STANISLAUS CONNECTIONS

Working For Peace, Justice, and A Sustainable Environment

January, 2002

A Modesto Peace/Life Center Publication

Community

Water and Dreams: visions of Modesto Parks

By MYRTLE OSNER

“The aliveness of a city depends on the bond between its water and its flow of dreams”

                                                            — from Gaston Bachelard: Water and Dreams.

When Jim Niskanen talks about Modesto’s park system you can almost see it come to life. He waxes eloquent about the beauties of a balanced park system that serves all our residents, young and old, poor and affluent, vigorous and not so. Now that the Tuolumne River Regional Park plan has been accepted by the Joint Powers Agency (Modesto, Ceres, Stanislaus County), we can look at the map and dream dreams. It won’t satisfy everyone but it will happen!

There is something for everyone: wild areas of riverine habitat, restoring the flood plain to its former botanical diversity with native plants, including the majestic oak forests that once lined the rivers of the Central Valley. There will be trails for pedestrians, bicycles and horses, and playing fields on the flat areas near Carpenter Road. An “amphimeadow” will be in the “Gateway” parcel near the Ninth and Seventh Street’s bridges and docks for  non-motorized boating. Yes, some of us would like to have kept more of it natural. Others think making it more accessible to motorists and the handicapped is more important.

Modesto has a comprehensive park system in many ways. We have neighborhood parks, generally adjoining most schools. Not all have been developed, but all are planned ahead and land is acquired. There is not enough money generated by the Capital Facilities Funds to cover everything a neighborhood needs, up front, and money needs to be obtained for our parks from state bonds and other sources. So, don’t be too surprised if you have to wait for parks as long or longer than you do for roads, sidewalks, and drainage.

A new concept is being implemented in this flat city where we all have experienced streets that take days to drain at the first sign of even a mild downpour. Drainage basins in newer areas will be built to have dual usage, that is, they will be landscaped in such a way that they can be parks but can also take overflow drainage.

Our other regional park parallels Dry Creek. A paved bicycle trail has just been completed out to Claus Road from downtown. A portion of this trail has been in the news lately because a section of the trail crosses Dry Creek to the north side and comes out to meet Coffee Road. Development of housing at this juncture has been controversial and has not yet been settled. Advocates of saving the native oaks in this section have also been concerned with plans to alter the bicycle trail to accommodate more autos in the complex, as well as to cut down some of the oak trees. Stay tuned. We need infill housing, but is the plan proposed the right one?

Finally, plans for the long park that will result when the Union Pacific removes its tracks along the Virginia Ave. corridor, and off Ninth Street have been sent to the planning firm. Generally, residents along this area have been overjoyed that they no longer have noisy trains in their back yards day and night. A bicycle route from Bangs Ave. to downtown will provide another way to get there without a car. It will be landscaped and the trail paved. Ways to traverse the numerous street crossings are still to come. When many people use an area, it becomes safer for the entire neighborhood, say the police. People watch out for each other. With Dry Creek, the Tuolumne, and the old railroad right of way, we’ll have a north-south, and two east-west bicycle and pedestrian trails. I can fondly hope that this means fewer cars on the road, but this is probably wishful thinking. Nevertheless, it is necessary for a mature city to have many modes of getting around.

An illustrated map of Tuolumne Regional Park is posted at the Peace Center and the library.

Water and Dreams, Part II (March, 2002)

By MYRTLE OSNER

Our January issue reported on Modesto’s Parks and Recreation plans for the Regional Park along the Tuolumne River. Followed in February by Sam Tyson’s letter to the editor, it’s time to broaden the discussion. Required public meetings have been held for some years to find out what the public really wants. We interviewed Allison Boucher of the Friends of the Tuolumne and examined other responses to the plan.

From the very beginning, public input showed that a top priority was to have a park with natural features rather than highly developed space. In a city the size of Modesto, flanked by the growing city of Ceres, quiet places to just enjoy nature, especially when a river runs through it, are scarce. People said they wanted to walk or bicycle on a maintained trail that didn’t intersect with a lot of roads.

We also learned from Modesto’s General Plan and from guidelines from Fish and Wildlife and other agencies, that there must be a buffer zone of natural vegetation at least 100 feet back from the river course. And we found that the proposed park lies within the Tuolumne River flood plain, ruling out any structures there. Those of us who have lived through the 1997 and earlier floods know that many homes were built before this was recognized. We saw the massive dislocation and loss of homes caused by unwise building.

