Thursday, August 30, 2012

A PIG COLLECTION

I had occasion to visit my Public TV Access Group’s bookkeeper and she is a collector of pigs. I’m not sure what the fascination for pigs is, but, here they are:

A pig teapot.

Mostly decorative knickknacks. Just cute little critters.

The site is having a problem and providing me with this miniscule font. So, pictures seem better than words. Besides, I was awfully wordy yesterday.

This pig is straight forward and charming. When we arrange our collections, do we make sure they are all turned the same way?  Facing right? Or left? Hmm!



Most of Eileen’s pigs were facing right.


When placed against on a  table with other things, left facing was necessary to see the character.


The room, table  and walls configured  for the one above  to be arranged facing left.


And this bold Harley Rider is multi-dimensional and faces forward.  Not that any of this matters, but if you decorate your office with your collection, they have to look appealing.


They are cute and  most knickknack collections have cute appeal. And, I always appreciate other people’s collections being a collectiholic myself.


My daughter-in-law collects elephants and the form and function elephants can take goes way beyond knickknacks and is fascination. Always the object turned art.

But, this one was my favorite. It has a message with  just the right touch of truth and humor.  Oh, boy!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

POLITICAL CONVENTIONS

Political Conventions ain’t what they used to be.  I remember them as fun events, people wore crazy hats, waved funny and serious signs, partied and smoozed and had a wonderful time. That may still happen, but the ordinary, back-home people from our communities who go may not even know about the real smoozing going on. I present for you from Public Citizen “the rest of the story:”
The Democratic and Republican national conventions — which are supposed to be publicly financed electoral events with reasonable ethics restrictions on influence-peddling by lobbyists – have turned into mostly privately financed soirees funded by corporations and lobbying firms that seek favors from the federal government. Today, less happens at the presidential nominating conventions, because the presumptive nominees are chosen in advance. Fewer people care about the conventions, as declining viewership shows. Yet more money is raised and spent at the conventions than when the conventions were major political events.
Two separate codes were intended, but largely have failed, to make the nominating conventions more respectable political events. The first is the decades-old ban imposed by the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) on the use of “soft money” — funds from corporate or union treasuries or large individual contributions in excess of the legal limits — to pay for conventions. The second is the 2007 congressional ethics rules that restrict the manner in which lobbyists and lobbying organizations may host parties and offer gifts to members of Congress.
The presidential public financing system was created to replace potentially corrupting “soft money” with public money in the selection of the president, largely in response to a soft money slush fund scandal at the 1972 Republican National Convention. In May 1971, the giant International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (IT&T) pledged up to $400,000 to attract the 1972 Republican National Convention to San Diego. The company was facing several anti-trust lawsuits under the Nixon administration. Just eight days after the selection of San Diego for the Republican convention, Attorney General Richard Kleindienst agreed to an out-of-court anti-trust settlement with IT&T that the company considered very favorable. In the wake of this scandal, Congress approved a system of public financing for presidential elections, which included full public financing of the conventions, removing the potentially corrupting corporate money from the convention process.
1. The Law Regarding Convention Financing
FECA’s public financing program for the presidential nominating conventions created a system in which the parties, in exchange for accepting reasonable spending ceilings on their conventions, would receive a block grant from the federal government to pay for nearly all convention expenses. Originally, the spending ceiling and block grant was set at $2 million, to be adjusted for inflation. FECA was soon amended to increase the spending ceiling and block grant to $4 million.
The law began to unravel after a series of controversial Federal Election Commission (FEC) advisory opinions and regulations issued in the 1980s. The FEC decided to allow corporate and union soft money to help pay for the conventions through “host committees.” Originally, the FEC limited the soft money loophole for host committees and municipal funds to corporations and unions with a “local tie” to the community hosting the convention. In 2003, the FEC dismissed the requirement of a “local tie” for corporate contributions to host committees and municipal funds altogether. [1]
FEC Commissioner Thomas Harris back in the early 1980s saw the danger of these exemptions getting out of control. He wrote in a dissenting opinion: “By permitting corporations and unions to donate unlimited amounts of money to fund political conventions, the Commission is ignoring one of the clear concerns of 2 U.S.C. 441(b) and its predecessor statutes – that is, the fear of the influence of aggregated wealth on the political process.” [2]
2. The Flood of Soft Money into the Conventions
