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Letters (May 7, 2014)

By AVA News Service on May 7, 2014

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OMINOUS THOMAS

Editor,

The four incumbent supervisors will not be looking forward excitedly to the election of Ominous Thomas. Contributors include the following affluent/well-to-do Republican businessmen: Willoughby (Banker), Hansen (investor and owner of stripmall), Krause (investor, stock market), Shuster (logging), Bayshore (engineering and contracting), Sorace (real estate broker), Ed Scott (former mayor, appliance business now closed), Padula (timber, logging), Matheson (owner medical clinic), Schultz (building contractor).

The usual suspects protecting against the progressive invasion at the Low Gap address. If the number of political signs exceed the number of voters, the election will be postponed until the people actually voting catch up with the signs (which do not display the "bug") — neither does the AVA.

Ralph Bostrom, Willits

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FED UP

Editor,

As I slumber high atop my ridge in the blissfully warm early spring morning, doors and windows open to allow the outside in, I am awakened by an all too familiar sound. You gotta be kidding me! Vineyard fans. At nearly 50°F.

Enough is enough. I have had it. And at a poetically perfect time; Pinot Fest! Time to stand up to Big Wine, my sleep deprived friends and neighbors of the Anderson Valley as of this writing, we have two weeks to organize a bit of "civil disobedience" during their annual belly rub. They have absolutely no regard for our water, our wildlife, our sleep, our very existence. Well, let's piss on their parade a little bit. Albeit in a completely legal matter.

Interested parties, please contact me at 707-489-2915. What say we exercise our constitutional privileges while we still can. And make some noise on the weekend of May 17-18?

Very sincerely,

Robbie Lane, Clow Ridge

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SAVE THE DINO!

Dear Editor,

Please add my name to the list of those willing to pay more to maintain the mighty AVA at its current length and breadth.

I would not find $1.25 or even $1.50 unreasonable. In fact I would gladly pay two dollars an issue provided Diana Vance became a weekly columnist.

You might also consider curtailing the number of subscriptions you so generously grant sans remuneration.

That's one less cappuccino a month, AVA-ers: pony up!

As always,

D. Bullock, loyal subscriber, Chowchilla

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SNOWDEN’S SAFETY TIPS

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I would like to thank you and your staff at the AVA for producing such a fine newspaper every week. I especially enjoy your writing and that of Bruce McEwen.

I just read finished reading The Snowdon Files by Luke Harding of the Guardian. My impression is that this is one of the most important books about the issue of First Amendment freedom of the press written in modern times. If you have an interest, I would recommend it.

"The technologies that the West has trumpeted as forces of individual freedom and democracy — Google, Skype, mobile phones, GPS, Youtube, Tor, e-commerce, internet banking and all the rest — are turning into machines for surveillance that would have astounded George Orwell, the author of 1984." — Alan Rusbridger, editor-in-chief, Guardian (from the book forward)

In the book Mr. Snowden gives some practical tips about how we can protect our privacy. He mentions for example that the NSA as the ability to remotely turn mobile phones on without the owner's knowledge and use them as microphones and tracking devices. He also suggest using PGP. Perhaps Bob Collette could describe how one could download and apply the encryption program PGP.

Sincerely,

Ed Mason, Scotts Valley

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AVARTS GIVES THANKS

AVA Editor:

