By MYRTLE OSNER

As has become increasingly apparent, special interests are taking matters into their (fat with money) hands again. The Initiative process, unique to California, has run amok! Try to understand the measures but, my advice is; if you don't understand them, don't vote them in. Nine times out of ten, the legislature should be dealing with these problems. Rarely should they have to go to the voters.

I have been working with Pros and Cons of the Ballot Measures, a publication of the League of Women Voters of California, for many years, trying to make them easier for the voter. The League prints this tabloid each election, copies of which are available at all libraries, a gift from the League and its financial supporters. Please pick one up. They are researched by the League but the arguments are those of the proponents and opponents. You will find this publication a lot easier to understand than the ballot pamphlet.

One word of advice; pay attention to who is supporting these measures!! That is very important in judging their merit.

Following are the recommendations of the League. They take positions only on matters on which they have done a previous study, Only four of them fit that category. On Propositions 219, 220, 221, 222, and 224, the League has no position.

League of Women Voters recommendations:

•NO ON PROPOSITION 223-Spending limits on school administration

LWV opposes this because it would neither improve children's education nor promote efficiency. Instead it would restrict the ability of local districts to manage their own programs, and at the same time add unnecessary administrative costs and procedures to comply with the new law. Small districts or those with special needs would be hit harder than large districts with more ability to juggle budgets or restructure programs.

•NO ON PROPOSITION 225 -Limiting congressional terms

LWV opposes Prop. 225 because we already have term limits. They are called elections! and voters can use them to end the term of any office holder. The courts have ruled against Congressional term limits and even its supporters now say it is unconstitutional and would like to see it removed from the ballot.

•NO ON PROPOSITION 226 - Limits Union Political Contributions

LWV opposes Prop. 226 because it is misleading and unfair. It purports to regulate the fund-raising methods of both business and labor while actually applying to only one --labor. It thereby unfairly creates two sets of rules for contributors, and is designed to reduce the political participation of working Californians. The League supports true campaign finance reform, but this is bad public policy.

•NO ON PROPOSITION 227 -- English in Public schools

LWV opposes Prop. 227 because it would not give local districts the flexibility to develop the programs for students with limited English ability that best meet the needs of the local community. Instead it would mandate a single method for teaching all children who are English learners. And it would set up an untried program for English language instruction for adults who would promise to tutor children, at a cost of $50 million a year from current education funds.

By RICHARD BRAUN

The large audience was anxious to hear the speakers Saturday, March 28th at Modesto Junior College even though it was an ugly, rainy night. Why did these dedicated people make such an effort to listen to 8 people? They did it to find out more about the future of the educational system in the state of California.

Speakers included two professors from Cal State Stanislaus in Turlock, a candidate for the 12th Senate Seat of California, two Modesto City Schools board members, a teacher, a parent and an official from the group called Citizens for an Educated America. They spoke to the community about the effects of a proposal that will be on the June 2nd ballot; Proposition 227.

Dr. Elmano Costa of Stanislaus State shared his greatly moving personal experiences with the school system in California. "When I came here from the Azores, in Portugal at 10 years-old," he began, "I got what was essentially bilingual education. A classmate of mine translated everything to Portuguese. That helped me feel comfortable in class and not get lost. That way, 3 years later when I had acquired enough English, everything was simple. I already knew how to read in Portuguese, it was just a matter of transferring everything I knew to my new language. Simple!"

"What I'm asked a lot now is: ‘If you were able to be successful with no extra help from the educational system, shouldn't everyone be able too?’ I know from personal experience that the answer is NO! My brother was placed in a grade two years below his level when he arrived because he didn't know enough English. The embarrassment of having to go to 8th grade, already being 16 years old, was too much for him. He swore to my parents that they could not force him to go to school. And he never returned. That is the type of experience that awaits many children

if Proposition 227 passes."

Julia Ramirez, a teacher at Bret Harte School also gave moving personal testimony. She said that because of a lack of bilingual education when she was growing up, she, like a lot of her classmates, was held back in school for the simple reason that she did not have enough English. "That dark horizon is what awaits a lot of the children of California. If only English is able to be used as a mode of instruction in California, an enormous number of children will be repeating grades unnecessarily."

Sal Cannella, candidate for the 12th District Senate seat, also motivated the public. "A lot of conservatives in the state have continued their attack against the immigrants because they see an easy victory. Let me tell you, the immigrant population, especially the Latinos, have been a sleeping giant that is now waking up. They are organizing, informing and registering to vote at a level never before equaled in the state. And all because of this initiative. The vast majority of conservatives are unwilling to take any position with respect to the initiative for fear of aggravating anyone. But even then, Dan Lungren has made many remarks against it and many others have made resolutions against it."

Bob Jackson, the president of the Modesto City Schools School Board, reiterated his opposition. "The author of the proposition says that bilingual education is not working. Obviously he hasn’t heard about the programs here in Modesto; they are definitely working." Mr. Jackson reminded the audience that the legislature together with local school board and the teachers always have been the ones to make educational decisions for the simple reason that they know best how to educate our youth. "How is it," he asked, "that a man with no children, with no teaching experience, without having stepped foot in a bilingual classroom, is going to know more than the local school boards and the teachers about what's best for the children of California?"

Richie Ross, from Citizens for an Educated America finished the evening by sharing the most bothersome part of the proposition for the voters of the state of California. "It proposes to take $50 million a year from the General Fund to implement a non-specified plan of training. This training would not be for teachers or children. It would be for the parents of those children who don't speak fluent English. Those $50 million could be used to put 5000 police officers on the streets. It would put 1000 more teachers in our classroom. It would buy at least 50 more schools across our state."

"For how long would they be taking out that money?" asked the audience.

"It would be that same amount for 10 years. A total of $500 million so that parents could become the English teachers of California."

At the end of the forum, many could not believe what had been said about the appropriation of the state's General Fund and asked for their own copy of the proposal. Article 4 of the proposition stipulates: "Commencing with the fiscal year in which this initiative is enacted and for each of the nine fiscal years following thereafter, a sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) per year is hereby appropriated from the General Fund for the purpose of providing additional funding for free or subsidized programs of adult English language instruction to parents or other members of the community who pledge to provide personal English language tutoring to California school children with limited English proficiency."

The organizer of the community forum, The Coalition for Children's Education, has committed itself to keep the general public informed about the Proposition. Marches and rallies took place on April 18 in downtown Modesto and in Merced, Stockton, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara and Fresno. For more information about Proposition 227 or scheduled events, call: 529-5465, 543-0266, 524-1865 or 537-1780.

By KEN GALLEGOS

In June, if early polls hold true, California voters are poised overwhelmingly to eliminate most forms of bilingual education in public schools with passage of the "English for the Children" initiative.

Educators are in a bind. On paper, we seem to have the ingredients for a successful public education campaign to oppose the measure put on the ballot by millionaire Ron Unz, a one-time Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Bilingual education is sound educational policy supported by every linguistic research study ever conducted, proving that primary language instruction is the best way to ensure that non-English speaking students can learn English and achieve success in other studies.

If facts, reputable empiricism and accumulated years of teaching experience counted in politics, then the Unz initiative would be laughed off the ballot.

Unfortunately, the last laugh may be on us. Opponents of bilingual education have on their side a visceral philistinism seasoned with a dash of resurgent '90s racism.

They dismiss things like pluralism, research studies, facts and sound educational policy. The destruction of bilingual education represents a crowning jewel on the triple crown of modern political Know Nothingism.

This is not to suggest that educators should wallow in defeatism, roll over and let our opponents prevail without an old-fashioned political donnybrook.

It may be quixotic, but , even if irrationality is to prevail, we owe it to our students to let it be over our bloodied, battered, unbowed bodies.

