December 13, 2018

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(wo)MAN compiled by

Racheal Baker

on the street

What are your favorite media releases of 2018?

Book: “To Shake the Sleeping Self” by Jedidiah Jenkins Travis Brim Therapeutic mentor Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

Did you get out to see comedian Ty Barnett at the 219 Lounge last weekend?

If not, you missed a hilarious night of comedy. I was laughing hard, and I mean tears-in-my-eyes, soreness-in-my-cheeks hard.

Barnett landed his set on a point I think we can’t express enough: If we want the world to get better, we need to have more empathy for each other. A little less yelling and a little more listening goes a long way. Consider that while angry argumentation rarely makes a lasting impact on anyone (unless it ends with a fist to the face), a calm dialogue just might plant the seeds for a change in perspective down the road.

Wait, who am I kidding? This is America in 2018. Screaming at the other side of the country is basically a part of our national identity at this point. At least, let’s try to be a little nicer to each other until next year. I mean, hell, it’s Christmastime.

-Cameron Rasmusson, Editor

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson,

Game: “Fortnite” Movie: “Polar Express” Band: Imagine Dragons

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Carter Preston Fourth-grade student Sandpoint

Album: “Reputation” by Taylor Swift Movie: “A Quiet Place” Game: “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds”

Subscription Price: $95 per year

HOURS: 3pm to close Mon. through Sat.

MONDAY, December 31 @ 9pm-12am

Browne Salmon Truck Join us to ring in the New Year!

Adam Baker Arborist Sandpoint

Movie: “Avengers: Infinity War” Album: “Boarding House Reach” by Jack White Game: “Red Dead Redemption 2” Rob Tenas Videographer Sandpoint

Saturday Night Special!

Come join us for live music Saturday evenings and enjoy a one of our stone fired pizzas and beer for only $10!

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not concon tain excessive profanity or libelous material.

Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

“I am not ashamed to admit that several of my Spotify Top 100 tracks in 2018 came from Post Malone’s ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys.’”

Mac Mama’s good girl Hope

(208) 610-7359 111 Cedar St. (lower level)

Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

About the Cover

Located on the Historic Cedar St. Bridge Sunday - Thursday 7am - 5pm Friday - Saturday 7am - 9pm 208-265-4396 • www.cedarstbistro.com

This week’s cover is a photograph

by Racheal Baker, who you might know as your friendly neighborhood bartender. Racheal contributed her photography talents to both our cover and the (Wo)man on the Street column on this page. Looks like we’re the ones who owe you a drink this time, Racheal!

December 13, 2018 /

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NEWS

Supporters seek unobstructed Medicaid implementation

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

By a wide margin, Idaho voters approved Medicaid expansion through ballot measure Proposition 2 to cover the health care needs for thousands of residents.

When its 2019 session begins next month, it’ll be up to the Idaho Legislature to implement it. And Medicaid expansion advocates are urging lawmakers not to amend the vision of the people when the legislative process begins.

“Creating barriers to coverage will increase administrative costs while decreasing access to care for the Idahoans who need it the most. Implementing unmodified Medicaid expansion is the only way to realize the full benefits of the program,” said Lauren Necochea, director of Idaho Voices for Children.

Close the Gap, an Idaho organization advocating for Medicaid expansion, warns that states that have thrown up legislative roadblocks to implementation have suffered economic costs because of it. To back their argument, they point to Ohio, which will spend $380 million over five years on administrative sideboards at the county level, and Kentucky, which will spend $374 million over two years because of coverage barriers. Both Arkansas and Kentucky are fighting lawsuits over legislative attempts to implement work

requirements, Close the Gap officials added.

“These costs are astronomical when compared to the much smaller investment the state would make through unmodified implementation of Proposition 2,” said Erin Bennett, government relations director for the American Heart Association, Idaho Chapter. “Furthermore, creating new layers of bureaucratic red tape and increasing administrative costs won’t help taxpayers or Idahoans who need health Supporters of Medicaid expansion sign the Reclaim Idaho bus in Sandpoint this summer. Reclaim Idaho advocated for Medicaid expansion . Photo

by Ben Olson. coverage.”

While more than recommendation, Boise State Public have to spend a lot of time cajoling our 60 percent of Idaho voters passed Radio reports. But he couldn’t commit federal partners, and then we have to Medicaid expansion in the Nov. 6 to a six-month window for implemenhave the money in place at that time to election, supporters have worried from tation.

His reason: The federal governpick up the match,” Little said. the beginning that the state government ment will need to sign off on Idaho’s If all goes according to plan, state might impose barriers to effective imapplication, and that could take longer officials expect that Medicaid expanplementation. if state legislators mandate additional sion will be in place by the beginning At a recent town-hall event, goverrequirements. of 2020. nor-elect Brad Little said his adminis“If we want to do anything different tration will work the 10-percent cost than those other states, that means we’ll match for the program into his budget

Time running short to apply for health coverage

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Time is running short for Idaho residents planning on using the state health insurance exchange to finalize their health care plan for the coming year.

Residents have until midnight Saturday, Dec. 15, to ensure their coverage is locked in for 2019 through Your Health Idaho, www.yourhealthidaho.org. With nearly 300 health and dental plans available from seven insurance carriers available through the exchange, residents can pick between low-cost bronze plans that protect against medical catastrophes 4 /

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to higher-cost silver and gold plans that cover more specialized health care needs.

“We want to encourage Idahoans to enroll in health insurance and check to see if they are eligible for a tax credit to help offset costs of monthly premiums for health insurance. Nine in 10 Idahoans signing up for health insurance at Your Health Idaho qualify for a tax credit, and most save 80 percent on monthly premiums. This savings helps many Idahoans get the coverage they need. Also, there are many Idahoans who may still be uninsured and don’t know that they may be eligible for a tax credit,” said Pat Kelly,

executive director of Your Health Idaho.

The options for coverage can be overwhelming, but fortunately, help is just around the corner. Visit the Your Health Idaho website and click the “Find Help” tab to search for an insurance agent or broker, who have been trained to provide free consultations to individuals seeking insurance.

Your Health Idaho remains the best tool for most Idahoans to finalize their health care arrangements. According to Your Health Idaho, “more than 90,000 individuals and families are enrolled in health insurance through Your Health

Idaho.”

“Enrollment numbers for health insurance on the exchange remains strong in Idaho. We attribute this success to Idahoans understanding the value of having health insurance coverage and knowing how their benefits help them especially when they need it most,” said Kelly.

For additional help, call the Your Health Idaho support center at 855-9443246 Monday through Friday this week from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 15, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

NEWS

BOCC drafts letter to EPA, is opposed to Tribe’s airshed designation request

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County Commissioners unanimously approved a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) voicing the board’s opposition to the Kalispel Tribe of Indians’ request for a Class 1 Airshed designation Tuesday.

The BOCC’s issue with the Tribe’s application is rooted partially in the actual prospect of designation, but mostly based on the fact that the Tribe did not consult with Bonner County officials prior to submitting their application, the BOCC said. “(N)one of the Board of County Commissioners … was ever contacted regarding this application. Considering no contact was made, this means that none of the potential impacts to Bonner County were considered nor our concerns were addressed,” Commissioner Glen Bailey read from the letter Tuesday.

The letter highlighted a portion of the Tribe’s application which said the forest product industry is declining, the BOCC pointing out that the forest products industry — among other manufacturing industries — are actually on the rise in Idaho.

“Any new environmental restrictions would be detrimental

Bonner County commissioners Dan McDonald, Glen Bailey and Jeff Connolly. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

to future industrial growth in Bonner County,” the letter reads.

Commissioner Jeff Connolly said he’s looked over the Tribe’s application in detail and has found “some real holes.”

Connolly said he reached out to Tribe officials to see why Bonner County was not included in discussions prior to submitting the application to the EPA, and asked them to explain their reasoning to the commissioners.

According to Connolly, Tribe officials chose not to explain.

“I don’t know how this document can be complete because it doesn’t address any of the counties in Idaho that could be

affected,” Connolly said.

Comments from the public Tuesday were largely in favor of the Tribe’s request for Class 1 Airshed designation, and most tied the Tribe’s request to the proposed PacWest silicon smelter in Newport. Connolly encouraged commenters to stay focused on the Tribe’s request to the EPA, saying the issue at hand had “absolutely nothing to do with the smelter.”

“The two are very integrated and combined — you can’t really have one without the other. If there was no proposed smelter or purchase of land by a Canadian corporation, they wouldn’t be

asking for (a Class 1 Airshed designation),” said Bonner County resident Elizabeth Iha. Chairman of Citizens Against the Newport Silicon Smelter Michael Naylor publicly requested during Tuesday’s meeting that Commissioner Dan McDonald recuse himself from the discussion due to recorded comments made in November 2017 which Naylor said were directed at the Kalispel Tribe and were “racist.”

McDonald, who said in October that the comments in the recording were “dramatically edited,” did not recuse himself.

Judge tosses out Hecla Mining lawsuit

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Hecla Mining Company suffered another setback this week in its efforts to set up new mines in western Montana.

