Newspaper Publisher Wages War With Garbage Fee Opponents

NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER WAGES WAR WITH GARBAGE FEE OPPONENTS     

      Printed below is a copy of a newspaper editorial written by News-Review Publisher Jeff Ackerman. I welcome a free press and I applaud a newspaper serving a community by taking an editorial stand on issues of interest. However, Ackerman's obsession with promoting a garbage dumping fee at the Douglas County landfill and transfer stations deserves a response.

     Ackerman has only lived in the area a few years, but he seems determined to overturn a decades-old tradition of free dumping in Douglas County. It should be noted that the previous three News-Review publishers, dating back to Phil Neiswanger in the 1970s, were rarely seen on the newspaper's editorial page. Quite appropriately, whenever they chose to wrote an editorial, it was anonymous. In other words, an editorial was the "voice" of the newspaper's editorial board, and a reader would never know which editor might have authored the editorial.

     Then comes along Jeff Ackerman. Writing an anonymous pro-garbage dumping fee editorial under the newspaper's opinion page masthead is not enough. Ackerman begins writing a personal column, something not previously pursued by past publishers, and so now he can promote his one-sided opinion TWICE: in the newspaper's editorial at the top of the opinion page, and through his personal column at the bottom of the opinion page.

     And the News-Review publisher takes advantage of the power of the press. During the past week alone, readers have been subjected to TWO pro-garbage dumping fee editorials. This makes it difficult for a reader to respond to Ackerman's ongoing tirades, considering that readers are limited to one letter per month for a letter to the editor.

     But in all honesty, there really isn't much of anything new to respond to in Ackerman's editorials. They all contain the same message with a slight change of wording. For example, in talking about how reasonable a $7.00 fee would be for consumers, Ackerman will change the cost of buying a pizza, to the cost of buying a McDonald's value meal (as cited in Ackerman's editorial below). The bottom line, is that Ackerman uses the same misplaced logic in all of his editorials: If a person can afford to purchase one meal at a restaurant, then they can afford paying $7.00 a week to dump their garbage.

     If Ackerman wants to waste precious newsprint space to promote his personal agenda on a daily basis, then at least one of his editorials should address the following question: What about the people who can't afford to eat out at a restaurant once a week? Where will a disabled person, who receives less money from Social Security than Oregon's minimum wage, find the extra $28.00 a month to dump their garbage?

      The answer to the above question ironically lies in Ackerman's editorial, printed below. Ackerman sarcastically suggests that voters could decide which county service they want to cut, in order to sustain free garbage dumping in Douglas County.
     Cutting library services is one option listed in Ackerman's list. Why not charge a fee for library users? Why shouldn't the county library system be self-sustaining, if the public works department is required to be self-sustaining? People have the CHOICE of checking out a book at the county library. They DON'T have a choice when it comes to disposing of their garbage on a weekly basis.

     I will always defend the right of anyone to express an opinion. However, I will protest (as I am doing in this blog entry) when a person who is supposed to be an ethical journalist, abuses their position to promote their own personal agenda. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PUBLISHED IN THE ROSEBURG NEWS-REVIEW, DECEMBER 21, 2014

     So it appears Douglas County will continue to be the only county west of the Mississippi where residents can dump their garbage at the landfill for free.

      Never mind that the landfill isn’t really free. It’s costing the county more than $2 million annually that it doesn’t really have to spend and the economic horizon is getting darker by the day.

     The mostly-lame-duck three-member commission had a chance to fix that last week, but voted instead to table a proposed dump fee in order to better explain how screwed Douglas County’s financial condition really is.

     Two of those three members – Mike Winters and Joe Laurance – won’t have to explain how screwed the county is financially because they will be off the commission in a week or so.

Laurance wanted to adopt the fee proposal but was out-gunned by Winters and Susan Morgan, who voted to table it.

     I stood in the back of last week’s county commission meeting for a couple of hours listening to a parade of people march to the podium to speak against a proposal that would have raised the dump fee from free (and…for the record…free implies that the dump has no value) to a whopping $7 per vehicle, or roughly the price of a quarter pounder with cheese, large fries and Pepsi.

Many who marched to the podium demanded that the issue be brought to the voters.

“All in favor of a free dump site, raise your hands!”

The better ballot question should read like this:

“Do You Favor A Free Dump? If Yes, please check one of the following proposed $2 million budget cuts:”

a) Lay off 10 deputies.

b) Eliminate 10 prosecutors.

c) Close the library.

d) Don’t fix the roads for the next 10 years.

e) Close the jail and free 100 inmates.

f) All of the above.

     The county’s Public Works Director Robb Paul began the hearing by trying his best to explain the math behind the proposed dump fees that would have gone into effect in July.

      He said the county has been able to provide a free landfill because its budget was always boosted by federal timber dollars and what they call “safety net” payments. But those timber dollars have been carried away to a spotted owl nest and then eaten by a bard owl.

    “It (free dump) is something that for the last 40 years we haven’t had to pay because the federal government has paid it for us,” Paul told us in a story prior to the commission’s inaction.

     But federal safety net funds dropped to around $9 million last year, half of what they were in 2010 and last week the U.S. Senate pretty much put the final nail in our coffin by removing that safety net, leaving us and other rural Oregon counties hanging out to dry.

     Jeff Ackerman is publisher of The News-Review. He can be reached at 541-957-4263 or jackerman@nrtoday.com.

Officer Bill Gannon's "Top Secret" Barbecue Sauce Recipe

This recipe is from the 1968 Dragnet television series episode "The Big High." I've never tested it, so I can't vouch whether this recipe is legitimate or farce.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Officer Bill Gannon's "Top Secret" Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Ingredient list:
1 quart ketchup
1 can red pepper (might he mean this kind?)
1 can hot mustard
1 quart vinegar
1 pound peeled chopped red peppers
1 small jar oregano
4-5 big cloves of fresh garlic
5 chopped bermuda onions
1 quart vanilla ice cream*

Instructions:
Chill a bowl large enough to hold the above listed ingredients.
With electric mixer, mix the ketchup. Add red pepper, hot mustard, vinegar, chopped red peppers, oregano, and garlic.
Mix well, continue mixing, add bermuda onions and vanilla ice cream.

*Gives it that "hard to tell what's in it" flavor.

Garbage Dumping Fees: The Tide Has Changed

DOUGLAS COUNTY GARBAGE DUMPING FEES.

WE HAVE ENTERED A NEW ERA OF TAXATION.

