September 28, 2023

HILARIOUS LOOK AT CALIFORNIA

And Its Unique Residents!

By Friedrich Gomez

Ah, California! The Golden State, indeed. As a native Californian, myself, I can’t help puffing up like a stepped-on toad in boasting about my home state. Yep, there’s no mistaking California for any other state in the Union.

Impossible.

You know you’re in California when the fastest part of your morning com-

mute is backing out of your driveway. And that even though you make over $250,000 a year, you still can’t afford a house. The only California houses on the market for less than a million dollars are those on fire. Those currently go for six hundred thousand dollars.

I love the California lifestyle. When I was 12 years olde I went through the obligatory California rite-of-passage: I skateboarded. I skin-dived off the beautiful, world-famous La

Jolla Shores (still do), and marveled at my older brother’s surfing skills (he was so adept at surfing that at one point he gave surfing lessons to gorgeous femme fatale California girls). I’m not certain to this day if they paid him for their lessons or if he paid them for the privilege.

But, I digress.

We California natives are just a completely different species altogether. We think radically different from

residents of other states. We act differently. We even talk a different type of English. Basically, other English speakers don’t understand our English. In the sub-culture of “Surfer Speak” we often say things like: “How gnar was that set, it had a wicked left break and I had to use my rails inside the barrel!”

But being a California boy, born and bred, also means I often offend other people who live elsewhere and are vacationing here. Oh, I never meant

California from page 1

to offend anyone on purpose. And that’s the God’s truth. It just came out that way from a 14-year-olde Cal-bred beach bum that I was. I recall quite vividly when tourists were watching my beach friends and I out at Solana Beach cavorting about on surfboards when they approached us with some excitement. We asked them where they were from. When anybody told us what state they were visiting from, my cohorts and I always asked the same question: “Why do you live there?”

True story.

One time a tourist from Rhode Island came up to my skin-diving buddy, Seamus Riley, and went off on him:

“God! You Californians really piss me off! Whenever I say I’m from Rhode Island, you guys just ask me why?! Like, why do I live somewhere that isn’t in California?!”

We were all 12 to 14 (in our group) at the time and just blinked back at him, totally confused.

To this day, we have no idea why anyone in Rhode Island would want to live in Rhode Island.

Chalk it up to the innocence of youth. We just didn’t know better. How could we California boys ever be able to comprehend how anyone

Give Us This Day our Daily Chuckle

could possibly choose to live elsewhere? It’s paradise here!

You know you’re a Californian because you can go to the beach in the middle of winter. You still have tan lines in December. You begin most important sentences with “Dude.” And your parents live on two major fault lines and their house is still worth a million dollars.

I was the only Native American among my group of friends. They were a mixed bag of European origin, but, those were fighting words: they were native Californians, born and bred – that was our anthem and our bragging rights. Coincidentally, in California surfer idiom, all your friends have the same first name: Dude.

Californians are just vastly different folk. Inside-and-out. You often see tanned, bare-chested 80-year-olde men jogging along the beach or in 5K events. Our culture is far more different than, say, Kansas from New York, or Seattle from Louisiana, Boston from Texas.

Chicago television producer and comedy writer, Allan Sherman, pointed out in his book the vast difference with Californians when he wrote:

“Adultery, which is the only grounds for divorce in New York, is not grounds for divorce in California. As a matter of fact, adultery in Southern California is grounds for marriage.”

fact, I just saw his grades and he doesn’t know the meanings of LOTS of words.”

Why do Auburn fans wear orange? So they can dress that way for the game on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick up trash on Monday.

What does the average Alabama player get on his SATs? Drool.

How many Michigan State freshmen football players does it take to change a light bulb? None. That’s a sophomore course.

Even the Frederick’s of Hollywood stores out here are vastly different from other Frederick’s of Hollywood stores around the country. New York’s syndicated columnist and author, Dave Barry, says Frederick’s of Hollywood stores (in California) have:

“Lingerie so sheer that you can read the fine print of a ‘warranty tag’ through it -- in an unlit closet.”

Yup. California is far, far more different than other U. S. states are from each other.

If it’s sprinkling in California, especially Southern California, there’s a report on every SoCal news station about a “STORM WATCH!”

In California, you can be moved to tears if you see a really great parking space next to Walmart. Also, if you’re in 3rd grade, your teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and her name is “Breeze.”

Home-grown Californians don’t like other people from different states trying to act or talk like us. Especially out-of-state girls who find it “trendy” to do a Valley Girl accent. Also, no true native Californian ever dares to refer to our state as “Cali.” Or ever call San Francisco “Frisco,” despite what you see and hear in the movies. Also, we can pronounce the cities of La Jolla and Cahuenga, correctly.

Native Californians also consider flip-flops appropriate for most occasions. For weddings and funerals,

room? A full set of teeth.

University of Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh is only going to dress half of his players for the game this week . The other half will have to dress themselves.

How is the Kansas football team like an opossum? They play dead at home and get killed on the road.

How do you get a former University of Miami football player off your porch? Pay him for the pizza. ***

we wear fancy sandals. But, even in the dead of winter, we have flip-flop tan lines on our feet.

(Note: I normally clean up my true vocabulary and California vernacular when writing articles for The Paper or when conversing with pastors, ministers, or elderly Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses with pacemakers.)

Also, you know when you’re from California because your waiter is an out-of-work actor. And so is your car mechanic. And chiropractor. Also, everybody you know has written a screenplay.

Also, if you’re a surfer, you consider tacos and burritos major food groups. And when abroad, you miss Mexican food more than family and friends.

You know you’re in California because you know how to surf, skin dive, skateboard, and chase skirts, as well as what jargon to use when engaging in each of these activities. If you like a girl, major pickup lines only in L. A. and San Diego are: “Wanna go to In-N-Out Burger?” or “I’ll always choose a spot behind you in yoga class.”

California girls are movie-star beautiful, even after coming out of the ocean surf, completely without makeup on. Trust me, like the Beach Boys song “California Girls,” I’ve

California continued on page 3

over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except North Dakota, which he does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

A Golfer is cupping his hand to scoop water from a Highland burn in St Andrew’s golf course.

A Groundskeeper shouts “Dinnae drink tha waater! Et’s foo ae coo’s Midden and Pish!”

The Golfer replies, ”My good fellow. I’m from England. Could you repeat that for me in English”

The Keeper replies, “I said use two hands – you will spill less that way”

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer on one of his players: “He doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear. In

How did the Auburn football player die from drinking milk? The cow fell on him.

What do you say to a Florida State University football player dressed in a three-piece suit? “Will the defendant please rise.”

If three Rutgers football players are in the same car, who is driving? The police officer.

How can you tell if a Clemson football player has a girlfriend? There’s tobacco juice down both sides of the pickup truck.

What do you get when you put

Arkansas cheerleaders in one

A Message from the King

To the citizens of the United States of America from His Sovereign Majesty King Charles III:

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up ‘revocation’ in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

His Sovereign Majesty King Charles III will resume monarchical duties

1. The letter ‘U’ will be reinstated in words such as ‘colour,’ ‘favour,’ ‘labour’ and ‘neighbour.’ Likewise, you will learn to spell ‘doughnut’ without skipping half the letters, and the suffix ‘-ize’ will be replaced by the suffix ‘-ise.’ Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up ‘vocabulary’).

2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ‘’like’ and ‘you know’

This week, a compendium of wit, wisdom and neat stuff you can tell at parties. Enjoy!

California from page 2

genuinely been around the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, China, Philippines, and Japan – and nothing compares with our California beach bunnies!

When my great grandpa heard about the sexual revolution on California college campuses, he tried to reenroll in college. (Even though my great grandma told him that at his age the sexual urge only comes in the form of arthritis.)

I have been the luckiest person in the world to have dated some of the most beautiful girls in the world. Redheads, blue heads, purple heads, brunettes, brownettes, blondes, and platinum blondes.

And you know you’re a Californian because you’ve asked at least one female friend: “Are those real or fake?”

And by the way, a true California boy has no idea how to ride a public bus. The only people who ride buses in L.A. and San Diego are outof-towners, transplants, domestic household workers, and people with pending DUIs. If you do ever ride a bus, you’d be shocked at hearing two people carrying on a conversation in English.

Home-grown Californians also don’t know how to tolerate cold weather. Particularly in L.A. and San Diego. Cold weather makes us panic, especially when the temperature dips below 65. Anything below 50 has us staying indoors with the heater on.

And all California residents have a basic understanding of Spanish, even if they’ve never taken it in school.

The California culture is just shockingly different than any other. For instance, at the DMV, all Southern California applications for a driver’s license have the following questions:

1. Name and Stage Name?

2. Agent and Attorney?

3. Sex: Male, Female, Formerly Male, Formerly Female, Both.

4. If female, indicate breast implant size.

5. Will the size of your breast implants hinder your ability to drive safely?

6. List brand of cell phone.

7. If you don’t own a cell phone, please explain.

8. Females, check hair color: Blonde or Platinum Blonde.

9. Teenager hair color: Purple, Blue, Skinhead.

10. Do you expect to shoot at other drivers?

11. Do you expect to be shot at by other drivers?

12. Please indicate your number of therapy sessions per week.

13. Are you presently taking Prozac, Zovirax, Lithium, Xanax, or Valium?

14. If no medications, then please explain.

California history has long been the centre of the universe in the hippie counter-culture and the hub of the sexual revolution. Only in California can you hear this type of conversation:

Minister: “How many children do you plan to have?”

Newlyweds: “Three. One of each.”

And only California children truly hear and understand the unique language their California mothers use when being scolded at the dinner table:

“You better eat your food! Do you realise there are people in Beverly Hills who have eating disorders?!”

My grandpa is a mega olde-fashioned Californian and always talks about the “Good Ol’ Days” when he reminisces and says of his era: “Everybody knew who was gay -just two people: Liberace and Little Richard.”

