The state finally is getting around to starting an organization to conduct a visioning for California.
I would like to suggest that before the state’s committee members get started they come to Madera for some hints. Madera successfully conducted its own visioning project — Vision 2025 — and it has proven to be a valuable and sustaining document for the city.
In the beginning of the project, a core committee of volunteers, including city officials and citizens from all walks of life, sought and received information and opinions from hundreds of Maderans about how they wanted their city to look and function by the end of the first quarter century of this new millennium.
This core group had help from a Portland, Ore., consulting firm, which guided a lot of the work and helped write the final document after some two years of effort.
Once the document was in place, it didn’t just go on a shelf. It remains to this day a living guide for the future. For example, every action of the City Council, especially any new ordinance, is measured against the standards set by Vision 2025.
The city’s General Plan update was completed this year, guided by what Vision 2025 set forth as what the future of Madera should be like.
The effort now under way to establish voting for members of the City Council by district instead of at large, was the fulfillment of one of Vision 2025’s major suggestions.
The City Council and city staff members revisit Vision 2025 every autumn at the Fiesta in the Park, sponsored by Latinas Unidas. Keeping the public informed about the plan is a central theme of that celebration.
Will Madera be a perfect city by 2025 because of the visioning process? Probably not. But it will be much closer than it otherwise would have been.
Pay attention, state visionaries. Madera did it right.
Yesterday, for about the 10,000th time, I heard President Obama referred to as an African-American, and I am getting tired of that. He is an American first, not last, like you are, like I am.
If reference needs to be made to the race or culture of his ancestors, I think that reference should be behind the hyphen not in front of it. That would read: American-African.
I feel the same way about similar hyphenated combinations: Mexican-Americans? I would make that American-Mexicans. Italian-Americans? Make that American-Italians.
It happens that my ancestors are all from Great Britain, but I don’t go around calling myself a British-American. When those ancestors came here, they brought their goofy-sounding accents, their odd observances, their penchant for funny hats, their bad cooking and their religious peculiarities, just like all immigrants do. Some of that got passed along to me. You might even say I am an Anglophile. I enjoy that great public television series on the British royal family at work. I love the British comedies. I’m a Beatles fan. But I am first, foremost and forever an American. An American-Brit, perhaps, but an American first.
Mrs. Doud’s ancestors are all Swedish, and she even has been back to the old country. Every Christmas she makes Svenska pannkakor and Svenska kottbullar. We have eaten lutefisk (and lived to tell about it). But she is not a Swedish-American. She is an American-Swenska.
When newcomers arrive in America, it makes sense for them to hang onto their antecedent cultures for a while to help them deal with any loneliness and confusion they may encounter. And because they bring them, some parts of those cultures get adopted here, which gives American culture its robustness.
But unless they plan to go back to where they came from — as Obama’s father did — being an American should come first.
H.R. 3962, the name given to House version of the so-called medical reform bill, probably won’t be the final version of the healthcare legislation being debated in Congress.
But just looking at it in its present form is enough to make you a little queasy.
It has 1,990 pages, which is about four reams of copy paper, which would weigh about 15 pounds.
If members of Congress carry this bill around with them, so they can read it at home or in the bathroom, they might hurt their elbows. In that case, it would be good for them to have the excellent medical plan that all members of Congress enjoy.
One of the reason, that congressional medical plan is so enjoyable is that we (taxpayers) pay for it. They (lawmakers) thought it up and appropriated our money for it.
But getting back to H.R. 3962, The Wall Street Journal wrote in an editorial on Nov. 2 that it was “The Worst Bill Ever.”
I wonder if The Wall Street Journal judges these things by weight. Or does it judge it by understandability?
I began reading H.R. 3962, and immediately got bogged down. The first sentence, which is about 90 words long, doesn’t easily parse. That is to say, you have to hunt very hard for the verb. Then, there are about 40 pages of contents and definitions.
The first two words of the bill are “Mr. Dingell.” I’m not kidding. I’m sure they refer to the Hon. John Dingell, D-Mich., the dean of the House of Representatives, a sponsor.
The title of the bill is: “To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.”
Having said that, it then proposes to spend about a trillion dollars more over 10 years than we’re spending now, and cut back on a lot of services. Except for members of Congress, of course, who will still be just fine with their program that we pay for.
Some people tend to forget what a terrific resource the public library can be. Not only can you stop by and check out books, you can also check out magazines, books on tape, books on CD, books in Spanish and DVDs. You can use our public computers for up to an hour a day. All for the very handsome price of … well, free.
Yes that’s right. As long as you bring everything you borrowed back by the date its due, it’s free, always has been.
