By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

The greatest mass hallucination we experience is that the New Year is actually a perception of substance rather than a figment of our collective imagination. For centuries, people have arranged their lives into years, as though years were boxes into which they could put all their experiences over a particular time and eventually put them on shelves when they were through with them.

We’re hearing, “Oh, 2008 was a rough year,” as though the year itself were responsible for the things that went on while we were observing it and living in it. But in fact, today and tomorrow will be the same, more or less, even though they will be in different years.

If you did not have a clock or a calendar, tomorrow would be unrecognizable from today, unless the sun were shining today and it were raining tomorrow.

We know we can’t make it rain by pointing to the calendar, nor can we make the sun shine. We just know that if we are careful about dividing up the days according to astronomical observations, we can guess when certain things might happen.

We can have a pretty good idea of when to plant crops, for example, and a pretty good idea of when to harvest them.

So having a calendar is useful, as a yardstick is useful when we want to measure distance, but not as accurate.

Years are made memorable by the things that occur within their time frame — but the years themselves do not cause the occurrences.

We make New Year’s resolutions because we know that in general we are responsible for what happens to us and we know that if we want to do better, we have to do our part. But we don’t need a new year to make a resolution.

But I do wish you a very happy New Year, which is as good a reason for having a new year that I can think of.

I have been wanting to write letters regarding several things but never seem to have the time. But after the recent school bus accident I decided it was high time

I write, not to mention how tired I am of reading all of the complaints in The Red Line regarding our transit systems, the MAX and the Dial-a-Ride. You see I am an employee at First Transit, a bus driver in fact. I have worked in this field for two years. First Transit is the company that contracts with the City of Madera to provide transportation services for our community.

Our services include the MAX or Madera Area Express which is the fixed route service that provides transportation within the city with timed stops and transfer points. We also have the Dial-a-Ride service as well, which is curb to curb service, that is a client calls in for an appointment and we arrive at scheduled time within a 30-minute window. We also provide the MCC or Madera County Connection, which provides service to outlying areas such as Lavina, Eastin Arcola, Ripperdan, Chowchilla, Coarsegold, Oakhurst, and Bass Lake. We also run to Valley Children’s so that our clients can catch connections to Fresno Area Transit. We also contract with CVRC to provide transportation services to special needs clients.

We are not city employees and receive none of their pay rates or benefits. We are employees of First Transit.

We are a very close-knit group of people. Some of the more senior drivers have been driving 10-plus years in the community. I was a passenger when MAX first started in 2001-2002 for approximately 2 years. I rode the bus to go to work, take my children to daycare, go to doctor appointments, and to get my shopping done.

I came to know Pat, Marisela, and Dianne very well; they listened to my stories, watched my children grow, and I came to know them as people.

Pat told me how much she loved her job so; did the others. Little did I know that years later in 2006 that I would end up working with these fantastic people.

I can honestly say that I love my job and I am blessed that I have the ability to look at both view points — that of the passenger and that of the driver.

As a passenger I depended on the bus to be on time, and I learned that I needed to be a responsible rider, to be prepared with my fare or tickets, to make sure my stroller was folded, to never have more than the three bags per person maximum, and to mind my kids on the bus.

I was only left two times and that was when I was sitting on the grass, when I should have been at the stop. Trust me I called the office plenty. I also rode the Dial-a-Ride with Angelina and Heather, had times where I was late to my first class at college. I would sit and wonder why they didn’t drop me off or when they were going to. I remember phoning the office from First Baptist Daycare to tell Liz, the dispatcher, to have her driver look for us at the Natural Vision stop — a very treacherous stop, and I would be happy when I would see the familiar marker lights of the bus and Delie would see my kids and me at 6 p.m. in the dark of night.

As a driver my goal is to be firm and fair to my riders. I deal with a wide variety of people, with as many personalities. I have a huge responsibility to get my clients to their destinations safely. There are so many variables that we encounter on a daily basis, I would love to challenge anyone to do the job of a bus driver. Some of us drive 8 to 10 hours a day which is governed by the Department of Transportation and Labor Commission. I have had a lot of jobs, and by far this is the most mentally draining. The physical part is minimal, but to have to be alert and aware of your surroundings inside and outside of the bus is crucial.

We also have the weather to deal with out in the cold and the blazing heat of the summer. Our mountain drivers have the snow and its adverse conditions.

When you factor all of those variables, and add the fact that we need to meet timed stops, we are doing a great job.

We are also active in the community, participating in parades and doing a toy, coat and food drive last Christmas, with the majority of the donations coming from our employees. We chose needy families from local schools and gave them the opportunity to have a Christmas dinner and gifts. We hope to be more involved in the community in the future.

I read so many negative things in the paper and a lot of these things are not always the driver’s fault, and when things do happen — and they do — remember we are human too. Our livelihood depends on us being safe and consistent drivers, none of us wants to lose our license, we worked really hard to get it and we try to the best of our abilities to drive safely to keep our jobs. Most of us have families to support.