The real issue for all educators--especially those of us who have been entrusted with the responsibility of running schools for the benefit of all students, not just the English speakers--is how we will respond if the English for the Children initiative does indeed pass.

How do people of decency and good conscience say "no" to laws repugnant to everything they know to be true and just, and when saying "no", even if they hope to preserve the integrity of a just society, comes at a great cost to themselves?

This issue represents a classic civil disobedience paradigm with historic precedents.

The response of the majority of judges, lawyers, doctors and educators in the South during the civil rights era of the 1950s and '60s remains a source of national pride, while the collusion of similar professionals with Hitler's "final solution" remains a blot of national shame for the modern German nation.

So, when the moment of truth comes for educators, parents and citizens, how will we respond?

June 26-28, 1998

— intergenerational activities —

— children and youth programs —

— recreation and fellowship —

— campfires, music and dancing —

— a time to relax —

REAL HEROES: View and discuss photojournalist Bob Fitch photos from the Southern Black Civil Rights and United Farmworker campaigns. Intergenerational. Consider inexpensive options for using still photos for organizing and education.

Friday night: Campfire Song Circle with Bob, Storyteller Horacio Ferriz, Star walk with Tim.

Registration Deadline: June 5, 1998

Sub-Total $_____

(Family Max. $150)

Late Registration= Sub-Total x 20% after June 5th $_____

Grand Total $_____

Address: _______________________

CityState:_______________________Zip______

Phone: _______________________

Meal Preference:

Vegetarian_____

Non-vegetarian_____

Friday Supper:

I/We will be at supper_____

I/We will NOT be at supper_____

I/We don’t know_____

Special health/diet consideration or general comments:

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Carpooling:

I would like a ride_____

Nursery ages 0-2_____

Pre-school ages 3-5_____

Primary ages 6-9_____

Junior ages 10-13_____

Make checks payable to:

MODESTO PEACE/LIFE CENTER

720 13th Street
P.O. Box 134
Modesto, CA 95353-0134

By CAROLINE MITTON

During 1996, the airport manager bulldozed all the vegetation between the airport and the river. The area is designated "Open Space" in the Modesto General Plan and as such is supposed to have "vegetation consistent with riparian habitat zones." The airport manager would like to keep it free of all vegetation in the name of pilot safety. He is not interested in landscaping the area with low-growing native vegetation. This could be done so that it would not interfere with pilot safety and would also allow emergency vehicles to access the area in the event they were ever needed.

Another policy for Open Space areas reads: "Visual corridors of the river will be protected and enhanced." The area between the airport and the river is very visible from Mitchell Road, but has been left ungraded and unplanted for two years, and is even more unsightly than when first bulldozed. It is now a tangle of grassy weeds and larger dead bush-type weeds, along with persistent pools of standing water.

In December 1996, the Sierra Club wrote a letter to the Modesto Parks and Recreation Department, with a copy to the airport manager, complaining about the bulldozing. The group received a perfunctory response and nothing was done. Last month, the airport manager asked for a variance in the City's General Plan so that he can continue to keep the area bulldozed.

The bulldozing resulted in pools of water after flood waters receded from the park last March. This stranded and killed hundreds of salmon and other fish. This is documented in 1997 Juvenile Salmon Report published by the Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts, and compiled by EA Engineering, Science and Technology. However, the manager claimed not to be aware of it.

This past December, the airport manager cut the trees on the bank of the south side of the river, across from the airport so much, that, to an amateur, they don't look like they'll survive. By doing this cutting, the manager caused so much damage that, during the 1998 spring rains, part of the hillside slid into the river. He said his people routinely go across the river and cut the trees over there. Because of a shortage of manpower to keep them trimmed, crews cut them back far enough so that they won't have to cut them again for five years. He claimed he did not know of the mud slide but did admit that they had used a crane to take the limbs out. He also admitted that he had not gone over to the site to see what had been done.

In neither case, he said, did he think he had to get permission from the state Fish and Game Departments to do that kind of work that close to the river. Yet, both activities caused damage to the river and to its wildlife. He does not seem to think that consideration should enter into his activities.

No one has any quarrel with the Airport manager’s desire for safe flight approaches and emergency vehicle access. It is the unsightly mess he made in his quest for safety that has upset a number of people.

Subsequent to his request for a variance, the city has hired a consultant firm with expertise in FAA regulations and riparian needs. They will be meeting with all the relevant city departments to determine what needs to be done and what can be done. They will determine exactly what the permitting procedure is for the area and what the FAA requirements are. They will also meet with "stakeholder" organizations, such as Sierra Club, Friends of the River and the park citizens' advisory committee to discuss desired and possible vegetation for the area. They have agreed to develop a plan to satisfy FAA requirements for the area, while maintaining ecological balance in the riparian corridor and complying with the Modesto General Plan. They intend to have their report revised, reviewed and ready for implementation in the fall of 1998.

The author is a member of the Sierra Club’s Conservation Committee

By DAN ONORATO

In the last issue I described a new project of the Modesto Peace/Life Center. The Center is turning its commitment to nonviolence toward preserving and restoring our natural habitat, specifically our wetlands. We have before us, until September 30, the historic opportunity to contribute toward the costs of funding a perpetual easement on a piece of land adjacent to the Tuolumne River. This land, restored to a wetland, could be the first of many similar restoration projects. To help it happen, we have to act now.

For those who missed the article, here is a quick summary. The last two years of floods along the rivers in our area have caused some farmers to question the economics of farming land that is subject to flooding. One farmer in the area mentioned, encouraged by Michael McElhiney of the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, is actively pursuing an easement on the 145 acres of his land that has been under water the last two winters. Perpetual easements are legal arrangements in which the farmer keeps his easement land but gives up his right to farm it. In exchange for payment for the land, he agrees to let it return to its natural state, replete with trees, bushes, grasses, and all kinds of wildlife.

Because the federal government is now interested in non-structural ways to reduce flood damage, the USDA is making money available for such projects, but only up to $2,000 an acre. However, other federal and state agencies are deciding to what extent they will help fund easements (or outright purchases, when farmers want to sell).

The public can help by contributing additional funds. The Peace/Life Center urges its members and friends—all of us—to participate in this opportunity.

With flooding on the mind, farmers for the near future are more inclined to let some of their riverine land go. Under McElhiney's leadership, the Natural Resources Conservation Service is steadfastly pursuing cooperation. With projections of growth in our county threatening more land development, we need to take advantage of the timing. An example project that demonstrates farmer satisfaction with the NRCS's contract and implementation may inspire other farmers to allow some of their land to be restored as wetlands. This could be a win-win situation for all—including nature in all its varied wonder. If we truly care about preserving and restoring our earth, here is a great chance to act.

ACTION: Please write your check to the "Modesto Peace/Life Center: Wetlands Project." Should federal and state and other private organizations fully fund the easement project described in this article, your money will be used for another project that restores local wetlands. As I think of this timely attention on our local environment, I'm reminded of Albert Camus' exhortation: "Generosity to the future lies in giving fully to the present." On behalf of the Center, thank you for your generosity.

By NANCY DIMOND

I’ve made this dip twice in the past six months for various parties. Everyone always seems to love it. I like it because it’s not dairy based and has a fresh but rich flavor. Besides, it’s fairly easy to make.

Pureed Vegetable Dip

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
lots of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped yellow squash
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup each: toasted sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
1 cup minced black olives

1. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in olive oil, with salt, pepper and herbs.

2. After a few minutes, add the garlic, broccoli, squash, and bell pepper. Stir well, cover, and cook over medium heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar, and let cool to room temperature.

4. Puree the sauté (include all its liquid-whatever there is of it) in a food processor.

5. Return the puree to a bowl, mix in the toasted seeds and minced olives, and chill, covered, until cold. Serve with bread, crackers or chips.