From the Madera County Web site’s “Library History” page: “Madera County Library was the first California county free library under the State Library Act of 1911. It had branch libraries in operation even before the legislation was passed.” How cool is that? We were so far ahead of our time we opened before lawmakers said we could. That’s what I call going rogue.
So why aren’t people bursting through the door to use all of the wonderful facilities Madera County libraries provide? That’s the question that keeps us up at night worrying (okay, that’s overstating it a bit, but for the purposes of drama, indulge us). We lie awake and wonder why people aren’t more interested in the Madera County Library. We could understand not using the library if we were wealthy or owned a Barnes and Noble bookstore, but we’re not and we don’t. The library is free. And do you realize the closest bookstore is in Fresno?
So how can Madera County libraries help you?
Need help with a home improvement project? Chances are we can find a book that will help you. Remember, even if we can’t find the book here, we should be able to request a book from one of our neighboring branches in the San Joaquin Valley Library System. With more than 3 million books and other materials you can borrow, chances are we can find just what you’re looking for.
Need help with your homework? Our friendly reference staff is here for you. (Note to the kids: We can help, but we can’t do your homework for you. Sorry.)
Need help looking for a job? We have dozens of books on everything from what career is right for you to composing the perfect resume and our public computers can be used for everything from searching employment Web sites to typing cover letters. And the Madera County Library is the only place in Madera where you can use computers for up to an hour a day for free.
Need a DVD to entertain or educate the kids? We have those, too. (We are particularly fond of “Wall-E,” but we also have DVDs about the world’s most famous artists and nature programs, to name a couple). And did I mention that it’s all free?
Yes, it’s true. Bring the materials back in time and it’s free.
Did you know visiting the library makes you smarter? Okay, we can’t verify that statement, but think about this: When you use your library card to borrow a best seller instead of plopping down 26 bucks to buy it, you probably feel smarter, don’t you? Free is a very good price.
All comments are edited for length and content. Due to content or space limitations some comments may not be published. More than one comment from the same person during the same week will normally not be published. Please limit calls to two minutes or less.
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A woman said, “my son goes to Sherman Thomas Charter School … It is one of the best schools in Madera County. They treat the children just like family, everybody. I just wanted everyone to know what a great school it is.”
After reading last week’s Red Line “and the people who wanted the drive-in theater swap meet to continue,” a woman said, “I think it is wonderful that they have closed it. That road on Sunday was impossible to go down with all the roach-coaches and all the cars going in and out. I don’t blame the people who live there. It was terrible for them.”
Another woman said, “Keep the swap meet closed. It’s a mess.”
But another lady said, “I find it sad the actions of the filthy, uncaring people at the swap meet has caused it to be shut down. The drive-in owner has given a lot of time and funds over many years, and even before the swap meet, to help make Madera a better place to live. Now he is being punished instead of the people who have no respect for fellow citizens or Madera.”
A man suggested “the lady who’s complaining about the Spanish billboards should get together with the lady complaining about the American flag hanging in front of somebody’s house. English is the spoken language and the red, white and blue is the favorite color.”
A man said, “I just got my VIA magazine from AAA, and there is a piece in there about an open air art museum just east of Death Valley. I got to visit that piece of land, thanks to your columnist Leon Emo. He took me on a four-day trip through the northern Mojave showing and telling me the history of ghost towns, scenery and everything. Quite a guide.”
A man called about “the comments made about the red paint overspray on West Yosemite and Howard Road.” He suggested, “Some people just don’t see the big picture. In this economy the government is trying to create jobs. So let’s send two or three people out to do a job that normally would only take one person to do. Then, when they get overspray all over, they have to go back the next day with another crew and clean up the mess the first crew made. They’re just creating jobs.”
A woman spotted “a certain lady, a Highway Patrol officer, on I Street,” and “thought it was odd she was on her cell phone. I don’t think it is any less dangerous for the Highway Patrol than it is for anybody else. My daughter is starting to drive and if she sees a Highway Patrol person on her cell phone I think it is a bad signal.”
A man said he read that “the State Fair in Sacramento is going to change dates because of poor attendance, etc.” He also “read that the Fresno Fair had good attendance and was happy with the results. However, concerning our local fair, there was absolutely no information about the results of our fair.” He “was just wondering if it was good, bad or indifferent. Are fairs becoming a thing of the past?”
A man “wanted to thank the teachers at James Monroe for their hard work. Especially those teachers that are tutoring after school.”
A lady called about “the surplus commodities. I was trying to call the phone number today to see if I could pick my food up at Oberti’s (warehouse) and they said the number had been disconnected for Madera County Food Bank.” Another number, she said, had also been disconnected. “My friend missed out on her food because she could not call and find out where to pick it up.” She had been told, “it was supposed to be in the newspaper, but there was nothing in the paper. They need to get a schedule in the paper. I thought they (the Food Bank) was supposed to be helping people get their food.”