For true Californians, born-andbred, someone’s sexuality is not important to us. Honouring the American flag is. One of my best skin-diving buddies, Joey Stafford, always read and talked a lot about the American Civil War. But he had a wicked sense of humour. He said his great, great grandfather fell at Gettysburg . . . he tripped over one of the monuments there as a tourist.

My grandpa thought it was really cool when Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger both served as governor of California. Even though Reagan and Schwarzenegger weren’t native Californians –they made up for it by just being movies stars.

But, grandpa liked California governor, Edmund “Pat” Brown (195967) better. When I asked him why, grandpa shifted his weight and said,

California

continued on page 5

The Music Men Chorus is the North San Diego County chapter of the international Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). The Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, enjoyment, and performance of a cappella, closeharmony songs arranged in the unique “Barbershop” style, known for its “ringing” chords.

The Music Men share their love of Barbershop singing with the community in a variety of ways: through public performances (Christmas concerts, patriotic concerts at Veterans Day celebrations, festivals such as the Escondido Chocolate Festival, senior center luncheons); private performances for church groups, homeowners’ associations, retirement communities, and family celebrations; and the delivery of Singing Valentines.

As with many singing groups, the Music Men’s activities were curtailed during the pandemic. The chorus is hard at work rebuilding its ranks and learning new songs to perform. We always welcome prospective new members. Having a formal background in music, either singing or playing an instrument, is certainly helpful, but not a requirement. We are looking for men who love to sing! On your first visit, we will sit you in between two veteran singers in your vocal part. We also provide audio learning tracks to assist you in learning your part.

We welcome all prospective singers, but currently we particularly need Lead (2nd tenor voice range) singers. Lead singers sing the melody much of the time, so this is a perfect way to begin singing Barbershop.

So if you like to sing along with the car radio, sing Karaoke, sang in your school choir, or have always wanted to sing in a choir but felt you didn’t have the musical background, we would love to have you visit one of our Tuesday evening rehearsals in San Marcos. We meet at 7 p.m. at San Marcos Lutheran Church, 3419 Grand Avenue, San Marcos 92078 in the Luther Room.

For more information about the Music Men Chorus, visit our website http:\\www.musicmenchorus.org or call Joe Pascucci at (760) 845-3593.

***

LIFE at MiraCosta College

1831 Mission Ave., Oceanside In The Board Room Trailer T200

A Lifelong Learning Group

Meetings will be held in person at the MiraCosta College, Oceanside Campus, at 1:00 pm in the Board Room Trailer T200 by the Police Station and by the Internet Application ZOOM.

September 29 1:00 To Be Announced.

September 29 2:30 To Be Announced.

To join a Zoom meeting, LIFE must have your email address in order for you to receive the invite link. Meetings will start at 12:45 pm (you can join 15 minutes earlier) and the speaker will start at 1:00 pm.

Email: life.miracosta@gmail.com

To Donate to the LIFE Scholarship Fund: Write a check to MiraCosta College Foundation; Mail it to: One Barnard Dr., MS 7; Oceanside, CA 92056. In the memo area put: LIFE Scholarship Fund. Or go to: https:// foundation.miracosta.edu/donatenow and you can donate online. There is a “drop-down” box to indicate the donation will be credited to the LIFE Scholarship Fund. The QR code below can also be used.

***

Escondido Public Library Events

239 S. Kalmia St. • Escondido

½ Price Sale in the Friends Bookshop

September 29 & 30, 2023

All items in the store 50% OFF marked price (25¢ minimum) Only cash payment accepted.

All events generously sponsored by the Friends of the Escondido Public Library

EnviroGreen to Collect Electronic Waste at No or Low Cost

EnviroGreen Electronic Recycling Services, a local leader in the field of responsible electronics recycling, will be staging a community e-waste collection event, Saturday, September 30th at the TERI Campus of Life in San Marcos. The drive-through recycling and secure paper shredding event will also serve as a fundraiser for TERI Inc. (Training, Education and Resource Institute), an organization dedicated to serving an ever-increasing population of children and adults with developmental disabilities including autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, among others.

Community members are encouraged to bring any electronic items, working or not, so they may be refurbished and put back into service or responsibly recycled. Junk Fairy will be onsite accepting non-electronic waste (restrictions apply). The event will be held at the TERI Campus of Life, located at 555 Deer Springs Road, San Marcos on Saturday, September 30th from 9:00am to 3:00pm. EnviroGreen will make a monetary donation to TERI based on the amount of e-waste collected. With community support, TERI supports children and adults with special needs so they can live fulfilling lives that contribute significant value to society.

Common Grounds Café and Coffee Bar, an onsite social enterprise that supports TERI’s programs, will be open during the collec-

tion event for those wishing to enjoy bites and drinks adjacent to TERI’s organic farm after their recycling drop-off.

“The TERI Campus of Life is being designed to best accommodate and serve our existing students and families and once completed will triple the number of individuals we can support,” says Lina Cardenas, TERI’s Senior Marketing and Creative Services Manager. “TERI’s dedicated to environmental preservation and sustainability. This commitment is reflected in our green construction methods, operational practices, and environment-friendly policies that not only respect our Campus of Life but also benefit the wider community. We’re excited about the opportunity to collaborate with EnviroGreen to offer the community a convenient opportunity to recycle e-waste at little or no cost.” The event facilitates easy access to discarding unwanted electronics, avoiding fees charged for dumping at local landfills, and it supports EnviroGreen’s mission of keeping reusable or recyclable material out of landfills.

Most electronics will be collected at no cost, with a nominal fee charged for the collection of certain items such as refrigerators. Secure paper shredding will also be available for $5 per “banker’s box”. Participants may also opt to make a monetary donation to TERI.

Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus

A batch of mosquitoes collected from the north end of Los Peñasquitos Lagoon adjacent to Del Mar and parts of San Diego recently tested positive for West Nile virus, prompting County environmental health officials to remind people to protect themselves from mosquitoes that can transmit the virus to people.

County officials said people should continue to follow the County’s “Prevent, Protect, Report” guidelines, including finding and dumping out standing water around homes to keep mosquitoes from breeding. This marks the first sign of the disease in mosquitoes this year. However, there have been no locally contracted human West Nile virus cases reported.

If people who become infected suffer symptoms, they are typically mild, including headache, fever, nausea, fatigue, skin rash or swollen glands. But in rare cases, West Nile virus can make people extremely ill and even kill them. In 2015, 44 San Diego County residents tested positive for West Nile virus and six county residents died.

West Nile virus is mainly a bird disease, but it can be transmitted to humans by local mosquitoes if they feed off an infected animal, mainly birds, and then bite people.

continued

Using Each Other, Last Minute Dates, How Long Should You Wait to Set Up a Second Date?, Custom Matchmaking, Being Sexual, Men: Date and Respect Women, Married Couples Staying Together, Background Checks: Should I or Shouldn’t I?, First Dates, No Second Date For You!, Six Basic Steps to Take in Finding Your Significant Other.

Man About Town

A fascinating new feature is coming to The Paper . . . a column known as “Simply The Best Singles,” written weekly by Karalee Austin, for singles aged 40+. She has operated successfully in Los Angeles and now, in San Diego County.

She sold her Los Angeles business in 2008 and moved to San Diego where she founded Simply The Best Singles. The business offers quality dances/mixers, speed dating and social activities for upscale

singles over the age of 40 living in the San Diego area.

Some of the topics you’ll likely see in future columns include Love = Madness?, Men Seeking Younger Women, Staying Within Your Type, Men Like Feminine/Nurturing Women/ Do Not Stop Dating Others Because You Met Someone You Like!, Men and Women Misrepresenting Their Ages, Cougars, Women Chasing Men, Successful Women, Newly Divorced Singles and Promiscuity, Men and Women Who NEVER Marry, It’s Not Necessary to Marry, Men and Women

Karalee says, “I realized running a successful singes organization was much more than just scheduling events as there were many singles seeking dating advice. After a number of years of observing and personally knowing 8000+ singles as they met for the first time, I came to realize I knew more than the average person about singles and relationships. I feel I’ve heard it all in the “singles world” and know what makes many singles tick.”

Throughout this column, Karalee will share what she has discovered to help you raise your odds of finding LOVE with that special per-

Man About Town

continued on page 13

The ALS Journey

Imagine a slope.

You’re standing on it. But something’s wrong.

You’re sliding. You try to dig in your toes and your heels. You try to walk backwards or to turn around and get back up. But you keep sliding.

You don’t feel any texture, you just keep sliding. You’re in total blackness. There is no light. There is no breeze or draft or odor. You’ve never been here before.

You can’t see where the slide bottoms out. You can’t see if it levels off. Or if it undulates up and down.

And you keep sliding.

You realize there’s someone beside you. “Are you OK,” you ask.

The response is quite close. It’s a bit slurred. Like a person who just tumbled out of bed. Or has had a bit too much to drink.

You touch an arm and follow it down to the wrist and hand. The hand accepts yours. It feels cool and smooth — a bit like metal — but it’s soft and flaccid. Instead of gripping your clasp, it sort of shakes it to let you know it’s there.

You’re still sliding. Both of you. You don’t know how fast. You start wondering if you’re going to bump into or trip over anything.

There’s a sound you don’t recognize. Their hand slips out of yours.

“Are you OK,” you ask. “Yesshh,” you hear. It’s still close but the source seems somewhere.

California from page 3

“Well, when Edmund Brown was governor we didn’t have any earthquakes.”

And speaking of earthquakes, they don’t bother California natives – we use earthquakes to help stir our coffee. Or, if you’re with a voluptuous, buxom female friend, a 4.3 magnitude earthquake can visually make your day.

A comedian once said: “The California lifestyle is so unique that California now plans to have their own airline called ‘Hooter’s Airlines.’ Hooter’s Airlines will be the only airline where passengers will actually pray for turbulence.”