Yield: about 3 1/2 cups

Source: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen, 1982

By DAN and BARBARA POLLOCK

Dear Friends and fellow Gardeners,

How are your gardens growing? Not much I bet, with the cool and wet weather we have been having. We can expect slow growth response from most annual vegetables and flowers until the soil and air temperature begin to warm. Hopefully, by the time you read this, warm spring weather will have arrived.

Biking down a country road in April, I noticed the tomato farmers planting tomato transplants, a sight I haven't seen in a while. The spring has been so cool they never had the chance to seed. If the weather doesn't warm up these hot house tomatoes are not going to grow either.

Some plants love the cool spring; my roses, blackberries, tulips, lilacs, buddleias (butterfly bushes), daffodils, chard, carrots and lettuce are looking as good as they ever have.

The cool spring has also created a banner year for snails. My son, Michael, hand picked over 300 snails in three days from a small bed of iris and, with his persistence, my plants may survive. Barbara insists we install copper foil strips around the vegetable beds to foil the onslaught of slugs and snails.

Thinking of planting some veggies this summer? Think tomatoes. There is absolutely no substitute for a delicious, fully ripened home grown tomato.

Begin by loosening the soil at least 18"- 24" because the roots of tomatoes grow deep. Mix into this soil one half cu ft. of composted manure, and compost with a half cup of bone meal for each tomato plant.

When setting the plant into the soil, bury it deep enough that the plant stem is supported, the buried stem will sprout roots adding support.

To support the plant, drive a 6'-8' stake 10"-12" into the soil next to the tomato, or use a wire tomato cage.

Create a basin around the tomato for deep watering, or if you row plant the tomato, make sure the furrow is deep enough for plentiful water during the growing season. Mulching with coarse bark or straw will help maintain moisture content and lower the temperature of the soil’s surface. Water deeply and infrequently to force the roots deep into the soil.

A little liquid fish or other organic fertilizer is recommended during the growth stage, but as the plant reaches the top of the stake, reduce nitrogen fertilizer since this will promote growth and reduce flowers and fruit. Remove all suckers that sprout from the stem and prune to allow only a few upright stems. Remember, you want to promote trusses of flowers not leaves and stems.

There is an incredible variety of tomatoes to choose from. For salad tomatoes I recommend Early Girl, Champion, Ace, Jubilee, Better Boy, and Beef Master. For cherry tomatoes; Sweet 100s, Patio and Pixie. Tomatoes for paste and sauce include Roma and San Marzano. Tomatoes can be grown in barrels or large pots, but be sure to water and fertilize regularly.

Until next month, Peace and good gardening.

By ELIZABETH A. VENCILL, MT(ASCP)

The doctor I worked for presented the result to me in the office. He said the test was positive and that I had to consult with my own doctor about what to do next. I knew it had to be wrong because my husband and I were our only partners for years, and we had been tested before we were married. And he regularly gave blood. There couldn't be any problems like the one the doctor had pronounced upon me now. I knew this doctor well. He wouldn't tell me something like this if he didn't believe with all his heart that it was true.

It made no sense. I called my family doctor and went directly to see him. We ran the test again on a new blood sample. He called a few days later and said the test was negative. I didn't believe that either. I demanded another and another until I had three negative tests in a row. Then I believed it. I did not have some crazy deadly disease that the doctor I worked for said I had.

But what went wrong? I am a Clinical Laboratory Scientist/Medical Technologist. My profession is clinical laboratory work. All the myriad scenes of errors in the laboratory that I have seen in my career came screaming into my head. Was there some sort of kharma that I had violated to be served with the results of a critical laboratory test gone wrong? No. Not really.

The answer is in the law. For over 50 years, laboratory tests were performed only by persons licensed under this section of law as Medical Technologists. A new law in January 1996 relaxed the knowledge requirements for people who do lab tests. Now there are people doing clinical laboratory tests who don't even know it when they do them wrong.

In any of the three phases of laboratory testing, from the doctor's written order to handling the blood specimen, to the actual test, to the scientist verifying the results, things can, and do, go wrong.

Sometimes the doctor orders the test on the wrong patient. Sometimes the nurse orders the wrong test. Sometimes the blood is obtained from the wrong patient. Sometimes the labeling is incorrect. Sometimes the tubes break. Sometimes the wrong sample gets picked out of the rack. Sometimes the instrument fails, for the tubing is worn out or the light bulb burned out or it's out of reagents or needs to lubed and oiled. Sometimes the results are put into the wrong computer files. Sometimes the papers get put on the wrong chart. Many things can go wrong with blood tests.

This particular day, someone else's serum got put into a tube labeled with my name. By whom, I have no idea. Where along the way? I never want to know. But the terror is there all the same.

Managed Care is making it worse. In efforts to cut costs across this land, Clinical Laboratory Scientists/Medical Technologists are being replaced with personnel unschooled in laboratory testing methods. Manufacturers of laboratory equipment are colluding with doctors and hospitals to reduce personnel knowledge requirements, saying that their instrumentation replaces all that knowledge with computer programs.

The Health Equipment Manufacturer's Association, the Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, the California Medical Association, and Kaiser Permanente Foundation put up $40,000,000 to get Senate Bill 113 passed. A major lobbying effort was funded by a company in Princeton, New Jersey. A member of the Clinical Laboratory Technology Advisory Committee, (CLTAC) which advises the Department of Health Services on laboratory methods, lives and works in New Jersey and is NOT resident or voter of California.

What is wrong with this picture? Exactly this: Clinical Laboratory Scientists know when something is going wrong. Untrained people don't know. And no matter what any manufacturer of laboratory equipment says, their training cannot substitute for the lack of a solid didactic background in the sciences. No matter what any doctor says, the clerk in his office doesn't understand laboratory testing.

SB113’s mandated study was published in the February 11th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The results: tests done in physicians’ offices are 4 times more likely to be wrong than those done by licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientists in a regular laboratory, and, that 1 in 10 of those results are probably wrong.

What is the COST of A SINGLE TEST reported wrong? I'll tell you in my case:

Five days of missed work at $150.00 a day, an untrusting spouse at an incalculable cost, a scared family at an incalculable cost, three separately performed confirmatory tests at $150.00 each, three more visits to the doctor at $125.00 each. That's a total of $1575.00. And I wasn't even sick.

But what does that mean to YOU? What was reliable is no longer reliable. What had accountability behind it, doesn't any more. And, what you expect to get when you go to the doctor, you may not get. Reliable laboratory test results are a thing of the past under SB113.

What can you do about it?

1. Write your Assemblymen and State Senators and ask them to fund a further study by the Department of Health Services.

2. Demand from your doctor a guarantee that neither you nor your insurance company will be charged for any incorrect Laboratory test results.

3. Demand to know whether a Clinical Laboratory Scientist will perform, validate and report your laboratory tests, demand that they do, and that you be told who it was. This information is available from the testing laboratory.

4. Write this newspaper with any laboratory testing horror stories that you can document and be willing to tell your story to your representatives.

5. Read about the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, February 11th issue.

By DON MCMILLAN

Some people who have enjoyed a car-free lifestyle in other cities don't find that option practical when they move to Modesto. For two years, Modesto resident Mike Fuller lived without a car in Vail, Colorado. "I didn't need a car," he said. "There was a good bus system. I rode my bike a lot," even in winter, he added. Studded tires made his bicycle serviceable year round. "I loved it. I really did," he recalled.

Automobiles have, nonetheless, been important to Fuller's mobility through most of his life. Through adolescence, he reports having known no adults who didn't own a car. Cars "got me in a lot of trouble," he said, recalling their role in his youth.

Automobiles also were vital to his livelihood much of the time. "Mostly I was running rivers" as a guide, he said. Shuttling equipment and patrons to and from excursions also encouraged his taking a commercial drivers license.

During his career as a river guide, Fuller's home itself was made for the road. "I lived in a travel trailer. Even my house was on wheels," he said.