The members of Anderson Valley Arts (AVArts) want to express our thanks and appreciation to everyone who helped make the April 27th Pie in the Sky! fundraiser a fun and successful event. With the participation of the people who attended, and especially those who generously bid on our wonderful donated auction items, AVArts raised over $5,000 to support our Arts in the Schools and Scholarship programs. Thank you all for your support of AVArts!Special thanks to the many people who made the event possible: the always-entertaining Patty Liddy for her remarkable pie-inspired songs; hard-working bartenders Janet and Steve Anderson; local artists Deanna Apfel, Susan Bridge-Mount, Peggy Dart, Sonia Gill, Paula Gray, Susan Gross, Wally Hopkins, Rebecca Johnson, Via Keller, Xenia King, Tom McFadden, Alexis Moyer, Helen Papke, Terry Ryder, Marvin Schenck, Lucia Soto, Jody Williams and Michael Wilson; local bakers Valerie Adair, Rich Ferguson, Valerie Hanelt and Judy Nelson; local wineries Balo Vineyards, Bink Wines, Breggo, Brutocao Cellars, Foursight Wines, Goldeneye Winery, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards, Handley Cellars, Husch Vineyards, Lula Cellars, Navarro Vineyards, Phillips Hill Winery, Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars, Signal Ridge Vineyard and Toulouse Vineyards; event food providers Deanna Apfel, Jean DuVigneaud, Glynnis Jones, Lauren Keating, Cathleen Micheaels, Terry Ryder and The Boonville Hotel; Lauren Keating and Lauren’s restaurant for generously hosting the event; auction emcee Paula Gray for reviving the AVArts tradition of bringing together fun fundraising events; and event publicity coordinator Glynnis Jones.AVArts is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to supporting and promoting the arts in Anderson Valley. We generate our funding primarily through volunteer events and depend on community participation and support to continue helping to bring diverse, quality supplemental arts programs to Anderson Valley schools that would otherwise not be possible and provide scholarship support to students who attend arts-related classes, workshops and events and graduating students pursuing further education in the arts. We welcome donations, ideas and involvement from the community.

Most gratefully,

Anderson Valley Arts Members - Karen Altaras, Deanna Apfel, Peggy Dart, Paula Gray, Glynnis Jones, Lauren Keating, Xenia King, Cathleen Micheaels, Terry Ryder and Jody Williams

PS. More information about AVArts can be found at www.av-arts.org or by contacting us at P. O. Box 606, Boonville, CA 95415. If you are interested in AVArts, please consider joining us at one of our monthly meetings which are usually from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on the third Friday of the month at Lauren’s restaurant in Boonville.

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WELCOME, MR. RHODES

Note to Editor,

You are getting a new district attorney from Lake County, Doug Rhodes. Mr. Rhodes ran for District Attorney in Lake County two years ago and was clearly the best candidate. Instead, we got Don Anderson who is clearly in over his head. Mr. Rhodes then created "Lake County Live" which appears at the Sober-Reese Theater the last Sunday of each month and is also presented on KPFZ, 88.1 FM at the same time. Loosely based on Lake Wobegon, it features local musicians and timely skits and is sponsored by Mother Maybelle's Magical Brownies. Going strong now in its third year, the show gives Mr. Rhodes a good creative outlet. I doubt that he would ever care to run for office in Lake County again — though he'd always get my vote.You might want to check him out.I also should mention that our community radio is going strong — and on a yearly budget of $40,000. Kudos to Andy Weiss and KPFZ, 88.1 FM.

Best wishes to you all,

Donna Lee, Nice

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THE TEN PAGE COMPROMISE

Editor,

We are sorry to see the print paper go from twelve pages to eight pages. We would have been willing to pay the out-of-state rate of $100 per month to keep it the way it was, but we suspect that you have "done the math" and made the best decision you could. We will have to accept yet one more loss in our life journey. Keep fanning the flames!

Billie & John Crowley, Trinidad

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RUBBLE RABBLED

Editor:

Yes, we like the new, clean, good-looking digitally-printed AVAs, but please add some gratuitous smudges and mis-aligned type, and mis-place a paragraph here and there so we know it is still the anarchist, pot-stirring, shit-throwing AVA we have come to know and love.

Dave Smith, Ukiah

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NOT EVEN CLOSE, WINE INDUSTRY

