Republican hypocrisy
“You would have to believe that the federal government is always right and is all-knowing and can deprive you of valuable constitutional rights without giving notice and an opportunity to be heard in front of an impartial tribunal,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) stated. “I think it is wrong and it is un-American.”
Senator Cornyn was speaking of Senator Feinstein’s measure concerning gun control for people on the terrorist watchlist but I thought it could also be well placed for the prisoners in Gitmo who have been there for over 10 years. This is Republican hypocrisy.
Kevin Bracken, Kelseyville
Garden tour a hit
Members of the Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Garden Club would like to thank everyone who assisted in the success of our 2016 “Hidden Gardens of Lake County Tour” held Saturday, May 14. Although the day was unseasonably chilly and windy — with some raindrops here and there — it was heartwarming to once again experience the enthusiasm this event holds for attendees.
Funds raised will allow our club, now 61 years old, to continue our role in the community we all love so much, introducing new members to the joys (and successfully addressing the challenges) of gardening, working on our community beautification projects, and sponsoring local youth through farm-to-table school gardening programs and garden-related college scholarships.
First and foremost we want to thank the homeowners and businesses who opened their gardens to us; without which, of course, there would be no tour. We thank Win and Sue Stiles, Jim and Patti Offenbach, Helen Finch, Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill and Boatique Winery for the time, money, and physical effort you put into making your venues so fabulous. Anyone who lives here and has not seen the world class facilities at the two wineries is missing something wonderful! Perhaps the comment heard most often by club docents from out-of-town attendees at both the wineries and the homes was an incredulous “THIS is Lake County!?!??” which says it all.
As we pointed out last year, a local newspaper is truly the “beating heart” of any small community and how blessed we are to have one as great as the Record Bee in terms of talented people who understand this. Your commitment to publicizing llocal events that do so much good for the community continues to awe us!
We also thank the accommodating and wonderful businesses who took the time to sell tickets for us. You are the best and we cannot tell you how valuable this was for the success of the tour! Please patronize these wonderful community-minded businesses: Main Street Nursery, Flowers by Jackie, and The Shoe Box in Lakeport, and Bird Brain Designs in Kelseyville-who also offered two hand-embroidered wall hangings for a raffle.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Dripworks.com Sales Representative Chris White, who was on hand to answer “drip” related questions, and who donated a new timer for us to raffle for extra proceeds.
Our local UCCE Master Gardeners are a treasure, incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about local gardening. Thank you to the fantastic Master Gardeners who were posted at each venue to answer the countless “what-plant-is-that-and-how-do-I-keep-it-alive” questions: Heather Peterson, Barbara Haddon, Sherry LeGallais, Bert Agustinovich, Karole Ward, Ruth McConnell, Suzanne Lee and Marva Brandt.
A big thanks to Upper Lake High School FFA student Cyndal Ader and to Lower Lake High School FFA students Piper Carr, Rebecca Laurenson, Emily Nichols and their teacher Ms. Kimberly Olsen for valuable assistance.
Lastly, to the members of our garden club, their families and friends, who contributed time by serving on the committee, raising plants for the plant sale, constructing and placing signs, acting as docents and assisting with parking — we are all truly, “Flower Friends Forever”!
Debra Watson O’Dell, Chair
Learning the way
The ways we have discovered of making the acquisition of knowledge easy and quick have had effects other than convenience. Just as the value of a purchase, for example, comes to the purchaser via its price, if one can understand and solve a problem with little time and study, the solution makes little impression on one’s mind.
It’s time we realized there’s importance on both ends of the learning process; that is, on the person who must do the learning no less than on the matter to be learned. If the learning is too easy, it leaves little trace on the student mind; if it’s too difficult, it makes the wrong impression. If it is given too rapidly, it doesn’t have time to leave much of a trace; and if given too slowly, the students will mistake a long pause for the beginning of a new subject. So the gift of a fast coverage of material is not the proper way to teach students who are not familiar with the matter to be learned. Expedition is not the objective. Expediency, in fact, is rather to be avoided than pursued, if the intent is to teach; for time, by every relevant analogy, conduces to permanence; and that is what we want when it comes to learning.
We’re building an intellectual structure to help us face the world. The computer is fine if you’re in a hurry, but the book is better for learning. There’s a corollary contingent on teaching efficacy that I think is about 40 times more effective than lecturing and makes me dang near pass out trying to figure out why it’s not made more use of. It’s the fact that by far the easiest way to learn something is to teach it to somebody. Haven’t you who read this ever noticed that you never forget anything you try to explain to someone? Teaching is the ultimate learning technique. The only people I have ever got wind of using this method are the Japanese, and they only on the elementary learning level. That and a quote or two by some magus make the only evidence I have ever found of this fabulous fact.
I don’t even try to understand it.
Dean Sparks, Lucerne