The Associated Press reports District Judge Mike Menahan in Helena tossed out

a lawsuit filed by the mining company. The lawsuit was an effort to clean up the company’s status as a bad actor because of its associations Pegasus Mining, a failed company that left Montana holding a $35 million environmental clean-up bill.

The biggest connection

between the two mining companies is Philip Baker Jr., CEO of Hecla and formerly the CFO of Pegasus. The state of Montana argues that unless Hecla compensates the state for $35 million, it cannot pursue several planned mines in western Montana.

Menahan’s ruling is a vic-

tory for conservation groups in both Idaho and Montana.

Advocates argue that both states face environmental risks because of the mining pollutants that would flow from Montana to Idaho through its shared waterways.

11 Mile dump site to close starting Jan. 1

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County has shortened hours of operation and set a date for the temporary closure of the 11 Mile waste collection site.

Director of Solid Waste Bob Howard said the closure, slated to begin Jan. 1, is due to the site’s location on U.S. Forest Service land and therefore lack of commercial power. Howard also cited “other safety issues.” For now, hours of operation at the site, located north of Priest River, have been trimmed to Friday through Monday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nearby dump sites Dickensheet and Prater Valley are likely to become the alternatives for those who regularly use the 11 Mile site. While the 11 Mile site collects only kitchen and other household waste, the Dickensheet and Prater Valley sites are full-service sites, Howard said.

Though improving the 11 mile site was explored, Howard said making those improvements on property not owned by the county did not make financial sense. Regardless, improvements need to be made, Howard said.

“The entire site needs to be upgraded to make it safer for employees,” he said.

Commissioner Dan McDonald noted that the concentration of waste collection sites near Priest River is unparalleled in other parts of the county. He said having to go to another nearby site once the 11 mile site is closed won’t be a “major inconvenience” for county residents. Still, Howard said research will be done — with the help of a consulting firm and advisory committee made up of residents — to find a feasible solution for the temporary closure of the 11 mile location.

“Hopefully, once we get our committee in place and our engineer chosen, and they do the study, we can actually base (a solution) on factual data that’s better than probably what we have right now,” said Commissioner Jeff Connolly. “Then we will make a decision based on that.”

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COMMENTARY

End cannabis prohibition in Idaho

By Alex Barron Reader Contributor I am an orthodox Christian who is a conservative libertarian, a modern-day anti-federalist who believes in the promotion of our Judeo-Christian values, classic Western Civilization and individual rights. I strongly support conservative small government Republican candidates. I strongly support President Trump.

I believe Idaho should end the prohibition of cannabis by generally decriminalizing the production (for personal use), (regulated) sale, possession and use of cannabis by adults. We should also consider commutation to time served for any citizen of Idaho who remains incarcerated solely based on convictions for the production, sale, possession or consumption of cannabis.

The current prohibition of cannabis is wrong because it offends the concept of free will and minimal laws to orthodox Christians, is rooted in a history of racism, is largely based on bad science and is no longer supported by the American people.

Christian Thought on Free Will and Minimal Laws Christianity teaches that individual persons must be accountable for their actions. It is my opinion that the Holy Bible and the great Christian theologians such as Saint Augustine encourage political leaders to balance public morality with respect for the legitimate freedom that is given

by God, not secular government.

As explained by Peter King of the University of Toronto, in Saint Augustine’s “On the Free Choice of the Will, On Grace and Free Choice, and Other Writings,” Augustine “holds that…it is better for there to be a world in which there are beings with free choice of the will, even at the cost of genuine moral evil, than a world in which there is neither.”

In addition, the concept of “minimal laws” required for civilized society is a well-articulated in Catholic social principle of subsidiarity (Encyclical of John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, #48, ph. 4; cf. Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, #s 79-80; CCC 6 /

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#1883]. There is a similar protestant neo-Calvinist doctrine called sphere sovereignty. Thus in a civil society, orthodox Christians should support the minimum laws required for a civilized social life.

In support of this minimal involvement with the free choices of Christian peoples, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is the official teaching of the Catholic Church, says the following: “God willed that man should be ‘left in the hand of his counsel,’ so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.” (1730).

The Christian God does not force us to seek and love him, but leaves it up to us to freely choose. In my opinion too often, autocratic politicians and clergy quoting biblical teachings support civil laws that attempt to unjustly interfere with the exercise of free will.

While there are other comments from the Catholic Church and other Christian thinkers talking about the dangers of cannabis use, most of these rest upon the concept that “ingesting small amounts” of cannabis is drunkenness. This is simply not true. People have vastly different reactions to the same amount of cannabis, and cannabis itself encompasses a broad variety of potencies just like alcohol.

In truth, ingesting small amounts of low-grade cannabis can be exactly like drinking a glass of wine or a can of beer. It is my opinion that if alcohol is legal and can be consumed ethically by Christians, then cannabis, having similar health risks, should be treated equally under the law and considered morally acceptable by Christians.

Cannabis Prohibition is Based on Racism Many Catholic Mexicans fled to America to escape the anti-Christian socialist Mexican Revolution of 1910-1911 and brought with them their practice of smoking cannabis recreationally. They called what was then known in American as “Indian Hemp,” by the Spanish word “marihuana.”

Alex Barron is a conservative speaker and an influential voice in the American Redoubt movement. Photo by Ben Olson After the prohibition against alcohol ended in 1933, Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, needed another “menace” to justify his department’s existence. Anslinger choose to demonize hemp and began to popularize the Spanish word marijuana to describe Hemp in a way to make it sound more “foreign.”

He further stoked fear in Americans of European descent by suggesting that cannabis was primarily used by blacks and Latinos and was violence-inducing and the reason for interracial mixing and relationships.

In the early 1900s, there were no federal or state restrictions on the sale or possession of cannabis sativa linneaus. Hemp fiber from the cannabis sativa L. plant, which has less than 1 percent THC and is thus non-psychoactive, was used to make clothes, paper and rope. One piece of junk science is that current American

laws do not recognize the difference between cannabis sativa L. with high amounts of THC and the version which does not. At the state level cannabis was first outlawed in Utah in 1915, and by 1931 it was illegal in 29 states.

In the 1930s Harry Anslinger gave speeches, gave testimony and participated in the writing of articles that regularly contained racist themes as part of his anti-cannabis campaign. In 1937, Anslinger testified in front of Congress that “colored students at the University of Minnesota (were) partying with (white) female students, smoking (marijuana) and getting their sympathy with stories of racial persecution. Result: pregnancy.” Another statement often attributed to Harry Anslinger is, “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”

Junk Science

Cannabis is currently a Schedule I drug which rests upon the provably false claims that it has no medical use and is considered to have high addiction rates. Other examples of Schedule I drugs are heroin and LSD. Opioids, cocaine, and fentanyl are Schedule II drugs and are legally considered less dangerous than cannabis. Criminal sentencing of Schedule I drugs is harsher than Schedule II. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Substance Abuse Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality from 2015 cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.

Adults using cannabis are between 9- and 30-percent likely to develop addictive behavior. Yet the numbers of deaths caused by the consumption of cannabis are effectively too small to be measured. The Drug Enforcement Administration concedes that “…no death from an overdose of marijuana…” has ever been reported.

Even conservative organizations which continue to support the prohibition of cannabis such as the Family Council reported they could find fewer than 300 deaths in which cannabis “contributed.” This means more people die by being struck by lightning than die from deaths involving cannabis.

The Center for Disease Control reports that “excessive alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death.” It reports that alcohol use accounted for approximately 88,000 deaths per year from 2006-2010, and one in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64.”

Finally in June, after many years of formal clinical testing, the United States FDA approved cannabidiol, a major component of cannabis, for the treatment of two rare forms of epilepsy.

Every argument that can be made for the prohibition of cannabis applies equally well or better to the prohibition of alcohol. We know how much of a failure Prohibition was. Indeed, if you consider the social harm inflicted by the two drugs, one can easily argue that current policy has it precisely backward: Alcohol should be illegal, and cannabis

< see CANNABIS, next page >

OPINION

The road to Ada County

By Diane Wheeler Reader Contributor

As a refugee from the Golden State, I understand the importance of structure, both physical and political.

A visit to the Winchester Mystery House as a teen was a formidable experience. The widow of the Winchester house was driven by a belief that evil spirits could be held at bay by continuous building and noise.

So she ordered her workers to build continuous nonsense — stairs and hallways to nowhere — with no purpose. As a result, her once-peaceful home became a haven of insanity.

Savvy political spirits use the very same tactic — disruption, noise and worthless work — to keep their political opponents from accomplishing their goals. This is exactly what is happening with the Selle/ Samuels Area Subcommittee. Our goal to keep our zoning rural and

agricultural has nearly been thwarted at every turn.

This process started at the Northside School about two years ago with the Planning and Zoning folks trying to direct our people to point out the areas that we wanted developed. Despite this, the residents stood their ground and maintained their resolve to remain rural and agricultural.

Next, the Selle/Samuels Area Subcommittee was formed. Idaho Code 67-6504 and 67-6508 states that the Planning and Zoning Commission is charged with conducting a comprehensive review process and that area subcommittees are established to carry out these duties.

