Suchergebnisse

This review of public expenditures on Social Protection (SP) in Nicaragua is based on the analytical framework of Social Risk Management (SRM) developed by the World Bank. The concept of managing social risk comes from the notion that certain groups in society are vulnerable to unexpected shocks which threaten their livelihood and/or survival. Social protection focuses on the poor since they are more vulnerable to the risks and normally do not have the instruments to handle these risks. This prevents the poor from taking more risky activities that usually yield higher returns and that could help them overcome gradually their poverty situation. Social risk management involves policies and programs aimed at reducing key risks, breaking inter-generational cycle of poverty and vulnerability. Risk management consists in the choice of appropriate risk prevention, mitigation and coping strategies to minimize the adverse impact of social risks. Social protection under SRM is defined as public interventions to assist individuals, households and communities to better manage risk and provide support to the critically poor. Thus Social protection should provide: a safety net, particularly for the poor that are likely to fall in the cracks of established programs; and a springboard for the poor to bounce out of poverty.

This article sets flight capital in the context of portfolio choice, focusing on the proportion of private wealth that is held abroad. There are large regional differences in this proportion, ranging from 5 percent in South Asia to 40 percent in Africa. The authors explain cross-country differences in portfolio choice using variables that proxy differences in the risk-adjusted rate of return on capital. They apply the results to three policy issues: how the East Asian crisis affected domestic capital outflows; the effect of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank debt relief initiative for heavily indebted poor countries on capital repatriation; and why so much of Africa's private wealth is held outside the continent.

Cuando se compara la tradición en el estudio de familias homoparentales que existe en otros países como Reino Unido, Estados Unidos o Bélgica, con la que existe en España, no puede más que verse la juventud de esta última respecto a las anteriores. Si bien es una tradición joven, podría decirse que ha tenido que ir madurando a pasos agigantados, como lo ha hecho la sociedad y la legislación en materia de matrimonio y familia en los últimos años. A lo largo de esta presentación iremos describiendo de forma breve estos cambios, hasta llegar a contextualizar el presente trabajo, que surge del compromiso que, desde hace ya algunos años, tiene nuestro equipo de investigación con el estudio de las familias formadas por madres lesbianas o padres gays en España. Un panorama cambiante y complejo En las sociedades industrializadas, y en particular en las europeas, se han experimentado en las últimas décadas transformaciones muy llamativas en la esfera familiar. Hasta hace unas décadas, los hogares europeos se ajustaban mayoritariamente al patrón de un hombre y una mujer unidos en matrimonio con los hijos biológicos que habían nacido de esa unión, ocupándose la madre de las labores reproductivas (domésticas y de cuidado), mientras el padre desarrollaba tareas productivas, destinadas a garantizar el sustento de la familia, al tiempo que detentaba la máxima autoridad y la representación de la familia. En las últimas décadas, este modelo de familia nuclear, de profundas raíces patriarcales, ha acusado transformaciones muy significativas, tanto en cuanto a su estructura y componentes como a los roles que se desempeñan dentro de ella o la dinámica de relaciones que se dan en su seno. Si en el resto de Europa esta tendencia se ha venido observando básicamente a lo largo de la segunda mitad del siglo XX, en España, en particular, los avances más notables se han producido a raíz de la transición política a la democracia que se inició en 1975 (Flaquer, 1999). Comenzando por el modo en que se constituyen, las familias ya no tienen como paso inicial el matrimonio, puesto que se ha producido un incremento claro en el número de parejas que conviven sin haberse casado, a veces como paso previo al matrimonio, a veces como modo elegido de vida en pareja con vocación de continuidad. Este hecho tiene un correlato en la espectacular subida de nacimientos extramatrimoniales, que han pasado en España de un 2,02 % en 1975 (INE, 2007) a un 35,5% en 2010, o sea, de ser una realidad marginal a que sea la circunstancia del nacimiento o la adopción en España de uno de cada tres niños o niñas, según informe del Instituto Nacional de Estadística (2012). En otro informe se dejaba constancia de la evolución en otros indicadores que tienen profundas implicaciones para la vida de las familias. Así, la edad de la primera maternidad no ha hecho más que aumentar a lo largo de estas décadas: si en 1976 las mujeres tenían su primer hijo a los 28 años, en 2010 esta edad se había prorrogado hasta más allá de los 31. De modo inverso, pero relacionado con el anterior, el índice de fecundidad ha mostrado una clara evolución descendente en esos mismos años: se ha pasado de 2,8 hijos por mujer en 1976 a 1,32 en 2012 (INE, 2013), con lo que las familias, al menos en primera unión, se han hecho más "cortas", con menos miembros. Estos indicadores de fecundidad están muy relacionados con el cambio notable que se ha producido en los roles que se desempeñan dentro de la familia. Sin la menor duda, han ido ganando en igualitarismo en varios sentidos. De una parte, la autoridad está compartida entre las distintas figuras adultas de la familia, y así se recoge en las regulaciones legislativas, que ya no suponen al hombre un estatus de superioridad sobre la mujer, sino que dotan a ambos de iguales derechos y responsabilidades entre ellos y para con la prole desde que la Constitución Española, primero, y el código civil, después, así lo sancionaran. De otra parte, los roles que desempeñamos hombres y mujeres dentro de la familia son cada vez más parecidos que distintos. Así, las mujeres se han ido incorporando mayoritariamente a las tareas productivas, colaborando activamente al sostén económico de la familia. En la España de 1960, las tasas de actividad respectivas de mujeres y hombres eran de 13,49% y 64,24%, y había, por tanto, 50 puntos de diferencia entre unas y otros (Alberdi, 1999). En 2010, sin embargo, los valores eran del 52,3% en el caso de las mujeres y el 64,7% en el caso de los hombres, por tanto, la diferencia entre unas y otros ha quedado reducida a un 12% (Eurostat, 2011), o lo que es lo mismo, la brecha en tasa de actividad entre hombres y mujeres se ha reducido casi 40 puntos en 50 años en nuestro país, como ya nuestro equipo expuso en otro lugar (González, Díez, López, Martínez, y Morgado, 2013). Lógicamente, el movimiento que las mujeres han iniciado hacia el exterior de sus hogares, ha impulsado un movimiento de los hombres hacia el interior de estos (Alberdi, 1999; Durán, 1998). Si en el pasado eran excepcionales los hombres que se ocupaban de las tareas domésticas y de cuidado, en la actualidad un número creciente de ellos se involucran en las tareas cotidianas de cuidado del hogar y la infancia, en gran medida impelidos por la necesidad de hacerse cargo de responsabilidades que antes desarrollaban las mujeres casi en solitario. Que se hayan incorporado a lo doméstico, no quiere decir que su implicación sea idéntica, sino que ciertamente sigue siendo inferior (Meil, 2005; Tobío, 2005). Como decíamos, también se han producido cambios notables en la estructura de los hogares, tanto en España como en el resto de los países de nuestro entorno. Quizá el mejor modo de definir la tendencia observada en Europa en las últimas décadas sea la sintetizada por Boh, Bak y Clason (1989) como de "convergencia hacia la divergencia". La familia nuclear convencional que describíamos al inicio de este apartado, aunque sigue mayoritaria, comparte escenario en la actualidad con otras realidades de convivencia familiar. A ello también han contribuido tanto los avances científicos, con técnicas de reproducción asistida cada vez más sofisticadas, como diversos cambios legislativos, que han propiciado la creación y reconocimiento de una diversidad de estructuras familiares. En nuestro país, la ley de divorcio de 1981 permitió la legalización de las rupturas matrimoniales y, por tanto, la existencia de familias binucleares, con niños y niñas que conviven alternativamente con ambos progenitores, así como a las familias combinadas o reconstituidas, fruto de segundas uniones, en la que además aparecen nuevas figuras (nuevas parejas de padres o madres, medio-hermanos, etc.). Las legislaciones en materia de reproducción asistida y de adopción, ambas de finales de los años 80 en su primera versión, abrieron la puerta a nuevas vías para tener hijos en solitario, que han pasado a ser elegidas por un volumen creciente de mujeres en nuestro país (González, Díez, Jiménez y Morgado, 2008) y, en el caso de la adopción, también por algunos hombres. Por otra parte, la modificación del Código Civil en materia de matrimonio en 2005 ha dotado de legitimidad a parejas de gays y lesbianas, al tiempo que ha permitido regular la relación de ambos miembros de la pareja con las criaturas habidas en común (aspecto éste sobre el que volveremos más adelante). De este modo, el panorama familiar es ciertamente mucho más diverso en la actualidad de lo que fue unas décadas atrás y de hecho requiere la atención de especialistas de distintas disciplinas (Arranz y Oliva, 2010; Coleman y Ganong, 2004; Demo, Allen, y Fine, 2000; Golombok, 2000; Gottfried y Gottfrieg, 1994; Hantrais, 2004). Los cambios descritos han propiciado que familias antaño rechazadas, invisibilizadas o simplemente obviadas hayan pasado a ser progresivamente conocidas, visibles y a gozar de una cierta aceptación en el panorama familiar, en un proceso creciente de difuminación de los límites entre legitimidad e ilegitimidad familiar, una de las claves de los procesos de transición familiar a los que estamos asistiendo en las últimas décadas y que se pueden encontrar bien descritos en Flaquer (1999). Obviamente, no todos estos modelos familiares gozan de la misma aceptación y legitimidad ni en España ni en los restantes países de nuestro entorno, hecho que es particularmente evidente, por ejemplo, con los hogares bajo la responsabilidad de madres lesbianas o padres gays (Takacs y Szalma, 2011), cuyas relaciones tienen refrendo legal sólo en algunos países europeos. Por tanto, estamos ante un panorama familiar ciertamente complejo que nos lleva a afirmar que hemos pasado de la familia modelo a los modelos de familia (González y López, 2005a). Estos cambios han sido interpretados con frecuencia como evidencias de la "crisis de la familia", el "declive de la familia" o la "pérdida de valores familiares" (Blankerhorn, 1996; Popenoe, 1993, 2007). Desde nuestro punto de vista, como planteara hace unos años Lamo de Espinosa (1995), la historia de la humanidad es, en un cierto sentido, la historia de la "crisis de la familia", dado que la familia como institución no ha permanecido inmutable, sino que se ha ido modificando para intentar atender las necesidades y aspiraciones de los seres humanos y las sociedades en distintos contextos y momentos (Seccombe, 1992). Las familias homoparentales en España De todos los nuevos modelos familiares, sin duda las familias homoparentales continúan siendo las menos conocidas y aceptadas. El simple, pero importante, detalle de que ni siquiera tuvieran nombre propio hasta hace una década es un reflejo de esta carencia de identidad social y de reconocimiento explícito (González, Morcillo, Sánchez, Chacón, y Gómez, 2004a), por lo que por supuesto no figuraban en los datos sociales publicados por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística. De esta forma, la explotación efectuada por el INE sobre el censo 2001 y recogida en una publicación titulada "Cambios en la composición de los hogares" (INE, 2004), no contemplaba siquiera este tipo de familias. Sí tenía registrado el número de parejas del mismo sexo, pero no hablaba en ningún apartado de familias encabezadas por ellas. O sea, las consideraba convivientes, pero no responsables de hogares con prole No debe sorprendernos que esto haya sido así, dado que las familias homoparentales estuvieron ocultas y fueron invisibles en España hasta la última década del siglo XX. Las características del marco histórico-político permiten entender que fuera así, ya que las personas homosexuales fueron destinatarias de leyes que las discriminaban, perseguían y encarcelaban (como la Ley de Vagos y Maleantes, de 1933 o la Ley de Peligrosidad y rehabilitación Social, de 1970), que se promulgaron o aplicaron con particular saña durante la dictadura del general Franco (Ugarte, 2008) Con la llegada a la democracia y la Constitución de 1978 se inicia un camino de equiparación de derechos que acabó extrayendo la homosexualidad del ámbito del derecho penal para introducirla en el marco del derecho civil. Este camino estuvo plagado de polémica social y científica, al hilo de las regulaciones del acogimiento familiar o la adopción por parejas del mismo sexo en distintas comunidades autónomas. . En el año 2004, el Partido Socialista Obrero Español, liderado por José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, se presentó a las elecciones generales con un programa que incluía el compromiso de "posibilitar el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo y el ejercicio de cuantos derechos conlleva, en igualdad de condiciones con otras formas de matrimonio, para asegurar la plena equiparación legal y social de lesbianas y gays" (PSOE, 2004). Meses después del triunfo del partido socialista en las elecciones, el gobierno aprueba el proyecto de ley y se recrudece el debate social, científico y parlamentario. A nivel social, las autoridades católicas, y algunos colectivos de la derecha social como el Foro Social de la Familia, hicieron bastantes presiones para que la ley no fuera aprobada. El día 18 de junio de 2005 se produjo una multitudinaria manifestación, convocada por este Foro y en la que participaron también obispos y líderes del Partido Popular, bajo el lema "La familia sí importa, por el derecho a una madre y a un padre, por la libertad". A nivel científico, la polémica quedó reflejada en nuestro país en el número 4 del volumen 27 de la revista Infancia y Aprendizaje, en el que distintos profesionales de la Psicología y la Psiquiatría mantuvieron posiciones encontradas acerca de la idoneidad de estas familias como contextos para el desarrollo (de Lucas et al., 2004; González et al., 2004a; González, 2004; López, 2004). También hubo un álgido debate parlamentario, como refleja el acta del Diario de Sesiones del Senado Español (2005) correspondiente a la comparecencia de expertos en la Comisión de Justicia, días antes de la aprobación del matrimonio igualitario. Tras mucho debate social y parlamentario, el día 30 de junio de 2005 se aprobó la ley que modificaba el código civil y permitía el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo y, como consecuencia de esto, otros derechos asociados a éste, como la parentalidad conjunta, la herencia o la pensión. Con la aprobación de la ley, España se convirtió en el cuarto país del mundo en legalizar el matrimonio homosexual, después de Holanda, Bélgica y Canadá (que la había aprobado días antes). La aprobación de la ley no terminó con el debate político y social, puesto que el 30 de Septiembre del mismo año el Partido Popular presentó un recurso ante el Tribunal Constitucional contra la totalidad de la ley, con el principal argumento de que esta ley "desnaturaliza la institución básica del matrimonio", como recogió la prensa (El País, 2005) al día siguiente. No ha sido hasta siete años después, en diciembre de 2012, que el Tribunal Constitucional sancionó el ajuste legal del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo a la carta magna española (Boletín Oficial del Estado, 2012). Obviamente, mujeres lesbianas u hombres gays habían criado y educado a sus hijos e hijas antes de la probación de la ley de matrimonio y de la resolución del tribunal constitucional, aunque con frecuencia permanecían ocultas como autoprotección. Inicialmente, la mayor parte de estos hogares se constituyeron con hijos o hijas habidos de uniones heterosexuales anteriores. Junto a estas familias, que podríamos llamar familias homoparentales "reconstituidas", paulatinamente han ido ganando en presencia otras que se han configurado cuando los padres ya se vivían como gays o las madres ya se sabían lesbianas, las que empiezan a llamarse familias homoparentales "planeadas" o ex novo. Una de las vías fundamentales seguidas por gays y lesbianas para extender su familia ha sido la adopción o el acogimiento de menores, realidades que fueron posibles en solitario en España desde finales de la década de los ochenta, y que se puede realizar conjuntamente desde el cambio legislativo de 2005. También las técnicas de reproducción asistida han servido para que un número considerable y creciente de lesbianas haya accedido en nuestro país a la maternidad, en solitario o compartida. En España no es posible la gestación subrogada, aunque sí lo es en algunos otros países, con lo que algunas parejas de gays están teniendo descendencia en el extranjero por esta vía y su regulación ha empezado a incluirse en la agenda de reivindicaciones de los colectivos LGBT (El País, 2013) Desde la aprobación del matrimonio igualitario a la actualidad, las familias homoparentales han ido ganando en legitimidad y visibilidad y muy tímidamente comienzan a aparecer en las estadísticas oficiales. Así, sabemos que los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo constituían el 2,3% del total de matrimonios en España en 2012, según datos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística (2013). En cuanto al número de niños y niñas que pueden vivir en estas familias, hasta la fecha, sólo disponemos de una estimación del número de niños y niñas que viven en estas familias, realizada por Hernán (2006), quien con el propósito de hacer una descripción de la demografía de la infancia en España explotó parte de los datos del censo de 2001. Tomando como unidad de observación la población infantil menor de 18 años, esta autora contabilizó, dentro del número de niños y niñas que vivían con una pareja, aquellos donde las madres o padres señalaban como pareja a una persona del mismo sexo. De esta forma, concluyó que en 2001 había al menos 2.350 niños y niñas viviendo con una pareja homosexual. En cuanto a la distribución entre parejas de hombres y mujeres, el 60,9% vivía con parejas de lesbianas. Ahora bien, estos datos hay que tomarlos con cautela, primero porque no incluyen a las madres lesbianas o padres gays que viven a solas con sus criaturas y, segundo, porque hacen referencia sólo a aquellas parejas que reconocieron en ese momento estar conviviendo con alguien del mismo sexo. No olvidemos que la situación política y legal era muy diferente a la actual: en aquel momento no se divisaba en el horizonte la posibilidad de que se pudiera regular el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo y pocas eran las familias que abiertamente reconocían su situación. Confiamos en que los datos del censo de 2011 arrojen datos más precisos y actualizados que permitan la cuantificación de este tipo de familias, si bien el cambio en el método censal introduce dudas acerca de su capacidad para detectar los hogares menos frecuentes, como estos que nos ocupan. La dificultad para la estimación del número de familias no es algo exclusivo de España. Ya en la primera revisión que se realizó sobre familias homoparentales se vislumbraba la problemática del conocimiento del número de familias (Patterson, 1992). En Estados Unidos se han realizado algunas estimaciones sobre el número de familias. La más conocida es la efectuada por Stacey y Biblarz (2001), que estimaron que los chicos y chicas estadounidenses que crecerían con padres gays y madres lesbianas constituirían entre un 1 y un 12 por ciento de la población infantil y adolescente. No obstante, y a pesar de las estimaciones anteriores, en el artículo de revisión realizado por dos de las grandes estudiosas de las familias homoparentales, Tasker y Patterson (2007) afirmaban que, debido a la complejidad y a la propia diversidad interna de este tipo de familias, es difícil obtener estimaciones fiables del número de madres lesbianas y padres gays. En el caso de las familias homoparentales se ha dado, desde nuestro punto de vista, una combinación de factores que ha dificultado esa transición hacia la legitimación de la que hemos venido hablando: por una parte, la falta de información sobre su existencia, su composición y sus procesos. Por otra, el peso de determinados prejuicios, herederos de la mirada homófoba que durante años han perseguido a gays y lesbianas, prejuicios que se asientan en la aparente incompatibilidad entre homosexualidad, niños, niñas y familia (Saffron, 1996). A este respecto, nos parece especialmente interesante el análisis realizado por Pichardo (2007, 2009) acerca del cuestionamiento de la heterormatividad como aspecto específico que introduce la posibilidad de que gays y lesbianas puedan acceder a la maternidad o paternidad, en las concepciones sociales sobre la familia. Este cuestionamiento sería bidireccional, ya que las propias personas homosexuales comienzan a plantearse con legitimidad la opción de la paternidad o maternidad. Como afirma Donoso (2002), la visión de las lesbianas como sujetos no reproductivos está profundamente enraizada en la sociedad, no siendo éstas consideradas como mujeres apropiadas para ejercer la maternidad. Estos prejuicios se transformaron en una serie de miedos y preocupaciones que fueron puestos de manifiesto en los casos de la lucha por la custodia de los hijos e hijas de mujeres lesbianas en los años 70, donde se asumió, sin base científica la "no idoneidad" para la adopción o la custodia de los propios hijos en caso de divorcio (Patterson, 1992). Los prejuicios, ya sistematizados por otros autores (González y cols., 2004a; Patterson, 1992; Golberg, 2010), a los que hacemos referencia, son: Los niños y niñas no van a desarrollarse de un modo sano y armónico, sino que van a presentar muchas dificultades en su ajuste psicológico, al no disponer de figura materna y figura paterna. Crecer con un padre gay y una madre lesbiana puede provocar dificultades en el desarrollo de la identidad de género, el conocimiento de los roles de género, y la propia orientación sexual, en el sentido de que estos niños y niñas con toda probabilidad serán ellos mismos también gays o lesbianas. Estos niños y niñas sufrirán rechazo social, serán objeto de burlas por parte de sus compañeros y compañeras, debido a la mirada homófoba presente en la sociedad. Por último, estos niños y niñas tienen más riesgo de ser objeto de abusos sexuales. Como se verá en el siguiente capítulo, los miedos y preocupaciones asentados en estos prejuicios son los que impulsaron la mayor parte de las investigaciones realizadas sobre este ámbito de estudio, pues el desconocimiento no sólo se daba a nivel social, sino también a nivel científico. Sin duda, hacían falta datos que dieran mayor peso y coherencia a las decisiones no sólo judiciales, sino también legales, políticas y las relacionadas con medidas de protección infantil, como la adopción.

