Posted by Michael Haran on Apr 1, 2013
I just read Matthew Wilson’s Close to Home article on why he quit cycling. This man’s riding experiences sound like he has (or had) an overabundance of bad bike karma. One of his comments struck me as why it’s a good think he quit riding. No one should stick their hand out in traffic let alone make a left turn without knowing where the traffic is around you. If you are not 100% sure of what’s behind you STOP, get off the road and turn your bike parallel to the road. Look both ways and then proceed. Common sense goes a long way in safe cycling. My riding partner has long advocated that it should be a law that every cyclist should have to wear a helmet with a small rearview mirror attached to it. We would never ride without these two indispensable safety features. Seeing one hundred yards behind you only requires quick glance without having to turn your head. Here’s to safe and happy cycling.
Read More
Posted by Michael Haran on Mar 28, 2013
Letter to the Editor
By Michael Haran
Published Healdsburg Tribune 3/28/2013
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read in “Foss Creek Circle one-way remains” that “Silver Oak Cellars General Manager Tony LaBlanc said he was willing to do what he could to help find a solution to the problem, but reminded the council it wasn’t the o
pinion of his business that Foss Creek Circle be made one way.” I thought this whole mess was over the ingress and egress of the Silver Oaks trucks. But I guess it wasn’t One councilman told me that there had been some near collisions with people exiting their driveway around the circle. Well if that’s the rationale for this boondoggle I think we should make every street in Healdsburg one way and we should start with the streets around the plaza. We could conduct a totally unrepresentative straw poll to justify this unnecessary waste of city money. Everyone who has a driveway coming on to a city street will be entitled to have their street made into a one way street at city expense. Why anger just a small segment of the town when you can anger everyone? Although I do think those little flags on top of the no left and right turn signs do look kind of festive.
Read More
Posted by Michael Haran on Feb 28, 2013
It’s Your Book Sale
By Michael Haran
2/21/2013
Published Healdsburg Tribune 2/28/2013
Three times a year an amazing event happens. Hundreds of used books go on sales to support the Healdsburg Library. The books for the sale are collected from people in town and around the community. They are divvied up into sections on every imaginable topic: politics, writing, cooking, crafts, women, health, technology, science, sports, children, teens, modern fiction, classic fiction, science fiction, mysteries, phycology, self-help, travel, history, specials, education, and on and on. The sale also has CDs and DVDs and old VHS tapes containing legacy subjects. In short, the book sale has something for everyone.
The book sale will run Wednesday, March 20th, from 1 to 6 PM, members only, no scanners 1-3; Thursday, March 21st and Friday, March 22nd, from 11 AM to 6 PM, open to the public, and Saturday, March 23rd, from 10 AM to 4 PM, with a bag sale from noon to 4 PM, and a free bag to teachers.
The book sale is put on by the “Friends of the Healdsburg Library.” They are a volunteer group whose sole mission in life is to raise much need money for the library to provide community services which have been cut (or are in danger of being cut) because of the draconian budget cuts ravaging city and county services. And although the economy Improves, government services and jobs are still being cut.
For four months book that are donated to the sale are sorted by subject and boxed up. Diane Lubich is the day-in, day-out Friends volunteer who does the lion’s share of the sorting. The boxes are then taken to Empire Storage (good people) who donates a locker for the storage of the books. On the Tuesday before the sale Charlene Luks goes into action. She coordinates the set up in the library’s forum room. It take approximately twenty FOHL volunteers to set-up and take-down the book sale.
First the tables are pulled from the library’s storage closet and set-up in rows. Next the wooded boxes that will hold the books are placed on the he tables. While this is going on a group of male volunteers go get the several hundred boxes of books from Empire Storage in their pickup trucks. Phil Luks, Charlene’s husband, coordinates this move. Because this has to be done so quickly several day-labors are hired and several boy scouts pitch in.
Once the books are inside the library about ten or twelve people start putting them in their assigned sections. The signage is put up in the room and the book sale is ready to go.
On Wednesday the “Friends” members get first look at the books. Many members are avid readers which is why they joined the library’s support group in the first
place. Most books are priced at $2.00 each with “special” books price a little higher. On Saturday, the last day of the sale you can buy a whole grocery bag full of books
for $5.00 and if you are a teacher you can get a whole bag of books for free. Many people buy books to read and then donate them back to the book sale.
The books that don’t sell are boxed back up and first offered to the book mobile and then they are donated to Hospice.
Even with the advent of the eBook nothing beats curling up with a good book made of paper. Hope to see you there. Bo Simons, Healdsburg Regional Library manager says, “The book sales are the main fund raiser for the library. The volunteers do such a great job I can see why
the event is so popular. We can always use more books so if you want to do a little recycling of your home library now’s the time to do it.”
