Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2015)
OPINION 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2015 Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Water under the bridge CALIFORNIA DREAMING Compiled by Bob Duke From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers Ben Margot/AP Photo This file photo shows the climbing face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. C alifornia is not that far away, but it is a different dimension. When we drive north, into Wash- ington, the sales tax is the only glar- ing distinction. But California really is a different state of mind. California also represents a driv- ing challenge of a different magni- tude. On our drive from Yosemite 1DWLRQDO 3DUN WR 2DNODQG ODVW 6XQ- day, our daughter navigated several freeway exchanges. These were typi- FDOO\¿YHODQHFRUULGRUV%\FRQWUDVW 2UHJRQGULYLQJLVTXDLQW3RUWODQG¶V UXVKKRXULVWLUHVRPHEXWLWODFNVWKH FRQVWDQWKD]DUGRQHIHHOVLQ&DOLIRU- QLDIUHHZD\WUDI¿F 0DQ\ &DOLIRUQLDQV JLYH D ORW RI their lives to drive time. 10 years ago this week — 2005 Two vessels ran aground Saturday because their helmsmen fell asleep, said Bob Coster, civilian search and rescue controller at U.S. Coast Guard Group Astoria, today. The 67-foot Royal Quarry, owned by Warrenton businessman Dennis Sturgell, ran aground at 2:56 a.m. Saturday at the south jetty entrance of the &ROXPELD5LYHUZKLOH¿VKLQJIRUEODFNFRG The 38-foot sailing vessel Gatane, from San Diego, Calif., ran aground Saturday on the north side of the entrance to Willapa Bay while its sole crew PHPEHUZDVVOHHSLQJ&RVWHUVDLG,WZDVUHÀRDWHG6XQGD\ Could anything be more trendy than living if a converted loft above a warehouse in an industrial area? Think Portland’s Pearl District, for example, but with a river view. That’s the kind of upscale housing coming to Astoria’s river- front. 8UEDQ 3DFL¿F %XLOGHUV //& D &DOLIRUQLDEDVHG UHDO HVWDWH GHYHORSPHQWFRPSDQ\ZLOOEXLOG3KDVHRIWKH&DQQHU\/RIWV project on 4.5 acres at the 39th Street business park on the east side of town. The trawler Snoopy dragged up a torpedo with its net off the Virginia capes and was blown to bits when the thing exploded. Eight of its crew of 12 perished. This naturally reminds us here in Astoria that a local drag boat brought up a mine off the ocean bottom just the other day. The mine fortunately was ZDWHUVRDNHGDQGQRORQJHUDKD]DUGDOWKRXJKWKH&RDVW*XDUGVD\VLWVGHW- onator could have possibly still been dangerous. :RUOG:DU,,¶VKD]DUGVKDYHVXUYLYHGWZRGHFDGHVVWLOODEOHWRGHDORXW death. It was forecast here today that Safeway Stores will erect a super market with a large parking area on the west half of the vacant property between Eleventh and Twelfth and Duane and Exchange. This property, described as lots 1, 2, 13 and 14, Mc- Clure’s Astoria, were purchased by Safeway Stores for $8300 at a county tax sale Monday. Expansion of the Oregon National Guard military facilities at Camp &ODWVRSLQFOXGHDFTXLVLWLRQRIQHZODQGWRSHUPLW¿ULQJRIKHDY\¿HOGDU- tillery pieces, it was announced today by Colonel Raymond Olson, quarter- master, in charge of emergency conditioning of the camp for the training of the 249th coast artillery regiment. VANCOUVER, B.C. — E.C. Thrupp, retired civil engineer, today refused to hedge on his prediction that “the most disas- trous earthquake of the