Kudos to the school bus driver for driving safely in the fog that morning. On that particular day I listened to Alview School dispatch and their drivers reported how cars were passing one another in visibility conditions that were practically zero. I watch people talk on cellphones and I am cut off at the railroad tracks at least four times a week at the Cleveland and Country Club Drive tracks. I always honk to get your attention. I see it all!

Krisann Gonzales,
Operator, First Transit

There was an excellent article in the Dec. 23 Madera Tribune about people giving up their pets during these tough economic times (”As Economy Falters, More People Are Giving Up Pets”).

The article points out that 6 million to 8 million animals are surrendered to shelters each year in the U.S., and about half of those are euthanized. It’s great that the Tribune is able to share this information with Maderans to illuminate the problem.

Still, despite the tough times we are facing, there is a silver lining of hope that we animal lovers can cling to.

I remember that not too many years ago, the euthanasia rate in this country was around 12 million per year. It’s down to 3-4 million now, mostly because more people are spaying and neutering their pets and avoiding purchases from puppy mills. Two dogs breeding at will, whose puppies also breed at will, can produce 67,000 offspring in a six year period of time (see Dog Fancy magazine, February 2000 issue, for an explanation).

Two cats can produce 420,000 offspring in seven years, and some puppy mills produce 10,000 puppies per year.

There are more avenues for low-cost spay and neuter than ever before. Friends of Madera Animal Shelter offers spay/neuter vouchers to low-income families for $15-$20 per animal, with the help of our local vets. Hope Animal Foundation in Fresno offers low-cost services to everyone, regardless of income or county of residence.

In Madera County alone, we have increased our save rate sixfold over the last six years. Everyone in this county should take pride in that.

For more information about low-cost spay and neuter, interested parties can call Friends of Madera Animal Shelter at 664-8667 and HOPE in Fresno at 271-0209. For more information about puppy mills, go to www.stoppuppymills.org or call our local shelter at 675-7891. For more statistics about birth rates, go to www. spayusa.org.

Andrea Robinson,
Positive Pet Training,
www.dogtrainingmadera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

When Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency, his theme was “Change,” but it turns out he apparently meant Small Change. His Cabinet choices are pretty much middle-of-the-roaders. His foreign policy will be Basically Bush, his economic policy will be More Bailouts More of the Time.

That isn’t necessarily bad, unless you voted for Obama because you wanted the United States of America to become the Socialist States of America.

It would appear at this point that Obama hoodwinked the liberals into believing he would lead the charge into Marxist Nirvana. But he seems instead to be leading the charge back to the future.

Obama is nobody’s fool. He knows that whatever success Bill Clinton had in his first term was achieved by not upsetting the economic recovery Congress and the first President Bush had set into motion. He worked with Congress to change the rules of welfare, a Republican notion. He managed to govern from the center, which enabled him to hang on for a second term. Obama lived through that, observed it and no doubt learned much from it.

Many of those who voted for Obama will be disappointed when he doesn’t start shipping troops home from Iraq the day after he is inaugurated. He will basically follow the timetable already established by the Bush administration, perhaps tweaking it a bit, and keeping in mind that he may have to send those troops to Afghanistan.

Many of his supporters will be chagrined when they learn the country won’t have a new way to pay for medical care any time soon, even though he led people to believe health care “reform” would be on its way if they voted for him.

In fact, those who didn’t vote for Obama will be happier than a lot of those who did.

Our family recently suffered a tragic event, the loss of our mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and aunt. We wanted to let the citizens of Madera know what wonderful, compassionate help we received from the funeral home Smith Manor Grace Chapel.

Operations manager Michela Patterson was extremely helpful and made a very difficult and painful time more manageable and went out of her way to accommodate our special needs.

Our family would like to publicly thank her and the funeral home for being there in our time of need.

Family of Barbara Marris,
Madera

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Just as amateur computer whizzes of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s developed products such the Hewlett-Packard and Apple computers in their garages, so are amateur biologists tinkering away on their dining room tables with new applications for DNA.

According to an Associated Press dispatch from San Francisco, people are working on yogurt bacteria and jellyfish DNA to come up with the next generation of wonder substances.

I find this very exciting, because I also am a “biohacker,” as these pioneers call themselves.

For example, I biohacked a jar of olives, quite by accident. Mrs. Doud discovered this old jar of olives we have had around for a number of years, which got pushed to the back of our old refrigerator and forgotten about. This jar, having been discovered when we changed refrigerators, is sitting on our kitchen counter, and I’ve been trying to open it.

The jar lid has sealed itself like the door on Fort Knox. Perhaps we have discovered a new biological jar sealer that will keep kids out of things we don’t want them to get into. The olives look completely okay through the jar’s glass, so I think I also may have inadvertently discovered a new olive preservative.

I may have discovered a new wonder drug at the office, where I have a teapot I haven’t used for quite awhile, and which has developed something in the bottom of it that would would appear to be the basis for a new antibiotic. The next time I get a hangnail I am going to rub some on it and see if the hangnail gets well.

Or, maybe it will make the hangnail glow in the dark. Tattoos that glow in the dark seem to be one of the goals of the biohackers, and I want to be in on that.

