A4
V IEWPOINT
Hood River News,
Saturday, June 27, 2015
O ur readers write
JOE PETSHOW
Publisher/President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
CHELSEA MARR
General Manager
JODY THOMPSON
Advertising Manager
DICK NAFSINGER
Publisher, Emeritus (1933-2011)
TOM LANCTOT
Past President,
Eagle Newspapers, Inc.
KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
Editor
TONY METHVIN
Columbia Gorge Press Manager
DAVID MARVIN
Production Manager
Subscription $42 per year in Hood River trade area. $68 outside trade area.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
ASSOCIATION
Printed on
OREGON NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
recycled paper.
Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
Published Every Wednesday & Saturday by Hood River News,
P.O. Box 390, Hood River, Oregon 97031 • (541) 386-1234 • FAX 386-6796
Member of the Associated Press
Beat the Heat
What to ask
Sen. Wyden
Have fun in the sun — and the water
— but stay safe
Here are some tips from American Red Cross and Na-
tional Weather Service for how to beat the heat:
■ Avoid exertion during the heat of the day
■ Stay hydrated with clear, non-alcoholic, non-caf-
feinated liquids — even if you’re not thirsty
■ Use caution near rivers or lakes and be sure to
wear a life jacket
■ Reschedule strenuous activity to early morning or
evening
■ Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion
and heat stroke
■ Wear light weight and loose fitting clothing when
possible
■ Keep blinds or shades closed during the day
■ Wait until cooler times of day to run dishwashers
and clothes dryers
■ Instead of using a stove, consider a microwave or
outdoor grill
Furthermore, to reduce risk during outdoor work,
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration rec-
ommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or
air conditioned environments, and anyone overcome by
heat should be moved to a cool, shaded location.
“Heat stroke and other heat-related illness is an
emergency,” said Oregon Office of Emergency Manage-
ment Director Andrew Phelps. “Call 911 or seek medical
attention immediately if you think someone is experi-
encing health issues due to the heat.”
The Red Cross has some simple steps to help beat the
heat:
■ Never leave children or pets alone in vehicles. The
temperature inside can reach a dangerous level within a
few minutes.
■ Avoid working outdoors; if you must do so, take fre-
quent breaks and use the buddy system.
■ Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not
have air conditioning, who spend much of their time
alone, or who are more likely to be affected by the heat.
■ If possible, bring animals inside. If not, frequently
check to ensure they are comfortable and have water
and a shady place to rest.
■ Check with your local county office to locate cool-
ing centers near you (downtown Hood River Library,
with A/C, serves as a designated area).
This weekend temperatures are expected to reach
record highs, possibly in the triple digits. And with the
increased heat, more and more people will take up
swimming to cool themselves off.
“Many people will flock to local lakes, rivers, pools,
and the coast,” said Brian Hoffmeister, American Red
Cross aquatic specialist. “This year Oregon has already
experienced a record number of drownings. There are
ways to stay safe.”
Helpful tips before rushing to pool parties or rivers
and lakes this weekend:
■ The water is cold. Cold water can easily lead to hy-
pothermia and put even strong swimmers in a danger-
ous situation.
■ Be careful around moving water, which may be
much faster and stronger than it appears. This can
swiftly push you downstream or exhaust strong swim-
mers. Be honest with yourself about your swimming
abilities.
■ Look before you leap! Don’t blindly jump into unfa-
miliar water. Underwater obstacles can cause signifi-
cant injury or death. Always jump feet first, especially
this year with severely low water levels.
■ Never swim alone. Always swim with others,
preferably in a supervised or lifeguarded area.
■ Wear a lifejacket. They are simple to use and can
prevent most drowning events. Make sure jackets are
properly fitted and contain a U.S. Coast Guard approved
label.
■ Know how to respond to a water emergency. Swim-
mers in distress need help immediately: reach or throw,
don’t go. Call 9-1-1.
Chelsea Marr
General Manager
CMarr@hoodrivernews.com
Founded in 1905
419 State Street
Hood River, OR 97031
P.O. Box 390
Phone: (541) 386-1234
Fax: (541) 386-6796
Operations:
Joe Petshow
Publisher
President, Eagle Newspapers
(541) 386-1234
JPetshow@hoodrivernews.com
Chris Stenberg
Bookkeeper
CStenberg@hoodrivernews.com
“Senator Wyden will be in Hood
River on Saturday, June 27, for his
2015 Hood River County Town Hall.
The meeting will be at the Hood
River Valley Adult Center (2010 Ster-
ling Drive) starting at 1 p.m. Sen.
Wyden will update constituents on
his work in Washington, D.C., and
answer their questions and invite
their suggestions about how to tack-
le the challenges facing Oregon and
America.”
I will be away and am sorry for
that.
Could someone or more ask him
anything like this question (?):
Senator, you know already that
there are 80 billionaires who own
more than half the people on Earth.
(As a matter of fact, if one of them
needed to speak to you about some
important concern of his, I believe
you could be located to take his call,
whereas I, of course, will never be
able to get you on the phone.) What
guarantee can you give from reading
this very secret document that it
will not largely be used by these
world controllers and their ilk to
deepen and perfect their domination
of politic$ here and around the
globe?
For instance, one provision (In-
vestor-State Dispute Settlement, or
I.S.D.S.) allows a corporation to sue
a government, our own included, if
any law or policy reduces their prof-
its, present and future.
The board will hear disputes such
as “Phillip-Morris Against Aus-
tralia” for that country allowing
only colorless and non-inviting
graphics on cigarette packs. And it
will be made of three lawyers who
have just been and will shortly again
be arguing their corporations cases
before the same “court,“ with differ-
ent lawyers revolving into “judge-
ships.”