Read More
Posted by Michael Haran on Nov 16, 2012
Now that the Republicans have shot themselves in the foot for primarily moving too fare to the right it looks now like it’s up to the Independents, moderate Republicans (if any still exist), watchdog groups and newspapers to check the balance of power that has been given to Democrat legislators and their overlords, the public unions, in a supermajority. Supermajority sounds like code for “power corrupts – absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
According to a recent Santa Rosa Press Democrat article Independents are the fastest growing voter block in California at about 22% compared to 30% Republican and 43% Democrat. Most Independent are, according to political consultant Mark Mellman, “closet partisan” center left or right. I believe most Independents are fiscal conservatives and social liberals. They can’t stand the continued waste and mismanagement in all levels of government but are terrified of the draconian way the current Republican Party governs.
I’m sure there exists some form of Independent political organizations but I would say that most Independents wouldn’t join such groups because it kind of defeats the purpose of being independent. One thing I’ve notice about the independents that I know is that they are very politically knowledgeable and are, if fact, kind of political “wonks” that love to find and expose elected official malfeasance and hypocrisy.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just say, “we elected you, we trust you, and we have to work so we don’t have time to watch you but we know you won’t screw us.” Sadly, that’s not the case. The Republicans mistook morality for ideology and got kicked out of office but the Democrats have a shaky moral history of their own. The morality I’m talking about here is not about the bedroom it’s the morality that exist when one person puts their trust in another and the trusting person not only gets betrayed but also laughed at.
Where was the morality when back in 2002 when the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors enacted measures that have now increased pension costs by over 400 percent that initiated a Grand Jury to concluded that these pension increases were approved in a manner that did not comply with the law in an obvious attempt to dupe voters? In a September 2012 PD article on the subject Brett Wilkinson wrote “Zane and other county leaders, nevertheless, were unified in defending the legality of the enhanced pensions. Trying to roll them back would be a costly lost cause.” Many public sector jobs now pay more than similar private sector jobs and they are guaranteed. Where’s the morality in that?
The public employee retirement systems in Contra Costa, Alameda and Merced counties plan to reduce pension spiking starting Jan. 1 to comply with a new law Gov. Jerry Brown signed in September. Workers have vowed to sue (PD – 11/7/12 “Lawsuit certain over right to spike”). Since when did voters say it was okay for a public employee to roll their unused sick, vacation and car allowance pay into a life-time annuity which boost retirement pay up as much as 24%. Where’s the morality in that?
And how about our new Congressman Jared Huffman as reported by Chris Coursey (PD – 10/29/12 “Vote Yes, No, Maybe or Later’) “Or, you may have been surprised to find out that Assemblyman Jared Huffman missed 144 votes this year in the Assembly, only to add his vote to the record after each of those issues was decided. Where’s the morality in that and for that matter leadership?
I could go on but I have to get back to work. Independents we need you to stay vigilant.
Read More
Posted by Michael Haran on Nov 16, 2012
ABOUT JOEL
by Michael Haran
Healdsburg Tribune Commentary 11/16/2012
After reading Shonnie Brown’s article about Joel and Renee Kiff I just have to comment on what Joel Kiff means to me. We moved to Healdsburg in September of 2006. I was helping out with the HFM annual pumpkin race when someone called my name. I turn to see an older gentleman who I didn’t recognize staring at me. I took a closer look and then said “Mr. Kiff?” He gave me a broad smile as I was coming out of my initial shock. It was not only fifty years since I had seen him how could he not only remember me but also recognize me after having taught hundreds if not thousands of students.
Joel Kiff was my algebra teacher and football/track coach at Marin Catholic High school from 1962 to 1965. I am the oldest boy in what was a 
very dysfunctional family of ten kids. Back then ADD was treated with corporal punishment and I became chubby using food to compensate for my lack of proper family support. I couldn’t even make the freshman basketball team I was so fat.
My grades were terrible and I was in danger of becoming one of the 36 boys in my class that either left the school or were kicked out. Most teachers didn’t have the time or inclination to work with marginal students. I remember Joel as one of the few teachers I had who would put in extra time with a failing student. I think it was more his calm demeanor and personal attention that had the biggest impact on me. Under his instruction the light went on and I “got it.” It was such a contrast from my family life and other teachers at the school.
Back in those days Catholic school football teams were hardly the juggernauts that they are today. We had 300 boys compared to the public school’s 1000. We consistently got trounced by the much bigger public schools. I remember Joel telling us that life isn’t necessarily about winning it’s about trying and the sheer joy of overcoming the odds against you. It made the game so much more fun for us even in losing. But you know what, we started winning a few games and it’s something I’ll never forget.
He talked to us about physical conditioning and how it was more than just getting in shape to play sports. He explained that good physical conditioning was important for a good life and that being in shape helps with the concentration you need to get good grades. To this day I can’t be sure that Joel’s attention, insights and kindness to me are what allowed me to go on and play for a USAF command basketball team or get a business degree from SSU but I think it was.
Joel and Renee have meant a lot to our Healdsburg community. Joel is in failing health now so whenever I see him I try to think of the high school experiences that we shared as student – teacher/coach and reminisce. I you know Joel you might want to send him a card. Thanks, Joel. This is what you mean to me.
Michael Haran is a resident of Healdsburg
Read More