As a California boy, I was never a religious sort. But, I always thought it was cool that the Pope sometimes wore a white, 3-foot high coneshaped hat with embedded rhinestones on it. When I was 8 years olde my friend, Jimmy Langston, said that the Pope once came to San Diego (he never did) and that his tall, cone-shaped hat blew-off when he was jet-skiing on San Diego’s Mission Bay.

Jimmy swore on a stack of Bibles that the Pope’s cone-shaped hat was never found.

I believed him, and every time my parents picnicked at Ski Beach, I always took time to look for it.

“THE GREAT CALIFORNIA REMARK.”

When Dan Quayle was running for U. S. President in 2000 we thought he was (really) a native Californian when he said gnarly things, like: “I love California -- I practically grew up in Phoenix.”

(My research confirms that he actually said that in a speech to California delegates, 17 August 1988, prior to becoming Vice President in 1989.)

Yeah, I know, in doing the research it still didn’t make any sense to us Californians, either.

But we all loved Dan Quayle because – as my grandpa bragged: “He makes Porky Pig sound eloquent!”

Poor Dan Quayle.

He never recovered from his stranger-than-strange California-Phoenix remark.

He tried valiantly to rectify his California-Phoenix mistake, but, in backing-up he inadvertently knocked over another apple cart and only managed to make matters worse when he blurted out:

“I made a misstatement and I stand by all my misstatements!”

It was during this apologetic that he managed to, somehow, dig himself still deeper into a verbal hole when he made the excuse:

“We don’t want to go back to tomorrow, we want to move forward.”

By this time, Dan Quayle had become a hero to me and my coterie of surfer friends and we could hardly wait to attend one of his gnarly campaign rallies if he ever stopped over in San Diego!

Speaking on behalf of the United Negro College Fund, whose motto is, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” Quayle commented to a thunderstruck gathering (and a national televised audience):

“What a terrible thing to have lost one’s mind. Or, not to have a mind at all. How true that is.”

That’s when my grandpa sat up and bellowed: “Is that boy from California?!”

California youth can be the source of great mischief, with full intent -but I don’t think Dan Quayle truly intended to throw a bag of rattlesnakes into a crowd of people every time he spoke.

By the way, Dan Quayle’s dubious talent for making speeches, tickled an entire nation of Americans. To the point where “Dan Quayle Calendars,” were selling like skateboards, with each calendar-month carrying a true-life verbal mistake by Mr. Quayle, along with the place and date of its utterance.

Because of Dan Quayle’s odd speeches, grandpa became evermore convinced that he was really a reformed California surfer. My grandpa sent away for a Dan Quayle calendar and read the January quote out loud:

“The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation’s history. No, not our nation’s, but in World War II. I mean, we all lived in this century. I didn’t live in this century, but in this century’s history.”

(Above was speaking at a Press Conference on 15 September 1988. Also, printed in The New Yorker on 10 October 1988, page 102. Also, later paraphrased in Esquire Magazine, August 1992 issue.)

Perhaps the unique California air was too intoxicating for such a nonCalifornia resident as Dan Quayle, who was from Indiana. After all, shortly afterward he hollered to the press corps:

Oodles from page 3

Hawaiian Luau

September 30 • 4:30pm - 10pm

Elks Lodge #1687 2430 S. Escondido Blvd. Escondido, CA 92025

Elks and Guests welcome. Cost is $25 reserved or $30 at the door.

Pu Pu appetizers, Huli Huli chicken, traditional Hawaiian kalua pork, authentic macaroni salad, mai tai specials. Pig races, corn hole, Hawaiian dancers planned.

For Information call: (760) 7451687 or (619) 861-0395 ***

Widows & Widowers Social Club

October 1

Sunshine Mountain Vineyard San Marcos

On Sunday, October 1, North County Widows and Widowers Social Club to attend special winery event at Sunshine Mountain Vineyard, San Marcos. RSVP at (760) 910-3746. Visit widowsandwidowersnc.com.

Parkinson’s Support Group Meeting

October 2 • 10am - noon

San Rafael Church 17252 Bernardo Center Drive

October 2nd - Parkinson’s Support Group Meeting for all North County Inland Communities Parkinson’s Support Group. Free monthly meetings for people with Parkinson’s and their care partners are held on the first Monday of every month from 10am until Noon at San Rafael Church, 17252 Bernardo Center Drive, Rancho Bernardo, in the Parish Hall. Our featured speaker for Monday, October 2nd is Doris Flood, MSPT who owns Personally Fit and will present “Exercise and Falls”.

Separate breakout sessions for People with Parkinson’s and care partners will follow the presentation to discuss successes and challenges.

Come learn, share, meet, and enjoy the free refreshments with other involved Parkinson’s persons. Please call (760) 749-8234 or (760) 5181963 if you have any questions.

***

The Folk Collection

October 8 • 1:30pm

First Congregational Church 1800 N. Broadway, Escondido

The Folk Collection (Ed, Tony, and Mike) will be singing classic 60’s folk music 2 pm , Sunday October 8....back by popular demand. Tickets available at 1:15pm. Doors open at 1:30. Children 12 and under FREE. Students thru college $10.00, Seniors, veterans, and active-military $20.00.Adults $30.00. Come enjoy an afternoon of great music, humor and a few sing-a-longs! First Congregational Church, 1800 North Broadway, Escondido. www.hiddenvalleyCCAescondido.info

Reverse Mortgages

Pay off existing mortgage, home improvements, even purchase a new home!

A reverse mortgage can help turn the value of your home into cash without having to make monthly mortgage payments and can help you better manage your financial future. It can provide you with the means to supplement your monthly income, cover healthcare costs, pay off existing mortgages or other financial obligations, fix up your home, or simply gain peace of mind.

Oodles continued on page 12 California

Broker, DRE 01200868

NMLS 315848

continued on page 13

www.laurastrickler.com

Repealing Proposition 13

As many of you know, I work hard in Sacramento to fight taxes, fees and overbearing regulations. Californians continue to suffer under our excessively high cost-of-living, partly a result of the highest income, gasoline and sales taxes in the United States. Fortunately, we have Proposition 13 to keep property taxes in check, but those protections are now in serious jeopardy.

Proposition 13, which limits yearly property tax increases to 2% for every property owner, remains one of the main protections for California taxpayers. In 1978, Prop 13 was approved by an overwhelming margin to end the system of rapidly increasing annual property taxes based on re-assessed property value. Efforts to undermine Prop 13 have become nearly an annual occurrence in Sacramento, and those efforts achieved preliminary success this year with passage of Assembly Constitutional Amendment 13 (ACA 13). ACA 13 would block a taxpayer protection initiative, already approved for the ballot, that overrides recent court rulings and restores the 2/3 vote requirement for all local tax measures. It also allows local jurisdictions to hold “advisory votes” on tax increases,

which only need a simple majority to pass.

Everyone benefits from Prop 13, including owners of recently purchased property. Homeowners are assured their taxes won’t increase simply because real estate speculation and bureaucratic barriers that limit new housing have driven up property values. Tenants don’t see their rents increase to cover the cost of their landlord’s escalating property tax bill, and businesses are able to plan ahead for growth and new jobs knowing what their tax liabilities will be in future years.

Since ACA 13 would amend the state’s constitution by essentially repealing Proposition 13, the measure requires voter approval. In the end, whether to add property taxes to our highest-in-the-nation gas, sales and income taxes will be decided by voters, not the Legislature.

Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R- Valley Center, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the cities of Poway, Santee, portions of the City of San Diego, and most of rural eastern and northern San Diego County.

A Word from San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones

Are you signed up for the Double Peak Challenge?

• 10K registration costs $70 and includes race entry, wood medal, shirt, access to race expo and complimentary beer for those 21 and older

• 5K registration costs $40 and includes race entry, wood medal, shirt and access to race expo

• Kid’s Trot is free to register and a parent/guardian must fill out the waiver for child participation

5th District Supervisor Jim Desmond Immigration Failures

For the past four days, we have witnessed an unprecedented influx of migrants from all corners of the world being dropped off at transit stations throughout San Diego County.

At the time of writing this, over 5,000 individuals have entered our region, and the numbers show no sign of slowing down. Our immigration system appears non-existent, and people from far and wide are capitalizing on the federal government’s apparent ineptness.

Let me be clear: this situation is neither humane nor compassionate. My heart aches for these individuals who are seeking a better life. Most of them do not speak English and lack the resources to reach their intended destinations. Yet, they are simply dropped and left in our County. This is a failure by the federal government.

We already face a severe homelessness problem, and dropping thousands of individuals onto our streets will only exacerbate this issue. The federal government

should fund and operate temporary shelters or housing on federal properties and facilitate the processing of individuals to their final destinations rather than releasing them onto our streets and transit centers. Until they can responsibly manage this situation, they should not allow further entry into our region. We cannot have a country without a border.

This is also a result of state and local politicians offering legal protection and taxpayer-funded benefits, which only encourage this situation to persist. Both sides of the aisle have failed to come up with a reasonable immigration policy and now the County of San Diego is forced to take on their problems.

I will continue looking for solutions to help those in our County and work to fix our broken immigration system. I will keep you updated.

San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond, 1600 Pacific Highway, #335, San Diego, CA 92101, United States http:// www.supervisorjimdesmond.com/

Get your running shoes ready for the Double Peak Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 30! Community members have 1 more day to register for the fun event! Participants will have the opportunity to run alongside beautiful San Marcos views and hillside trails. Take a look at important registration information

I’d like to give a huge thank you to our event sponsors Kaiser Permanente, Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos and Friends of San Marcos for helping the city offer this fun event! Race proceeds benefit our beloved community through Friends of San Marcos Parks and Recreation and the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos.

