of emissions by 2050, and save our sorry selves...

How, then?

Elect Bernie Sanders.

His platform calls for swift shift to renewable power system, a ban on extreme extraction activities, and end of subsidies for Big Oil

"In order to derail Big Oil's influence on U.S. climate policy, Sanders said he would "ban fossil fuel lobbyists from working in the White House," and overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling that has "enabled billionaires to increasingly control the political campaign finance system." Sanders also addresses a number of the more controversial aspects of current U.S. energy policy. His plan: calls for an outright ban on offshore and Arctic oil drilling, as well as mountaintop removal coal mining; supports state efforts to ban fracking; blocks natural gas exports and legislative efforts to lift the crude oil export ban; places a moratorium on nuclear power plant license renewals; and increases fuel economy standards, among other things.

Further, Sanders describes what he called a Clean Energy Workforce of "10 million good-paying jobs," under which citizens will be trained to meet the demands within the new energy system. What's more, Sanders vowed to bring "climate deniers to justice," citing the recent revelations that for decades ExxonMobil knew and suppressed information related to global warming. "Right now, we have an energy policy that is rigged to boost the profits of big oil companies like Exxon, BP, and Shell at the expense of average Americans. CEO’s are raking in record profits while climate change ravages our planet and our people—all because the wealthiest industry in the history of our planet has bribed politicians into complacency in the face of climate change," Sanders said."

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/12/07/sanders-climate-revolution-would-cut-80-emissions-2050

college campuses and the "bad guys", insuring armed employees, Jefferson and Madison on bearing arms

"A frequent refrain among conservatives is that violent rampages happen in places like college campuses and movie theaters precisely because guns are banned there. The thinking goes that someone setting out to commit a massacre can select a target where he is reasonably assured not to encounter an armed citizen. (There is no evidence of a shooter ever selecting a target precisely because it is a gun-free zone.) In the Umpqua case - the Oregon massacre "way back" in October...hard to keep the massacres straight, they are so frequent - though, at least one student (and likely others) was carrying a concealed weapon during the massacre. Needless to say, this did not prevent the tragedy. An armed Umpqua student, John Parker Jr, explained just how difficult, if not impossible, it would have been for an armed bystander to stop the attack. “The Swat team wouldn’t know who we were, and if we had our guns ready to shoot, they could think we were bad guys,” he told MSNBC.

Another reason college administrators tend to support banning firearms on campus is insurance. A rash of state bills to allow guns in classrooms followed the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, but according to Jennifer Lynch, spokesperson at the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety, most were ultimately voted down because insurance companies refused to cover schools with more guns or charged sky-high rates.“Insurance companies aren’t emotional or political; they look only at the risk,” she said. “They know the risk of having armed people on campus increases the risk of gun injuries and gun deaths.” School districts in Oregon, for example, have to pay an additional $2,500 premium annually per armed staff member.

Banning guns on college campuses is a controversial issue, but that doesn’t mean it’s a new one. In 1824, a University of Virginia board of visitors meeting decided that “no student shall, within the precincts of the University [...] keep or use weapons or arms of any kind”. Among those at the meeting were founding fathers Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, and James Madison, widely considered the father of the US constitution, including the second amendment."

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/04/oregon-shooting-state-universities-campus-gun-laws-concealed-carry

Pork Seaweed Special

Pork Seaweed with Rice Weekly Special

 Mountain Palace

Seaweed is is most notably high in iodine which facilitates thyroid health. It also reduces cholesterol and aids digestion.