     About 20 years ago, Douglas County Commissioners held an advisory vote. The simple question was whether or not Douglas County residents supported a new garbage dumping fee at the county landfill and transfer stations, to help pay for county services. Douglas County voters overwhelming voted no; I believe the advisory vote failed by about a two-to-one margin. (I don't have the patience today to do the research on line to verify the year of the vote and the exact number of votes. This election was held before the internet, and before the posting of election returns on  line.)
     Last night's election changed the tone of voters' support for new fees. Specifically, during a October candidates forum before the Roseburg Chamber of Commerce, three of the six candidates for Douglas County Commissioner indicated they supported a new garbage dumping fee. It wasn't that they directly said "we need new taxes." But it was more of a sense of resignation that a new garbage dumping fee was a done deal, and there was nothing they could do about it.
     Candidate Gary Leif was the only candidate who actively campaigned that he would keep the county landfill a free service for as a long as possible. And while garbage dumping fees certainly aren't the most important issue facing local politics, it surprisingly was the only issue that distinguished the commissioner candidates from one another. All six candidates were basically on the same page on all of the issues that were publicized, with the possible exception of the proposed liquefied natural gas pipeline between central Oregon and the Pacific coast.
     Therefore...because garbage dumping fees were about the only issue that divided the candidates (unless wants to ascribe a "R" or a "D" as a reason for voting for a candidate in a non-partisan race)...I believe the November 4th election was a referendum on a proposed garbage dumping tax. In a six-way race, pro-garbage dumping fee candidate Chris Boice won the election with 42 percent of the vote, compared to second-place winner Gary Leif with 34 percent of the vote.
     When I campaigned for Douglas County Commissioner in the past, I always campaigned against garbage dumping fees or other new tax proposals. IF the county revenue problem became serious enough where public safety (the sheriff's office's ability to protect the county was compromised), then I said any garbage dumping fee proposal should be on the table with all other county services. In other words, if the county enacted the garbage dumping fee to make the public works department self-sustaining, then other proposed fees should also be considered at the county library to make it self-sustaining, new fees at the county parks to keep them self-sustaining, etc.
     The bottom line is that I believe the VOTERS should have input on which new fees to approve or reject. It's arbitrary for Douglas County Commissioners to only consider a regressive tax (garbage dumping fee) which hits low-income people the hardest, without also considering other new taxes that are more optional in nature (i.e., not everyone is forced to pay for them). Everyone is legally forced to dispose of their garbage in a sanitary manner. Not everyone is forced to use the county libraries or county parks.
      If I ever run again for Douglas County Commissioner, garbage dumping fees will not be part of my campaign platform. By electing a pro-garbage dumping fee candidate over a non-garbage dumping fee candidate, Douglas County voters have made it clear they either support or are indifferent toward imposing a new garbage dumping tax.
-------------
     Referendum may have been too strong of a word, considering that the winning candidate did not receive a majority of the votes. But I definitely believe the tide has changed in regards to garbage dumping fees, for a couple of reasons.
     This is the first Douglas County commissioner's race, where some candidates have openly endorsed/accepted a proposed new garbage dumping tax. Also, there were relatively few (hardly any) letters to the editor in local newspapers protesting a new garbage dumping fee. In the past, the newspapers were bombarded with anti-garbage fee letters, WITHOUT any of the commissioners even supporting a fee. It was in the discussion stage only.
     The one time when a garbage dumping tax was introduced by the county's budget committee, in 1990, the county commissioners' office was flooded with phone calls and letters, objecting to a fee. I still remember Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson calling a press conference (KPIC-TV, KOBI-TV, KMTR-TV, and KLSR-TV all had reporters present) to announce no fee would be imposed.
   

METV And HDTV

     The Rockford Files, Adam-12, Emergency, CHiPs, Star Trek, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Brady Bunch, Perry Mason, Ironside, The Love Boat,  F-Troop, The Donna Reed Show, Gilligan's Island, Daniel Boone, Bonanza, The Outer Limits, The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, and more.
     I don't watch all of these shows, but I'm interested in most of them. Perhaps it's more nostalgia than actually enjoying the television shows, because the shows are mostly from the period of time when I grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s.
     Watching all of these vintage television series on one channel reminds me of TV Land, when it first debuted as an offshoot of Nickelodeon or Nick-At-Nite. These television series are on "Memorable Entertainment Television," or METV.  Eugene ABC-affiliate KEZI-TV just launched METV as its secondary channel, offered by Charter Communications on cable channel 186 on the Roseburg-Sutherlin-Oakland cable TV system.
     American society has high definition television to thank for the recent proliferation of over-the-air TV channels. Digital television allows a broadcast station to broadcast on four different frequencies, not just one. The over-the-air broadcast spectrum has increased significantly, as one television station can now broadcast four different types of programming.
     However, splitting one's frequency into four different channels gradually degrades the quality of the signal. Each "new" television channel becomes more and more marginal in picture quality the more the frequencies are split. That's why most broadcast stations have only opted to offer a second channel. Splitting the frequencies into two channels is negligible, or not very visible to the human eye. Some stations like Medford PBS-affiliate KSYS-TV offer three channels.
      Here are the secondary channels offered by some of the local broadcast stations:

KVAL-TV, Eugene, CBS   -   This TV

KEZI-TV, Eugene, ABC   -   METV (KEZI initially launched a 24-hour local news channel as its secondary channel, but later cancelled it.)

KOBI-TV, Medford, NBC   -   This TV (KOBI initially launched a 24-hour weather channel as its secondary channel, but later cancelled it.)

KMTR-TV, Eugene, NBC   -    CW  (CW is an actual network, that originated with over-the-air channels in the larger cities, before HDTV. CW is a merger of the short-lived United Paramount Network (UPN) and Warner Brothers (WB) network. Eugene's KEVU-TV was originally UPN-affiliated and Roseburg's KROZ-TV, later KTVC-TV, was originally WB-affiliated.)

KTVL-TV, Medford, CBS   -   CW

KLSR-TV, Eugene, Fox  --  MyTV (The interesting thing about this arrangement, is that KLSR-TV 34 and KEVU-TV 23 were two separate over-the-air television stations before HDTV. They were located in the same broadcast facility on Chad Drive in Eugene and owned by the same company. However, KEVU was only licensed as a low-power television station on channel 23. When HDTV presented the option of one high-power station offering multiple programs, high-power television station KLSR opted to use KEVU/MyNetwork TV as its secondary channel.

     There are now obviously many more television channels than any one person or family will watch. That's why "a la carte" television appears to be the wave of the future. Instead of being forced to pay for dozens or hundreds of channels by one cable company or satellite dish provider....television viewers in the future may be able to choose which channels they purchase.
     Instead of buying a "bundled" package of most every channel, television viewers may be able to select only a few channels that they actually watch. CBS and HBO recently launched this new phase of television viewing by offering direct access to only their programming.
     Things were so much simpler when we "only" had three broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) and PBS offered on "only" twelve cable TV channels or less for $5.00 per month!

Election Night Recap 2014

ELECTION NIGHT RECAP, NOVEMBER 2014

     I made the journey into Roseburg today. First, my chemotherapy session lasted 11:30a.m.-3:30p.m. After some casual grocery shopping, I ventured to downtown Roseburg where most election night festivities were taking place.

A VISIT TO THE COURTHOUSE

     Much has changed since I covered election night stories as a television news reporter for 20 years. In the past, two rooms (#310) of the courthouse were the designated "media/candidates" room. For one thing, much space was needed for reporters to interview candidates who trickled in and out during the night. Also, KPIC-TV did live reports from room 310 in the courthouse, and several staff members were on hand transcribing hard copies of the election returns into the television station's computer system.
     Tonight, I found the media/candidates room in the basement just down the hallway from the elections office. It was in room #111: the cramped courthouse break room with a couple of tables and vending machines. The size of the room didn't matter. I learned later this evening that room #111 was void of people after 9:00p.m. Apparently, because people now glean their election results off the internet, there's no need for the media and candidates to linger around, waiting for hard copies of election returns.

VICTORY CELEBRATION WITH COMMISSIONER CANDIDATE GARY LEIF

     It wasn't a victory party in the traditional sense, as Gary Leif came in second in a six-candidate race. However, as Leif told a KQEN-AM radio reporter after the second election returns had come in around 9:15p.m., everyone's a winner in the election. A number of prominent people stopped by Little Brothers Pub, on Main street a block from the courthouse, to wish Gary Leif well and compliment him on a positive, well-run campaign. Several dozen Leif campaign supporters had congregated there to see the election returns come in.
     I stayed for a little more than an hour at the Pub, waiting for the second election returns to come in. The silent television set in the Pub was tuned in to KVAL-TV. Early on, the crawler at the bottom of the screen indicated that Oregon Ballot Measure 92, the one the requires labeling for growth modifying organisms (GMOs), was winning by a 58-42 margin. Later on, the crawler showed Measure 92 going down to defeat by a 52-48 margin.
     I couldn't believe that there had been such a significant change (10 percent) between the first and second election returns. Historically, election results never waver more than a 2-5 percent change in election returns. I speculate that what actually occurred, was probably that KVAL-TV reported only the Lane County election results (a progressive populace that would typically support Measure 92) in the first returns....while the statewide returns for Measure 92 were reported in the second election returns.
     I must admit that being around election night festivities tonight, re-ignited a passion for me in public service. I don't mean to sound morbid, but there's a fair chance that I'll be dead from stage four cancer, before I have the opportunity to run again for public office. But I also believe in miracles and don't rule out anything of what the future holds.

Political Mudslinging In Douglas County

Is God Affiliated With A Political Party?

What Is A Jeffersonian Democrat?