Part two of an interview with Maria Mendoza of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Topics include: Her children, their education, and their work. Traditions she carries on from her Portuguese heritage. Her fondest memories. What it was like when she went to live in Portugal for a time, as a child. How she feels about living in Fitchburg now. ; 1 WAYNE LUCIER: Do you think Fitchburg has enough recreational facilities, let's say for your son? Like do they have enough basketball courts or stuff like this? MARY MENDOZA: I think Fitchburg, for a small city, it does very well, though. It's got the Coolidge Park, and it's got a college. It's got the Silver Lake Park. I know it's not much, but it's… you know, really Fitchburg isn't bad at all when it comes to that. If you want, you could keep it. They give us a chance on the… well, we got to thank Mayor Blackwell; he took $1.60 off the taxes. That's… it don't seem much, but it is. But I like the new, what they did with the $3 million that they came in to Fitchburg. The firemen is one of the few people that I really disliked, just the name of it. I know one and he's always [hollering] that he's going to get all he can get. He don't give a damn for the people. His name is [unintelligible - 00:00:54]. And yet, they always get – and the teachers, what are they going on strike for? Can you tell me? WAYNE LUCIER: Well… MARY MENDOZA: I thought the teachers – if anybody works under the government, they could strike. WAYNE LUCIER: No. MARY MENDOZA: They're doing it. They're not supposed to. They stop and figure that they get two months with special, you now, privileges, not insurance, things like that, and they get paid. What more do they want? When we struggle so much for a week, and some of the people now, they get two, three weeks. They make deal. They get this. They get that. Then we got to pay for it. So why don't people left things alone? I wish we'd go back to the, around the '45s. That was nice. Everybody had enough to eat. And everybody seemed to be happy and we look at a… still today, you look at the situation, it's like, oh, medicine, that the relief you are paying for, but now, this poor guy, and God have mercy on our world and help him do the right thing. WAYNE LUCIER: What are the names of your children and what kind of schooling did they have?2 MARY MENDOZA: Well, my [first] son, Carlos, he's an engineer, and he got a master's degree. And his little ones is Jeffrey and Michael. WAYNE LUCIER: And what's his occupation now? MARY MENDOZA: Well, he does, the guy, he works for the James River. WAYNE LUCIER: James River? MARY MENDOZA: Yeah. WAYNE LUCIER: Where? MARY MENDOZA: Well, he started at the biggest part of it is in Fitchburg, though. He goes out, like, South Carolina was where he originally was hired. From there, he goes to Connecticut and goes here and there. But that means his office is over here, in Fitchburg. WAYNE LUCIER: Is your husband a veteran of any kind of war or…? MARY MENDOZA: No. WAYNE LUCIER: And he was born where? MARY MENDOZA: In New Bedford, Mass. WAYNE LUCIER: Okay. Has the practice of your customs decreased? You know, something that your mother always done in your family, do you still retain it now or…? MARY MENDOZA: Well, there's still certain things like we go back to the, my grandmother. Because my mother, she was in this country, she was about 15 years old. So she always knows the special customs. Once in a while, I still like to cook the cornmeal bread, and mix with bread, things like that. She called that "going back." My husband's side, they never get out of the use of food that Portuguese people use, because in New Bedford, it's about 60 percent, so they keep there, very much the. it's not that different. A lot of fish, meat, we are big meat-eaters. The day I don't have meat, that's a day I'm hungry all day. WAYNE LUCIER: Well, you enjoy American foods, too, right? MARY MENDOZA: To me, I've always been… my favorite meal is steak. I was still on ham, gosh, I paid one more $77 for a little can of ham, and two pounds or three pieces of steak, little pieces like that, $2. I told them, "Gosh, you got to cut this down." But before, I used to have steak every day, at least once a day a steak, pork chops and. you 3 know. Now, you know, they call it a luxury. But once when you get old, I don't think you get as much as you used to. So we like sweet potatoes, but I think sweet potatoes is just anybody's dishes. That's why when they say French this, Italian that, that makes me laugh. The only difference that the food, they put a lot of spices, and the American people don't. WAYNE LUCIER: You got to have spices. MARY MENDOZA: But over there, French people, too. But there is a little operation, French food, they can cook, too. WAYNE LUCIER: Yeah. MARY MENDOZA: But I don't see it. Like you say, they all have a different… maybe your grandmother may lose it, I have something special that… but I doubt it. Depending if you're too young, like my mother was so young, we never really get any special outside of cooking our bread. But they do it over the years. I call ourselves very much the American way, because of my mother, like I said, she had 25 years in New Bedford. And she was only 15. She married at 17. So, all her life has been in this country, really. Over there, they have fireplaces to cook. They have no electricity, you know. I especially remember our mother. But even then, in our side of the – they make kale soup, fresh-made pea soup. The only thing that I cook different, you know, kale soup [unintelligible - 00:05:58] made is nice. Me, I use kales like you use spinach. I cook them. Then after I cook them, I put some meat in. Take the meat, slice it, then I put a little vinegar and make like a salad with kale greens, because it is very rich in iron, you know. I'm about that, the vitamin, nature foods. I go close to them, though. Study them, I got a bunch of [unintelligible - 00:06:23], because they're not going to eat. There's not need to, you know, my things I do back, go back and I try to find what's this, what's that. But I've never been no special events, like Italian food, the guy says, [unintelligible - 00:06:36] TV, "You want to be Italian at least once a year." I say, "Yeah, well, you want the tourist money." That's all there is to it, because they can eat all the macaroni in it. I don't think much about it, so 4 much paste into them, to make a paste. So I like the way my mother used to cook, too. And your grandmother, she used to make a piece of meat look like roses on the table with spices in. We use more paprika because of my father who was a [unintelligible - 00:06:37] stomach, I guess, his job kind of get him nervous. And it used to be everything… he couldn't have too much spices. So we call ourselves really Italian because that's it. WAYNE LUCIER: What are your fondest memories, your own personal, fondest memories? MARY MENDOZA: The happiest day in my life was when my father went back and picked me up to come back to this country after they left me there. Then I felt that I was safe. Here, everything that's… oh, yeah, and the day that my son graduated, I was more happy than he was. He was tired and bored with everything. I was mad with him. I invited a few people to have a nice time in my backyard, and he didn't like it. I had to stop my voice, so those I had invited came, but the others, he was mad. He said, "I'm so tired, I can't even see nobody in front of me." He went to a very tough school, though, Orono, Maine, University of Maine. And that over there, I guess, he like the school because he says, they're very tolerant, and you live, wear at the day, you know what you were doing. But he didn't like it. He's always in class. His girl was in Fitchburg, so you can imagine. That, you know, so happy that I can't explain it. WAYNE LUCIER: How about Fitchburg? What are your fondest memories at Fitchburg? MARY MENDOZA: I liked Fitchburg for its trees. It's a hilly… it's kind of close to the city, but it's 5, 6 degrees or 4 degrees low. But still, it don't seem this cold. Then I say maybe, but I grew up to like, I like the greens, you know, a lot of trees, especially where we live up here. And it was a quiet city, old but quiet. I never had any trouble at all, these people were not friendly. Maybe I'm the one that's too friendly, but it's really the truth, honest. I worked 18 years because of that one. And everybody that'll get there, they know me. Mary, you this, you that, about the owners who got it, and I thought, even the 5 bookkeeper today, she writes to me letters, she sends me the "Upper Room," the book about religion which is very nice. It's her religion, not mine. And yet, I don't see nothing wrong with that because we all love the same God and she still comes here once in a while. I really had no – never had to say, "Oh, this one is from China, and this one is Italian." I never thought of people like that. I thought people is people. You know, a good person is a good person, regardless of what they are. My first friend over here was an Irish old woman. I was chasing Carlo, and I was scolding him. He was about 18 months. I say, "Carlo, you don't do that. The car comes fast." And she says, "Oh, it's a little trouble." She said, "Mine won't go home," and he start to cry. She says, "This little trouble, they're not little. They're big to him. What do want to do?" And he get to talk to the old lady, and she said, "You want a cookie?" He took a cookie out of the bag. The [unintelligible - 00:10:17] used to be there and give it to her. And she thought it was something special. She became my friend and I kind of liked her through all these years. That's why I say I go to the [ANP] there a lot, because I like to go downtown. And he take me downtown. And I stay there, two, three hours walking around the stores. Of course, the boys get tired. Then I come home to tea. I was pleased with the rest of the week. I don't know what they do now. Even now, yesterday, I went out to see. I'm not do what I used to be, in the stores here and there. And he said, it's lost, and then I watched TV – politicians. Then what I put it on is on about the Senators and the President and it was [unintelligible - 00:10:57]. And that's the way it goes, my life. It's not that much excitement in it. Now, we get old. I don't want to be in my son's way. We lost. We can't go to our place. It makes it not a nice thing to get old. It isn't the idea of just getting old. It's the things that you wish that you could do that go away from you. And they thought they'd say on TV, "Oh, we're going to take care of the old people." What do they do with the old people? Leave us alone and we can take care of ourselves.6 WAYNE LUCIER: How about, what would you like to forget about anything? Is there something you regret or…? MARY MENDOZA: No, I never… the only thing that sometimes I wish that I do once in a while that I had in my young life that my mother would do it, it enough to put me to like play music, but not enough to go on shows and things like that. I love to play a piano. Of course, I have no more. And I try to give music and lessons to my son which I did for about seven or eight years. WAYNE LUCIER: Why don't you learn now? MARY MENDOZA: I'm too old. WAYNE LUCIER: You're never too old. Why don't you learn right now? MARY MENDOZA: And we get up to the school with a piano teacher, right over Mrs. [unintelligible - 00:12:15] now, but you see, I'm going on… I've been 32 years in this house. So I'm going to go one of these days, once a week. Something to… WAYNE LUCIER: Sure, why not? Why don't you go now? Just for the fun of it. MARY MENDOZA: So, the things that I want, Wayne, there's another thing that I would like to, to type. The little that I know, I bought a nice typewriter. My son come and get it. That's the second one that he picks up. Mine, he never use and any of mine is to, because he does a lot. So he goes my typewriter. I had a nice one, though, the Olympia. It's a good one, though. I've made, maybe I'd attach it to one, two, three. But in Portugal, I was doing pretty good. And those things that I wish I could do it, yet, I don't know, I said why. It don't do me any good now. WAYNE LUCIER: You can still do it now. I mean, when time runs out on you, then you can't. MARY MENDOZA: My mother used to say, "Of all the family, you're the only one that thinks not on anymore." Yeah, ouchie, and I am better. You're the only one that comes, your father's side. And I love nice clothes. I don't like to see a girl in pants and rough clothes unless she's doing some work. I like to see nice clothes on a girl. They work. Which is as it should be, look pretty all the time and nice. See, I can't see the things that's going on now, but for me, I don't know. I'm glad I 7 don't have a daughter, because I think that makes it hard for her. Not that hard, like I don't think it's wrong to want to wish, you know, to be feminine, more and more now, it's girls. They want to act like boys. The boys, the same thing. They put things there, something to face, too. There must be scared, once in a while, even if they don't admit it. WAYNE LUCIER: When you came to the United States, after you went back to Portugal, did you want to stay here or do you want to go back? MARY MENDOZA: No, I always wanted to come here, I never wanted to see. When I went from here to there, I was seven years old. What I wanted, it was here, then make matters, they left there with my godmother and my grandmother. And they come over here and they left us there. So that was hard. My mother, I never used to see her. But my father used to go and see me once a week. Once a day, though, only go to work, it stop with my godmother. And those little things, I cry for. So when I come over here, I felt like I was safe, so much so that I never wanted to see no trips, no luxury. He talks about what we'll see. There's nothing to see. It wasn't the American tourist room there. The people that stay here two years, I don't know how they get money, that's what I mean. That we get them right in Fitchburg. They send $1,000 every month to Europe. Then one day, job stop. They go, okay, they have no money. [Unintelligible - 00:15:08] that should be a… you wouldn't live in their country with more than £100. I don't know now. Over here, the stupid thing nowadays, give everything away and let… Who's lifting their fingers to help this country? I think Canada is, but let's have some, huh. That's why things that I never used to get into, because I figure I don't know enough to… and my voice is too soft, I don't be heard in a crowd of people. If it wasn't for that, I go to these meets and I get a lot of… Once in a while, I write a nice letter and I put my name. I put my middle name, because I don't want my husband to pay for anything I do, not because I'm ashamed. We didn't have much, but we always had enough. If you leave us alone, we didn't need you, period. But I don't know. That's the way I feel. And 8 with all these things, I feel bad for our country because, I don't know, I think America was the… she always help the poor people and all that. But right now, it's a shame. All the things that she earn, like the other country, and crooked politicians put us to shame. I think every real American must feel bad about the way things are. Not because we have to go about it. People have too much today. It's just the feeling that our country is so rich and our country have plenty and it's going down to nothing from what. And nobody seems to know what caused this. I think it's lack of leadership, in my honest opinion. And no matter, if it's not just them, he's the one that's responsible for it. WAYNE LUCIER: How about when you came to Fitchburg, did you want to stay in Fitchburg? MARY MENDOZA: No, I cried all the way from New Bedford to Springfield. I went to the other guy who moved my furnishing. I stay all at home. I don't want to go by bus, because I was frightened. I was always in the house, you know, the way I was brought up, not a [tomboy], just… and I say, "Gee, I don't think I like to go by myself." And he can't come down. "Would you mind if I ride with you?" And he says, "Yeah, one of the boys would ride at the back, and you can sit in the front with us." There's three, I forgot the name, but there's three of them. And we went. Of course… he says, "Why are you crying your [unintelligible - 00:17:28]?" "Well, my husband says, 'You either come now or you don't come at all.'" Because it was so bad, the depression of Bedford was terrible. So we didn't just sit down and cry out and go to our fair. We looked from other places. So Mr. Bradbury was a super… ahead of these cotton industries. And soon as he'd come up, he got a job. So he went and worked for Johnson's. It was so hot, 114 degrees. And the way they make these plastic [landings] and things like that, his shirt was so equipped and he went to work in Springfield. We lived in Springfield. It's a nice city. I liked it there. But he didn't like the job, because since he was 15 years old, he's been in the cotton mill. So he met the boss, and the boss went up there and get him. He 9 says, "Why don't you come? You can make more money than you make here and you're going to be a…" Well, now, they call it assistant supervisor. He was a chief in the, a cottoner, they called it, overseer second and third end. He was third end. And he went to the office and… not like grandfather. They were workers. Even your grandfather, with all his faults, he's a worker. That one never keeps still, too. And now, in the least little thing, people don't think that's, how are they going to get along? So you see, all the things that we give too much to – that we get too much (that means me, everybody), they only make it worst. He pays, sure. Who do you think we are? Who we get left out of the big – I never made it to the big pay, though. And he never made one, so… We went to the $2 mark, not even that. So when we get the pension, we don't get much. Yet we're not blaming anybody else. We're just getting along. We just want to be left alone. And that's it, Wayne. WAYNE LUCIER: Okay. My last question, would you ever want to leave Fitchburg? MARY MENDOZA: Well, my mind is mixed up now. I used to say I'd go back to New Bedford as soon as my son was in his way. But for some reason, I guess I've been here for too long. I go down there and I'm so excited, so happy. Then two or three days, I want to come back to Fitchburg. And then I stay here about two or three months, and gosh, like that, I want. But I think it's more, like I said, divided. But I don't think I want to leave my house unless I can afford to keep it./AT/jf/cp/ee

The Malaysian economy grew robustly in 2011, outperforming forecasts. Growth was driven by domestic demand. Public consumption picked up more than expected toward the end of the year and fixed investment was also buoyant on higher investments by public and private companies. Private consumption spending remained strong, sustained by solid consumer credit, civil service bonus payments, and firm commodity prices benefiting smallholders. Inventories were a drag on growth as post- financial crisis restocking was completed. There is momentum to the reform agenda, but implementation could be accelerated. The government's transformation programs registered notable progress, but the challenge now is to go beyond quick wins and accelerate the implementation of more difficult, but critical, structural reforms that lie at the core of transforming the economy into a high-income one. Implementation can be assisted by increasing the coordination of related reform efforts (such as safety nets and education), building capacity within the civil service to lead reforms, and working towards consensus in key areas such as educational reform, subsidy rationalization and broadening the tax base.

Agriculture in Tanzania accounts for 28 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 80 percent of its labor force. The sector is also an important source of export revenues. The data and findings presented in this report provide a summary of the performance of the agriculture sector in Tanzania using a set of indicators covering six areas. These are: 1) access to and availability of certified seed; 2) availability of and access to fertilizer; 3) access to farm machinery, particularly tractor hire services for land preparation; 4) access to agricultural and agro-enterprise finance; 5) the cost and efficiency of transporting agricultural commodities; and 6) measures of policy certainty and uncertainty as perceived by private investors and the effects these have on the enabling environment for producers and agribusinesses. The Agribusiness Indicators (ABI) team conducted interviews with Government agencies, private firms (fertilizer importers, seed companies, tractor importers and distributors, transporters), commercial banks, farmer-based organizations, donors, and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The ABI program is pilot testing an initial set of indicators on the ease (or difficulty) of operating agribusinesses in African countries. The indicators are used to assess whether the countries have an enabling environment that is conducive to agribusiness investment, competitiveness, and ultimately agriculture-led growth.

The economic rebound in recent quarters has been stronger than expected and the economy is showing signs of overheating. These signs are show up in rising inflation, especially of those goods and services which are in strong demand, but cannot easily be imported or whose local supply cannot readily be increased to meet the growing demand. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth reached 20.8 percent year-on-year (yoy) in Q3, following an outturn of 17.3 percent in Q2. Growth for the year as a whole will likely hit 15 percent, if not more, up from 6.4 percent in 2010, and is being pushed by infrastructure spending as Mongolia develops its vast mineral wealth. Inflation continues its upward trend. The trade deficit is close to record levels (US$ 1.4 bn in September using 12-month rolling sums) driven by a surge in mining-related equipment and fuel imports. Exports are growing strongly too, driven by large coal shipments to China. The 2012 budget continues this fiscal expansion and targets a 74 percent increase in expenditures (mostly on wages and social transfers).

Kenya may be at a "tipping point," the theme of the third Kenya economic update which has a special focus on the transformative impact of information and communication technology (ICT) and mobile money. Over the last decade, ICT has outperformed all others sectors growing at an average of 20 percent per year. The benefits of ICT are starting to be felt in other sectors, and have contributed to the conditions for Kenya to reach this tipping point. Kenya has entered the new decade with renewed and stronger than expected growth. The passing of the new constitution, continued strong macroeconomic policies, and a favorable regional environment have created a new positive economic momentum. Kenya may again be positioned to experience high growth. Over the last three decades Kenya has experienced only two short episodes when economic growth exceeded five percent and was sustained for at least three consecutive years: 1986-88, and 2004-2007. Is Kenya again at the verge of experiencing another growth spurt? Will it last longer and go deeper than the previous two episodes?

This joint working paper lays out a rationale and strategic framework for improving food security and managing food-price shocks in the Arab countries. The paper does not provide country specific policy and project recommendations. Such recommendations will follow from the country by country application of the framework, taking into account each country's political and cultural preferences, resource endowments, and risk tolerance. In 2007 and the first half of 2008, a sharp rise in agricultural commodity and food prices triggered grave concerns about food security, malnutrition and increased poverty throughout the world. While the threat of a prolonged food-price shock receded with falling energy and commodity prices and a weakening global economy in the second half of 2008, many factors underlying the volatility in food prices appear here to stay and will require careful management if the world is to avoid future food-price shocks. This paper suggests three critical strategies that, together, can serve as pillars to help offset future vulnerability to price shocks: a) strengthen safety nets, provide people with better access to family planning services, and promote education; b) enhance the food supply provided by domestic agriculture and improve rural livelihoods by addressing lagging productivity growth through increased investment in research and development; and c) reduce exposure to market volatility by improving supply chain efficiency and by more effectively using financial instruments to hedge risk.

State of the Union address by United States presidents regarding national interests with Mexico and other South American nations. ; The U.S. Serial set is a specially bound, consecutively numbered version of all House and Senate reports and documents. Many of the government documents in the Americas archive come originally from the U.S. Serial set, although were bound together at some later point into the collection that is now represented in this collection.

