Thanks for support of City League tourney

The Park Board would like to thank all those who supported the City League Tournament again this year. This was the 12th year for this tournament. A special thank you to Trenton IGA for allowing us to store our supplies and come and go as needed, Trenton Processing for also allowing us to store our supplies and the use of your refrigerated truck, and to the Trenton Chamber of Commerce and Jim’s Formal Wear for the generous monetary donations which were used to purchase medals and plaques.

Thanks also to Bette and Kelly for the great job they did running the concession stand, the coaches for volunteering your time, and Andy and Pete for the countless hours they spent scheduling teams, umpires, etc.

Last but not least, we thank all of the parents who volunteered your time to work at the tournament. The tournament would not be possible without the support from all of you. The proceeds from the tournament are put back into the youth programs and park improvements.

Thanks Again,

The Trenton Park Board Brent, Julie, Daron, Kara, Dennis, Steve, and Deb

The Trenton Park Boosters thank everyone who helped make the Booster Bash a successful one. Without everyone’s help this would not have been a success!

A big thank you to all for their willingness to help from the bottom of my heart. The bash grossed over $10,000 this weekend, all of which will be put back into our park. The new concession stand was important in helping us handle 31 softball teams.

This organization is the best I have ever been around. They are all willing to do what it takes to get our job complete. There were a lot of people who helped that are not a part of our organization and we thank you in every way we can.

I hope the TrentonFest picnic can be as successful as the bash. Remember September 7 and 8 is the picnic date. We are also looking for new members; it would be great to see our young men and women join our organization.

We need some young blood to continue this organization and keep the park looking great. Also a thank you goes to Larry and Randy and Dave for an outstanding job of organizing the tournament!

Thanks to all Legion parents who not only worked their shifts but beyond. The Legion baseball teams brought in a lot of revenue; great job Pete. A lot of comments were made from other towns on our fields and the park in general.

Special thanks to Jerry Brefeld for bringing us gas on Sunday.; and to Steve Wallace for bringing us quarters on Sunday so we could continue. If I forgot some one I am sorry! Here is just one email that we received from a participating team.

Phil Schmitt, President Trenton Park Boosters

The 14u Edwardsville Tigers enjoyed your tournament last weekend. It was our second Trenton tournament this year. The umpiring for the 14u this tournament was great. The male and two female umpires we had were the best we have had all year. Please pass that on to them if possible.

The only comment I have is in regards to the time limits on Sunday games. We were defeated 5 to 4 by Collinsville Extreme, one win from the championship game; it was a great and competitive game and was a shame to see it come to an end one inning early because of two minutes. I really think you should consider extending the game times to 90 minutes for teams reaching that level in the winner’s bracket. Other than that, the food was great, fields were in great condition, lots of shade and our team had a great post game dinner at the Trenton House.

Coach Mark Paproth

The Ladies Auxiliary was founded in 1914 with the goal to assist veterans and their families.

Today our Trenton Ladies Auxiliary to Post 7983 works toward that goal through our Veterans & Family Support program, previously knows as the Rehabilitation Program. You each can truly make a difference by sharing with your time, talent and giving to the Auxiliary for their visits to the Veterans Hospital & Nursing Homes.

An example; a Trenton resident who works for a company that sells personal toiletry products called, saying they are emptying their shelves for new items and offered them to us for the veterans; we happily picked them up. Could anyone else be in such a position and offer anything of use for our hospitalized veterans? Please call me, the Hospital Chairperson and we will return your call for pickup. Thank you.

Evelyn Pakosta, 224-9677

As many of you know, I completed a half-marathon two years ago. Now I am training for the Nike Women’s Half-Marathon in San Francisco on October 21, 2007.

This marathon will be different because I am running in honor of my mother, Teresa Brefeld, and a dear friend, Kyler Hasl-Wright, both of whom are survivors.

The Nike team and I have been running 20 miles a week. It is a huge motivation when considering what others may go through when fighting leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related cancers.

Meeting new friends has provided such an overwhelming experience for me and also understanding teammates who have battled cancer and are running for a cure.

So far I have raised over $1,000 and still have a long way to succeed in reaching my goal of $3,900. I need to collect $1,500 by July 15 and $3,900 by September 15. For those of you who would like to contribute to this cause, please mail your checks payable to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to Teresa Brefeld, 608 Burr Oak, Trenton, IL 62293, or make a donation on-line at http://www.active.com/donate/tntgmo/tntgmoLBrefel

All donations go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Please ask your friends, family, and co-workers to join us in the fight against blood-related cancers.