     God is not a Republican. God is not a Democrat. I would even guess that God is not a member of the Bible-based Constitution party. God is above the political fray on Earth.
     The Bible makes it clear that Christians are to set their sights on Heaven and not the secular pleasures of the Earth. However, the Bible also makes it clear that Christians are to uphold their leaders in prayer and to obey the laws of a secular society. (When in Rome, give unto Caesar that which is his.)
     One could extrapolate that it is a Christian's duty to participate in the political process. Running for office for anyone, Christian or non-Christian, is a noble calling. That's why I'm dismayed when letters to the editor in the local newspaper attack candidates simply because they're a "D" or an "R." Or, in the example listed below, a Republican's patriotism is attacked simply because he donated money to a Democratic candidate!
     I have great respect for one of my former high school teachers, whom I've known for decades. He has always been a fundamental Christian and a member of a local Assembly of God church. I was somewhat surprised one day when he told me that he was a Democrat. He made it clear that he was a "Jeffersonian Democrat." In other words, he didn't support radical environmentalism or other extreme left-wing positions that the national Democratic party has embraced in recent years.
      My former teacher taught me, long after I graduated from high school, that it didn't matter whether a person was a "R" or a "D," or any other label that one chose to attach to a person. What mattered was the person's actions and their individual belief system.
     It's a shame that mudslinging has to occur in small-town elections, where everyone knows everyone else on a face-to-face level. But sadly, the current race for Douglas County Commissioner has degenerated to that level in the eleventh hour, as the Roseburg News-Review letter to the editor printed below demonstrates. I guess that means the election will be a close one.?.
----------

Stand against political games

      When it comes to the current county commissioner race, there’s only one candidate who will stand strong for Douglas County; who will stand strong for you. That candidate is Chris Boice.

Chris Boice is a hard working man with a passion to become a great leader for Douglas County. Chris Boice is a willing student who will quickly learn what he needs to know and how do use what he knows for the benefit of Douglas County.

     Chris Boice understands the nature of the battle we face. It’s a battle against a radical Marxist ideology using the environmental movement as its vehicle for the implementation of its agenda. That agenda has absolutely no regard for the well-being of Douglas County, you, your children, or your grandchildren.

     Chris Boice will not play political games or support candidates and causes that are opposed to freedom and free enterprise, as Gary Leif has done by financially supporting the campaign of a pro-Obama, pro-Nancy Pelosi, pro-Harry Reid, pro-Obamacare, pro-illegal immigrant, pro-corrupt Governor John Kitzhaber candidate for state house Kerry Atherton.

     I withdrew from the commissioner race so the pro freedom, free enterprise and rule-of-law vote would not be split and thus allow an individual to be elected who lacks the intestinal fortitude and personal character that Douglas County needs at the county commissioner level.

     All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. It is time to choose between freedom and tyranny. Which side are you on? I urge you to not only vote, but urge everyone you know to urge everyone they know, to not only vote, but to vote for Chris Boice. He’s far and away the best choice, my choice, for county commissioner.

Rich Raynor

Roseburg

----------

     I strongly object to the insinuation that commissioner candidate Gary Leif is a tyrant ("All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. It is time to choose between freedom and tyranny. Which side are you on?") because he gave a few dollars to a statewide Democratic candidate. I believe it would be prudent to examine what Ephesians 4:29 has to say.

Heard's Stinky Pond At Wilbur

     The following letter to the editor was submitted by Wilbur resident Ragen Garrison. I have always admired and looked up to Garrison. He was the Oakland FFA Chapter President during the year that I first entered the Future Farmers of America program.
     I, too, am sometimes overwhelmed by the stench that is created by the Heard Farms septic lagoon at Wilbur. Depending on the time of year, all motorists traveling on Interstate 5 north of Roseburg are treated to a putrid whiff of sewage as they drive through Douglas County at Wilbur.

STINKY POND

     DEQ is having a hearing on issuing a permit to Heard Farms for application of sewage waste on more land along Oakhill Road. Heard Farms wants to expand their operation and receive more waste from outside of Douglas County.
     The hearing is November 12, 2014 at the Douglas County Library Ford Community Meeting Room, 7:00p.m. Permit # 102449, File # 109363.
     I think its been stinky enough that we don't need to make it bigger. Especially when it's for waste outside of Douglas County. They want to bring in waste from California.
Ragen Garrison
Roseburg

Ben Bradlee Letter About Flacks

Halloween Top Movies Selection

     Monte's Flicks & Pics Selection For Halloween Night

     Okay, this really isn't a flicks and pics selection, because this list consists mostly of television specials and not motion pictures. It's because I've never been a person into "slasher" movies, or stories that have a lot gore, or stories that focus on witchcraft and the occult. Alfred Hitchcock suspense movies are about as "wild" as I go, in watching movies dealing with the macabre.
     Listed below is my list of shows to watch for a "perfect" Halloween evening. Okay, maybe not perfect. But at least an enjoyable evening that won't leave you so scared that you can't go to sleep. I'm not listing them in order of being my favorites, but more about the order in which I would show these movies, beginning at dusk and ending around midnight.(?)

1. BEWITCHED - "The Witches Are Out," October 29, 1964. This is one of my favorite Bewitched episodes, where Darrin is asked to design an advertising campaign for a candy manufacturer, depicting witches as ugly crones with warts on their noses. This campaign flies in the face of Samantha's relatives who are trying to promote a positive image of witches for Halloween. Shelley Berman steals the show as the candy manufacturer who gives a melodramatic performance in his role. [I have an autographed picture from Shelley Berman.]

2. BEWITCHED - "Trick Or Treat," October 28, 1965. If there is one show on my list that must be dropped due to time constraints, I would drop this one. This episode doesn't bring the laughs to me as much as the previous Bewitched episode. Endora wants Samantha to go away with her to celebrate a traditional Halloween ceremony, but Darrin forbids it. Seeking revenge, Endora turns herself into a little girl in a gypsy costume and turns Darrin into a werewolf.

3. PEANUTS - "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," 1966. This Peanuts classic always get a laugh from me when the gang goes trick-or-treating. After the third house where they collect treats, and after the third time when they're comparing notes about what they got, and Charlie Brown always says "I got a rock"...THAT'S when I lose it. Charlie Brown, the ubiquitous born loser, endures hardships that we can all relate to at one time or another.

4. THE TWILIGHT ZONE - "Walking Distance," October 30, 1959. This is the only show on my list that does not have a Halloween theme, but I would be remiss is if I didn't include at least one episode of The Twilight Zone on my Halloween list. (It helps that this episode originally aired the night before Halloween.) Ironically, this is not a scary episode, but a heartwarming, nostalgic episode from the series. In fact, numerous critics acclaim "Walking Distance" as the best episode of the series. It's about a man who inadvertently goes back in time to his hometown, and relives past memories, and re-visits his parents while they were still alive.

5. THE PAUL LYNDE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL - October 29, 1976. I'm not a big fan of the rock group KISS, so there are some things that detract me from this one-time television special. Nonetheless, I wouldn't miss watching this campy classic that unites Witchiepoo from Pufnstuf and the wicked witch of the West from The Wizard Of Oz. Florence Henderson from The Brady Bunch singing the song Black Magic adds to the cornball antics of this offbeat special.

6. THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - 1980. I saw this version, starring Jeff Goldblum as Ichabod Crane, in 1980 at the Starlite Indoor Theater in the Green district of Roseburg. This version of the Washington Irving classic depicts a "kinder, gentler" version of Sleepy Hollow, than does the 1999 remake (more graphically violent) starring Johnny Depp, or the Fox-network series (more into witchcraft and the occult) currently airing on television. I played Ichabod Crane when my seventh grade class performed the play before our school, so I naturally would include some version of this movie on my Halloween night list.