Eleven miles north of Ligonier left off of Route 711 onto Creek Road across from Mirror Lake

Friday 5 to 9, Saturday 12 to 9 & Sunday 12 to 8

724 717-8614

724 288-3872

claysh@gmail.com

thorium...clean and safe energy

To the Editors: Page 8 of the Nov. 20 edition of the Review had a story listing four famous Oberlin scientists. I’m compelled to write and offer a little bit more information on one of the selected scientists. John W. Gofman graduated Oberlin College in 1939, where he studied chemistry. He decided to make a career of medical research. He moved to Berkeley in early 1941, where he was sent to go “shopping” for a professor to do further research. John Gofman found Dr. Glenn Seaborg, who was exploring the new worlds of radioactive fission. Seaborg set up Gofman with a project to breed radioactive thorium 232 into uranium 233 (at the time a theoretical isotope). The two collaborators decided “It’s not a bad problem for a thesis.” Could non-fissile common Th232 be transmuted into the theoretical fissile isotope U233? I won’t go into the workings of the 60-inch cyclotron slamming neutrons into samples of thorium in the hopes of neutron capture, or the chemical processes involved in isolating the uranium 233 or the ultimate first fissioning of the uranium 233 sample. I will say that on Feb. 2, 1942, John Gofman and Glenn Seaborg were able to say that they had created the second human synthesized fuel source for nuclear energy after earlier work creating Plutonium 239 from U238. Seaborg noted at the time that, using fossil oil as an equivalent comparison, John Gofman had made a $50-quadrillion discovery. The Manhattan Project work during World War II took both men away from further research into the thorium to uranium fuel cycle. Years later, in October 1968, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Alvin Weinberg, fueled an experimental Molten Salt Reactor with uranium 233. The machine ran successfully. It was determined that a liquid-fueled reactor could run very efficiently and very safely and produce great amounts of heat. It was extrapolated that commercial MSRs could be used to produce vast quantities of electricity, desalinate seawater, and synthesize fertilizers, liquid transportation fuels and other useful materials. It would be possible to reduce and eventually eliminate fossil fuels from the electrical generation portfolio of United States. However, this clean energy path was not taken. In fact, John W. Gofman did indeed have a role in killing the development of advanced reactors with the publication of his 1971 book Poisoned Power. Gofman justifiably feared radiation from nuclear weapons detonation. He also raised many questions about the development of nuclear electric power generation during the late 1960s (as the first reactor stations were starting operation). After reading extensively on the subject, I feel his anti-nuclear-power efforts were a heartfelt but misguided attempt to put the genie back into the bottle. As I write this, world leaders are in Paris discussing climate change and how humans will reduce fossil-carbon burning. They don’t have far to look for answers, as France generates 90 percent of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources. Seventy percent of French electricity comes from nuclear power. They have done this for 30 years. Ontario, Canada, generates similar clean energy percentages. Ten percent of the planet’s electricity is generated from nuclear power, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on a schedule. We need to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy as soon as possible. The generation of students reading this letter (and their kids) are going to bear the brunt of most of this work to transition. Despite John Gofman’s 1971 fears about nuclear power, fission of radioactive fuels has been proven to be a very safe and effective method of generating heat and electricity. China, Canada, Norway, India, the EU, Brazil and Argentina are developing molten salt reactors. The Chinese are also actively developing a Thorium MSR breeder program. Thank you for your time in reading this letter. Nuclear power is not a popular subject at Oberlin College; however, it has a proven history that most people know nothing about. Let’s all work for abundant clean, cost-effective energy for the kids and grandkids. We owe them a clean world with abundant energy. – Scott Medwid - See more at: http://oberlinreview.org/9353/opinions/despite-gofmans-beliefs-nuclear-power-a-better-source-for-energy/#sthash.puePnLyy.dpuf

No Signs of Intelligent Life

Ligonier Valley High School will be presenting its annual fall play on December 11 and 12 at 7 pm in the high school auditorium. Over 30 students are involved in the production "No Signs of Intelligent Life". This comedy consists of 10 short scenes with a common theme of alien life visiting Earth to observe human behavior. As you can imagine, things do not go as planned for the aliens. Please consider supporting our local students for they have been hard at work for the past few months and deserve a large audience. Tickets are only $5 each for all ages and are available at the door prior to the performance. Your attendance will help support the Arts in your local school. 
Thank you,
John Gregorich, Director​

John Gregorich

2007 Keystone Technology Integrator

Chemistry Teacher

Ligonier Valley High School

What is a Menorah?

