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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Frankly (or Robertly as the case may be) I was not going
to write about our newest kitty cat because I wasn’t feeling too
jovial. As a former managing editor I knew used to say, when
you’d ask how it was going: “I’m swamped and bleeding from
the ears.” OK, so I like to exaggerate.
Let’s just say that sometimes the amount of work here
seems overwhelming, especially dealing with these doggone
electronical PCs. (Electronical is a word I just invented.)
qwwwwww For your information, that last bit of the alphabet is
from our new cat, Jelly, who stepped on my keyboard, and
who’s also hanging off the side of my monitor trying to rip off
my stuffed mascot dinosaur. Jelly is at the office this day,
climbing all over the chairs, desks; and my legs, neck and
back, because nei-
ther Jan nor I were
going to be home.
We didn’t want
to leave him home
alone with our four
big cats. Not yet.
One of them, whom I
won’t name, but
whose initials are
Maui, has smacked
him a few times.
She’s sooo mean; hates all other cats, especially newcomers.
Bubba Big Foot also has “played” a bit too rough a few times.
We’re afraid he might eat the new kid until he gets bigger.
Deckster (who was living under our front deck until we
adopted him) is a little afraid of Jelly, and has hissed menac-
ingly at his approach. Only our gentle Flint “Flinty” Eastwood
plays nice all the time. He’s even a bit protective of the new
little guy.
Why the name Jelly? Because our new tuxedo buddy is a
Jellicle cat. The Jellicle cats, or simply the Jellicles, are a type
of feline mentioned in T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Prac-
tical Cats. Introduced in his poem, Song of the Jellicles, they
were originally depicted by Eliot as common black-and-white
cats whose daytime nature is peaceful, pleasant and restive
— but who possess an active love of nightlife. Specifically,
Eliot mentions that they like to gather at an event called the
“Jellicle Ball.” Get the picture?
Actually, probably because he’s so young (6 or 7 weeks
at this point) Jelly is still real active during daylight. But he
sleeps well all night, right between us, although sometimes it’s
10 or 11 before he settles down. He’s a real character, and
probably will start looking for the “Jellicle Ball” when he gets a
bit older.
We got him at the I.V. Lions Club Labor Day Festival. A
nice family was carrying him and his siblings in a box. Jan
saw him, fell in love, and we brought him home. He checked
out well at our veterinarian's office. And so we again have five
housecats, as our previous tuxedo companion, Charlie, who’s
also a Jellicle, is living it up down south with our granddaugh-
ters Natalie and Ella.
Jelly has the typical sharp claws and teeth with which all
kittens come equipped. And I have the scratches and scars to
prove it. He’s a cool cat though; we’re enjoying him, especially
his fantastically active antics when he streaks about the
house, moon walks, and performs all those amazing actions
that seem impossible, but which kittens do with ease. He’s
faster than a speeding bullet, and can jump like a flea.
And we never have to worry about what will eventually
happen to our menagerie.
Natalie, who just turned 5, said that when she grows up,
and can live anywhere, she will live with Nonna and PopPop
in Oregon. She pointed out that if we get old and die, and our
cats didn’t, then someone would be there to take care of
them. Oh good, now I’m feeling jovial. In a Jellicle way.
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Robert R. (AKA Bob or El Jefe), Editor and Jan Rodriguez
Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for
Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at
321 S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523
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Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330
Email: newsroom1@frontiernet.net or newsdesk@illinois-valley-news.com
Volume 70, No. 26
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Millie Watkins, and Tina Grow
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(Editor’s Note: Views and
commentary, including state-
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Typed, double-spaced let-
ters written solely to this news-
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Congress cuts funds
for useful agency
From Ed Feulner
The Heritage Foundation
Washington, D.C.
During the past six
years a handful of federal
investigators have uncov-
ered evidence of multiple
crimes with 775 criminal
convictions and repayment
of $70 million taken ille-
gally from U.S. workers.
So how does Congress
react? By moving to cut
their budget next year.
That’s right: Lawmak-
ers finally have found a bu-
reaucracy that they don’t
want to expand. It’s the Of-
fice of Labor-Management
Standards (OLMS). It is the
arm (or the finger, to be
more precise) of our federal
government that investigates
fraud by union labor leaders.
This year, OLMS had a
budget of slightly less than
$48 million. For next year,
the House of Representa-
tives has appropriated $45.7
million. That’s a $2 million
cut, and $11 million less
than President Bush asked.
The cut is strange, espe-
cially since OLMS is rack-
ing up convictions left and
right. Perhaps this cut would
be understandable if Con-
gress finally had decided to
slash spending across the
board. But it hasn’t.
In fact, lawmakers seem
to be specifically targeting
OLMS. Because while its
budget is being cut, House
Democrats want to give the
rest of the Labor Dept. a big
boost -- more than $900
million more than the presi-
dent asked.
Why would lawmakers
take on OLMS? Probably
because union leaders don’t
like to be investigated, and
they’ve got powerful allies
on Capitol Hill. That’s why
lawmakers have already
tilted the playing field to-
ward unions.
