Village Voice, April 2012

[email protected] Vol. XXI, No. 4 | April 2012

The Village Voice is a publication of the OHCC Journalism Club

EditorialChat with BeckyGroenwold,General ManagerSubject: Insurance For Caterers

Village Voice:What’s the big fussover this new lia-bility insurance forour vendors?

Becky: We’vealways required

insurance and this is only a slightmodification of what we have had allalong. We are now requiringendorsements for the club involved,for OHCC and for PCM. TheMaster Board requires and has foryears, that any vendor doing workfor the Association must not onlycarry valid insurance, but name theAssociation and PCM as additionalinsured. This should not pose a prob-lem to reliable vendors.

VV: Why is this necessary?Becky: We’re doing this because

we want to spread the risks. Insteadof having any vendor being coveredwith a generalized insurance, thisnow requires the vendor to specifi-cally name the club, OHCC andPCM.

VV: Now some people are wor-ried about that $5 million dollarcoverage shown on the sample.What vendor can afford that?

Becky: Typically, a million dollar

EDITORIAL, CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Visitor Crashes IntoTree, Later Dies

Car smashes into tree, ignites.

On the afternoon of March 22, a visi-tor from San Marcos crashed his car intoa tree on Caesena and Leisure VillageWay. He had been escorting three ladiesfrom the Village when, upon exitingCaesena Way, apparently became uncon-scious, stepped on the gas pedal andcrashed into the tristania tree on the cor-ner. Neighbors immediately called 911and within moments the paramedics andfire trucks arrived. Meanwhile, severalresidents removed the passengers from

the car despite the flames that spewedfrom the engine. The 91-year-old driver,Charles Sanborn, was taken to Tri-CityHospital where his condition deteriorat-ed and he succumbed that evening.According to the San Diego MedicalExaminer, he died due to hypertensiveand atherosclerotic cardiovascular dis-ease with a blunt-force injury to the chestthat contributed to his death. There hasbeen no word about the condition of thepassengers.

The Village Voice — April 20122


policy is the minimum. Additional amounts are usually pen-nies on the dollar. This may be an added expense for some ofour vendors, the cost of which will be passed on to the cluband that expense will be reflected in the cost of the tickets bythe participants. Most of our vendors have already factored intheir costs of liabilities, but some Mom & Pop operators maynot be and, therefore, can do the same job for a lesser price.We are leaving ourselves wide open.

VV: We have been using the same vendors for years and wehave never had any problems. Why now?

Becky: We are living in a litigious era; everyone is pre-pared to sue. As General Manager, it is my job to manage therisks of the Association. I cannot eliminate them; all I can dois to minimize them and spread that risk. A great number ofvendors we use should not mind as the insurance protects bothparties if there is a claim. It is called risk management. Thebest offense is a good defense!

VV: And what about the automobile insurance for cater-ers? Who is going to police them?

Becky: You would think everyone who serves us has insur-ance. But again, in this stressful economy, many will give upinsurance first before they give up anything else. We cannotallow anyone to service our community without insurance. Itis the club’s responsibility to obtain that information from thevendor. Our office will check for all necessary informationcurrent and accurate.

VV: Many of our Mom & Pop can’t afford all the require-ments to provide service. What about them?

Becky: We have addressed that issue by providing threeinsurance companies that offer one-day policies. These small-er operators can purchase coverage for just a single event. Butthe endorsements remain the same. The larger vendors willhave already fulfilled the necessary requirements.

VV: We are already covered with liability insurance. Howmuch more does this protect us?

Becky: The Social Club Board only has Directors andOfficers insurance. It does not cover liability insurance, and itdoes not cover the individual clubs or club officers. We wantto protect the residents and the association. Whenever a law-suit is filed, every resident here is affected. The Master Boardjust renewed the insurance policy for the Association andalthough there was a significant reduction in the cost of ourpolicy, the deductible increased from $2,500 to $25,000. Thatmeans all the money we saved can go into the payment of oneclaim. That’s the reason the Board and I want to prevent anypotential claim from happening in the first place. If a clubholds an event and invites a vendor with no insurance and anincident occurs, the club, club board members and the MasterAssociation could all be held responsible. The best way toreduce this unnecessary risk is to make sure we are using rep-utable vendors with appropriate insurance.

I will be at the next Presidents Meeting on May 7th toanswer any questions club board members may have.

VV: Thank you for your time. We look forward to hearingyou at the meeting.

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EDITORIAL, Cont’d. from Page 1

Witness to Car AccidentBy Peter Gantz

Thursday afternoon on March 22, 2012, I was working inmy garage when I heard a lady frantically yelling, “CallEmergency 911; there has been an accident!” I looked up thestreet and saw a white car that had smashed into a tree on thecurved corner of Caesena and Leisure Village Way. Yellowflames and smoke were coming out from the engine’s partial-ly opened hood.

I quickly ran home and telephoned 911. The operator askedif anyone was hurt, but since I had not time to check, Ianswered, “Yes.”

When I returned to the accident site, I saw a residentattempting to extinguish the flames, but was unsuccessful.There was speculation that the fire might cause an explosionand that spectators should stay away, but another resident useda CO2 fire extinguisher that seemed to do the trick. Four peo-ple were still in the car.

Within minutes, two fire trucks, an ambulance and a policecar arrived and with the help of a couple of residents, the fire-men were able to extricate the male driver and three women

Firemen and paramedics on the scene within minutes.


For information, call Sandra @ 760-295-1993

Village Voice4716 Agora Way, Oceanside, CA 92056

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Patronize the businessesyou find in the Voice.

Mary Jane Matthews, PresidentGilda Barnard, Vice PresidentCharlotte Pichney, Secretary

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Marileen Johnson, Director

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Editor: Bob Wong, [email protected] address: 4935 Thebes Way, Oceanside, CA 92056Distribution Coordinator: Jack Collar, 598-0580

Village CoordinatorsUpper Cordoba . . . . . . John Hanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940-1874Cyrus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Betty Theel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .945-4588Hydra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seymour Prell, Ruth Leader . 945-7631Majorca . . . . . . . . . . . . Betty Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758-1960Mykonos . . . . . . . . . . . Betty Collar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598-0580Portofino . . . . . . . . . . . Werner Rind, Mary DuarteSantorini . . . . . . . . . . . Chuck Barlow . . . . . . . . . . . .758-0625Zante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alan DeCarle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631-0179

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Ira LandisJohn FinneganAndy TrubanBob HoffmanDan NeilsonFrank IsmailGilda Spiegl

Joan BuchholzJoe AshbyBill Walsh

Phyllis WardTom LynchTom Fuller

Selma LeightonMary Jane Matthews

Charlotte PichneyRuss Butcher

Beverly NickersonPeter Russell


passengers. The entire rescue operation was performedpromptly and professionally. The injured people were giventemporary First Aid, then were transported by ambulance toTri-City Hospital. Meanwhile, a Fire Dept. officer interviewedwitnesses taking the necessary information while I observedand took numerous photos and tried not to interfere with theongoing operation.

This is the second time that a car has jumped the curb atthis gentle curve and struck the sturdy tree shearing off portionof the bark. Perhaps installing strong metal roadside bumperssimilar to those used on mountain curves might help protectcars from colliding with the tree, the concrete block wall andthe adjacent corner house.

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New Arrivals:Just Do Something!By Jack Collar

You can feel the change in Ocean Hills, as new youngerpeople arrive.

When my wife and I lived in the desert, the Street Faireheld at the College of the Desert, Palm Desert had a booth thatfeatured silk screened tee shirts. One of these was entitled “It’sAll About Me”!! They sold well and younger people actuallywore them.

But not our generation. We were born and raised in a period that cared for others.

We felt it was our obligation to be of service, any service toindividuals, to our church groups, and to organizations. It wasa generation of volunteerism.

A message to the new arrivals: yes, you’ve come here toretire, to enjoy the amenities and the camaraderie of otherswith the same values and attitudes. Don’t bury yourself soearly. Get out and join a club or a group, any group. Just do it.