Fuller still enjoys some aspects of moving in cars, "the freedom it provides, all the beautiful scenery." But these pleasures aren't what they used to be. Speaking of mobility in an auto-dominated age and country, he said, "I really enjoyed it for the first half of my adult life. As I've learned and seen the environmental and social implications, I've come to dislike it." Other recognitions usurp the pleasure of auto travel. "There's guilt involved because I understand how much environmental damage relates to the transportation system."

Such an awareness has seriously altered Fuller's attitude, "almost a complete reverse," he characterizes the change, "almost from a love to a hate."

Though owning a motor vehicle when he first moved to the Valley, he had a strong inducement to get around by other means. "I just had a truck and trailer. The truck was too big, so I rode my bike." This experience resonated with his car-free years at Vail. "I liked that too," he said, even though, in contrast to Vail, "the bus was such a pain that I stuck to my bike."

"My goal is to live without a car." However, he isn't satisfied with how much he goes by means other than a car, "not near as much as I would like," he said.

The pleasure of cycling or walking for Fuller centers on "exercise and being out of doors." And, in getting there by "transit, it's the joys of the social mix."

The pinnacle of his travels was on an Appalachian highway "in winter when it was closed to traffic." He reveled in having pedaled the scenic route "for miles and no cars."

Urban cycling has given him his worst experiences with getting around without a car—accidents, both involving cars. In one, a driver executed a right turn directly in front of Fuller. The other involved a parked vehicle. "Someone opened the door right in front of me." He said he suffered concussions in both crashes, though in one case he was using a helmet. These misfortunes have not dampened his desire to get around by bicycle.

Another means Fuller has been using to reduce the impact of his automotive travel is car pooling, which he does "whenever I can." He is pleased, in this arrangement, that he often gets to fill the drive time with conversation.

Among the ills of an auto-dominated transportation system he most resents are "air and noise pollution, particularly the noise pollution." The way traffic-accommodating land use has distorted cities, too, bothers him, "how our cities and towns are built—much less livable."

Fuller sees a future in which rail transportation will play a more important role. He would "much rather live in a carless society," so this trend would be agreeable. However, he doesn't see such a transition as inevitable or automatic. He believes his lifestyle can contribute to it "by modeling—my own behavior." He also sees possibilities to bring about change through "lobbying as an activist for alternative transportation and, along with that, alternative land use patterns." And he sees a linkage between transportation and land use. "I think both are equally as important," he said.

In his desire to curtail and ultimately sever dependence on his own car, Fuller now counts one adult who goes without a car among his friends. Given his two years at Vail, however, Fuller still has more experience as a car-free adult.

Action: "Crosswalks ... " seeks alternatives to more pavement, potholes and pollution. Those who go without cars, whether by choice or limited means, are exploring ways to live beyond smog, sprawl, and congestion. Your contribution to this series could keep it going, Especially interviews with people who survive in Stanislaus County without cars. Often stereotyped as losers, people without cars can play an important role in educating the public about getting around affordably and with less violence against the earth. Keep those cards, letters, calls and email coming! Reach the author at (209) 523–8871, <mcmillan@ainet.com> or P.O. Box 4501, Modesto CA 95352.

Major Delegation to challenge U.S./UN Sanctions Against Iraq

Edited from an International Action Center press release

A large delegation of religious leaders, medical professionals and anti-war activists will travel to Iraq from May 6 through May 13, 1998 to bring badly needed medical supplies. Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General, will head the Iraq Sanctions Challenge Delegation.

"The U.S./UN sanctions against Iraq have killed over 1.5 million people since their imposition," said Ramsey Clark. "It's the clearest form of genocide and it's the U.S. government who insists upon the sanctions. It is incumbent upon us to challenge the sanctions and to bring medicine to the people of Iraq. They deserve this and so much more. The only way to stop the human tragedy is to completely lift the sanctions."

A send-off meeting is planned in New York City on May 5th. Meetings and press conferences are being planned in cities all over the country as delegates of the Iraq Sanctions Challenge travel to Baghdad.

"This delegation represents the hundreds of thousands of people from across the country who oppose these devastating sanctions," said Sara Flounders of the International Action Center. "We will bring back first-hand information about the effects of the sanctions. This awareness will help build a massive, concerted effort to end the sanctions."

Others delegates include, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit, Rev. Lucius Walker of Pastors for Peace, Christoph Arnold (author and Elder of the Bruderhof Community), Sara Flounders, Gloria La Riva and Brian Becker of the International Action Center, Clayton Remy of Fellowship of Reconciliation, Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness, Kadouri Al Kaysi of the Committee in Support of the Iraqi People, Rania Masri of Iraq Action Coalition, Sonya Ostrom of Metro NY Peace Action, Attorney Michael Tarif Warren, Dr. Barbara Nimri Aziz (Anthropologist), and Manzoor Ghori of the American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice. Many other activists will also participate.

Details available on the web site: http://www.iacenter.org/irachallenge

1998 Peace Essay Contest winning essay

The 1998 Peace Essay Contest offered students an opportunity to look critically at their own entertainment choices and how the entertainment media influences them, their peers, and their families. The 12th annual contest received 617 entries from schools across Stanislaus County, grades five through twelve.

First Place - Division II

(grades 9 and 10)

By DAVIS JOHNSON

Peter Johansen High School, Modesto

We are a society that has become dependent upon technology to protect, connect and entertain us. Technology thrives in every aspect of our lives. Weather systems warn us of storms days before they reach our community. Mobile phones, faxes, pagers and e-mail are considered a necessity in the business world. Sophisticated systems used by hospitals, fire and police department wrap us in a cocoon to shield us from hidden dangers. Preschoolers to grandparents are mesmerized by the wonders of video and computer games. Through the use of the Internet, one doesn't just learn from others, but instead "chats" with people from around the globe. The glitter of technology masks its dangers and seduces us into believing that it can only improve our lives. The ancient axiom that there are always two sides to every story applies equally to technology. For all the advantages the Internet can give the user, there is a darker clandestine side that lures its victims.

The greatest advantage of the Internet is the wealth of people that one can access. This also becomes its greatest disadvantage. It is difficult for a young user to discriminate between an interesting computer pen pal and an individual with ulterior motives. The chat rooms found on the Internet are known to be used by criminals, kidnappers, and pedophiles. It is a folly to believe that young users can discern evil from healthy relationships when they are merely responding to a typed sentence or suggestion on the monitor. Indeed, it is difficult to discover these threats in our own communities. Young users are not taught how to read between the lines of typed text and discover hidden meanings. A big smiling icon and heartwarming words of care and concern are significant lures for the child who feels isolated or uneasy relating to others.

Another advantage of the Internet is the ease with which it can be used. As a result, the age of the users span generations. Material is available equally to all regardless of their age. This poses inherent risks. In our county library, there is a children's room with age appropriate materials. Unfortunately, a child may use all "rooms" on the Internet that may contain information or pictures that are intended for a more mature audience. The natural curiosity of a child encourages them to explore material that they are too young to use or understand.