Those who are concerned about the park division’s plans, brought forth by consultant EDAW, have made numerous suggestions. The chief bone of contention is the Gateway parcel between Dry Creek and the Ninth St. bridge. Plans call for an “amphimeadow” to be carved out of the bluff, big enough to seat 3000 people. In order to be reasonably comfortable, grass would have to be planted, fertilized, watered, and mowed, even if no structures were built. This in itself endangers, by runoff, both Dry Creek and the Tuolumne River. In addition, residents are concerned about the plans for festivals (at least ten envisioned) which would require amplification and lighting. Night lighting, in particular, will be disturbing to wildlife, especially birds.

The second objection is to the intrusion of a loop road and large parking lots within the park. Although handicapped accessibility is necessary, the provision of a road looping though the park and parking for such crowds should not happen in this park. Objectors say cars can be accommodated in other ways, and that cars looping thru the park would destroy the riparian setting with its natural outdoor ambiance, to the detriment of enjoyment for everybody.

Finally, the plan violates both the Modesto and the Stanislaus County General Plans, both of which emphasize conservation of natural resources and preservation of open space. The Modesto Plan specifically states: “All areas within identified riparian corridors shall be maintained in a natural state. Recreation should be limited to passive forms of recreation, with any facilities constructed to be non-intrusive to wildlife or sensitive species. Only those uses consistent with these values shall be allowed (e.g., nature education and research, fishing, habitat enhancement and protection).”

This year, the money that was in Governor Davis‚ budget has completely cut out development of Tuolumne River Park, so at this moment it seems the best thing to do would be to follow the dictates of common sense and abandon the overblown plans for the park. People can still enjoy the area if we have walking and biking trails and a scaled back plan. And the River will be the better for it.

Homelessness is a big concern in Stanislaus County

By MYRTLE OSNER

I was surprised at the number of young people who submitted Peace Essay Contest entries relating to homelessness recently. Having grown up during the depths of the depression, I can’t recall noticing many people who were homeless. My relatives took us in, with great sacrifice to themselves. Do families do that today? No doubt, but there is only so much they can do. Homelessness has become a societal problem. It seems that today the problem is more obvious. When a child writes an essay on the subject, and mentions where they have seen homeless people, we know it’s a problem that needs solutions bigger than families caring for each other.

Thus, it was refreshing to hear from STANCO Executive Director, Dave Meling about their program called Stanislaus County Affordable Housing Corporation. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a better community. With its business partners, the City of Modesto, Stanislaus County, and HUD, housing is built and managed. Some is rehabilitated housing, some new. Mr. Meling emphasized that this is a private board created by United Way to address a shortage of affordable housing, becoming a stand-alone agency (not a government agency) in 1994.

The price of homes has skyrocketed from the median in 1996 of $95,000.00 to today’s median of $152,995.00. The average rental price in 1990 was between $215.00 and $503.00. Today, estimated price is $750.00, an increase of 71%. Put that in context: the county’s median annual income for a family of four has only increased 7.5%. “In that light, the situation seems nothing short of desperate,” says STANCO.

Although created to provide housing, STANCO discovered in one of its first projects that support services were essential to the success of each project. They are very proud of their rehab project at 609 5th St., Modesto, called the Fifth Street Respite Center. It provides short-term relief for homeless mentally ill at risk for victimization. STANCO allowed the county to access $3 million in supportive services here. It is staffed 24 hours a day. Staff supervises and connects clients to helpful resources within the community. All stays are voluntary and people must abide by Respite Center rules.

Another project that mushroomed was Pathways to Independence, for emancipated foster youth (over 18). Many are instantly out on the street when they become 18. The house provides for 12 youth; support services come from the Center for Human Services, the Health Dept., and the Welfare Dept. All participants now have jobs. STANCO is moving to build houses that will sell for 80% of minimum, built by the private sector. They will  also be building apartments.

The challenge is that perhaps $3 million comes into the county for housing, but the need is more like $300 million per year. From 7 units in the beginning, STANCO now owns and manages 40 and will soon be building more. Vacancies are at zero; evictions are at an all-time high, and rents are soaring. Stanislaus County is far behind in providing affordable housing.

Perhaps the greatest challenge is the energy crisis. STANCO has recognized that rehab emphasizing energy efficiency will save money for clients in the long run. STANCO has chosen to be a local partner in the Dept. of Energy’s REBUILD AMERICA PROGRAM, designed to retrofit to make homes and businesses more energy efficient. Look for more action in future.

Tim Fisher, Board president of STANCO since 1993, says, “Service to STANCO remains one of my greatest rewards of public service. I wish everyone that sense of exhilaration [when we purchased our first home].” Tim is an architect and vice mayor of Modesto.