Editor,

I need to respond to the Wine Association letter. With due respect to this industry and the friends who people it, joint rationalization of a bad idea does not make it a good one. Just as farmers have a right to farm, citizens have a right to sleep. In our house, I sleep very soundly and my wife is a light sleeper. During the frosts, she had to vacate to the center of our house, wear earplugs, hold a pillow over her head and still not sleep well. I woke up repeatedly through the night, both of us quite angry at the annoying sound. Both of us were dysfunctional the following days. The recorded hot-line may bring us earplugs and sound machines, but not peace of mind amidst that clamor. I think we have the right to sleep without aids. I know that calls went to the Sheriff and in our house to local wineries at the time but they were also unsatisfyingly: recorded. Further, what about those who do not know about this plan? The AVA does not reach all members of the valley. I disagree that home garden solutions do not fit in large scale operations and I challenge you to solve this problem by looking at alternate solutions. For example, root based sunflower rototillers (like hand hoe-ing) have successfully replaced accumulating toxic herbicides. I know of three to four different fans including a horizontal version that may be significantly quieter. I am also aware of the Canadian study that reduced frost fan sound to protect the rights of surrounding residents. I think you may find something that further optimizes your success while lowering water dependency. Your solution could lower your operating costs in general. I suspect that the solution our Ag Commissioner worked on with your association is this letter and plan to call him to confirm that. Missing at the meetings was a home owner/renter association to challenge the idea of unabated sound. If the solution is the letter then we need more resolve and plan to get it. The sound is a nuisance at a really bad time of the night that violates our county’s noise abatement ordinances and well may also violate a future right to sleep ordinance. There is a reason for this noise ordinance. Can you work for a real solution? It is hard to anticipate another cold night, the noisy outcome that might ensue and the dazed less productive day that follows. Incidentally, I get paid to work efficiently and children need their entire capacity to do good things at school and the infirm need a quiet place to recuperate. Most hospitals have signs saying “Quiet, hospital zone.”

Greg Krouse, Philo

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KOOGLE BOONDOGGLE

Dear Editor:

Folks in Point Arena have been asking me about the article I wrote on the state of the current Point Arena City Council and possible Re-annexation of Point Arena: “Koogle Boondoggle” or “Re-annexation for Point Arena?” Most folks who haven't run for Council and live just outside the City limits, as well as many within the City limits, like the idea of re-annexation of the City of Point Arena. While I see Anderson Valley struggling with the issue of incorporation, I wrote the article on the City of Point Arena and the generationally redundant struggles with trying to find a legally elected panel for City Council and Planning Commission, because Point Arena is too small in and of itself to actually run an incorporated “City.” Some who've considered the issue say to re-annex everyone who gets mail for Point Arena. However, folks who don't log on or pay the $25 for the AVA's website, will miss “Koogle Boondoggle” or any knowledge of it. Is there any way to print a small space in weekly newsprint describing the titles of what was submitted and posted in toto for that week on the AVA's website - in case anyone wants to make the effort to refer to the Internet to view the rest of the AVA's articles for that week? For those of you who missed it, the article is in the April 23rd postings on the AVA's website and subscriptions are only about $25/year. Weekly and daily postings from readers are... interesting!

Thanks. Debra Keipp, Occasional Contributor to the AVA

ED NOTE: The PA article has been removed from behind the pay wall.

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SOME LEGACY

Dear Editor:

Climate Change: A month or two ago Todd Walton had a doomsday article on climate change which I’m sure the climate science denialists laughed off. Now comes the report from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii the Keeling Curve has reached a record 400 parts per million (ppm) CO2 level. The level of ppm has not been that high since the Mid Pliocene 2 to 4 million years ago. When Charles David Keeling started his work in 1958 the ppm was 315. Since that time the rate per year has been increasing and his son who is now carrying on his work estimates we will reach 450 ppm in 20-25 years and in another 20-25 years ppm will be 500. Climate change is resulting in Arctic sea ice disappearing and glaciers melting worldwide. In the Antarctic ice is both increasing and melting for very complex reasons that will change. Keeling estimates it would take a reduction in fossil fuel of 50% to 60% to hold ppm at 400. Ain't going to happen and we will continue to move towards Mr. Walton's doomsday projections. Today one of my great grandchildren has his fifth birthday. It is a hell of a world we are leaving him!