century” will hit Japan or California by August 5. Thrupp, who claims a long record of successful forecasts for his “interplanetary gravitational force” theory, is standing pat on this prediction: “The period of July 20 to August 5, 1940, will bring the most destructive earthquake of this century, probably in those countries where they have occurred before. The main VKRFNV ZLOO FRPH EHWZHHQ DQG SP 3DFL¿F 6WDQGDUG Time. “It will probably center in Japan,” he said, “but California had better watch out too.” olumne River. Yosemite is so vast WKDWRQHPD\¿QGYLUWXDOVROLWXGHLQ meadows and on streams. We played DGHOLJKWIXOJDPHRIZKLIÀHEDOOEH- fore having our al fresco lunch. Voice of America hired Conover to create radio shows about the most American art form. They were beamed by shortwave into Soviet bloc countries. As a consequence, he became a music teacher and English instructor to generations of Europeans, and that built the (XURSHDQMD]]VFHQHIURPZKLFKVHY- eral festivals were built. :ULWLQJ ODVW ZHHN LQ The Wall Street Journal 'RXJ 5DPVH\ ¿OOHG LQ PDQ\ JDSV LQ &RQRYHU¶V VWRU\ 5DPVH\ UHSRUWHG WKH 3RVW 2I¿FH governing board will be considering DVWDPSEHDULQJ&RQRYHU¶VSLFWXUH I love how Conover described the LPSRUWDQFHRIWKLVPXVLF³-D]]WHOOV more about America than any Amer- LFDQFDQUHDOL]H,WEHVSHDNVYLWDOLW\ VWUHQJWK VRFLDO PRELOLW\ LW¶V D IUHH music with its own discipline, but not an imposed, inhibiting discipline.” Ramsey notes that Conover per- suaded the Nixon White House to WKURZDWKELUWKGD\SDUW\IRU'XNH Ellington, at which Richard Nix- on played the piano for a singing of “Happy Birthday.” The musicians who showed up for the East Room event were a pantheon of that era. — S.A.F. :$6+,1*721²7KH6HQDWHJDYH¿QDOFRQJUHVVLRQDODS- proval today to President Johnson’s $6.5 billion Medicare bill, WKHPRVWVLJQL¿FDQWZHOIDUHPHDVXUHLQDJHQHUDWLRQ Astoria is shown, through vital statistics recently com- pleted by the census bureau, to be a healthier, faster-growing community than most in the state. The data is contained LQD¿QDOUHSRUWIRUWKHHQWLUH country covering 1938 and show that 160 are born in As- toria a year for every 100 who die. Courtesy Clatsop County Historical Society The birth-death ratio for the rest of Oregon was 138 The Astoria Column during con- struction in 1925. to 100. of Cabbages and Kings NEAR THE EAST BOUND- ary of Yosemite is an area called June /DNH ,Q WKDW YLFLQLW\ LV WKH 'RXEOH %(,1*$7<26(0,7(,6/,.( Eagle Resort, which has a spa. After being inside one of those enjoying lunch on the giant landscape paintings VSD¶V GHFN P\ ZLIH of the 19th century by Once daughter and I played 7KRPDV0RUDQRURQHRI gin, with our daughter his brethren. The granite we saw winning most of them. At SHDNV FDXVH WKH MDZ WR a number Secret mid-afternoon drop. of women suddenly ar- The place is a global Tables and chairs Service rived. draw. The second voice were moved to create , KHDUG LQ WKH SDUN ZDV agents, a conversation area for VSHDNLQJ )UHQFK:H HQ- about 10. The voices we it was heard were Texan. countered a larger Ger- man party on a trail. the women clear rose When The scale of Yosem- to move to a differ- LWH¶V YLVLWRU FRXQW LV KDUG part of the spa, my Laura ent to grasp. Our son, who wife said that one of them ZRUNVIRUWKHSDUNK\GURO- Bush UHVHPEOHG /DXUD %XVK ogist, posed a