The menorahs we see displayed at Chanukah are made for the holiday.  They are different than THE Menorah which you will find described in the Torah or Old Testament in the book of Exodus.

God gave Moses much more than just the 10 Commandments.  God gave very specific instructions for the creation of the Ark, the Menorah, and the Tabernacle..

Most people know about the Ark because of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.  The Ark was to be made of acacia wood and covered with gold.  Inside the Ark was placed the Testimonial Tablets of the Law, the stone on which God wrote the Ten Commandments. It had a special cover to protect the Testimonial Tablets. The Ark would be placed in the Tabernacle.

The Menorah was to be hammered from single piece of pure gold.  God showed Moses how to make it.  It was an oil lamp with a shaft and three branches on each side. Each cup for the oil was to be engraved like almonds with a branch, knob and flower. Seven cups including the central shaft would be filled with sacred oil made from spices according to the recipe provided by God.  This lamp would by placed upon a table inside the Tabernacle across from the Ark so that its light would shine upon the Ark. The priests would make the sacred oil and add it to the Menorah so that the light would not go out.

As with the Ark and the Menorah, the instructions for the Tabernacle, were expressly detailed by God and you will finds these details in the book of Exodus.

This Tabernacle with the Ark and the Menorah would be called the Holy of Holies within the Tent of Worship in the desert and later in the Temple built in Jerusalem. The most holy of places.

What is a Chanukah menorah? The menorah you see during the celebration of Chanukah has EIGHT lamps to symbolize the eights days it took to make the sacred oil needed to relight THE Menorah that was in the Holy of Holies.

During the Greek Empire, Jerusalem was governed by Hellenized Syrians who worshiped the Greek Gods.  The Temple containing THE Menorah was sacked. Rebel Jews lead by Maccabee The Hammer, son of a priest, fought back and won the Temple.

When they went to relight the Menorah, they found that all of the vials of sacred oil had been smashed or defiled except one. It would take eight says to complete the process of making sacred oil.  The one vial they had would only last for one day.  They decided to light the Menorah anyway. Miraculously the light of the Menorah lasted for the entire eight day period it took to make new sacred oil.  It is this miracle that is celebrated at Chanukah.

The celebration lasts for eight days and each night one more candle is light.  You will notice an extra candle called a shamash or helper which is light first and then used to light the Chanukah candles.

so-called "freedom'' run amok...the Gipper would be disgusted by these cowboys

 
"The almost blanket opposition to greater gun controls – even in the wake of the bloodiest mass shooting since Newtown – underlined the hardline position that the Republican party has come to adopt over the second amendment.[...] It was not always like that. Ronald Reagan, a figure of worship for many modern conservatives, was far more amenable to the idea of intervention to reduce the carnage. The late president, also a former governor of California, was profoundly influenced in his thinking on firearms by the assassination attempt on his life in 1981 that injured him and left his press secretary Jim Brady paralyzed. Brady went on to found the leading gun control advocacy group in the country, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Reagan himself, on leaving office in 1989, added his considerable political weight to key pieces of gun control legislation. In 1991 he wrote an article for the New York Times titled “Why I’m for the Brady bill” in which he explained why he supported a new provision – named after Jim Brady – that forced gun buyers to wait seven days before acquiring a firearm, giving time for background checks by local police. “Every year an average of 9,200 Americans are murdered by handguns,” Reagan said. “This level of violence must be stopped. If the passage of the Brady bill were to result in a reduction of only 10-15% of those numbers (and it could be a good deal greater), it would be well worth making it the law of the land.” [..]

Over the past 20 years the NRA and the Republican party have moved in concert towards increasingly rigid policies opposing any gun controls. Their combined strength has seen the rolling back of even the meagre regulations that were in place, including the lapsing in 2004 of the assault weapons ban that Reagan had supported. The NRA and its GOP allies in Congress have similarly consistently blocked any attempt to end the situation in which individuals on the terror watchlist are allowed to buy guns. As a result, as the Washington Post has pointed out, in the 10 years up to 2014 suspected terrorists attempted to buy firearms in the US at least 2,233 times."