Part two of an interview with Dorothy Giadone Poirier. Topics include: What the customers were like at the furniture store. Her father's involvement in social clubs. How Dottie was treated as a child by other children. Her friendship with Peter Levanti's daughter. Traveling back to Italy. How her mother spent her leisure time. What her parents would think of Fitchburg today. ; 1 SPEAKER 2: I remember one time a customer came in and said, "That sofa's down the street for $500 less." And I said, "I don't think so, sir." He said, "Are you calling me a liar?" I said, "No, sir,"—Broyhill—and I said, "I'm the only store in this immediate area. The next would be Worcester that carries Broyhill, and I know that they don't have Broyhill. Sit in this and then go sit on the one down the street," and so he did. He said, "I want the sofa, but I don't want you to wait… I don't want you to waste [unintelligible - 00:00:47]." "I don't care as long as you buy it." We're working on commission. But what happened -- I tried to explain to him. I said to him, "Sir, you know what it is? There are a lot of furniture companies out there. They copy, and there's only a few companies that sell material. So if Company A is excellent and Company B is just mediocre and they buy the same material and they steal the frame, the look of it, then it looks the same, but until you sit on it, you can't tell the difference, and there's a big difference because the other one will sit like a board and this one's like you sank in it." "I want it, but I don't want you to wait." SPEAKER 1: Now, the older generations, do they buy furniture frequently, or do they tend to keep…? SPEAKER 2: They tend to keep what they bought. Like I said, I had a customer that had… I mean, they still -- I have 20 years. I had another customer that's just recently I went out, she says, "I couldn't find anything I liked better so I had it recovered, and it cost me more than going out and buy a new sofa." And to have -- you tend -- if you have a good customer and you're good to them, you tend to keep them and, you know, they'll change. They always need something different. A bedroom set will last for -- you know, most people keep the bedroom set. 2 They'll change their living room and kitchen because that's something that's used by the whole family. If you don't have children and you'll have it again, then you keep your living room set forever until you really get sick of it. But I mean, I could, you know, keep my living room set longer than my sisters. They had kids, I didn't. Not that kids are destructive, but you use it differently. You know, lifestyles change. SPEAKER 1: Getting back to your father and his political side, did he… was he involved at all with the Italian Citizen's Club? SPEAKER 2: I don't know if they had Italian Citizen's Club. They had the Sons of Italy. He was involved with that because he was -- and then they had they called the PP club, and that was [unintelligible - 00:03:14] Club… SPEAKER 1: What is that club? SPEAKER 2: Well, I don't think it existed. Well, maybe it does. It's that club that was anybody from [unintelligible - 00:03:23], which was where he was born, they were coming and they had a small club that they would make pizza. They would -- and this was years ago. Then they would have -- you know how they have the [unintelligible - 00:03:38] they have their feast days? Well, when it was the feast of -- they call it the Madonna del Cava -- they would have a feast day and they would have a parade, and they would march up to Saint Anthony's and have a Mass and they would have an Italian band playing music, and they don't do that, they haven't done that in years. But they used to have that, and then someone would carry the statue. They have -- believe it or not, and most of the time they were little boys dressed up in angel suits, and then they would walk and they would pin dollar bills onto this statue that had streamers. But I forget, you know, they haven't done it for years so I forget. They still do that down the [unintelligible - 00:04:28].3 SPEAKER 1: But he was part of that club? SPEAKER 2: Yes. SPEAKER 1: As a member? SPEAKER 2: Yes. And he was also a member of the Marconi Club because my mother was a [unintelligible - 00:04:36]. It was her region, and the people in that region, if they were [unintelligible - 00:04:47] they had this -- the club is still letting, and I don't know how they interpret the people there because most of the people that started it have deceased and their family don't run it at all anymore. SPEAKER 1: Do you think these clubs were important, let's say to your parents? SPEAKER 2: I think it was more important to the people, not so much to my parents because my father was involved with so many other things. He kind of -- not that he ignored them. He kind of drew away from them as he got busier in the community and the store, because then the store was bigger and he was busier and he was involved in politics. He always stayed -- he was always active in the Sons of Italy up until the very, I think until he died, because he was president of that many times. So you can be… they called it Venerable, which is the president. You could be president for I think two terms, and then after you have to resign. You know, you can't run again. And then after two years you can run again. So he was The Venerable many times in the Sons of Italy. He was Chamber of Commerce president a couple of times. He was active in Rotary. In fact, they would sponsor kids coming here, you know, from other countries or other parts of the country, and we would put them up, you know. Two or three times we had people, you know, stay with us for, you know, a weekend or a week just to [unintelligible - 00:06:33]. SPEAKER 1: From Italy? SPEAKER 2: No, no from his Rotary.4 SPEAKER 1: Oh, from the Rotary. SPEAKER 2: Yeah. They had -- they would sponsor something. I don't know if they sponsored Up With People one time, and we had someone staying with us or two people staying with us for I want to say a week, and then we had to pick them, take them and pick them up, and so we did that a couple of times. We just brought people home. I mean, I would come home at night, and I would make noise and they'd say, "What are you doing?" I'd say, "If I make enough noise my mother will get up and cook us breakfast." And she would. And then I'd say, "Well Ma, I'd got to go to work tomorrow so I got to go to bed," and I'd leave her with my friends, and I'd go to bed. SPEAKER 1: And did you ever consider getting involved in politics yourself? SPEAKER 2: The only time I got in politics is because my father would say, "Okay do this, do this, do this," but no. SPEAKER 1: Marty was telling me this was Peter Levangi's… SPEAKER 2: Yes, yes, daughter. SPEAKER 1: How exciting it was when her father won. SPEAKER 2: Oh yeah. SPEAKER 1: Do you remember anything about them? SPEAKER 2: Yeah. She was a character, because Marty's funny. As kids, she had the car one time, had a heavy foot. One time we're coming from Worcester, you know, the [unintelligible - 00:08:05] underpass through, they have I-90 as you're coming from Worcester. She was going so fast that she couldn't make that underpass; she had to go straight. I don't know how -- but God, thank you. "Marty, slow down." But that was like talking to the wall. One time my girlfriend's kicking her, she goes, "My varicose veins. My varicose veins." She goes, "So slow down." Another time she got stopped and she goes, "You know who my father is?" She said, "I never said…" I said, "Marty you did."5 SPEAKER 1: So she said she didn't say it, huh? SPEAKER 2: Yeah. "Do you know who my father is?" SPEAKER 1: Well, did you feel privileged though, you know, and… SPEAKER 2: Well, you know we didn't think… she said people were jealous of us… I didn't see that. Maybe I closed my eyes -- I don't know. She said people picked on us. I said, "No one picked on us." She goes, "Yeah, they didn't like us because they thought we had money." I didn't think we had money. I just took things for granted. I mean, I said that because my father worked… we had a business, and her father had a business, and people could see things because you have a business that you have money. They don't think that… you got furniture and they don't think you have to pay for it. They think you know it came from the sky. So people perceive things differently. I remember when my father and mother bought this house in Leominster, they said, "Oh, there's a swimming pool there." I said, "No, there isn't." "Oh yeah, there's a swimming pool." I said, "Well, it must be invisible or they covered it up because there's no swimming pool there." The people thought there was a swimming pool, but there wasn't. "Oh yeah." I said, "Did you see it?" "No, no I just…" "Well, we just bought the house. There's no swimming pool there." Paula, they have a sister that was my sister Sandra's age, and they went to school together, so it was nice. Their youngest sister is Paula, and my sister Sandra went -- when they had St. Anthony's—and St. Anthony's didn't exist when we were growing up—they were one of the first or second class to graduate from there, because I think it's now -- or if it was what it was just recently because they are both around 55. 6 So let's see, I'm 50… yeah, 55. So they got picked on more because, again, her father was a… by then I think he was a state representative, and my father's store naturally was bigger, because -- I mean, like I said, I was fortunate enough that I didn't have all this nice stuff that my sisters had. So they would pick on them because they thought they got a big store, your father's got a Cadillac, you know. SPEAKER 1: So when you say, "they" the children… SPEAKER 2: Yeah, because they were mostly Italians there, and kids can be cruel. Again, my sister had the same friends she's had since she was a kid too, so it didn't bother her that much. But there's always a few that, you know, say things that because they didn't have it, they would assume that you were luckier. But that's not true, so. And I never -- I never treated my friends any differently. I mean, they didn't have as much as I had growing up. But I mean, whatever we had that was everything, you know -- my father and mother never said don't take your friend. We always had an open house. I mean, we'd be out, "Hey Dottie, want to go to a party?" I go, "Yeah, where?" "Your house." So we would all pile down, and we had a big family room downstairs. So my mother and father never says don't take your friends or you can't do… SPEAKER 1: So when after Peter Levangi lost, that was a hard time… SPEAKER 2: That was a hard time for her, but you see, back then I don't think we were as friendly. Like I said, she went to high school, and I didn't say this, but she went to Fitchburg High. I went to St. Bernard's, so you're kind of, you know, drift apart a little. So those years we weren't as close as we are today because she didn't go to St. Bernard's. And then she, I guess, after high school we got close again, and then she got married young, and I -- you know, she was like 22 or 7 23, I think, when she got married. They had babies. We were single and going out, and you know, doing nothing, and then things changed. You get together again, but basically, you know, we were always in each other's company, but not as -- so when her father lost I forgot what, you know, the reaction was -- I forget. But then he ran for senator. So he was senator for a good many years. I'll never forget one time I got stopped and I lost my license for… my father wouldn't do anything to fix it [unintelligible - 00:13:35]. So instead of losing it for a week, I think I only lost it for three or four days, because by the time I called them it was, you know, he got it back as soon as possible. SPEAKER 1: Did you go to your father? SPEAKER 2: The? SPEAKER 1: Losing it for a week, weren't you going a little fast? SPEAKER 2: Yeah, I was. I was probably doing an 80 in a 65 or 50. Well, I don't know if it was 65. I had a heavy foot, too. I had a heavy foot, so… SPEAKER 1: Have you considered leaving Leominster? You said earlier that maybe after going to [unintelligible - 00:14:17]. SPEAKER 2: After the [unintelligible - 00:14:19] I said I'd go to New York to work for a few years, but I never -- after that, you know, I'm basically a coward. I know like some people they'll say they'll go to lunch and have lunch by themselves. You think I'd even go and have a cup of coffee at a restaurant by myself? No, no. That was more talk than it was actually to do something. I think of I had another friend to do that with; I probably would've done it. But to do it alone I don't think so. SPEAKER 1: Did you work after closing up shop? SPEAKER 2: No. I haven't worked in eight years. Well, not as good as my husband's pension.8 SPEAKER 1: Okay. Do you have any regrets? SPEAKER 2: Any regrets? The only regret that I had is that I didn't work somewhere else for a few years, but not regret working at the store, no. Basically, I enjoyed it, you know. Like a lot of fun there and you meet a lot of nice people. SPEAKER 1: Did your father ever go back to Italy? SPEAKER 2: Yes. SPEAKER 1: To visit? SPEAKER 2: Yes. He did. When he worked he had… I think he went with this… one time, appliances, if you bought X amount of appliances, they would give you different types of things. And this one year, they just went to Italy, and ET was in [unintelligible - 00:15:52], and so he hired someone to take him out to on a bus or whatever. He took a train or whatever. He got there, and when he got there, it was [unintelligible - 00:16:08] is a poor town. He left everything he had. He only came home with the suit he had on his back. Then he would send things out to them periodically. SPEAKER 1: [Unintelligible - 00:16:22]. SPEAKER 2: Well you just don't see that, but since then I think it has changed tremendously, because a friend went a few years -- her parents were from the same provinces my grandparents were. So she went. She said, "There were people there, Dorothy." She says, "I thought, I wish your father was there." She said, "They looked just like your father." Yeah. SPEAKER 1: Did he travel back there with your mother? SPEAKER 2: No, no, no, no. He just went that one… and this lady that went -- my aunt went a couple of times, and there was a cousin, I think, or somebody's -- married to one cousin of theirs that came out here a couple of times. She went two or three times, and I don't think my grandmother ever went back. I don't think so. SPEAKER 1: Have you again?9 SPEAKER 2: No. In fact, when I worked I didn't have the time to do it because I was only getting a week here and there or whatever. And then I went to travel, Teddy passed away. So I was going to go to Spain this past… with us, me, and my girlfriend's brother died, and two days later our mother's house, she was burned out of her apartment, so she went to live with my girl friend, and so my girl friend didn't have any other siblings except [unintelligible - 00:18:03] you know, grandchildren. But you know how grandchildren are; they all have their own life. So she had no -- her mother had no, you know, no one to stay with, so she said, "I have to cancel out." So I said, "Well I think I will too," because we're going to be, you know, roommates. And then this September 11 happened, so things work out. My friends, two of my friends still went. SPEAKER 1: Did Gloria go? SPEAKER 2: No, Marty went. SPEAKER 1: Oh, Marty. SPEAKER 2: She was the one who went, and another friend [unintelligible - 00:18:32]. But they went and they end, but they ended up -- because they were traveling by air… SPEAKER 1: [Unintelligible - 00:18:41]. SPEAKER 2: … yeah and they were out of business, and they had to stay I think in Switzerland three days before they got to Spain, and there's a big foul up. So I'm just glad [unintelligible - 00:18:57]. I'll tell you what. My husband, at his age, if he had gotten into the service, he would have gone there. That would've -- my father would just shake his head and say, "I can't believe this is even happening here." To this day I still I can't believe it happened. I mean, I had to shut this television off after a while because I think I was crying so much from, you know, different people talking of their, what happened, and then the funerals. And finally, I said I 10 can't cry anymore. I know that's something that I will never forget. I'm proud of my heritage. I'm, you know, I'm… I'm not ashamed to be an Italian. If anybody asks me if I'm Italian, yes I am, and I'm proud of it. SPEAKER 1: [Unintelligible – 00:19:58]. SPEAKER 2: No, no. In fact, my first husband was Italian. SPEAKER 1: Who was your first husband? Was he from Fitchburg? SPEAKER 2: No, Leominster. SPEAKER 1: Leominster? SPEAKER 2: Forget about him. SPEAKER 1: Forget him? SPEAKER 2: Yeah. SPEAKER 1: All right. I know your parents worked so hard. Did they have any leisure time? Actually, [unintelligible - 00:20:21]. SPEAKER 2: Yeah. My mother was stay-at-home. She… like I said, enjoyed her family and her friends and her… she always… she loved having the kids around, she loved cooking. Her leisure time was maybe, I don't know, going to visit a friend in Rhode Island. She had a friend out there she was close to and originally was here, but she had a daughter, and when we were both young, they lived… they were neighbors, and they always keep in touch with one another. So she would go to Rhode Island for a few days. That was her leisure time. She liked that. She loved cooking. She loved to -- you know what else? My mother had -- she loved to do puzzles. In fact, Alice was the one that would find different ones for her… I mean, a round puzzle, different puzzles to do. So she would like that. She loved doing that. And like I said she cooked a lot. She… I don't know, she always -- there's a lot of things to do to keep busy. SPEAKER 1: Did she pass away?11 SPEAKER 2: Had Alzheimer's, and for a while she was at home. And then towards the… we had to put her in the nursing home because it got to be bad, and my father was still alive. He died a year later, but my mother just died [unintelligible - 00:22:01]. SPEAKER 1: I think your father died in 1984. SPEAKER 2: Yeah, but my mother died 10 years later, in '90… no, she died in '92, because Teddy died in '94. But she had Alzheimer's. SPEAKER 1: What do you think they would think of Fitchburg now? SPEAKER 2: Well, my mother not so much because she was like a goomba, but my father would be disappointed in it. He would be -- it hasn't progressed like Leominster has. So he would be disappointed in it. Different decisions, different people moving out, different things not happening. I find that, you know, big companies like GE left. A lot of people, you know, it's not all those, you know, the Wallaces and the Crockers. The Crockers contributed a lot to Fitchburg. Wallace appeared he did, but he didn't contribute like Markus did. My father would be absolutely furious that Burbank was closed, absolutely furious. I don't understand. I do not understand how the city could sell something that didn't belong -- I mean, that was part of the city. To this day I don't know how that happened, and a lot of people don't. SPEAKER 1: So the city sold Burbank Hospital? SPEAKER 2: He sold it to Health Alliances. SPEAKER 1: Are they [unintelligible – 00:23:42] or anything? SPEAKER 2: No, no, no. SPEAKER 1: So what would the connection be? SPEAKER 2: Because he was, he was… even though we lived in Leominster, his heart still belongs in Fitchburg, and that was part of Fitchburg. So he would be -- my father did however, when Doctor Silver, they had General Hospital, he would help them out. He was on their 12 board of directors. But because my father was active in Fitchburg, he would have said that that has to stay in Fitchburg. To this day if you ask a lot of the people in my generation or a little older would still they all feel the same way about how did they take Burbank Hospital away, and no one can answer that. We were. Like I said, the Crockers, they donated most of that money for Burbank. A lot of things quietly, and then it was the paper mills. That's Leominster. SPEAKER 1: Leominster. SPEAKER 2: Yeah, that's Leominster. That's Doyle Field and, you know, they contributed a lot to Leominster. At one time Fitchburg, was larger than -- in population -- was larger than Leominster, but I… if I'm not mistaken on the last census Leominster was larger. SPEAKER 1: A lot of zoning problems lately or planning… SPEAKER 2: Taxes keep going up. So, I mean, I don't have any kids, and -- but I think they need a new school. I mean, Fitchburg built a beautiful school, but it's not big enough. I went and saw their opening at Fitchburg. One of their -- I guess they had an open house for a couple of days that you could see and, you know, and I asked one of the teachers [unintelligible - 00:25:57] and whatever and I says, "How much can it…" and she said, "We're already to our capacity." That wasn't good planning. A room that full -- I mean, their gym is better than some of the colleges that I've, you know, been too. Unbelievable. You know, I think that's… I think that they should -- I don't know. Is there anything else you'd like to ask me? SPEAKER 1: Not really, I don't think. SPEAKER 2: I think we did, and like I said, I've been blessed with a wonderful family, and you know, parents that loved us, and maybe we didn't think so growing up, but as you get older you realize a lot of things that they did for us because that's why they cared about us. But as 13 kids, you know, we don't understand a lot. They said youth is wonderful; too bad it's wasted on the young. SPEAKER 1: I guess that's it. SPEAKER 2: My pleasure, my pleasure. /AT/pa/lrr/es