New Year Celebrations Worldwide

By TINA ARNOPOLE DRISKILL

Happy New Year! Bonne Annee (French)! Subh Nab Bars (Hindi)! L’Shana Tova (Hebrew)! Kiortame pivdluaritlo (Eskimo)! Warsa Enggal (Sudanese)! Sabai dee pee mai (Laotian)! The greetings are as diverse as the ethnic, cultural and historic traditions practiced world wide and as ancient as the first civilizations.

At least 4,000 years ago in early Egypt the flooding of the Nile River near the end of September signified the beginning of the next year. Statues of the god, Amon and his wife and son were floated up the Nile and people spent the whole month singing, dancing and feasting. Equally long ago the Babylonians held a springtime new year festival on March 23 kicking off the next cycle of planting and harvest. The king was stripped of his robes and sent away, and the citizens joined in revelry and merrymaking. A few days later the New Year began as the king lead a grand procession and people returned to normal activities.

Around 2,000 BCE (before the common era) the New Year started at the first visible crescent of the New Moon after the Vernal Equinox. The Babylonians instituted the practice of New Year’s resolutions, the most popular of which was to return borrowed farm equipment.

It was not until 153 BCE that the Romans attempted to declare January 1 as the beginning of the New Year. Prior to that the vernal equinox about March 25 was celebrated as New Year’s Day, which was also accepted as the beginning of the new year in most Christian European countries during the early medieval era.

Though January 1 is currently accepted as the beginning of the new year, there was much delay in adopting this date, since it has no seasonal significance. It was the civil date chosen for the Roman  consuls to officially assume their newly elected positions. The inconsistencies of the early Roman calendar prompted Julius Caesar to engage the Greek astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria to devise a new one based upon the Egyptian solar model. It was Caesar’s desire to return the beginning of the new year to a more logical solstice or equinox date, but January 1 of 45 BCE was on a new moon, a time regarded by the population as bad luck for such a change. Finally, Caesar extended 47 BCE 445 days to synchronize with the sun, and the Julian calendar has been in use ever since.

The Julian calendar had no significant reforms until 1582, when Pope Gregory XII instituted the present method for calculating and dividing the year. The Catholic world adopted the Gregorian updates soon thereafter, but it was not adopted by other cultures until between the 16th and 1st third of the 20th centuries. The European tradition of celebrating the new year on March 25th was carried into the American colonies by the early Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam. It wasn't observed on January 1 until the English took control of New Amsterdam in 1674.

The desire to be done with the consequences of past decisions and make a new start was exemplified by the Romans, when they named the first calendar month for Janus, a Roman god depicted with two heads, one looking forward and the other back to distinguish a break between the old and the new.

The early Greeks paraded a baby in a basket, which represented the spirit of fertility. This symbol was adopted by Christians as the baby Jesus, continuing the once pagan ritual. Today the concept has evolved into the symbols of a newborn baby to represent the birthing of a new year and an old man as Father Time to symbolize the fading of the last.

Loud noises, the wearing of costumes and masks, purification, confessions and similar practices are employed by many cultures to send away devilish spirits from the past and open the way for a clean beginning at the new year. Rituals can be religious in nature, secular or both and can occur any time throughout the year.

Ancient Native American Creek Indians celebrated the ending of one year and the beginning of the next with the ripening of the corn in July or August, and the Iroquois brought in the new year sometime between January and March with confessions, noise making and disguises to expel evil spirits.

The ancient Celts of Gaul, modern-day France, and parts of Britain before the Romans arrived, celebrated the New Year at the end of October with Samhain, which means “summer’s end.” It was their custom to gather mistletoe to keep the ghosts away they believed returned to haunt the living at this time.

The Hindus in India have New year celebrations four times each year to coincide with the four seasons. Diwali, celebrated in the Autumn, is practiced at the new year. Thousands of dipas, tiny clay lamps, are lit to bring the good luck goddess to homes, and the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, is honored. In springtime celebrations pink, red, purple or white flowers and yellow clothing, the color of Spring, are worn, and in Central India orange flags are flown on New Year’s Day.

The Jewish religion also commemorates four New Year celebrations. The predominantly celebrated Rosh Hashanah, Birthday of the World, is part of a religious holy season that incorporates the New Year, the fall harvest, the finishing of the annual reading of the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) and the beginning again with Genesis. Fruit (usually apples) are dipped in honey to bring sweetness to the new year, and bread is tossed upon water in the Tashlikh ceremony to symbolize the casting away of sins. A ram’s horn or “shofar” is blown numerous times as a reminder to look at actions over the past year, to pray for forgiveness and to seek atonement on “Yom Kippur.”

