OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017
Founded in 1873
DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor
JIM VAN NOSTRAND, Managing Editor
JEREMY FELDMAN, Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
E
ach week we recognize those people and organizations
in the community deserving of public praise for the good
things they do to make the North Coast a better place to
live, and also those who should be called out for their actions.
SHOUTOUTS
• Organizers of the 37th annual Washington State
International Kite Festival, which concludes its weeklong run
Sunday on the Long Beach Peninsula. The festival is one of the
biggest events on the peninsula each year and attracts thousands
of spectators who watch the colorful, high-flying kites flown by
experts from around the world. The festival has featured work-
shops, kite battles and demonstrations, and many of the specta-
tors also have been partaking in the kite flying. Another high-
light this year has been a display from the Buffalo Kite Project,
which exhibited a collection of 14 large kites created by some of
the nation’s most highly regarded Native American artists.
• Firefighters from throughout Clatsop County, who are
helping battle a raging wildfire near Sisters, in Deschutes County
in central Oregon. Knappa Fire Chief Paul Olheiser has been
coordinating the local help effort and said 13 firefighters from
Seaside, Olney, Lewis and Clark, Warrenton and Knappa dis-
tricts were sent last week to help combat the Milli Fire after the
governor issued a call for additional resources from outside the
Deschutes County area to help battle the blaze.
• Six local 4H equestrian riders, who will be competing in
a variety of events this weekend at the State Fair in Salem. The
riders are from Astoria and Knappa high schools and include
three graduating seniors. Competing are Angelina Lindres of
Astoria and Olivia Rilatos and Haylee Skipper of Knappa,
while the graduating seniors competition includes Kaisa Israel
and Maggie McClean of Astoria and Kaitlyn Landwehr of
Knappa.
• Diane Buttrell, a retired teacher
who lives on the Long Beach Peninsula
and founded the Oysterville Science
Academy, a creative summer program
that encourages youngsters to learn
about science in a fun setting at the his-
toric Oysterville School House. The free
program is now in its third year. With
the help of visiting teachers and guest
Patrick Webb/For EO Media
Group
speakers, the program uses curriculum
An art project on the
based on materials from the American
Long Beach Peninsula
Association for the Advancement of
that had students use
Science that are designed to improve
their imagination to in-
student achievement and literacy in sci- corporate five required
geometric
shapes
ence and math.
produced results that
• U.S. Bank, which recently donated would have made Pi-
$4,000 to the Assistance League of the casso’s head spin.
Columbia Pacific’s School Activity
Sponsorship Program, The program provides money for fees
and gear for local children’s sports, cultural, art and scholas-
tic-based activities.
• The nonprofit Cannon Beach Arts Association, which
recently marked its 30th anniversary, The arts association rep-
resents 150 regional and local artists working in fine arts and
crafts in nine curated shows each year. Lila Wickham is the
nonprofit’s current board president, and through the years the
association has grown to include a number of programs includ-
ing the Cannon Beach Gallery, summer concerts in the park, arts
in education and individual artist grants.
CALLOUTS
• Thieves who have recently targeted local businesses with
an email phishing campaign and a telephone advertising scam.
The phishing scam involves employees’ W-2 forms, which can
put staffers’ Social Security numbers and other critical informa-
tion in the hands of thieves, while the other targets local busi-
nesses with calls from fraudsters pretending to represent Astoria
High School athletics in soliciting advertisements for calendars.
In the W-2 scam, cyberthieves send emails that appear to come
from executives inside the targeted organizations. The emails
have spoofed addresses and ask payroll or human resources
departments to reply with a list of all employees and their W-2
forms. Some emails also ask companies to transfer money to a
specified bank account. The IRS says more than 200 businesses
nationwide have been victimized, and companies should always
be on alert for anyone asking for employees’ W-2 forms or for
wire transfers of money. In the other scam, Astoria High School
Athletic Director Howard Rub said no company has been autho-
rized to represent the high school and that the athletic depart-
ment works directly with businesses and community members
for the support of its programs.
Suggestions?
Do you have a Shoutout or Callout you think we should know about?
Let us know at news@dailyastorian.com and we’ll make sure to take a
look.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The one that got away
ecently I was enjoying fish-
ing near Buoy 10 with two
of my grandsons. As fishing was
slow, my mind wandered to years
ago when my wife and I were fish-
ing in the ocean near Buoy 6. My
wife had a tremendous hit. The line
just screamed out. She said, “Jim, I
have a really big one on, it must be
a Chinook.”
She fought it for over 20 min-
utes. Finally it came thrashing to
the surface, and I couldn’t believe
my eyes. I had never seen such a
huge salmon in all my years fish-
ing here and in Alaska. It continued
to fight on the surface, and slowly
she nursed it closer to the boat. As
I lowered the net to meet it, I said,
“Thank you, Lord, for such a great
fish.”
My wife quickly responded,
“Don’t thank him yet — wait until
it’s in the boat.”
Looking at its size, well over 50
pounds, I wondered if it would fit
in the net. I cautiously lowered the
net under the fish, but as I did, it
made a last ditch thrash, and threw
the hooks and swam victoriously
away.
I guess the point I’m trying to
make is that disappointment hap-
pens. “I didn’t get the job,” “the
medical report was bad,” “I didn’t
make the sale,” “the relationship
broke up,” “we didn’t win.”