For more information please visit www.DoublePeakChallenge.com

Problem Solved by Christopher

Elliott

Samsung offers Joe King a refund for his home security starter kit, but then refuses to pay him. Can it do that?

Q: I purchased a Samsung SmartThings ADT Home Security Starter Kit and accessories from Lowe’s last year. A short while later, Samsung ended support for it and offered refunds to customers.

I submitted my refund request in April 2022, and Samsung approved my refund in August, but only after I filed a complaint with the BBB.

Samsung initially denied my claim because it said Lowe’s was not an authorized dealer, but after I filed my BBB complaint, they said they made a mistake and approved my refund claim.

I’ve returned the devices but I still haven’t received my refund. Recently, I got a notification that my refund ticket was canceled. I’ve contacted Samsung support a few times but I still haven’t received my money.

Samsung keeps telling me it will start a new support ticket and someone will be contacting me but

that never happens. I’ve been dealing with this for a year now and I’ve run out of patience. Can you help me?

~ Joe King, Kingsport, Tenn.

A: The Samsung SmartThings

ADT Home Security Starter Kit is a box of essential items for a home security system. It has just over two stars out of five on the Samsung site, and it appears to be out of stock.

I suspect it had the same low rating at the time you bought it. When a product has a low rating on the company’s own website, I would avoid it.

I share your annoyance with being bounced between Lowe’s and Samsung. If you purchased the product through Lowe’s, the retailer should have helped you return it and obtain a refund. (Lowe’s has not re-

By Tom Morrow

The Erie Canal is a 363-mile waterway built during the early 19th century that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River in upstate New York. It was and still is a manmade marvel to behold.

The hand-dug channel, which traverses New York state from Albany to Buffalo on Lake Erie, was considered an engineering victory when it first opened in 1825. The Erie Canal provided a direct water route from New York City to the Midwest, triggering large-scale commercial and agricultural development as well as immigration to the sparsely populated frontiers of western New York, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and points west. The Canal transformed New York City into the young nation’s economic powerhouse, and in 2000 the U.S. Congress designated the Erie Canal a National Heritage Corridor.

Early explorers in America had long searched for a water route

Connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic

from East Coast population centers to the resource-rich territories of the Midwest and Great Lakes. However, the Appalachian Mountains stood in the way. Transportation of goods was limited by what teams of oxen could pull by wagon.

In 1807, Jesse Hawley, a flour merchant from western New York went broke trying to get his product to market in the Atlantic coastal cities. He published a series of essays from debtor’s prison advocating for a canal system that would span nearly 400 miles from Buffalo, New York, on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, to Albany, New York, on the Hudson River.

Hawley’s essays caught the attention of New York politicians, including New York City Mayor DeWitt Clinton who believed the Canal was crucial to the economic advancement of his city.

In 1817, Clinton brought the plan to fruition after he became the governor of New York. Canal workers first broke ground on July 4, 1817, near Utica, New York. The construction of the Canal, through mountainous terrain and dense rock, proved as challenging as the political environment. Throughout construction, the governor’s political opponents ridiculed the project as “Clinton’s Folly” or “Clinton’s ditch.”

It took laborers eight years to finish

the project. They cleared the land by hand, mule and oxen, blasting through rock with gunpowder. The original Erie Canal was just four feet deep and 40 feet wide. It was considered a major engineering feat at the time of its completion in 1825. It traversed nearly 400 miles of fields, forests, and rocky cliffs, and contained 83 locks used for raising and lowering boats between canal stretches with different water levels. The military academy at West Point in New York offered the only formal engineering program in North America at the time the Canal was built.

The project provided practical schooling for a new generation of American engineers and in 1824, led to the founding of the nation’s first civil engineering school, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Travel Troubleshooter

by Christopher Elliott

in Troy, New York. Erie Canal engineers devised new equipment to uproot trees and stumps and developed cement that could set and harden underwater.

The Erie Canal opened on Oct. 26, 1825. A fleet of boats, led by Gov. Dewitt Clinton aboard the Seneca Chief, sailed from Buffalo to New York City in the record time of just 10 days.

The construction of the Erie Canal gave New York City (via the Hudson River) direct water access to the Great Lakes and regions of the Midwest. As the gateway to the resource-rich Midwestern lands, New York soon became the na-

Historically Speaking continued on page 12

American Airlines downgraded us. Can I get the fare difference refunded?

American Airlines downgrades

Thomas Sennett and his family to economy class on their flights from Boston to Phoenix. Why isn’t it refunding the fare difference?

Q: Last year, my family and I had first-class tickets on American Airlines to fly from Boston to Phoenix. American Airlines delayed that flight and rebooked and downgraded us to coach class on another flight.

A few days later, I received an email from American Airlines that it had refunded the fare difference between first class and economy class and advised me to contact my travel agent.

When I returned from our vacation, I contacted the travel agent at AAA, who had arranged our tour through Pleasant Holidays. The AAA travel agent contacted Pleasant Holidays, which had no record of a refund from American Airlines.

Over the course of a couple of months, I followed up with AAA and Pleasant Holidays on the status of this credit, to no avail.

Finally, I reached out to one of the American Airlines executives that you list on your consumer advocacy site. The airline contacted me a day later and referred me to a website to check the status of the refund. That website indicated that a refund had been completed.

I still don’t have our refund. Can you help me?

~

Thomas Sennett,

West Hartford, CT

A: If you get bumped from first class to economy -- that’s called an involuntary downgrade -- you should get a prompt and full refund of the fare difference. Looking at your case, I can see the problem -and a possible complication.

The complication is the fare difference. Airlines often calculate the

fare difference in a way that is advantageous to them. So, if American were to give you a refund, it would be based on the difference between a first-class ticket and an expensive walk-up fare in economy class instead of the less expensive advance-purchase fare. That way, it wouldn’t have to refund you much -- or anything at all.

The second issue is that you have a tour operator and an agent involved. A good travel agent can fight for your refund. But the bureaucracy of getting the money from the airline to the tour operator to the travel advisor and finally to you -- well, that’s probably why it’s taking so long.

When I asked you to send me the paper trail between you, American, AAA and Pleasant Holidays, you complied. I’m so impressed that you stayed off the phone and did everything by email. You had a thorough and very helpful paper

trail that made this case relatively easy to resolve.

I see you also availed yourself of the company contacts for American Airlines that I publish on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Nice work! I also have contacts for AAA in case you ever need them.

I contacted AAA on your behalf to find out the status of your refund. It reached out to Pleasant Holidays. The company found your money and returned it to you. And best of all, American Airlines didn’t try any funny airline math. You received a check for $1,611 from the carrier.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

© 2023 Christopher Elliott.

The Erie Canal

Is it time to finally ban babies from planes?

If you’ve heard a lot of talk about banning babies from planes, here’s why: A European charter airline just announced it will start offering an adults-only section on some of its transatlantic flights in November.

That has some air travelers fantasizing about baby-free flights. And you know what? Maybe they’re onto something.

Airlines already place commonsense limits on young passengers. For example, on United Airlines, infants younger than seven days of age can’t fly. And lately, there’s been an earnest discussion about keeping little ones out of business class. Why draw a line there?

No one’s suggesting a ban on babies, or even kids, from all flights. That wouldn’t make sense for passengers or airlines.

“Banning children from flights would be a financial disaster for airlines,” explains Mike Taylor, J.D. Power’s managing director for travel and hospitality. That’s because leisure travel currently accounts for two-thirds of all air travel revenues, and people sometimes take their kids on vacation with them despite the screams, tantrums and meltdowns (theirs and their kids’).

But maybe it’s time for a little course correction when it comes to children. Maybe there are places we should keep baby-free, such as a section of the plane, or the entire plane. I’ll get to that in just a minute.

What’s an “Only Adults” section on a plane?

The debate over kids on planes started when Corendon recently announced it would start selling an “Only Adults” section for passengers 16 and older on flights between Amsterdam and the Caribbean island of Curaçao.

The “Only Adults” zone, located in the front section of Corendon’s Airbus A350, consists of nine XL seats with extra legroom and 93 standard seats. The section will be partitioned from the rest of the aircraft by walls and curtains, creating a shielded environment “that contributes to a quiet and relaxing flight,” according to the company.

One of the primary motivations for the airline seems to be money. A seat reservation in the “Only Adults” zone costs an additional $48 per flight. And an XL seat in the section costs an extra $106 each way. But Corendon says it will also benefit passengers, because a select few will arrive in the Dutch Caribbean well-rested and ready for their vacation.

“This zone on the plane is intended for travelers traveling without children and for business travelers who want to work in a quiet environment,” it says in a news release.

Corendon did not respond to my questions about its new “Only

Adults” section, and I suspect I know why. This is a hot-button issue for air travelers.

Do babies belong on flights?

Some passengers think so.

There are some passengers who believe airlines shouldn’t restrict young passengers from flying anywhere.

“This whole discussion is nonsense,” says Corinne McDermott, founder of Have Baby Will Travel, a family travel website. “People seem to forget that babies and toddlers are people. And we want our children to grow up to be the kind of open-minded and caring individuals who would offer a helping hand to a parent, instead of the cold shoulder. Don’t we?”

Colleen Carswell, a hospitality consultant and family travel expert, says restricting children may be an easy solution, but it will have long-term consequences.

“I don’t think they’re going to like

the humans they grow up to be,” she says.

The solution to noisy kids isn’t to keep them isolated at home, according to Carswell. This does a “tremendous disservice” to the human collective by raising children with shame and judgment instead of compassion. Instead, she suggests we should welcome all passengers on board, regardless of their age.

They’re not wrong. I’m grateful that airlines allowed babies and young children on flights when I was a young father. I took my son, Aren, on his first flight when he was barely a month old. When he was a toddler, we flew with him to Europe and were lucky enough to get an upgrade to business class. Today, Aren is a well-adjusted world traveler who speaks three languages. If I couldn’t fly with him as a boy, it might have been difficult to pull that off.