Commissioner Harris’ prediction that the host committee exception could become a gaping soft money loophole has come true with a vengeance. In 1976, both parties paid for their conventions almost exclusively with public funds, about $2 million each. In 1980 and 1984, the parties still relied mostly on public money to pay for their conventions, at slightly more than $4 million in 1980 and somewhat more than $7 million in 1984. Soft money had only begun to creep into the picture.
Then, in 1996, the use of privately financed “host committees” by the parties overwhelmed the public financing program. Both conventions received private funds amounting to nearly double the public grant.
Today, public funds make up only a modest share of the total (inflated) cost of the conventions. In 2000, for example, each party was awarded about $13.5 million to pay for its nominating convention. In reality, private sources chipped in an additional $52 million for the Democratic convention in Los Angeles and $60 million for the Republican convention in Philadelphia. In the 2004 election, the Republicans spent $101 million on their convention and the Democrats spent $72 million, all while the official public funding grant intended to pay for the conventions was $15 million. In 2008, each party was awarded $16.4 million in public grants to pay for their conventions, but total expenditures through the host committees amounted to more than $55 million for the Democratic convention and $57 million for the Republican convention.[3] This year, each party has been given a public grant of $18.3 million, but private sources are expected to add another $37 million for the Democratic convention and $55 million for the Republican convention.
The partisan disparity for the 2012 conventions is the result of the Democratic Party’s new policy of reining in out-of-control financing of its convention. As part of the agreement between the Democratic Party and the convention host committee, direct corporate contributions to the convention are banned, lobbyist contributions are prohibited and all other contributions are capped at $100,000. At the time of the announcement, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said, “We will make this the first convention in history that does not accept any funds from lobbyists, corporations or political action committees. This will be the first modern political convention funded by the grassroots, funded by the people.”[4]
The self-imposed Democratic constraints on special-interest funding are expected to significantly reduce private funding for the Democratic convention — even given some of the loopholes in the policy. For example, while corporations cannot make direct contributions to the Democratic convention, they can provide in-kind products and services to the host committee to help finance the convention, which likely will be worth a substantial amount. Furthermore, with the host committee struggling to make its contractual obligation of arranging $37 million in additional private funds for the convention, the host committee has incorporated New American City Inc., a non-profit entity run by the convention host committee. New American City reportedly received funds from Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Duke Energy, calling into question the value of the pledge against accepting direct corporate contributions with this backdoor avenue in place.
Meanwhile, the Republicans have not imposed any such limits on the sources and amounts of special interest money to finance their convention.
3. What Do They Get for Their Money?
Nearly all of the private donors to the convention host committees have business pending before Congress or the White House and have made substantial campaign contributions and lobbying expenditures to press their causes. With the 2008 convention, for example, 173 organizational donors to the host committees have been identified, and all but two are corporations. These donors made more than $100 million in direct campaign contributions to federal candidates and party committees, and about $1.5 billion in lobbying expenditures between 2005 and 2008.[5] Clearly, most companies that donate to the conventions want something from the federal government — and they are willing to pay.
Corporations and their lobbyists also purchase a great deal of one-on-one time with lawmakers at the conventions. In return for their donations to the convention host committees, corporate sponsors to the conventions are promised a variety of benefits, ranging from advertising opportunities to VIP tickets to the convention centers. Each host committee advertises numerous levels of sponsorship — the greater the contribution, the greater the access to advertising opportunities and elected officials. Additionally, the sponsorship packet offers contributors the chance to buy access to party luminaries by hosting or sponsoring events such as state delegation receptions.
So far, no data on contributions to the 2012 conventions are available. Unlike the 2008 conventions, in which the governors and mayors of the convention sites (as members of the host committees) provided early data on donors in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by the Campaign Finance Institute, the governor’s office of Florida and local offices of the cities of Tampa and Charlotte provided no similar information on donors in response to FOIA requests by Public Citizen. Each of the offices this year claimed that the host committees are private entities not under their control or jurisdiction. The governor’s office of North Carolina did not respond to our inquiry.
Host committees and municipal committees are required to file their financial disclosure reports with the FEC either 60 days following the convention or 20 days prior to the general election (Oct.15), whichever is first.[6]