As the circulation manager of the Village Voice, I amalways looking for volunteers to help deliver this monthlypaper. Our current delivering group consists of some who arein their eighties and nineties. And many can no longer performwhat they have done in the past years. It takes about 1 hourand a half, once a month and having a golf cart makes deliv-ery very easy. How about giving me a call to provide a fewhours of volunteer work? I’m Jack and I’ll be awaiting yourcall at 760-593-0580.

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Deadline for submissions forarticles in the Village Voice is the

28th of each month. No exceptions.


Mystery on Cordoba WayOn March 15, in an overcast afternoon, a mysterious event

took place on Cordoba Way. It was about a month ago when aresident reported that a man with light colored hair and wear-ing shorts that exposed his bow leggedness, had walked offwith their blue trash bin. All this had been recorded by theirsurveillance camera. Immediately, the news was flashed overthe internet on YouTube, and reported in the monthly Observer

and in the March 15thissue of the Village Voice,complete with the photo-graph of the thief.

It was apparent thatthe alleged thief saw hispicture in the Voice andby 3 p.m., returned theblue trash can to the resi-dent’s driveway. Whilethe victims were delight-ed with the return, theyare hamstrung with twoblue trash bins since theyhad ordered a replace-ment from WasteManagement.

But the story endswell; Community Patrolhas called off the allpoints bulletin and, much to the relief of men in the Village,officers have called off their search for suspicious men withbow legs.

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Missing trash bin reappears.



Bocce Courts RefurbishedIn mid-March, residents were wondering what the workers

were doing with jack-hammers at the Clubhouse. Severalcurious residents peered over their back yards and saw sever-al workers removing the old footings to the pergolas. The oldpergolas had to be replaced due to rot and termites and hadbeen removed earlier.

According the Chuck Pierce, Maintenance Director, thenew pergolas will have beams and posts made of galvanized

steel-reinforced vinyl. The new construction is so sturdy thatshould anyone walk on top, the new steel roof will support theweight. Chuck says that we won’t have to worry about anyfuture maintenance such as damage from termites, the need forpainting or rot. It is estimated that these three pergolas shouldlast at least 20 to 30 years because of the new technologyusing steel and improved vinyl.

The “ProDeck” company also constructed the pergola inthe tennis court, therefore the material is uniform throughoutthe campus. The cost of this project is slightly over $40,000,the money for which had been set aside in the reserve over anumber of years.

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Resident Donates HouseholdGoods to Marine Family

With only one call, Wayne Strunk was able to donate muchof his household items to a Marine family who had onlyrecently moved into militaryhousing at Camp Pendleton. Hedonated a queen size bed, a cou-ple of twin size beds, a chest ofdrawers, kitchenware such as flat-ware, dishes and pots and pans.He went online to mom4usa.organd was able to list the items to bedonated. A Marine’s wife calledalmost immediately and by thatevening, she and her husbandcame with a truck and loaded upthe goods. They had just arrivedfrom North Carolina with a one-year-old child to an empty apart-ment. Wayne says that it was sogratifying to see how happy the couple were to receive thisdonation.

Military Outreach Ministry’s programs serve more than50,000 active-duty military families. OHCC residents have theopportunity to participate in this donation program by goingonline to www.mom4usa.org.

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So few jackhammers; so much noise.

Wayne Strunk makes aMarine family happy.


The CrustyCurmudgeonBy Bob Wong

Great TV AdsMy wife loves to watch those roman-

tic TV ads and in particular the ads forCialis. The final pitch for this productshows a couple by the beach, each in abathtub, holding hands, side by side. She says nothing in ourmundane lives has ever been that romantic. Our nighttimewalks along the beach at Waikiki, our strolls under the palmtrees in Tahiti or even our drives on Mulholland overlookingthe sparkling lights of L.A. can’t match two people in bathtubsat the beach. I can take a hint.

First of all, I had to locate two cast iron bathtubs in fairlygood condition. Rusty bathtubs are hardly conducive to aromantic and comfortable evening, but a junk yard inRiverside happened to have two. At $125 each, that was a lotof money. Then I had to get a trucker to ship them to

Oceanside. The Postal Service tells me that if it fits (into oneof their boxes), they ship. The problem is that they don’t havelarge enough boxes. FedEx told me that they could do it, butit would cost me $450 to ship it to a storage place on the CoastHighway, but not onto the beach. I contacted Bekins. Theywould gladly move it from their warehouse to the beach at acost of $375.

Of course, I had to figure out how I could get a plumber tofill the two tubs with water as sitting in an empty bathtubwould be somewhat chilly, especially with a cold breeze offthe Pacific. The plumber was unable to rig any setup for thewater, but contacted the City of Oceanside to rent a citysweeper and washer to provide the water from the truck’s tank.That would rent at $500 plus overtime for the driver. I alsoneeded a permit from the City for the use of the space at thebeach. Whamo, another $300.

I presented to my wife the cost of a one night stand at thebeach as she had visualized it on TV, then decided we coulddo something more creative and exciting, something in whicha crowd could participate.

Last night, I had a brilliant idea. I saw an ingenious ad onTV. On a flight across the Pacific Ocean, a stewardess waspassing out to excited passengers, not pretzels or peanuts, ordinner of roast beef or salmon with champagne.

She was passing out Phillips laxatives.

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features


was Mr. Mitchell and I kept saying, “We’ll get you seatedsoon, Mr. Mitchell.” Fortunately, my husband Norman camein and saw who it was. He said, “Are you nuts, Selma? That’sSenator George Mitchell, who spent seven years of his life inIreland settling the Irish conflict.” Needless to say I got himseated immediately.

Another morning, a well-dressed man came in and told mywaitress he had some boys outside who needed to use the rest-room. “Sure, why not?” said Walter. With that, in marched theentire Vienna Boys Choir. No, they did not sing for us.

Unusual things like that happen here at Ocean Hills also.Please let me know when you hear of one.

For instance, there was the lady (who shall remain name-less) who was asked out by a gentleman (who shall alsoremain nameless). She was so flattered that she said, “I can’t,I have a chicken home waiting for me.” I think he went homeand crossed her name out of the Ocean Hills phone book. Beprepared you single ladies. Have a more clever reply avail-able. I will also be prepared with some more stories that willbe funny. You know I like funny.

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Village HappeningsBy Selma Leighton

Surprisingly, there are months inthe village of Ocean Hills when noth-ing exciting happens. I asked around,but no one had any suggestions.Therefore, I will tell you some funnythings that happened to me before Imoved here, in the slightly larger vil-lage of Manhattan.

As some of you may know, I owned and ran a restaurant onBroadway in New York City, near Lincoln Center (opera andballet). Celebrities often came in to dine.

Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer were regular lunchtimepatrons. One day I was helping a waiter with the dessert trayand I dumped a bowl of orange sorbet in Diane’s lap. She wasvery gracious about it. She said orange was her favorite color.

The same thing happened to me at a birthday party forPhyllis Horn. This time I spilled wine on three of my friends.They were equally gracious. That’s because it was white wine.Yes, I am a little clumsy.

My brother had what he called his chopped liver suit, hisbrisket suit and his chicken soup suit, all of which I spilled onhim at holiday dinners.

One very busy night at the restaurant, I was seating peoplewhen a gentleman and his pregnant wife came in His name

Say you saw itin The Village Voice!



Travels With JoeBy Joe Ashby

Drifting Down the AmazonI awoke at 5 a.m. aboard our tour boat La Esmeralda and

the engine came to life. We were again moving along theAmazon. It was quiet and cool on the top deck and there waslittle life other than a few boats along the shore. We were outon the skiff again, headed upstream, when we came upon aman on a large balsa log raft. He had been out 13 days so faron his way to Iquitos to barter his goods of bananas, saltedpiranha fish and bundles of broom materials. The entire tripincluding a water taxi back to his village will take nearly amonth and will bring a profit of 30 soles (about $11) that willprovide necessities for his village.

There were tall light bark fig trees along the river banksand we looked intently for whatever varieties of birds thatcould be found: hawks, yellow-headed caracaras, smoothbilled ani, black vultures, kingfishers, cormorants and swarmsof martins that were attacking the mosquito population. Youngmen were bringing their nets in causing small fish to jump outof the water near the shore. Occasionally, gray dolphinscaused a ripple, but never in time for me to take a picture. Aman in a small dugout canoe came alongside our skiff holdinga large red-tail boa which he allowed us to handle and use for

photos to impress our friends at home. Continuing our trip on the boat, we came upon a small

sugar plantation where some men were extracting juice fromcane. They can make 4 drums of juice a day that will fermentin 12 hours. It takes 3-1/2 barrels of sugar to make one barrelof rum and they work every day but Sunday.