The greatest danger of the Internet is how it sidesteps personal interaction between two human beings. Instead of plugging into relationships in our home, school and community, it is easier to plug into our computer. The warm touch, the twinkle of an eye, a knowing smile is substituted for cold hard keys and a blinking icon. We type monotonously filling our screen with symbols, transmogrified into hermits isolated from others. Instead of learning to read facial expressions and body language, we become adept at decoding symbols. Essential listening skill needed to interact with others is replaced with skillful typing speed. The Internet allows for a simple escape from a hectic world. Instead of feeling a cool autumn breeze we open the "Windows." In essence, the Internet can dehumanize the very beings it was created to help

We cannot stop the advance of technology nor can we turn back the clock to a simpler time without machines. Even if we could, it would be ridiculous to ignore the benefits technology has given us. Is it possible to reap the benefits without the disadvantages? It is, if we as a society are willing to work before the harvest. Like all conflicts that plague our society, the answer lies within us. On the practical front, we could fight technology with technology. Blockers can be installed to prevent access to inappropriate material. This would shield users from the ugliness of the world although it would not make the ugliness disappear. Ugliness loses its impact only when we are able to understand and confront it. The battle is won not by increasing our knowledge of the Internet, but by increasing our skills for personal interaction with others to yield a deeper understanding of ourselves and our fellow man. It is a responsibility of the family and the community to teach the appropriate social skills that allow one to be successful interacting, living and sharing with others. To allow the Internet to become the primary interaction between people is to allow technology to become the surrogate parent to meet our basic needs.

It is a basic human need to crave the emotional stability that only man can give. This need within us is so strong that man will always first choose another being over interacting via computer. Everyone has a responsibility to help fulfill this need so no man must walk alone with a machine in tow. Technology should never be allowed to replace personal contact with others. Our hands were created to touch others, not to just type. Our voices and expressions give us the unique blend of individuality to create a vibrant world and were not meant to be masked behind a screen. Our mind and soul gives the world our thumb print which no machine can duplicate. No technology should ever be allowed to replace the heartbeat of others.

By MARK THOMPSON, Ph.D.

An important fulfillment I get from my job is in the firm belief that our campus illustrates one of the American dreams: that education is the key to upward mobility. I value working with students who are the first of family to attend the university or who come from a variety of difficult situations to take on the challenge and hope of education. Through my own work, I know that many of these students across the cultures, genders, and economic statuses who eventually emerge as our graduates enter the university through remedial course work.

The Cornerstones document projects the shape of the California State University as it enters the new century. Cornerstones in part attempts to address how the University can, with little funding growth, serve more students and maintain access for those students we have traditionally served. The Cornerstones document is the result of a "system-wide planning process"initiated by the Chancellor's office in 1996 to address two issues: "a crisis of funding and resources, especially in light of projected demand for university education in California" and second, an examination "of our ways of providing education in light of California's continuing social,demographic, and economic transformation"

At the same time, CSU, Stanislaus has increased its efforts to bring more valedictorians and various "talent scholars" to our campus. Viewed in this context, the position of students classified as remedial appears precarious. Of course we must be aware of funding limits, and of course a university wishes high-caliber students; however, the advancement of a diverse group of students to positions of power requires that the CSU maintain its commitment to access.

Amid predictions that prisons will progressively gobble more of the state budget, local practice is shifting to funding based on course enrollments; a practice that encourages larger classes so accumulated students fees pay for more of the course costs. Many remedial writing courses are expensive because enrollments are low; for example, courses at Stanislaus are capped at 12-15 students. These caps align with the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of English and are intended to facilitate more support and more interaction among students and the instructor. But the expense is still there.

Over a year ago, I started hearing murmurings of the "echo of the baby boom," an expected surge in enrollments due to the children of the baby boomers. Although the CSUs serve the top third of students, some campuses have already instituted enrollment controls because they cannot serve the number of eligible students. Impacted programs become more selective, a stance that inclines against the remedial student and remedial courses.

Finally, remedial programs are often seen as punitive and negative rather than as facilitative and positive; thus, the programs are more likely to be discussed as problems to be solved rather than as integral and crucial components of the university. Honors programs, technological innovations, and academic stars are much easier to champion.

Sluggish funding, increased enrollments, and negative connotations all campaign against the survival of remedial courses in the CSU and tend to mask the benefits that accrue to the university and the students because of the presence of remediation. Students do improve their writing skills in these courses: the great majority move on to regular composition classes and continue at the university. As long as the university intends to support the ideal of upward mobility through education, we will admit some students who require remedial course work in writing.

The author, Associate Professor of English, coordinates the CSU, Stanislaus masters degree program in the Rhetoric and Teaching of Writing and is Language Arts coordinator for the CSU, Stanislaus PAD program. Dr. Thompson is available through the CSU, Stanislaus Speakers Bureau, 209-667-3391.

NAMES Project AIDS Quilt is coming to Modesto

A traveling exhibit of a portion of the AIDS quilt will be displayed at Modesto Centre Plaza (Ninth and K St., Modesto) beginning at 6 pm to 10 pm Monday night, May 4, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 5th and 6th from 10 am to 8 pm.

Other events include a Quilt Panel Dedication at 6 pm on Wednesday and at 7 pm, a Candlelight Vigil, with Closing Ceremonies at 8 pm.

The idea for the AIDS quilt was conceived in 1985 after the assassination of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. The people who were grieving the death of others from AIDS wanted to document the lives they feared history would neglect. Their goal was to create a memorial for those who had died as well as to help other people understand the devastating impact of this disease.

The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt Foundation was formed. Over 10 years later the Quilt is still a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic. It is made up of over 41,000 individual 3x6 foot memorial panels, each one commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS. There are 44 NAMES Project Chapters in the U.S. and 39 independent Quilt affiliates from around the world. Since 1987 some 9 million people have visited the Quilt in thousands of displays worldwide. Through such displays, the Names Project Foundation has raised over $1.7 million for AIDS services throughout North America.

In Stanislaus County we have lost 276 to AIDS and still have 183 living with the disease. We also serve Merced, Calaveras, and Tuolumne Counties.

The show’s sponsors believe that we as a community must help to educate and make this community aware of the loss of lives associated with this disease.

ACTION: Volunteers are needed throughout the duration of the display here. Donations are needed in the form of supplies, food, or financial contributions. To make a donation, contact Fundraisers, Dave (209)384-3358 or Dale, 632-8432. Make checks payable to Owl Empire of Stanislaus County, c/o Jim Sotherland, 1910 D. St., Merced, CA 95340.

By INDIRA CLARK

"My version of the state continued to growing and I soon realized that any homogenous sense of this diverse series of places gathered under one name was chimerical. Here, as elsewhere, change is endemic, and new residents characterize and define many regions.

I eventually recognized that this state meant something quite different to many other people. To them, newcomers and outsiders mainly, California -- or, rather, the idea of California -- epitomized a flashy, traditionless, mobile future: a paradigm for the deconstruction of culture, old values and inhibitions flying away in all directions like the expanding universe. My California, on the other hand, was the place where I could visit my great-great grandmother's grave and gaze on the same oaks she so admired; it is the place where I was conceived and where I would conceive my own children. For me, it was and remains as rooted a real as flesh on flesh -- an other, the other, California."

— Gerald Haslam, Coming of Age in California: Personal Essays

The Central Valley was the focus of the "CSU, Stanislaus Faculty Research Symposium" this spring. The faculty's "newest and best projects" were showcased in brief presentations and poster sessions by professors in both the natural and behavioral sciences covered work ranging from biodiversity to changing patterns in Stanislaus County's notorious high level of unemployment.

These were all tied together by Sonoma State University Professor and author Gerald Haslam in his keynote speech. He spoke of his native Central Valley as a region which does not conform to the California image of easy riches and fun. Rather it has been perceived as a realm of toil, provinciality, culturally barren.

The Central Valley is as developed as downtown L.A. or San Francisco, he argues, but on an entirely different model.

Covering 15 million acres, an area as large as England, it is the richest agricultural area in the history of the world as well as the most altered landscape in the world. It produces more oil than some of the OPEC nations. Haslam spoke of the differences between communities on the eastside of the valley with farmers holding "a sacred sense of the living soil" versus corporate farms, the sacred Cadillac culture which "milks money out of the area."