wMmmzwmmsmi QETTY8BURQ "NEWS" PRINT. mim\ am (&M,i«r/*,/ WAiiiit 'i-.W/,l«ii» I • f *> >■ 11/ ndi' i * ,T 1:1 ■■■■■■ 4h Ii '•'II■■ I V «\\ 4 I.'i HELP THOSE WHO HELP US. The Intercollegiate Bureau or Academic Costume. Cotrell & Leonard, ALBANY, N. Y. Makers ol Caps, Gowns and Hoods to the American Colleges and Universities from the Atlan-tic to the Pacific- Class contracts a specialty IR-iciL (3-o-w-n.s for tlxe ZE'-u.lpit and. Benc5±.- WANTED. College students during their vacation can easily make $20 to $30 per week. Write for par-ticulars. THE UNIVERSAL MFG. CO , Pittsburg, Pa. i'f Come and Have a Good Shave, or HAIR-CUT at Harry B. Seta's New Tonsorial Parlors, 35 Baltimore St. BARBERS' SUPPLIES A SPECIALTY. Also, choice line of fine Cigars. Wanted. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN in this and adjoining territories to represent and advertise the Wholesale and Educa-tional department of an old established house of solid financial standing. Salary $3.so per day with expenses advanced each Monday by check direct from headquar-ters. Horse and buggy furnished when necessary. Position Permanent- Ad-dress, BLEW BROTHERS & CO., Dept. 8, Monon Bldg., Chicago. 111. IF YOU CALL ON C. A. Bloehep, JeuucleP, Centre Square, He can serve you in anything you may want in REPAIRING or JEWELRY. WE RECOMMEND THESE FIRMS. a If FOUR POINTS" Quality of material; thorough-ness of workmanship; perfection of style, and fairness of price are the four cardinal points of this tailor store. J. D. LIPPY, 29 Chambersburg Street, GETTYSBURG, PA. CITY HOTEL, Main Street, - Gettysburg, Pa. Free 'Bus to and from all trains. Thirty seconds' walk from either depot. Dinner with drive over field with four or more, $ 1.35. Rates, $1.50 to $2.00 per Day. Livery connected. Rubber-tire buggies a specialty. John E. Hughes, Prop. For Artistic Photographs Go To TIPTON, The Leader in Photo Fashions. Frames and Passapartouts Made to Order. C. E. Barbehenn THE EACLE HOTEL > ■ i :: Main and Washington Sts. ia-XoX.= -=O*.*; _XcXs : _XrX^ : _=c«i; _5c^f o =»: :**: :**: *A; :**r fc^-J U-PI-DEE. jj{? ■; A new Co-ed lias alighted in town, lT-pi-dee, U-pi-da! •'b'*' In an up-to-daicst tailor-made gowr.,(J-pi-de-i-da ! *y -* The hoys are wild, and prex is, too. You never saw such a hulla-ba-loo. CHORUS. — U-pi-uee-i-dee-i-da ! etc. Her voice is clear as a soaring lark's, And her wit is li/cc those trolley-car sparks t When 'cross a imiddy s:reet she flits, The boy.-, ad have conniption tits: The turn of her head turns all ours, too. There's always a Strife to sit in her pew; Tis enough to make a parson drunk, mm m:■-nn m 5(?n and NEW WORD; k To hear her sing old co-ca-che-lunk! rsesto ma The above, and three otherNEWverses to U-PI-DEF and NEW WORDS, catchy, uo-to-date, to many in/ others of the popular OLD FAMILIAR TUNES; be- ff *T ft? «- ■ tr" 1 m w mm sides OLD FAVORITES ; and also many NEW SONGS. IfWi SONGS OF ALL THE COLLEGES. 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Telegraph and Express Address, BROWNSTONE, PA. Parties visiting quarries will leave cars at Brownstone Station, on the P. & R. R. R. 'A I PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. ■mm WeaVep Pianos and Organs Essentially the instruments for critical and discriminating buyers. Superior in every detail of construction and superb' instruments for the production of a great variety of musical effects and the finest shades of expression. Close Prices. Easy Terms. Oil Instruments Exchanged. I WEAVER ORGAN AND PIANO CO., MANUFACTURERS, YORK, PA., U. S. A. \ \ Ec\ert Latest Styles in HATS, SHOES AND GENT'S FURNISHING .Our specialty. WALK-OVER SHOE M. K. ECKERT Prices always right The Lutheran puhli^ing jlonge., No. 1424 Arch Street PHILADELPHIA, PA. Acknowledged Headquarters for anything and everything in the way of Books for Churches, Col-leges, Families and Schools, and literature for Sunday Schools. PLEASE REMEMBER That by sending your orders to us you help build up and devel-op one of the church institutions with pecuniary advantage to yourself. Address H. S. BONER, Supt. m The diereary. The Literary Journal of Gettysburg College. VOL. XIII. GETTYSBURG, PA., APRIL, 1905. No. 2 CONTENTS "THE TOILER'S SONG."—Poem, 30 F. W. M. '07. "ARE OUR ISLAND COLONIES A SOURCE OF "—Essay. . HERBERT S. DORNBERGER, '06. STRENGTH?"—' 31 POEM. 34 "THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE,"—Story, . 34 "SENIOR SWAN SONG,"—Poem, 39 "A HABIT OF ECONOMY,"—Essay, . 40 GEO. W. GULDEN, '06. "THOUGHTS OF THE 'PROFS,'"—Poem, . 42 "KEEPING A DIARY,"-Essay, 45 5. B. '07. "AWAY,"—Poem . 47 '06. "THE DREAM MAIDEN,"—Story, . . 48 EDITORIALS, . • 54 "Salve, Tempus Vernum." The Bulletin Board." " The Critique." ■"UNDER THE CRACKER," 57 30 THE MERCURY. THE TOILER'S SONG. F. W. M. '07 /V CROSS the corn and cotton ■* "^ Rings out the toiler's song ; And all earth's countless voices Bear its plaintive strains along. Singing in the sunshine, Bind the long sheaves fast, Song and labor blending, For rest will come at last. Its melody is lasting ; Brings the tears to many eyes ; Those sweet-voiced singers' anthem Goes like incense to the skies. Singing in the sunshine, Speed the task with might; Rest comes after labor, And labor ends with night. Across the starlight pealing Goes the echo of that song, And thousands humbly kneeling Its mellow tones prolong. Singing in the sunshine, Crown the earth with light ; Evening brings the homeland. For labor ends with night. -HL* THE MERCURY. 3 I ARE OUR ISLAND COLONIES A SOURCE OF STRENGTH? Essay, by HERBERT S. DORNBERGER, '06. b4* VER since the close of our war with Spain much dis- "* cussion has taken place concerning our new possessions. These discussions have considered the Philippine Islands and Hawaii from various standpoints. What advantages will these semi-civilized islands bring the United States? has often been asked. Are they a source of strength or are they, on the con-trary, a source of weakness? is another of the points, which has caused much debate and contention. And thus a number of similar questions, too many to enumerate here, have likewise been asked. From this great number of standpoints it is the purpose of the present discussion to consider the foreign ag-grandizement question in respect to whether or not our new island colonies are a source of strength. This, likewise, gives rise to a large number of intermediate points, which are directly concerned with the above mentioned question. Owing to lim-ited space we will only take up the more important points and confine ourselves to the effect these islands have or may have on the United States %s a nation and on the people of the United States. The first part of the discussion, the effect these colonies have on the United States as a power or nation, will be divided, for convenience, into four topics : These islands in times of peace ; in times of war with a foreign power; in times of internal re-bellion or insurrection ; and their value to the government as coaling stations. The first topic, as before stated, will be the effect upon the United States in times of peace. Now that we are in posses-sion of these islands, it, of course, becomes necessary to make them capable of protecting themselves against either foreign or domestic strife or war. This means that a force of troops, a squadron of war-vessels and modern defences and fortifications be established there. To do this properly requires the expendi-ture of large sums of money. But this fortifying and station- 32 THE MERCURY. ing of military and naval forces there is not all the expense in-curred by holding these islands. Other modern institutions must also be introduced. An educational system must be founded, roads must be built and improved, a postal system must be established and men must be employed to fill these different positions. Thus, from the aspect of the effect of these colonies on the government, nothing but expense is seen. Now that we have hurriedly scanned the situation in times of peace, it will logically follow to examine briefly the situation in times of war with a foreign power. These islands are at a great distance from the Ignited States and are accessible only from the Pacific coast, besides requiring a large force to be sta-tioned there in the event of a hostile attack. Then, how easy it would be for some strong power to lay siege to one of the numerous harbors and thus weaken the Pacific coast defense and lay it open to attack by causing reinforcements to be sent to the besieged colonies. Of course, it is not probable that anything like this will occur at the present time, but who can tell what the future is destined to bring us ? If the United States had had these islands during the Spanish war, it would not have been so easy to overcome Spain, for it would have necessitated the keeping of a large enough force stationed at these different places to insure protection for them and thereby weakened our attacking force considerably. Now take Spain. Had she had only Spain proper to protect, she would have been enabled to use the fleets, which were protecting her various island possessions, to harrass the Atlantic and Pacific coast. England will serve as another instance of this, as will also France. Considered in this light these islands are undoubtedly an element of weakness to our otherwise strong nation. Next, we will discuss the third topic, the effect these islands have on the United States as a nation, or these possessions in times of insurrection. Their inhabitants are for the most part very poorly educated and have a tendency toward rebellion. Such a rebellion means the loss of a large number of lives and the destruction of a vast amount of property, for a rebellion there would be waged in a guerrilla fashion, which is a form of THE MERCURY. 33 insurrection that is extremely difficult to suppress. Here we again have another great disadvantage to the nation holding such possessions as the Philippins Islands and Hawaii. As ex-amples of this we cite the Philippines under Spain's dominion and the long list of insurrections and rebellions Great Britain has been obliged to meet and crush. Now that we "have considered the disadvantages these col-onies afford the United States, it is only proper that we also turn our attention to the advantages they offer us as a nation. These islands are principally valuable as coaling stations. Their location for this purpose is one of their best qualities. Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean they are most valuable as •coaling stations. They also form an extremely fine base of supplies for operations against China and the Far East. What ■makes them all the more valuable is that they, as islands, are subject only to an attack by water. Thus one can see at a glance the vast importance they are to the United States as ■coaling stations and a base of supplies for operations in the East, which will be the field of battle in the near future. Now that we have considered the more important points both for and against our keeping possession of these island colonies of ours, from the aspect of their effect upon the United States as a nation, it naturally follows that we also devote some time to the effect they will have on the people of the United States. As before, we would divide this part of the discussion into topics which are also four in number: Their value to our commerce ; their value to our industries and manufactures; their value as sources of raw materials and the like; and their value as affording a field for the investment of American capital. 34 THE MERCURY. "'i "HE Spaniards had a fleet of ships, * The greatest to be found ; They started on a conquest trip And cruised the world around. They thought they could do wondrous things And conquer every land ; But lo, they struck a windy time And now rest in the sand. They never thought that such a thing Could ever come their way ; But said that they could make King " Hen" Do 'xactly as they say. The elements were opposed to it, And now "Hen " holds full sway They only had a few ships left, Those Uncle Sam blew 'way. THE UNCERTANTY OF LIFE. TODAY we are, to-morrow we are not. When the hand of fate falls then is our time at hand. We may wander longr brave many perils ; in an unguarded, yet appointed moment we are lost. But it is not a tale of daring and courage, nor a tale of man and the city, but a plain, unvarnished tale of the mountains and streams which we would tell. Among the mountains of Pennsylvania, in a hollow, like to a giant's cup, lies a sparkling, little pond kept full by three trout streams. All around the mountains rise a sheer half-mile, and the heads of those grim, old ranges almost converge in a point. The almost in this case allows this story to be written. Now there, in days past, had stood a mill, beneath whose whirling saw the giants of the forest were transformed into prosaic lum-ber. Early in my boyhood we went through that hollow for berries; first in season raspberries, then huckleberries, then those long, sweet, black fellows, whose delicious taste well re- THE MERCURY. 35 pays a seven-mile tramp. To this spot we always came, for here there were many diverging roads and here we rested and drank of spring water, ice-cold and crystal-clear. The mill stood silent and deserted, for the flood which had wiped out the city of Johnstown also ruined the skidways and tramroads. All over the hills the only sign of man to be found were the blacked stumps, left a grim reminder oi the destructive force of man. The tramroad on which they had hauled the logs to the mill was now rotted away and over the sides of the moun-tains was a new growth which had almost reached a commer-cial size. In the valley, which was mentioned before, lived an old couple in a log cabin. We boast of being up-to-date in Penn-sylvania, yet there are spots where civilization is not all-power-ful. This was one. On the-right hand side of the cabin (go-ing up the mountain,) was the most beautiful stream I ever ex-pect to see. Great, flat slate stones scattered all over the bed of the brook were covered with moss, which, when the leaping water threw its spray, glistened like one grand robe of emeralds. An archway of trees made it an ideal retreat, cool in the hot-test summer day. Many times while berrying did we sit there, a merry crowd of boys and girls to eat our lunch. Above the cabin, circling like a gigantic serpent, runs the railroad, the P. & N. W. Railroad. Back of the cabin it makes the grandest horseshoe of any railroad in the East. Often in the hard times of '94-'97 did I ride around Point Lookout with its magnificent view for miles down the valley, where the morn-ing fog hung low over the stream and field, where the moun-tains rose grandly with their tops bathed in sunlight, except where here and there a little cloudlet of fog rose like some specter along the mountain side. Below us would be seen probably four or five coal trains creeping one after another like a procession of snails. On the first train were probably 125 men, who, idle, picked berries in preference to doing nothing in town. Below sparkling like a diamond, set on a background of velvet, lay the mill-dam in the very centre of the valley. As the train shot grandly around Point Lookout the coal cars roll- 36 THE MERCURY. ling and rocking, it made one shiver to think of the half-mile plunge we would take if they should ever leave the track. In the valley on the mountain road the berrypickers, looked like little black and red ants, and the trout stream wound about like a band of silver. But we are forgetting our cabin in the valley. The old man > who lived there, was one-half Indian, Jimmy Sutton by name. He had no trade, no occupation but that of a hunter. A small patch of ground across the road from the cabin grew all the potatoes and other vegetables he needed, and the fish and game he caught made a welcome addition to his table. He had served in the war of '61-'65 and drew a pension, which was sufficient for their simple mode of life. All day long he would sit patiently and fish or watch for wild turkey and rabbit. His patience was untiring, his time unlimited. His wife was his opposite, a childlike, primitive sort of a woman, obeying his commands with doglike devotion, looking up to him as her lord and master. He, as a rule, exacted no demands which were unreasonable or impossible. But, well I remember one summer, when the old man re-ceived his back pension. He went to the nearest saloon and drank hard from middle summer until early fall. Then the grief of his wife was almost unbearable ; her faith was touching. It transformed her from a simple, ignorant woman into a woman of strength and character. Long would she look every day for. her man's return. Often, while at her work, she would run to the door and look up the mountain road, eagerly await-ing him. And her disappointment was bitter; it moved the women of the berry pickers to tears. She never gave up hope that he would come back ; she would always answer, when asked if she expected him to return, " He'll come back some day, my Jim will." And she was right. When after a sum-mer of wondering and debauchery, the old man came home broken and penitent, her joy was beyond the reach of pen to describe. This strange couple had a son at this time, a boy of about seven years. He had never seen a trolley or a book, yet he THE MERCURY. 37 was a keen little fellow, to whom the secrets of the woods were known by instinct. With his dog, on the long, summer days, he would play through the valley, going miles from home, undisturbed by fear of rattlers and copperheads, for he was a free child of nature, reveling in the glory of mountains streams and forest. Often have I met him, calling as he ran along, exulting in the mere fact of living. He loved the moun-tains. They were school and home for him, and, though un-spoken, his passion was none the less real. The people of the lowlands can never feel, never understand, the affection a man, raised in the highlands, has for his native hills. To him they are dear; to be near them is enough ; to walk over them by day all alone with his thoughts, to camp high on their summits and watch in the summer-dusk the stars appear one by one, is glorious, it is wonderful. Standing in a valley looking up the rockstrewn steep a man's conceit is struck from him by the con-trast with his own littleness; God made the mountains, to teach man his own unworthnessand instability and to shelter the busy cities from the unbroken sweep of snowladtn winds. The summer went by. The strange family in the giant's cup lived on. More work had made fewer berrypickefs, yet they were all welcome. A belated party caught by the rain was always gladly taken in at the cabin, and when the old wo-man would spread us bread and butter after a long day's tramp, it tasted sweeter than honey, more satisfying than any dinner we have ever eaten. Well do I remember one sultry, hot day when, as the evening approached, the sky was one somber mass of black and the wind moaned through the trees like a player sadly running over the strings of his violin. Three of us sat in the cabin door and waited for the storm to break. Across the valley loomed the slide, a great yellow splotch on the hill-side, where hundreds of tons of earth had broken loose and dashed to the foot of the mountain. Around this summit the lightning played strange freaks, cutting the trees, rending them as with a giant's axe. The old man told us stories of catamounts, bears and snakes, 38 THE MERCURY. I , until, in our boyish fear, we could almost hear the unearthly cry of the wild cat and the rattle of the snake. The years went by and a time of adversity came to the family, who lived in the shadow of the mountains. Their cabin was burned one summer night" and they were left homeless. But there was some compensation for them, too. Those, who have little and lose all, regain their former standing with greater ease than those blessed with many worldly goods. A tew days later a new cabin stood on the site of the old one and what little furniture they had lost was replaced by the exercise of a little ingenuity. The fall came on and the mountain sides were clothed in a a garment of red and gold. The dying leaves put on their gayest colors ere they fell, making one grand kaleidscope of beauty. The half-wild cow, which the family owned, did not return for clays and they spent their time in searching for her. One evening the boy now thought he heard the tinkle of a bell, and, asking his mother's permission, he ran down the road in search of the lost animal. At his heels followed his dog Jack, the best ground hog dog in all that country. We can only imagine him as he went down the road so light-hearted and free, little knowing he was going to meet death. We can imagine the dog stopping shortly with a quick, sharp bark as he scented the ground-hog sitting before his hole in the evening sunlight. With a short, shrill "yelp the dog springs from the road up the hill followed by the no-less eager boy. The dog soon holes the hog and then follows it through its crooked path under the rock. Brought to bay in his home, the game fought back so fiercely that, old and experienced as the dog was, he was com-pelled to retreat to the open air. Then the boy crawls forward on his stomach with a short club to dislodge the animal. The hog had builded wiser than he knew. Underneath a rough stone wall above which ran the deserted tramroad he had dug far into the ground. The boy in his eagerness thought not of the danger and striking the keystone of the wall the whole weight of rock fell upon him. His life was crushed out in an instant and all was still except for the echo of the falling stones. ■■■■ ■i I i I/ II I i tit i «I>M ./. THE MEKCURV. 39 Dusk came and then the night and not until the night was far advanced did his people begin to wonder or worry. At last alarmed, they hastened to find him. The dog faithful unto 'death sat on the ledge of rock howling morunfully and guided them to him. In a glance they understood. We cannot know the feelings of these two old people whin at last they uncovered their boy mutilated and cold. The old man, with the stoicism of his Indian father, said not a word, but his mother wailed and moaned, out there on the mountain side. They buried him in the valley where he had lived and died and now every one, who stops there, listens with sympathy and pity to the story of his untimely death. SENIOR SWAN SONG. E^~"AREWELL, when "exams " hold you in their power, And keep you awake in the wee stilly hour, Then think of what " profs " will sure do to you And how you will feel when they all get through. Your troubles are many, not one hope will remain Of the few that have passed through your fear-leaden brain. But you ne'er will forget the small note that you threw, To your class-mate o'er yonder, who signaled to you. And yet in the evening when songs you strike up, With joy and with pleasure you fill up each cup. Whate'er's in the future, be it gloomy or bright, You'll always remember the joys of that night. You will join in the jokes, the tricks, and the wiles, And return to your pillow to dream there with smiles ; For something it tells you that this happy day Will soon pass far from you forever and aye. Then live while you can in this gay college life, For soon will your path be a journey of strife. Your friends will be few and still less of them tried ; With courage and calmness you must stem the tide. Your troubles will come, they will fall thick and fast; Yet memory will hold these glad days till the last. For no matter how low you may sink in the strife, You will look back with pleasure to gay college life. 40 THE MERCURY. ' A HABIT OF ECONOMY. GULDEN, '06. kHE meaning of the words " habit" and " economy," as used in this subject, needs but little exposition. Every-one of average intelligence understands them in a general sense ; but their application in the details of affairs demands our atten-tion. A habit is an involuntary tendency to perform a certain act,, which tendency is acquired by a frequent repetition of that act. A habit determines how we walk ; another, how we sit; an-other, how we eat, and so on indefinitely, until we can truly say-that habits determine our actions. • Economy, as defined by one writer, is : " The management,, regulation or supervision of means or resources, especially the management of pecuniary or other concerns of a household;. hence, a frugal use of money, material and time ; the avoidance of, or freedom from, waste or extravagance in the management or use of anything; frugality in the expenditure of money and material." This definition, though clear, yet, it seems to me, can be crystallized into this one idea of the proper manage-ment of one's concerns. In short, then, a habit of economy is an involuntary tendency to'manage one's concerns properly. Illustrative examples we have in plenty of men, who have sadly failed on account of the lack of a habit of economy ; and of others, who have been eminently successful because they possessed it. In the care of important matters, both public and private, the largest safety is to be assured by placing con-fidence in those who have formed this habit. Observe the ex-amples of some of our great men, with what scrupulous care they managed their affairs. Washington, even in camp, with the cares of the campaign devolved upon him, looked after the details of his mess and his personal expenditures. This habit also manifested itselt in his careful account of household expen-ditures while he was President. Jefferson, too, planned the af-fairs of his house, his garden, his farm, everything to the last detail. He was reared to avoid waste. The habit of enforcing; 1 J kt ■ *l THE MERCURY. . 4I reasonable frugality was formed in his youth, and was exercised throughout his entire life. These were the highest types of the class of men in whom others put confidence, but they were not the only men who possessed this habit. We know that the majority of our an-cestors, the sturdy men and women of earlier days, possessed,- in a much larger measure, this habit than we, their descertdents^ do today. They were workers, honest, frugal and saving.- They acquired for themselves comfortable homes and taught their children to work, to save, to insure increase from a habit of wholesome economy. Often do we hear those, still living, tell how they were brought up under the discipline of economy. Work was ap-pointed for them, and they had to do it. Idleness was not tol-erated. And now it actually pains them to witness the waste and idleness practiced by the growing generation. The main question with which they were concerned, in regard to personal affairs, was, "How much can be saved?" They were satisfied to work for small wages, if out of thesf wages they could save a portion during the year. The great question today seems to be, "How much can be made?" With this deceptive guide as their leader, our young men from the country are flocking into the cities, searching for situations, which will afford them an easier living, with the hope of rapid accumulation of wealth. Many of them do not believe that labor is the producing power, but think that by some easy road they can obtain success and fortune. They have never realized that "You can't get something for nothing ;" and to them "misfortune," as they call it, speedily comes. Others have never formed the habit of economy, and, although they are successful in securing positions which pay large salaries, yet they save no money. They spend each month's wages as they earn it, and often before it is earned. They are the men who later demand higher wages, not that they may save money and make their homes more comfortable, but that they may spend more on the luxuries of life, luxuries that the wealthy enjoy. Too many of our people today are not satisfied to live com- f'fB^—l'.'»«««flHBTaMTmlfiffiff KMitmm 42 THE MEKCORV. fortably and add a little to their material possessions by prac-ticing frugality. Feeling confident that the future will bring large returns, they branch out into large expenditures, and run into debt for purchases altogether unnecessary. They try to match or surpass, in house-hold equipment or other showy material, those of larger and more abundant means. Their false pride impels them to follow the leadership of fashion which ruins them with debt, changes wholesome taste to pernicious •excesses, and invites demoralizing perils. All this from a lack of the habit of economy, which comes from saving here and there, and holding on to the small things, which go to make up the larger; a habit which should be enforced by every pa-rent, and formed by every child, because the practice of econo-my is among the most useful and valued of life's duties. THOUGHTS OF THE PROFS. ^| VHE " Prof " lies down to rest, ^ His working day is o'er ;. His dreams are filled with zest, He plots and schemes yet more. Now there's the Senior grave— Yes, I'll go after him ; He looked so bold and brave But, oh, his bluff is thin ! I call him up the very first, I torture him with fire ; And in my rage I'll almost burst The bonds of god-like ire. I'll hurl the question in his face, I'll make him quake and moan ; He surely will another place Wish he had for his happy home. But let him writhe in grief and pain, Until I find another, Who can his place as well supply, Oh, yes, his Junior brother. THE MERCURY'. 43 A Junior is a mighty man, A man of power aiid skill ; Indeed, if it were not for him The schools would go downhill. That's what he thinks about himself, But oh what a foolish notion ; Could"he see himself as others see, He might change in his devotion. To '• Profs " arrayed in learning deep He looks quite small indeed ; Pop says he sees them come and go, And when Pop speaks we heed. To them the brain of man is clear As crystal-sparkling water; In logic they are gifted one's In Greek they wisely mutter. But the ■' Prof " dreams on ; His ghoulish glee is not one whit abated, For tomorrow come exams, you know, And his wrath can not be sated. Philosophy, History, Poetry, Art, Psychology and Mathematics— A very demon seems to start As he gazes on Poppy Statics. But we leave the Junior now anon, For the Sophomore, wisest of wise, Who, haughtily smiling, gazes on With his wide-open owl-like eyes. To him the heavens are an open book ; For botany specimens he roams the plain, On athletic teams for him you look ; At midnight knowledge he strives to gain. He hustles and bustles around, Like a hen on a griddle hot; Undying fame he would win at a bound, He would even question the wife of Lot. . . I ■ >tl.'J ! 44 THE MERCURY. But the professor has a job for him, That will turn his joy to woe ; Ich bin, du bist, like a funeral hymn The Dutchman mutters sweet and slow. An essay I make him hand to me, The Essay Doctor says in his sleep ; Four-hundred-thousand words at least And busy at his work he'll keep. Goodbye, Sophomore, here's my meat, The Proffy grins in fiendish glee, For the verdant grass beneath the feet Is pale indeed near a Freshman wee. This world struggled on for ages Ere the Freshman here arrived, And now he scribbles countless pages, To solve the riddle he often tries. He's in for reform the day he starts— Politic's, Fraternities, curriculum, too ; He'll assign to the " profs " their speaking parts ', And tell the Seniors what to do. There's not a thing on this old sphere, Of which he cannot all things tell; He's always in place to see and hear ; He has guided all he attempted well. But o'er him does the Proffy gloat, And rolls in his bed with joy ; For he's going to set this young mind afloat; He'll surely teach this Freshman boy ! He'll make him dig the whole day long, Till his tired hands can scarcely move ; No more will he burst into song ; Sad, sick he misses mamma's love ; " For I'll be his mother dear," The kindly Proffy said ; " I put his bottle of milk quite near I dress him for his little bed. • 1/ IJ * / f THE MERCURY. 45 ^^»M*.IM,IH,t. aiH.^nY.fal.fc., 1,1 l.t/-.Jl L.IM11M 48 1 THE MERCURY. The rose looked up at the maiden And opened its petals white ; The twilight of life is passing, How swiftly falls the night, But into the city of sorrow The maiden sent the rose, That bloomed on a brighter morrow For only a few of those, Who, burdened with strife of living, Yet yearned for one happy day, And 'twas thus, through the maiden,s giving, That the rose found out " A Way." THE DREAM MAIDEN. WHEN Bill Heller came to college as an unsophisticated rustic, he little dreamed of the adventures which des-tiny had mapped out for him. Up to this time Bill had been accustomed only to follow his father's great horses as they toiled in the heat of the mid-day sun, to listen to the liquid warbling of the nightingale as she sang in the silvery moonlight, to rise in the early dawn as the sun came majestically sweep-ing above the horizon, kissing the tender buttercups as they gladly turned their golden cheek toward him. Bill had read the lives of men who had left their foot-prints on the sands of time and often in the solitude of his daily toil he had longed for the time when he should lift his deep sounding voice against the evils which threatened the destruction of his native land. Bill's first month's experience as a verdant Freshman was not exactly (a direct) parallel to his expectations. Beaten and bruised in the class rushes, the laughing stock of the upper classmen, his hopes and ambitions suffered a severe shock. To be or not to be. Should he stay and endure it all or go back to the huckleberry bushes ? was the question, which constantly puzzled Bill's mind as the days went by and trouble threw her black cloak around him like the pall of darkest night. The last spark of hope had almost died away and homesickness, that most unrelenting of all afflictions, held Bill in its iron grip. ) I I * I a < 11 THE MERCURY. 49 'One night, overwhelmed with the deepest dispair, he angrily 'dashed his books to the floor and rushed forth into the night, -some unconscious attraction, the will of some higher power, •drew him on. Over field and meadow he plodded, weary of the world, of sorrow and care. Unmindful of the flight of time and whither-soever, he walked, he finally came to a stream glittering in the moonlight. Sitting on a fallen giant of the forest and hurrying his face in his hands, he burst into tears, ibitter and unconsoling. The tears dropping like rain on the placid bosm of the stream rippled as though it, too, sympathized •with him in his hour of trouble. Gently as the professor steals upon the unsuspecting cribber, lie heard a faint melody steal upon him. Was it his fervid imagination or was it the murmur of the rippling brook ? Like the balm of Gilead, the sound came to his troubled soul and, forgetting all woes, he sat, enraptured by the wild beauty of the music; nearer and nearer it came, louder and louder it grew and Bill felt himself wafted into the seventh heaven of delight. Like a meteor bursting from its home in the heavens, a vision came from the depths of the forest and then Bill knew from whence those angelic notes had come. He sat spellbound and speech-less as the fair creature swept by him. His ayes had never before beheld such beauty, so intoxicating, so wonderful that Bill's excited brain could scarce believe her human. Some where in this rushing old world of ours there is a man for every woman, a woman for every man. Sometimes they never meet and two lives are blasted. When they do meet some law, un-known in its principles, draws them together, until two hearts beat as one. She was gone, but a new hope beat in Bill's breast. Who the fair maiden was Bill pondered in vain. Was she human or divine? If he could only see her once again, what would he not do or give to hold the fair (creature) in his arms and whisper, soft words of love in those (dainty) ears ! Bill's ambition came back like the tide and he held his head proudly up to the starry heavens. The clock just struck three, when Bill reached the college gate, and soon he was in Ded. Sleep came to him, a dream in which a lovely maiden gently MM.LV.W tLMMUJ'M.Ul.lr, jl.L.At.l.l.t.MHHiamHimmaUilMMI 50 THE MERCURY. brushed his tawny locks from off his fevered brow. The Chapel Bell was ringing when Bill awoke, and, hastily dressing, he was just 5 1-2 minutes late in getting to Latin class. Three times the Latin professor called upon him to recite, and three times Bill heard him not. The fourth summons broke the spell of his reverie and the gigling of his classmates caused Bill to blush to the roots of his hair. Bill's head swam. The room seemed to* be going round and he toppled over in a faint. For two months he lay in bed with brain fever. His life was despaired of and only his magnificent constitution and will sustained life. One night, while the tired nurse slept, Bill silently stole from his bed and instinctively sought again the spot where the vision of love-liness had first appeared to him. She was an over-grown country girl, a brunette, with wide-open, brown eyes. She came to college to realize her highest ideals, wilful, pretulent, brilliant, in her classes, always singled out in a crowd, a veritible queen, envied by women, loved by the men. Born in an atmosphere of literary culture and re-finement, she was at the time we write as yet undeveloped by the moulding flame of love. Nature was to her an open book. She loved to roam the fields and forests drinking with delight from the sparkling springs which sprang up in the forests. She came to college to live, to enjoy, to do, to be. Never failing in her set purpose, she went overcoming all obstacles. Her voice, bell-like and clear, sounded through the forest like the chime of a silver bell. She never knew the joy of love, the wild abandon, the joy that was almost pain. Bill had escaped his nurse and sat again at the tree in the forest beside the brook. He listened, longing with all the unreasonableness of a sick man for the voice of his charmer. Hark, listen, through the stillness of the night, it came and Bill's heart threatened to leap from his mouth. The voice came no nearer and Bill arose walking silently on the fallen leaves. He had walked only a few hundred feet when coming out into an open glade he saw the object of his search. Parting the bushes, Bill stood there open-eyed, drinking in the music as the hot sand of the desert drinks up the falling dew. There was the disturber of his -