The Muslim calendar is lunar. The Muslims of Iran plant wheat or barley dish gardens, so new shoots are visible by March 21, symbolizing the new year at the first signs of new life. No Ruz, the Iranian celebration, lasts 13 days, during which time gifts of fruit, flowers and colored eggs are exchanged. On the last day of the celebration, known as “Sizbah Bi Dar,” people picnic and the dish gardens are thrown into a body of water as a symbol of throwing away bad luck.

The Chinese New Year, called Yuan Tan or Ch’un Chieh, occurs some time between January 17 and February 19 and is determined by the new moon. A Festival of Lanterns street procession includes the lighting of thousands of lanterns. The Chinese Kitchen God, Tsao-Chun, is said to travel from homes to the heavens upon a carp to report on each member of the family. To appease the kitchen god, homes are cleaned spotless and decorated. The several day celebration includes gift exchanges, the famous men dress in lion dance and the maneuvering of the dragon through the streets to bring good luck from house to house. The lucky color red is dominantly displayed, and the evil spirit, Shan-sau, is scared away by firecrackers, drums and shouting.

The Vietnamese Tet Nguyen or “Tet” is similar to the Chinese New Year. Celebrated for 3 days, the festivities include the lighting candles to honor deceased relatives, who are believed to return during Tet. It is required that everyone be happy to avoid bad luck in the coming year, and the first person to enter a home at the New Year is believed to bring good or bad luck.

The Scottish people also share a belief in the first visitor and expect very good luck if the visitor is a dark haired male bearing a gift. Their New Year is called Hogmanay. In some villages barrels of tar are lighted and rolled through the streets, allowing the old year to burn away and the new to enter.

The Japanese people believe happiness brings good luck in the new year and laugh the moment each new year begins. New year is celebrated on January 1, and many still practice Shinto beliefs. Front doors are decorated with pine branches, bamboo and ropes to bring health and long life, and fan ropes are hung over the doors and roofs with seaweed or ferns to insure happiness and good luck. Children are given, “otoshidamas”, small gifts with money inside, and forgetting-year parties are held to let go of the old year. Family and friends are forgiven for misunderstandings or disagreements to pave the way for a clean start, and on December 31st bells are rung 108 times in Buddhist temples, symbolizing 108 human frailties in Buddhist belief.

South Americans celebrate “Ano Viejo”. Human scarecrow effigies are stuffed with old newspapers and firecrackers to symbolize things from the past year, and are set afire at midnight as the new year begins. Greeks celebrate the Festival of Saint Basil, and children leave shoes by the fireplace on New Year’s Day in hope that Saint Basil will fill them with gifts.

New Year is often immersed in superstition and fortune-telling. In some parts of Switzerland and Austria, people known as Sylvesterklauses dress in fantastic costumes and retell the story on Saint Sylvester’s Eve of Pope Saint Sylvester, who in AD 314 was believed to have captured a terrible sea monster. The celebration came to pass since the world was spared from a prophesy that the monster would escape and destroy the world in the year 1000.

New Year’s Eve and Day witness young Romanian men traveling through the countryside banging drums, ringing cow bells and cracking whips, while modern Mexicans are known to fire rifles into the air. Peruvians wear yellow underwear, Neapolitans toss pots and dishes out the window, Muscovites jam into Red Square and toss emptied vodka bottles overhead at midnight. Danes leap off chairs as the clock strikes 12 a.m. in order to “jump” into a new year, and the Japanese carry on an hours long song war.

Hearty Canadians from Vancouver, British Columbia, take the plunge into the new year at the traditional polar bear swim, while folks in 186 American cities, as well as in cities in Canada, New Zealand and England brave winter weather to enjoy the 25-year-old First Night alcohol-free performing arts festivals on New Year’s Eve.

People of Thailand celebrate the New Year, called Songkran, in April by drenching each other with water and are led in parade by an honored woman, while marching to the beat of drums and gongs dressed as dragons, elephants, buffaloes and giants. The Igbo children in Nigeria hide behind locked doors in March to protect themselves from being carried away by the old year, while in Denmark it is considered a good sign to find piles of broken dishes outside one’s door, which are thrown on New Year’s Eve as a sign of friendship.

In the USA New Year has come to mean parades and football games, New Year’s Eve parties and watching the ball fall in New York’s Time’s Square. The Rose Bowl parade began in 1886, when members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers to celebrate the ripening orange crop in California. Sports contests were held in the afternoon and in 1902 the first Rose Bowl football game was played, but was replaced the following year with chariot races. In 1916 football returned as the centerpiece of the Tournament of Roses festival. No matter how or when you celebrate the New Year, we at Stanislaus Connections wish you a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL 2002!