Before World War II, the Central Valley was a Third World Country. Education has changed that paradigm. This heartland attracted people with "no dreams for themselves but for their children." One hundred languages are spoken here. It's been a launching pad for many into the middle class, like himself, but poverty has trapped many more. Seven out of California's ten poorest communities are in the Central Valley. Fresno County is the richest agricultural county in the country, yet "in Huron, 92% of the kids don't graduate from high school. It's a peon factory." Haslam spoke of class, "not to be confused with race" --the wrong side of the tracks that runs through Valley towns. "Civil rights are the great cause of his generation." Attitudes are changing, Haslam stresses. Commuter communities are breaking down color lines.

This polarization of attitude about the Central Valley stretches back to the first European settlers. John Muir wrote of the Valley's lushness and beauty, others of its desolation. The Sacramento prairie, San Joaquin plains, riparian forests a half-mile wide, the largest concentration of Native Americans in North America, it contained and still contains many micro-climates and the landscape changes seasonally.

There's no vision, little regional planning still, little understanding not to build on floodplains and earthquake faults. 50,000 acres of prime farmland are being paved over each year. Will the Central Valley become a "big parking lot that produces vegetables?" Haslam asked in closing.

The San Joaquin Valley is 63 percent irrigated farmland, according to zoologist Dr. Dan Williams, and contains virtually no public land. His presentation on biodiversity conservation pointed out that only 1 to 5 per cent of the native (pre-European) plant and animal communities still exists. Only the state of Hawaii has more unique, endemic species on the rare, threatened or endangered lists than the Central Valley's 200 species. Some of these occur on military installations, federally-held lands which now are being sold off thanks to the end of the Cold War. He heads the San Joaquin Endangered Species Recovery Program, working with the federal retirement program and public-private partnerships to link the often fragmented, isolated native populations across the valley.

Much archeological work looks into daily lives and is unglamorous, Dr. Lewis Napton emphasized. Sites throughout the county and West are being lost to development and recreation -- hunters, four-wheelers, amateur archeologists and the like. In answer to a question regarding who should one notify if one finds an archeological site locally, he said preservation falls under different government jurisdictions necessitating a site by site review.

The university's new San Joaquin Public Policy Center was set up to facilitate improved policy making, said political scientist Dr. Steven Hughes. Job training needs are being studied and Congressmen Gary Condit's office is working on funding for a proposed study of changing land use patterns in Northern California, asset inventory, and assessment of agriculture in the valley.

With "welfare reform" much in the news, President Clinton has voiced the need for "business to do its part." To gauge the attitudes of potential employers in Stanislaus County, Dr. Riedman and a colleague surveyed 116 local business owners and 126 local social workers.

The Symposium format consisted of 10-minute presentations by professors conditioned to the 58-minute class lecture peroid, plus one or two quick questions. Though focusing on the Central Valley, other studies included an inherited mitochronical rental disease, genital images as part of body image, and behavioral ecology of an Indonesian primate — topics requiring rapid thought shifts for the audience.

On-going research was allotted 3 minutes, later stretched officially to five.

So Dr. Ken Entin tackled 25 year overview of Stanislaus County's chronic unemployment in five minutes. The anomaly is, on the one hand, the insistent and consistent high unemployment in Stanislaus County which, on the other hand, has had job growth twice the California state average. The county average monthly unemployment pattern has consistently paralleled the state's. What has changed is the degree of fluctuations, those seasonal peaks and valleys. There are also fewer manufacturing jobs which paid more per employee than the increasing services sector. Per capita income is increasing far less rapidly; since the late 1970s and early '80s, Stanislaus County per capita income has not kept pace with the statewide average increase, let alone that of Santa Clara County.

When the flood hit in January 1997, Dr. Payne and Dr. O'Brien arranged a quick funding of students to survey residents of four Modesto neighborhoods, including Robertson Road and La Loma districts. Experiences with local and federal emergency response were gathered. They plan to return for follow up interviews and plan to extend this survey to agricultural areas hit by the floods.

When the county hospital closed last fall after nearly 150 years, concern increased over health care in Stanislaus County and particularly the large population of uninsured and underserved, some of whom use the emergency system for basic health care.

The Symposium is held annually to inform other faculty of their colleagues’ work and to give students a glimpse of an often hidden aspect of university life, the continuous learning opportunities provided by professorial research projects. It also provides an educational service to the broader community.

Most of these CSU, Stanislaus professors are available for presentations through CSU Stanislaus new Speakers

Bureau. For information contact University Communications at 209-667-3391.

"Fiction is about actuality but it accepts the challenge of evoking that which cannot be seen, of revealing deeper, sometime shadowy levels of experience. My training as a fiction writer has indeed trained me to observe and reveal essential if subtle aspects of reality."

And the best talk in town.

*There's some people who always choose a vegan, sugar-free, virtually fat free, even pancakeless feast sans caffeine. Vivá la différence!

City anti-environment and pro-growth

Very interesting editorial in the Bee (3/16/98), "Bulldozed Trees" about some willow trees near the airport being removed for flight safety. The editorial states, "If the city isn’t careful, it’s going to get an anti-environment rap hung around its neck."

Hasn’t the current mayor and city council approved all subdivisions and land annexations in recent history? Has not the city council totally ignored the voice of Modesto voters on the issue of urban sprawl and growth? Many ecosystems have been destroyed locally in the past 25 years, and in exchange for "growth and progress" we simply have more traffic, crime, and smog.

The "city" has always been anti-environment and pro-growth at any cost. A few trees down by the airport do not compare to thousands of acres of prime farmland being paved over with cement, and ecosystems being destroyed in exchange for tract housing.

The Bee’s editorials are almost beginning to sound as hypocritical as our local city government, almost.

Consumer Be Aware: Beware!

As consumers we spend lots of money on a variety of products. But do we really know what we are purchasing and how these products may relate to our health? As a mother, this concerned me, so I looked into different types of food products and I couldn't believe what I found. I began by researching organic vs. non-organically grown foods sold in our area. According to a report done by Firman E. Bear at Rutgers University, comparing organic and non-organic foods, the nutrient levels were found to be higher in organically grown foods.

Ever since my family has been consuming organic foods our health has dramatically improved.

As consumers, we have the right to know what we are spending our money on. After I learned about the benefits of organic foods, I began calling local stores to see how many organic foods they stocked, and was disappointed to find that at most only 2% of the foods sold were organic. I asked a few produce managers if they would be willing to sell more organic foods and they said, "if customers demanded it and we could get our hands on some, then we would do our best to supply it." So, the solution is simple, as consumers we must demand organic foods. If we don't we will continue to throw our money away on foods with lower nutrient values.

Let's now compare the benefits of organic foods versus non-organic:

It is up to us as consumers to make a difference in our local environment. Let's not blame or point fingers; instead, let's encourage change and support organically - produced products. Our own economic wealth depends on the health of our agriculturally rich environment. We must preserve our soils, not pollute and exploit them. We can make a difference to make the world the best we can.

ACTION: Support organic growers (such as the Modesto Garden Project and some of our Farmer's Market people). Let your local market know you want to buy organic. (Local markets can find suppliers by calling the organic food directory, 1-800-852-3832)

Start composting and use the finished compost on your own garden.

Letter from Israel

There is little real concern in Jerusalem about any actual traditional or nontraditional bombing. Here people are more concerned about internal terrorist acts targeting Israelis and Americans. When I arrived at the University, a CNN correspondent shoved a camera and microphone in my face wanting to know if I was concerned and how I felt about the fact that Israel does not issue gas masks to nonresidents unless there is real need etc. etc.

Security here is completely different than in the states. When you enter the dorm area or the university campus you pass an armed guard who can wave you through, ask to see your ID, or check your bag and frisk you if he really doesn't like you. Your bag is searched whenever you go anywhere; the theater, to a lecture.

All residents go into the army before they go to college. You get used to being flirted with by 19 year old boys with machine guns while walking though the market. My male friends are certain that there is something very erotic about a woman with a machine gun.