Why kids don’t belong on planes.

There’s an equally compelling argument that we should place sensible limits on babies. Some may have physiological challenges that make a flight unbearable. Others may not have the temperament to sit in a pressurized aluminum tube for hours.

Etiquette consultant Jodi RR Smith admits she has dreamed of childfree flights, although she thinks it will never happen. She says the strongest argument is that keeping kids grounded is best for them. Some of them are just not ready to sit still for a 12-hour flight. But one of the biggest challenges for babies and toddlers is the pressure changes on the climb to and descent from cruising altitude.

“The child is often in excruciating pain, and it’s heart-wrenching for the parent who both wants to soothe the baby and is mortified at disturbing others,” she says.

Shelley Hunter, an innkeeper from Quincy, Calif., says airlines should be able to exclude kids from some flights. She recalls a recent flight from Reno to San Diego where she wishes it had been “Only Adults.”

“There was a toddler who screamed at the top of his lungs and kicked the back of my seat for the entire flight,” she recalls. “The parents kept telling him what a good boy he was. He was not!”

No wonder 77% of parents admit

Babies

continued on page 14

Illustration by Christopher Elliott

Are You Really Interested in a Relationship?

And today for the first time in American history there are more single women (57 percent). Many of these single women love their independence, are in the work force, economically stable, and happier than ever before. To put it bluntly, many neither need nor want a man in their lives!

find themselves having to take “fertility” drugs that brings the risk of having multiple births.

ual pursuit that interests you.

by Karalee Austin, Simply The Best Singles

The U.S. Census Bureau reports there are slightly more than 37.5 single person households. This is an increase of 4 million over one-person households in 2000. The causes could be the declining marriage rate, high divorce rates, and the fact that living alone is now considered the norm in many cities.

When was the last time you heard the word “hermit?” A man living by himself used to be thought of that way, but you very seldom hear that term nowadays. The most common places where people are living the singles life are Atlanta, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia.

I used to schedule “Marriage Minded” speed dating events for women and men ages 28 to 39. There was always a waiting list for the men to attend whereas the women were much less interested. Younger men complained to me all the time they couldn’t find a woman their age who wanted to get married and have a family. In fact, the men applied a term to these ladies – B&I (Busy and Important) or BBB (Busy, Busy, Busy).

Many women nowadays are so involved with their careers, obsessed with working out at the gym and going out to dinner with their girlfriends, that they don’t have time for men. And when they decide to meet a man, it can be weeks before they’re free to work them into their busy schedule. Unfortunately when many of these women reach the age of 40 or so, they suddenly realize there is no man in their life and no baby! I have found most women WANT a baby, but as we all know it becomes more difficult to conceive the older they become. Many older women

The longer an older person remains single, the less inclined they can become in wanting a relationship. This goes for both men and women. Oh, they might say they do, but when it comes down to it, they have grown comfortable with their way of life and have little or no desire to compromise to meet another person’s wants and needs.

So be honest with yourself and decide if you’re really looking for a relationship. If you’re a woman, perhaps it’s just being “taken out for dinner” occasionally that interests you. Of if you’re a man, it’s the sex-

Many times, a woman who finds herself alone after being married for 20 to 30 years enjoys her newfound freedom. She doesn’t have to pick up after anyone, doesn’t have to cook for someone, can watch the TV shows she wants, no longer has extra laundry to do, and can now spend her time going out for lunches and dinners with her girlfriends.

There is a saying that if a man is single for longer than five years after getting divorced, he more than likely will stay single, especially if he is seeking only a “younger” woman and not someone comparable to his age.

is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter ‘u’’ and the elimination of ‘-ize.’

3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you’re not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can’t sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you’re not ready to shoot grouse.

5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat’s Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialect in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one’s ears removed with a cheese grater.

11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

Pet Parade Guadalupe

Scooter is Rancho Coastal Humane Society’s pet of the week. He’s a 3-yearold, 10-1/2-pound, male, Domestic Short Hair cat with a Black and White coat.

Scooter was a stray before he was taken to a crowded rescue partner in Riverside County. He was transferred to Rancho Coastal Humane Society through Friends of County Animal Shelters (FOCAS.) He’s a social cat who “talks” when he’s excited.

The $100 adoption fee for Scooter includes medical exam, neuter, up to date vaccinations, and registered

12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It’s been driving us mad.

14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from His Majesty’s Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the King! ***

Thoughts of an Old Fart

I don’t need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me off.

My people skills are just fine. It’s my tolerance for idiots that needs work.

The biggest lie I tell myself is, “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.”

I have days when my life is just a tent away from a circus.

These days, “on time” is when I get there.

Even duct tape can’t fix stupid - but it sure does muffle the sound. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller?

Lately, I’ve noticed people my age are so much older than me.

When I was a child, I thought nap time was punishment. Now it feels like a mini vacation.

Some days I have no idea what I’m doing out of bed.

I thought growing old would take longer.

Aging sure has slowed me down, but it hasn’t shut me up.

***

Sven, a small town Minnesota furniture retailer, decided to expand his line of furniture in his store, so he traveled to Paris to check wholesale furniture.

He visited manufacturers, made his selections he knew would sell back home. With time on his hands he relaxed at a small bistro with a glass of red wine.

Enjoying the Paris ambiance and people-watching he realized his table for two had the only empty chair in the entire bistro. Sure

Chuckles

continued on page 14

Pet of the Week

While she’s large in size and stature, lovely rottweiler mix Marissa has a sweet soul and a gentle nature. This stunning pup can be shy while meeting new people and will need a patient and understanding family to welcome her into her new home. Once she’s warmed up to her new environment, she’ll be your steadfast companion and give you her depthless love! She’s ready to become a cherished member of your pack today! Marissa is available for adoption at San Diego Humane Society’s Escondido Campus at 3500 Burnet Dr. If you have questions about the adoption process, you can visit sdhumane.org/ adopt or call 619-299-7012.

Online profile: https://www.sdhumane.org/adopt/available-pets/ animal-single.html?petId=874735

The above now famous advice from Clint Eastwood on his 88th birthday was immortalized in song by his golfing buddy, singer songwriter Toby Keith. It simply means that we have choices in the way we age.

For thousands of years older humans shared their lives with younger generations. The knowledge (technology) needed to survive and thrive changed little between generations so wisdom and lore enhanced through a lifetime of experience made older folks the primary source of wisdom and knowledge. This knowledge (technology) was kept alive through words and deeds and passed along from generation to generation. In recent history man found more efficient ways to

“Don’t

store and pass along knowledge through written word and educational institutions, but white hair and a weathered face were still strongly associated with knowledge and wisdom.

Fast forward to today. For the first time in human history age is no longer associated with wisdom. In the past half century, exploding technology changed nearly everything we do in our day to day lives. A lifetime of knowledge (technology) and experience gained in the 20th century has diminished practical value today. Our children and grand children still love and cherish us but even to them, we’ve lost much of our practical value.

Our traditional family role as a teacher and leader is often reversed as our children and grandchildren teach us how to function in the “connected universe”. Aging gracefully as the revered senior family patrician is less a viable stereotype. Either you “keep up” or risk becoming the old fart in the easy chair.

Making the effort to “keep up” has significant benefits and does not mean adopting contemporary generational attitudes, fads or politics. You do it for yourself, not anyone else. “Keeping up” means learning how to use the practical features of the Internet that benefit your lifestyle like banking, paying bills, doing taxes, shopping, travel planning, reconnecting or staying in touch with family and old friends

Part II of III

etc. These are common functions that save time and money and most seniors use them.

The other less obvious and less used benefit of the WWW is that seniors may also be able to use it to maintain and even increase our cognitive abilities as they age, We go to the gym or exercise to maintain our physical strength and fitness, but many of us don’t think about the fact that the “use it or lose it” rule also applies to our minds as well as our bodies. Using the internet to as a tool to exercise your mind isn’t as easy as it may seem. Most of us tend to use the Internet as a substitute for our own memory and reasoning. The Internet is a wonderful tool for getting answers and solutions to life’s question and problems. Before the

Internet we were forced to rely on our own or others incomplete information to make decisions. Access to the WWW’s more complete knowledge base saves time, money and lives. We are blessed to have it and we should never hesitate to use it. The downside is that reliance on the Internet as a substitute for our own knowledge and cognitive abilities is having a “use it or lose it affect” that is expressed in dropping IQ scores among younger generations. Can the Internet provide the solution to the negative impact it’s having on human “brain power”? Can the Internet be used as a “gym” to help us regain our cognitive abilities and keep improving our minds and memory as we age? Many experts think it can, let’s talk about that next week.

Before you get a pet, make sure you can care for it and make sure it can care for you. “Give and Take” goes both ways.

If you’re a runner or hiker and you want a dog who can go with you, Google suggests Huskies, Greyhounds, or other suitable working dogs.

Squishy-nosed dogs including Pugs and Bulldogs are prone to overheating. When you get two miles into your ten-mile run, and your dog collapses, you’re in trouble. Not just because your dog

needs care, but you’re two miles from home.

You, panting and in a panic, need to carry it. Good luck picking up your 80-pound Hound or 200pound Mastiff. A 10-pound Chihuahua might be easier to carry, but wouldn’t it be better if you picked a compatible dog to begin with?

Several years ago, I sustained a leg injury (not dog-related.) Howie and I went from three to five walks per day to me crawling from the living room to the kitchen.

The first few days, a friend came over and took Howie for walks. When she had to go back to work, Howie and I were on our own. (That’s him in the picture, with me.)

Howie still needed to go out for potty breaks, and he needed to

be fed and have his water bowl filled.

I could hardly feed myself and lost 10 pounds. Crawling from the living room to the kitchen was excruciating. Still, Howie needed to go out.