Oregon Ballot Measure 90

     The letter listed below appeared in the Eugene Register-Guard, Thursday, October 23, 2014. I have been on the fence with Measure 90, which would eliminate partisan races during the May primary election, so that everyone's ballot would have ALL of the candidates. The top two candidates, regardless of whether they're Republican/Democrat/etc. would advance to the November general election.
     On the local level, I have been in favor of non-partisan races. That was my biggest complaint, when I ran for Douglas County Commissioner, back when the commissioner races were partisan. I felt that I had broad based support from different parties. But my name only appeared on the Republican voters' ballots in May. More than half of the voters in Douglas County never had the chance to vote for me, or against me, because my name didn't appear on their ballots, and I was knocked out of the May primary by the big-spending Republican candidates.
     On the other hand, Measure 90 could have lopsided results on the state level. There are currently more Democratic voters than Republican voters in Oregon. For example, let's say there are 60 percent Democrats and 40 percent Republican. If, for example, there are two strong Democratic candidates and two strong Republican candidates in the May primary election, the voter turn-out could end up like this: Each Democrat would split their party's vote, each receiving 30 percent of the votes...and each Republican would split their party's vote, each receiving 20 percent of the votes. Therefore, two Democrats would be the only names appearing on the election ballot in November!
      In summary, I like non-partisan races, because they allow ALL voters to vote for whomever they want during the May primary, regardless of party affiliation. However, I am concerned about the negative consequences of non-partisan races, when a strong majority of the populace is affiliated with the same party.
     However, the letter below is a tempting reason to support Oregon Ballot Measure 90. It offers an example of how a Republican candidate could actually win a statewide election, in a predominant Democratic state!
-------------
     "Top Two voting lets majority decide"
     In her Oct. 18 column about Measure 90, (former Oregon Governor) Barbara Roberts made a great presentation for opponents of the measure (Measure 90 boosts big money's voice, limits voters' choice").
     The current system, which she endorsed, allowed her to become governor when the majority of voters in 1990 didn't want her to be.
     Roberts won the election with 45.7 percent of the vote; Republican David Frohnmayer received 40 percent and independent Al Mobley received 13 percent.
     But the vast majority of those who voted for Mobley, who was far more conservative than Frohnmayer, would never have voted for Roberts. So in a top two election, Roberts would have received at most 47 percent and likely would have lost to Frohnmayer.
     That election glitch doesn't favor either major political party. There have been many examples of third party "spoilers" affecting all kinds of candidates.
     Under the current system, we often have to choose between voting conscientiously and voting strategically. Under Measure 90 we can do both: Vote your conscience in the primary election, choosing your ideal candidate, then, if your ideal candidate doesn't make it into the top two, vote pragmatically in the general election - the lesser of two evils.
     Candidates such as Roberts benefitted from the current system, with its quirks and privileged groups. And some people naively prefer having a token presence of minor party candidates in the general election.
     But Measure 90 would provide a fair, straightforward election in which winners could truly be decided by the majority of voters.
     J.R. Wagner
     Blachly
-------------------------
      

Muscovys Take Flight

     Muscovy ducks have always reminded me somewhat of an albatross. The drakes in particular are somewhat "dumpy," being less than streamlined, with the bulk of their weight hanging between their feet. During all of the years that we have raised Muscovys (Muscovies?), they have always been "ground" ducks.
     The last Muscovy that we had, before she met an untimely demise due to some predator, was the exception. That Muscovy black-and-white hen would use our driveway as a runway to make a gradual ascent into the air, and then fly over the rooftops of several nearby houses, before making a sharp 180-degree turn and gradually descend back to the ground in our garden.
     This past spring we obtained some Muscovy ducks again.
     (Sidenote: If anyone wonders why I would obtain some pets on a fixed income, when I might not be able to take care of the pets in the future due to my cancer: this was when I was working as a substitute teacher, fully expecting to resume full-time employment very soon. In other words, BEFORE I was diagnosed with cancer a second time.)
     This batch of Muscovys from Oklahoma seems much more airborne than the "Oregonian" Muscovys that we've had in the past. The three hens that we have, have already made a home of  "roosting" on the roof of a storage building that we have behind the house.
     The two white hens have even gotten into the habit of perching on the top of the cinder-block chimney that is beside the storage building! The third hen and one drake, meanwhile, are content to sleep on the corrugated roof of the storage building. Time will tell if the remaining albatrosses...oops, I mean Muscovy drakes...decide they are aerodynamically able to fly up on the roof.
     While I am somewhat concerned whether or not the rain can wash off the Muscovy duck "deposits" down the corrugated rooftop, I am somewhat relieved the ducks have found "higher ground" to sleep...making it virtually impossible for any opossum, raccoon, or dog, to grab one of the birds.
     "Angel," the only pure white Muscovy duck that we now have, has tapered wings and a fantail, and is streamlined like a dove. And because everyone knows that I like doves, Angel's appearance may explain why I have a rekindled interest in Muscovy ducks. They're no longer big ugly ducks that "hiss" instead of quack. :)

Democrat-Republican Clash In Commissioner's Race

     I'm posting a front-page article that appeared in the Roseburg News-Review, Tuesday, October 21, 2014. As someone who has closely monitored local politics in Douglas County the past 25 years, I find it extremely interesting how "non-issues" that are routinely ignored in some races, suddenly become major brouhahas in other races. And sometimes, people end up sticking their foot in their mouths, when they speak out on an issue, without realizing they were "on the other side of the fence" in other elections. C'est la vie!
--------------------------
     Four Republicans are running for Douglas County commissioner, but one received his party’s endorsement after a competitor made a campaign donation to a Democrat.

     Douglas County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Dave Germond said the party chose to throw its support to Chris Boice after learning that Gary Leif made a contribution to Kerry Atherton, a Democratic candidate for state House District 2.

     Meanwhile, Douglas County Democratic Party leaders Dean and Sara Byers are now backing Leif, who they say is the more moderate choice among the two front runners, though their party still endorses Roseburg Internet consultant Rita Harris, the only Democrat in the race.

     Leif, 57, a Roseburg photographer, stands by his decision to support Atherton. He said Atherton is a personal friend and is helping him reach out to Democratic voters. Germond said the party’s purpose is to elect Republicans who “support the Republican cause.”

     Leif said he should be free to make donations to anyone he wants.

     “Really honestly that’s what’s wrong with our USA right now is we’re so divided by an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ and that is absolutely why we’re so screwed up right now,” he said. “That’s why we aren’t getting things done and I think it’s a travesty.”

     Germond said Leif is free to donate to anyone he wants, but that freedom is a “two-way street” and Republicans have just as much right to make their own recommendation.

     “It appears to most Americans that when the ‘bipartisan’ word comes up and the Republicans are accused of not reaching out to anybody else that it has the same meaning as the Republicans need to compromise their values every time and the other party, liberalism, has ruled the day and that conservatism has not,” Germond said. “The Republicans have always given up ground and we seem to be losing more ground every day.”

     Boice said he is grateful for the Republican endorsement, but would like to have the Democrats’ endorsement as well. Boice, 42, owner of Big O Tires in Roseburg, said he wants to serve the whole county, not just Republicans.

     “At this point Republicans, Democrats, independents, Constitution Party, we’re all trying to elect the guy who’s going to get in there and work the hardest to represent all the people of Douglas County and I believe that’s me,” Boice said. “I will work just as hard for any person regardless of party affiliation or their personal beliefs. I have respect for everyone and their beliefs regardless of their political affiliation.”

     Boice has taken some heat for his role in a MoveOn.org meeting in July 2011 at River Forks Park, west of Roseurg. At that meeting, the group — consisting of 18 Democrats characterized as mainly women over 65 — disbanded after being heckled by a larger collection of 35 tea party activists who accused them of being communists.

     Though some detractors identified Boice as part of the tea party group, Boice said he attended the meeting not to heckle participants but to learn more about them.

     “I was there specifically to sit down with the MoveOn.org people at their meeting and listen and learn their point of view. I encouraged the tea party people to do the same. I said, ‘Why don’t you just go sit down with them and listen to what they have to say?’” Boice said.

     Boice said after the group moved its meeting to a private home, he knocked on the door but was not allowed in. A video of the event posted on YouTube shows Boice sitting down at one of the tables at the meeting.   

     Rich Raynor, a leader of that tea party demonstration, withdrew his own candidacy for commissioner in July. He said he did not want to split the conservative vote and was convinced after an interview with Boice that the latter was “a philosophical match.”