question. WKHIRUPHU¿UVWODG\6XUH was +RZ PDQ\ EDFNSDFNHU enough, two men sitting XVHU QLJKWV GLG ZH WKLQN sitting EHKLQGXVTXLFNO\URVHWR Yosemite had last year? accompany the women. We all guessed low. The wore the telltale ear nearby. They answer is 175,000, the piece that denotes a Se- ODUJHVW RQ UHFRUG %DFN- cret Service agent. SDFNHUVDUHDPRQJWKHPRVWFRPPLW- WHGYLVLWRUVDQDWLRQDOSDUNJHWV Our son lives in a canvas-roofed ,) <28 )2//2:(' -$== FDELQ LQ 7XROXPQH 0HDGRZV 2Q Saturday our family and his girlfriend during the Cold War era, you might KLNHGEHVLGHWKH/\OH)RUNRIWKH7X- NQRZWKHQDPH:LOOLV&RQRYHU7KH 50 years ago — 1965 75 years ago — 1940 Through the Looking-glass Good things are worth waiting for. It is excellent news that Washington VWDWHRI¿FLDOVDQGWKH&KLQRRN,QGLDQWULEHKDYHUHDFKHGDQDJUHHPHQWRQ EXLOGLQJDQHZSDUNFDOOHG6WDWLRQ&DPSDW0F*RZDQ:DVK7KHSURMHFW ZDVVWRSSHGIRUVRPHVHYHQPRQWKVDIWHUWKHIRXQGDWLRQRID&KLQRRNSODQN house was discovered during an archaeological dig. 7KHSURMHFWRIUHDOLJQLQJ86+LJKZD\EHKLQG6W0DU\¶V&DWKROLF Church will now proceed. While negotiations continued, new ideas were developed for the eventual interpretive center, so it will be much richer. 0HDQZKLOHWKH:DVKLQJWRQ+LVWRULFDO6RFLHW\KDVDOVRDJUHHGWRJLYHWKH &KLQRRN7ULEHIRUGHYHORSPHQWRIDWULEDOPXVHXPDQGFXOWXUDO center. $Q$XEXUQ:DVKFRXSOHPLVVLQJVLQFH0RQGD\ZKHQWKH\VHWRXWLQD IRRWRXWERDUGERDWWR¿VKRXWVLGHWKHPRXWKRIWKH&ROXPELD5LYHUZDV ORFDWHGHDUO\:HGQHVGD\³DOLYHDQGZHOO´E\D¿VKLQJERDW 0UDQG0UV,QJYDOG5RQQLQJZHUHIRXQGLQWKHLUERDWPLOHVVRXWK- ZHVWRIWKH&ROXPELD5LYHUOLJKWVKLSE\WKH¿VKLQJYHVVHO:DVKLQJWRQ ‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘To talk of many things; Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax — Of cabbages —and kings —’ The structure of gratitude mainstream threads of our culture. We live in a capitalist meritocracy. This meritocracy encourages people to be ¶PVRPHWLPHVJUXPSLHUZKHQ,VWD\DW self-sufficient — masters of their own fate. a nice hotel. I have certain expectations But people with dispositional gratitude are DERXWWKHVHUYLFHWKDW¶VJRLQJWREHSURYLGHG hyperaware of their continual dependence I get impatient if I have to crawl on others. They treasure the DURXQG ORRNLQJ IRU D SRZHU way they have been fashioned outlet, if the shower controls by parents, friends and ances- are unfathomable, if the place tors who were in some ways considers itself too fancy to put WKHLUVXSHULRUV7KH\¶UHJODGWKH a coffee machine in each room. ideal of individual autonomy is ,¶P VRPHWLPHV KDSSLHU DW D an illusion because if they were budget motel, where my expec- UHO\LQJRQWKHPVHOYHVWKH\¶GEH tations are lower, and where a much worse off. functioning iron is a bonus and The basic logic of the cap- WKHZDIIOHPDNHULQWKHEUHDN- italist meritocracy is that you fast area is a treat. get what you pay for, that you David This little phenomenon earn what you deserve. But Brooks shows how powerfully expec- people with dispositional grat- tations structure our moods and emotions, LWXGHDUHFRQWLQXDOO\VWUXFNE\WKHIDFWWKDW none more so than the beautiful emotion of they are given far more than they pay for gratitude. — and are much richer than they deserve. *UDWLWXGH KDSSHQV ZKHQ VRPH NLQG- Their families, schools and summer camps ness exceeds expectations, when it is unde- SXWIDUPRUHLQWRWKHPWKDQWKH\JLYHEDFN served. Gratitude is a sort of laughter of the 7KHUH¶VDORWRIVXUSOXVJRRGQHVVLQGDLO\ heart that comes about after some surpris- OLIHWKDWFDQ¶WEHH[SODLQHGE\WKHORJLFRI LQJNLQGQHVV equal exchange. 