Jason Andrew Alberty, son of Steven “Leo” Alberty and Jennifer Madden, was born Dec. 1 and died at birth. Jason did not make it into this world the traditional way, as we all expected.

Many were looking forward to the arrival of this little boy.

Elora, Jason’s older sister of 2 years, also was born Dec. 1, and she still kisses Mommy’s tummy to say hello to her baby brother.

When he was born, Jason weighed 4 pounds, 10 oz., and was 19 1/2 inches long. He had big eyes, like his sister, a tiny nose and a full, rosebud mouth. He seemed sound asleep and at peace.

Jason has already managed to show us what a blessing he is to everyone. Some have told us how he brought others together in prayer who may not have spoken in more than a year. Even now, we can stop and smile to think of how much such a young baby touched so many.

We may never know why he had to die. However, we can think of many reasons he was here for the short time he was. Every reason turns into a blessing.

Thank you to all of those who have come together with all of your help and prayers. Thank you for showing and reminding all of us what a blessing it is to live in and rear our family in a community that takes time to care.

Steven Alberty and Jennifer Madden,
Chowchilla

(Editor’s note: The family is accepting contributions to pay for Jason’s funeral. Donations can be made at Farnesi’s Restaurant in Chowchilla, or sent to Alberty and Madden Family, 297 Myer Drive, Chowchilla CA 93610.)

On Dec. 13, Pick-n-Pull Auto Dismantlers in conjunction with the City of Madera and Madera County sponsored a Vehicle Amnesty Day. The intent of these events is to allow the citizens of the area to clean up their property by removing unused or junk type vehicles through a no-cost program.

These vehicles are a blight on the community and are a major source of ground and air pollution if not properly dismantled.

The average vehicle contains eight gallons of gas, two gallons of oil, two gallons of transmission fluid, two gallons of coolant and two pounds of Freon, all of which can contaminate the groundwater and soil. They also carry other chemicals and heavy metals, two mercury switches and five tires, all of which have or will leak onto the ground or into the air.

Pick-n-Pull would like to thank everyone in the area who took advantage of this free program to rid their property of these vehicles and be a part of the solution for community clean up.

We would also like to thank Tom Fraser from the City of Madera Code Enforcement and Eric Yancy from Madera County Code Enforcement for helping to get the word out and being proactive in this clean up effort.

If anyone missed participating in this event, we are planning a similar event for next spring.
Watch for the ads in the Madera Tribune announcing the next event.

Thank you,

Jan Daniels
Pick-n-Pull

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

Now that the Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates to nearly zero, you can expect demand for housing and other items usually purchased on credit to start increasing.

Although the Fed doesn’t lend money directly to consumers, it does lend it to banks, which then lend it to consumers, and if the banks have to pay less for the money they borrow, they can lower the interest rates they charge their customers.

However, those low rates won’t mean it will be easier for people with questionable credit to obtain low-interest loans. If anything, they may have to pay more interest.

Before the mortgage meltdown, it was a joke among some lenders that they would make a loan to anybody who could fog a mirror. That is not likely to be the case again for a long time — if ever. It may be that people who defaulted on mortgages and walked away from their obligation to pay as well as their homes may never be trusted with a home loan again.

That would be a shame, because people’s circumstances do change, and some of those who found themselves unable to meet their obligations will be able and willing to meet them in the future.

A lot of those questionable loans were enabled by the practice of bundling them by local lenders who then sold them to investors, who were mad when it turned out the loans they purchased were no good. Those investors will be less willing in the future to invest in mortgages that are even a little questionable.

So the news is good if your credit is good. Mortgages are at their lowest rates in nearly 50 years. It’s time to buy.

And in a while, the same will be true of car loans and most consumer financing.

By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune

It has been snowing in Las Vegas, which is quite unusual. The 7.6-inch total is more than has been recorded in the 70 years weather records have been kept there.

Las Vegas isn’t the only city to get unusual snow. Even Malibu was dusted with some of the white, cold stuff in the most recent Pacific storm.

An Associated Press story last week said these and other cold-weather events are not evidence of a cooling trend. In fact, the story said, they actually illustrate how fast the world is warming due to human activities churning out greenhouse gases.

Hmmm? I agree that one spate of unusually cold weather does not bode a trend toward global cooling. But how does it prove the theory of global warming?

The average temperature of the earth, as measured from satellite-gathered information over the past 10 years, has actually cooled slightly, and is about what it was in 1980. Does that, too, mean global warming is occurring even faster than anybody expected?

The sea level isn’t rising either, at least not at the rapid rate global-warming theorists have predicted. Even though arctic ice has been melting fast lately, sea levels have stayed much the same. Is that, too, proof that global warming is proceeding without letup.

Although geologists have ways of estimating what temperatures might have been in the distant past, their estimates are just that. One thing they seem to know for sure, however, is that for a good part of its history, the earth was covered in ice. They also know that at times it has been much warmer than it is now.

In recorded history, we know of the Little Ice Age and of temperate periods warmer than now between glaciations. We also know glaciations happen fast, geologically like the snap of a finger.

But, of course, that, too, proves global warming theory.