One or two steps at a time. Tears streaming down my cheeks. Begging Howie to pee so we could go back in. Him, making me go a little farther each time. After a couple weeks, Howie and I made it half a

block. It hurt like heck, but it was a victory.

Those walks were a blessing. Howie forced me to move when that was the last thing I wanted.

I thought I was the one making the sacrifice. It was him making the sacrifices for me.

When you get a dog, make sure you can care for it, and it can care for you.

Oodles from page 5

34th Annual Boys and Girls Night Out

A Night In All White Gala

October 13 • 6-10pm

The Seabird Resort

101 Mission Ave. • Oceanside

Join us for a special evening of sparkling performances and spirited conversation.

Be the One, support Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside’s mission to provide all members the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.

Dinner, Dancing & Live Auction. 6:00pm Cocktail Hour, 7:30pm Dinner. All White Attire Requested.

Whether your outfit will sparkle, sway or make a statement, we’re excited to see your semi-formal or cocktail attire at our elegant “A Night in All White” gala. ***

Vista Boys & Girls Club Poker Tournament

October 14 • 5pm

306 S. Santa Fe, Vista

Go “all in” for the kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Vista’s 5th annual Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament!. This exciting event will be held Saturday, October 14th at the Vistonian at 306 S. Santa Fe in Vista. Dinner will be served from 5:00-6:00 followed by tournament play beginning at 6pm.

The poker tournament buy-in is $100 with various add-ons and sponsorships available. Tournament tickets include food and drink. The dinner only option is $60.

All proceeds from the Poker Tournament will benefit programs offered by the Boys & Girls Club of Vista focusing on Academic Enrichment, Character Development and Healthy Lifestyles. Participation provides financial assistance to year-round programs for underserved youth.

Register at: https://www.bgcvista. org/poker-tournament

*** Fall Festival

2023 Dinner and Fundraiser

October 28th • 6pm St. Timothy’s Parish Hall

Grand Prize Raffle: $1,200. Consolation Prizes: $600 & $300. Prime Rib with all the fixings! Dinner Tickets only $30 each.

Purchase Prime Rib Dinner and Raffle Tickets at St. Timothy’s Church before or after weekend Masses. Saturday: 5pm Mass, Sunday: 8:30am & 10:30am Masses.

Credit Cards Accepted

Sponsored by Knights of Columbus St. Timothy’s Council 10802. Proceeds Benefit Catholic and Escondido Community Charities.

Problem Solved from page 6

sponded to my advocacy team’s recent requests for help.)

I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the key Samsung executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email to one of them might have expedited your refund. You were more than patient with Samsung and Lowe’s. You included the paper trail between you and Samsung, and I could feel my blood pressure rising as I read it. They just kept stringing you along. There’s no excuse for that.

I contacted Samsung on your behalf. A short while later, Samsung sent you a full refund.

“I don’t know how you managed to get their attention, but whatever you did it got the ball rolling,” you told me. “I don’t know if this ever have been resolved without your help, short of a lawsuit.”

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/

© 2023 Christopher Elliott.

Letters

from page 4

You reach out and around and touch an arm. You try to help them stand up but there’s no cooperating strength or self-help.

“Can you stand up,” you ask. You’re told they can’t feel their feet and their legs won’t move.

You keep on sliding.

Then you hear coughcoughcoughcoughcough khaaaccccch coughcoughcoughcough. You reach out to help but you can’t reach them. You didn’t realize it but they’ve slid somewhere out of reach. There’s nothing you can do.

You both just keep on sliding. The coughing is sliding with you.

Then you hear a different sound – short gasps. “Ican’tbreatheIcan’tbreathe” they’re trying to shout but they start to choke. It sounds like they have a plastic bag tied over their head.

Your foot hits something so you reach down to pick it up. It’s feels like a sandwich. Food. It smells like ham and cheese.

Then there’s a new sound. “I… can’t…swa…llow.” You feel guilty but you have to eat. It’s difficult to push it through that knot in your

stomach. You have to stay strong to try to help them.

And you keep on sliding and sliding and slid…

Cecil Scaglione ***

Dear Editor,

The Biden Administration’s recent announcement to set Medicare prices for 10 prescription drugs is concerning for those, like me, with family members, including my aunt, who depend on insulin for diabetes care.. This could have a detrimental impact on prescription drug access and the development of new medications.

That’s because price-setting policies for prescription drugs not only weaken access to current medications on the market, but can also restrict the resources that researchers and scientists need to keep developing new treatments. Undermining future medical innovation by putting the government in charge of setting prescription prices is not the best solution to reduce costs for patients.

For that, Congress should focus on commonsense, bipartisan reforms of the practices that insurers and their Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) use to boost profits at the expense of patient access. Through restrictive policies like prior authorization and patient steering, PBMs can dictate exactly when and where patients can access the critical prescriptions they need.

Lawmakers in Washington should focus less on price-setting policies and more on passing PBM reform. The DRUG Act in the Senate provides a smart, bipartisan solution to a problem that impacts millions of patients across the country.

By reining in PBMs and holding them more accountable, the DRUG Act would help reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs without threatening access or the future of pharmaceutical innovation. California’s congressional delegation should help pass this critical PBM reform bill without delay.

Sincerely,

Jacklyn Parhar, San Diego, CA

Historically Speaking from page 7s

tion’s economic epicenter and the primary port of entry to the United States for European immigrants.

By 1853, the Erie Canal carried 62 percent of all U.S. trade. For the first time, manufactured goods such as furniture and clothing could be shipped to the Midwestern frontier.

The Erie Canal had its negative effect. It traversed the ancestral homelands of several Native American groups, including the Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca, accelerating their removal.

The Erie Canal was enlarged twice to fit wider and deeper boats. Some parts were rerouted to make way for more ship traffic in 1918. Portions of the original Canal are still operable, though tourism is now the main source of boat traffic.

Commercial and shipping traffic declined abruptly after the 1959, completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The new waterway along the United States-Canadian border allowed large ships to enter the Great Lakes directly from the Atlantic Ocean, bypassing the Erie Canal.

In 2000, Congress designated the Erie Canal a National Heritage Corridor to help preserve New York State’s historic waterway and the communities along its banks.

The popular song “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” was written after the construction of the New York State Barge Canal, which would replace the Erie Canal. Also known as “Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal,” the song memorializes the years from 1825 to 1880 when the mule barges made boomtowns out of Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, and transformed New York into the Empire State.

The reference to “low bridge” in the song refers to travelers who would typically ride on top of the boats. The low bridges would require them to get down out of the way to allow safe passage under a bridge.

Man About Town

from page 4

son. She will also share interesting and often funny stories of singles she has met at speed dating events. For those of who you may now know what speed dating is, it’s where an equal number of single men and women gather to meet on a one-on-one basis for three to five minutes each. If you meet someone you’d like to see again, you mark their name as a match. After the event, your choices are turned in to the speed dating coordinator, who gets back to you with the contact information of your mutual matches.

As the facilitator of the speed dating events, Karalee gains valuable insights into what makes singles tick. For example, if a man or a woman attend and mark every person there as a match, it usually means they are recently out of a relationship and want to “date” and aren’t interested in or ready for a long-term relationship.

You can read Karalee’s first column on page 9 of this week’s issue. I’m looking forward to reading her columns weekly!

I often think of the Jalapeno Cantina and Grill - a place, now closed, where I spent many pleasant times with delicious food and great service.

Good friend and brilliant restaurateur, Ray Alto, has sold the building and Swami’s remodeled it as the building is now the new home of Swami’s in Escondido.

Ray will focus his attention now on La Tapatia. “I’m retiring 50%,” he said. “I used to spend the mornings here at La Tapatia and the afternoon and evenings at Jalapeno. Now I only have the one restaurant to look after.”

True, Ray just may get a wee bit more rest but he’s a workaholic and is always on the move. Most successful businessmen are that wayand Ray has been a hard working successful businessman for years.

I miss Jalapeno - great menu. But you can probably find me more

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and more often at La Tapatia. I like Ray and I like his food and, in particular, I love his tortilla soup!

Ray also owned The Fireside Restaurant at one time. He was renown for his Prime Rib Dinners. Still is. But now you get them at La Tapatia.

The Fireside . . . ah, that was a restaurant! Ray Alto knows food, he knows hospitality, he knows how to run restaurants. He’s now talking about retiring completely and I have mixed emotions. He certainly deserves a relaxing retirement but I shall miss his expertise in the hospitality industry. He’s a very special man with a very special and talented family.

***

Great News! Pastor Richard Huls has been released from the Rehabilitation Center and is back in Escondido! He is walking about his apartment and, with a walker, can walk on the grounds of the compound in which he lives. He is a neighbor to Aneke De Jong, the widow of the late Arie De Jong - close friends of both Pastor Huls and myself. Very, very happy to have my dear friend back amongst us!

California from page 5

“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment!! It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it!!”

(Quoted in the Los Angeles Times, 21 May 1989.)

CALIFORNIA GIRLS ALMOST GET THE MIGHTY RUSH LIMBAUGH FIRED!

As with Dan Quayle’s speeches, just the topic of California has been known to, inadvertently, get highprofile people into deep trouble.

For example, it even happened to the late, popular radio host, Rush Limbaugh (1951-2021).

America’s most powerful and high-

Let

est-rated radio talk show, “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” was the scene of another great “California Remark.”

Thinking his radio’s studio microphone was turned off, Rush Limbaugh, a resident of Palm Beach, Florida, allegedly quipped ‘live’ on the air:

“Have you ever noticed that the farther west you go, the prettier the girls become?”

What a bombshell that proved to be when he unknowingly spoke into a hot mic. Limbaugh, who was ostensibly speaking, particularly, of California girls, quickly apologised to his loyal (non-California) fan-base which was deeply offended from all over the United States, especially from New York where Rush Limbaugh’s radio show first originated at WABC New York City.