Isn’t this a recipe for a Lawyers
Heaven opening us to such suits
being used to both nuisance and
bully every government into accept-
ing corporate profits as the univer-
sal highest value?
Several people asking a variant of
this question, stressing his “re-
spect” for our corporate leaders (the
would-be and presently Masters of
the Universe) would be instructive.
Since he has read it and asks us to
trust him with it, what is his guar-
antee?
Bob Williams
Hood River
Thank you,
John Duckwall
What an unexpected treat it was
to open the Hood River News (June
24) to see the face of the late John
Duckwall, along with an account of
donations made recently through
his endowed fund.
John was one of the kindest and
most open-minded of men. He intro-
duced me to the work of The Next
Door, Inc., and I know how devoted a
volunteer he was to that fine organi-
zation.
All of the recipients of the contri-
butions listed are clearly worthy and
a fit with John’s values. I’m especial-
ly glad to see the Hood River Warm-
ing Shelter among them. Although it
didn’t exist during his lifetime, I feel
News:
Kirby Neumann-Rea
Editor
HRNews@hoodrivernews.com
Ben Mitchell
Front Office/
Classified Advertising:
Stacey Methvin
Classifieds/Receptionist
HRNClass@hoodrivernews.com
SMethvin@hoodrivernews.com
Explore fears
We are not very different, you and
I. We breathe. We fall in and out of
love. We support the next genera-
tions. We survive. We die.
Comparing skin color is so super-
ficial when I compare life to these
deeper experiences we all share
worldwide. Still, sometimes I find
myself afraid of people that look dif-
ferent than me. I consider myself a
worldly person with friends of dif-
ferent ethnicities.
When a mass shooting, apparently
motivated by racism, occurs like the
recent massacre in South Carolina,
what can I offer my fellow human
beings as a proud American and cit-
izen of the world? I keep coming
back to reflecting on my own fears
The other day I heard the most amazing piece on the radio about
the drought in California. It was written by a 9-year-old girl in San
Francisco, and she had such interesting things to say.
For example: “We are heading into the fourth year of this drought
and something big has to be done. If we start to change our attitudes
and look at the drought not with dread but as an opportunity, we can
solve the problem … Let’s appreciate what we have and say gold is
the new green. After all, grass doesn’t really turn brown when it
dries. It actually turns a yellowish gold.
“If we think of it as golden, people might think playing on a gold-
en ball field is good luck, or picnicking in a golden park will bring
you good health. Because saving water is saving all of us.”
It takes a child to think outside the box apparently. Why don’t we
all have Golden Yards to Save Water this summer! That is one Gold-
en Idea that would help our fish and farmers and fire fighters every-
where!
If you want to read her whole piece, it can be found at
www.kqed.org/a/perspectives/R201506160643.
Pat Pettit
Hood River
LisaAnn Kawachi
News/Features
LKawachi@hoodrivernews.com
Kirsten Lane
Advertising Sales
KLane@hoodrivernews.com
Patrick Mulvihill
News/Features
PMulvihill@hoodrivernews.com
Production:
David Marvin
Jim Drake
Advertising:
Jim Drake
Entertainment
Jody Thompson
Advertising Manager
JThompson@hoodrivernews.com
Production
Trisha Walker
News/Features
TWalker@hoodrivernews.com
This is a very belated congrats
and thanks. I was running for the
Port Position 4. I did not expect as
many votes as I received, especially
being a newbie and running no cam-
paign. Congrats to Mr. Brian Shortt.
There is not a need for a re-count.
Congratulations to the HRVHS
baseball team. I enjoyed watching
such fine young people at work.
They were well coached, especially
from the stands. Thanks to the
HRFD and HRPD for my rescue from
the Indian Trail blackberry bushes
due to a brake malfunction in my
power chair.
Thanks to Stu for publishing my
comments in BizBuzz. My jokes
were edited out as I expected, but
still published. The Hood River
News started a dialogue with me
and I followed up several times but I
did not hear from them again.
Wait for it. Wait for it. Here comes
the editor’s note.
Dennis Cullington
Hood River
Golden is the new brown
Production Manager
JDrake@hoodrivernews.com
Some props
and a drop
SEEN AT Gorge Grown Farmers Market.
Ailene Hibbard
Archivist
BenMitchell@hoodrivernews.com
and biases. I feel that by exploring
these fears, I will have a small posi-
tive effect on the larger whole. Even
if it’s a genuine smile towards some-
one that looks different than myself.
Avery Hoyt
White Salmon
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
News/Features
Circulation:
Esther K. Smith
Circulation Manager
(541) 386-1234 Ext. 205
ESmith@hoodrivernews.com
sure John would have been a strong
supporter.
As we all brace for the coming ex-
treme heat wave, it’s hard to remem-
ber about winter weather, which
brings such hardship to those with-
out homes or shelter. But the months
will fly past ... and the Warming
Shelter will once again be needed.
Planners are already preparing,
seeking a site and purchasing need-
ed supplies. Donors are always
much appreciated ... go to hoodriver-
cares.org to help.
Thank you to John Duckwall and
to the Trustees of his Endowed
Fund.
Tina Castañares
Hood River
Liana Stegall
Advertising Sales
LStegall@hoodrivernews.com
DMarvin@hoodrivernews.com
JDrake@hoodrivernews.com
Allen Diers
Commercial Printing
ADiers@hoodrivernews.com
419 State Street
Hood River, OR 97031
P.O. Box 390
Phone: (541) 386-1234
Fax: (541) 386-6796
Tony Methvin
Plant Manager
(541) 386-1234
TMethvin@columbiagorgepress.com
Lisa Becharas
Commercial Printing
LBecharas@columbiagorgepress.com