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/04/day-after-san-bernardino-republicans-line-up-to-crush-gun-control-efforts

Your Christmas lights could be killing your Wi-Fi

Your Christmas lights could be killing your Wi-Fi Santa’s not so into this one: A recent report stated that 20  percent of poor Wi-Fi performance is related to lights and  electronic devices in your home. This means while your  busy baking cookies and streaming Home Alone, your  favorite holiday movie could be buffering more than usual. How do lights affect a WiFi network? Apparently the  wiring in the lights can add to the radio frequency  interference in your home, which in turn could confound  the signals from your router. Lights aren't the only culprit,  however — the same is true of many other devices.  Microwaves, older Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and  cordless phones all get a mention in a Cisco white paper  outlining common reasons for WiFi interference. Many  Internet providers see complaints spike around the holidays,  since networks can get congested when you're all gathered  for a family meal — but lights may be a contributing factor. That doesn't mean there's any need to be less festive than  you normally are. A string of lights won't crash your network.  But having more things, such as lights, plugged into  your outlets could contribute to some WiFi slowdown, and  more ostentatious displays could certainly add to interference  that's already in your home.  Restart your router: It can do a world of good to restart your  router when you’re having connectivity troubles. This allows  it to search for a new channel that isn’t being used by other  devices. Move your router away from electronic devices: “Halogen  lamps, electrical dimmer switches, stereo or computer  speakers [and Christmas] lights have all been known to cause  interference to broadband routers. Keep your router as far  away as possible from other electrical devices as well as  those which emit wireless signals such as baby monitors.” Move your router to a central part of your home: Walls and  furniture can act as obstacles to your Wi-Fi signal. Power  cables running through the walls and floor can also create  interference. Your best bet is to put your router on a table  in the center of your home, and keep it away from other devices.  A Holiday Tip From PAconnect 789 East Pittsburgh Street - Greensburg, PA  15601 Call: 724-838-7526

Renewables provide 94.5% of the electricity in less than 10 years...where there's a will, there's a way

 There are no technological miracles involved, nuclear power is entirely absent from the mix, and no new hydroelectric power has been added for more than two decades. Instead, he says, the key to success is rather dull but encouragingly replicable: clear decision-making, a supportive regulatory environment and a strong partnership between the public and private sector.

"As the world gathers in Paris for the daunting task of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy, one small country on the other side of the Atlantic is making that transition look childishly simple and affordable. In less than 10 years, Uruguay has slashed its carbon footprint without government subsidies or higher consumer costs, according to the national director of energy, Ramón Méndez . In fact, he says that now that renewables provide 94.5% of the country’s electricity, prices are lower than in the past relative to inflation. There are also fewer power cuts because a diverse energy mix means greater resilience to droughts. It was a very different story just 15 years ago. Back at the turn of the century oil accounted for 27% of Uruguay’s imports and a new pipeline was just about to begin supplying gas from Argentina.

Now the biggest item on import balance sheet is wind turbines, which fill the country’s ports on their way to installation. Biomass and solar power have also been ramped up. Adding to existing hydropower, this means that renewables now account for 55% of the country’s overall energy mix (including transport fuel) compared with a global average share of 12%. Despite its relatively small population of just 3.4 million, Uruguay has earned a remarkable amount of global kudos in recent years. It enacted groundbreaking marijuana legalisation, pioneered stringent tobacco control, and introduced some of the most liberal policies in Latin America on abortion and same-sex marriage."

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy

it's Mellow Mike night!

MELLOW MIKEMELLOW MIKE

MELLOW MIKEmellow mikemellow mikemellow mikemellow mikeMELLOW MIKEmellow mike

tonight at the Ligonier Tavern 6:30 to 9:30