The make up of our committee was supposed to be property owners who lived in the area. But that did not happen. Two renters and a property owner who lives in another county were chosen over

CANNABIS, continued from page 6 should be legal.

As pointed out in a revised June 2018 report by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, cannabis is far from harmless. And adding another legal intoxicant to our society is not without its concern. But it is my opinion that the current prohibition is causing more harm than the decriminalization, and regulation of cannabis.

Changing Public Opinion Americans have come to support the end of the prohibition of cannabis. In recent years, 10 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the recreational use of cannabis; this includes Oregon and Washington to the west. Thirty states now allow some form of medical cannabis use, including Montana to the East and Utah to the South. Utah!

A Gallup poll showed that 64 percent of Americans, in general, favor the end of cannabis prohibition. This includes 51 percent of Republicans, 72 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of independents.

Forty-seven states have passed some form of cannabis decriminalization.

On April 11, Republican President Donald Trump told Senator

property owners who lived in Selle/ Samuels area. Our grand assignment by the county planners was to put a bubble on the area that we wanted to develop. No bubbles ever made it to our map!

As soon as any progress was made by our group on rural and agricultural uses, a shake up would occur. Pulling off a member, giving us ridiculous assignments, operating without minutes of the previous meeting, putting on a new person who may have never attended a meeting or have any idea of our complicated history.

We have passed numerous motions and voted on matters that are not reflected in our document. We have protested the Title 12 changes that were modeled after the Ada County Code, and we have asked the County Commissioners to suspend them until we have concluded our process.

Oh! But that’s not all! The man who recently rounded the county and stumped for your vote and got it is now breathing down our necks. With his buddy, Matt Linscott, at his side, he is directing us as to what issues we can address and which ones we can’t. And yes, you guessed it, we are not to have a voice on anything he disagrees with. Three times we have voted against including the area where he lives in our Selle/ Samuels sub area plan. If he is able to wrangle and win a fourth vote on the subject, he may be in full control of the outcome of our sub area plan, and our toil will be for naught.

I have great expectations, and I do not want to continue down the road to liberal Ada County, AKA mini California. Zoning, in my book, has a limited but necessary function: keeping batch plants out of neighborhoods protects everyone.

We should always know where the

farmland is, where the industrial areas are, and where the suburban areas lie, so that our county can flourish. This way there are no big surprises, and everyone’s property rights can be respected. But that’s not how things are working out.

Right now, the only property rights that exist are for those with enough muscle to push in where they don’t belong. I call it “profity rights” using Big Daddy politics.

The campaigner who blew sweet sunshine at anyone who would listen and waxed eloquently about how nicely the area subcommittees were going said with exuberance, “Those committees are of the people, by the people, and for the people, blah, blah, blah.” Not so! It is, in my opinion, of Big Daddy, by Big Daddy, and for Big Daddy. And to that I say, “Go Daddy, take Matt, and leave us alone.”

Facts vs. Opinions...

round Canadian boulders scattered all the way from Sandpoint to the ocean along the Columbia River. All of these features are observable, undeniable geologic facts.

When deniers say: “the climate has always changed” they are referencing another scientific theory based on geologic data. In the past, ice ages came and went with glaciers expanding and contracting over thousands of years. What has is different today is the rate of change since most glaciers have shrunk at ever increasing rates over a few hundred years.

Recent data has shown a strong correlation between changes in average global temperatures and the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The numbers and their correlation are facts that support the theory of human-caused climate change. Trends are also facts: every year since 1977 has been warmer than the 20th century average and 16 of the 17 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001. These numbers are not someone’s opinion. Opinions are not facts, but it’s a fact that everyone has opinions.

A good and noble soul...

Dear Editor, Climate change deniers frequently present opinions that Cory Gardner of Colorado that he support their preconceived ideas would “support congressional efforts as facts. Weather data (facts) are to protect states that have legalized measurements of temperature, marijuana.” Republican Senate humidity, glacier sizes, etc. and we Majority Leader Mitch McConnell use the scientific process to figure announced he would introduce the out what these numbers are telling Hemp Farming Act of 2018. It would us. Weather data is collected at hunexpand the experimental hemp prodreds of weather stations around duction allowed under the 2014 farm the world and from satellites. bill, removing hemp from Schedule I When deniers say “man-made controlled substances and making it climate change is only a theory” an ordinary agricultural commodity. they are correct, but it’s a scientific Idaho is one of the last two states theory that is supported by many with no cannabis decriminalization years of data (facts). Scientific thelaw of any kind. Our Idaho State ories are developed to explain what elected Representatives should heed we see in our world and they are the bipartisan will of the citizens of adjusted and gain credibility over the Great Gem State and take the time as more data are collected. lead in ending this failed legacy of Another example of a scientific America’s racist past. theory with many local connections is the Lake Missoula Floods story.

Alex Barron was born in the The theory was developed to explain crime-ridden inner city projects of many geologic features that include Chicago. After spending a great lake shores, standing wave landamount of time overseas serving forms and lake deposited sediments with the U.S. Navy, he now lives with in Montana. In Idaho, we have a his children in northern Idaho. Alex very deep Lake Pend Oreille and a blogs from a paleoconservative per- large glacial moraine at Farragut spective promoting Judeo-Christian State Park. There are scablands, values, classic Western Civilization giant coulees and dry waterfalls in and individual rights. His blog is the Washington and thousands of large CharlesCarrollSociety.com.

Ken Thacker Sagle

Dear Editor Today I watched the funeral of President George H. W. Bush. His eulogies reminded me that he was truly a good and noble soul. As morbid as it may seem, I like going to funerals, because it reminds me of my own mortality and failures; they encourage me to try and correct my mistakes and become a better person.

After Bush’s funeral, I pondered our current national situation and longed for a good and noble soul to be our leader. I realized that we, as a nation, made a horrible mistake in 2016; we selected two candidates that, most would agree, did not meet the standard of a good and noble soul. We prioritized policy over character; bombast over substance, and party loyalty over leadership.

Americans, let us resolve to never make that mistake again. Let us confess our mistake. Let us pray and work to select someone who can lead us out of the moral morass we are in and remove the current scourge of the present administration. We can do better. We selected good leaders before, we can do it again. Indeed, we must.

Dan Haley Sandpoint December 13, 2018 /

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COMMUNITY

PSNI Christmas market open until Dec. 23

By Reader Staff Panhandle Special Needs, Inc. is hosting a Christmas Market through the month of December at their 1424 North Boyer location in Sandpoint.

PSNI is a facility serving over 65 adults with disabilities teaching them independent living skills, and providing community-based employment training.

The Christmas Market supports the local community, as over 20 local vendors are at the market selling handmade gifts, retail items and holiday decor.

In addition to a small vendor fee, a portion of their sales go to PSNI to assist in training.

The PSNI greenhouse has been transformed into a winter wonderland and is hosted by friendly, festive employees and clients. There is no admission fee.

The market is open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.

-4 p.m. through Dec. 23.

Calling all birders

By Reader Staff The Christmas Bird Count administered by the Audubon Society is the longest running citizen science survey in the world. This will be the 119th annual count. Last year, over 75,000 volunteers, mostly in the U.S. and Canada counted birds in over 2,500 fifteen-mile diameter circles during the Christmas season. An additional 10,500 volunteers counted birds at their feeders within these circles. Each count is done on a single day between Dec.14 and Jan. 5 each winter. Sandpoint will be holding theirs on Saturday, Dec. 22, and Bonners Ferry’s will be held on Thursday, Dec. 27.

Both these counts have been

MCS encore with Zuill Bailey and holiday concerts

By Reader Staff They say that opportunity doesn’t ring twice, but that isn’t true about having the opportunity to play alongside premiere cellist Zuill Bailey in concert.

If you heard Bailey perform last summer, you know you’ll want to hear him again, and if you weren’t able to attend last week’s performance in Coeur d’Alene, you’ll want to be sure to look for his next North Idaho visit.

Students with the Music Conservatory’s El Sistema Chamber Orchestra were invited to open Bailey’s program, which was part of his winter classic series.

As an extension of last summer’s connection with Connoisseur Concerts, the Chamber was the sole student highlight at last Thursday’s event.

“Part of the goal of El Sistema is mentorship,” Kathi Samuels MCS Board President said. “This is what Zuill and his fellow cellists provided to our students last summer 8 /

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during a community master class. We were excited to accept another invitation for exposure and performance.”

Samuels said that this winter’s esteemed quartet of Benjamin Breen, violin; Martin Sher, viola; Zuill Bailey, cello, and Awadagin Pratt, piano brought the public a unique chance to hear these accomplished musicians, who also donate their time to interact with music students all over the world.

This beautiful program at the Hagadone Event Center was attended by over 120 concert goers. “It was fun to support our students on a group road-trip, and showcase their skills to a completely new audience!” Samuels said.

Looking to support our students locally? MCS would like to announce its holiday concerts and an opportunity to hear the rest of its El Sistema groups perform.