B. Party Time on the Lobbyists’ Dime? Not So Fast


One way of buying influence with lawmakers is to make soft money contributions to the convention host committees. Another is to pay for a lavish reception or party at the convention for lawmakers and party leaders. Many of the corporate donors, like AT&T, make extensive use of both tactics.
Eight years ago, the parties at the national conventions were more numerous and more pointedly set up for influence-peddling by their corporate sponsors. The Consumer Electronics Association, for example, a lobbying organization with business pending before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, hosted a luncheon at the 2004 Republican convention to honor committee members. Media companies, seeking specific legislation from Congress, hosted a $300,000 “Caribbean Beach Bash” at the 2004 Democratic convention in honor of U.S. Sen. John Breaux, a leading advocate of media interests over the years. Individual partygoers could pony up an additional $20,000 for some one-on-one time with the honoree. Though Breaux was retiring, the media lobbyists sent a clear message to his colleagues who remain: We support our friends.[7]
New congressional ethics rules adopted in 2007 placed constraints on this type of influence-peddling at the conventions by lobbyists and lobbying organizations. The “Honest Leadership and Open Government Act” contains a sweeping set of lobbying laws and ethics rules enhancing disclosure of lobbying activity and regulating the behavior of lobbyists, lobbying organizations, members of Congress and their staffs. (For a detailed summary of the lobbying law, click here.)
The new rules ban any congressional lawmaker from participating in an event at the convention honoring that lawmaker if the event is hosted by a lobbyist or lobbying organization.[8]
This rule expressly prohibits members of Congress from attending any convention party thrown by a lobbyist or lobbying organization where a specific member or members are identified by name and title as the honoree (including as a “special guest”), as well as events honoring a group composed solely of members, such as a congressional committee or congressional caucus. Member participation also is prohibited if the member is to receive a special benefit or opportunity that would not be available to some or all of the other participants, such as if the sponsor were to offer the member an exclusive speaking role or a very prominent ceremonial role.
This is precisely how the Senate ethics committee has interpreted the rule, issuing guidelines to that effect. The House ethics committee, however, has issued partly erroneous guidelines on this matter, which is likely to cause confusion and possibly violations of the rule at the upcoming conventions. In describing the nature of the rule, the House ethics committee has interpreted the ban on parties honoring a member as not applying to parties that honor groups of members in which no specific member is identified, such as congressional committees or caucuses.[9] The House ethics committee has also limited application of the rule to the formal dates of the convention itself, rather than the heavy party weekends immediately before and after the convention.
Both interpretations by the House ethics committee are inappropriate and fail to honor the letter and spirit of the rule. The clear intent of the rule is to prohibit lobbyists from hosting parties honoring one, two or even 100 members, either specifically or by committee or caucus name.
Congressional gift rules also prohibit members and staff from accepting gifts from lobbyists or lobbying organizations at the conventions, except under the following circumstances:
  • Reception – Members and staff may attend a reception hosted by a lobbying organization, including food and refreshment of nominal value offered other than as part of a meal, known as the “toothpick rule.”
  • Widely attended event – Members and staff may accept dinner, refreshments and entertainment at a widely attended event. An event is considered widely attended when at least 25 people from outside Congress are expected to attend and the member’s attendance should be related to official duties. Free attendance does not include entertainment collateral to the event, such as a concert.
  • Charity event – Members and staff may accept free attendance at a charity event, provided the primary purpose of the event is to raise funds for a legitimate charitable organization.
  • Campaign fundraiser – Members and staff may accept free food, refreshments and entertainment in connection with any fundraising events sponsored by party organizations, campaign committees and other political organizations. Such fundraising events must comply with federal or state campaign finance limits and disclosure requirements.
  • Convention event – Members and staff may accept food, refreshments, entertainment or other gifts offered by the convention committees, party organizations and federal, state and local governments.
Public Citizen and seven other reform organizations sent a letter to Congress last month urging all members to abide by the new ethics rules. The letter is available at http://www.citizen.org/documents/convention-letter-2012-house.pdf.
The House Ethics Committee guidance on the conventions is available at http://www.citizen.org/documents/house-convention-guidance-2012.pdf.
The Senate Ethics Committee guidance is available at http://www.citizen.org/documents/senate-convention-guidance-2012.pdf.