It was unbearably hot. After we took a short siesta, we

Visitor holding a Boa that enjoys having picture taken.


The guide led us to a house occupied by four members ofa family whose livelihood depended on their small tapiocaplantation. Suddenly there was a high wind and we waited outthe storm under their roof. When it subsided, we proceededthrough the jungle when the real rain began to fall. It was tor-rential and we were thoroughly drenched during the 20 min-utes slogging through the mud, rain and lightning beforereaching our boat. We dried off and rested in preparation fortomorrow’s visit to a shaman.

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The Roof of Africa —Up We GoBy Jack Shabel (Part 2 of 3)

Mike and I left our cozy hotel in Moshi to begin ourKilimanjaro climb in a light rain. It took us about an hour todrive via bus to the Machame Gate, the start of the trail. Bythe time we arrived the light rain had transitioned to heavyrain. It took another hour to sign in with the TanzanianNational Park Service. Our porters had already departed withour packs, so, when I found out I needed my passport numberto sign in, I started to panic. I had written it down, but, it wasalready heading up the mountain. I checked with a representa-tive from our hotel and she told me that it was important towrite down a number. Her heavy emphasis on “a number”

boarded our skiff again and traveled up the Ucayali River sur-rounded by cannon ball (monkey fruit) trees that are high inselenium, which is good for prostate cancer. kapok trees,Aztec ant mounds, termite mounds, fire ant trees and bromeli-ads hanging high in their host fig trees continue to amaze us.We came upon a fish farm in the middle of the river that alsoserved as home for a small family. They were in the processof taking 15,000 armored catfish they had caught to theIquitos market. It took them almost a month to harvest theircrop using gill nets.

Brooms and bananas off to market.

Cruising down the Amazon — first class.

Idyllic scene of Kilimanjaro.


made it easy. I put down my military service number with acouple of extra digits and I was good to go.

Our group of seven trekkers, guide Theophil (aka Theo)and assistant guide Bugga headed up towards the MachameHut campsite. It took us about six hours of hiking in the rainforest to reach camp. The first climate zone of the mountainlived up to its name and it did rain most of the way. We hadwalked about 7-1/2 miles and had gained about 4,000 feet inaltitude. We returned to our tents for some sleep interrupted torid some of the five liters of water we were told to drink eachday. The clouds had cleared and the full moon was shining on

the top of the mountain. It was a breathtaking sight.We woke up in the moorland climate zone to clear blue

skies and headed out after a hot breakfast of porridge, Spanishomelet, sausage and toast. After hiking eight hours we reachedour next camp on the Shira Plateau. Hot lunch was on the trail,a step up from the box lunch the day before in the rain. But theclear skies didn’t last and the final two hours were in the rain.The second day we hiked about 6.8 miles and gained 2,900feet.

The third day was an acclimatization day. We started in sunin the heather climate zone and finished in the rain. We hikedup 5,000 feet for lunch to the Lava Tower which is located inthe alpine desert zone. Then we hiked down 4,800 feet tocamp at the Barranco Huts. Our two climbers with problemsstill had them. Russell couldn’t keep food down and Mikecouldn’t breathe or sleep. For the day we had hiked for 8-1/2hours.

On day four, we woke up to cold and rain. This was the dayto climb the Barranco Wall which is a serious rock scramble.The wall is about 1,000 feet high and took us two hours toclimb. Because of the slow pace and steady rain for the day,when we reached Karanga Camp, we were all hypothermic.Bugga hovered over us at dinner time encouraging us to drinkthe hot soup and plenty of fluids. The total hike for the daywas only five miles with not a lot of elevation gain and tooksix hours. Things were definitely getting serious now.

(Next month: The Summit.)

20%DiscountEveryWed.

Hiking in the moorland.


LegalertBy Bill Walsh

Mixing Business With SportBert is too young to retire. He’s 74. Bert is in the “sport”

business. He played High School and College basketball. At anearly age, he noticed he had a talent for teaching, so he decidedthis should be his life’s work. This led to a career in both coach-ing and teaching English. He has coached at the high school,community college, college and professional levels.

Bert knocked on the door of my office.“Good Morning, Bill. I’m surprised you’re out of bed so

early. It’s nearly 10:00 a.m.”“I’ve some worms to get this morning. What’s keeping you

off the golf course?”“I have a legal question that I’d like to discuss.”“Shoot. How can I help?”“One of our children is hoping to buy a home and the wife

and I would like to give a helping hand. I suppose we could givethe child the money, but we haven’t done this with our otherchildren and so we’re a bit reluctant to treat them differently. Doyou have any ideas?”

“There is a device that we employ from time to time that maybe of use to you. It’s a form of Joint Venture called a JointOwnership Agreement.”

“How does this work?”“This is a device to ‘marry’ the money of one couple with the

mortgage paying power of another, usually the younger of thetwo. In effect, they purchase a residence for the younger cou-ple.”

“Can you give me an example?”“Sure. Let’s say that a child finds a residence he’d like to

purchase and with a stated amount of down payment he canafford to pay the monthly obligation for taxes, insurance, mort-gage payments and maintenance. You provide the down pay-ment dollars. This is not a gift, but an investment on your part.The child uses your money to purchase the residence in hisname and arranges for the mortgage loan. He lives in the resi-dence, makes the payments and cares for the property. At sometime in the future, the residence is sold. After the payoff of themortgage, the proceeds of sale are divided in some fashionbetween you and the child. Your down payment is returnedalong with some agreed profit. The balance is retained by yourchild to use in the purchase of his next residence.”

“Is this a well recognized arrangement, Bill?”“I first became aware of it about 35 years ago. It was outlined

in a book entitled the ‘Park Avenue Money Diet’ written by real-tor, Dan Baumgartner. I’ve been using it ever since.”

“Do we have to make a profit on the arrangement?”“No, of course not. Many parents settle for the return of their

down payment money once the residence is sold.”“The use of the device is not limited to parent-child arrange-

ments. It is often employed between investors and potentialhome owners who may find it difficult otherwise to secure homefinancing. However, it is especially suited to the parent-childsetting.”

“Thanks, Bill. This gives me something to think about.”

“Where are you off to?”“I’ve a pickle ball game at 11:00 a.m. and a golf match at

1:00 p.m. After that, I meet some work associates to watch someupcoming basketball players.”

“Bert. You are a work-a-holic. You better slow down andsmell the roses.”

“I always do. There just behind the sixth green!”(Walsh is an Oceanside attorney whose practice is limited to

trust, estate and real estate matters. Call him at 760-806-8124.)

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The Ugly and the BeautifulBy Tom Fuller

The ugly duckling was very differentFrom the others in the nest;They all made fun of him

Since he was not like the rest.They teased him and taunted him

And this daily without end;They would scold him unmercifully

For such opposites could never blend.Then one day the tide turned

As they all became older;His siblings began to notice

That he became much bolder.Now no longer did they tease him

But loved him very much’He was now very beautiful—-A white swan speaking Dutch!

Is there a lesson hereThat everyone can learn?

Is it that the ugly and the beautifulShould each be respected in turn?Really what makes one beautiful

Is not so difficult to see;Indeed it’s what’s on the inside

That clearly defines you and me.


Health, Exercise and YouBy Andy Truban

Seniors’ Walking Pace PredictsLongevity

How fast an older person walks may predict long term sur-vival according to a report from researchers at the Universityof Pittsburgh. They found that faster walkers were substantial-ly likely to outlive the slowest walkers. This report presentedat the annual meeting of the Gerontology Society of Americawas based on an analysis involving 492 adults age 65 andolder tracked for a decade.

After nine years, 27% of the fastest walkers—those whocovered the equivalent of 2.5 miles per hour on a treadmill—had died, compared with 77% of the slowest walkers, whowere able to walk less than 1.5 miles per hour. This distanceis approximately one complete circle of Leisure Village Way(2.4 miles).