I have only been here a week so I haven't had time to see a lot of the city. I have been to the Western or Wailing Wall, the only remaining piece of an outer wall of the second Jewish temple. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life. The wall is worn smooth and in all of the cracks there are thousands of pieces of paper containing the prayers of people from all over the world. What makes the spot even more powerful is the Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher right there as well.

By JIM HIGGS

The Sonoma Peace Center hosted this year’s annual statewide gathering of Peace Centers. The first hour was a combination of introductions and stating what our passions were, followed by a community building activity; you know, the game where you cross hands and try to extract your selves. After this, we responded to the question: What would be missing in your community if your group or center did not exist? Stockton’s John Morearty's workshop How to do a T.V. show and news was well-prepared with a useful handout. A light T'ai Chi workout led by Myfanwy Plank was pleasant and relaxing. We broke for a good dinner and listened to the keynote speech by Andres Mares Muro, a New York Fellowship of Reconciliation leader very much into the labor movement.

Then I journeyed into Santa Rosa to find my delightful host family, Jeff and Marjorie Boehm ( pronounced BAME ). Jeff had had a number of strokes and was able to walk around the block. Marjorie kept explaining that Jeff often lost track of what he was saying. I loved listening to the both of them. Jeff had been a labor newspaper reporter and had wonderful stories to tell. The Boehm home displayed an etching of Frederick Douglass and many other colorful pieces of art on the walls. The home was also full of books and periodicals, including The Nation . They keep up on their peace work by reading, much like Howard Ten Brink does in Modesto. I enjoyed my stay and gifted them with a book purchased at the Peace Gathering. Thanks for people like the Boehms.

Sunday was the best part of the gathering for me. I advocated for a way to network the Peace Centers — establish a joint speakers series. The idea was accepted and we made a list of the people, their addresses, both actual and e-mail and then we planned for next year. I communicated with John Morearty about hosting the gathering in Modesto. He was excited and we volunteered to host next March. The Church of the Brethren will be the location, thanks to the quick work of Lenore Palsgrove.

We concluded with an evaluation that stated the following: the food was great; good workshops and good to intersperse movement periodically; and good support networks were practiced. People wanted to add the following next year: more discussion of nuts and bolts; discussions of peace centers and their finances; a more flexible agenda; have two workshop times; tour the local Peace Center; have more personal time and make better use of Friday night.

The Modesto Peace/Life Center was represented by both Sam Tyson and Jim Higgs. It was good to be with dedicated peace communities.

By JIM HIGGS

Just typing the month of May seems strange, given the weather. Delanie and I went to The Nugget in Sparks, Nevada for two nights. On the return journey, begun at 3 a.m. because I wanted to attend a computer training at MJC, we were prevented from crossing Donner Summit, heading west on Interstate 80, even with chains which a chain monkey put on for a twenty. People had been traveling too fast and the road had to be cleared of accidents. We Super 8 moteled it for six hours and then headed west through a blizzard at a speed limit of thirty miles an hour. We made it safe and sound but the weather continues to be a problem. The Modesto Bee reports that we have had twenty plus inches of rain, more than double the average. Dealing with Nature is fitting in. Living with Nature rather than using It.

Just as I adjusted my speed during the blizzard, we need to adjust to the splendid ways of Mother Earth. I finally have read a book I kept staring at rather than reading. Kayaking The Full Moon: A Journey Down the Yellowstone River To The Soul of Montana , by Steve Chapple. Mr. Chapple is a good writer, one adept at making his extensive reading and research seamlessly woven into his prose. He meanders with his Brazilian, his term for his wife, Inez, and his two rambunctious boys who tumble over rocks, taunt cliffs and their parents, and fall asleep in the car seat and on the back seat. The Chapples wander at will with the only guiding principle that Steve will have eventually covered every inch of the Yellowstone River, which he calls the last wild river in the United States. He weaves in and out of descriptions of local cattle ranchers and beet farmers, never being denied access through private property to the edge of the river when he explained his mission. But it is his weaving in of Native American lore and facts that make the book one I probably will reread for a lesson in Montana nations. Nothing seems to dim Steve Chapple's passions. He describes birds, Native Americans past and present, Cottonwood trees which he comes to consider the forest primeval , his wife and children and the characters with whom he interacts. Here is a flavor of Chapple's marvelous prose:

"In Lame Deer, we were told the barbecue had been rained out. We drove on to Birney, where a powwow was being held in a circular arbor of cottonwoods and white trellises covered by vines. Johnny Russell showed us the drum. A half dozen old men sat around a big bass drum covered with hide. They smacked the skin rhythmically and with great force as women, and a few men, wailed endlessly. The rhythm was low and slow. The sound reminded me of humpback whales, heard underwater. The crescendos took half an hour to climax. When they did, people stopped whatever they were doing to listen. The drum took them by surprise." ( pp. 231-2 )

Without exaggeration, I report that the Chapples' had fears of: being murdered at night in their tent; of drowning in the river; and of losing contact with what they had set out to accomplish. But, throughout the book, there are epiphanies which inspire and astound. Let us conclude with one:

"It was a cloudy day, one of those days when you wake up early and you know nothing will happen. But a lot was! A muddy day. If we were constitutionally calm people, I am sure everything would come to us. We were not. And so we usually had to remind ourselves that everything got done, just never in the way we planned. When circumstances conspired to knock us off the river, why, then the story was to be found on dry land." ( p. 239 )

Kayaking The Full Moon is fascinating to read. It makes the reader want to repeat the journey just as the Chapples had. Call me and borrow my copy.

Modesto Airport Neighbors United Wins "Award for Excellence"

Modesto Airport Neighbors United has been selected as one of six national winners of the 1997-98 Awards for Excellence in Community Collaboration for Children and Youth.

The award, presented by the Local Collaboration for Children and Youth, symbolizes national recognition to communities that have developed innovative, bold and creative collaborations to address the needs of children and youth.

In 1993, Modesto designated the Airport District as a "target neighborhood" under the Community Development Block Grant program and formed the Airport District Collaborative. The group, comprised of residents, the City, Modesto City Schools, United Way, Modesto Gospel Mission, and the County Sheriff's Office, prioritized issues, identified assets, devised solutions, and started problem-solving.

The Collaborative strives to harness the leadership potential of the neighborhood's youth, to provide them with positive role models, and to help them obtain the needed job skills to be successful adults and parents.

"Most of the credit should go the neighborhood residents. They determined and defined their own needs, and were successful in getting government agencies to change their programs and policies to address their unique needs," said Steve Young, Modesto’s Housing and Neighborhoods Manager.

2 SAT: Grappling with Growth Conference, Modesto Jr. College, 9 am. Registration 8:30. Features: livable communities, land stewardship, healthy ecosystems. Includes lunch. Info: John Hopkins, (915) 756-6455.

2 SAT: Great Valley Museum's auction. Enter the jungle, savor the food, benefit the museum: $10. 6 pm, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Rd., Modesto. Info: 575-6196.

4 MON: PFLAG. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays support group. 7 pm. 527-0776.

4 MON: FEMALE: Formerly Employed Mothers at the Leading Edge support group. YMCA. 2700 McHenry Modesto. 6:30 pm. Info: 549-9441. Visitors welcome.

4 MON: Register to Vote. Last day to become eligible to vote in the June election. Mail-in cards available at all libraries & city halls or phone 524-1698.

4 MON: AIDS QUILT traveling display thru Wed. Opens 6 pm, Modesto Centre Plaza. (see p. 8)

8 FRI: Song Circle, a Peace Life Center Activity. All ages and voices welcome. 7 pm. Call 529-5750 for info on location.

9 SAT: "The Human Race," sponsored by the Volunteer Center, walk, run, or pledge. Sign up with the charity you wish to support.

9 SAT: "Vocal Music Around the World," by MJC College chorus and voice students, MJC Music Bldg. Recital Hall. Info: 575-6260.