Upcoming holiday concerts

Participants needed for the Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry Audubon Christmas bird counts

include a community outreach with its El Sistema beginning Youth Orchestra and Choirs at the East Bonner County Library on Tuesday, Dec. 18, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. This event is open, MCS encourages attendance by young and old.

The community is also invited to a repeat Christmas performance of the popular children’s opera, Amahl and The Night Visitors, which will include excerpts from the opera, Saint Seans on Dec. 23 at 2 p.m.

This one-of-a-kind festive event includes a gingerbread making station following the concert and will be held at First Lutheran Church, 526 Olive Ave. Both of these performances are free to the public.

To learn more about the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint or our El Sistema performing groups, please call the MCS Office at 208-265-4444 or visit us online at sandpointconservatory.org.

done annually for over 30 years. Beginners are welcome as they will be grouped with experienced birders, and the more eyes to spot the birds, the better. People living within the circle who have bird feeders are welcome to participate. If you are interested in partici-

The California Quail. Photo by Roger Doucet.

pating, please call/text Rich Del Carlo at (208) 290-1405 or email rich@peregrinetree. com for the Sandpoint count and call/text Roger Doucet at (208) 818-0139 or email bfbirdcount@gmail.com for the Bonners Ferry count.

The Festival at Sandpoint invites community to free holiday concert

By Reader Staff

The Festival Youth Orchestra’s Holiday Concert is this coming Sunday at 4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Alder Street in Sandpoint. Local youth from diverse backgrounds come together to create beautiful string orchestra music at this annual musical event.

The Festival at Sandpoint has sponsored this youth orchestra for 10 years as part of their educational mission.

They have partnered with Lake Pend Oreille School District to provide an opportunity for local string students to enhance their musical skills and expression through rehearsals, coaching and performances, free of charge. Students also have the opportunity to develop life skills such as leadership, responsibil-

ity, communication and discipline. Beginning, intermediate and advanced orchestras create a community playing challenging yet attainable music.

The Festival Youth Orchestra Holiday Concert is a time to celebrate young musicians and their ongoing dedication to beauty and artistic creativity. Come support these local students in their musical journey and enjoy an afternoon of beautiful music at Festival Presbyterian Church, Dec. 16 at 4 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public and light refreshments will follow the concert.

For more information on this concert and The Festival at Sandpoint’s string programs contact Karen Dignan at sandpointfiddle@gmail.com or 208-597-6717.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Family (Dis)Functions

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist Let me introduce you to some characters. Now these characters, although not all real people in my life, are certainly real members of someone’s family — well, somewhere.

First, there’s Aunt Judy.

Aunt Judy is approaching the end of middle-aged, with fiery reddish-purple hair and large rings on all of her fingers. She just got back from a soul-searching trip to Bali and has a wine stain on her knitted, alpaca-wool shawl. Judy never married because, frankly, she finds the constructs of monogamy too limiting.

Then there’s Uncle Jim, who is married to Judy’s sister, Sandy, and is rarely seen without his bright MAGA trucker hat and classic NRA T-shirt. He can be heard sputtering Fox News quotes and stock market statistics between grunts about the liberal media. Jim enjoys reflecting on the “good ol’ days” when Skynyrd played on more than just the oldies station.

Next is Cousin Nate. Nate now goes by Nathaniel after finishing his first semester at Portland State University. He’s not sure what he’s going to major in yet, but he really enjoyed his class Intro to Medieval Bread Making and is thinking of opening a vintage unicycle shop someday. Nathaniel doesn’t know the difference between unsubsidized and subsidized student loans.

Then of course, there’s Grandma Gertie. Gertie wears a button-up sweater with an oversized screen print of a poinset-

stoke the fire in the old wood stove and so Sandy could help Gertie preheat her ovens. Their kids sit in the living room taking selfies with Gertie’s cat Ginger.

Nathaniel arrives next, parking his Subaru on the street outside Gertie’s house. He makes his way up the walkway to the front door, carefully avoiding the edges of the shoveled concrete, as to not dampen the faux leather of his Pendleton-brand Emily Erickson. moccasin slippers. He clutches his lentil meat(less) loaf in one hand and pushes the door open with the other. tia across the chest. She loves Soon after Nathaniel, Jane the newfound freedom of being a widow and has a seat with her and Rosie pull up. Jane gives name on it at the local Presby- Rosie a quick kiss on the lips before they duck into the terian church. Gertie is often heard complaining about all the warmth of the house. Rosie is carrying a bag of presents, with “youths” in the neighborhood a pistachio colored, cardiwith their rampant “necking nal-adorned sweater for Grandand petting,” and about last ma Gertie in tow. week’s sermon being a bit too Last to arrive, to no one’s “well, friendly to the idea of surprise, is Aunt Judy with two gay marriage.” bottles of French Pinot and an And finally, there’s Cousassortment of artisan cheeses. in Jane, who does stand up She breezes through the door comedy on Thursday nights carrying a large, woven bag with after her day shift at Planned a shaggy-haired terrier named Parenthood. She spends her Santiago poking his head out favorite weekends hiking with from under large silk scarves. her girlfriend, Rosie, and is The oven timers buzz in a active in the local conservation chorus of anticipation, and the league. Jane and Rosie have hot food is transferred from been dating for three years now, and unbeknownst to Jane, cooking tins to elaborate servRosie is contemplating propos- ing dishes. Judy fills the glasses on the table with water and ing soon. wine, doubling back to pour So now that you’re propthe extra wine at the end of the erly introduced to all of the bottle into her own glass. characters, I’ll go ahead and The family mosies over to set the scene. the large, beautifully set table at It’s Christmastime, and Grandma Gertie elaborately dec- Gertie’s command, wrapping up orated both the dining and living their remarks about how good the food smells and the tidbits rooms with big, maroon bows and gold garland. Jim and Sandy of smalltalk that are inevitable when catching up with relatives. showed up early so Jim could

Judy sits next to Jim, with the long, knitted frays of her scarf accidentally brushing the worn sleeve of his NRA T-shirt.

Jim doesn’t notice because he is suspiciously eying the lentil loaf in front of Nathaniel, seated in the chair next to him. At the head of the table sits Gertie, proudly wearing her gold cross earrings for the occasion, and immediately to her right are Rosie and Jane, giving each other hand squeezes underneath

the table.

And guess what?

The family digs in to their meal, avoiding contentious conversations and topics, and spends the evening laughing at memories of times passed, playfully arguing about the Green Bay Packers head coaching changes, eating too much food and feeling genuinely grateful that they have family, food, and the opportunity to gather at all.

Retroactive

By BO

you’ll have to speak up, I’m on my mobile phone.

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Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Ahead, there’s plenty of fuel for informed “Yo’ Mamma” jokes. Disclosure: Brenden is not responsible for any bodily injuries you receive for unleashing the aforementioned jokes upon the world.

When you think of old things, you probably think of those people that live to be over 100, about Adwaita the Tortoise that may have lived up to 255 years or about the giant sequoia that’s over 3,200 years old.

We’re going to try and blow that out of the water and drop your jaw.

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi 2,300 years old, planted in 288 B.C.

Located in Sri Lanka, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi claims the title of the oldest organism planted by humans. Think about it, during this tree’s life humanity went from using iron farming tools to landing on the moon and beyond.

The Llangernyw Yew between 4,000 and 5,000 years old.

Located in the churchyard of Llangernyw, Wales. It’s one of the three oldest non-clonal 10 /

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trees in the world. While its core has been lost to time, its roots are still alive and creating several offshoots. Its base diameter is almost 30 feet.

Brought to you by:

Actinobacteria is a type of bacteria found in the soil that helps with breaking down matter and fertilizing soils, making them sought after by farmers around the world. These particular specimens were found in Siberia of all places.

Endolith - An indeterminate time well over 1,000,000 years

Pando - 80,000+ years old

They don’t seem to age whatsoever, achieving something called biological immortality.

As I’m sure you can guess, scientists have been studying these things in recent years.

Seeing the ridiculous amount of time these things

can live really puts things into perspective. Look how much we, as a species, have accomplished in the past 10,000 years. Some of these things can actually look at that. Well… So to speak.

See you next week when we’ll all be older.

Random Corner mas?

Don’t know much about Christ

Part 1

From the ground, you see a forest of quaking aspen. In actuality, it’s a single organism connected by one giant root system. It’s 106 acres and weighs 6,600 tons, making it the heaviest living organism on Earth. It’s also dying, and we think it’s because of humans.The U.S. Forest Service is trying to find a way to save it, or at least part of it.

Endoliths are organisms that live inside the pores of rock in some of the most extreme places on Earth. Each new generation happens about once every 10,000 years. They metabolise extremely slowly, but they’re not locked in stasis.

Hydra - Immortal

We can help!

• Early illustrations of St. Nicholas make him out to be a stern symbol of discipline rather than the jolly, overweight elf that children know today.

• All letters addressed to Santa in the United States go to Santa Claus, Indiana.

• There is a village in Peru where people settle the previous year’s grudges by fist fighting. They then start the new year off on a clean slate.