Researchers adjusted their statistics for race, age, chronicillness and hospitalization. They found that walking speedappeared to be an independent predictor of longevity.According to the researchers, “This was a very simple analy-sis” they said. “What was astonishing, was how powerful theinformation was and how it might serve as an early warning

to both physicians and the public.”“Walking speed can mirror the health of the body parts –

heart, lungs, limbs, circulatory system – and a decline, espe-cially in the absence of a specific diagnosis that would explainit, such as heart failure, for doctors to investigate further.”

We should all stress the concept of continually improvingand challenging ourselves in our exercises. This appears to beconsistent with the University of Pittsburgh findings forimproving the health of our community.

(Source: Los Angeles Times, Health, 12-10-07.)

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Veterans ProfileLarry Eaks

There is little doubt Larry waspatriotic. But there is little doubtLarry was devious. Perhaps it wasthe wayward spirit of a 17 year oldraised in East Los Angeles thatoffered him an adventurous life har-vesting crops, being a cook and alumberjack before he enlisted in theNavy after Pearl Harbor. He forgedhis parents’ name on the applicationsince he was underage. Suddenly, hefound himself swearing allegianceto the United States. The entire gangwas sent off to San Diego for basictraining and in three weeks, theywere made sailors.

Having been shipped off toTreasure Island in San Francisco, hewas anxious to serve aboard a ship,but found his name was listed on theassignment board to report for state-side duty. But Larry merely movedhis name to the roster assigned to the“USS Honolulu,” a light cruiser.

The ship’s first assignment was

Larry today, awaitingmore adventures.

Larry Eaks, at 17,joins Navy to see theworld.



escorting a convoy to Noumea in theSouth Pacific. Later in 1942, theHonolulu intercepted a Japanesenavy escort headed to Guadalcanal.The Battle of Tassaforonga beganbefore midnight where one enemydestroyer was sunk, but four U.S.cruisers were hit by Japanese torpe-does, sinking the USS Northampton.The Honolulu escaped serious dam-age in one of the worst defeats suf-fered by the Navy.

Larry was assigned to the No. 1gun turret in the forward portion ofthe ship. He was involved in the bom-bardments of New Georgia and theSolomons where the ship knockedout one enemy destroyer, and assistedin the destruction of others. In July of 1943, the ship madecontact with an enemy cruiser-destroyer force where, afterthree salvos, the target burst into flame and was soon dead inthe water. She shifted fire to an enemy destroyer and sank it.However an enemy sub blew off the forward portion of theship. Being in the forward turret, Larry tells of the tremendousexplosion that shook him violently in the turret. The deck thenturned hot, burning off his tennis shoes and the bottoms of hisfeet. But he escaped through the hatch, suffering a spine

injury. (It was interesting to note thathis dog tags were found in the dam-age and a letter of regret of his deathwas sent to his mother.) Unable toserve, he was returned the states forrecovery. There he remained in theLong Beach Naval Hospital for 18months. Confined to a wheel chair,Larry, with a few other paraplegics,decided to break the monotony byplaying wheel-chair basketball. Thusstarted a tour in hospitals all over theU.S. showing patients demonstra-tions of this new sport.

Larry eventually married, had twoboys, then attended the Otis ArtInstitute in L.A., became an architec-tural renderer, then a certified archi-

tect designing homes, commercial buildings and churches. Helives with his wife Heather in the Village where he plays onthe ukulele band, organizes a flying model airplane group,teaches oil and water color classes and is an expert inPhotoshop technology.

If asked, Larry will show you how to play wheel-chair bas-ketball.

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Bow of his ship, victim of a torpedo.


pleasing mix ofluscious andcreamy textures.She brought part ofthe salad home toenjoy later. Theiced tea sheordered had a touchof mint flavor.

Charlotte start-ed with a bowl ofhomemade GreekAvgolemono soup(rice, lemon juice, egg whitesand brimming with chunksof chicken breast). It was afragrant and filling starteraccompanied by quarters ofpita bread and lemon slices(a meal in itself). For herentree she had the beef kabobsandwich served on pitabread with hummus, tomatoand onion. The meat waslightly spiced and very ten-der. Mixed salad greens

By Mary Jane Matthews and Charlotte Pichney

It’s Greek To Me1661 S. Melrose Drive, Vista760-734-1000Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Sunday.

New to the neighborhood, It’s Greek to Me, (located on thelower level of Melrose Village Plaza) is family owned andoperated. Service here was friendly and prompt; orders areplaced at the counter. Lovely murals of Greece surround youso with a bit of imagination you can visualize being there asyou eat.

The menu offers traditional Greek specialties all preparedfresh daily using their family recipes. Mary Jane chose theSpanakopita (baby spinach, feta cheese, olive oil, herbs in filopastry). It was served with Greek salad and tzatiki ($8.95). Shesaid it had the right blending of ingredients resulting in a taste

Gorgeous murals of Greece on walls.

Beef kabob sandwich.


The kids menu also offers breaded chicken sticks withtzatziki and fries; cheeseburger and fries or pasta marinara,including a drink for little over $5. The dessert selectioninclude baklava, honey yogurt cake or Greek apple pie.

It’s Greek To Me is the place to go when you crave thepiquant flavors of homemade Greek foods that are certain totingle your taste buds and satisfy your yearning for somethingdifferent to eat.

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WatchingWildlifeBy Russ Butcher

Why Are BirdsSinging?

After many months ofbeing virtually silent, some ofour avian neighbors are nowsinging in Ocean Hills. Butdo you know why they aresinging? It’s the all-importantbreeding season. Songbirds,typically the males, singmainly to stake out anddeclare their nesting territory and to attract and bond with amate.

Each kind of bird has its own unique song. They rangefrom musical notes and raspy or buzzy sounds to long trills. Ahalf-dozen examples of the most prominent and distinctivespring songsters in our community are the resident SongSparrow, House Wren, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, andMockingbird — and the seasonal Hooded Oriole. Each ofthese has a recognizable “voice” — in its tone, pitch, or mod-ulation, and its phrases of notes.

The Song Sparrow begins with three or four clear, musicalnotes (sweet-sweet-sweet), followed by a couple of buzzysounds, and ending in a trill. The little brown House Wrensings a loud-for-its-size, enthusiastic, bubbly, rattling series of

topped the meat.Our dessert waspistachio baklavaand it was a deli-cious ending to ourmeals.

We started ourmeals with two dif-ferent appetizers.Our choices werethe savory hummusand the eggplantspread appetizers served with pita bread. Other appetizersoffered are dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice, onionand herbs), calamari (pan fried squid), shrimp saganaki(shrimp sauteed in olive oil), Among the ten entree specialtiesare a braised lamb shank served with rice. moussaka (bakedcasserole of eggplant, potatoes, ground sirloin, bechamelsauce with rice), chicken kabob marinated and broiled withrice and tzatziki. The entrees are priced from $7.95 to$10.95

There are two soups Avgolemono and lentil and four saladchoices. Chicken, fish or gyro can be added to all salads for$2.95 more. There is a wide selection of sandwiches all pricedat $4.95. Our guest said she really enjoyed the full flavoredgrilled veggie sandwich filled with zucchini, eggplant, bellpepper, hummus, tomato, onion in pita bread.

Spanakopita, spinach in a flake pastry.

A singing Wood Thrush.


rising-then-descending trills. The House Finch belts out acheerful, chirpy jumble of high-pitched musical notes endingin a nasal-like sheerr sound. If a bird’s singing could be called“sweet,” it is the Lesser Goldfinch, which sings an intricatemusical jumble of high-pitched notes and phrases. TheMockingbird is well-named because it often mimics otherbirds, as it repeats a multitude of musical phrases — eachrepeated several times in a row. It typically sings and sings andsings – even sometimes at night. And then there is the stunningblack-and-yellowish-orange Hooded Oriole that migratesfrom wintering grounds in Mexico to nest here. It sings a rapidjumble of slurred (“throaty”) whistles, rattles, and musicalnotes.

To human ears, of course, many of our birds do not sing atall. For example, the Mourning Dove mournfully coos. Andthere are two common resident flycatchers: The Black phoebehas a two-note call that sounds like phee-bee and the Cassin’skingbird sounds off with a loud, raucous series of call notes,such as kee-kee-kee-chee-BEW!