(Editor’s note: The Food Bank has opened in a new location, 225 S. Pine St.)
A lady said she “was concerned about the pedestrian lines (crosswalks) on Yosemite Avenue and D Street. They’ve needed painting for a long time now. I don’t know if it is Caltrans who’s supposed to paint it; and (also) the crossing area is chock-full of holes. Somebody needs to put some new asphalt down.”
“A parent” made a “comment about Madera High’s varsity football team. If the school board or whoever is in charge of that position can’t see that it is not getting any better with the same coach. Over and over, it is the same thing. What are they waiting for?
“I know they let go of our baseball coach, but at least they won some games and were competitive. The football team should not even be on the same field with these other teams. He (the coach) has not really won anything here. I keep hearing there’s some talent on that football team, but it’s not going to come out with that coach.”
The man mentioned last Thursday’s game, “77-14 they lost.” (Actually, 70-14) against Central. That’s embarrassing.”
A woman asked, “can somebody explain why, week after week in your TV guide, you show, under weekday mornings the same shows as you show weekday afternoons? Please let me know. Thank you.”
A woman did not want Maderans to forget the coming Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and requested, “please fly your flag, attend a memorial service. Let’s pay tribute to all those, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan wars and those in between, who have given their lives so that we can have freedom. Thank you, veterans, men and women.”
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Thank you for your calls. Remember, the Red Line is open for your messages 24 hours a day by calling 674-4478, or by visiting maderatribuneredline.com.
That was an interesting article put out by the AP (on global warming, The Madera Tribune, Oct. 27). The obvious conclusion, at least to me, is that there is currently no trend, up or down.
The modern warming trend began about 1850 and, I conclude, is now ending, as predicted by the people that actually study these trends.
The solar constant varies through 11-year cycles. In order to see a trend one must compare complete 11-year cycles. Comparing decades allows one to choose to avoid a peak or a null and adjust the results.
NASA has data on solar output since 1978. Because of all this fuss, they have made it difficult to find these data on the Internet. I found the first 25 years.
Others use tree ring growth to infer insolation (exposure to solar rays), not solar output. These data go back to the age of the oldest living trees. There are other ways to infer insolation and earth surface conditions from the remains of life in deposits, etc.
The people who study these periodic trends are worried about global cooling and glaciation (disaster), not global warming (inconvenience).
The water measure and its accompanying bond request passed Wednesday by the Legislature is a welcome outcome of what had seemed to be another Sacramento impasse.
Fortunately, wise heads prevailed and state lawmakers proved they could (1) recognize a problem for what it is and (2) make rational decisions about how to solve it.
Backers of the bill will have to work hard to sell the $11.4 billion bond issue to the voters.
However, three-fourths of the state’s citizens stand to gain directly from the improvements the bond would pay for, and those improvements won’t get any cheaper in the future.
Without those infrastructure changes, the state’s economy will surely suffer over the long term.
Southern California’s access to water would be limited, and growth there would be stalled.
The agricultural economy would be much at risk.
Efforts to use water for environmental restoration would be restricted and subject to new court challenges, particularly if future drought conditions are like those of today or worse.
One of the things the legislative package doesn’t address enough is something the state needs — a change in thinking about how it manages its water.
As individuals, we all will have to alter the way we approach how we use water. We do use the water we have more responsibly than we did, say, 25 years ago, but compared to changes we could make, we have much to learn.
Fortunately, Madera County is on the cutting edge of some of that thinking.
The Madera Irrigation District’s decision to develop a 250,000-acre-foot water bank is beginning to look more like a stroke of genius every day. That storage capacity — almost half that of Millerton Lake — can help buffer the county’s farmers and others against the effects of future droughts.
And efforts are under way locally to discover more about water management in arid conditions.
RE: Jim Glynn’s “Howling from the Heartland” column of Oct. 15 in which he writes about “The hospitalist: health care McDonaldized:” Although I had never heard the term before, I began to wonder if my grandson-in-law could be a hospitalist. I shall refer to him as Dr. Arthur Getwell.
I know that Dr. Getwell completed his internship at a hospital in Stockton and has been employed at a hospital on the coast for nearly two years. But what would a doctor do in a hospital, I mused, if he isn’t a surgeon? My granddaughter confirmed my suspicions. Dr. Getwell is a hospitalist.
Glynn describes a hospitalist as being a case manager who communicates with physicians, coordinates hospital modalities, and oversees the general welfare on the patient. I later learned from Arthur that Glynn’s description is pretty much true.
Where I disagree with Mr. Glynn in his description of the hospitalist’s use of medical history obtained from the primary doctor (“a hospitalist may have time to give the list only a cursory look”) and an “exit strategy.” And since Glynn’s Dr. Doom paints a rather dismal picture of the hospitalist, I wanted to get the other side of the story.