• Telling scary ghost stories is an old Christmas Eve tradition that has died out in the past century • It is estimated that the song “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin is the best selling single in history with over 100 million copies sold.

• During Christmas in Newfoundland people called Mummers dress up in crude disguises and go from house to house dancing and playing music while the hosts try to identify them.

• Paul McCartney earns nearly half a million dollars every year from his Christmas song, which many critics regard as his worst song ever.

Actinobacteria - 500,000+ years old

• A large part of Sweden’s population watches Donald Duck cartoons every Christmas Eve, a tradition that goes back to 1960.

• Many of the perpetually open Denny’s restaurants were built without locks, which was problematic when they decided to close down for Christmas for the first time in 1988.

Hydras are a species of hydrozoa, microscopic predatory organisms related to jellyfish.

• The image of Santa Claus flying his sleigh began in 1819 and was created by Washington Irving, the same author who dreamed up the Headless Horseman.

COMMENTARY

Lithium is saving my life

By Jodi Rawson Reader Contributor

“Lithium saved my life,” I keep reading in testimonies, but sadly some of the people who have been prescribed lithium to help curb their suicidal or manic tendencies decades ago have lived on to suffer kidney and thyroid damage.

Lithium has historically been prescribed for bipolar people in large doses, but this doesn’t have to be the case. New research is suggesting that lower doses of lithium can have the same effect without collecting in the body and overburdening the kidneys, so bipolars can have their cake and eat it too.

Lithium is one of three elements believed to have started the universe – along with hydrogen and helium. The root word of lithium means it is literally “from the rock.” Some communities have lithium in their water supply – Hot Springs, Mont., for instance. The suicide rates in these communities are consistently and drastically lower than communities lacking lithium in the water.

My sister sent me a bottle of lithium orotate she ordered online, convincing me it is merely a health supplement, and I have been taking a tiny bit here and there (NOT consistently) for months.

She is a doctor of psychology studying suicide rates and tendencies, working to keep veterans with PTSD alive. For over 15 years she has suggested that I may be bipolar, but she is my doctor sister, and I am the black sheep sister, so I naturally rebel. “My brain is fine and doesn’t need tweaking,” was always my response. But when the demons of suicidal thoughts barged in like a gang with the cold weather and smoke – again – tweaking my brain became a priority.

I confess that I have been tweaking my brain. I had more coffee and alcohol this summer than I have any summer in my life. It was all local Sandpoint brews, and it was all delicious, but coffee and alcohol trigger a bipolar brain. I was prone to insomnia and over-exerting myself, stripping myself of rest and minerals. The inevitable trough happened with the end of summer, like pulling a shroud over my eyes, filtering healing light from entering my heart. I was left with that same question that has haunted me since puberty: “Couldn’t I just fall asleep and not wake

OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

Tales from a bipolar planet up – to escape this pain?”

I have frightened my family when I have been trapped in a dark depression.

I hide it as best as I can. I love people. I think they are brilliant with all of their shortcomings and overcomings of pain.

Being connected to people is perhaps the best medicine of all. It is the pain that I would cause people, by hurting myself, that shakes me with deep fear and rationalizes suicide away. Fighting irrational despair can be exhausting, however, and rational thought often eludes me when I most need it.

Even though my sister encouraged me to read “The Unquiet Mind” nearly 20 years ago (and I was haunted by the similarities to my own mind) and even recently when she gave me a bipolar woman’s memoir in a graphic novel called “Marbles,” I still denied the similarities. I dislike being categorized and I feared any medication (some anti-psychotic meds have terrible side effect like “suicidal thoughts”).

Finally I listened to the voice of reason from a non-family member, a gentleman I trust: “Jodi, I am not saying this to offend you. I care. I just think that maybe you need help. You don’t have to hide being bipolar – which I think you have, but you just need to stay on top of it.”

After owning the illness, I cried for a day or so while researching manic depression with an open mind. From all that I have read, I am cliché bipolar – have been for around 20 years. I quit alcohol and coffee cold turkey and upped my dose of lithium orotate to a more substantial dosage of around 10-40 mg of lithium per day.

Within the first day of increased dosage and a conscience diet, my thoughts slowed down to a controllable rate, and I could take deeper breaths. My heart felt less squeezed somehow. Miraculously — magically even — the suicidal thoughts faded the evening of my increased lithium dosage and have not returned since. It is almost like I can see myself from a different perspective. There is no shame or mania, just a peaceful detachment. I had suicidal thoughts a few weeks ago, but they are not thoughts that I own now.

I am lucky to have health insurance through the VA and I did make an appointment with my doctor, but it will

take months to get shuffled to the right counselor, develop a trusting relationship and be diagnosed. I am lucky to have a psychologist as my only sibling, doing her share of pro bono work on my brain.

I am lucky to have friends offering me truth and perspective. I am lucky to be alive and taking good care of myself.

On top of friends, exercise and gratitude journals, “Happy Lights,” vitamin D, and omega 3’s, I have found that lithium is another tool to fight “the black dog” – which was how Abraham Lincoln referred to his haunting depression. But lithium isn’t just for the increasingly large group of us mentally ill – lithium is for everyone! Pets today are even being prescribed low dose lithium. Lithium is for everything brain related; from slight anxiety, ADHD and minor road rage, to the prevention of Alzheimer’s and promotion of clear and peaceful thoughts.

Lithium Orotate is a safe form of a necessary trace mineral, it is cheap and needs no prescription. My husband just ordered several bottles so everyone in my family can have this valuable supplement (though my dosage will be at least four times their dosage). I want everyone to hear the latest research on this magical mineral because I believe lithium is saving my life.

The Psounbality with Per FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994

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Grateful Dead Jam Night 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Bring your instruments and join Scott Taylor for a couple of hours jamming to the Dead and Phish.

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

Schweitzer Community Day @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Lift tickets are $10, with 100 percent of the ticket revenue donated to Community Cancer Services and Bonner Partners in Care Clinic Live music w/ Brian Jacobs 8-10pm @ Back Door Bar Live music w/ Muffy & the Riff Hangers 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge

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Live music w/ Beth Pederson & B 7:30pm @ Di Luna’s Just in time for Christmas! Beth & be introducing their newest CD. Ti advance, $17 day of concert. Doors with dinner served before the conc

Contra Dance 7-10:30pm @ Sandpoint Community Ha Live music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live music w/ Ron Kieper Jazz Trio 5-7pm @ IPA Live music w/ Crooked Fingers 5:30-8pm @ The Old Ice House Pizzeria in Hope Live music w/ The Groove Black 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

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Karaoke 8pm-close @ Tervan Come sing your favorite songs

Live music w/ Brian Jacobs 8-10pm @ Back Door Bar Live music w/ Right Front Burner 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge

POAC’s Winter Art Market 10am-3pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Gallery Gardenia Sunday Service Sandpoint Chess Club 10am @ The Gardenia Center 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Li Dave Hussey speaks: “How We Got Here, Meets every Sunday at 9am 4Overcoming Decisiveness” Brews for Benefits • 5-8pm @ Laughing Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills $1 from every beer or wine purchase will 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Community Resource Center. Live music Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician John Firshi Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

Cup of Soup and Connect 5pm @ Cedar Street Bridge Enjoy a cup of soup and make a holiday ornament in remembrance of a loved one. Hosted by Creations and BGH Community Hospice Hootenanny Open Mic Night 6:30-8:30pm @ City Beach Organics If you have an instrument to play, a song to sing, a poem to read, or want to hear live music, join Fiddlin’ Red and Desiree for a Hootenanny. 265-9919 ‘Elf’ Sing-A-Long 6:30pm @ the Panida Free event

ful

December 13 - 20, 2018

A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com.

Reader recommended

PSNI Christmas Market Daily through Dec. 23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday @ the PSNI greenhouse Support the community and adults with disabilities by shopping local in a festive atmosphere. Over 20 vendors are selling handmade gifts, retail items, and holiday decor. Free admission.

erson & Bruce Bishop

s! Beth & Bruce will st CD. Tickets $14 in ert. Doors open at 5:30 the concert.

Winter Art Market & Artist of the Year Exhibit 5:30-7pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Gallery POAC honors Eli Sevenich, the 2018 Artist of the Year, with a special reception Friday night. Eli is a local painter who also teaches Kaleidoscope art lessons as Washington Elementary.

Friday also kicks off a full weekend of the Winter Art Market, featuring affordable artwork from many POAC Artists in a variety of mediums.

munity Hall Live music w/ Mike and Sadie 5-8pm @Pend d’Oreille Winery

te songs

acobs Bar

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December Double’s Cornhole Tournament 11am @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Cornhole kings and queens will be taking to the 4 regulation indoor brewery courts, or outside if no rain. 11am-12:30pm registration and practice, 1pm first toss Karaoke 8pm-close @ Tervan Come sing your favorite songs

Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 4-6:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing

Laughing Dog Brewing chase will benefit the Sandpoint ive music from Jake Robin.