So identifying birds by their vocal communications israther like learning a foreign language by memorizing sounds.In fact, when I was leading weekly nature walks in Maine’sAcadia National Park a few years ago, a gentleman, who wasrapidly losing his eyesight, joined our spring bird-song identi-fication walks. He quickly memorized the multitude of bird-songs, including those of warblers, tanagers, grosbeaks, andthe flute-like thrushes, and was soon helping others identifythem, as well.

You may not be able to identify birds by their songs, yetsimply enjoy this cheerful aspect of springtime — knowingit’s the season when birds are bringing new offspring into theworld.

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Call Richard @ 760-724-4091to advertise in the next

Village Voice Newsletter!


might remember the restaurant if you visited it 60 years ago.That was when it was run by the grandparents of the currentowner. The food is just about the same as it has been for threegenerations.

We were greeted by a friendly waiter who, judging fromhis girth, had obviously tasted everything on the menu.Garcia’s is a small intimate place with about 15 tables. Thereis not an inch of undecorated space along the walls: mirrors,artwork, family pictures and family photos. It’s a love of therestaurant and love of the family.

We were first served the customary chips and dip. My part-

Garcia’s MexicanRestaurant2968 State Street, Carlsbad760-434-6099

Garcia’s Restaurant has been on StateStreet as long as one can remember. You

ner chose theground beeftostadas and Iselected the“Javier,” a combi-nation of a tamale,chili relleno andcheese enchilada.While the tostadawas judged a bitdry, especially theground beef, Ithought my selec-tion was just aboutperfect. The accom-panying rice andbeans was nothingout of the ordinary,but it was a goodfoil with the entree.

Our guestsordered a sizzlingpan of flaming hotfajitas topped withgenerous portionsof chicken andfreshly fried ringsof onion and bellpeppers. Our otherguest had the tacoand burrito combi-nation which wasconsumed rapidlywithout hesitation.The price of drinkswas on the highside with a glass ofBeringer white zin-fandel exceedingthe price of an entire bottle at the supermarket. And if you arein the mood for a margarita, be prepared to fork out $9 for the6 oz goblet.

The desserts were a wonderful surprise. The banuelos wereserved on huge platters, barely large enough to hold a crunchydeep-fried tortilla. It was sprinkled with sugar and cinnamonthen drizzled with decorative patterns of chocolate and honeyand a centerpiece of a double scoop of vanilla ice creamtopped with a cloud of whipped cream and crowned with acherry. It was not only perfect, but it could have been sharedby two persons. Desserts were priced at $5.

Garcia’s is open daily including weekends from 11 a.m. to9 p.m. Prices for single dishes hover around $7 while combi-nations are double. A luncheon menu is available and streetparking is at a premium.

(Gilda is a member of the Southern California Writers.)

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Garcia’s walls: A family history ofthree generations.

Taco, enchilada, rice and beans com-bination.

Banuelos, a dessert large enough forfour people.


I Had A DreamBy Joseph S. Harris

I had a dream the other night that they were right and wewere wrong

I had a dream the other night, lit my light and locked mydoor

Hid my thoughts and cried the truth for fear to hear myheart to beat

Yet my mind to think that they were right and we werewrong.

I laughed and laughed and screamed with joy they wereright and we were wrong

Oh what lucid worlds I command, that they were right andwe were wrong

Yet everything is no more and all is new.I start from here with shouts of woe. You are wrong and we

are rightAnd with this call I shut my light and say goodnight.

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More On ScamsBy Ira M. Landis

The IRS recently issued a warning on tax scams which isquite timely and relevant in light of the April 17 tax filingdeadline. They urged consumers to be alert for scam artistswho offer to help them obtain tax refunds by filing bogusreturns.

In one such scheme, companies offer to help victims obtaina tax refund by seeking an American Opportunity Tax Creditby claiming deductions for college tuition payments, even ifthe victim did not attend college during the period. The IRShas recently stopped thousands of bogus refund claims usingthat fraudulent deduction. Taxpayers can be held liable forsubmitting false deductions, including penalties and interest,even if someone else files the return on your behalf, e.g., thescammer.

****

Warnings to homeowners who have fallen behind on theirmortgages are being issued by consumer protection groups tobe careful when dealing with companies or individuals offer-ing to modify home loans.. They urge us to be alert for thosewho guarantee they can stop a foreclosure and request feesbefore they provide services or produce actual results. Don’t


listen to their requests that you stop making mortgage pay-ments and pay them instead. These scammers present a realthreat to homeowners afraid of losing their homes.

****

A week seldom goes by without someone forwarding mean e-mail of dubious authenticity, typically appearing to befrom some business urging me to log in and provide them mypersonal security information. These phony messages are ofcourse sent by fraudsters on “phishing” trips. One such inci-dent involved an alleged communication from AT&T statingthat the recipient’s bill was ready. It requested that informationbe furnished by clicking on the e-mail and asked for the indi-vidual’s name and password, and their credit card information.

How can you keep these phisher scammers away? Alwaysmake a habit of double-checking the sender’s e-mail addresswhenever you get a message that invites you to submit infor-mation. The links within for paying your bill or signing up forautomatic payments take you to an address registered to“uneekvision.com.

Nearly all legitimate businesses will not ask for personalinformation via e-mail. If you receive such a request, ignore it.Scammers will continue to try and attack you via the internet.

DON’T MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM!

********


Computer Tips(From the Club Connection, the publication of the

Computer Club, with permission from Jim Kaminsky,President.)

In my past career, I changed from engineering solutions onlarge mainframes to management solutions on PCs. And Imarveled at DOS computers, hated the slowness of Windows3.1, was encouraged with Windows 95, and actually thinkWindows XP works! I learned to upgrade my home comput-ers first with larger hard drives (I can still remember buyingmy first 1GB hard drive), then with sound cards and videocards and more memory. I built the computer I use today.Think of my computer as my hot rod that I like to keep run-ning. Just no grease or garage involved. Yes, I’m a PC guy.

But I can go with the flow. I bought a Mac for my daugh-ter when she went to college. My son bought one on his own.I have and love my Apple iPhone. But I don’t think Apple isthe be-all end-all. With my iPhone I’m forced to use AppleiTunes and Apple Movie and I hate them both. I still cannotupgrade to the latest version of iTunes. Those Apple programsjust don’t like my PC or me. They work for me begrudgingly,and that’s the way I use them. Begrudgingly. I’ve related own-ing a Macintosh to owning a ’57 Chevy with the hood weld-ed shut. My Mac friend countered “but it sure does go fast.”Which it does. That’s the good side. It goes fast because noth-ing or no one can do anything to it. Apple owns it all. Butthat’s the bad side. Apple owns it all. If something goeswrong, you need to deal with Apple. Many many people likethat. And Apple is successful with it. But, pretty much, ifsomething goes wrong with an Apple (and eventually every-thing fails), you depend on Apple to get it working. In ourHelp Sessions we can show you how to use your Macintoshor iPad, but if it’s not working right, there’s not a whole lot wecan do to fix it. With my PC, I recently replaced the mother-board, the memory, the CPU, and the video and sound card.It’s working great again for $100. Parts are everywhere (I’velearned to love eBay again). But I like doing that. That’s me.And did I tell you that a lot of PC software has a legal, freeversion?

So are you a PC person? Keep that engine running! Findout what to tweak when something’s not working quite right.


Find the free software that will convert your home movies intoa DVD. “Hands On.”

Or are you a Macintosh person? Just hop in and go. Noworries until it stops. Then tow it back to the dealer for a newone. “Ultimate User.”

Both scenarios are legitimate. Which one is better for you?Remember, rebooting fixes lots of things. But restoring

fixes almost everything.

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Cooking WithBeverlyBy Beverly Nickerson

I created this dish when we were inour trailer in Palm Desert. That firsttime, I did not add the bread crumbswith butter and baked the cake; I justcovered it with plastic wrap and re-heated it on “medium” in themicrowave until warm. So if you are in a hurry, try this short-cut although it does taste special with the buttery crumbs.