PARTISIPASI POLITIK PEMILIH PEMULA DALAM PEMILIHAN BUPATI DAN WAKIL BUPATI DI KABUPATEN TALAUD [1] (Suatu Studi Di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud) Oleh : Jeki Tinuntung[2] Nim : 100814016 Abstrak Partisipasi Politik dari Pemilih Pemula di kecamatan Essang Selatan, Kabupaten Talaud dalam Pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati sangat menarik untuk dilakukan karena seperti kita ketahui bahwa, Pemilih pemula sebagai objek dalam kegiatan politik, yaitu mereka yang masih memerlukan pembinaan dalam orientasi ke arah pertumbuhan potensi dan kemampuannya ke depan dapat berperan dalam bidang politik. Di kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud jumlah pemilih pemula sebanyak 354 jiwa yang terdaftar di Daftar Pemilih Tetap (DPT).Keberadaan pemilih pemula diatas, menjadi incaran bagi partai politik untuk mendulang suara dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kabupaten Talaud.Para pemilih pemula ini umumnya belum terinformasikan serta tidak memiliki pendidikan politik memadai.Dengan asumsi ini, partai politik berupaya memengaruhi pilihan politik pemilih pemula melalui berbagai upaya.Dalam kenyataannya partai politik lebih banyak memberdayakan pemilih pemula melalui kampanye dengan melibatkan politik uang.Ada beberapa aalasan mengapa para pemilih pemula berpartisipasi dalam pilkada yaitu sebagian besar pemilih pemula masi menaruh kepercayaan kepada pemerintah uantuk mengubah bangasa ini kearah lebih baik, pemilih pemula berpartisipasi karena diiming-imingi honor yang besar, dan bahkan ada pemilih pemula yang hanya sekedar ikut-ikutan. Oleh karena itu, peneliti ingin meneliti bagaimana pertisipasi politik pemilih pemula dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud 2013 dan Faktor Pendorong dan Penghambat apa yang mempengaruhi partisipasi politik pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud 2013.Fokus Penelitian ini adalah Partisipasi Politik Pemilih Pemula dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kecamatan Essang Selatan kabupaten Talaud 2013 dengan menguraikan dan menganalisa bentuk-bentuk partisipasi politik pemilih pemula dan faktor-faktor yang mendorong dan menghambat partisipasi politik pemilih pemula di kecamatan essang selatan kabupaten talaud dalam pemiliha bupati dan wakil bupati 2013.Penelitian ini Menggunakan menggunakan pendekatan penelitian Kualitatif.Dengan teknik pengumpulan data berupa Observasi, Wawancara dan Dokumentasi. Data di ambil dari Informan yaitu Pemilih Pemula yang berjumlah 45 orang dari kecamatan Essang Selatan, dan Informan tambahan di ambil dari Anggota KPUdan PPK Kecamatan. Hail Penelitian menunjukan bahwa bentuk partisipasi yang di lakukan oleh pemilih pemula di kecamatan Essang Selatan adalah diskusi informal (berbicara masalah politik), Kampanye, dan pemberian suara. Selain itu ada faktor yang mendorong partisipasi politik pemilih pemula di kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talauddalam pemilihan bupati dan wakil bupati antara Lain: perangsang politik, karakteristik pribadi seseorang, karakteristik sosial, situasi atau lingkungan politik, dan pendidikan politik.sedangkan faktor penghambat yait: Kesibukan Kegiatan sehari-hari, minder , dan larangan dari pihak keluarga. Kata Kunci: Partisipasi Politik, Pemilih Pemula, Pilkada Bupati dan Wakil Bupati Pendahuluan Pemilihaan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kabupaten Talaud telah selesai dilaksanakan pada 9 Desember 2013 yang lalu. Sesuai dengan hasil perolehan suara yang di dapat sebesar 51.156 suara yang memberikan hak pilihnya dari 67.132 jiwa yang terdaftar di Daftar Pemilih Tetap atau ada 76% yang memilih dan 24% yang tidak memilih (manado.tribunnews.com). Meningkatnya angka pemilih yang tidak menggunakan hak pilihnya ini, peran dari pemilih pemula sangat mendominasi. Mengingat pemilih pemula yang baru memasuki usia hak pilih sebagian besar belum memiliki jangkauan politik yang luas untuk menentukan kemana mereka harus memilih. Selain itu, ketidak tahuan dalam politik praktis membuat pemilih pemula sering tidak berpikir rasional dan lebih mementingkan kepentingan jangka pendek. Sehingga terkadang apa yang mereka pilih tidak sesuai yang diharapkan.Kecamatan Essang Selatan adalah Kecamatan di Kabupaten Talaud yang memiliki jumlah pemilih pemula sebanyak 354 jiwa yang terdaftar di Daftar Pemilih Tetap (DPT).Keberadaan pemilih pemula diatas, menjadi incaran bagi partai politik untuk mendulang suara dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kabupaten Talaud.Para pemilih pemula ini umumnya belum terinformasikan serta tidak memiliki pendidikan politik memadai.Dengan asumsi ini, partai politik berupaya memengaruhi pilihan politik pemilih pemula melalui berbagai upaya.Dalam kenyataannya partai politik lebih banyak memberdayakan pemilih pemula melalui kampanye dengan melibatkan politik uang.Ada beberapa aalasan mengapa para pemilih pemula berpartisipasi dalam pilkada yaitu sebagian besar pemilih pemula masi menaruh kepercayaan kepada pemerintah uantuk mengubah bangasa ini kearah lebih baik, pemilih pemula berpartisipasi karena diiming-imingi honor yang besar, dan bahkan ada pemilih pemula yang hanya sekedar ikut-ikutan.Untuk mengetahui bagaimana partisipasi pemilih pemula dan faktor-faktor yang mendorong pemilih pemula berpartisipasi dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud, maka perlu diadakan penelitian untuk hal tersebut. Adapun penelitian akan di laksanakan di kecamatan essang selatan kabupaten talaud. Dari latar belakang tersebut, penulis terdorong untuk melakukan penelitian dengan judul "Partisipasi Politik Pemilih Pemula dalam Pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kabupaten Talaud 2013 (Suatu studi di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud).Berdasarkan pada apa yang telah diuraikan diatas maka penulis merumuskan masalah Sebagai berikut : (1). Bagaimana partisipasi politik pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati 2013 ? (2). Faktor-Faktor apa saja yang Mendorong dan menghambat pemilih pemula untuk berpartisipasi dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Kepulauan Talaud 2013 ? Sedangkan tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah: (1). Untuk mengetahui bagaimana partisipasi politik pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud dalam pemilihan Bupati dan wakil Bupati 2013. (2). Untuk mengetahui faktor-faktor apa saja yang Mendorong dan Menghambat pemilih pemula untuk berpartisipasi dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Kepulauan Talaud tahun 2013.Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan manfaat sabegai berikut: (1). Manfaat teoritis diantaranya yaitu: Melalui penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan kontribusi yang positif ke-arah perkembangan ilmu pengetahuan khususnya ilmu-ilmu Politik.Melalui penelitian ini dapat menambah pengetahuan tentang masalah yang berhubungan dengan Partisipasi Pemilih Pemula. (2). Manfaat Praktis diantaranya: Melalui penelitian ini diharapkan dapat dijadikan sebagai sumbangan pemikiran bagi pihak-pihak yang berkepentingan bagi pemerintah maupun masyarakat khususnya di Kecamatan Essang selatan kabupaten Talaud. Tinjauan Pustaka Dalam Kamus Politik, partisipasi adalah Ambil bagian; ikut; turut. Istila ini lebih populer dalam mengartikan ikutnya seseorang atau badan dalam satu pekerjaan atau rencana besar (Marbun, 2013;363). Partisipasi politik adalah kegiatan seseorang, kelompok, atau organisasi untuk ikut secara aktif dalam kehidupan politik. Misalnya, ikut pemilu, memengaruhi pengambilan keputusan, dan ikut partai politik (Kaelola, 2009;222). Selanjutnya Miryam Budiardjo mengatakan partisipasi secara umum adalah kegiatan seseorang atau sekelompok orang untuk ikut serta secara aktif dalam kehidupan politik, antara lain dengan jalan memilih pemimpin negara dan, secara langsung atau tidak langsung, memengaruhi kebijakan pemerintah (public policy). Kegiatan ini mencakup tindakan seperti memberikan suara dalam pemilihan umum, mengadakan hubungan (contacting) atau lobbying dengan pejabat pemerintah atau anggota parlement, menjadi anggota partai atau salah satu gerakan sosial dengan direct actionnya, dan sebagainya (Efriza, 2012;126). Menurut Michael Rush dan Philip Althoff dalam buku Teori-teori Politik (Sitepu, 2012;100-101) mengidentifikasi bentuk-bentuk partisipasi politik sebagai berikut: Menduduki jabatan politik atau administrativeMencari jabatan politik atau administrativeKeanggotaan aktif dari suatu organisasiKeanggotaan pasif ssuatu organisasiKeanggotaan aktif suatu organisasi semu-politik (quasi-political)Keanggotaan pasif suatu organisasi semu-politikPartisipasi dalam rapat umum, demonstrasi, dan sebagainyaPartisipasi dalam diskusi politik informal, minat umum dalam politikVoting (pemberian suara) Maran (2007:156) yang menyebutkan faktor utama yang mendorong orang berpartisipasi politik yaitu: a). Perangsang politik adalah suatu dorongan terhadap seorang pemilih agar mau berpatisipasi dalam kehidupan politik. Perangsang politik Dipengaruhi oleh kegiatan kegiatan diskusi politik, pengaruh media massa, diskusidiskusi formal dan informal. b) Karakteristik pribadi seseorang adalah watak sosial seorang pemilih yang mempunyai kepedulian sosial yang besar terhadap masalah sosial, politik, ekonomi, dan hankam, yang biasanya mau terlibat dalam aktivitas politik. c) Karakteristik sosial adalah status sosial, ekonomi, kelompok ras, etnis, dan agama seseorang yang akan mempengaruhi persepsi, sikap, perilaku seseorang dalam aktivitas. d) Situasi atau lingkungan politik adalah keadaan lingkungan sosial sekitar seorang pemilih yang baik dan kondusif agar seorang pemilih mau dengan senang hati berpartisipasi dalam aktivitas politik. e) Pendidikan politik adalah upaya pemerintah untuk merubah warga Negara agar dapat memiliki kesadaran politik dengan terlibat dalam aktivitas politik. Pemilih pemula adalah mereka yang berusia 17-21 atau yang suda menikah atau mereka yang baru pertama kali memiliki pengalaman memilih, yang pada pilkada periode yang lalu belum genap berusia 17 tahun. Dalam pendidikan politik kelompok pemuda yang baru pertama kali akan melalukan hak pilihnya disebut pemilih Pemula. Ada juga kalangan yang lebih longgar memberikan batasan bagi pemilih pemula yakni TNI/Polri yang baru pensiun dan kembali menjadi warga sipil yang memiliki hak memilih juga dikategorikan sebagai pemilih pemula. Seperti diketahui saat menjadi anggota TNI/Polri mereka tidak memiliki hak pilih dalam pemilu. Setelah mereka memasuki masa pension dalam usia tertentu, barulah mereka memiliki hak memilih dan dipilih dalam pemilu (kpujakarta.go.id). Di Indonesia, saat ini pemilihan kepala daerah dilakukan secara langsung oleh pendudukdaerah administratif setempat yang memenuhi syarat. Pemilihan kepala daerah dilakukan satu paket bersama dengan wakil kepala daerah. Kepala daerah dan wakil kepala daerah yang dimaksud mencakup (Dari Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas) : Gubernur dan wakil gubernur untuk provinsi Bupati dan wakil bupati untuk kabupaten Wali kota dan wakil wali kota untuk kota Pemilihan kepala daerah merupakan salah satu instrument untuk memenuhi desentralisasi politik dimana dimungkinkan terjadinya transfer lokus kekuasaan dari pusat ke daerah. Pemilihan kepala daerah sebagaimana pemilihan umum nasional merupakan sarana untuk memilih dan mengganti pemerintah secara damai dan teratur .melalui pemilihan kepala daerah, rakyat secara langsung akan memilih pemimpin didaerahnya sekaligus memberikan legitimasi kepada siapa yang berhak dan mampu untuk memerinta. Melalui pemilihan kepala daerah perwujudan kedaulatan rakyat dapat di tegakan. Pemilihan kepala daerah dengan kata lain merupakan seperangkat aturan atau metode bagi warga negara untuk menentukan masa depan pemerintahan yang legitimate (Mustafa Lutfi, 2010;130).Bupati dalam konteks otonomi daerah di Indonesia adalah kepala daerah untuk daerah kabupaten.Pada dasarnya, bupati memiliki Tugas dan wewenang memimpin penyelenggaraan daerah berdasarkan kebijakan yang di tetapkan bersam DPRD Kabupaten.Bupati dipilih dalam satu pasangan secara langsung oleh rakyat di kabupaten setempat (id.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/bupati). Metode Penelitian Dalam penelitian tentang partisipasi politik pemilih pemula dalam Pelaksanaan pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati Kabupaten Talaud 2013 peneliti menggunakan pendekatan penelitian Kualitatif. Jenis Data yang di gunakan adalah Data Primer dan Sekunder.Sumber data primer adalah informan.Informan merupakan sumber berupa orang.Dalam penelitian ini, yang menjadi informan adalah pemilih pemula yang terdaftar dan mempunyai hak pilih di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud. Kecamatan Essang Selatan terdiri dari 9 Desa, dan di setiap desa yang ada di kecamatan akan di ambil 5 informan. Jadi, total keseluruhan responden ada 45 orang.Dan informan tambahan adalah ketua atau anggota KPUD Talaud, serta anggota atau ketua PPK Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud.Dan untuk Sekunder dalam penelitian ini, diperoleh dari sumber tertulis, yaitu sumber dari buku-buku atau literature yang berkaitan dengan judul dan tema penelitian. Fokus penelitian dibatasi pada partisipasi pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud 2013. Agar dapat memberikan hasil yang lengkap maka fokus penelitian tersebut dirinci dalam unit-unit kajian sebagai berikut: pertama, bentuk partisipasi pemilih pemula dalam pelaksanaan pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kabupaten talaud kecamatan essang selatan 2013. Kedua, faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi pemilih pemula untuk berpartisipasi dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kecamatan essang selatan kabupaten talaud 2013.Instrumen penelitian dan Teknik pengumpulan data yang di gunakan adalah Observasi, Wawancara (Interview) dan dokumentasi. Teknik analisa data yang dilakukan yaitu setelah data dikumpulkan, maka selanjutnya data akan dipaduhkan, digambarkan dalam bentuk uraian kalimat dengan memberikan interpretasi/penafsiran berdasarkan hasil wawancara langsung yang dilakukan oleh peneliti dengan sampel dari objek penelitian yang ada atau informan yang ada. Hasil Penelitian Kecamatan Essang Selatan merupakan wilayah kecamatan termuda dari 19 (Sembilan belas) kecamatan yang ada di Kabupaten Kepulauan Talaud. Luas wilayah Kecamatan Essang Selatan 5.888 Ha, Jumlah Penduduk Kecamatan Essang Selatan : 3.550 jiwa. Jumlah Pemilih Pemula yang telah terdaftar sebagai pemilih tetap dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kecamatan Essang Selatan kabupaten talaud berjumlah 354 orang dengan jumlah laki-laki 200 orang dan perempuan 154 orang. Berdasarkan penelitian yang dilakukan oleh peneliti, Jumlah masyarakat Kabupaten Talaud yang terdaftar dalam Daftar Pemilih Tetap yang ada di 19 Kecamatan berjumlah 67.132 orang dengan jumlah laki-laki 33.914 orang dan jumlah perempuan 33.218 orang yang terbagi dalam 206 TPS di 19 kecamatan di kabupaten talaud. Jumlah pemilih yang telah terdaftar dalam Daftar pemilih tetap yaitu 67.132 orang telah menentukan pilihan mereka pada tanggal 9 Desember 2013 untuk memilih Bupati dan wakil Bupati kabupaten yang nantinya akan memimpin kabupaten talaud selama lima tahun kedepan. Sesuai dengan data dari Kantor KPUD Talaud yang di dapat oleh penulis dalam penelitian ini dari jumlah masyarakat talaud 67.132 orang yang terdaftar dalam daftar pemilih tetap, teryata ada 51.156 suara, yang terdiri dari 50.472 suara yang sah dan 684 suara yang tidak sah (Sumber: KPUD Kabupaten Talaud). Jumlah Pemilih Pemula yang telah terdaftar sebagai pemilih tetap dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kecamatan Essang Selatan kabupaten talaud berjumlah 354 orang dengan jumlah laki-laki 200 orang dan perempuan 154 orang. Sesuai dengan daftar hadir dari setiap TPS yang ada di Sembilan desa di Kecamatan Essang selatan, Pemilih Pemula yang datang ke TPS untuk memberikan suaranya dalam pemilihan Kepala daerah atau Bupati dan Wakil bupati di kabupaten Talaud 2013 yaitu 230 orang dan yang tidak memberikan suaranya yaitu 124 orang dari jumlah pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan yaitu 354 orang, atau ada 65% yang menggunakan hak pilih dan 35% yang tidak menggunakan hak pilihnya. Pembahasan Partisipasi politik yang dilakukan oleh pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud dalam pemilihan bupati dan wakil bupati adalah Pemberian Suara (Voting), Kampanye, dan berbicara masalah politik. 1. Berbicara Masalah Politik Bentuk partisipasi politik yang dilakukan oleh pemilih pemula dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kecamatan essang selatan kabupaten talaud ialah berbicara masalah politik. Seorang pekerja muda, Jacob Oscar ruing (22 tahun) wawancara tanggal 26 Juni mengatakan: "Ketika jam istirahat, saya dan teman-teman kantor saya sering berdiskusi tentang masalah-masalah yang saat ini terjadi dalam persiapan pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati kabupaten talaud. Bahkan masing-masing dari kami saling menonjolkan pilihan kami masing-masin" Dari hasil wawancara, pemilih pemula sering membicarakan masalah pemilihan kepala daerah di lingkungan tempat dia bekerja.Sementara itu, seorang pelajar Ricky mangole (18) hasil wawancara tanggal 26 Juni mengatakan: "saya dan teman-teman sekelas sering berdepat tentang persiapan pemilihan Bupati dan wakil bupati di kabupaten talaud ketika jam istirahan dan bahkan saat mata pelajara PKN, guru kami memberikan topic tentan pemilihan bupati dan wakil bupati di kabupaten talaud untuk kami diskusikan". Dari hasil wawancara, pemilih pemula sering mendiskusikan masalah pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati dengan teman-temannya di sekolah.Hal ini menunjukan bahwa pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati kabupaten talaud 2013 mempunyai tempat yang istimewa di hati pemilih pemula di kecamatan essang selatan. Pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati 2013 merupakan pengalaman pertama kali bagi para pemilih pemula untuk memilih pemimpin yang nantinya akan memimpin kabupaten talaud selama lima tahun kedepan. Hal ini merupakan sesuatu yang menarik bagi masyarakat khususnya pemilih pemula. 