C. Conclusion: Lobbyists Gone Wild

Corporations and their lobbyists see the national nominating conventions as an ideal opportunity to buy access and influence with the presidential campaigns, lawmakers and party leaders. The conventions constitute a campaign media blitz for the campaigns and provide a golden opportunity for lobbyists to extend their lobbying activity off Capitol Hill.
The soft money loophole created by the FEC has derailed part of the original intent of the presidential public financing program: to remove the potentially corrupting corporate money (such as from IT&T) from the convention proceedings. The FEC should reverse its previous rulings on corporate sponsorship of host committees and municipal funds. If the FEC will not step up to the plate – and there is no indication that it will do so — then Congress must revisit this issue when it considers strengthening the presidential public financing system.
Meanwhile, corporate lobbyists will be partying, schmoozing and lobbying at the national conventions. Though new ethics rules are forcing significant adjustments in the behavior of lobbyists and lobbying organizations at the conventions, there is still confusion that could lead lawmakers to disregard the rules.
It is imperative that members of Congress and their staffs are clear on the ethics rules and approach the party scene prudently. The House ethics committee needs to revisit its guidance so as not to contribute to the confusion. And the public and press must do their best to monitor the convention festivities to ensure compliance with the rules. No one else will.
Public Citizen and the Sunlight Foundation set up a bird-dogging campaign for the 2008 conventions to crash the soirees and identify which are in violation of the ethics rules. We were able to shut down only one party sponsored by a lobbying organization out of the hundreds that took place at both conventions.
Public Citizen and the Sunlight Foundation will be repeating this bird-dogging campaign for the 2012 conventions.
So, if you think money is buying our elections?   It is worse than you thought.  A rule is just something to break or get around.

Monday, August 27, 2012

THE THREE M'S MEET AGAIN.


We call ourselves the Three M’s, that is in Madaline, Michal and Mary. When Michal Houston moved to South Carolina, it seemed as though we would no longer be a trio.  Michal is visiting the West Coast  for an extended stay and we managed to get together. With Michal away, and me on the road so much, it was that much more meaningful that we could connect.

Madaline Krska won her election as Clerk Recorder two years ago and has a bag and sunglasses with her initials on it. Her win didn’t go to her head. She discovered a famous designer who has the same initials. Her best accessory has always been a marvelous smile.

Michal Houston has lived in many places and I was disappointed when she moved to the East Coast.  But, you know, here it is, a year later and we are together and catching up on each others lives. She has the most amazing knack for making friends, a talent developed by being a friend. She can move from Coast to Coast, and on this trip, up to Oregon and back, to Mexico and find friends wherever she roams.

It’s been a tradition to meet at Camps, always share a cocktail or dinner-this time lunch. And who can get enough girl talk?  We spent a happy three hours before it was time to part.

We didn’t change the world, but we cemented our good friendship and promised to meet again.  And, at Camps, we think the waiters are trained to take pictures for their customers.  It was fun, but too short, though nice to know we will do it again.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

HANGING WITH FRIENDS.

Yesterday was a work day, all day. A tree man removed heavy over-story on the oaks and maples that threaten buildings or keep sun off the strawberries and smaller plants. I tried to make sense of my wide-spread sprinkling systems. But today is a fun day. Friend, Michal Houston, is visiting, and the three M’s will be together again. I love to hang with friends. Social connections are different today, but we won’t be doing anything like this:

Or this:

They are sitting close enough to be friends. But…

What can be so distracting when a massive, professional entertainment is right before your eyes?

Could it  be a first date and they don’t know how to talk to each other?

I would hate it if we had so little to communicate with those sharing our table that we had to  consult with friends from a distance.

It is noticeable that everyone is young, of a new generation. It will ever be so, the older generation criticizes the younger generation and wonders if they will be prepared to take on the problems of the future.

I expect it will all work out, but you won’t catch us doing anything like this. And, it does give you pause to wonder.
(I don’t know who to credit for these photos. They came to me in an email, and I guess like un-copyrighted newspaper articles, they are useable by anyone who does not make money from your work. And I thank you , whoever you are.)