I.V. Lions program
gains applause
From John McLaughlin
Hiouchi, Calif.
Just a short note to say
that my family and I thor-
oughly enjoyed the Illinois
Valley Lions Club festival
and parade for Labor Day.
We attended on Labor
Day, and were impressed
with the parade. Plus we had
a good time at your city park
because of the many booths
and food concessions.
Unfortunately we
couldn’t make it for the
tough truck event, but we do
plan to attend next year. We
like your community.
Drivers are going way
too fast. I’ve seen them
whizzing by, easily at 50 to
60 mph. Sometimes at night
you can hear them racing up
and down the street, espe-
cially the ones with loud
mufflers.
It’s way dangerous out
there for other drivers and
pedestrians. We have to re-
member that the road is used
by children of many ages,
plus adults, some of them
senior citizens.
E. River Street is the
main road for I.V. High
School, the I.V. Senior Cen-
ter, the I.V. Family Re-
source Center, and two
Head Start sites.
If people don’t slow
down we are going to have a
major tragedy. I know that
the sheriff’s office patrol is
having a staffing problem
now, but maybe when there
are more deputies, some-
thing can be done.
Meanwhile, we can
drive safely ourselves. And
if we can, let’s tell those
speeders to slow the heck
down. We don’t want a trag-
edy involving death or ma-
jor injury.
Disaster preparedness
means blood supply too
From Thomas Bruner,
Regional Executive, Ore-
gon Red Cross Chapters;
and Eric Brown, CEO,
American Red Cross Pa-
cific Northwest Regional
Blood Services
As the nation reflects on
the two-year anniversary of
hurricanes Rita and Katrina,
disturbing new statistics
have been released that sug-
gest staying prepared for the
next large-scale disaster will
be harder than ever before.
This new information
relates to the blood supply,
and the fact that the number
of eligible donors in the
United States has just been
reduced from 60 percent to
37 percent.
Why the drastic drop?
The new data – pub-
lished in the July 2007 issue
of the blood banking journal
Transfusion – cites the fact
that improved testing to en-
sure greater safety for donors
and recipients has removed
more potential donors from
the pool. This is due to high-
risk behaviors, chronic dis-
eases and exposure to dis-
eases through travel.
When that figure was at
60 percent, it was known
that only approximately 5
percent of eligible people
actually ever donate. Now
that the cushion of known
available donors has gotten
much smaller, it is more
important than ever for all
people who are eligible to
take the time to help save a
life by donating blood.
Then, they should come
back to donate again.
The Red Cross depends
on the public – on volunteer
blood and platelet donors –
to make sure that the com-
munity blood supply is at a
safe level at all times, in-
cluding what would be
needed in the event of a ma-
jor disaster. In our region,
that could mean a catastro-
phic earthquake, bird-flu
pandemic or fast-moving
forest fire – all of which
have the potential to render
many victims in need of
transfusions.
Even on a routine basis,
every day more than 38,000
people in the United States
need a blood transfusion to
survive. That’s one person
every two seconds.
Quite simply, the num-
bers of blood donors in our
region and around the coun-
try must go up. More eligi-
ble people need to step up to
the plate and help the Red
Cross stay prepared to meet
all levels of blood need.
If you were moved by
the two-year anniversary of
hurricanes Katrina and Rita
and are wondering what
more you can do here at
home, here is an easy and
practical way you can help:
Give blood.
It only takes about an
hour of your time, and the
single unit you donate could
be used to save more than
one life.
Cottage Cafe
Hours:
Wednesdays - Sundays
7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
210 E. Main St.
Rogue River
659-6953
illinois-valley-news.com
Office Space Available
at
Illinois Valley Family Coalition
When you rent an office at the
I.V.F.C., you get much more than just
a room. Our facility is modern, well
maintained and in a convenient
location with other human services
agencies. The facility allows
tenants to work together to
provide needed services to Illinois
Valley residents.
Some of the other features of the facility are:
1. Beautifully landscaped exterior
2. Fully alarmed security and fire system
3. Ample parking
4. Free public use of high speed internet computer resource room
5. On-sight landlord to address building problems immediately
6. Reception area and waiting room
7. Children’s play area
The monthly rental price includes, at no additional charge:
• Free high speed internet access • Free computer use
Driver, pedestrian
safety on E. River
From S.L. Adams
Cave Junction
I saw the letter last
week about the woman con-
cerned about traffic safety
on N. Old Stage Road. Now
I want to add my 2-cents
about the same topic on E.
River Street.
• Desk and office chair(s)
• Tenant patio
• Kitchen with microwave,
dishwasher, and refrigerator
• Office and kitchen cleaning
provided by landlord
• Paper towels and paper products • Electricity, water and trash
service
for the restrooms
• Free day-time use of the four meeting/conference rooms in the
building and reduced tenant rates for evening and week-end use
of meeting rooms
If your organization needs office or meeting space in the Illinois
Valley, consider the amenities we offer and call 592-6139 #303.
Illinois Valley Family Coalition
535 E. River Street, Cave Junction OR 97523
592-6139, FAX: 592-6786
ivfc@frontiernet.net