Though he profusely apologised, it was too late, the whole world knew Rush Limbaugh’s viewpoint on feminine beauty as being unmatched in the Golden State of California.

His apology was akin to trying to put squeezed-out toothpaste back into the tube.

For all its follies, twists, eccentricities, and humorous turns, for over 60 years California remains the most populated state in the whole United States of America with almost 40 million residents.

The paramount popularity of our Golden State (and the most beautiful girls in the galaxy) is impossible to ignore, by all accounts. Thanks to my exposure through The Paper, I met my current girlfriend Kimberly, who affectionately refers to my editor, lyle e. davis, as “My Viking King” due to his Norwegian roots. Kimberly’s moniker is “The Blonde Surfer Girl” and the first time I saw her I thought I was having a genuine religious experience!

In all respects, California is remarkable. If California were a (country) – it would be the 5th largest economic country on Earth with its staggering $3.6-trillion economy – ahead of the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and India – which is

a most intoxicating fact.

(Source: https://www.worlddata. info/largest-economies.php)

Despite all the jokes, jibes, and ribbing, California still remains the magnet to the world. As celebrated author and teacher, Carolyn See, states: “California is the repository of America’s dreams, a place that is to America what America is to the rest of the world.”

European immigrants now continue to flood in from the Olde World, but – these new European immigrants now dream to continue westward, out of the east.

As Carolyn See documents: “There is a whole quality of hope here (in California) that the future is still open-ended. In the way that people (used to) come to America.”

As a native California boy who spent seemingly endless summers horseback riding in the beautiful Cuyamaca Mountains, or snorkeling (skin diving) in the great Pacific (largest ocean on Earth), exploring the 75-million-year-olde La Jolla Caves (all 7 caves, except for one, are only accessible from the ocean, not by land) -- life was breathtaking!

I remember paddle-boarding on warm moonlit evenings on San Diego’s Mission Bay with my teen friends. Under the bright moon, we’d talk of how we were living the California Dream.

And as soon as I turned 16 -- I began working at Sea World, a dream come true.

Even at a young age we knew Southern California was a most rare place, where you could either surf or snow ski – in the same afternoon.

I like what Kim Stanley Robinson wrote in his multi-award winning “Three California Trilogy.”

On his drive from UCSD here in San Diego County north to Orange

The Mighty Mojo Page

Coins & Loans

760-745-1697

Escondido Coin & Loan, Inc.

241 E. Grand Avenue

www.escondidocoin.com

Goins•Gold•Silver•Vintage Watches

California from page 13

County to visit his parents, these words of inspiration suddenly came upon him like an epiphany:

“I grew up in a utopia. I did. California when I was a child was a child’s paradise. I was healthy, well fed, well clothed, well housed. I went to school and there were libraries with all the world in them, and after school I played in orange groves and in Little League and in the band and down at the beach and every day was an adventure . . . I grew up in utopia.”

And celebrated artist, Ace Antonio Hall, says: “To capture a California sunset in South Pasadena is to hold an angel’s wings with bated breath.”

Through all of this, the sweet and the sour of life, some things just never change with the years: all these golden memories.

All wrapped up, in the California Dream.

ALOHA PRINTING

Top Grade Printing of All Types BROCHURES • LETTERHEAD POSTERS • BANNERS BUSINESS CARDS

(760) 471-1006

practical position that we should ban babies from every flight. Wait until the kids are old enough to sit quietly and equalize their ears before subjecting themselves to the indignities of air travel. Or, if I really wanted the website traffic, I could argue that kids under 16 should stay home. But I have three kids -- and I know better.

Perhaps Corendon has the right idea. I think most of us already agree that kids don’t belong in places like bars, trade shows, and fine-dining restaurants. What harm could come from offering child-free sections -or even child-free flights?

I know, I know. The very idea of restricting kids in any way will offend some parents. But believe me, if your babies could talk, they would thank you for avoiding the torture of being strapped into a seat for hours and the piercing headache from the pressure on their ears. And I think your fellow passengers would be grateful, too.

How to handle a screaming baby on a plane.

Reality check: Babies will keep flying no matter what I write. So here are a few strategies for staying sane when a seat-kicking rugrat raises the decibel level on your next flight.

760-749-1111 www.cosmicsolar.com

Better yet, avoid the babies entirely:

In my experience, most young parents prefer a morning flight if they’re flying domestically. And they avoid the overnight flights because they’re afraid Junior won’t sleep and will keep everyone up. Certain destinations like Orlando also attract a disproportionate number of young fliers. If you can book the red-eye, you can minimize your exposure to crying kids.

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.

Local from page 4

borne illnesses by wearing long sleeves and pants or use insect repellent when outdoors. Use insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535. Make sure screens on windows and doors are in good condition and secured to keep insects out.

Report possible mosquito activity and dead birds

Report increased mosquito activity, or stagnant, green swimming pools and other mosquito-breeding sources, as well as dead birds — dead crows, ravens, jays, hawks and owls — to environmental health’s Vector Control Program by calling (858) 694-2888 or emailing vector@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Go to San Diego County’s “Fight the Bite” website SDFightTheBite. com to learn how to prevent and protect from these mosquitoes.

Chuckles from page 10

Babies from page 8

they’ve dreaded flying with their kids, according to a survey by private air transportation company KinectAir. The parents say their kids are too loud and it’s difficult to keep their kids occupied.

All fair points. I’ve also found myself trapped on a plane with a screaming child (sometimes my own) and wish there were a way to avoid it. So what’s the solution?

Maybe it’s time for kid-free flights.

Before I had kids, I might have taken the radical and entirely im-

Ask a flight attendant for help: If a baby doesn’t stop screaming, you can ask the parent to intervene (usually a terrible idea since the parents are already doing everything they can to make the baby stop), or you can appeal to a flight attendant. “Flight attendants are trained to assess in-flight issues and problem-solve,” says SharonFrances Moore, who runs a social etiquette company. The best solution may be to move you to a different seat, if available.

Invest in a good pair of noisecanceling headphones or earplugs:

“Noise-canceling headphones are always a good investment for frequent travelers,” says LaDell Carter, lead travel designer at Royal Expression Travels. “These can significantly reduce the impact of a screaming baby.” I like my pair of Sony WF1000XM4 headphones, and I never leave home without them.

Protecting against mosquitoes is always important in San Diego County. Mosquitoes like to live and breed near people, in yards and even inside homes. Some invasive types can potentially transmit diseases not naturally found here including chikungunya, dengue and Zika — but only if they first bite an infected person.

County officials reiterated that people should help protect themselves from mosquitoes and potential illnesses by following the County’s “Prevent, Protect, Report” guidelines.

Prevent mosquito breeding

Dump out or remove any item inside or outside of homes that can hold water, such as plant saucers, rain gutters, buckets, garbage cans, toys, old tires, and wheelbarrows. Mosquito fish, available for free by contacting the Vector Control Program, may be used to control mosquito breeding in backyard water sources such as stagnant swimming pools, ponds, fountains and horse troughs.

Protect yourself from mosquito bites

Protect yourself from mosquito-

enough a beautiful solo Parisian woman came to his table and asked him something in French, a language he was totally inept with, so he motioned to the vacant chair and invited her to join him.

He tried to speak to her in English, but that was useless as she spoke no English. After a couple of minutes of trying to communicate with her, he took a napkin and drew a picture of a wine glass and showed it to her. She nodded, so he ordered a glass of wine for her.

After sitting together at the table for a while, he took another napkin, and drew a picture of a plate with food on it, and she nodded. They left the bistro and found a quiet cafe that featured a small group playing romantic music.

They ordered dinner, after which he took another napkin and drew a picture of a couple dancing. She nodded, and they got up to dance. They danced until the cafe was about to close and the band was packing up.

Back at their table, the young lady took a napkin and drew a picture of a four-poster bed. To this day, Sven has no idea how she figured out he was in the furniture business.

Friedrich Gomez

Lloyd Ellis Griffin

Scholarship Foundation

The annual report of the Lloyd Ellis Griffin Scholarship Foundation is available for observation at the home of James Biever, Treasurer, 12541 Palero Road, San Diego, CA. 92128. 9/28/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9017838

The name of the business: Top Tier Construction and Consulting, located at 4985 Eucalyptus Ln., Carlsbad, CA 92008. Registrant

Information: BD Young Enterprise Inc., 4985 Eucalyptus Ln., Carlsbad, CA 92008. This business is operated by a Corporation. First day of business: N/A

/s/ Dezarae Young, CEO with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County

Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 8/29/2023

9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9017083

The name of the business: Global Pacific Yacht Services, Global Pacific Yachts, Global Pacific Yacht, located at 997 G Street., Chula Vista, CA 91910. Registrant Information: Marine Group Global Services LLC, 997 G St., Chula Vista, CA 91910. This business is operated by a Limited Liability Company. First day of business: 6/15/2023

/s/ Laura J. Machado, CFO with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County

Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 8/17/2023

9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-901724

The name of the business: Trealee8, located at 2120 W. Mission Rd., #240, Escondido, CA 92029. Registrant Information: Trealee8 LLC, 2120 W. Mission Rd., #240, Escondido, CA 92029. This business is operated by a Limited Liability Company. First day of business:

N/A

/s/ Mary Lee S. Reasonover, CEO with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County

Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 8/24/2023

9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28/2023

STATEMENT OF

ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME: 2023-90017623

Trealee8, located at 2120 W. Mission Rd., #240, Escondido, CA 92029. The

Fictitious Business Name referred to above was filed in San Diego County on 5/8/2023 and assigned file no. 20239010149.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IS

BEING ABANDONED BY: Mary Lee Reasonover, 232 Treasure Drive, San Marcos, CA 92078. This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1000).