Ham Pasta CasseroleSauce2 tbs butter2-1/2tbs flour1 cup chicken broth (Swanson’s)1 cup sour cream1 tsp dried dill weed1/8 tsp salt

Pasta10 oz Fettuccini*2-1/2 cups cubed, cooked ham (3/4” cubes)1 cup soft white bread crumbs**1-1/8 tbs butter melted.

Special equipment: 2 qt. oval deep Corning Ware casse-role, spray with “Pam.” Optional Microwave.

Prepare Sauce: Melt butter in a heavy saucepan, add flour,whisk and cook over low heat 1 minute. Add chicken brothand whisk until smooth, add sour cream, dill weed and salt.Whisk again until well blended. Remove from heat.

Prepare Pasta: Heat water with salt in a 4 quart pot. Addfettuccini broken in half and stir well. Bring to a low simmerand cook 7 to 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain, pour intocasserole, add sauce and ham carefully blend ingredientstogether, smooth top.

Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top and drizzle with butter.Place on center rack of a preheated 375º oven and bake untilcrumbs turn golden, about 30-40 minutes.

*Fettuccini: I used “La Romanella” brand of organic fet-tuccini, 100% durum wheat from Smart and Final, SanMarcos.

** The “S” blade to grind the bread in the food processormade the job very easy.

********

Ham casserole: a meal for a king.



Shopping AroundBy the Phantom Shopper

Swai Fish“Like many people interested in healthful eating, I strive to

incorporate more fish into my diet, especially varieties likesalmon and herring, which contain plenty of heart-healthyOmega-3 fatty acids. Problem is, fresh seafood costs a bundle.When I visited my local fish monger here in Yonkers, N.Y.,recently, I couldn’t believe my eyes: nearly $20 a pound forswordfish, halibut, sole, and $9 for trout, which in the past hadalways been tasty and less costly alternative.

Ever since prices started climbing, I’ve seen an influx ofalien species — alien to me, at least — particularly at myneighborhood supermarkets, which cater to customers who,frankly, can’t afford to plunk down $20 a pound for fish.”*

One economical option popping up at many stores is swai,which is native to Southeast Asia — Vietnam, Thailand, Laos,and Cambodia — and sells locally for around $3.99 a pound.In California, there is an authoritative site that tells you every-thing you ever wanted to know about the fish that end up onour dinner plates, describes swai as a river-farmed catfish,sometimes simply referred to in the U.S. only as catfish (besure to look for country of origin labeling at the fish counterto determine whether your catfish is from the Mekong Delta

or the Mississippi Delta).Swai is a white-flesh fish (typically available in fillet form)

with a sweet mild, taste and light flaky texture that can bebroiled, grilled, or coating with bread crumbs and fried,according to experts. It can be prepared simply, but also takeswell to sauces. Often compared to the mild cod and sole, Swaican be used in pretty much any recipe calling for basic fish.They are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, and theyare naturally low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

(*From “Tightwad Tod,” Consumers Report, Jan. 2012)

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Treats For The TroopsBy Phyllis Ward

Each month it is such a surprise — who is actually going towalk through the front door and become a packer for the day?One of our original packers, Seymour, would not be availableon packing day, due to surgery. Ruth would need to be hometo take care of Seymour, so Ruth also wouldn’t be able topack. Muriel also is one of our original members, but she washome recuperating from a fall, and wouldn’t be available topack. Jane was in Thailand, so not available. Would I have togo out in the street and grab the next person passing by?Never! Our troop always comes through somehow. In walksJacqueline with bags of candy, and also her visiting brother-in-law Chester. She remembered Seymour wouldn’t be there.Virginia, a new member came for the first time. So along with



Kaye, Gail, Ken and myself, everything went as smooth assilk.

Actually it was fun filling those boxes. Since Passover isbeing celebrated now, boxes of Matzos and various flavors ofmacaroons were sent, along with filled Easter eggs, in additionto all the other articles. Once you get started packing, you justwish everything on the table could fit in. We always say thatwe wished we could see their faces when they open the boxesand hope they smile and say that it is exactly what they want-ed.

It did take a little longer to accumulate the purchasing pricefor those green anti-microbial boot socks, now that the pricehas been raised from $375 to $600 for five boxes. But wefinally have done it. I am happy to tell you that a purchasing

order for the socks has been sent and hopefully five units inAfghanistan will have received those socks by now.

Once again it has been your generosity that has made thisall possible and we indeed thank you: Fred and Ginny, Frankand Barbara, Sunny and Dirk, Ken, Kaye, Virginia, Jackie,Seymour and Ruth, Jack and Linda, Jeanette, Gail, Jane,Muriel, Cyd, Kat and Don, Dr. Buss, Judy, Lillian, Jeanne,Christy H, Connie, and Bob.

Our next meeting date will be Friday, April 27, 2012 in myhome, at 9:30 a.m. I wish good health and happiness to eachand every one of you. A very happy Easter and Passover to all.God Bless our Troops.

********

The MovieSceneBy Joan Buchholz

The VowThis is a tender love story about

Paige and Leo, a young Chicagocouple married for four years. Sheis a sculptor, he a promoter whohas opened a recording studio.Both live happily, both are in love,but she is estranged from her par-ents who are angry she left a possi-ble career as a lawyer.

The story really begins whenthey are in an automobile accidentand Leo ends up recovering in ahospital while she remains in adrug induced coma to help herbrain in reducing its swelling.When she recovers, she has nomemory of Leo and thinks she stilllives with her folks and engaged toJeremy, much to the glee of herparents.

Leo is a paragon of patience,taking Paige to their favoritehaunts, hoping to revive her mem-ory. But no luck; she is still attract-ed to Jeremy. The story is based ona real life story of a couple whotoday live together and have twochildren. But it isn’t the same withthe movie characters, but themovie resolves itself.

I love romantic stories such asthis, especially when it’s based ona real life situation. I give it 3smiles and two tears.

********


BridgeBy Dan Neilson

Interfering OvercallsIt’s tough enough to bid without opponents gumming up

the procedure with an overcall. Suppose partner opens withone Club and there is an immediate one Heart overcall. Whatdo you do with the following hands.

1. Kxx xx Kxxxx Jxx2. xx Kxx QJxxx xxx3. Kxx xx KQxx xxxx4. xxxx Jxx Qxx Kxx5. KQxx xx AQxxx xx6. xx xxx KQx Jxxxx

1. Pass. You have only seven points and lack a stopper inHearts.

2. 1NT. Though this hand is weaker than the last it containsa Heart stopper.

3. 1NT. You have eight points and should refuse to be shutout. If you don’t bid now, partner may be helpless, eventhough your side has the most points.

4. 1S. Your normal response. If you are using negative dou-bles, then double.

5. 2D. Do not bid the four card Spade suit. Show yourstrength with the two Diamond bid. This bid is forcing to twoNo Trump. Partner will now bid two Spades if they have thatsuit. The two Spade bid does not show additional strength, asyou have forced partner to bid at higher level.

5. 2C. This is the same response you would have madewithout the overcall.

In general, if the overcall doesn’t take away your normalbid, you make it. In the case of No Trump, with six or sevenpoints and no stopper you pass, while with eight points ormore you show your strength.

********

The GolfGameBy Pete Russell

I had an “AHA”moment followingthe remarkable winof the February2012 Florida’sHonda Classic byRory McIlroy. Icherish my AHAmoments becausethey are coming fewer and fewer as I get older, but they stillgive me a chill when the clarity of the occasion gives megoose bumps.

The outcome of the match was not so much the winner,who displayed a fabulous job of playing golf, but that he pre-vailed while his nemesis in the game shot a career low of 62!Tiger was receiving his just due on the 18th with yet anothereagle and Rory had to put on his “A” game to come out on top.And he did it in style.

The “AHA” moment came not during the match, but dur-ing the countless interviews that ensued, especially with bothMcIlroy (the new #1 world title holder) and his opponent LukeDonald (the most recent #1 world title holder). The two things

Golf: a game of inches.



that hit me like a ton of bricks were;McIlroy did not feel that he had to beat Tiger, his hero, but

that he had to beat the course; and,Donald said that while he was still playing a good game, he

also had to concentrate on beating the course, especially withhis short game. In a later interview he focused on that pointexactly... you have to have a great short game to beat thecourse.