Saturday, August 25, 2012

BICYCLING FUTURE


What person in America wasn’t thrilled to get their first bike!  It was a highpoint of my life. It gave me freedom and distance and joy. Then, I grew up and got a car. It is interesting to watch China pull away from bicycles as a major mode of travel and opt for the auto while other countries are encouraging bicycling as a reasonable way to travel, and commute. People are tired of traffic gridlock. A bicyclist in cities like Portland, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Cleveland, etc.  can get to work faster on their bikes than a car or train. That’s something to think about.
Bicycles have been engineered to be an entirely different experience then the Schwinn from my childhood. Bicycles are made for speed, comfort and  great ease of  mobility in mind.  Essya Nabbali, one of the women who survived a severe  bike accident last year,  sent me an interesting email about two women who have invented an invisible bike helmet. Sound impossible? Click on the link below to a video about this marvelous invention. It is made like an automobile airbag. It instantly explodes open to protect the biker in an accident.
http://vimeo.com/43038579
It also helps to have municipalities plan cities, or  even retrofit cities to make bicycling more attractive with more than simple  bicycle lanes. How about a bicycle only freeway that can serve commuters?  Check out the following link to see Denmarks Bicycle Interstate. Then look for the 25 Jul 2012 issue at gas2.org. Fantastic.
http://gas2.org/
My daughter commuted for a couple of years on her bike. It made me nervous but with an interstate like Copenhagen’s, and bike friendly cities opening up to encouraging bike travel, things could change for all of us.  For the better, I might add. Its good exercise and fun.

Like us, RVers everywhere we go are seen with their bikes. Jim and I enjoyed biking the canals of Yuma in 2009.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

HOW TO FIND STUFF.

I’m learning how to use Google Earth. It can be kind of fun to type your own address, and have it zoom right in on your  roof.  In getting a bid for solar on my rental, the company did just that. Looked at my roof from afar, to see if it is shaded by trees, the pitch of the roof and so on.  And if you twiddle around enough, you can get it down to  street level and see your daughter’s front yard with the kids playing ball on the driveway. In some ways, that is scary, too. Like being spied on from a big eye in the sky.
But, if you want directions from one address to another, on Google, if you don’t have the exact address, it can’t comply.  For instance, I can’t type in FROM:  Highway 88 Jackson, CA.     TO:  my own precise address.  You have to be specific. I don’t know anyone’s address on Highway 88 Jackson, nor the zip code. I have to take the time to  look up an address in the phone book. But, I can look at the whole city of Jackson and  that feature is very handy. Jim, before he moves the motor home, will look for a parking space for our big rig.
I’m sure this is all old hat to many of you, but if you want Google to find you particular site, like skinny dipping spots,  put that phrase between quote marks.  “skinny dipping spots.”  Now I can skinny dip anywhere  in the world.
If you want a new refrigerator , and  you are getting too many results, you can put a minus sign in front of  appliances  and repair so your search might look like this  “refrigerators” -repair-appliances.   Hmm. I even got the book, Hitchhiking Across Ireland with a refrigerator. Fun, cute book, as it turned out.
This is a really an unusual kind of search,  that could come in handy and bring you something interesting you didn’t know about.  if you put the tilde ~  sign in front of a word,  you find it as a capital one on the keyboard,  Google,  will also search  all other words that it believes mean the same.  So if you were searching for solar, ~SOLAR, it may give you solar cooking sites, solar roofing, solar installers, solar water heating and sun burn. Hey, who knew?
If you want Google to find sites with a particular word in them type a + before the word, as in +skinny, and you will immediately lose 6 pounds. No!  Just kidding.
Then, when I  typed in Supporters for Banking Fraud Amnesty I got the names of all those CEO’s who have never been prosecuted for causing our economy to take a major dump.
Google makes you feel like a world citizen. I like it. Next time I think I’ll type in “adventure” and see if  it takes me to Jim.  

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

CANYON DE CHELLY STORY.