     Though his opponent suggests he is a tea party candidate, Boice said that depends on how that group, which is not a formal party, is defined.

     “I believe in individual liberty. I believe in personal accountability. I believe in small government. I believe in fiscal responsibility. I believe in a whole bunch of things and if the tea party believes in those things then yeah. And if they don’t then that’s not who I am,” he said.

     Boice said during the commissioner race he reached out to the Democrats too, but was rebuffed.

“They won’t even return a call or an email which I think is unfortunate,” he said.

     Douglas County Democratic Party Treasurer Sara Byers disputes Boice’s assertion. She said neither she nor her husband, Democratic Party Chairman Dean Byers, ever heard from Boice.

Sara Byers said she and her husband have rallied behind Leif because they were impressed by his campaign group, which is made up of half Democrats and half Republicans. She also liked that Leif asked to attend the party’s annual Flegel Victory Banquet in Canyonville on Oct. 4, where he heard Atherton speak and was inspired to contribute $250 to his campaign. Leif also made a campaign contribution to Atherton’s competitor, Republican Dallas Heard.

     Byers said she believes the competition between Leif and Boice is splitting the Republican Party along ideological lines, with more conservative voters favoring Boice and moderates choosing Leif. She said she has been expecting such a split in the party since the “tea party revolution in 2010.”

     “There’s going to be a big crack happening in the party. We’ve seen it play out and now it’s continuing to play out here in Douglas County,” Byers said.

     Other Republicans in the commissioner’s race are Myrtle Creek web consultant Mark Garcia and former Douglas County sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Admire. Roseburg Municipal Court bailiff Dale Rogers is not affiliated with a party.

• You can reach reporter Carisa Cegavske at 541-957-4213 or ccegavske@nrtoday.com.
 ----------------------------------
 (Listed below are the on line responses that I posted on The News-Review's website.)
Monte Muirhead · Oakland, Oregon

     During the May, 2014 commissioner's race, the News-Review relegated the Republican party's endorsement of candidate Tim Freeman to a sidebar story inside the newspaper. During this race, the Republicans' endorsement of Boice suddenly becomes a front-page headline. Obviously, I had to read the article to see what all the fuss is about in this particular race.
      Yes, it seems odd to me that candidate Leif would donate money to two opposing candidates. What seemed even more odd is the Democratic leaders Byers supporting Gary Leif, while the Democratic committee that they serve on is supporting Rita Harris.
      On the other side of the fence is the strange way the Republican party is making such a tissyfit over Leif's donation to multiple candidates. The Republican committee sure remained mum during the May, 2014 election, when Freeman and other commissioner candidates were all receiving campaign donations from the same source: the Cow Creek Indian Tribe.
      Talk about hypocrisy! I just don't understand why this (one entity giving donations to opposing candidates) has become such an issue in this race, while it has been ignored in other races? I am registered as a Republican because I believe in fiscal conservatism (fewer taxes) and smaller government (more personal freedoms). Right now, both the Douglas County Democratic and Republican executive committees are making it difficult to feel proud in belonging to any party.

 ------------------------------------
Monte Muirhead · Oakland, Oregon

     This situation brings back memories of when, 1990s-2000s, members of the Douglas County Republican Executive Committee were openly working on (then) Democrat Joyce Morgan's bid for county commissioner. Would someone from the Executive Committee tell me WHY it is okay for Republican Executive Committee members to publicly work on a Democrat's candidacy during the primary...but suddenly it's wrong for Gary Leif to donate to both a Democrat and a Republican?

 

 

Recipe For Disneyland Clam Chowder

      Thanks to my cousin in southern California, I discovered this recipe. I never sampled their clam chowder, during the one time that I visited Disneyland in 1987. I probably don't have the wherewithal to prepare this recipe myself, but hopefully one day someone will make it for me! :)

 

Disneyland's Clam Chowder Recipe
servings: 6
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup red pepper
1/2 cup green pepper
1/2 cup celery
2 1/4 cups clam juice (I used chicken stock)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup clam, chopped (I used canned clams)
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch white pepper (I used black pepper)
1/3-1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
sourdough bread, slices (optional)
Directions: 
Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the flour to make a roux(It will by thick). Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, then set aside.
In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the potatoes, onion, peppers and celery over medium heat until the potatoes are just barely tender, about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked.
Add the heavy cream, clam juice (or chicken broth), clams, thyme, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce, and roux. Whisk well to blend in the roux.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more seasoning to taste.
Serve in Bread Bowls or with slices of French Bread
Recipe adapted from the Disney Magazine

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Pleasant Pets

     During a trip to Roseburg today, my mother and I stopped by the UMPQUA VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY thrift store in downtown Roseburg. When we entered the business, we saw a familiar face: John, who works at the store, and was previously co-owner of the PLEASANT PETS pet shop in north Roseburg.
      John has been a longtime friend of the family, and bailed us out a time or two. More specifically, when I had my first cancer surgery in November, 2012, I was "supposed" to be in the hospital for only three-five days. Instead, a reoccurring fever of 100+ degrees plagued me for weeks, causing me to remain in the hospital for a month. I went in after Thanksgiving and got out right before Christmas.
      This obviously posed a problem for the care of my red-tail boa constrictor. While "Jelani" could go a month without eating food, I was worried that she might need fresh water and possibly the bedding changed in her cage. While I could rely on family members to care for my doves, ducks, and geese, very few people are willing to tangle with a seven-foot boa constrictor!
      That's where John came in. He came up to our house one night to check on Jelani. PLEASANT PETS was where I had purchased the snake, back when she was a small reptile that could wrap around herself my fingers. So John was more that aptly prepared/qualified to open Jelani's cage and check on her.
      Today, when we visited the UMPQUA VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY thrift store, it had been too long since we had seen John (more than a year). But he made us feel at home and encouraged my mother to shop and look around, which she did. Because of my chemotherapy treatments, I can't stand for long and I get fatigued quickly. So I went to the book section at the back of the store, and plopped down in a chair and fell asleep, until an employee came and told me that my mother was   ready to check out.
      But John wasn't the only familiar face I saw today at the thrift store. A pair of doves, one white and one cocoa brown, were there to greet me. The same doves are not for sale and have been a fixture at the store for years. However, I did notice a new addition: a tangerine-colored dove all by itself in a separate cage.
     I always feel sorry for single doves; they require companionship. So I made sure I took the time to engage in "dove talk" with the isolated bird. It's a good thing I have cancer and need to eventually get rid of some of my pets. Otherwise, today I might have added another dove to my flock.

Sayreville War Memorial High School Hazing Hits Home

     Seven football players at Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey have been arrested over an alleged hazing incident at the school. The seven youths, ages 15 to 17, face sex-crime charges ranging from aggravated sexual assault to conspiracy and criminal restraint. Four victims were allegedly held against their will in four separate incidents.
     This, unfortunately, brings back memories of a similar incident that occurred in my hometown high school. Several students held down a boy in the high school weight room, and used a round wooden, oblong object to assault the victim.
     What prompted me to write this column is the stark contract of public awareness between the two incidents. Granted, Sayreville appears to have more of a widespread problem of hazing, than did my hometown high school, involving the one isolated incident. However, the types of assault were very similar...but how school officials addressed the problem is very different.
     Back in the 1970s and 1980s, when I was in school, hazing had been a recent memory. While my school district, and presumably most other school districts, had banned the practice of hazing....it was still a recent enough memory in many young people's minds, since they had older siblings who had been involved in such activities. I still remember hearing about the unfortunate person who had their head held in a toilet bowl, while the perpetrators flushed the toilet. Thank God such activities had been banned by the time I entered high school!
     Or had they? The sexual assault incident that occurred while I was in high school was not publicized. This was presumably to protect the well-being of the victim. Nor did school officials ever hold a school-wide "awareness" session on sexual assault, and what to do if one learns of such an incident. In a way, the school district's unwillingness or inability to address the problem before the high school student body, somehow gave the unspoken verdict that such hazing/sexual assault activities were either condoned, or not an issue that the average student should concern themselves with. Because every student was talking about the assault, why shouldn't it be addressed by the school staff?
     But I was very concerned. I was never the victim, or threatened victim, of such assault occurrences. But I was still affected. The term "pegged" began to be used by some of the students at my high school. If a student wasn't careful, he might be the next victim to be "pegged." I remember one day in my English class, the teacher pulled a student aside and asked what the term "pegged" meant. After the student told the teacher what it meant, the teacher just smiled and said nothing. Again, that teacher's response to the activity of "pegging," merely reinforced my perception that students were "on their own" to defend themselves, because the adults didn't appear overly concerned with those types of assaults.
     Contrast that with today. The sexual assault incidents at Sayreville, New Jersey are national headlines, appearing as the lead story on the evening newscasts. What has happened during the past 30 years? In the past, such traumatic incidents were handled quietly to protect the victims, and society appeared to view the issue as "boys will be boys," and offer little public awareness of the issue. Today, such sexual assault incidents become publicized in the news media, while school districts cancel the football program for the season, and use the incident as a learning experience to educate the entire student about the issue of sexual violence.
      I believe it's important that school classrooms are a "safe zone," where students who use threatening language are quickly reprimanded by the teacher (in a pro-active way), and where students know the teacher will protect/defend them against threats from other students. If I ever return to the classroom, that's the kind of teacher I will be.