9 SAT: Central Valley Inventors (encourages innovation) 10 am, Manteca Library, Info: Sharon 599-6328; Greg 645-2576

10 SUN: Green Party meeting, 2 pm. Call Don for info. and location, 523-8871.

10 SUN: Juilliard String Quartet, State Theatre, 8 pm. Tickets: 527-4697.

10 SUN: Choral Concert, MJC Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Masterworks Chorus, and College Singers, 3 pm, First Christian Reformed Church, 2620 College Ave.

12 TUES: Celebration of the Humanities Awards Ceremony: an evening celebrating student excellence in the arts—art, photography, music, speech, theatre, dance, video, and writing. MJC auditorium, 7 pm, reception and gallery exhibition following. All invited. Free.

12 TUES: Peace Camp meeting, Peace/Life Center, 7 pm.

14 THURS: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY’S Annual Fund Raising Dinner, Thurs., May 14, Centenary United Methodist Church, McHenry & Tokay, Modesto. Guest Speaker Dennis Cardoza. Music by Modesto High School Ensemble. Gathering, 6 pm, dinner 6:30 pm. Donation: tickets $20. 575-4585.

14 THURS: Coalition of Parent Support (COPS). Non-custodial parents support group. 847-4227.

14 THURS: La Leche/Modesto. 10 am. 538-3862 or 545-8444.

15 FRI: Sierra Club, Larry Harris's slide show of Tanzania & Kenya treks, 7 pm, MJC Electronics Bldg, Rm 100.

16 SAT: California Bike Commute Week begins. Family Cycling Festival, downtown Modesto. Contest for human powered vehicles, awards. Info: Barbara Denlis, 558-7830.

18 MON - 22: Bike Commute Week: ride to work. Giveaways and breakfast for all riders.

18 MON: La Leche Turlock 7:30 pm, 537-1243 or 669-9274.

18 MON: FEMALE: Formerly Employed Mothers at the Leading Edge-See May 4.

19 TUES: PFLAG, See May 4.

21 THURS: Tribu, a Pre-Hispanic Music Troupe from Mexico at the State Theatre, J St., Modesto 8 pm. Tickets: 529-5465

21 THURS: PFLAG: Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays Sonora/Mother Lode group, Sonora Unity Church, 326 W. Stockton, Sonora. Info: 533-1665.

21 THURS: NAACP. King-Kennedy Center, 601 N. Martin L. King Jr. Dr., Modesto. 7:30 pm. 577-5355.

21 THURS: Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. County Administration Building, lower level training room, 11th & H St, Modesto. 4-5:30 pm. 525-6348.

25 MON: Epilepsy Support Group. Memorial Medical Bldg, 1800 Coffee Road, Modesto (north of the hospital). 7 pm. Info: Mary Harris, 521-9737.

25 MON: Peace/Life Center Board. 720 13th St., Modesto. 7 pm. 529-5750

26 TUES: Mujeres Latinas de Stanislaus, Doctors Medical Center meeting room, 6:30 pm, Info: Maggie Mejia, 527-l9l4.

Thru MAY 31: Great Valley Museum GOLD RUSH! Exhibit. Tuesday-Friday, 12 noon-4:30 pm. Saturday, 10 am- 4 pm. Exhibit at Great Valley Museum, 1100 Stoddard Ave. Museum fee-$1/person, $3/family, children 6 and under free.

Looking Ahead

JUNE 7: Annual Pancake Breakfast benefit for Modesto Peace/Life Center, College Avenue Congregational Church, College & Orangeburg, 8 am to 1 pm.

JUNE 26-28: Peace Camp for all ages, Camp Peaceful Pines, Strawberry area.

Ongoing

PEACE/LIFE CENTER

Weekdays or by appt. 720 13th St. Open 2-4:30 pm 529-5750.

MODESTO FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 7 am - noon.

TURLOCK FARMERS MARKET: Thursdays, 5:30 - 8:30 pm. farm fresh produce, musicians and entertainment.

MODESTO CIVIC THEATRE presents "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" at the State Theatre, J St. , Modesto. Fri. & Sat May 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30, at 8 pm. Sun. matinee 2 pm., May 24, 31. Tickets: 526-5505.

YMCA EARTH LEADERSHIP CORPS

Teen program Thursdays. Info: Joel Buettner: 578-9622.

RAINBOW GENERATION

Every Wednesday 4:30 pm Rm. 153 Founders Hall, Modesto Jr. College. Support Group for gay, lesbian and gay-friendly people. Info: Michael 574-0549.

CHILDREN'S STORY HOURS

Stanislaus County Library. Modesto: Tuesday & Wednesdays, 10 and 11 am. Family Story Time, Tuesdays, 7 pm. All 12 library branches have morning story hours. Call for info.

STORY TIME AT THE BOOKSTORE

Saturdays, 11 am, ages 2 to 8 accompanied by adult, some bi-lingual, English-Spanish. McHenry Village

CHILDREN'S STORY HOUR AND MUSIC: Aztlan Bookstore, 907 10th St. , Modesto, 2nd & 4th Saturdays, 11:30 - 1 pm.

STORY TIME AT BARNES AND NOBLE

Tuesdays, 11 am. Thursdays, 4:30 pm. McHenry Avenue

THE BOOKSTORE POETRY READINGS second & fourth Fridays 7:30 pm

featuring Central Valley poets, listeners invited. Info: 521-0535. McHenry Village

DIVERSITY; Support group for gay-lesbian and other youth questioning their sexuality. 3:30-5 pm, Thursdays, 526-1440, Center for Human Services

THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS

Gay men’s HIV support group. Every Wednesday at 1 pm and Thursday, 11 am. Free. Info: 529-5279

SENIOR CITIZENS POTLUCK LUNCH AND ACTIVITIES, King-Kennedy Center, Wednesdays. Noon. Free.

SERRV

Fridays and Saturdays. International gifts from developing countries,
10 am-3 pm. Church of the Brethren, 2301 Woodland, Rm #4, Modesto. 523-5178.

STANISLAUS INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCERS

Every Friday 7:30 to 10 pm Sylvan School Auditorium 2908 Coffee, Modesto. Fee $2.00 per night. Children welcome. Info: Kropps, 847-4439.

YOGA WITH NEVA AND JOCELYN

Mondays, 7 pm, First United Methodist Church, 16th & I, Modesto. 523-0155 or 524-3246.

MODESTO FOR RACE UNITY

Uniting humanity through social activities, constructive dialog and community participation. Call Gerry, 529-6021 or Renaldo, 544-6797 for times and events location.

CHILD HEALTH MOBILE SERVICES

At Maddux Youth Center, Third and Sierra Dr., Modesto, fourth Fridays, noon to 4:30 pm. Call for appointment, 525-6282.

ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS

First Christian Church Modesto. 14th and L St. 7 pm. Info: 527-2469 or 537-6571.

ACTIVITIES FOR DISABLED YOUTH

Saturday night gym program, Tuesdays: Adaptive Wheel Chair Basketball, 6:30 pm.

CITY OF MODESTO PARKS & RECREATION

Dept. has a wealth of activities for adults and children. Catalogues and info: 577-5344, 801 11th St. Modesto.

MJC ART GALLERY

Open noon to 8 pm Mon-Thurs, and 1 to 5 pm Friday. Free.

GREAT VALLEY MUSEUM

College & Stoddard Ave, Modesto. Open Tues-Fri 12-4:30 pm. Sat 10 am-4 pm. Many special programs for children. 575-6196.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ARTICLES TO CONNECTIONS.

Tenth of each month. Submit peace, justice and environmentally friendly event notices to P.O. Box 134, Modesto, CA, 95353, or call 522-4967 or 575-4299, or email to costello@ainet.com. Free listings subject to space, availability and editing.