0RVWSHRSOHIHHOJUDWHIXOVRPHRIWKH Capitalism encourages us to see human time - after someone saves you from a mis- EHLQJV DV VHOILQWHUHVWHG XWLOLW\PD[LPL]- WDNHRUEULQJV\RXIRRGGXULQJDQLOOQHVV ing creatures. But people with grateful dis- But some people seem grateful disposi- positions are attuned to the gift economy WLRQDOO\7KH\VHHPWKDQNIXOSUDFWLFDOO\DOO where people are motivated by sympathy of the time. as well as self-interest. In the gift economy These people may have big ambitions, LQWHQWLRQPDWWHUV:H¶UHJUDWHIXOWRSHRSOH but they have preserved small anticipa- who tried to do us favors even when those tions. As most people get on in life and earn IDYRUVGLGQ¶WZRUNRXW,QWKHJLIWHFRQR- more status, they often get used to more P\ LPDJLQDWLYH HPSDWK\ PDWWHUV :H¶UH respect and nicer treatment. But people grateful because some people showed they ZLWK GLVSRVLWLRQDO JUDWLWXGH WDNH QRWKLQJ care about us more than we thought they IRUJUDQWHG7KH\WDNHDEHJLQQHU¶VWKULOODW GLG:H¶UH JUDWHIXO ZKHQ RWKHUV WRRN DQ DZRUGRISUDLVHDWDQRWKHU¶VJRRGSHUIRU- imaginative leap and put themselves in our mance or at each sunny day. These people mind, even with no benefit to themselves. are present-minded and hyperresponsive. Gratitude is also a form of social glue. In 7KLVNLQGRIGLVSRVLWLRQDOJUDWLWXGHLV the capitalist economy, debt is to be repaid to worth dissecting because it induces a men- the lender. But a debt of gratitude is repaid tality that stands in counterbalance to the IRUZDUGWRDQRWKHUSHUVRQZKRDOVRGRHVQ¶W By DAVID BROOKS New York Times News Service I People with grateful dispositions see their efforts grandly but not themselves. deserve it. In this way each gift ripples out- ZDUGDQG\RNHVFLUFOHVRISHRSOHLQERQGVRI DIIHFWLRQ,WUHPLQGVXVWKDWDVRFLHW\LVQ¶WMXVW a contract based on mutual benefit, but an or- ganic connection based on natural sympathy - connections that are nurtured not by self-in- terest but by loyalty and service. ,I\RXWKLQNWKDWKXPDQQDWXUHLVJRRG and powerful, then you go around frustrat- ed because the perfect society has not yet been achieved. But if you go through life believing that our reason is not that great, RXULQGLYLGXDOVNLOOVDUHQRWWKDWLPSUHVVLYH and our goodness is severely mottled, then \RX¶UHVRUWRIDPD]HGOLIHKDVPDQDJHGWR EHDVVZHHWDVLWLV<RX¶UHJUDWHIXOIRUDOO WKHLQVWLWXWLRQVRXUDQFHVWRUVJDYHXVOLNH the Constitution and our customs, which VKDSHXVWREHEHWWHUWKDQZH¶GRWKHUZLVH be. Appreciation becomes the first political virtue and the need to perfect the gifts of RWKHUVLVWKHILUVWSROLWLFDOWDVN We live in a capitalist meritocracy that encourages individualism and utilitarian- ism, ambition and pride. But this society would fall apart if not for another economy, one in which gifts surpass expectations, in ZKLFKLQVXIILFLHQF\LVDFNQRZOHGJHGDQG dependence celebrated. Gratitude is the ability to see and appre- ciate this other almost magical economy. *.&KHVWHUWRQZURWHWKDW³WKDQNVDUHWKH highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” People with grateful dispositions see their efforts grandly but not themselves. /LIH GRHVQ¶W VXUSDVV WKHLU GUHDPV EXW LW nicely surpasses their expectations.