Thank you for your generosity, encouragement, and support as I continue to train to put a smile on the faces of those who are afflicted with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related cancers.

With sincerest gratitude,

Lindsay Brefeld

I find it highly amusing that retailers nationwide are annoyed because there are a surplus of new Apple iPhones.

The funniest aspect is the footage of thousands of stupid schmucks nationwide camping out in front of cellular and computer stores in a mad scramble to be among the first to purchase one of the devices.

Apparently, the campout zealots were the only ones to buy the fancy new phone/computer/GPS/backscratchers, because there are plenty to go around.

It should be no surprise that manufacturers try to manipulate "shortages" of their new product lines in order to boost demand and keep prices high.

I can remember (only vaguely) studying the concept of "planned obsolescence." Ever since the free market has existed, business has attempted to influence consumer behavior by creating products that would either wear out in a specified period of time or be outpaced by developing technology.

The computer industry has perfected that science, but Apple has only lately learned the value of making substandard products.

Apple's Macintosh computers were revolutionary in two ways when they burst on the scene back when personal computers were novelties. First, the Mac operating system made it possible for computer novices to figure out how to operate them easily and without programming expertise. Second, those early Macintoshes were absolute workhorses.

Some Apple fanatic somewhere is still using a souped-up first-generation Mac, just because he can.

It would seem that an easy-to-operate, durable computer would be a sure winner in the free market. The Mac was its generation's better mousetrap.

But as it turns out, in the technology business, it's actually more profitable to build products that wear out quickly and fail to keep up with the changing times (see Microsoft). That way, consumers buy them more often.

When we first integrated personal computers into our business, Apple was considered the standard in the newspaper industry. At that time, most of the software necessary in producing a newspaper was only available for Macs.

So my first computer experience was on a Macintosh, and I've never felt comfortable in front of a Windows-based system. I don't know that one is any better than the other; just that I prefer Macs purely because of my familiarity with them.

I was concerned several years ago, when it appeared Apple might go belly-up because of the company's stubborn refusal to forsake the idea that building a better computer was the best business plan.

The company reinvigorated itself by building computers that weren't quite as good but could be sold less expensively (although Macs are still more expensive than most PC's). Their prospects really started to explode when they introduced the definitive MP3 player, the iPod, which is so branded at this point that it's used as a generic term to describe the device, no matter who the manufacturer is.

The iPhone represents the company's attempt to catch that lightning in a bottle again, but it doesn't seem to be working as well this time. I hope that's because consumers have developed an understanding that the reality usually doesn't meet the promises when it comes to technology, and really, most products.

Fifty years ago, you could buy a plain white refrigerator that would last you a lifetime. Today, you can buy a sleek, stainless steel refrigerator that dispenses water and crushed ice from the front door, keeps your meat at a different temperature from your vegetables, holds a gallon milk-jug in the door, and mops the kitchen floor while you sleep. Average lifespan, about six months.

The thing that nags at me is that it seems like the multi-functional conveniences and technological advances aren't worth what we've given up in good, old-fashioned quality.

I read the other day that the concept of "multi-tasking" is really a myth. All multi-tasking really does, according to a study, is diminish the quality of each of the tasks you are working on.

The same holds true for new technology. The iPhone is the poster child for my hypothesis. It does a lot of things, but doesn't do any of them very well. C'mon, do you really want to surf the internet on a half-inch screen using a three-quarter inch "keyboard"?

It concerns and distresses me that consumers have become such sheep when it comes to their purchase decisions, and it affects me in a very real way, because it's nearly impossible to buy anything that's worth spit. We're so obsessed with the latest and the greatest and the cheapest that no one's making boring old quality products anymore. There's no money in it. I hope the public indifference to the iPhone represents a shift in consumer attitudes. Perhaps there is a realization that just because something is new, that doesn't necessarily mean it will enhance their quality of life.

As for me, I'm just too old and stupid to take advantage of an iPhone. I'm still trying to figure out how to program numbers into my old-school cell phone.

But I am smart enough to know that, when it comes to new technology, it's never a good idea to be the first one on your block to have it.