At a recent meeting with friends, John and Wanda Hofstetter, John mentioned he had seen the pictures of our accident in the Canyon De Chelly on May 27th. He wanted details of our injuries and so on. Then he looked at his wife and said, “Wow! I guess that beats our Canyon De Chelly story. We thought we had the ultimate vacation nightmare at Canyon De Chelly.”
Of course, I asked for an explanation and here is what they told me:
“We went on a tour, like you, inside the canyon and got caught by a flash flood,” said John.  ” The water swept through the canyon and caught us where we couldn’t go forward nor back. Our tour driver drove up onto a high spot near the canyon wall as the water rose higher and higher. We had no cell phones,  nor way to communicate. We voted among ourselves whether to stay in the van or to climb out of the canyon.”
John, who is in a wheelchair, and Wanda,  decided to stay as did a couple of others, while the rest of the group opted to climb out of the canyon before it got dark.

“We made them give us everything they had to eat,” said Wanda.  So, for our dinner that night, we had candy bars, some fruit, and some chips,” she laughed. “We eventually felt comfortable enough to fall asleep, but the people on top of the ridge were so worried about us, they kept calling down to see if we were okay and kept us awake.”
They spent the whole night in the canyon. Now, that has to be a scary experience. I marveled that they could sleep at all.
Travel agents will tell you that  memorable vacations are those where something went wrong for better or worse.   Hopefully not as serious as our accident, but it was definitely memorable.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

NEWS IS C.A.C.A.

This week, I'm shopping for a new heating system for my 35-year-old rental. No easy task, I'm finding.  I have a doctor's appointment this morning, therapy yesterday morning, then I do special exercises when I'm at home. I've been so busy I hardly have time to read the news.  Probably doesn't matter anyway, I could write the news myself. Check out these headlines:

CLIMATE DENIERS UNITE TO STOP SCIENTISTS SPIN.
TRUTH IS BULLSHIT.
FIFTY-SEVEN  FRAUDULENT  VOTERS FOUND FOR EVERY NINETEEN  MILLION VOTES CAST, RESEARCHERS FIND. LAWMAKERS ARE ADDRESSING THE ISSUE.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF RICH PEOPLE MEETS TODAY.
PHYSICIANS FOR NO RESPONSIBILITY HAVE  BEEN INUNDATED WITH NEW MEMBERS AND ARE CHARTERING NEW CHAPTERS.
CONGRESSMEN AGAINST CIVIL LIBERTIES AND UNIONS MET TODAY.  NO WOMEN WERE ALLOWED IN THE MEETING.
THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INTIMIDATION HAS A NEW CHIEF WITH AN ARREST RECORD FOR SEX CRIMES AND ABUSING HIS WIFE. HOWEVER,  HE HAS NEVER BEEN INDICTED. "I'M SIMPLY JOINING THE CROWD," HE SAID.
THE CONGRESSIONAL CORPORATE ECONOMIC TAKEOVER AGENDA PROGRAM JUDGED A SMASHING SUCCESS.
POLICE OFFICERS FOR A POLICE STATE REQUEST BETTER GUNS AND EXTENDED POWERS.
THE NEW WHITE BROTHERHOOD LEAGUE HAS CHOSEN HAS CHOSEN A SWASTIKA FOR THEIR LETTERHEAD.
CRYOGENIC BELIEVERS FOR RESURRECTION ARE PROMOTING THE  RE-ELECTION OF REAGAN FOR PRESIDENT.
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTES THE VOTER MOTOR PHOTO LAW.
LADIES AGAINST WOMEN MEETS TODAY.
DEMOCRATS FOR CONVENTIONAL AND INNOVATIVE WAR.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GRENADE CARRIERS MET WITH THE NRA LEADERS TODAY.
BOY SCOUTS FOR ORGANIC PEOPLE.
LOBBYISTS FOR CANDIDATE REFORM.
THE PRISONERS UNION ASKS FOR CRUISE SHIPS OVER INCARCERATION AFTER STUDIES REVEAL  IT'S CHEAPER FOR THE TAXPAYERS.
KOCH BROTHERS NEW  BOOK ENTITLED "HOW TO BUY AN ELECTION"  WENT ON SALE TODAY IN ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY COUNTRIES.
MILLIONAIRE MOTHERS  FOR ILLEGAL NANNIES  HAVE TAKEN A STANCE AGAINST FREE DAYCARE.  THEIR PROPOSITION  TO  FASTRAC  CITIZENSHIP FOR NANNIES IS GAINING MOMENTUM.
DARK MONEY FOR OBAMA, LIGHT MONEY FOR ROMNEY.
DNA TEST REQUIRED TO VOTE BILL APPROVED. THIS WILL KEEP LOW CLASS PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE POLLS, CLAIMED ONE PUNDIT.
LAWMAKERS FOR LOOPHOLES DEFEND THE POPULAR PRACTICE.
THEY ARE ALSO WORKING FOR LIFELONG  TERM LIMITS.
LAWYERS CLAIM ALL LIES CAN BE DEFENDED AS TRUTH. THERE ARE NO LIES.
LEGALIZE RECKLESS GAMBLING.
DEATH OR TAXES.
VOTE///FOR ANYBODY BUT OBAMA
REPUBLICANS FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS MEET WITH FRIENDS OF THE FOETUS.
MILITARY SPENDING ADVOCATES MEET WITH THE WORLD DOMINATION COMMITTEE.
DEMOCRATS FOR EVERYTHING.
DRAFT THE POOR.
SUPER PACS R US.
THE MORAL MONOPOLY SUGGEST WOMEN SEEK PERMISSION FROM THEIR CONGRESSMAN BEFORE VISITING THEIR DOCTORS.
KILL WHISTLE BLOWERS.
A NEW COMMITTEE AGAINST COMIC AGITATION HAS BEEN FORMED. IT'S ACRONYM IS C.A.C.A.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