The Rewards Of Teaching

     I love teaching. I wish that I could get back into the classroom. During the brief time that I spent student teaching (sixth grade social studies and English as a second language students at Jo Lane Middle School in Roseburg, and language arts students at Oakland High School), I discovered many rewards in teaching students. But I didn't realize that my short time in the classroom three years ago would yield positive results now. More about that later in this blog entry.
     The students loved me at Jo Lane. They planned a surprise party for me on my last day. I had been there two terms, or two-thirds of the school year, so I had become a "fixture" in the classroom almost as much as their regular teacher.
     During the surprise party, they showered me with sweet treats (I got to go first in the line at the baked goods buffet), and one student even gave me a bag with an apple in it. How sweetly appropriate! To top it off, the students had each signed their names and written a thank you message to me on a giant sheet of roll-out paper.
     To be honest, teaching high school students presented more of a challenge. After hearing the reports that teaching seventh grade students was the hardest year for teaching, I was surprised to have encountered difficulties at the high school, after my smashing success at the junior high level. But to be objective, I should have expected it. Having been taught by a popular teacher for the entire year, suddenly a newcomer enters the classroom spring term with a different teaching style.
     I endeavored to break that barrier by introducing some innovative student-centered activities that I learned attending Graduate school at the University of Oregon College of Education (jigsaw exercises, small-group student presentations, etc.). But despite resistance by some of the students, the experience was still a positive one, in the sense that I learned multi-tasking first hand! During my section on teaching the novel The Great Gatsby, one student just didn't "get it," regardless of how many times I tried to explain the plot to the student.
     I sought some advice from the special education teacher, who found a graphic novel of The Great Gatsby, where all of the characters looked like space aliens. Don't think that wasn't an interesting challenge, trying to incorporate a customized lesson plan for that one student, while I was teaching the "regular" novel to the remaining class!
     But I never gave up on my high school students. During the two weeks that I worked as a substitute at North Medford High School, one student told me that I was her favorite substitute teacher. Why? Because I was the only substitute teacher who came to class prepared with a lesson plan, instead of other substitute teachers who talked all period and gave the students "busy work" to do.
     During the last 26 months that I've been battling cancer, I assumed that my short tenure as a teacher had been forgotten by students. But I was wrong. This week I visited a restaurant owned by the parents of one of my former students. The mother and daughter came in to the restaurant while I was there. They came to my table, excited to show me the paperwork from a school evaluation session where they had just been.
     The daughter had received straight As in all of her classes, and received glowing recommendations on her coursework by her teachers. It had been three years since I had taught the daughter, but her family nonetheless remembered me and wanted to include me in the good news they had just learned.
     I would love to return to the high school classroom. A class on "Detective Fiction" based on my Detective Fiction class that I took at the University of Oregon. Or an "Asian Literature" class, again based on a class I had at the UO. How about an  "Old English" class, where I can introduce students to Paradise Lost in a contemporary lesson plan that's easy to understand, based on the semester-long "Milton" class that I took? After taking "Advanced Shakespeare" in college, I would love to teach a full year of the subject, one semester of the tragedies and one semester of the comedies. Or, my first love of social studies would be enhanced in teaching an "Advanced Placement U.S. History" class, incorporating some of the work I did in a Graduate level course of the American Revolution.
     For now, while I battle cancer, I have to content myself with reading some of the books and coursework that I studied in college. At least I'll be able to keep my own mind sharp, even if I currently don't have the opportunity to help sharpen the minds of today's youth.

How Pumpkin Pies Are Really Made

jj

     I normally wouldn't post a picture or column about something that "pushes the envelope." However, I am making an exception in this case, because the above picture reminds me of a joke that my father used to tell. He would sometimes tell alternative jokes in his early years.

     So, here is the joke...I only had to "bleep" out one four-letter word, but that will be painfully obvious to the reader what that word is, when you read it in the joke.

 

     There was this traveling salesman who was on his route one day, and he had to go to the bathroom really bad. Well, since there were no bathrooms around and the only thing in sight was a pumpkin patch, he cut open a pumpkin and did his duty into it.

     He figured he would be back this way soon and he would bring a shovel and bury the pumpkin and nobody would be the wiser. Well, a few weeks later he is back and he has his shovel, but the pumpkin patch has been harvested. So, he shrugs and gave a little chuckle as to what someone is going to find in the pumpkin.

     Well, a few years later he is at a pub nearby where the pumpkin patch was, and he laughingly relates the story to a local in the bar. Well, the local guy gets this look on his face and runs over to the phone and says:
     "Hello Sy, This is Vy, That was **** in that pie."

 

     Due to memories that come and go over the years since my Dad passed away, I'm not sure if this is a perfectly accurate rendition of my Dad's version. The term "hobo" may have been used in place of "salesman," and the man, Sy, was calling home to his wife, Vy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhododendron Sale: So Many Colors, So Little Space

     Decades ago, one of my older sisters planted three rhododendron plants. They all eventually passed away, the last one due to construction workers trampling the area when they installed a foundation under my parents' house. I don't remember what colors they were or where the third bush was planted.
     Last year, when my mother was in physical rehab., I decided to pursue a long-time goal of replacing the rhododendrons, one of my mother's favorite flowers. I purchased a pink one from Wintergreen Nursery at Winston, and a dark purple one from Lybarger Nursery at the Douglas County Master Gardeners' annual plant sale at the fairgrounds.
     The pink one is still green and budding, but it hasn't grown since last year. It sits at the SE corner of the house, where one of my sister's bushes once stood. The purple one was planted at the NE corner of the house, another one of my sister's locations, but alas, the purple one is full of brown leaves and looks like it may have passed away as well. It didn't help things several months ago, when I accidentally pulled a garden hose around the plant's base, causing the bush to partially uproot.
     TODAY, my mother and I visited a nursery west of Drain (www.kelleygreennursery.com) that was having a sale on...you guessed it...rhododendrons. They had three shades of purple from violet blue to dark purple (but no black purple). They had white, yellow, orange, and red rhodies. When the owner said the word yellow, my mother's favorite color, I knew my mother would want one. We actually had gone there to purchase a dark purple one to replace the one that I had ravaged.
     The nursery owner told us the yellow ones are extremely popular. While they're not exactly rare, they are hard to come by. In the spring, when the nursery truck brings the rhodie plants from the farm down to the roadside stand along Highway 38, they don't even bother to unload the truck of yellow rhododendrons. That's because customers will scoop them all up within a matter of hours.
     What happened? You guessed it...we purchased BOTH a "Horizon Monarch Yellow" and a "Anah Kruschke Purple" plants. When my mother asked if they had any beet red rhodies, the owner brought out another "Anah Kruschke" plant, before he realized they were the same color. I guess dark purple and beet red aren't too apart on the color spectrum.?.
     It's a good thing we don't have more open space around the house. Otherwise, we might have come home with a white, orange, and a different shade of purple plants. As it is, I'll struggle to find some space to plant the yellow one, probably near the NW corner of the house, partly under the shade of a Locust tree by the garage, but in direct contact with the afternoon sun.
     I'm a little more optimistic about the rhododendrons we purchased today. For one thing, they're about three feet tall with buds on them, more than twice the size of the rhodie plants I got last year.