2. Kampanye Bentuk partisipasi politik yang lain ialah mengikuti Rapat umum atau demostrasi yang diselenggarakan oleh suatu organisasi politik atau oleh kelompok kepentingan tertentu. Partisipasi seperti ini bisa bersifat spontan tetapi seringkali Karena di organisasi oleh partai-partai politik, kelompok kepentingan untuk memenuhi agenda politik mereka masing-masing (Maran, 2001;105). Kampanye Pilkada mrupakan sarana pesta demokrasi. Setelah di wawancarai, ternyata sebagian besar pemilih pemula suda mengetahui otujuan kampanye dan mereka beranggapan bahwa kampanye merupakan kegiatan menyampaikan informasi dan menunjukan Visi,Misi, dan program pasangan calon yang nantinya akan terpilih, sehingga melalui itu maka mereka akan memilih. Hal ini sejalan dengan pendapat Nia Andalangi (20 tahun) hasil wawancara 27 Juni mengatakan: "Kampanye sangat penting untuk kita ikuti. Karena melalui kampanye, kita bisa mengetahui Visi, Misi bahkan program kerja apa yang akan dilakukan oleh bupati dan wakil bupati di kabupaten talaud kedepan. Hal itulah yang membuat saya ikut kampanye". Ada Pemilih pemula di kecamatan essang selatan juga yang beranggapan bahwa kampanye merupakan suatu kegiatan yang menyita waktu yang banyak dan harus mengalahkan segala rutinitas dan kegiatan mereka sehari-hari, mengakibatkan para pemilih pemula enggan untuk ikut berpartisipasi dalam kegiatan kampanye. Pemilih pemula yang lain beranggapan bahwa kegiatan kampanye merupakan kegiatan yang menyenangkan karena mereka mendapat hiburan, selain itu juga mereka dapat memberikan dukungan kepada pasangan calon kepala daerah atau bupati dan wakil bupati yang mereka dukung. Namun ada pula yang beralasan bahwa kampanye hanya hegiatan hura-hura dan ajang berkumpul dengan teman-teman saja, dan tidak memperdulikan arti dari kegiatan kampanye yang sebenarnya. Hal ini sesuai hasil wawancara dengan Alan Pusida (18 tahun), ia mengatakan: "Saya sebenarnya tidak tertarik dengan kegiatan-kegiatan politik.Namun, saya ikut kampanye karena di ajak oleh teman-teman sekelas.Selain itu, saya suka dengan keramaian. Bahkan kata teman-teman saya ketika kita ikut kampanye, kita akan dapat imbalan". Sesuai dengan hasil wawancara di atas, ternyata masi ada pemilih pemula di kecamatan essang selatan yang belum mengerti apa tujuan kampanye, bahkan ada yang tidak memperdulikan keadaan politik di daerah. 3. pemberian Suara Pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kabupaten Talaud 2013 merupakan rangkaian pesta demokrasi yang di tunggu-tunggu oleh warga masyarakat talaud untuk menentukan siapa yang akan memimpin Kabupaten Talaud selama lima tahun kedepan. Oleh karena itu, tidak mengherankan jika mesyarakat di kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud begitu antusias untuk mensukseskan pagelaran itu, khususnya pemilih pemula.Hasil penelitian ini sejalan dengan pendapat Michel Rush dan Phillip Althoff yang menyatakan bahwa bentuk partisipasi politik yang paling umum dikenal adalah pemungutan suara (voting).Voting merupakan bentuk partisipasi politik yang tidak menuntut banyak upayah.Kegiatan ini dilakukan pada saat diperlukan. Untuk melakukan kegiatan ini yang diperlukan hanyalah sedikit inisiatif (Maran 2001;151).Sesuai dengan pendapat Michel dan atholff di atas bahwa voting merupakan bentuk partisipasi politik yg tidak menuntut banyak upayah, tetapi setelah penulis meneliti ternyata ada pemililih pemula yang dalam menentukan pilihan politiknya tidak sesuai hati nurani mereka. Hal ini sama seperti yang dikatakan oleh Olivia Paradenti pada wawancara tanggal 8 Juni 2014 yang menyatakan: "Saya memilih bupati dan wakil bupati sesuai dengan hati nurani saya.Tidak ada paksaan dari siapapun, baik itu dari kakak ataupun dari ibu saya. Karena saya tahu, datang ke TPS dan mencoblos adalah kewajiban saya sebagai warga Negara" Hal ini berbeda dengan apa yang di katakana oleh Billy Pusida (17), pada wawancara 7 juni 2014, ia mengatakan: "Saya memilih Bupati dan Wakil Bupati sesuai dengan pilihan dari ayah dan ibu saya. Saya mengikuti apa yang mereka katakanan, karena saya tidak terlalu tahu dengan para calon bupati dan wakil bupati pada pilkada kabupaten talaud 2013". Dari hasil wawancara diatas, ada pemilih pemula yang memilih tidak sesuai dengan hati nurani mereka.Hal ini dapat di analisis sebagai berikut, penggambaran yang sering muncul tentang pemilih pemula adalah kurangnya pengetahuan dan pengalaman menjadikan mereka tidak percaya diri dalam menentukan pilihannya. Selain bentuk-bentuk partisipasi politik dari pemilih pemula yang di teliti, peneliti juga meneliti tentang faktor pendorong dan faktor penghambat partisipasi politik pemilih pemula dalam pemilihan bupati dan wakil bupati di kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud 2013. Adapun faktor Pendorong adalah: 1. Rangsangan Politik Faktor pendorong yang menurut Mibrath diantaranya Adanya rangsangan politik, rangsangan politik sangatlah penting untuk menumbuhkan kesadaran seorang pemilih pemula agar mau berpartisipasi dalam kegiatan politik.Dalam hal ini minat berpartisipasi dipengaruhi misalnya sering mengikuti diskusi-diskusi politik melalui media masa atau melalui diskusi formal maupun informal.Hal ini sesuai dengan apa yang dikatakan oleh Sria Larenggam (18 tahun) wawancara tanggal 27 Juni 2014 dia mengatakan: "Saya ikut milih karena sesuai informasi yang saya liat dari berita-berita yang saya liat di tv bahwa setiap warga masyarakat yang suda berusia 17 tahun harus wajib memilih". Sesuai dengan hasil wawancara dengan informan, pemilih pemula di kecamatan Essang Selatan terdorong untuk ikut berpartisipasi dalam pemilihan Bupati dan wakil Bupati di kecamatan essang selatan kabupaten talaud 2013 karena ada rangsangan dari media masa atau eletronik. 2. Karakteristik Pribadi Seseorang Selain faktor rangsangan politik, Milbrath juga menyatakan karakteristik pribadi seseorang juga merupakan faktor pendorong sesorang dalam berpartisipasi politik.Orang-orang yang berwatak sosial yang mempunyai kepedulian sosial yang besar terhadap problem sosial, politik ekonomi, sosial budaya, hankam, biasanya mau terlihat dalam aktivitas politik. Sesuai hasil wawancara dengan informan Ordis Pareda (19 tahun) wawancara 27 juni, mengatakan: "saya sangat peduli dengan keadaan politik di Negara kita. Terlebih khusus di kabupaten talaud.Melihat banyak masalah yang sering terjadi di kabupaten talaud ini, membuat saya lebih bersemangat dalam memilih.Dengan harapan, calon yang saya pilih dapat mengubah kabupaten talaud lebih baik lagi". Para pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan mempunyai karakteristik pribadi sosial yang berbeda-beda, namun dari berbagai macam perbedaan itu para pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan cukup banyak yang peduli dan sadar akan hak politik mereka sebagai masyarakat. Mereka mau berpartisipasi dalam pilkada kabupaten taluad 2013 dengan datang ke TPS dimana mereka tinggal sesuai dengan undangan yang mereka dapat. 3.Karakteristik Sosial Faktor pendorong partisipasi politik lainnya yaitu karakteristik sosial, bagaimana pun juga lingkungan sosial itu ikut mempengaruhi persepsi, sikap perilaku seseorang dalam bidang politik.Oleh sebab itulah, mereka mau berpartisipasi dalam bidang politik.Para pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang selatan mempunyai karakteristik pribadi sosial yang berbeda-beda, namun dari berbagai macam perbedaan itu para pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan cukup banyak yang peduli dan sadar akan hak politik mereka, peran mereka sebagai masyarakat. 4. Situasi atau lingkungan politik Situasi atau lingkungan politik yang kondusif merupakan salah satu faktor pendorong dalam berpartisipasi politik. Dengan lingkungan politik yang kondusif akan membuat orang dengan senang hati berpartisipasi dalam kehidupan politik. Dalam lingkungan politik yang demokratis orang merasa lebih bebas dan nyaman untuk terlibat dalam aktivitas-aktivitas politik dari pada dalam lingkungan politik yang otoriter.Lingkungan politik yang sering diisi dengan aktivitas-aktivitas brutal dan kekerasan dengan sendirinya menjauhkan masyarakat dari wilayah politik. Hasil wawancara dengan Mila Regang (17 tahun) wawancara tanggal 30 juni, menhatakan: "lingkungan di desa kami sangat aman. Saat menjelang pemilu tidak pernah terjadi keributan.Situasi saat pemilihan bupati dan wakil bupati di desa kami sangat mendukung.Sehingga kami dapat memilih dengan aman.Tidak ada paksaan dari siapapun". Di Kecamatan Essang selatan hampir setiap daerahnya aman dan kondusif, sehingga semua masyarakat dapat berpartisipasi dalam pilkada Kabupate Talaud 2013 termasuk para pemilih pemula. Dari informasi yang didapat dari beberapa informan, para pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan berpartisipasi dalam Pilkada Talaud 2013 berdasarkan keinginan mereka sendiri, tidak adanya arahan dari pihak lain, tidak adanya suatu hal yang otoriter.Hal ini sesuai dengan Pendapat Aldes Laluraa (18 tahun) dalam wawancara 23 Juni 2013 ia menyatakan: "saya memilih sesuai dengan hati nurani saya, tidak ada pengaruh dari orang tua saya". 5. Pendidikan Politik Pendidikan politik merupakan faktor pendorong lain dalam partisipasi politik, pendidikan politik sangatlah penting bagi masyarakat khususnya pemilih pemula, karena pemilih pemula merupakan generasi penerus bangsa.Pendidikan politik masyarakat termasuk pemilih pemula di dalamnya dapat dilihat dari aktivitas-aktivitas politik mereka, hal tersebut juga dapat dilihat dari keaktifan mereka sebagai pengurus anggota partai politik. Sesuai dengan pendapat Lenda Palele (18 tahun) wawancara tanggal 30 juni, mengatakan: "yang saya lihat, belum ada program dari partai politik untuk membuat pendidikan politik buat kami selaku pemilih pemula. Saya lebih banyak mengetahui tentang politik dari media dan pelajaran di sekolah". Pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan sudah banyak yang mendapatkan pendidikan politik dari sekolah, Universitas, atau dari lingkungan rumah mereka yang membuat mereka merasa wajib untuk berpartisipasi dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kabupaten Talaud 2013. Sementara dari partai politik sendiri masih kurang bahkan tidak ada sama sekali. Pendidikan politik sebagai warga Negara merupakan faktor pendukung lainnya yang sifatnya internal bagi suatu kelompok yang melaksanakan partisipasi politiknya. Sedangkan faktor penghambat partisipasi politik Pemilih Pemula dalam pemilihan Bupati dan wakil Bupati di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud antara lain: 1. Kesibukan Kegiatan Sehari-hari Kegiatan sehari-hari para pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud, umumnya adalah pelajar, mahasiswa dan pekerja.Hal yang sangat wajar bagi para pemilih pemula yang rata-rata umurnya berkisar 17-21 tahun itu.Hal inilah yang menjadikan pemilih pemula enggan melakukan kegiatan politik yang umumnya menyita waktu yang banyak.Tuntutan sebagai pelajar dan bekerja menjadi alasan utama bagi para pemilih pemula di kecamatan Essang selatan enggan melakukan kegiatannya di bidang politrik.Peran pemilih pemula yang sangat kompleks dalam kegiatan sehari-hari untuk memenuhi tanggung jawab mereka terhadap pribadinya, selalu menjadi factor utama yang menghambat keterlibatan mereka dalam kegiatan pemilihan umum. Hal ini diungkapkan oleh Maya Pusida (19 tahun) wawancara tanggal 18 Juni 2014 maya mengatakan: "tugas utama saya adalah sekolah dan membantu ibu dan bapak dirumah. Menurut saya, datang ke TPS itu suda cukup.Karena untuk mengurus persiapan kampanye dan lain-lain kan uda ada yang mengurusnya." Kenyataan ini sebenarnya dapat disiasati dengan cara pembagian waktu antara sekolah dan pekerjaan dengan melakukan kegiatan politik di masyarakat. Bukan merupakan hal yang tabu jika seorang pelajar atau pekerja ikut dalam kegiatan politik di masyarakat. 2. Minder Minder ini biasanya disebabkan oleh tingkat pendidikan yang rendah atau minimnya pengalaman dalam kegiatan politik maupun tingkat sosial ekonomi yang rendah.Menurut Mohtar Mas'oed disamping pendidikan dan sosial ekonomi perbedaan jenis kelamin juga mempengaruhi keaktifan seseorang berpartisipasi dalam politik. Misalnya, laki-laki lebih aktif berpartisipasi dari pada perempuan, orang yang berstatus sosial tinggi lebih aktif dari pada berstatus sosial rendah (Mohtar Mas'oed, 2008;61).Mereka merasa tidak berhak tampil dalam kegiatan politik dari pada mereka yang punya status sosial ekonomi yang tinggi dan pengalaman yang memadai.Mereka menyadari bahwa kenyataan yang ada dalam masyarakat adalah politik lebih berhak bagi mereka yang punya pengalaman dan mempunyai status sosial ekonomi yang cukup.keikut sertaan pemilih pemula dalam dunia politik, bagi beberapa pemilih pemula adalah satu hal yang istimewa. Sehinga mereka berpendapat bahwa yang berhak untuk terjun dalam dunia politik adalah orang-orang kaya, berpendidikan ataupun orang yang suda berpengalaman dalam dunia politik.Beberapa informan berpendapat hal yang sama, salah satunya pendapat dari Alvionita andalangi (19 tahun) wawancara tanggal 26 Juni 2013 dia mengatakan: "saya malu untuk ikut dalam kepanitian pemilu. Karena belum terbiasa berbicara di depan umum." Pendapat yang sama dengan Safitry Mila Regang (17 tahun) wawancara tanggal 25 Juni 2014 dia mengatakan: "saya takut terjadi kesalahan, karena sebelumnya belum terlibat dalam panitia pemilihan. Saya rasa orang-orang tua saja yang suda berpengalaman menjadi panitianya." 3. Larangan Dari Pihak Keluarga Setelah penulis meneliti, ternyata ada pemilih pemula tidak biasa ikut berpartisipasi dalam Politik khusunya pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di kecamatan essang selatan kabupaten kepulauan talaud karena di larang oleh orang tua mereka.Hal tersebut sesuai dengan pendapat Lia Larinda (18 tahun) pada wawancara tanggal 24 Juni 2013 dia mengatakan: "saya di larang oleh ibu saya untuk ikut kampanye dengan alasan karena saya masi sekolah dan harus belajar." Pihak keluarga adalah factor yang berpengaruh besar dalam kehidupan seseorang. Pihak keluarga dapat mendukung atau bahkan menentang perilaku anggota keluarga yang lain. Jika pihak keluarga suda tidak mendukung keputusan seseorang, maka orang tersebut lebih banyak mengurungkan niatnya. Kesimpulan 1Partisipasi politik yang dilakukan oleh pemilih pemula di Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud dalam pemilihan bupati dan wakil bupati adalah Pemberian Suara (Voting), Kampanye, dan berbicara masalah politik. faktor yang menjadi pendorong partisipasi politik dari pemilih pemula dalam pemilihan Bupati dan Wakil Bupati di Kecamatan essang selatan Kabupaten talaud 2013 adalah terdapat lima unsur diantaranya adanya perangsang politik, karakteristik pribadi seseorang, karakteristik sosial, situasi atau lingkungan politik, dan pendidikan politik. Sedangkan faktor yang menjadi Pemnghambat Partisipasi Politik Pemilih pemula dalam Pemilihan Kepala daerah kabupaten Talaud di kecamatan essang selatan 2013 adalah Kesibukan Kegiatan sehari-hari, perasaan tidak mampu, dan larangan dari pihak keluarga. Tingkat Partisipasi politik pemilih pemula dalam pemilihan kepala daerah di kecamata essang selatan kabupaten talaud 2013 yaitu pemberian suara sangat antusias karena ada 65% pemilih pemula di kecamatan essang selatan kabupate talaud yang terdaftar dalam DPT dating ke TPS untuk menggunakan hak pilihnya. Tingkat partisipasi politik berupa kampanye dilakukan oleh sebagian pemilih pemula di kecamatan essang selatan kabupaten talaud.Mereka melakukan kegiatan kampanye karena factor hiburan. Sedangkan untuk alas an memperhatikan isu kampanye masi minim. Sedangkan tingkat partisipasi politik dalam berbicara masalah politik ini di lakukan oleh pemilih pemula Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud biasanya di lingkungan kerja dan lingkungan kampus/sekolah. Kegiatan ini dilakukan oleh pemilih pemula tentu saja, hal ini di pengaruhi beberapa factor diantaranya pendidikan, jenis kelamin, dan status sosial ekonomi. Saran Pemilih pemula hendaknya dapat membuka diri untuk dapat menunjukan kemampuannya dalam dunia politik, serta menjauhkan diri dari perasaan tidak mampu atau minder.Dukungan dari keluarga dan lingkungan tempat tinggal serta para tokoh masyarakat melalui pendidikan politik secara dini pada pemilih pemula meningkatkan kualitas peran pemilih pemula dalam dunia politik.Pemerintah seharusnya menyediakan fasilitas-fasilitas yang dapat mendukung kegiatan pemilih pemuula dalam dunia politik, serta pemberian pendidikan politik yang di tunjukan khusus untuk pemilih pemula sehingga dapat merangsang keinginan pemilih pemula untuk berpartisipasi dalam dunia politik. DAFTAR PUSTAKA Arikunto, Suharsimi. 2002. Prosedur Penelitian Suatu Pendekatan Praktek. Jakarta : Rineka Cipta. Bakti, Andi Faisal dkk.(eds). 2012. Literasi Politik dan Konsolidasi Demokrasi.Jakarta : Churia Press. Budiardjo, Miriam. 2008. Dasar-dasar Ilmu Politik. Jakarta : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama. Efriza. 2012. POLITICAL EXPLORE Sebuah Kajian Ilmu Politik. Bandung : ALFABATE. Gaffar, Janedjri M. 2012. Politik Hukum Pemilu. Jakarta : Konstitusi Press. Hasan, Ikbal. 2002. Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung : Rejana Rosdakarya. Kaelola, Akbar. 2009. Kamus Istila Politik Politik Kontemporer. Yogyakarta : Cakrawala Marbun, B.N. 2013.Kamus Politik. Jakarta : Pustaka Sinar Harapan. Maleong, Lexy. 2002. Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung : Remaja Rosda Karya. Mas'oed Mochtar dan Colin Mac Andrew. 2008. Perbandingan Sistem Politik. Yogyakarta : Gajah Mada University Press. Pasolong, Harbani. 2012. Metode penelitian administrasi public. Bandung : Alfabeta. Rush, Michael dan Phillip Althoff. 2008. Pengantar Sosiologi Politik. Jakarta : PT RajaGrada Persada. Raga Maran, Rafael. 2001. Pengantar Sosiologi Politik. Jakarta : Rineka Cipta. Rahman H, A. 2007. Sistem politik Indonesia.Yogyakarta : Graha Ilmu. Sarundajang, S. H. 2012. Pilkada Langsung Problematika dan Prospek.Jakarta : Kata Hasta Pustaka. Sugiono. 2010. Metode penelitian administrasi. Bandung : Alfabeta. Sitepu, P. Anthonius. 2012. Teori-Teori Politik. Yogyakarta : Graha Ilmu. Sumber lain: - Undang-undang PEMILU 2012 (UU RI No.8 Tahun 2012) - Undang-undang nomor 12 tahun 2008 perubahan ke dua atas Undang-undang 32 tahun 2004 tentang Pemerintahan Daerah. - www.wikipedia.com - Manado.tribunnews.com - Kpujakarta.go.id - KPUD Kabupaten Talaud - PPK Kecamatan Essang Selatan Kabupaten Talaud - id.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/bupati [1] Merupakan Skripsi Penulis [2] Mahasiswa Jurusan Ilmu Pemerintahan

