Which came first, the grapefruit or the grape?
According to printed pages of The World Book, until the 19th century, the grapefruit was known as the shaddock, a fruit that likely originated in the West Indies in the early 1700s. Later it was named “grapefruit” because when the mature yellow citrus fruit first begins to grow in clusters on the tree, the small, green and unripened fruit resemble a bunch of grapes.
By contrast, prehistoric fossils of grape leaves and paintings in ancient Egyptian tombs indicate that humans have been enjoying grapes since before 2440 B.C. In fact, some researchers say the taste for wine was developed 10 million years ago, but who’s counting?
So, yes, most PN readers likely will be correct. The grape came first; yet, ironically, grapefruit has no “grape” flavor.
And that unprovocative explanation leads us to ask who was first to state, “All politics is local.”?
Furthermore, which candidates running to serve local taxing bodies will be convincing enough to send voters by the numbers to the polls in the next local election?
As citizens of Naperville, PN is convinced we have some local challenges before us. We’ll get to them in March.
In case you missed it…
For now, in case you missed it, in early January the mayors and many residents in Warrenville, Lisle, Woodridge and Naperville were surprised to learn that petitions were circulating to annex the three smaller communities into Naperville.
At a press conference, the four mayors anticipated the puzzling distraction would be resolved on Jan. 26 during a subsequent hearing in Wheaton. According to Linda LaCloche, Communications Manager for the City of Naperville, the issue about the merger question that was petitioned to be on the Consolidated Election ballot is not yet over, even though Jan. 26 was the last day to certify ballots for the election on April 4, 2017. (Find links to this story by searching “Warrenville, Naperville” at www.positivelynaperville.com.)
If this scenario sounds confusing, it’s because it is. If it sounds repetitious, it is.
The anonymous petitioner was given until the first of February to file a response to the challenge by the mayors of Warrenville, Lisle and Woodridge. The outcome of a hearing set for Feb. 8, 2017, in DuPage County Court could decide if the annexation question will be on the ballot.
Even though the last date for all candidates and propositions to be ballot certified was Jan. 26, some local issues still must be settled according to some rules. They’re questions that could have a major impact on Naperville, so be sure to pay attention to be an informed voter.
Yet, when the final ballot is set with questions (and considering past local elections), we wonder if more voters will go to the polls for the 2017 Consolidated Election on April 4 than went for the 2016 General Election in November. And will they vote in the Naperville Township Republican Primary on Fat Tuesday?
Crossing that bridge
From where we sit, the best locally elected officials are ones aware of all the gaps from one governmental body to the other in order to create the most efficient government possible without duplication of services.
Consider how many governments are connected by the original covered bridge along the Riverwalk, first put into place in 1981.
Owned by the City and maintained by the Naperville Park District, the bridge across the DuPage River at Webster Street leads to and from the Naperville Township Building in the central business district where shopping and dining contribute to the local economy via tax revenues to keep our city safe.
In our view, all politics is local. Just like our focus is to shop locally whenever possible.
Yet the grapefruit on the front page, available at Casey’s Foods, demonstrate free markets and how communities around the world link together to provide the goods and services desired by local residents in their own backyard. Americans prefer the nutritious Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit.
Americanisms
Moreover, when you search for facts, you might end up as we did on Barry Popik’s website where the scholar of Americanisms posts the origin of more than 5,000 sayings.
“‘All politics is local’ is a popular political saying, most often associated with House Speaker Thomas P. ‘Tip’ O’Neill, Jr. (1912-1994). O’Neill used the saying in his first political campaign, in 1935.,” Popik posts.
And he goes on to credit a Hoosier, Byron Price (1891-1981) with being first. Price was “the Associated Press’s Washington bureau chief and author of the newspaper column ‘Politics at Random,’ wrote ‘politics is local’ and ‘all politics is local politics’ in February 1932, and ‘all politics is local in the last analysis’ in July 1932. Price likely coined and/or popularized the saying.”
Grapefruit spirit
With so much philosophy and history written over thousands of years, we wonder about the facts and unintended consequences that are missed by some folks who only follow 140 characters with steadfast faith in ever-evolving electronics.
Not the most tech savvy, this PN editor is mindful that we can overcome obstacles provided we are at liberty to vote, write and speak about the art of freedom that keeps us compassionate and moving forward.
Thanks for finding the balance and for supporting local arts—culinary arts, literary arts, graphic arts and the culture of comedy.
And to think, Texas Ruby Red grapefruit can be spirited, but not so easy to locate locally. According to Russ Ricker at Binny’s in Naperville, Cello Via Grapefruit Kaffir Leaves Limoncello is a cordial liqueur that can be ordered. Charbay bottles a Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka. And Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters is available in stock.
Seriously, now, who first called political campaigns “Silly season”?
Disclaimer – Due to recent events, Positively Naperville (PN) will no longer estimate crowd sizes, including but not limited to: runs and walks, golf events, outdoor festivals, concerts, parades, fundraisers, protests and proxy-protests. Any crowd size estimates or head counts published in this printed paper, PN social media, or its corresponding digital infrastructure, are estimated and/or submitted by a third party or event organizer. It is nearly impossible for PN to accurately estimate such numbers, and therefore, can not be liable if numbers are inaccurate upon publication.