ROTARY SHRIMP FEED.


The Angels-Murphys Rotary Club holds an all you can eat Shrimp Feed each year as a fund-raiser. I’ve missed the last four years since I’m usually back on the road by now. It was fun to go to the park, listen to the music, visit with friends, eat lots of shrimp and feel like I’m supporting a good cause at the same time.

My son breezed through this morning and asked me a question. “I see Rotary uses that little gear on their literature, so, what does it stand for, Rotary? I basically knew they were a fraternal, charitable organization. But his question stumped me.  I hadn’t given it much thought. I went to Wikipedia and learned that they stand for Service Above Self.  The cogged wheel symbolizes a rotating wheel  because the original founders rotated their meetings at each others houses. Rotary was so popular,  it grew  rapidly and steady meeting places are used by all Rotarians, now.  If you’d like to check out the link and read more:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_Club



The park is friendly and summer casual. Not many places can you dance bare foot.

Everyone was having a grand time including the band members:

.

I have a special spot in my heart for Rotary because they sent my youngest daughter to Egypt on a Scholarship after she graduated High School. Her experience there was life changing, meaningful and rewarding. I am ever thankful to this group,  as is she.

Another highlight for me, is visiting with friends like Ginger La Jeunesse.

Shelly and Gene Cervantes.  You never see this couple without big  smiles.

Cindy, whose daughter I had only met once, yet I’ve known Cindy for twenty years. (I’ve misplaced Cindy’s last name, somehow.)

And Matt, who owns a coffee roasting business, informed me he had given up drinking coffee. He said he doesn’t need a pick-me-up in the morning and he just got bored with drinking it. And, I’ve just started drinking coffee after 38 years without it. I’ve only had four cups of coffee, these past four mornings. I decided to do it after reading in my Medical newsletter how good coffee is for you. In moderation, no more than six cups a day.

And, I chatted for a while with Liz and Steve Milliaire, the winemakers I credit with getting the wine movement really moving in this area. Liz doesn’t make wine but she was chief promoter when they moved here to make wine for Bardon Stevenot in 1979. They produce wonderful wines under their own label as well.  Ahh! Time well spent is its own reward.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

OUR LOCAL TREASURE.


A week ago, Friday, a group of us  met at Murphys Pizza Plus to celebrate Paul Moeller. While there are many things to treasure here, Paul  is considered by the community to be “Our Local Treasure.”  Like a blogger, he always has his camera and takes pictures wherever he goes, a lifelong habit.  But his major accomplishment, among many, since retiring here in 1964, is having founded Public Access Television in 1983.  Our Board of Supervisors didn’t know what Public Access was. He had to educate  them before we could get consideration in the cable contract for channel access.  Paul  got a studio built in 1992 when we had no money.  And he produced over 3,000 shows for Calaveras Community Television, Public Access.  Except for studio equipment, those shows have been shot and edited on his own equipment.  I’m proud to say, I am one of the founding members of CCTV.