Evart T. Bradley, July 29, 2013 ; Business at the Crossroads - Ogden City is a project to collect oral histories related to changes in the Ogden business district since World War II. From the 1870s to World War II, Ogden was a major railroad town, with nine rail systems. With both east-west and north-south rail lines, business and commercial houses flourished as Ogden became a shipping and commerce hub. ; The following is an oral history interview with Evart Bradley. The interview was conducted on July 29, 2013, by Lorrie Rands. Evart discusses his experiences with 25th street. ; 23p.; 29cm.; 2 bound transcripts; 4 file folders. 1 sound disc: digital; 4 3/4 in. ; Oral History Program Evart T. Bradley Interviewed by Lorrie Rands 29 July 2013 Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Evart T. Bradley Interviewed by Lorrie Rands 29 July 2013 Copyright © 2014 by Weber State University, Stewart Library Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. Archival copies are placed in Special Collections. The Stewart Library also houses the original recording so researchers can gain a sense of the interviewee's voice and intonations. Project Description Business at the Crossroads - Ogden City is a project to collect oral histories related to changes in the Ogden business district since World War II. From the 1870s to World War II, Ogden was a major railroad town, with nine rail systems. With both east-west and north-south rail lines, business and commercial houses flourished as Ogden became a shipping and commerce hub. After World War II, the railroad business declined. Some government agencies and businesses related to the defense industry continued to gravitate to Ogden after the war—including the Internal Revenue Regional Center, the Marquardt Corporation, Boeing Corporation, Volvo-White Truck Corporation, Morton-Thiokol, and several other smaller operations. However, the economy became more service oriented, with small businesses developing that appealed to changing demographics, including the growing Hispanic population. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management Special Collections All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the Stewart Library of Weber State University. No part of the manuscript may be published without the written permission of the University Librarian. Requests for permission to publish should be addressed to the Administration Office, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84408. The request should include identification of the specific item and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Bradley, Evart, an oral history by Lorrie Rands, 29 July 2013, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, Special Collections, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. iii Evart T. Bradley 29 July 2013 Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Evart Bradley. The interview was conducted on July 29, 2013, by Lorrie Rands. Evart discusses his experiences with 25th street. LR: It is July 29, 2013 at 2:00 in the afternoon and we are here at Wiseguys in Ogden with Mr. Buddy Bear Bradley doing an oral history interview about 25th Street and the canteen and his experiences. Thank you, Mr. Bradley, for being here and allowing us to interview you. Let's start with the basic where and when you were born. EB: I was born in Salt Lake on June 23, 1927. LR: Talk a little bit about your family. EB: My grandmother came from England when she was two years old to Ogden and she was raised here in Ogden on 23rd street just off Wall Avenue. She went to school here through the eighth grade. There were no public high schools at that time, so she went through the eighth grade here and then she met my grandfather at the old Union Pacific Depot, the one that burned down in 1904. They were married and when they first got married he was on the D&RG railroad and he got a position up in Montecello, Nevada. That was a station where they fueled the old wood burner trains with the funnel. My grandfather's job there was to fill the water tanks on the train and fill the wood burner and my grandmother ran the train over there and she ran the boarding house. The trains would meet there and one train would go on to Elko, Nevada and the other would go up to 1 Grace, Idaho and they'd meet there and then the engineers would trade positions and he'd fuel the trains up and put water on them. They had the old water spout from the big water tank and if there were any passengers, my grandmother fed them and they were there for about four years and then they came back to Ogden and lived here until 1911 and then they moved to Salt Lake. My mother was born here in Ogden and lived here through the sixth grade and then they moved to Salt Lake. My mother was born June 6, 1906. LR: How did your grandparents meet? EB: They met at the old depot. My grandmother lived on 23rd right off Wall Street and she was over at the lunch counter and he was an engineer on the D&RG railroad and they met there at the lunch counter. They started dating and they got married here in Ogden. LR: So you were born in Salt Lake. EB: I was born in Salt Lake. LR: Where did you go from Salt Lake? EB: Well, my mother died in 1933 when I was just six year old and I lived with my grandparents and grandma was Thomas Lever's daughter. I lived with them and with housekeepers until I was eleven years old. My father remarried a woman with four children and she didn't want anything to do with his kids, so until I got in a little bit of trouble when I was eleven years old—they wouldn't take any of us. My grandmother said, "You either take him or I'll put him in reform school." They took me up to Idaho to live with them. I ran away from there when I was 14 years 2 old and went to California and lied about my age and got into the Navy yard as a shipfitter apprentice. When I turned 16, my record at the Navy yard said I was 18, and I used my records from the Navy yard to register for the draft when I was 16. I used my draft card to join the Navy without anybody's permission. I had a hernia at the time so the Navy fixed the hernia and sent me back to the Navy yard, so I didn't go through boot camp until 1945. When I first went overseas, we weren't there very long and the carrier Randolph, I was on a repair ship. The carrier Randolph rolled over on us and we had to go back to the shipyards for repairs. They got bombed and they rolled over on us. I didn't get to see much action in World War II. I got back just in time for the Armistice and then I went to China for about three years. We came through here in 1945 on a troop train going to boot camp. At that time they were transporting a lot more equipment and machinery all over the country and they had priority over the military personnel. We would sit at the siding until it went by so we were here in Ogden for three days and I'd go to the canteen there at the depot and I can remember some of it. The Red Cross used to bring us sandwiches and coffee and donuts to the train when we were on the train and they'd sell them to us. They had coffee for a nickel and donuts for a nickel and a sandwich for a dime. The Navy fed the Navy personnel sandwiches for our meal. We ate mostly sandwiches and war rations. I had a couple occasions to walk up 25th Street and one of the things I remember is that we decided to stay over one night because we knew our train wasn't leaving and we went into an old hotel on the north side of the street, I 3 don't remember the name of it, but the street was full of people and there were all kinds of things going on here. You wouldn't believe the activity that was going on. We went up there and the only room that was available somebody had knocked the door off the room. We paid 25 cents apiece, my buddy and I, for a room with one of those old fashioned iron beds and we stayed there until about 1:00. There were a lot of things going on in the hotel so we decided we'd be better off on the train, so we left and went back to the train. LR: So your experience at the canteen, what do you remember? EB: I met some really nice people and we'd dance with the girls and for those that drank coffee, they had coffee, they had milk and soft drinks. I remember those and it was just a real nice experience. People treated you like you were a prince or a king. They just treated you beautifully. LR: And you were 16 or 17 at the time? EB: I was 17 when I went through here. The street was no place for a naïve 17 year-old I'll tell you that. LR: I was going to ask, what were some of the things you saw? EB: There were girls there that would proposition you and gay guys would proposition you. The uniform just attracted all kinds of people. LR: So you were on your way to boot camp, but you were in uniform? EB: Yes we were. We were in uniform because the company I was in was being transferred from Idaho to boot camp in San Diego. 4 LR: That's right. EB: I was in the Navy while working in the Terminal Island Naval Shipyard waiting until my hernia healed so I could go through boot camp. LR: You mentioned Thomas Lever. Would you talk about him for a minute? EB: As that copy I gave you will show, he was my great grandfather and a policeman here on 25th Street for years and he became the jailer. He was in charge of the police records. This is really an interesting story because I got it out of the old Ogden Standard. There were two newspapers there at that time, the Ogden Examiner and the Ogden Standard and they were rivals and they would get on each other. I just found this out recently doing some research on my grandfather, some of the things they went through, the two different papers. They were accusing each other of conspiracy and different things. Now they're merged together. LR: What is the story from the newspaper? EB: This came out of the Standard that a reporter from the Examiner was trying to conspire to discredit the mayor. I can't remember the name of the mayor, but they were trying to discredit him, so they tried to get Thomas Lever, my grandfather, to say that he had burned some of the records, which he hadn't done. They had conned him into leaving and tried to make it look like he knew that they were burned. It's quite a story. I just got into that last week. LR: Was it Glassman who was the mayor? That is fascinating. Didn't Thomas Lever also have an experience on 25th Street? 5 EB: Yes. Three fellows robbed a butcher store and locked the butcher in the freezer and went up and were trying to rob the bar and somebody ran up and Thomas Lever was the jailer at that time and he went down there on the bicycle and tried to arrest him and then got into a shooting war. They weren't 10 feet apart and neither one of them could hit each other. There's a big story about that too. I think that was in the Examiner. He had several occasions here on this street with different things he got involved in as a policeman. One of the other things that was kind of funny was when he became the jailer, he went into jail to quiet a disturbance in the jail and one of the inmates pulled off his wooden leg and hit him over the head with it. The other jailers came in and rescued him. LR: I'm sure at the time it wasn't humorous, but it is now. EB: It wasn't humorous, but it's humor. Comedy comes from history. LR: I agree. That leads into my next question. Why did you decide to become a comedian? EB: Why? Well, my nephew took me to a comedy show one night and I've always had a lot of fun with writing jokes and limericks, I've written quite a few of them and I got to thinking, "Well, that would be fun to do." I went to an open mic and did it and got a lot of laughs and I got addicted to those laughs and I kept going back and I enjoyed it. I even started writing more jokes and I started remembering some of the funny things that happened in my life and I'd make jokes out of them. 6 Like, my grandfather and grandmother took my sister and I up to Yellowstone Park—and this is one of the first jokes I told, I didn't mean to tell a joke, but I did. We were staying in a row of cabins there and my sister and I went out and there was a she bear and two cubs eating out of the garbage can there. We walked over to watch it and the mother bear started to run toward us and I ran into the first cabin I came to and there was a naked woman in there. I came out as fast as I went in. I didn't know which I was more scared of, the female bear or the bare female. For years I was in sales training people and a national sales manager for different companies and I've trained over 2,000 salespeople. I did a lot of it with humor. Humor is a very good teaching tool and it's a good way to keep somebody's attention. I had talked to audiences with as many as 2,000 people, so I wasn't afraid of getting up on stage and performing. I enjoy it. It's keeping me alive. LR: You mentioned that the last time we talked that it was one of the things that helped you cope with the experiences you've had, especially during the war. Do you find that to be true? EB: It does. It helps you cope with life and I'd been wanting to and I've been working with some kids, but I've wanted to put together a program for kids to teach them how to use humor to enrich their work experiences and educational experiences. That's a good way to remember things too. I wrote limericks to remember for years. That's how I'd remember people's names. I'd take their name and make a limerick and I could remember it. Humor is a wonderful educational tool. 7 LR: When did you start performing here at Wiseguys? EB: I started on the open mic three years ago. It'll be three years in November. I started when I was 83. MJ: How often do you perform? EB: I get on about two times a week and then I do senior citizen living centers. I also do it for the VA and the veteran's hospital and the senior living centers. I'm here about two or three times a month and Trolley Square about twice a month. I just have fun with it. I don't make a lot of money, but I enjoy it. LR: That's what matters. Going to the VA hospital, does that also help you? EB: Oh yes. There was an arts festival and they had dancers and singers and musicians and poets and all kinds of different arts. I won the comedy drama portion of it. LR: That's great. Part of me wants you to talk about some of your experiences. I know you weren't in the Korean War very long, but at the same time if you're not comfortable going there then you don't have to go there. EB: There are some things that I remember that I am comfortable with talking about, but there are some things that I'm not comfortable with. LR: I know that's part of the reason that you do comedy. EB: When I went to Korea, I was stationed in Green Cove Springs, Florida and we had five docks full of destroyer escorts in moth balls and we were keeping them for another war. I was there for three years in Green Cove Springs Florida. When 8 I left there I went to a receiving station in Charleston South Carolina. I was assigned to a destroyer, the U.S.S. Hobson. Well, there were two of us of the same rank and it only called for one so they asked which of us had the most experience and it was the other fellow so he got the choice. They were going on a world tour. On that tour, the wasp carrier rammed the Hobson and sunk it with 276 men lost. The guy that replaced me was one of them that was lost. Then I went aboard the USS Smally DD 565 and we went on a shake-down cruise down to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On the way down there we hit a hurricane and we lost the steering from the bridge to the rudder in the storm. They've got a great big wheel above the rudder with six positions on it with spokes coming out. They had to send a command down from the bridge to say which way to turn and it took six men to turn that rudder. We had to stay on that and took shifts because it was a man's jobs just to turn your part of the rudder. We kept the ship afloat and went down and got through our shakedown and went to Korea. I was only in Korea for four days when the ship got a direct hit and I got hurt. I was career Navy, I finished in the Navy but I got a medical retirement from my injuries. LR: Do you use some of those experiences with your comedy? EB: Oh yeah, I tell some of the funny things that happened in the Navy and some of them are a little risqué, and some of them not. I was in Shanghai, China for three years and in Shanghai on the Jason, the ship was the same, almost identical measurements of Noah's Ark. We had 706 complement and most of them were Texans and Protestants and there were six Mormons on there and I was one of 9 the six. Our executive officer was a reserve officer and he was a Protestant minister in civilian life, so he got more people to his service and the Mormons went to our own service. He had more people in his service than the chaplain on the ship. The chaplain would do anything trying to get the guys to like him and that. He'd drink with them and tell dirty jokes with them and was just trying to be one of the guys. One night, we were coming back to the ship and he missed the officer's boat and we were just pulling away from the dock and he came and made a dive for the ship and landed on my lap. He turned around and looked at me and said, "Bradley, you'd better be at my service in the morning or I'm going to put you on report for assaulting an officer." A lot of funny things happened. Another night, we had a cook on board that was an alcoholic, but a real nice guy. He was about ready to retire, but he was drinking too much and he was still just a first class petty officer and had been in the Navy almost 30 years. He came back one night and he had a shoebox in his hand. I was the officer of the deck's messenger. We called him "cookie" and when cookie came back up, the officer of the deck said, "What have you got in that shoebox?" He said, "Oh, I just bought a new pair of shoes, it's nothing." I said, "I want to see what you've got in that shoe box." He said, "no, it's just a new pair of shoes, it's nothing." The OD said, "I've got to see them. Cookie, you're about to get out of the service, I'll tell you what, I'm going to turn my back and I want to hear two splashes and I want you to go to bed." He turned his back and we heard the two splashes and I turned around just to see him go around the end of the bulk head barefooted. I got several jokes out of Cookie. 10 MJ: After you got out of the military, you said you were in sales and so forth, but what brought you back to Ogden? EB: Well, I didn't come back to Ogden right after I got out. I came here in 1962, my company transferred me here and we had an office here on 25th and Washington. In fact, we were right across the street from the Hi-Fi shop. I was here for a year and lived out in Ron Clair. In fact, for a short time I was the home teacher for the Osmonds before they moved to California. I was here for a year, and a year ago I was living in Idaho and I wanted to come down and be with my kids so I moved to Salt Lake. Well, on my pension I couldn't afford to live in Salt Lake so I moved back to Ogden where it was cheaper and the Wiseguys club is here. I've been here a year next month. Ogden has always been part of my family history and I've liked Ogden all my life. MJ: What company did you work for that transferred you here? EB: I retired from the National Federation of Independent Business. Before that I worked for Satellite America as a sales manager and before that I was a sales trainer for Niagara Therapy Manufacturing Corporation. I was in Sales after I got out of the service and moved all over the country. I've lived in 13 different states and raised my kids in 13 different states. I was married twice and my first wife had twin boys and I adopted them. She had some issues so I ended up with the twin boys and we had a little girl. I married a Mormon convert from Denmark and she had a little girl and I adopted her and we had five kids. Nine kids with one wife, it's like polygamy without the benefits. 11 LR: You just can't help it— EB: You see why I have fun with comedy? MJ: Do you remember any other businesses on 25th Street or the downtown area? EB: Well, the company I was with here was the Niagara Therapy Manufacturing Corporation. I was the sales manager for that business here. Right next door to us was a furniture company and now there's a jewelry store with the same name. We were raised in a family at that time that stayed off 25th Street. LR: But your business was on 25th and Washington? EB: Yes, it was right on the corner there. MJ: I heard that there were a lot of stores on Washington that people did a lot of shopping in. Do you remember any of the department stores? EB: Washington was pretty much the downtown area at that time. That's where you went to shop. They didn't have all these malls they've got around here now. When I lived out in Ron Clair, there was a wind storm that blew the roof off the house I was in. I made up a joke about that. I said, "There was a wind storm that came through Ogden and improved the downtown by five million dollars. My wife and I lived in Idaho for quite a while, but we had family in Salt Lake. Whenever we'd go from Idaho to Salt Lake, we'd stop at Farr's Ice Cream and have ice cream cones with the kids coming and going. LR: Why not? 12 EB: We'd stop at over here on—I think it's on 22nd or 23rd—we'd stop there and get the kids and ice cream cone. They were only a nickel then and they were big ice cream cones. Now they're $2.15 for a little ice cream cone. I'll tell you a funny story about Ogden High School. The kids used to go and there used to be a cross walk there and the kids would get in line and the kids would go one at a time across and hold up traffic. They'd do it for meanness. A friend of mine was pretty handy mechanically and he put a water pressure tank in the front of his car with a fire hose on the front of it. The kids were doing that and he gave them a good squirt and they put him in jail. MJ: I think he was justified in hosing them down. EB: I though he was too and so did a lot of other people. I think you could find a story about that in the examiner if you went through the records. I kind of enjoy going through those records. You find out a lot of things about the city and the places and people and get a lot of jokes out of there too. LR: Going back to the canteen and Red Cross. You mentioned that the Red Cross would bring you food on the train and they'd charge you for it. That didn't come from the canteen though, right? EB: No. That was the Red Cross. The canteen didn't charge us anything. That was donated by the citizens of Ogden. To be fair, if a guy didn't have any money and he couldn't borrow any from his buddies, they would give him a cup of coffee. MJ: I have just a couple more questions. You said that you got here in 1962 when your company transferred you. How long did you stay in Ogden after that? 13 EB: I was here just a little over a year. Then I got transferred to another office. I was with Niagara for 12 years and they transferred me all over the country. I was their national sales trainer and then became their national sales manager. I lived in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Ogden, and Twin Falls. I lived in Idaho Falls, started in Twin Falls and went to Idaho Falls. MJ: The only other question that I have is why did you decide to go into the Navy when you were so young? EB: I had two uncles that joined the Navy. When I lived with my grandmother and grandfather my two uncles were like older brothers to me. They were still home and they wanted to join the Navy. One joined the Navy in 1935 and the other joined in 1927. One uncle, Verlan, was killed in the Battle of Coral Sea. The other one—now this was interesting, when I was in China on the Jason, the Jason was coming back to the United States and I was career Navy so they were taking all the reserves back, they weren't taking career people with certain ranks were kept there because they didn't have the ranks to fill it in. The ship that relieved us, I went back to relieve the guy that had the same job that I did, and it was with my uncle Roy. Uncle Roy had the same job on that ship that I had so we pulled some liberties together there and then when I came back and reenlisted, he was at the same receiving station in Long Beach taking his retirement and we met again there. Roy and I had a lot of experiences together and he was born here in Ogden. He never did marry. I don't know why because he had a good sense of humor. I'll tell you a funny story. Whenever Uncle Roy would drink, after he got 14 discharged from the Navy, he lived with my grandmother and I was over visiting one time and he would get ornerier than heck when he was sober and when he was drinking he was the nicest guy in the world. It was just the opposite of what you'd expect. He was in the kitchen arguing with my grandmother and she said, "Roy, here's two dollars, go get drunk so I can stand you." There was nineteen of us living in my grandmother's house and it was a little two bedroom house on 1054 W. 3rd South and I always thought it was a mansion, but it was a gingerbread house and it had these alcoves and there was just a bed in each alcove and that was, the older kids rooms. The bed just fit in there and they had to crawl over the bed to get in there. There was an orange box for their dresser in the rooms. The boys all slept in the big red barn. We were just two blocks from downtown Salt Lake and every house had an outhouse and some had electricity and some didn't. It was kind of a ghetto where most of the railroad workers and most Spanish and black lived in that area. That's where I grew up. I was a mean little son of a gun. Losing my mother and with housekeepers and one aunt that just loved to beat on me with a razor strap. She was 16 and I was 8 and so I turned out to be a little stinker. I had one German teacher that didn't help a bit. When she said, "Evart" it would come out like "Hefart." MJ: That wouldn't help too much, would it? EB: It didn't help a bit. Kids started saying "Hefart, Hefart," and I'd start chasing them and beating them. I do a whole routine on boxing because they took me over to Boys Club in Salt Lake and enrolled me in the boxing program and wrestling 15 program over there. I boxed until I was 31 years old. I boxed in the Navy and in the University of Idaho and got boxed everywhere. LR: I heard about boxing in the Navy, it was something else. EB: I do a whole routine on boxing. LR: We appreciate you sharing with us. EB: Last week when I got off the stage here I told a couple of sex jokes and I was sitting back here and the MC says, "He's a World War II veteran and he likes hugs." One of the jokes I told here one night was, "I'm a World War II veteran and I think you young ladies owe it to yourselves to hug the old veterans for their service. I'm willing to take those hugs on their behalf." That was the routine. She came up afterwards last week and she gave me a hug and kissed me on both cheeks and she said, "Are you a sex pervert?" I said, "Why? Are you looking for one?" That's what you get for interviewing a comedian. LR: That's okay. That's fantastic. Thank you very much. 16