Recipe For Cauliflower Entree

 

 

 

No, I'm not on some recipe binge with my recent blog postings. I've just seen a few recipes on Facebook that caught my eye. This recipe is one of the only recipes I've seen that meets my requirements for a naturopathic diet: No sugars, no starches, no pasteurized products, and no natural flavorings added. As long as the produce is organic (to avoid getting produce that's been genetically altered), this is a "safe" dish to eat for people with cancer.

---------------------------------------------

Lisa Robertson QVC

-1 head of cauliflower cut into small florets
-1 red onion, cut in large pieces and separated into single pieces
-1 whole garlic peeled and minced
-olive oil
-s...alt
Toss together, roast in single layer
400 degrees for 1 hour
yummy!!!!

Recipe For Hawaiian Chicken

94.9 WOLX with Cynthia Smith and Fred Warner

SWEET HAWAIIAN CROCK-POT CHICKEN--EASY AND YUMMMY!!
2 lb. Chicken tenderloin chunks
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar...
1/3 cup soy sauce

Combine all together, cook on low in Crock-pot 6-8 hours...that's it! Done! Serve with brown rice and you have a complete, easy meal!!

Recipe For Indian Frybread

Recipe for Indian Frybread, courtesy of Maureen Bergman.

Ingredients:...

4 cups of flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbs. powdered milk
1 ½ cups warm water
1 cup shortening
Extra flour to flour your hands
Directions:
Put flour in bowl, add baking powder, salt and powdered milk. Mix.
Mix in warm water to form dough.
Cover hands in flour.
Knead dough by hand until soft but not sticky. Cover with a cloth and let stand for 15 minutes.
Shape dough into balls about 2 inches across then flatten by patting and stretching the dough.
Melt shortening about an inch deep in frying pan. When hot put dough in pan. Fry one side till golden brown, then turn and fry the other.
This is a wonderful bread that can be used as a dessert by topping with honey, powdered sugar, etc. or can be used for main dishes such as topping with taco ingredients for an "Indian Taco".
~~ SHARE IT to SAVE IT ~~ FOLLOW ME or send me a FRIEND REQUEST! Join this group for help on your journey to weight loss, recipes, health tip, friendship, DIY projects and a few laughs! www.facebook.com/groups/YouAreLosingIt Order here www.skinnycyndde.eatlessfeelfull.com See this page for handmade leather items www.facebook.com/LeatherLegendsCiji

Boa Constrictors And Muscovy Ducks

    Today, I took Jalani, my pet red-tail boa constrictor out in the back yard for some "exercise" on the grass. Today is one of the last days of the year when we can expect sunny and mildly warm weather. I never use Jalani to tease or provoke our other pets, but it is comical nonetheless to view their reactions.
     The Blue Swedish ducks and Brown Chinese geese tend to gawk at Jalani. Their heads perked high, their necks angled to view this seven foot-plus reptile slithering on the grass, is about all they'll do. The ducks might let out a warning quack, and they'll either stay where they are like statues or they'll move farther away from Jalani.
     The Muscovy ducks, a breed that originated in South America, have a different reaction. (Muscovy ducks are the ones with a red comb on their bills, and they "hiss" instead of quack.) The Muscovy ducks literally come running toward Jalani. I position myself between the snake and the ducks, out of concern that the ducks will attack Jalani.
     After I've made it clear to the ducks that they're not getting the snake, they just stand alert, heads cocked in the direction of Jalani's head, following her every movement. When the snake moves, the ducks move, in conjunction with the direction that Jalani's head is pointed in the yard.
     I wish I knew the Muscovys' interest in reptiles. More specifically, would the ducks actually attack the snake if I weren't present? Who would win such a battle? Somewhere in my memory, I remember hearing one time about Muscovy ducks being a good "watchdog." There was presumably some rodent or predator that Muscovys would attack and kill. Was it a mongoose? Or am I confusing Muscovy ducks with the Rudyard Kipling story Rikki Tikki Tavi, about a mongoose that saves an Indian family from a venomous snake?
     In any event, Jalani is a gentle and harmless (from my perspective) animal. She gets her name from a Cheetah that Wildlife Safari in Winston acquired about the same time that I acquired Jalani. A news story that aired when Jalani (the cheetah) arrived at the game park, said the name means "the mighty one" in some African language.

History Of Muirhead P.O. Boxes

     I must be desperate for material to post a blog entry on post office boxes. Actually, my insurance agent got me to thinking about it this past week, when he was confused as to whether I'm at P.O. Box 3 or 401.
     Before I go any further, it's important to note there are different sizes of post office boxes. At the Oakland post office, they have three sizes: 1, 2, and 3. One is the smallest. At the larger city post offices, I believe the box sizes go up at a humungous size 6.
     My family for years had post office box 817, a size 2 box, at the old post office on Locust street. Then, around 1976, my family moved to Winchester Bay for half a year and closed out box 817. When we moved back to Oakland, for a few weeks we had a size 1 box (606, 616, or 626?). We then switched over to box 636, a size 2 box, at the old post office.
     The new Oakland post office opened around 1991, and that's when things really began to get complicated. The new post office had more boxes, but the numbers didn't go as high. Box 740 is the highest box number at the new post office. I believe the old post office went into the 900 range. I asked George, a former Oakland postmaster about this one time.
     He told me to look at the boxes. Some numbers were missing. In other words, there aren't actually 740 boxes at the new facility, because some numbers are skipped. The same was apparently true at the old post office, although I had never paid attention before to the discrepancy.
     When box 636 transferred, it became a size 1 box, due to the configurations of boxes at the new post office. 636 remained our box number for over a decade. Then, I ran for Douglas County commissioner in 2002, and I rented a new box number for my campaign. I asked the postmaster at the time which boxes were available. Numerous boxes ending in "5" were available for rent. The lowest number was 3. I liked 3 for several reasons. It was higher up than the other boxes, and therefore easier for me to see into the box; it was a single-digit number, which would make it "stick out" as a mailing address; and more importantly, it was a size 2 box.
     After my campaign was over, my Mother gave me permission to close out our 636 box, and transfer to box 3. This may not seem like a big deal, but when a person has newspapers and magazines with torn pages, because they're crammed into a dinky size 1 box, having a larger size 2 box suddenly makes the world a whole light brighter!
     Box 3 has been our box ever since, UNTIL I discovered that our family was eligible for a free post office box, because we live in town. A free box definitely sounded better than paying $54.00(?) a year for a rented box. Unfortunately, the free rate only applied to size 1 boxes. Box 3, a size 2 box, would have to go. That's when I rented box 401 (I liked it because it was on the top row and easy for me to reach) and began to transfer mail to the new box number.
     Unfortunately, I had forgotten why I enjoyed box 3 in the first place: its larger size. When mail began arriving in box 401, I began to see once again the torn pages on mail that was too big to stuff into the tiny box. At some point, we kept our magazine subscriptions and newspapers directed to box 3, and made 401 our "business" mailbox for bills, etc.
     I'm sure at some point, we'll close out one of the boxes and use only one for our mailing address. But which one? Due to financial cutbacks, we don't receive as many magazines and catalogs as we once did, so the need for larger box 3 has somewhat diminished. Still, there's a certain charm with having box 3. I've had numerous people exclaim, "Wow, how'd you get a box like that? You must have been one of the first people in town to rent a box." No, I simply was at the "right place at the right time" when it came time for me to rent a box.
     So where is this blog entry going? The Oakland post office, which does not have residential mail delivery in town (which is why everyone rents post office boxes) has recently begun delivering mail to homes on Cypress Street. Due to my cancer treatments, I don't have the physical stamina to install a mailbox post in the ground. It would be nice to have mail delivered across the street and not have to pay for a post office box anymore. But until I recover from my cancer, I'll have to be content getting my daily exercise, walking three blocks to the post office to collect the mail from boxes 3 and 401.

