Opinion
- Details
- Written by: Lori Peters
On May 9 we worked the Clean up Clearlake day, which was started last year by Cathy Wilson from Small Business Development Center, who partnered with the City of Clearlake and the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce.
This year we had many volunteers who spent their day cleaning along Lakeshore Drive and Olympic Drive. After getting those areas complete volunteers moved onto areas of Old 53 and 40th Avenue.
I want to say thank you to all who volunteered and/or donated much needed items: Bay Berry Inc., Second Sunday Cinema, Upward Bound students at Lower Lake High School, Hot Spot Youth Center, Clearlake Waste Solutions, Foods Etc. Sunset Fishing Resort, Rutherford & Associates Realty, Griffin’s Furniture, Safeway, Rays Food Place, Walmart, Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, Jones & Lewis Funeral Mortuary, Shannon Ridge Winery & Vineyards and Wild About Books.
It is a pleasure working beside those who love the City of Clearlake and want it to look its best!
Lori Peters is executive director of the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce.
- Details
- Written by: Nelson Strasser
Remember the young woman holding one end of a leash while the other end was hooked to a prisoner at Abu Ghraib?
Her name is Private Lynndie Rana England and she served 521 days in prison. She followed orders. Orders that have been traced from the White House to Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib.
The Army policy is set forth in the Field Manual, 34-52, which prohibits inhumane treatment. You can find it on the Internet. It is clear and unequivocal. The manual was trumped by the orders of the “torture memorandum.”
Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and others authored a new and illegal policy of torture. A handful of administration lawyers bent the law to fit the policy. The cabal remained in a narrow group to prevent any legal challenges.
It is not even necessary to prove Cheney’s guilt: He admits it!
However, Cheney defends himself by claiming it was effective. It would be wrong even if it was effective, but, I can find no evidence that this is true. On the contrary, Matthew Alexander, an interrogator in Iraq, has documented cases of successful intelligence coups using legal means of interrogation (See “How to Break A Terrorist”).
So, why did Private Lynndie Rana England serve 521 days while Dick Cheney leads a life of opulence and luxury? How can we bust the “grunts” while we let the big boys laugh at the law?
Nelson Strasser lives in Kelseyville.
- Details
- Written by: Lori Peters
Every year we have been able to raise the necessary funds for this fun and worthy event. But those private dollars have dwindled as some sponsors have left and others have supported other programs. Enough money has been raised so far to book Pyro Spectacular Fireworks, the company who provides and sets off the pyrotechnics. But we are still in need of more financial assistance to fully pay for the event.
No contribution is too small.
We cannot do this fireworks event without the assistance from you, the community.
We appreciate all monetary donations, tickets sales and auction items to sell at the Fireworks Fundraiser Dinner held Saturday, June 6.
Contact the Clear Lake Chamber to reserve tickets or to donate at 707-994-3600. The Clear Lake Chamber is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thank you in advance for you kind support!
Lori Peters is executive director of the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce.
- Details
- Written by: Rebecca Dierssen
In contrast, recycling is the breaking down of the used item into raw materials which are used to make new items. By taking useful products and exchanging them, without reprocessing, reuse helps us save time, money, energy and resources.
In broader economic terms, reuse offers quality products to people and organizations with limited means, while generating jobs and business activity that contribute to the economy. This is the definition by Wikipedia the online encyclopedia.
Most of us have been reusing things our entire lives. Who didn’t have some type of hand-me-down when they were a kid? Or maybe we purchased something only to use it for a different purpose years later? Reuse is how thrift shops survive and how many of us in today’s economy are helping to make ends meet.
Today the Internet is an integral part of so many people’s lives and many websites have sprung up helping the reuse cause. If you have something that’s still in decent shape, but no longer needed in your household, consider giving that item to someone else to be able to reuse the product and extend it’s life, therefore keeping it out of the landfill.
Here are some FREE and helpful ways to reuse:
– Donate your item to a needy cause or a friend or neighbor.
– Join www.freecycle.org. This site was set up solely for the reuse cause. You can offer your item to someone and in turn, if you need something request it and see if someone has that item they might consider getting rid of. It worked for me. I have offered a high chair, water skis, even tiki torches and all have been taken. I in turn needed a DVD player and received it from someone. Each county has its own group, but you are free to join any group. Many members of the Lake County freecycle group are also members of Mendocino Couny’s freecycle group.
– Craig's List (www.craigslist.org) is by far one of the most popular Web sites for selling or giving your items away. Started in San Francisco it is one of the most popular English Web sites in the world, with over 40 million US users every month. Craigslist users self-publish more than 40 million new classified ads each month. On Craigslist you have the option of selling, bartering or giving away your items.
– If you have business or building materials you want to get rid of there is a site called www.calmax.org. Calmax is a free online materials exchange service designed to help businesses, organizations, local governments, industry, schools, and individuals find markets for nonhazardous materials that may otherwise be discarded. Anyone can access the site and anyone can post, all for FREE.
– If you have books, CDs or DVDs you can give and you shall receive for FREE at www.paperbackswap.com, www.cdswap.com or www.dvdswap.com.
– Take out an ad in the newspaper. The Record-Bee will post your free ad for one week if you have an item to give away; www.lakeconews.com and the MendoLake Exchange also offer free classified ads.
There are so many places to go to reuse yours or someone else’s goods, however their success is dependent on the community supporting them. All of this brings me to a good point. In today’s economy, who wouldn’t want something for free and who wouldn’t want to give something away to someone really in need. I guess the old adage still stands: “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure!”
One last note: If you have a large item that has used up all of its lives and you are a customer of Lake County Waste Solutions or South Lake Refuse, in the unincorporated areas of Lake County, consider the Bulky Item Program. As a customer you are entitled to two items per year, picked up curbside. Disposal fees still apply for certain appliances. For more information on Reducing, Reusing or Recycling please visit the county’s website at www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us.
Rebecca Dierssen is a public services analyst with the Lake County Public Services Department’s Solid Waste Division. She can be contacted at 707-263-1980.
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