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Live music w/ Mike and Shanna Thompson 5-7pm @ IPA Winter Creative Writing Series 1-6pm @ Rude Girls Room of the Sandpoint Library Featuring Bruce Holbert and Jackson Holbert

POAC’s Winter Art Market 10am-3pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Gallery

Piano Sunday w/ Peter Lucht 2-4pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant An hour of conversation and stories.

This week’s topic: “Come Together: The Healing Power of Friends and Family”

$2 Tuesday 5-9pm @ the Tervan Come and use those $2 bills on drafts and food specials Mixed Media art class w/ Staci Schubert 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Ornament making class. $35+tax/person

Sandpoint Direct Primary Care and Frazier King, M.D. Welcome:

December 21 Dark Beer Event @ 219 Lounge December 23 Santa Skis @ Schweitzer Mt. Resort

Now accepting new pediatric and adult patients Enjoy extended, relaxed visits, same day scheduling, wholesale labs and medications, and full access to your physician via technology, 24/7

C al l to d ay to m ak e an appo i n tme n

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1323 US-2 Suite 300 Sandpoint • 208-263-3091 sandpointdpc.com

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HEALTH

Ten tips for a healthier holiday

By Tara Wallace Reader Contributor

Nothing like kickstarting the holidays with a week of having pumpkin pie and coffee for breakfast (tell me I’m not the only one).

The struggle is real, my friends!

That’s why I thought I’d share a few tips to help you navigate your way through the holidays.

Give. Just as the John Lennon and Yoko Ono song says…”And so this is Christmas, And what have you done?

Another year over, A new one just begun…” As this year comes to a close, take a moment to look back on what you have done for others. What more could you do? What more could you give? Don’t have extra money? Donate. Volunteer. Give your time. Share a special skill. Spare some extra change. Give, to the next Santa you see ringing a bell, or a nice tip to an unexpecting server at your next meal out. Try giving, and just see how you feel.

Move. The best way to exercise is to find a type that doesn’t feel like work to you.

Make it fun. Help a neighbor with shoveling. Take a child ice-skating. Mix it up, do something you don’t normally do. Snowshoe, go cross country skiing, just get active.

Dance, as often as you can. Plan a holiday 5-K with your family. If 5-Ks aren’t your thing, get creative. Go for a walk with family members. Walk someones dog, or your own.

Dogs are cardio machines with fur! With that said, don’t wait until Jan. 1 to set your New Year’s goal. Be thinking about it now and get a jumpstart by getting started.

Indulge. Savor without guilt, all the things that you really love. But be selective.

Be picky. Scan the appetizers. Hint: You can eat cheese cubes or chips and dip at any party. Don’t waste your calories. Choose things that are seasonal; like Dad’s special kahlua frappes or the beaujolais nouveau you’ve waited the last 11 months for. Take your time, enjoy the flavors and the company you’re sharing these foods with. Take and post pictures of your holiday food, then put that phone down and be truly present and in the moment.

Drink. Hydrate! With water! For starters, make sure you are getting at least half your body weight in ounces of water. (A 150 pound woman should be getting at least 75 ounces/ of water per day) Water is the key to living an energized life, with vitality.

If you love alcohol, drink one or two glasses of water between alcoholic beverages. If nothing else, it will help with the hangover. Drink coconut water before bed after a late night of partying. Choose drinks wisely. Order drinks on the rocks — melting ice is your friend and creates more liquid. Use seltzer water or fresh squeezed lemon or lime as mixers to slash extra calories. Experiment with mocktails. Drink tea whenever possible.

Dr. Oz says that peppermint tea helps relieve headaches. And above all, don’t drink and drive. Losing your license or killing someone else’s loved one because of poor judgment is a total party foul. Drink responsibly or just don’t.

Bake. Make, decorate and share the cookies. But, be mindful. Too much sugar can break down your immune system. If you get too caught up in tasting everything, licking the batter, eating raw cookie dough and eating all the broken cookies, you may just wake up sick not too soon after. And who wants to miss the annual work party?

Try baking with half the sugar. Not just for your waistline, but to be on your best defense from colds. Find healthier alternatives, like swapping applesauce into recipes that call for oil. Consider baking sugar-free, gluten-free or organic this year. There’s a reason these baked goods are trending. More people are becoming health conscious. And chances are, people will appreciate these thoughtful treats.

Travel. Life is short. Make the trip.

Visit friends and family. Don’t throw away your healthy habits and the practices of who you’ve become. When traveling, pack healthy snacks like organic apples and protein bars. If you regularly exercise and find yourself away from your favorite spin class for the week, be brave. Venture out in a new place and take a class. Try something

different. Get out of your comfort zone. See what people are doing in other communities for their health — it’s inspiring. Accompany a family member to their gym or workout class. Same goes if you have relatives staying with you. Find out ahead of time what your gym charges for a guest pass. Let houseguests know you plan to go to the gym, or yoga class, invite them. Leave it up to them if they want to join you. Make a plan, schedule those workouts and don’t make excuses.

Working out is one of the greatest forms of self-care we can do for ourselves, especially in a time where we are spread thin and have so much to do for others. Love and take care of your self, so you can actively love and take care of those around you.

Entertain. Throw a party or gathering at your home. Share your holiday traditions and dishes with friends and loved ones. Not only is having a party the best way to get your home spotless and organized, you’ll burn a ton of extra calories if you clean the house yourself. If you decide to host a holiday party, do not stress. If you’re going to be stressed out, then what’s the point in doing it? Relax, have fun, enjoy your guests. Offer healthy dishes to your guests.

Party. ‘Tis the season. Choose to go to the parties that mean the most to you. It’s OK say no. If you are going to be attending a party where you know you’ll be indulging, plan accordingly. Do not skip breakfast or lunch the day of the party. This can often backfire and lead to overeating. Stay on track with protein shakes or green smoothies. Schedule time for extra cardio that week. Be the guest who brings a healthy dish to share. That way you can count on there being at least one healthy option. Do bring enough for others.

Wow your friends with a healthy, festive salad. Think pomegranates or cranberries on a bed of greens. Ask yourself if certain behaviors will be getting you closer to or further away from your goals.

Sleep. Plain and simple. Get enough of it. Go to bed early while you can. It’s OK to leave a party early to go home. Rest as hard as you play.

Let go. Be like “Frozen” and let it go.

Let go of the idea that everything will run perfectly smooth this holiday. Set an intention of all you want to accomplish, and let

go of your expectations. It’s not about what’s under the tree. It’s about who is around that tree. Who is at your table. Seasons change, family dynamics change, traditions change.

Divorce happens, death happens and before you know it, every tradition you once partook in can seem like a far away dream. Focus on a few traditions you want to keep, the ones that make you feel alive. Think about what is most meaningful to you during the holidays and focus on that. Or, create new traditions.

Invite others to be a part of your special gathering. No one should be alone on the holidays. Be mindful of your mental health. No one should be so stressed about not having enough money to buy Christmas presents, that they end up having a heart attack. Focus on all that you do have and be grateful. Go out of your way to be extra jolly. Lastly, if you are having trouble getting into the spirit, look inside yourself. The magic is already within you.

Tara Wallace is an ACE-certified personal trainer who can be found at Natural Fitness Gym. When not training in the gym, she’s either cooking up a storm, eating out or hiking with her dogs. Tara’s offering a FREE spin class starting in January. Fridays at 8 a.m.

Free to members, but donations are being taken for the Panhandle Animal Shelter.

Downtown Bonners Ferry

267-2622

Energy Optimization / Footprint Reduction Residential - Commercial - Industrial

Design20FIRST.com

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COMMUNITY

Carousel of Smiles reception this weekend

By Reader Staff

Join the Carousel of Smiles team at a reception to see some of the initial work in bringing this incredible machine back to life.

The reception will be located at 113 Main St. at the corner of Main and Second in downtown Sandpoint. Reception times are as follows: Dec. 14: 5-8 p.m.

Dec. 15: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Dec. 16: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

The first group of ponies that are “back in paint” (after 64 years in hibernation) and the first group of art-panel paintings done by some of our talented local artists will be on display.

Friday evening will feature a champagne reception (donations always welcome!) as the team celebrates the first color and life coming back to Sandpoint’s Carousel and the volunteers that have been working so hard and with such enthusiasm.

Last December, The Carousel of Smiles project held an unveiling event where a curtain was drawn back to reveal to the public the fully-assembled (but unrestored) 1920 carousel. Since then, teams of volunteers have started the restoration of this incredi-

ble machine.

The “Godfather Squad” (so named because the heads of the ponies have to be removed for proper restoration) has been busy restoring the wood aspects of the ponies.

Fourteen of the ponies are in various stages of restoration: three of them were handed off to the painting team, known as “Painters of the Lost Art,” and these painted ponies will be on display during the weekend.

Also on display will be the first submission for the art-panel project. A carousel’s art panels are what create the character and theme — the heart and soul — of a carousel.

Panels will be done by various local artists who are excited to add their vision to the carousel.

The location for the reception is very fitting. After all, 113 Main is a historic building which originally was home for the

RON GREENE w/ BRIAN BURKE 6:30-9:30pm

December Doubles Cornhole Tournament

Registration 11am, first toss at 1pm

Painters of the Lost Art — Don Oak, Mary Day and Erin Cramer — paint a pony. Courtesy photo.