I interviewed Arthur the following weekend. I asked him to explain the steps that might be taken if a patient arrived in the ER one night and was diagnosed with a severe heart attack. How would he, Dr. Getwell, be involved?
Arthur said that after the initial care of the patient, the doctor in ER would contact him and would discuss the course of care to be given to the patient. I should imagine that when Dr. Getwell sees his patient, it might go like this:
“Good morning, Mrs. X.”
“I want to see my own doctor.”
“I just called your doctor. Dr. Caring said she can’t come over just now, but she would have your medical records faxed to me immediately. She did say that she might visit you this evening. In the meantime, I can answer any questions you might have.”
Dr. Getwell will examine the records received from Dr. Caring and then will order whatever additional tests, such as blood tests and X-rays, are necessary. He will check to see what medicines Mrs. X takes so there will be no conflict with the medication he prescribes. And if there is a medicine available at a lower cost that can effectively do the job, he will prescribe it.
Prior to Mrs. X leaving the hospital, he will discuss with her the course of action — including her medication, of course. He will see that a copy of the discharge summary that outlines the tests given, the diagnosis, and medication prescribed is faxed to her physician. He will emphasize to Mrs. X that she see Dr. Caring as soon as possible.
Arthur explained that hospitalists are available 24/7 and work 12-hour shifts. He said there is always a doctor on the premises. Dr. Getwell commented that the hospitalist’s goal is to give the patient the best care in the shortest amount of time and in a cost-saving manner.
After my discussion with Arthur, I read an article that the reference librarian at our Madera County Library found for me. It is titled “Hospitalists,” and was written by Terese Hudson Thrall for the “Hospitals & Health Networks” magazine in November 2003. The information, which I feel is still timely, is now available on the Internet.
Thrall says the program began in 1993 with the Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., using hospitalists to take care of unassigned patients from the emergency department, and later expanded to include patients from the surgical department. Included in her article were some of the following points:
– Many family practice doctors prefer to make rounds and check on their own patients; however, others have chosen not to come to the hospital. (Patient X’s doctor may not want to come to the hospital.)
– Hospitals can quickly do something about a situation as they likely have established relationships with the nursing and respiratory departments.
– Cost and length of stay may still be a factor, but improving patient safety is also important.
Personally, I would feel well cared for if I had a doctor such as my grandson, Dr. Arthur Getwell. If Mr. Glynn and other sociologists must compare a hospitalist’s patient to a Mc Donald’s patty of meat then could it be a Premium Sandwich?
Those of us who heard Elaine Craig’s presentation before the Madera County Board of Supervisors Tuesday learned first hand that many more Maderans have been suffering from the recession than many of us realized.
Craig, executive director of the Madera County Workforce Investment Board, said her agency had provided help to Madera County residents about 35,000 times in the last six months.
A lot of that help was with unemployment claims through the state Economic Development Department, which reflects the depth of joblessness here. The EDD shares the building at the corner of 7th and D streets with the workforce investment board.
In Madera County, the labor force at the end of September was approximately 70,400, while the number of unemployed was about 8,700. Dealing with all those job-seekers and benefit claimants made up a lot of the contacts Craig and her staff completed.
Craig’s agency also tries to get jobs for people, or help them find better ones.
The agency provided paid work-training experience for 307 young people through partnerships with other agencies, such as the Madera Redevelopment Agency, with Madera Community Hospital, with private businesses.
The investment board operates the City of Madera Leadership Academy, in which workers learn leadership skills; sponsors classes in English as a second language, and helps paroled and released ex-offenders train for work and then finds them jobs.
The investment board benefitted from federal job stimulus funds of more than $2 million, she said.
If you find yourself out of a job, it would seem the first place to go is to the Madera County Workforce Investment Board, where much help is available.
As a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Honduras, 1975-1977), I am amazed that after nearly 50 years the Peace Corps has no library collection.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have heard the call and hundreds have returned to fulfill that pledge to share their experience through literature.
Sharing our experience is the third goal of the Peace Corps.
The Kennedy Library only accepts original material. Tragically, even the Peace Corps Resource Library in Washington, D.C., does not keep published work written by its own volunteers, the salt of the earth.
Popular government-sponsored programs are rare. During the first half of the 20th century only the WPA and the CCC caught America’s imagination. During the second half of the 20th century, only NASA and the Peace Corps have been equally popular. Yet, like theWPA and the CCC, first-hand experience books about the Peace Corps are hard to find, and our collective memory fades.
The Library of Congress has a great set of special collections, several of which include 20th century work. There is even a collection of amateur publications by early 20th century journalists.
The addition of Peace Corps literature will serve our nation well at no cost to the taxpayer. The books will be donated.