In peace,,

James G. Updegraff, Sacramento

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IN SPITE OF DROUGHT NATIVE WILDFLOWERS FLOURISH

Dear Editor,

The Anderson Valley Unity Club Garden Section members were concerned that this year’s Wild Flower Show would be somewhat dismal. However we were quite surprised to find that we were able to collect a wonderful array of flowers, trees, and grasses. We would like to thank everyone who made the 2014, Wildflower Show such a success. This year’s show was dedicated to Deborah Sarsgard, who played a vital role in our club, taking on any job that came up. She was a master gardener and a lover of all flowers. Our attendance was up from last year, and thanks to the Garden Section members, many locally propagated plants were offered at our plant sale table.Eugenia Herr’s botanical prints made by her grandfather, were an especially nice compliment Thank you to Anderson Valley High School’s instructors, Nadia Berrigan, and Nat Corey-Moran and their students who produced beautiful art work and stunning photos for use in our show. The three top artists awarded prizes were; Adelina Sanchez, Selene Anguiano, and Erick Guerrero.There was an invasive plant table with specimens, pictures and information regarding the damage these plants cause to native species.A Lyme Disease exhibit presented by Sue Davies provided extensive information regarding preventive measures and the dangers associated with Lyme.The Navarro River Resource Center had a table with brochures and information provided by Linda MacElwee. We wish to thank the following for raffle donations: Celeri and Son of Fort Bragg, Puzzle People, North Star Nursery, Fiddlers Green, Grace Espinoza, Terry Ryder, Dirt Cheap, Sue and Wally Hopkins, The Pot Shop, Sue Davies, Liz Dusenberry, Christine Clark, Praetzel and Herr, Mendocino County Fair, Barbara Scott, Steve Muchowski, Beverly and Marvin Dutra, Sonny Pettijohn, Val Hanelt, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Victoria Center, Farmhouse Mercantile, All that Good Stuff, Whispering Winds Goodness Grows, Diaspora Seed Co. and Linda MacElwee.A big thank you to Shirley Hulbert, Gloria and Sharon Abbot for the delicious food served in the tea room. We wish to also thank the following people who helped our club members with collections, identification, the raffle, plant donations, set- up or cleanup:, Linda MacElwee, Jade Paget-Seekins and SeanCi, Sheryl Green, Bob Sowers, Lynn Halpern, Ken Montgomery, Wally Hopkins,Keith Gamble, Hans Hickenlooper, Kristy Hotchkiss, Scott Hulbert, Bill Harper and Eugenia Herr.Thank you to the Fairgrounds staff, for all their help. Also thanks to Robert Rosen and the Anderson Valley Brewery for allowing us to place our banners, advertising our event, on their respective fences.

Anderson Valley Unity Club Garden Section

Robyn Harper

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DEFENDING DR. NAYAK

Editor,

Dr. Nayak is my doctor, therefore I read the front page article by Bruce McEwen with some personal interest. I am still not sure what the point of the article was. That Judge Nadel gave Dr. Nayak a break on a possible DUI because they are both professional women? The article doesn't make clear if Dr. Nayak was actually under the influence. Is it illegal to sit in your car and make a phone call in the parking lot of your own business under the influence or not? Putting myself in Dr. Nayak's position, I would have been very frightened indeed. Sitting in a dark parking lot, all of a sudden a car blocks my car, bright lights and a male walking toward me, I would have assumed I am about to be hurt, raped or otherwise molested. Back to two professional women giving each other a break — in Mendocino County? Considering that male cronyism is standard practice, well documented and the way business is done in our county. How dare they indeed!

Monika Fuchs, Philo

ED NOTE: Yes, male cronyism has been prevalent for a long time here, there and everywhere. In Mendo, it's especially prevalent in the police departments. Mendo Old Boys and wanna-be Old Boys even have their own insider's Cannibal Club. I think, though, that Judge Nadel's ruling was off. The doctor turned out to be under the influence, the cop was clearly a cop because he had his red and blue lights on too, and he was merely checking out a vehicle driven by a person of unknown gender parked behind a building where drugs are stored. Judge Nadel's decision was not supported by the facts. I'd say it was a class-based decision by the judge, which happens all the time in the Mendo courts and everywhere else. A less fortunate woman in the same circumstance would be unable to hire a private lawyer to weasel out of a DUI. The story tried to emphasize the gray area of police stops. Did this cop have reasonable cause for suspicion? I think so. 

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