THE GROOVE BLACK

6:30-9:30pm

Sandpoint Interurban Railway. Most of us know it as the more recent home of Truby’s Health Food Market. The building is just completing a fabulous two-year renovation that recognizes its historic roots. It is a beautiful space and being able to preview it is an extra treat for those attending the receptions.

For further information, visit www. thecarouselofsmiles.org.

FRIDAY, DEC. 14 @ 7PM

HOJI AND ALL IN

Presented by Match Stick Productions

THURSDAY, DEC. 20 @ 6:30PM

ELF MOVIE AND SING-A-LONG FREE EVENT • Sponsored by State Farm

Little Theater

FriDAY, DEC. 21 @ 6:30 & 7:30PM

Line and Swing Lessons & Dance Dec. 21 - Jan. 4

Welcome to Marwen See website for showtimes

Little Theater

Saturday, Dec. 22 @ 4pm

Panida’s Volunteer Holiday Party Little Theater

Dec. 28 - Dec. 30

Free Solo

Sponsored by La Chic Boutique and The Panida Theater

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TRAVEL

Submariners at the Hilton Bar A Week in Hong Kong, the Summer of 1972

By Bill Collier Reader Contributor

O

n the prowl, I took the elevator up to the Apollo Lounge. I frequented it enough that I knew Kip, the hostess, by her first name and even gave some thought to dating the tiny Nepalese cutie.

I knew that the Pan American stewardesses were due to appear shortly. Their flight should have landed an hour ago. They always came to the bar after checking into their rooms and freshening up a bit. No Pan Am stewies in sight tonight. Drat!

Their flight must have been delayed. No one from the “UP” singles club either. I anticipated a lonely, boring night. I departed the lounge, bounding down the stairs, when I spied Kip talking to two beautiful young American ladies, in their early twenties. Kip was explaining to the young ladies that unaccompanied women were not allowed into the bar.

The ladies could not comprehend that Kip might think them to be prostitutes and were trying to argue with her to gain access to the bar.

I instantly assessed the situation and I said, “Kip, these young ladies are with me. I have been waiting for them.” I turned to the young ladies and said, “Where have you been?

You’re late! I had given up on you, and I was just leaving.

Let’s have a drink.” I don’t know that Kip actually believed that I had been waiting for these girls, but she let them 16 /

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The Hong Kong Hilton c. late-1960s. Photo courtesy Wikipedia. pass. We adjourned to the bar and began to get acquainted.

My good friend, Gary, was coming to join me in Hong Kong the next day. I now had dates for both of us.

We went to the San Francisco Steak House, which was right outside the door of the Hyatt. We did not often get real food where we worked, so it was a nice touch for us to get American steaks, fresh salad and such.

We always ordered wine, too. It was a bit expensive, but we could afford the place. I often made this toast: “To good

food and good wine and good times, all made better by the presence of good friends!”

I always have been a very good speller. In our small studio apartments, Gary and I would often be in our respective bedrooms writing letters.

Sometimes he would ask me through the paper-thin walls in a normal conversational voice how to spell some word. I would tell him. At some of the steakhouse dinners, he would brag about how well I could spell and ask our companions to challenge me to spell any word. For some reason, people

frequently asked me to spell “rendezvous,” which I always spelled correctly. That was too easy. Someone asked if I could spell a word alphabetically. A sample of this would be rendezvous: d- e-e-n-o-r-s-u-v-z.

When we tired of that game, I would spell words alphabetically backwards: z-v-u-r-s-o-ne-e-d. I won a few drinks doing that. For me it was simple, I just visualized the word in my mind and picked out the letters in sequence.

After a steakhouse dinner with the two young ladies, we adjourned to the DEN night-

club in the basement of the Hilton Hotel on Hong Kong Island. It was a classy place and drinks were expensive. My intention was to get to know the girls better, choose one and separate her from the other. We sat at a nice table at the edge of the bistro, near the window overlooking the pool on one side and the dance floor on the other side.

At a table near us sat an elegantly dressed French couple out for a night on the town.

Five young men also occupied a third table near us. It soon became obvious to me that they were young U.S. naval officers from a submarine in the harbor.

They were pretty high and getting more boisterous by the moment. One of them made a feeble effort to join my table and snake one of the ladies away from me, but he did not go so far as to join us. He had a higher priority at the time.

They were celebrating the fact that one of them had, that very day, received his coveted golden Dolphin wings and was now a qualified submariner. It was a big deal to them, and they intended to celebrate it in their customary manner. (I could relate. I remembered the joy of receiving my golden Naval Aviator’s wings in December of 1965.

Their celebration usually culminated with throwing the newest member of their elite group into the ocean or bay

wherever they were anchored.

They bantered about the idea of hauling the new guy out to the Hong Kong harbor and throwing him off the pier, but nixed that idea immediately. At that time, Hong Kong harbor was one of the nastiest waters in the world. They wanted to initiate him, not infect him with a dozen communicable diseases.

They discussed throwing him into the hotel pool, which was in plain sight right outside the windows. One of the fellows went out to the pool, and returned with the bad news that the pool was locked up for the night. Drat! No dunking there.

I overheard them talking about taking the victim up to a hotel room and submerging him in a bathtub full of water, and they even jokingly discussed stuffing him down a toilet, but no one would buy these meager offers.

In one of those magical moments when everybody clicked on the same frequency without anyone verbalizing it, the other four submariners decided they would dump their full beers onto the initiate. They all stood up, grabbed their full mugs and slung the contents towards the intended victim. The inductee must also have been tuned into the mental telepathy and knew the beer was headed his way. Just as the beer took flight towards him, he ducked down, out of the way of the in-coming beer-fall. Four mugs of beer flew past him, splashing upon and soaking the elegant French couple.

Hell broke loose as the Frenchman exploded in a rage.

Imagine a cigarette pack-sized nuclear device going off in an enclosed space. It was not a pretty sight. I am sure this incident added to the negative impression of “Ugly Americans.” The submariners were evicted from the bar. They left peacefully.

As things quieted down, I cut one of the sweeties, Janet, away from the other. Janet was medium height, had soft brown hair and hazel eyes, and an ef-

fervescent personality. She had just completed a mid-west college and was on tour with her parents and brother. The two of us sat in the coffee shop in the Hyatt Hotel all night long getting to know each other. My good friend, Gary, showed up the next day and the four of us hung out in and about Hong Kong for a few days. Janet and I corresponded for months. We dated for a while after I returned to northern California.

Meeting pilots inspired Janet to become a flight attendant.

She flew for Trans International Airlines for years afterwards.

Our paths never crossed while she was flying. This beautiful young lady is still a dear friend.

Last I heard, the other girl, petite Celine, moved to Japan and married a Japanese businessman.

Later that week, Gary and I attended an UP Club function, a spaghetti-eating contest at a local restaurant. Both Gary and I considered ourselves big eaters and were sure that one of could win this contest, no chal-

lenge. We lost to a skinny little Italian fellow. The Italian and I got our pictures in the Hong Kong Post Herald.

This story is an excerpt from Captain Collier’s book, “CIA Super Pilot Spills the beans, Flying Helicopters in Laos for Air America,” avail-

able at the Corner Book Store, Fiddlin’ Red’s Music Store, DiLunas Restaurant, Home Sweet Home Consignments, 5th Ave Surplus, Sandpoint Super Drug, Vanderford’s Book Store, Joe’s Sandwich and online from amazon.comas a paperback or an e-book.

Top: Lockhart Road in Hong Kong, c. early 1970s.

Bottom: Bill Collier with George Hadz, George Allen and James Barr in Dong Ha, Viet Nam.

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OPINION

Idaho should have state track inspector before BNSF second bridge is approved

By Matt Nykiel Reader Contributor

Fine Jewellers & Goldsmiths •Custom Jewelry •Repairs

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They say never let a fox guard the hen house, but that’s how Idaho operates when it comes to railroad safety. Sandpoint should take this into careful consideration as BNSF Railway pushes for a new bridge over Lake Pend Oreille.

Last year, BNSF announced plans for the second bridge. The national agencies charged with permitting the rail bridge continue to review the proposal, after receiving well over 2,000 comments from people concerned about BNSF transporting hazardous substances through rural communities like Sandpoint.

It’s unclear whether the benefits of the new bridge are worth the risk associated with train derailments and oil spills. It is clear that local and state officials can do more to protect our community, even now.

Clean water is key to Sandpoint’s economy, way of life and drinking water.

These days, you can’t beat a wintery walk on the Bay Trail overlooking our serene lake. Unfortunately, a single train derailment could change all of that.

Just last June, a BNSF train derailed near Doon, Iowa, spilling 160,000 gallons of crude oil into the Rock River.

Another train, this one owned by Union Pacific, derailed this September near Alton, Iowa, spilling sand and soybean oil into the Floyd River. Despite these risks, BNSF refuses to advocate for the highest level of environmental review of the second bridge proposal, even though locals, including the city of Sandpoint, have requested an Environmental Impact Statement.