I wrote the reason for our celebration on the Pizza Parlor’s blackboard.  The mortgage on our  studio, named for him, has been paid off.  None of the counties around, Amador, Tuolumne, not the big cities closest to us, Modesto or Stockton, have a studio.  Only Sacramento has a studio. Our studio is considered the Jewel of the Mother Lode. We’ve had offers to rent it from Reno, Tahoe, Lodi and other entities. Claveras High School, and Columbia College at one time held video classes there. It is an exclusive and valuable asset to our community, just like Paul.

In 1992, Paul went to the carpentry class at Calaveras High and asked if our non-profit, CCTV raised the money, could the class build us a studio? Yes!  The class started the foundation upon Paul’s design and volunteer Betty Deakin’s professional drawing.  But then, school was out, and the kids and teachers all went home. Did I mention that Paul has a fierce work ethic, he is impatient and likes to get things done now?

Paul spoke to local Supervisor Dick Gorden and he said, “You know, we need a studio. Do you know anyone who could help us?”  Gorden knew Contractor Gary Hensley, who was trying to keep his crew working when work was slow. Hensley’s first question was:  “How much do you pay your people?”  Paul told him, we are all volunteers,  we pay nothing. “How about programs, and  mileage and gas and stuff like that”  Paul repeated, nothing, we don’t get mileage or gas, or video tapes. Everyone volunteers and pays for everything including their own cameras and equipment.  We pay nobody. Hensley was in.  With promise of help, the bank gave us a loan for $84,000 for materials, at 12% interest, secured by the County from funds from the Cable Company designated for Public Access.  Hensley is the guy in the center in the white shirt with his crew around him taking a break. Paul is videotaping.

The crew would come in at 6 a.m. and work half a day for us, then go to their paid job for the rest of the day. Our only cost was to bring a load of volunteers to unload lumber, have it ready for them, provide water and bring a picnic lunch for everyone before they left.  In three weeks, we had the shell of our building finished.  By the way, it sits on leased land belonging to the Calaveras County Water District with a very generous lease of $1 per year guaranteed for over 25 years.

Local contractors did work, and many of them donated their time. Even PG&E returned our check for a permit to hook up.

Paul called the sheet-rockers on stilts, acrobats. Once the electrician, plumber, air conditioning and window guys were gone, the rest was up to the volunteers.

Paul installed the many spotlights. We painted and got donated pieces of used carpet that we taped to the floor like a patchwork quilt.  Spray painted egg cartons became sound proofing on the ceiling. Paul found a second hand studio curtain for $700. ($5,000 new).  He built a stage and sets.

None of this would have happened if the Supervisors, the local business people, the water company and the community did not believe it could be done under Paul’s tenacious and unrelenting work habits. Always punctual. Always there, wherever and whenever needed or asked.  We’ve shared a lot of productive years together volunteering in this county. On Thursday, our “local treasure”  was in a serious car accident.  Somehow, he failed to see a red light and T boned another car at the intersection.
Paul was seriously injured and taken to Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. But, before they took him away in an ambulance, he took pictures-OF COURSE.

Before I got to his house yesterday afternoon,  he had already developed and printed pictures  for me to see.

Both cars were totaled. The wheel sitting in the middle of the intersection is from his car.
He had two shoots arranged for today, and was willing to cancel one, but the other he must do, he told me on the phone. Our Studio manager, Ed Lark, convinced him he would take over his  shoot and Paul could edit it. Paul  reluctantly agreed. He has another show on the 22nd that he expects to do.

He is soon to be 85 years old. His sternum and back have suffered major trauma. He can barely get up and down from a chair. It is even more painful to lie down and rest. He is walking with difficulty and is on major pain medications. He can lift nothing with his left arm. Could I find someone to help him with the shoot? I told him I would hire some-one to set up his camera and unload his van that he uses for location shoots. I then called his anchor person, Mearl Lucken, and asked him if HE could talk Paul into resting and let somebody else do his programs for a couple of weeks. Whatta ya’ gonna do with a guy like that? But, now you know why we have a jewel in the Motherlode, because our “local treasure” is a hard working, trusted and admired individual who never gives up.

Paul lost his wife of 65 years two years ago. He named his driveway, Martha Lane. He told me he pats her pillow every night and says goodnight to her. Now it is our turn to take care of  our “Local Treasure”, if he will let us.