These remarkable young men both saw the game of golffrom the same angle. They both obviously have tremendoustalent but start every game visualizing each hole starting outfrom the hole itself, and working back to the tee shot. I haveoften been told that golf is a game of inches... and that theyare the inches between your ears. Golf is definitely a cere-bral game.

We can all take a lesson from these two exceptional golfers.It’s not always how you drive, it’s how you arrive that counts.It is a fact that everyone that plays golf has to putt at least once(and for most of us more often) for each hole. But the shortgame to get us there is equally important to set us up for adecent putt. It is no wonder that the pros do everything theycan to get set up for those last two shots on each hole; a pitchand a putt. Watching the Golf Channel I tend to watch thegame being executed from the tee box, when in fact they starttheir thought process for holing out much earlier. Yet I’mamazed at how low the stats are that show how seldom theyget on the green in regulation (GIR), and how seldom they hitthe fairway on their first drive. But let’s admit it, these arealmost super-human athletes. Of course they also occasional-ly perform magic by getting a sandy birdie often enough tomake us all scream.

Taking a page from their book should even be helpful onour short course here at OHCC. Concentrate on driving nearthe green and executing a beautiful pitch shot close to the holeso that the putt is short and sweet. Let’s practice our shortgame more than our long game and we would all be happi-er golfers!

********

I Love A MysteryBy Ira M. Landis

I have been a long-time fan of W.E.B. Griffin and his sonWilliam E. Butterworth IV and their six series ofadventure/mystery novels. Of late I have been engrossed withthe “Presidential Agent” series featuring Charley Castillo asthe protagonist hero character. “Covert Warriors” is the latestin this series.

The story begins with a roadblock by apparent MexicanFederales north of Acapulco which causes a vehicle carryingfour U.S. embassy officers to stop; three are murdered and thefourth is kidnapped. The drug cartels are the immediate sus-pects, especially when a demand to exchange the hostage fora drug lord is received. The kidnap victim is LieutenantColonel James D. Ferris, a West Point classmate of Charley’s.But unlike the mainstream thinking on who is behind the kid-napping, Charley believes it is Vladimir Putin because of a

long-standing vendetta against Charley and certain Russiandefectors who are part of his band of “merry men.”

This term is used repeatedly throughout the book. Also,there are repeated references to events which took place inearlier books in the series which are explained for the benefitof new readers and those of us needing a refresher.Powerful forces in the U.S. government, including thePresident, who appears to have lost his marbles and ability tomake rational decisions, are against Charley and his group offormer CIA and Special Forces warriors, and former RussianSpetznatz elite troops.

I have to conclude this was not one of the Griffin family’sbest works. The endless dialogue was frequently extremelyrepetitive with too much rehashing of prior events. This was avery unsatisfying read; the ending came out of nowhere andleft me wondering how the overall plot was going to beresolved.

Book seven in this series left me unfulfilled and remindedme of the cliff-hangers I used to see on Saturday afternoons asa youngster. In case it isn’t clear, “two thumbs down” on thisone.

********

Book ReviewBy Tom Lynch

The Ragged Edge of the World: encounters at the fron-tiers where modernity. wild lands and indigenous peoplemeet, 2011, by Eugene Linden, environmental journalist. Hehas written nine books and contributed to Time, The NewYork Times, Foreign Affairs, National Geographic, and others.He has traveled all over the world in the last 40+ years, at firston journalism assignments, and later publishing books thatgave him more freedom to relate anecdotes from his experi-ence. He wants to convey what is happening to planet Earthand its flora and fauna that gives him much alarm, as moder-nity savages the environment and results in the degradation ofeveryone’s life. Global warming and deforestation are partic-ular worries. At the end of his book he describes some initia-tives that are promising in retarding this destructive trend. Herealizes that changes in consumer attitudes so we can get bywith less stuff is essential, though he neglects discussion onhow job growth depends on consumers having more appetitefor more stuff. Well, perhaps, that is nothing new.

Linden is a good writer and has many fascinating anecdoteshe uses to illustrate his concerns. He has wide ranging topics.In Part I, war and peace, he tells of his adventures as a war cor-respondent during the Vietnam War plus a trip to Vietnam in1994. Part II covers culture wars about a Borneo butterfly,New Guinea’s cargo cults, and adventures in Polynesia. PartIII covers Easter Island’s ecological degradation, and he offersanother side to the usual story. In Africa, he gives anecdotesabout environmental degradation in Bangui, Bayanga andBouar, especially to wildlife. He then focuses on Equateur,Zaire, where officials spend most of their time looking forirregularities in travel documents in order to extract bribes.Part IV is devoted to apes at the brink. He reviews his travels


with Jane Goodall at several locations, and ends this part withhis encounters with pygmies. He admires them for their forestwisdom, which is being lost, but also he relates their lack ofconcern of the endangerment of chimps and gorillas. In Part V,the antipodes: the long reach of humanity, he discusses therapid melting of ice at the poles and the threat of sea rise allover the world. Commerce, apparently, would love the open-ing of a commercial Northwest passage, increasing worldtrade and wealth for some, but tragedy for others. Part VI, thenear wild, covers Yellowstone and the wolves. Part VII,Survivors, tells of his trips to Cuba, Midway, and back to theworld of the pygmies who are at home to their forests whereother humans can’t live, but also where timber commerce is athreat. Part VIII, inner world: magic, practical and otherwise,tells of healing practices that may be lost before modernityunderstands them.

Linden ends with his final thoughts, and works hard todevelop some optimism that environmentalists can convincehumanity to adopt conservation practices. In the face of theanecdotes he has just provided, it comes across as a weak opti-mism.

In some ways it was painful to persist through this well-written book all the way to the end. One could easily concludethe only way to be blissfully content in the 21st century is tobe ignorant.

********

Coming Apart, the State of WhiteAmerica 1960-2010By Charles Murray, 2012

Charles Murray, a Harvard and MIT educated social scien-tist, wanted to discuss the nation’s current social problemswithout raising the racial controversies that accompanied thepublication of his earlier research with Harvard sociologistRichard Herrnstein in The Bell Curve report in 1994. In thisnew book Coming Apart, Murray provided ample researchdata on the relationship between high cognitive values andclass structure in white America. Then he went on to show thatresearch data also indicated that his argument held true for allof America. That is, in all groups intelligence rather than racialor social advantages is what has been forming classes inAmerica.

In part one of the book Murray discussed the formation ofa new class of elites in our society. This upper class was basedon the increase of the market value of brains. The monetary

Kippel’s PetKornerBy Ellen Kippel

Resident Phyllis Sladewill be in attendance for thegraduation of Rhonda, herdog. Rhonda has been under-going training with theCanine Companions for thepast several weeks. It is antic-ipated Rhonda will be veryhelpful in household tasks,but also act as a very faithfulcompanion to Phyllis.

Founded in 1975, CanineCompanions forIndependence® (CCI) is a non-profit organization thatenhances the lives of people with disabilities by providinghighly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure


rewards for the top one per cent of earners (elite class) havegrown exponentially. In 1963 the median family income in2010 dollars was $62,000 and fewer than 1% had incomesabove $200,000. The highest paid executives were only 25times the lowest paid workers in 1960. However, in 2010 thisnumber was 800 times. The financial institutions raised thestakes to monopolize their grip on the gifted. When Bill Gateswas asked what competitors worried him the most, heanswered, “Goldman Sachs” because of the huge monetaryrewards it offered to the top brains.

In part two Murray presented data to show the changes inwhat he called our founding virtues from 1960 to 2010. Thesevirtues are marriage, industriousness, honesty, and religiosity.For example, among those 30 to 49 in the blue-collar commu-nity, 84% were married and in 2010 this number dropped to48%. In 1962, 96% of children were living with both biologi-cal parents; by 2004 this number dropped to 37%. Meanwhilethe share of households with someone working at least 40hours a week dropped from 81% in 1960 to 60% in 2008. Thechanges in core virtues were much less noticeable in the eliteclass.

In part three Murray addressed the important question ofwhether these changes in our founding virtues in the lowerearning class matter for the health and preeminence of ourcountry. He states that these trends of the last fifty years do notpresent just a passing of an outmoded way of life, but rather asignificant damage to our core values and that the exceptionalqualities of American culture cannot survive unless thesetrends are reversed.