Life is filled with all kinds of
disappointments. But to let them
discourage, deflate and depress you
is within your control. By the grace
of God, keep moving on. There
will be other jobs, cures, sales
made, new relationships, victories
and even another fish.
So remember, by the grace of
God you are in control of your
reactions. So when disappoint-
ments happen, and they will, don’t
let discouragement dominate your
thinking. Move on to all the new
adventures life has for you.
JIM BERNARD
Warrenton
R
A swimming decision
e were happy to read that
Seaside High School’s swim
team will be able to use the Asto-
ria Aquatic Center during the clo-
sure of Sunset Pool this fall (“Asto-
ria will share pools with Seaside
swimmers,” The Daily Astorian,
Aug. 22).
Many years ago, we were
coaching the SHS swim team when
the Astoria swim team held their
workouts for the season at Sun-
set Pool, while the old YMCA
pool was closed. This was before
the Astoria Aquatic Center was
built. Two large high school teams
worked out in three lanes each, at
the same time, five days a week,
eight to 10 high school swimmers
to a lane.
Astoria Head Coach Paul Des-
W
sen walked up and down one side
of the pool, and Seaside Head
Coach Mike Brown walked up
and down the other, each coach-
ing their own swimmers in a very
loud and extremely wavy pool.
Swimmers really mastered the skill
of circle-swimming during that
time period. It wasn’t easy, but it
worked. Thank you to the Astoria
Aquatic Center and Astoria High
School for making it work, once
again.
SANDE and MIKE BROWN
Astoria
Small-minded separatists
t seems to be in vogue, at the
moment, that sports stars should
also stand up for social injustice;
this is a good thing, because they
have an excellent platform from
which to do so. The thing that I do
not understand is why, in the name
of fighting bigotry, separatism and
social injustice, these motivated
individuals refuse to even make
an attempt to work with the cur-
rent federal administration, i.e. the
president.
It seems strange that those foot-
ball players and others sports stars
who rail against injustice and the
lack of equality in this country by
demonstrating during the playing
of the national anthem, emphat-
ically refuse to even attempt to
work with the president to effect
change. These individuals would
rather label President Trump a rac-
ist, and ridicule him, than attempt
to work with him to create unity
and equality in this country.
It seems to me that if you have
not given a person a chance to
work with you for the good of all,
then you may possibly be the same
type of small-minded separatist that
you are condemning. I guess that
these protesters feel that they have
a right to condemn and belittle
others because, after all, they are
doing it for the right reasons.
I get it: Let’s create unity by
refusing to work with others to
effect change; makes sense to me.
As always; I could be wrong.
DAVID GRAVES
Astoria
I
Take in Sunday Market
have lived in Astoria just over
two years, and have enjoyed
many of the great things offered
here. One of the activities I have
enjoyed the most is the Sunday
Market. For those who may live in
surrounding towns, I highly recom-
mend it.
Every year between May and
October, Astoria has a downtown
outdoor market — three blocks of
various food items, trinkets, home
remedies, plants, T-shirts, carved
animals and other items which we
haven’t imagined or need.
The market, though not unlike
I
others, is special because it is in
the center of downtown, showing
the beauty of the spot. The booths
and city offer a Christmas look in
the summer. It is a time to get your-
self or your family up and enter the
excitement of the three-block path.
It is really the people who make
the excitement. Most wear their fun
attire — sandals, casual and run-
ning clothes, and other odd things
not worn at work. Grandparents
are tugging their grandchildren,
mothers carrying their infants with
fathers herding their families. Most
everyone is happy in the pleasant
air of this sea town.
It is being with family, and a
momentarily feeling of no cares. It
is a feeling that all love, even with
knowing another day will be work.
NORM HOOGE
Astoria
Where would Waldo go?
listened to the KMUN program
featuring our coastal hazard spe-
cialist, Pat Corcoran, discussing
our minimalist local efforts in Asto-
ria and Warrenton (my emphasis,
not his) to prepare for the inevita-
ble earthquake/tsunami coming to
an ocean near us.
The tasks we need to take on
are daunting, and it is easy for us
to want to continue thinking it will
happen to someone else — maybe
great-grandchildren, or others we
don’t yet know. But we will all fare
far better if we begin to think about
what we can do in advance. That’s
obvious.
As a starter, we’re figuring out
where the highest ground is when
we are out taking our dogs to a
river beach, shopping or going to
an event. Try it. We discovered that
we really needed to look at the map
and navigate from a beach in Ham-
mond to find the highest ground.
We ran out of time that day, and
will have to go back. But it did
bring the reality home to us.
So now, as we have time, we’re
on a “Where would Waldo go”
quest. If you don’t get the question,
ask a kid. Let’s get away from our
devices with our families, and go
for a Sunday drive. Make sure that
your family knows where to head
from school, a shopping center,
offices and playgrounds. As we do
this, we’ll also become more aware
and pack our “grab and go” bags
finally. Who knows, maybe then
we can move on to attacking larger
issues, like where we are locating
new housing, schools and public
facilities.
It’s a start. If you are inter-
ested, you can learn more from Pat
Corcoran by going to KMUN’s
website for the “Human Beat” pro-
gram recording at http://bit.ly/
2g2iVvM. A second interview will
be aired at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 11.
JAN MITCHELL
Astoria
I
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