/s/Mary Reasonover

This statement was filed with the San Diego Recorder/County clerk on 8/24/2023.

9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28/2023

SUMMONS (ON VERIFIED FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT)

CASE NO. SCV-272110

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SONOMA

600 Administration Drive, Room 107-J Santa Rosa, CA. 95403

NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: THEO-

DORE J. LIESE, an individual; SU-

ZANNE L. MAIERLE, an individual, ADDITIONAL PARTIES ATTACH-

MENT FORM IS ATTACHED)

YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAIN-

TIFF: IVAN A. RAYA, an individual; and KIROLOS HANNA, an individual.

NOTICE! You are being sued. The court may decide against you wi- htout you being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written re- sponse at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response but be in proper legal form is you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts

Online Self Help Center (www.court-

info.ca.gov/selfhelp) your county law library, or the county courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask he court clerk for a fee waiver form; if you do not file your respnse on time, you may lose the case by default,and your wages, money, and preperty may be takent without further warning from the courr. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away.

If you do not know an atorney, you may want to call an attorney refer- ral service. If you cannot afford an at- torney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the Califor- nia Legal Service Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org).

the Cali- fornia Courts Online SelfHelp Center (www.cortinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar associataion. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitra- tion award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

The name and address of the court is:

600 Administration Drive, Room 107J, Santa Rosa, CA. 95403

The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plain- tiff without an attorney is: Jeffrey S. Lyons, SBN 227277

Telephone: (707) 523 1181

CLEMENT, FITZPATRICK & KENWORTHY

3333 Mendocino Avenue,Suite 200 Santa Rosa, CA. 95403

Robert Oliver, Clerk

/s/ Griselda Zavala, Deputy

ADDITIONAL PARTIES: WILLIAM TURLEY, an individual; the testate and intestate successors of WILLIAM TURLEY, believed to be de- ceased, and all persons claiming by, through, or under such decedent; all other persons unknown, claiming any right title, estate, lien or interest in the real property described in the complaint, adverse to Plaintiff’s ownershi or any claim upon Plaintiff’s title thereto; and DOES 1 throujgh 3, in- bclusive.

PROPERTY DESCRIPTION:

The real property commonly known as 14724 Canyon 1 Road, Guerneville, California which is the real property situated in the Unincorporated Area, County of Sonoma, State of California, described as follows: Lots 47 and 48, Division #1, Map of Map No. 2, Eagle Nest, filed November 5, 1906, Book 19 of Maps, page 19, Official Records County of Sonoma. Sonoma County APN 070-280-016 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9017850

The name of the business: Ondi Organics, located at 15231 Highland Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92025.

Registrant Information: Andrea Ricketts, 15231 Highland Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92025. This business is operated by an individual.

First day of business: N/A

/s/ Andrea Ricketts with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 8/29/2023 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9018196

The name of the business: Moonage Tea Company, located at 1215 Bridgehampton St., San Marcos, CA 92076. Registrant Information: Bettina Marie Pavone, 1215 Bridgehampton St., San Marcos, CA 92076. This business is operated by an individual. First day of business: N/A

/s/ Bettina Marie Pavone with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/ Recorder of San Diego on 9/1/2023 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9016972

The name of the business: Sams Farm Fresh Juice Smoothie, located at 233 E. Grand Ave., Escondido, CA 92025. Registrant Information: Ghasem Samadi, 2451 Corte Azul, Carlsbad, CA 92009. This business is operated by an individual. First day of business: N/A

/s/ Chasem Samadi with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 8/16/2023 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9018332

The name of the business: Roush Real Estate, located at 6005 Hidden Valey Rd., Suite #250, Carlsbad, CA 92011. Registrant Information: amanda anne

/s/ Amanda Anne Roush with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/ Recorder of San Diego on 9/6/2023 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9017445

The name of the business: Team San Diego Softball, located at 1026 W. El Norte Parkway, Suite 127, Escondido, CA 92026. Registrant Information: The Factory Softball Club, 1026 W. El Norte Pkwy, #127, Escondido, CA 92026. This business is operated by a Corporation. First day of business: N/A /s/ Adam J. Robinson, President with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 8/23/2023

9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9018570

The name of the business: Cand

E Style Plus, located at 1245 N. Las Flores Dr., San Marcos, CA 92069. Registrant Information: Maria Paulina Torres, 1245 N. Las Flores Dr., San Marcos, CA 92069. This business is operated by an Individual. First day of business: N/A

/s/ Maria Paulina Torres, MPT with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/ Recorder of San Diego on 9/8/2023

9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

37-2023-00038057-CU-PT-NC

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

Petitioner Denise Jon Hines filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: Denise Jon Hines to Proposed name Denise Jon Wilmer. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objections that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING:

Date: 11/3/2023, 8:30 am, in Dept. 25

The address of the court is: 325 S. Melrose, Vista, CA. 92081. A copy of the Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: San Marcos News Reporter, dba, The Paper, 845 W. San Marcos Blvd, San Marcos, Ca. 92078. Dated January 30, 2023 /s/ Brad A. Weinreb, Judge of the Superior Court 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

37-2023-00033212-CU-PT-NC

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

Petitioner Claudia Alexa Bokis Szy-

menski filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

Present name: Claudia Alexa Bokis Szymanski to Proposed name Claudia Alexa. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objections that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING:

Date: 10/6/2023, 8:30 am, in Dept. 25 No hearing will occur on above date: see attachment The address of the court is: 325 S. Melrose, Vista, CA. 92081. A copy of the Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: San Marcos News Reporter, dba, The Paper, 845 W. San Marcos Blvd, San Marcos, Ca. 92078. August 8, 2023 /s/ Brad A. Weinreb, Judge of the Superior Court 8/31, 9/7, 9/14, 9/21/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9018458

The name of the business: San Diego Granny Flats, San Diego Painting, SD Painting, Oceanside Painting, San Marcos Painting, located at 1050 Highway 78, Ramona, CA 92065. Registrant Information: Dan Abraham Jauregui, 1050 Highway 78, Ramona, CA 92065. This business is operated by an Individual. First day of business:

9/7/2023

/s/ Dan Abraham Jauregui with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/ Recorder of San Diego on 9/7/2023

9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9018785

The name of the business: Alexis Body Oasis, located at 1768 Pinnacle Court, Vista, CA 92081. Registrant Information: Alexis Breana Holiday, 1768 Pinnacle Court, Vista, CA 92081. This business is operated by an Individual. First day of business:

9/5/2023

/s/ Alexia Breana Holiday with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/ Recorder of San Diego on 9/5/2023

9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9018749

The name of the business: Angel Paws Pet Aftercare, Angel Paws, located at 128 N. Pacific St., #C-4, San Marcos, CA 92069. Registrant Information: NMS Enterprises Inc., 128 N. Pacific St., #C-4, San Marcos, CA 92069. This business is operated by a Corporation. First day of business: 12/26/2009

/s/ Christopher M. Settle, CEO with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/ Recorder of San Diego on 9/5/2023

9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9018757

The name of the business: Kingdoom, located at 1729 S. Clementine St., Oceanside, CA 92054. Registrant Information: Fiddleroad LLC, 1729 S. Clementine St., Oceanside, CA 92054. This business is operated by a Limited Liability Company. First day of business: N/A

/s/ Todd Eiscrkerch, Managing Member with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 9/12/2023

9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9019198

The name of the business: Meritage Wine Market and Tasting Room, located at 162 S. Rancho Santa Fe Rd., A-10, Encinitas, CA 92024. Registrant Information: RJD Wines Inc., 162 S. Rancho Santa Fe Rd., A-10, Encinitas, CA 92024. This business is operated by a Corporation. First day of business: 11/1/2001.

/s/ Dustin Cano, CEO with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 9/19/2023

9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9019331

The name of the business: Smart Fix, located at 2525 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92008. Registrant Information: Mohammed Momen Mia, 28507 North Star Lane, Menifee, CA 92584 and Mohammad Mahbub Sarker, 923 Alturas Rd., Apt G44, Fallbrook, CA 92028. This business is operated by Co-Partners.

First day of business: 9/20/2023.

/s/ Mohammed Momen Mia with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 9/20/2023

9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2023-9019022

The name of the business: Disco Mushroom, located at 810 Los Vallecitos Blvd., Suite C, Lake San Marcos, CA 92069. Registrant Information: Sofie Berarducci Corp, 979 Woodland Pkwy, Ste 101-108, San Marcos, CA 92069. This business is operated by a Corporation. First day of business: 9/14/2023.

/s/ Sofia M. Berarducci, CEO with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9019336

The name of the business: Limitless Speed, Limitless Speed Co., located at 1196 Caminito Amarillo, San Marcos, CA 92069. Registrant Information: Joseph M. Canizales, 1196 Caminito Amarillo, San Marcos, CA 92069. This business is operated by an Individual. First day of business: 9/20/2023.

/s/ Joseph M. Canizales with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 9/20/2023

9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9018987

The name of the business: Coast Terra Landscape Construction, located at 407 Camelot Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054. Registrant Information: Matthew Flores, 407 Camelot Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054. This business is operated by an Individual. First day of business: N/A

/s/ Matthew Flores with Jordan Z. Marks, SD County Clerk/Recorder of San Diego on 9/15/2023

9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19/2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT 2023-9019136

First, I discovered America, then I discovered

The Paper

Ever since I can remember I’ve had the burning desire to discover new places, new adventures. Because of this, I set out to discover a new country . . . and I was successful. I even ventured inland a great many miles where I discovered a place I called Minnesota. “This,” I thought, “would be a great place for Scandinavians.”

So I headed back to Norway to recruit settlers. While I was gone, some clown named Columbus claimed he discovered America. Life ain’t fair. Except life also give us The Paper. I read it whenever and wherever I go exploring and only buy from those who advertise in The Paper. It’s a Viking thing.

Your friend, Eric the Red