Americans are known for self reliance and taking charge.In a 2011 survey only 36% of Americans believed that successin life is determined by outside forces. In France and Germanthe responses to the same question were 57% and 72% respec-tively. As Tocqueville noted in 1835, “America is different,even exceptional” and it is likely to stay that way.

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ANNOUNCEMENTSORT Activities

Saturday, April 21: Annual luncheon at OutbackRestaurant. Great items for silent auction and opportunitydrawings. Tickets are $22. Call Phyllis Estes at 760-945-5638or Gloria Hoffman at 760-724-6397.

Tuesday, May 1: Luncheon at Shadowridge Country Club.Weather Reporter for Channel 10, Pat Brown, will be speaker.Everyone invited. Cost $18. Call Shirley Merkow at 760-758-9717.

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Bocce ClubBocce: The aged bocce court pergolas have been demol-

ished and the replacements are being built. Playing on thecourts has been suspended, but should be opened at the timeof this printing.

Shuffleboard: John Finnegan is coordinating shuffleboardactivities. Open play and lessons are Wednesdays from 10a.m. to 12 p.m. Our dauntless Ocean Hillbillies have invitedthe Vista Chargers for a return match on Friday, April 6. Comeout and cheer them on... or join the team and play!

Cinco de Mayo: The Bocce Club’s second great party ofthe year is scheduled for Saturday, May 5. The event willbegin at 5 p.m. Guests will be serenaded by mariachi playerson the Palm Court Patio. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. with a tradi-tional Mexican fare. Tickets are $25 for members, $28 for

Phyllis Slade with Rhonda.

quality partnerships. There are four types of assistance dogs:Service Dogs, Skilled Companions, Hearing Dogs and FacilityDogs to master over forty specialized commands before enter-ing Team Training.

Teaming Training is an intensive two-week course thatteaches dog handling and care. During these two weeks, thedogs are matched with an adult or child to enhance independ-ence and improve the quality of life for people with disabili-ties.

Imagine not being able to open a door, answer the phone,hear a fire alarm, or even pick up a pencil. These are the kindsof challenges many people with disabilities face daily. Put aCCI Canine Companion in the picture, and everythingchanges. Thanks to the physical tasks the Canine Companionperforms, lives are suddenly filled with new promise andpotential.

The dogs that are raised and train aren’t just the ears, handsand legs of their human partners, they’re also their goodwillambassadors, and often, best friends as well. They open upnew opportunities and new possibilities. And spread incredi-ble joy.

CCI unites people with dogs in a powerful program thatleads to greater independence and self-esteem.

For additional information visit www.cci.org or call 800-572-2275, or address Southwest Regional Center, P.O. Box4568, Oceanside, CA 901-4300.

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non-members. Bocce Club members have first choice of tick-ets available to members at the Bocce Club regular meetingThursday, April 5.

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RBV Band Concert“Magical Memories – Songs of Our Youth”The Rancho Buena Vista Band will feature themes from

TV programs and movies. Come and witness the talents ofthese young artists; they deserve and appreciate our support.

• Friday, May 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. Gala Italian dinner andsilent auction, $25. Concert 7 p.m. Bleacher seating seniors,$8.

• Saturday, May 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. Cabaret seating,dessert and beverage, $15. Bleacher seating, $10.

• Saturday, May 26 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Matinee for chil-dren with activities, $12. Limited seating. Reservations rec-ommended.

Advanced tickets available. Call Ruth Leader at 760-945-7631.

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Residents:Help With Flower Show

The biennial Garden Club Flower Show will be heldSaturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3.

It promises to be one of the best attractions of the year andall residents are asked to participate. This event is also a fundraiser, the money of which will go toward the beautification ofthe Village.

“CELEBRATE!” will be the theme for this year’s show.Flower arrangements from all residents will be welcomed.Simply telephone Alayne Smith at 760-727-7765 and tell herwhat you intend to create.

Anita Buerger will be selling plants. If you have pottedplants to offer for the sale, call her at 760-631-2979. She alsoneeds 4-inch and 6-inch plant containers. Bob Wong will havea room dedicated to our residents’ hobbies, souvenirs, or col-lections. Call him at 760-806-1310 if you wish to displaysome of your “stuff.”

We anticipate the visits from other garden and flower clubs.We want to put our best foot forward and show the world whatour community can do. So even if you are not a member of the

Garden Club, please join us in this event. You’ll like it; it’sfun.

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Village Veterans MeetingDouglas B. Gordon, attorney in San Diego will be speak-

ing on “Normandy Loves US....the Untold Story.” A briefsummary of the program: Imagine that Americans are loved inFrance today by people of all ages because of what theGreatest Generation did to liberate their country in World WarII. It’s true... and Douglas Gordon has the pictures and storiesto prove it from his recent trips to Normandy with our ownOcean Hills U.S. Army D-Day Veteran Jack Port. Doug haspresented the program five times in Normandy and almost 30times in San Diego County. The meeting will be held onThursday, April 23, 2012 at 3 p.m. at Abravenel Hall.Refreshments will be served.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOREstate Sales: Profit andEntertainment

To the Editor:The editorial on estate sales was far from “fair and friend-

ly.” It was a biased rant by a writer who obviously had littleexperience with estate sales.

Estate sales in OHCC provide a service for residents andfor the families of residents who have passed on. They areboth entertainment and the ultimate recycling system withsome profit to be gained by all.

The writer should have spent more time observing severalestate sales before flying off the handle. The most congestedtime is before 10 a.m. when the only residents are participat-ing. Your friends and neighbors are lining up to be the firstentrants and some are parking in driveways and in front ofmailboxes. As for thieves, peddlers and crooks — the idea ofthem wandering through our maze of streets of look-alike,modest homes in order to plan a super-heist is preposterous.

Who cares if the sellers salt the house? Buy what you want,or not.

Now for a positive suggestion: It would not be an onerouschore for the community patrol to drive by every so often togive a “heads up” to both residents and outsiders who arebehaving badly.

— From Nancy Kupel

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Outsiders in our VillageReferring to Nancy’s letter, she does not address the issue

of virtually unregulated entry of “Outsiders” to our Village.— Les Wynston

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Join thefun; allinvited toparticipate.


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RemembrancesOur deepest condolences are extended

to the families of the following:

Hisaki Hopewell • Robert StevensonVirginia Stanton • James Ryan • Sheldon ZweibackWilliam Chant • Charles Sanborn • Harold Cotton

SOURCE: Ocean Hills Community Patrol(To acknowledge the passing of the deceased, a family mem-ber or close neighbor is requested to report the name of the

deceased to the Community Patrol.)

We are deeply saddened at the news of Hal’s pass-ing. He was a true gentleman and worked endlessly asthe former president and editor of the CommunityNews. His kind words of advice were welcomed by thereaders of the Observer. We extend our deepest condo-lences to his wife Jacqueline and his family.

Call Richard @ 760-724-4091to advertise in the next

Village Voice Newsletter!


The Garden SceneKen and Patricia Hallworth

There is no doubt in one’s mind that Patricia’s favoritecolor is pink. The first thing upon entering the garden is a bril-liant display of pink azaleas in glorious bloom. Pat is particu-larly proud of this year’s camellia which has a proliferation ofvery large flowers, all in pink, of course.

Realizing the drought conditions in the past few years,Patricia has planters filled with succulents dominated byagave and jade plants. Other interesting plants are in pots thatare scattered throughout. An aloe plant has just sprouted ashoot of tiny pink flowers while exotic miniature anthuriumsand orchid plants are scattered about. Some of her favoriteplants, however, are the orchids that she keeps indoor andalongside her front doors. This year, the blooms are spectacu-lar, due primarily to the right weather conditions.

Ken and Patricia selected this home 10 years ago partiallyfor the magnificent view of the hills and canyon that appears

to visually enlarge their garden. But it was Patricia whoplanned the construction of the planters and the placement ofthe flowers, palm and succulents. And Ken took the responsi-bility of watching the flowers grow. Both did a good job.

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Azalea bush in a blaze of color.

Pink Cymbidiums in full bloom. Patricia Hallworth, planter, designer and caretaker of garden.


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Village Voice, April 2012

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