Garbage Dumping Fees (Again)

     All six candidates for Douglas County commissioner attended a forum sponsored by the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Three of the candidates support creating a new garbage dumping fee at the county landfill and transfer stations: Chris Boice,  Mark Garcia, and Dale Rogers. Three candidates oppose a new fee: Jeff Admire, Rita Harris, and Gary Leif (whom I am voting for).
     I'm not surprised this topic has come up again for discussion, as Douglas County scrambles to pay for county services amid an ever-declining revenue stream from O and C federal timber lands. What does surprise me is the split on the fee proposal. Both Boice and Garcia are Republicans who proudly use their involvement with the party as a reason to support their candidacies.  I thought that the Republican doctrine in general was against the creation of new taxes?
     During these tough economic times, I believe it is ludicrous to discuss imposing new taxes on citizens, especially regressive taxes that hit low-income people the hardest. How about creating a new fee at the county libraries or parks? Those fees would be optional, unlike a garbage dumping fee that everyone must pay.

Vote Yes On Oregon Ballot Measure 92

      I have decided to vote yes on Oregon ballot measure 92. It would require the labeling of GMOs (growth modifying organisms) on food sold in Oregon. It is simply an extension of current requirements for the labeling of ingredients on all commercial food products.
     GMOs are a serious health concern for people with some diseases, such as cancer. Livestock are routinely fed growth hormones and given antibiotics; both can stimulate the growth of cancer cells in people with cancer. Produce as well is sometimes genetically modified, which again can play havoc for the compromised immune systems of those fighting a disease.
     People have a right to know what they're putting in their bodies. And for some, the presence (or lack of presence) of GMOs can be a life and death issue. Please vote yes on measure 92. It's not a political issue. It's a health issue.

Cable TV Complaint Conundrum

     This is a long entry today about a mundane, superficial subject, but I'm venting because my sleep patterns were disrupted last night.
      Our Charter Cable TV was out last night. From 1:20a.m. until approximately 8:00a.m. Don't get me wrong; I'm not up watching TV at that ungodly hour. But my mother sometimes is.
      Surprisingly, I got a live Charter representative on the phone at that late (or is it early?) hour. She said there was an outage due to "maintenance" issues. In other words, Charter technicians were busy finding ways to re-arrange their channel line-up and annoy their customers once again.
      This the SECOND time in less than a month that our cable TV has been out during that time period. Who knows how many other times the cable TV was out when we weren't watching at that hour? To Charter's credit, they gave us a 24-discount on our next bill for the TWO nights that we were without television.
      My 20-year broadcasting career was mostly spent in the analog era of television, before we had high definition TV and digital converter boxes attached to our sets, that the cable TV company now charges its customer an extra $5.00 a month for. Why don't they just add it to their "regular" charges?
     (In the 1970s, we paid $5.00 a month for about 12 channels. Today, the lowest possible fee is over $39.00 a month for about 20 channels. In contrast, when Star Trek came out on videotape in the late 1980s, it cost $14.99 to purchase ONE episode of Star Trek on VHS. Today, a person can purchase an ENTIRE SEASON of a television series on DVD for sometimes the same price. What is wrong with this picture? Are the cable TV monopolies raking in a profit somewhere?)
     I'm tired of waking up and trying to guess where our channels are on the line-up. For example, this past month Charter switched Medford PBS-station KSYS from channel 8 (its over-the-air frequency) with one of the home shopping channels on channel 7. WHY is that necessary? Don't tell me its because the Channel 8 over-the-air frequency interferes with its reception on cable channel 8. That excuse might have flown back in the days of analog TV, but not in today's digital era.
     And when a person only receives about 20 channels on their basic TV line-up (which is what we receive due to the high cost of the "upper tiers"), is it REALLY necessary to put one station on channel 187? I mean, come on,...if our remote ever runs dead on batteries, it plays havoc trying to change from channel 22 (the weather channel), up to the next nearest channel on 93 (the Catholic channel, which we don't watch anyway), up to the next nearest channels in the 180-block.                     
      I sometimes think the cable companies just play around with things, to try and aggravate customers enough, to get them to subscribe to higher-paying options. And I don't care how many "bundle" promotions we receive in the mail each month...I am NEVER going to trust Charter with a $99.99 offer for cable TV, internet, and phone service. After one year, the price goes up, and it's next to impossible to go back to the way things "were."

    

Roseburg Valley Mall Revisited

     As I stated in a previous blog entry, I have rarely visited the Roseburg Valley Mall in recent years. The only time I go there is to accompany my mother to PayLess Shoe Source (formerly Volume Shoes). I made such a visit to the mall this past week.
     The last time that I visited the mall for myself was when I was beginning Graduate school at the University of Oregon in 2010. I needed to get a new cell phone, after happily being without a cell phone for the first 44 years of my life; I found what I wanted at AT&T. Now, all of the cell phone stores (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon) have left the mall. Only U.S. Cellular remains.
     I was shocked this past week to discover that even more stores have left the mall, with no one taking their place. With more than half of the store fronts vacant, the mall is now a hollow shell with an occasional shopper wandering the corridors.
     One of the two jewelers at the crossroads has left (1). The bookstore that replaced Waldenbooks has left (2). So has the upper-end bookstore at the other end of the store (3). One of the few remaining original stores, Hallmark, is no longer at the mall (4). Visiting the Hallmark store to check out their latest Christmas tree ornaments had been one of the diversions that I used to make, while my mother shopped for shoes. The camera store that replaced Kit's Cameras, inside the former Taco Time space, has also departed the mall (5).
     Warm Oven Cookies at the crossroads has now changed to Warm Oven Café, reflecting the (apparent) decreasing demand for cookies. Surprisingly to me, another one of the original mall tenants, Orange Julius is still at the mall. Somehow, seeing Orange Julius at the crossroads always provides a sense of stability for me, letting me know that the mall perseveres, despite the departure of numerous businesses.
     I don't want to say "I told you so," but the Roseburg Valley Mall seems to be on a self-fulfilling prophecy of abandonment. When anchor store Sears recently left, the mall decided to replace the space with three outside-entrance businesses. The new outside façade may attract shoppers to those three businesses, but it bypasses the corridors to inside tenants. With fewer people walking from one anchor store to another, there is less demand for services from the inside merchants.
     The situation reminds me of a longtime grocery store that operated in Oakland. For decades, Bob and Lorraine Russell operated Sanitary Market. After Bob passed away, Lorraine sold the store to a family that had recently moved here from Hawaii. The new owner thought the store was quaint and she was happy to buy the store because she had never operated a grocery store before.
     Because Bob Russell, who was a butcher and had operated a meat counter at Sanitary Market, was no longer around, the new owners decided to convert the butcher cooler into a deli. The soup and sandwiches were so popular that the new owners decided to take out some coolers in the back of the store and install several tables for people to sit down.
     I watched warily as the grocery store shelves gradually went away, while the encroaching deli took over the new space. Sanitary Market had been a very small store to begin with. By removing the grocery shelves, the market became less of a grocery store with needed daily commodities, and became more of a convenience store with only a handful of needed groceries. I began to wonder if it was a grocery store or a deli? I'm not sure if the new owners even knew what direction they were going.
     As it turned out, both the deli and the grocery store went out of business. There wasn't enough room inside the cramped building to sustain both businesses. I see the same situation occurring at the Roseburg Valley Mall. Is it an indoor mall, or an outside shopping plaza? I'm not sure which direction the mall is going, and with fewer businesses now operating inside the mall, I'm not sure how much longer both an indoor mall and an outside shopping plaza can co-exist in the same space.
     I hope the Roseburg Valley Mall survives. It'd be a shame if I had to go to Dairy Queen to purchase an orange Julius in the future. Of course, now that I'm on a naturopathic diet, I sadly cannot enjoy the beverage anyway.