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Davisite Banner. Left side the bicycle obelisk at 3rd and University. Right side the trellis at the entrance to the Arboretum.

Month: June 2018

  • Deadly predators threaten wolves

    Gray-Wolf-picAccording to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity, this past week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that it is considering a proposal to strip Endangered Species Act protection from nearly all wolves in the lower 48 states.

    The FWS tried to do the same thing back in 2013.  The proposal was (as I described in a blog post for a different blog) arbitrary, capricious, and inconsistent.  It received a huge pushback from the scientific community as well as many environmentally-minded individuals.  But then the proposal was never acted on.  I have been wondering what had happened to it – was it shelved because it was so poorly crafted, or was there some other reason?

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  • Happy Father’s Day

    Sutter

    photo by Iggie Walsh – https://www.instagram.com/iggiewalsh/

    By Tom Owczarzak

    It’s amazing how much hospitals look the same. Not on the outside – on the inside.

    Early morning, body cramped from dozing in uncomfortable chairs – why the hell do they not put couches in the waiting rooms? There has to be some logic there I am missing because it makes no sense.

    And, yep, back in the hospital. Another nighttime vigil for family.

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  • Some of my favorite quotes!

     

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    photo by Iggie Walsh – https://www.instagram.com/iggiewalsh/

    By David Kupfer

    "Leadership is action, not position." – Donald Megannen

    "Don't agonize, organize!" – Florence Kennedy

    "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Aldous Huxley

    "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." – Emerson

    "The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on Earth." – Sir Wilfred Grenfell

    "In dreams begin responsibility." – Yeats

     

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  • On again off again on again….. assisted dying is now on again.

    This is a complicated issue …. assisted dying…. and can have profound impact for individuals and their families.

    The original law in California, based in part of laws from other states including Oregon, was proposed by Davis based Senator Lois Wolk.  It was passed during a special session of the legislature and a recent court decision put it on hold for that reason.  Then just this week a higher court reversed the hold and now the law is in place again.

    That kind of back and forth must be torture for doctors, patients and their families trying to help their loved ones and also wanting to be operating within the boundaries of the law on this controversial issue.  (Many disability advocates have issues with this law).

    Couple of interesting articles in the Chronicle today (https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/California-s-assisted-dying-law-reinstated-12999276.php) describing the law switching back on and from the Bee (when the Wolk bill was approved by the California Senate) help provide some background: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23113641.html

    Perhaps this is something to discuss in your families, among friends, on this blog page, etc….

    John 

  • Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for spending on education in California in the new budget!

    Some folks may know that the legislature is supposed to vote on the California State Budget by June 15th or today.  Actually, they finished up yesterday a day ahead of time.  That's kind of nice because this kind of performance was not always the norm.  It seemed that not that many years ago, the Legislature was chronically late in moving on the final budget and that caused lots of problems for state funded programs.  But no more, and let's give appropriate thanks to the Governor and the Legislature for making that process work!

    Speaking of work, how are the folks in the education sector going to spend all the money that they got in one time and ongoing boosts to their budgets?  You might like to know that this was a major "feature" of the budget and as Delaine Eastin was heard saying in her campaign for governor, "Budgets represent values" and so, I think the new California $200 billion budget does that with an infusion of money into education.

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  • Just so darn interesting……

    This evening I was listening to NPR and heard the end of an interview with Delaine Eastin.  How interesting!  Such an experienced and well thought out politician.  She has promised to stay engaged and help elect more women (only 23% in the California legislature) and to hold elected officials feet to the fire regarding positions taken and promises made.  I'm glad!  

    Check out her interview here:  https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown

     John

  • Boundless Creativity

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  • “Company town”? Who wants Davis to be known as a “Company town”? Not me!!

    Recently I heard someone describe Davis in print as a "company town".  This was in the context of the housing needs of local residents and/or students.  This writer also made some cheap shot about "Without UCD, we'd be Dixon or Vacaville" and I am sure the good people who live in those towns did not appreciate that slap, just like some voters in the 2016 did not like being called "deplorables".  C'mon have some manners!

    But that is not my main point here.  The main point is:  Who wants to be a company town anyway? Historically company towns were situations where a large employer manipulated the employees of the company and residents of the nearby town for their own economic benefit…. essentially making the residents indentured servants.  Is that the kind of relationship we want between UCD and the town?  I think not.

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  • Inappropriate Behavior from the Editor of the Davis Enterprise

    Onate-taking-overEveryone knows that newspapers are under severe threats to their survival and have been for some time.  The Davis Enterprise is no different.  Yet newspapers play an essential role in informing the community, fostering community dialogue, and forging community.  That makes me loathe to criticize the Enterprise.  But when the new Editor, Sebastian Oñate, engages in practices that undermine those very goals, I feel as though I must speak out.  I do so not to hurt the Enterprise further but rather in the hopes of changing his ways, or if that is not possible, to encourage the paper to find a different Editor.

    The problem with Oñate’s practice is this: he has engaged in practices that demean and disparage readers.  This serves to reduce participation and harm one’s sense of community, not foster it.  An Editor should always take the high road and be seen as open and fair to all.  Unfortunately, Oñate has not done that, as the following examples illustrate. (If images are too small to read, you can click to enlarge, or just follow the links).

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  • 19th Century Base Ball Tryout

    34691769_142490549839022_4860212991045402624_nHello Davis! We have an exciting opportunity for you TOMORROW (June 9, 2018)! Come out and try your hand at something called 19th century base ball. We play America's pastime with 1864 rules. No gloves (scary)! But, it's an underhand pitch, which makes fielding easier. AND, you may catch the ball off one bounce and still get the striker out! It's a fantastic version of baseball that is perfect for a very wide range of talent. If you're a youngster or an old-timer, a guy or a gal, a seasoned veteran of the modern game or a novice, you're on a very similar level with each other. This is a game that has rules that really level the playing field.

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