Part one of an interview with Irene Vilakari of Leominster, Massachusetts. Topics include: Irene Vilakari was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1922. Her parents both died while she was a child. She was cared for by her older sisters. They came to the U.S. just after World War II and lived with relatives in Boston. They got Social Security cards and then found jobs at the Harvard printing press. Their trouble staying in the U.S. legally as immigrants from Finland. What life was like in Helsinki. How Irene and her sisters got along after their parents died. The work they did. What life was like during World War II. How they moved to the U.S. from Finland. ; 1 SPEAKER 1: Mrs. Vilakari, where were you born? MRS. VILAKARI: I was born in Helsinki, Finland, 19… SPEAKER 1: What? MRS. VILAKARI: Uh, uh, 22. SPEAKER 1: Can you briefly describe your early years in your homeland, like your family, the jobs, your parents, things like that? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, you know, uh I eh I was uh three years old were my father died and I was twelve years old when my mother died, and since, ever since I lived with my two sisters. And uh, uh they were uh two and uh three years older than I was. And ah, ah um I, I lived you know – I, I, I consider myself having now happy, happy life, you know. I never felt anything, you know, it wasn't too rich because there are no not too many rich people in Finland anyway. They're all uh kind of a middle class. And I, I had very happy childhood. And the only thing was, you know, when my parents died, that was the saddest part, which when you're young, your fortunate that you know it doesn't, it doesn't hit you as hard as you know if thus one you know… SPEAKER 1: Oh. MRS. VILAKARI: Experience something like that when your old – older, I mean. I know we are old. [Laughter] But, you know, my sisters died here just a few years ago and that was quite different. And uh then the war was the next uh, uh… the two wars, I was in Finland. I was right in Helsinki all the time, you know, when we had the 1939 War, First, the winter war. And then the Second World War, you know, it started in 1941. There was one year in between, you know, one year of peace. And then uh, you know, I uh I… right after that, I left for America. And we never had any idea. We had the uh our half-sister was living here, and uh after war she wrote to us that, you know, we – if we maybe would like to come to visit America, and we got at all excited. Of course, we wanted to come2 to visit America. And she said that maybe you like to live here, you know, if you like it well enough, so we started to get out papers ready. That is very hard to get them. I don't exactly know how to say it, you know. You have to have a permission to leave the country at that time, you know, because it was shortly after war. SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: And they were very short of men. And we were doing men's job because of the war. We have started to do a line at that operating in a newspaper. That's why they didn't want us to leave. So they say that, you know, they won't give us a permit because they said for sure we are not coming back if we go to America. They didn't know that you're just not going to stay in this country if you have a visitor's visa, you know. Everybody in Finland know that, you know, same as years before, if you came to this country, you could stay if you wanted to. SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: But, no, the laws were so strict at that time already, that you couldn't, you could have stayed if you never had anything to do with the law or if you didn't want to work with the permission and you could never have anything to do with the, whatever you have to do with the state or pensions or anything like that, you know. You could have – it's just like an outlaw, you know. You could have stayed here but, you know, not – we didn't want to… when we wanted to come here. And then again with the legal papers so that we know that we can stay and be citizens who are now these days. We have very nice here, you know, that year when we were here; that's why we liked it so well, you know. Our sister, half-sister, and her husband, of course, they had a – I don't know how you… would you call it rooming house? SPEAKER 1: Yeah, boarding house.3 MRS. VILAKARI: Boarding house, yes. But they didn't serve food, you know. They had students from MIT and Boston University. They bought an old millionaire's house on Commonwealth Avenue. SPEAKER 1: Wow. MRS. VILAKARI: And they had lots of students, so they were all young people. They cleaned their rooms and changed the linens you know, but no food. SPEAKER 1: No food. MRS. VILAKARI: No. And that's where we lived that first year and we had such a nice time that we didn't want to – SPEAKER 1: Just here visiting first. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, yeah, that's right, yes. But, you know, do you have room enough you know? SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: So like I tell, I have a lot to tell. SPEAKER 1: Okay. MRS. VILAKARI: When we came, we told our brother-in-law because that's what they said on the boat, you know. The officials said many times that we cannot work because we had visitors visa, and when we came we told our brother-in-law that we wanted to work because we wanted to get some money for ourselves. But we said we cannot work because they said it's illegal, you know, because we have to have a permanent visa. SPEAKER 1: Working visa. MRS. VILAKARI: That's right, yes, if we are able to work. [Laughter] And he said that if we can get the Social Security card, that's the permission to work. I think that he really thought that that was the, you know… SPEAKER 1: The right to work. MRS. VILAKARI: Permission we needed, because when he came—I think now we would be more than 50 years ago—he didn't have to have any permission so, you know, he was so sure that if we get the Social Security Card…4 SPEAKER 1: That's all you need, yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: We are able to work. So we sent to the Social Security office. And they don't ask you a passport; they don't ask what kind of visa you have. Do you know that? SPEAKER 1: No. MRS. VILAKARI: No, they don't ask anything. And we didn't know English. We all got our Social Security cards and we were so happy. My goodness, why did they say so many times that we can't work if it's so easy? But we were just happy that we were able to work. So we went to Harvard; we worked at the Harvard Printing press that year. We went to Harvard, and they searched our papers very carefully and they have a special person – now I can't remember her name. But anyway, she was the person that knew all the research because there a lot of students that come from other countries, so they are very familiar with their visa business you know. And when we went there, that lady happened to be on a lunch, and they told us we have to go and see her. And then there was another person, a man, who was kind of a taking care of her business while she was on lunch. He shook our hands and said, "Welcome to work," and so we thought, "Aha, everything is okay." [Laughs] SPEAKER 1: Geez. MRS. VILAKARI: Wasn't that funny, you know? SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: That test? SPEAKER 1: Yeah, yeah, you were just lucky. MRS. VILAKARI: Luck, yes. When we think there so many places we had to go through and we always told the truth. And then we worked there until our visa… we had visa for one year. SPEAKER 1: Uh-huh.5 MRS. VILAKARI: And when six months was gone, it said in our papers that then we would have to ask permission for the other six months but we would get it but we would have to apply again. So we went to the Immigration office and we said we would like to have more visa. They asked right away, "How come you've been working?" Then we told, you know, they took us in separate rooms and interviewed us separately so that we wouldn't know what one was saying. But we decided, we said that we tell everything just as it is, so you know everybody would – SPEAKER 1: Everything was the truth. MRS. VILAKARI: That's right. SPEAKER 1: It was the truth. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah. SPEAKER 1: It was just like you said. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, I did, because it wasn't our fault. We told everybody that we have visitor's visa. And then they warned that the interview of me – I think that I know little more English than my sisters, you know, like some people learn a language a little bit better. I didn't know it well, but anyway, he wrote 17, you know, sheets of papers. SPEAKER 1: Wow. MRS. VILAKARI: And all very, very, very close, you know. He ended up with that much about, you know, that thing; I never think it would have been that bad. Then they said that now we have to see their boss and he will tell us what to do. And when we went to see the boss, oh he was so mad. We were crying, you know, because felt that we haven't done anything wrong. SPEAKER 1: Really? MRS. VILAKARI: But then the fellow who interviewed me—his name was Mr. Powers—he told the other fellow, "Please read the papers first and then decide if they have done so wrong." And then he said, "Okay, don't do anything now. Don't quit in Harvard before I write you a 6 letter. It would be coming in a week or two," he said, to know after he has a chance to read the interview. "Then I will let you know what you have to do." That was in April when we applied for more visa. SPEAKER 1: What year was this again? MRS. VILAKARI: April. SPEAKER 1: What year? MRS. VILAKARI: That was 1947. SPEAKER 1: Okay. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah. But then when we applied for more visa, it was 1948 already because we came 1947 July, and then next spring we started to apply for more permission to stay. But that letter never came. It came in August the next year. He let us work because we said we don't have money to go back, that we have to make so much money. Because we understood that we can stay here if we wanted to, we never thought we have to leave, so it was kind of we came here with false pretense – how do you say…? SPEAKER 1: False pretence. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah. Because we didn't know that you actually cannot work and you cannot stay here. They said that you have to first vote. SPEAKER 1: Where did you get your ideas from? The ones that you – because everybody else had told you it was… like your relatives? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, no, all the emigrants that had come before. We were almost the only ones that left Finland at that time because after war, nobody could get the permission to go out from Finland SPEAKER 1: But everybody else had told you it was – MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. Oh everybody said, "Oh, you can." But, you know, they really thought so. SPEAKER 1: Yeah MRS. VILAKARI: They didn't know that the laws had changed, you know. They thought it was the same thing. When they stayed, you know, from 7 the boats, there were lots of seamen working on the boats. They came here and they stayed; they never had to go back. I don't remember what year it was when they changed the law that you cannot stay anymore. SPEAKER 1: But they didn't know why. MRS. VILAKARI: Everybody who had come 1920 before that could stay without any papers. I'm not saying that it is so but anyway I know that there was a year when they changed the law that you cannot stay without coming to this country with the proper papers. SPEAKER 1: And they never informed you people. MRS. VILAKARI: No, no, no. SPEAKER 1: So it was an innocent mistake, really. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, that's right, yes, because we didn't know. I was seventeen or… no, no, I was old at that time when we came here. When the war started, I was seventeen, but I think I was twenty-five, but I mean, you know… SPEAKER 1: Still young. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. And when people told me it was so, I believed. I didn't even think that – because they had stayed here. My sister came here to study English. She was studying languages in Helsinki University and she came here to study English and, see, on one year's permission, but she got married, you know. SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: And that's how she stayed. But she could have stayed at that time, because it was before that time that the law was changed, so that's how, you know… [Laughter] You know, that's quite a story. SPEAKER 1: How about us go back to when you were living in Finland? What kind of jobs did your parents have? MRS. VILAKARI: My mother was a housewife, and my father was, in very early years, he was a blacksmith from his occupation, but then he had 8 the – I don't know. Maybe we'll call it trucking business, like the deliveries, you know. SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: He delivered things, you know, that kind of a business. Then before he died, you know, or later. Yes, because I was only three years old when he died, so I really don't remember much, and because I was only twelve when my mother died, you know… SPEAKER 1: So you could not – MRS. VILAKARI: There wasn't any that I could ask anything. SPEAKER 1: Remember anything. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, that's it. Now I am sorry because, you know, there would have been so many things I would like to know about the early years but I just know what people are telling and there are nobody close. My sisters were, you know, one was two years older than I and the other one was three years older than I, so they didn't know much better, you know. SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: That's why I – SPEAKER 1: Who brought you up? MRS. VILAKARI: We… just three of us. SPEAKER 1: Just three you girls? MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, we're three girls. SPEAKER 1: You mean you didn't have anybody else to help you? MRS. VILAKARI: Well, you know, first, when our mother died, I was twelve and she was fifteen, so we couldn't live with just three of us. We had one lady that we used to live in Helsinki earlier. She was living in the next door and she was in Salvation Army, a very religious person, you know, and we always liked her so much and we know that she was living alone. And then when our mother died, first we lived with our aunt and then our cousins, but, you know, it was too much. They had three daughters themselves and then three of us,9 you know, it was too much for them and it wasn't nice for us either, because we really didn't have a… SPEAKER 1: Get along, yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: Kind of a home feeling. Yes. And we had a condominium; we own a condominium, and then we said that we would like to live in our own condominium and have somebody live with us, you know, adopt us. And when we went to ask Miss [Kowalkowski] was her name, she thought that it was a sign from the God that she had a thing to do, you know, to bring us up. SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: And then she lived with us until war, then she went to live with her own. I think they were her brother's daughters, you know, then she went there because they were living outside of the Helsinki and she didn't want to be in Helsinki when the war [broke] and everything. So, that's how she lived. SPEAKER 1: Who supported your family, though, that lady you sought? MRS. VILAKARI: No, we worked. SPEAKER 1: You all worked. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, you know – SPEAKER 1: Did any of you go to school for a while? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, yeah, you know, elementary school is a must in Finland, but then after that, you have to pay for your own schooling. You don't get high school for nothing like here. So we went to school at nights and we worked during daytime. SPEAKER 1: Oh. What kind of jobs did you do? MRS. VILAKARI: You know… SPEAKER 1: Besides – well, you told me about the [liner] type. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. I was 13 years old when I went to do work for the newspaper as an errand girl. That's when I started. I was there since I came to this country. I was then already 50 years before I came to this country.10 SPEAKER 1: Wow. MRS. VILAKARI: And as an errand girl, I think I was couple of years and then they took me as an apprentice, you know, to the… SPEAKER 1: [That in the bottom]… MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, yes, that's right. SPEAKER 1: Did your sisters work in the same place? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. Yeah, we all worked at the Helsinki Sanomat. That's Finland's biggest newspaper. SPEAKER 1: So you made enough to you made enough to live a comfortable life? MRS. VILAKARI: Oh, yes, you know, it's a very good, you know, very well paid occupation in Finland. SPEAKER 1: So it wasn't that difficult to live then? MRS. VILAKARI: No, no, we didn't had… and you know when you're young… I remember sometimes, not before, you know, it's a five-year apprenticeship so you don't get the pay so fast, you know, although you get it eventually but you don't [indulge] when we all didn't have so much, you know. Oh, we didn't have a worry. One thing was good that, you know, we didn't have to pay any rent. Our condominiums in Finland are so old already that they have them so long time. They are condominium that we owned. We didn't have to pay any rent; we got dividend. SPEAKER 1: Ah-huh. MRS. VILAKARI: Instead of paying rent every month, imagine, you know, we got quite a lot of dividend every year. We could live free and still get money from the place, because it was a big apartment house and they had oak stores on the street level, so those stores paid very good rent. That's why, you know, the other expenses were paid by the stores, so – SPEAKER 1: That really fortunate.11 MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah. Yes, it was. Sometimes I remember we didn't have much money, and we wanted to go to movies. Oh, American movies, boy, they were, they were the most. SPEAKER 1: Really? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. Sometimes with our last money we went to movies and we said, "Oh somebody will lend us some money tomorrow," and we always got some money, you know. [Laughter] SPEAKER 1: Really? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, next day, so that we lived to the next payday. Those were happy days. I never remember, you know, anything bad – SPEAKER 1: Well, you were younger during the depression time so… MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, yeah, I wasn't born exactly – no, no, yes, I was. I was, yes. SPEAKER 1: You found freedom. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, yeah, that side, yes, because 32 was the depression. But I really don't remember having any famine. SPEAKER 1: Being hungry or anything. MRS. VILAKARI: And I don't think that that was so much felt in Finland because there, like in this country, they made it so big because there are so many rich that lost everything so it was felt so much. SPEAKER 1: Yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: But in Finland – SPEAKER 1: Even the common people felt that the bread lines… MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, yes. SPEAKER 1: And people are starving, you know. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, that time, I don't remember at all. I don't think that there was anything like that. SPEAKER 1: Where you live, was it more country-like or…? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, no Helsinki, it's just a… Sp SPEAKER 11: It's a city? MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah. SPEAKER 1: So you didn't have –12 MRS. VILAKARI: Five hundred thousand people. SPEAKER 1: Like you can grow your own food or anything. MRS. VILAKARI: No, no. SPEAKER 1: So you had to work. It was right in the city. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, but I don't remember having shortage of food any other time but during war time. That was the only – SPEAKER 1: Was it that bad during war time? MRS. VILAKARI: It was kind of bad, you know, for people who would like [Swiss] and things, but we never cared for that. We never bought any black market stuff like that. We really were very fortunate. We like bread, you know, and you could get bread with coupon they give us, you know. They started very early because the First World War was so bad and they got experience from that. When this second war started… SPEAKER 1: They were ready for it. MRS. VILAKARI: Right, they started right away in Finland to ration it, so that they didn't run low first and then started but they said that it's better to start to do it right away so that we would have a little reserved. So, you know, even there war time wasn't bad, you know. We were in that age, you know, you don't worry too much. SPEAKER 1: You don't think about it. MRS. VILAKARI: That's right, it is. When you are under twenty, you know, you're kind of taking it day after day. The only thing was, you know, bombings were awful. SPEAKER 1: Oh, yeah, can you remember some of the military things like the bombings? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, yeah, they were awful, you know. Very often we had to sit hours in a cellar. You know, they make kind of shelters in houses, in the cellar. But the worst was just before the peace came, you know, and they were bombing Helsinki, they came every tenth night.13 SPEAKER 1: Oh yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: They came three times in a row, and it started 7 o'clock at night and we stayed until daylight, you know. In the morning, it was you know… SPEAKER 1: It was horrible to come out and see what had happened. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. But no – I don't know if this is nice to say, but it was so poor bombing that they didn't do nearly as much damage that, you know, as many bombs they dropped. SPEAKER 1: Yeah, that was very fortunate. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. And Helsinki is so among sea that a lot of them went to sea, you know, in the water. There was a bomb dropped right next – you know, when we had our apartment here, a bomb dropped but it didn't explode. Wasn't it impossible? SPEAKER 1: You got a lot of luck, you know. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah. It would have been a big one, you know. It's 500 kilos; that would have made lots of damage if it had exploded, but it didn't. And we didn't know. We were seating in a show. Then they were making, you know, dead tallies… SPEAKER 1: I know what you mean. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, yeah. So we didn't even know, but afterwards they told us. It was sitting there and they said it was awfully exciting for the people who had to go there, you know. It had dropped in a hallway and then people had had their linen in a suit case, you know, so it would be easy if something came and you have to take your belongings if there's burning or something. You know, it was just a flat sheet of cloth and it was so heavy, the bomb, and it was it has been rolling under the suitcase that it had flattened the linen and all, you know, flat. But, you know, we were very fortune. I think almost everybody's windows were broken. I don't think that there were any home that didn't have any, that their whole windows left open when the war was ended. But we had only 14 cardboards; it was no sense to replace them during the war because, you know, they would have just a vibration, you know. It was so scary SPEAKER 1: Do you remember what it was like when peace finally came? Was there lots of celebrations? MRS. VILAKARI: Oh, it was it was wonderful feeling when the lights came on, on the streets. That time I remember to have a tickle, you know. SPEAKER 1: You could have a … MRS. VILAKARI: No. And everybody had to cover their window so that you couldn't see because they always came every night and, you know, they couldn't shoot them when they were in the dark; that's why they came during night. That was the only thing that I remember so clearly, that how happy we were when the streets lights came on and it look just like a heaven in a night, you know, when it was so light, but you get used to it. And it was funny, you know, people were, I think, much better during war time. There was no crimes or… SPEAKER 1: Everybody – MRS. VILAKARI: People were much more helpful and honest. SPEAKER 1: They had to be, to survive. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, that's right, you know. SPEAKER 1: And then when you weren't under pressure anymore? MRS. VILAKARI: People were much healthier when they couldn't get this rich food. They said people were much healthier because they were skinnier. No, no. SPEAKER 1: Probably. MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, yes, all the cholesterol, you know. They had to do without then, you know. That's why all the doctors said that people were much healthier because they were so skinny. SPEAKER 1: It has its good and bad effects of the war.15 MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, that's right. Yes, there is always good and bad. You know, you couldn't think that you can take war so many years, but it's amazing, you know, and you don't even bother with all that fat – SPEAKER 1: You probably had to get used to that. MRS. VILAKARI: That's right, yes. Yes, you do, yes. But oh it was nice when it ended and you didn't have to think about the alarms, you know. You are all somehow thinking, especially those days when they were coming so frequently, "Now I'm here. Where is the next shelter in case? SPEAKER 1: That's usually part of war, you know. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, you could see always when people are running, you know; you run after them. SPEAKER 1: So you came to this country, like it's to visit the first time. Why did you decide to come to this country to live? MRS. VILAKARI: Because we liked it so much. We liked it very well when we are here the first time. But when we went to Finland, we really didn't think about it. We went right away to the American embassy to put our name on a list. You have to wait for your turn; you have to get a number. And because in 19, I think, I don't really know. It was 1980 when they made the law so that how many people they know – they made the quota system. At that time, there were so few people coming from Finland. Finland got very low number, you know, so that there were only about 500 people allowed to leave Finland in a year – I mean to come to this country from Finland. So, you know, we had to wait. They said at first that we might have to wait three or four years. But I don't know what happened. It was two and half years when we got the notice from the embassy that "now your turn is coming; you better start to prepare your papers." Then after that, we didn't even think if we are coming back or not because we didn't have any bad life in Finland. We didn't. It was mostly because of the Russians; it's 16 just always that feeling that, you know – now it's different. It's kind of settled, but during that time, still it was… SPEAKER 1: You didn't know what was going to happen. The Russians were… MRS. VILAKARI: Yeah, yes, that's right yes, for us the uncertainty of thing, you know. That's why we thought that we would come back. But then when we got to the notice, then we got all excited again. [Laughs] We started to get our papers ready. SPEAKER 1: So you planned for everything? And how much time did they tell you will be able to go, when they give you the notice then? MRS. VILAKARI: It would happen, I suppose, you know in our own… when we could get our papers and packed. But the only thing was that we had to reserve the boat. SPEAKER 1: Passage, yeah. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, because those were very hard to get at that time too, and that's why that was the only thing that we had to know when to leave. But, otherwise, you know, the papers –I'm sure that in time they would have become too old, but it wasn't anything in two months or so you have to go, but just you know to prepare your papers. But we had our number and that was our number. I don't know how many years they would have hold it, but because we had waited for the number, we had it – SPEAKER 1: All the time you are waiting to hear from them, you're probably still thinking how much how you want to go and everything. That didn't occupy your mind that much but it still was there. MRS. VILAKARI: Oh, yes, yes we were thinking that, you know, we were going someday, but we didn't think every moment that's all, boy… SPEAKER 1: After a couple of years of waiting, you don't… MRS. VILAKARI: That's right. You can't wait that long, you know, to think about it every minute. SPEAKER 1: How about other people? How did they feel about you going? Were they happy for you and or they tell not to?17 MRS. VILAKARI: No, no, they didn't tell us. They thought that we are very lucky to get here but they were sad that we were leaving. We have lots of very good friends in Finland. But otherwise they thought that we are very lucky to be able to because there were very few people who could do it. Financially and everything, you know, it's very expensive but we couldn't have paid our trip in Finnish money at that time. Finland didn't give dollars so we had to get the money from here and then pay back when we came here. SPEAKER 1: How did you go about doing that? Did you send it to the relatives? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes. We have that half-sister here but then, you know, when we came the second time… she's not my cousin, you know. She is her cousin from her mother's side; we have same father, and she sponsored us then, because when you sponsor three people to be an immigrant, you have to have a certain amount of money. And that time, they were just leaving from Boston to New Hampshire and they had everything in a kind of a mess, you know. I mean, not that not anything was wrong, but I mean, you know, everything was unsettled. So her cousin said that they were [taken] into it because they were very well off, you know. And then the second time, my sister was already living in New Hampshire, the half-sister, so we didn't want to go there; it was too much like country; we wanted to go the city. SPEAKER 1: How about, when did you leave your homeland? What was the date, do you remember? Well, even the month. MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, we arrived here the second time when we stayed permanently, 13 February. It took two weeks, so it must have been in the beginning of February. SPEAKER 1: What year was this, again? MRS. VILAKARI: 1951 was the one we came the second time. SPEAKER 1: And how did you come here? MRS. VILAKARI: First, we arrived in New York.18 SPEAKER 1: By boat? MRS. VILAKARI: Yes, by boat, by [Gripson] 51; we arrived by that boat. And our cousins and - no, no in the meantime, we had met some people from New Canaan in Connecticut we have met in Finland and they visited us and we took them around a lot. And when we came they said, "Please, come to our house first and then we will take you to Pittsburg – or Maine." We were going to Maine then. And that's how we spent one week, you know, with them in New Canaan first. It's so near New York and we spent one week with them and we went to New York to see [Anget Yogan]. [Laughs] We had very, very nice time there, and then we came to Maine and… SPEAKER 1: What was the cost, do you remember, the boat ride? How much it cost from over… MRS. VILAKARI: I think that for three for us, they took loan from a workers' credit union. That's how we asked. We said that you know if they can get the loan from somewhere that we can then pay back to straight to the bank so they don't have to tie their own money, and they did that – because we knew from the first time that you can do things like that. So in Pittsburg, you know, there is workers credit union and that's where they had borrowed the money. It was some 600 and something for three of us, I think, you know. I can't remember exactly but I remember it was something a little over 600 dollars. So it must have been 200 and something for one person, the ticket for the boat trip. SPEAKER 1: So who came with you? You had your two sisters? Anybody else you knew? MRS. VILAKARI: No, no. We met on the boat but there wasn't anybody with us, you know, just three of us./AT/jm/ee