An EIS is a good starting point, but there’s more our community can do to safeguard our water. The state of Idaho does not employ a single track inspector to ensure the rail lines are safe. This is a problem, given that rail track condition is the primary factor in many derailments.

The Idaho Public Utilities Com-

mission is charged with overseeing train safety throughout the state. The PUC does employ two hazardous materials inspectors, but it does not have the funding to support any track inspectors. It’s always better to prevent a derailment than to Matt Nykiel clean up after one. But that is not how Idaho chooses to invest its resources.

The Federal Rail Administration dedicates just one track inspector to northern Idaho, but this inspector is spread thin, covering eastern Washington and western Montana as well.

BNSF employs its own track inspectors, but the people of Idaho deserve public oversight of track inspection.

Sandpoint and other rail-line communities should also demand that BNSF demonstrate it can contain a spill of hazardous substances any day of the year. This includes during the rigors of winter or when the water is moving fast, during spring runoff.

During runoff, the Clark Fork River upstream from Lake Pend Oreille can flow around seven feet per second.

In recent spill response exercises, it’s taken BNSF around two hours to deploy containment boom — in perfect con-

ditions — with responders on site. At that rate, hazardous substances from a derailment would have traveled nearly ten miles in two hours. Although BNSF should be commended for recently adding spill response resources to our community, it’s cold comfort if BNSF cannot deploy them effectively.

State experts estimate the amount of coal and oil hauled by rail could more than double by 2040. Much of that will be right here in Bonner County. So our state regulators and BNSF should redouble their effort to prevent derailments in the first place and to contain them if they occur.

Ask your elected official: Why don’t we have a state railroad track inspector in Idaho? And, how do you know BNSF is capable of containing an oil spill during spring runoff?

To paraphrase President Reagan: trust but verify. The railroad is an important part of the national economy, but that should not steamroll legitimate local concerns about protecting our communities and our clean water.

Matt Nykiel advocates for clean water on behalf of the Idaho Conservation League.

A digital rendering of what the proposed second bridge project would look like. Courtesy of YouTube.

TRAVEL

Perfect Paris

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Contributor

At this time last year, I was shopping the streets of Paris, near the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, searching for perfect Christmas oysters, from the high tides of Normandy.

To complete our holiday feast, I shopped for a variety of amazing, gooey (and stinky) cheeses from my favorite fromagerie, Alléosse, also located near the Arc, and finally, cradling several fresh baguettes, I made my way back to our pension.

This past week-end, I watched the news and saw rioting on the very streets I’d strolled last year, with a toddler in tow. You’ve probably heard about these riots — the Gilets Jaunes or “the yellow vests” (working class) have been protesting rising fuel taxes. The demonstrations, which have escalated into other political issues, have virtually shut down some areas of Paris, mostly upscale and high-visibility locations such as Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile.

The French are passionate and vocal about many issues, and they’ve experienced uprisings since the French Revolution. Typically, they take it in stride, and life mostly goes on. But the recent riots have caused many tourists to wonder: Is it safe to visit Paris? Most of the Parisians I have been in contact with say yes. The demonstrations generally occur on Saturdays, around famous landmarks. If I had a trip planned, I’d still go, though I’d exercise some extra cautions by avoiding the areas of conflict (and purchasing some trip insurance).

I’m a devoted Francophile AND a flea market enthusiast (addict), and Paris never disappoints when I am yearning to acquire even more copper pots and miniature, vintage art. The most famous flea market in Paris is the one at Porte de Clignancourt, officially called Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, but known to everyone as Les Puces (The Fleas). There are more than 100 stalls, and many of the vendors will negotiate with you.

Sometimes I’ll make two or three visits to the same stall, and if the vendor sees me eyeing the same piece, they will offer to lower the price before I even ask! An added bonus, after all the hard work shopping, is lunch at Chez Louisette – it’s a Paris institution at Les Puces that you won’t want to miss.

Chez Louisette’s decor is a combination of early disco/retro Christmas/gaudy Vegas lounge. The food is typical bistro fare, served family style by efficient, no nonsense servers. The food is reasonably priced, and

aside from tourists, the place is usually filled with vendors, engaged in lively conversations, giving the bistro a genuine, local flavor. A pair of overly-made-up geriatric chanteuses, accompanied by a way-too cheerful accordionist, dramatically belt out tunes. Don’t worry about getting to their “tip jar:” They will make several rounds through the restaurant to make sure you (and your money) aren’t overlooked.

Catacombes de Paris is one of my favorite attractions, and I highly recommend a guided tour (mostly to avoid the hours-long line). This underground necropolis is more than 180 miles of tunnels, lined on each side with neatly piled bones sprinkled with rows of more than five million skulls. The other bonus to a private tour is admission to areas that aren’t open to the general public.

I recommend the same entré vous for visiting other popular attractions, such as museums (Louvre or Musee d’Orsay), and Notre Dame (nearby, on Ile St Louis, check out Berthillon for the creamiest ice cream ever).

The extra price for a tour is well worth the time not spent in lines. If you want to see the Eiffel Tower, make a lunch reservation at 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant and it will include the lift price (once at the hostess stand, politely request a window table).

Many people assume Paris is only expensive gastronomies, but it’s also a city of inexpensive outdoor cafés and street food.

There are corner crêperies everywhere, and one of my favorite street foods is a savory cheese crepe, warm and gooey on the inside, with bits of crisped, browned cheese forming a crust along the edges.

You’ll find authentic and delicious French onion soup, croque monsieur (baked ham and cheese sandwich with béchamel sauce) or croque madame (topped with an egg) at any corner bistro. Decanted house wine is usually tasty and inexpensive, too.

For some reason my biggest challenge usually comes when I’ve ordered coffee or water! I learned (the hard way) that if you order coffee at a bar/counter, you must drink it there and not take it to an empty table (table service costs more). And no matter how hard I try to order plain (free) tap water, just like the local Frenchman sitting next to me, I always end up with fancy (expensive) water.

When I do want to splurge, my favorite restaurant for traditional steak frites is Le Relais de Venise son Entrecôte, not far from the Champs Elysee. The steaks are cooked to order (and to perfection) and topped with a divine, savory sauce that I just cannot duplicate. But it doesn’t stop me from trying: butter (maybe browned), reduced cream,

A Capers adventure

herbs, Dijon? This sublime sauce is heavenly on the steak and the Frites (fries) as well.

They don’t take reservations, but it’s well worth the short wait. If you have room, top it off with the oh-so-French profiteroles.

It’s easy to take day trips from Paris, either by guided tour, or you can hop on a train (or helicopter) for the Palace of Versailles, Normandy and Le Mont-SaintMichel or Champagne. Every location is a unique experience, much different than the streets of Paris, and I love their hub-andspoke proximity to Paris, as I prefer to settle into one location for my overnight stays.

I like to pack my own picnics for day trips, and it’s well worth a trip to the food mecca of Paris, La Grande Épicerie, to purchase my picnic-perfect delicacies. If you’re a foodie, plan on spending several hours perusing several floors, filled with every epicurean delight your culinary imagination can conjure up. If you’re traveling with a disinterested other party (you may want to reconsider your traveling companion for future trips), you can send them over to Le Bon Marche, a huge department store connected to La Grande Épicerie. A word of caution: careful with food souvenirs. Many meats, even canned or dried sausages, dried fruits and some cheeses, cannot be imported to the U.S., so purchase (and declare) at your own risk.

It’s easy to get there from here. Aer Lingus offers flights from Seattle (change planes in Dublin), and Iceland Air also offers daily service from Seattle and Portland (that can include a few day’s layover in Reykjavik). Paris has a great transportation system, and once you land at Charles de

Just a sampling of the good eats the author found in Paris. Photos by Marcia Pilgeram.

Gaulle, the airport train station provides both international train service and local RER trains into central Paris, where you can connect to the very efficient metro system.

Riverboat cruises are yet another great way to explore Paris (and more of France) and several lines, such as Viking, AmaWaterways and Avalon offer unique itineraries that can include pre- and post-Paris stays.

Paris in the winter? Or springtime? If you’re asking me, there’s no bad time to visit this iconic city. They do call Paris the City of Lovers, though sadly, I can’t speak to that. But I have travelled there in winter and spring. I’ve gone solo, with my adult daughters, with a gaggle of grandchildren and with contemporaries, and I have loved every trip.

Different as they are, I never tire of the same experiences: strolling familiar streets, eating my favorite foods and searching Paris for yet another perfect copper pot.

After many years on the supplier side of travel, along with her previous career as a chef and event plannner, Marcia is deliriously happy to use her combined passions and expertise to help others fufill their travel and adventure dreams. Find out more about her business, Capers, at www.CapersTravel. com December 13, 2018 /

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HOLIDAYS

Digital game holiday buyer’s guide

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Holiday gifts in the age of the internet are tricky business. This article is primarily aimed at parents and grandparents who want to make a splash at Christmas without a lot of knowledge in the world of electronic games.

I’ll list off what devices these games can be played on, what kind of content they have and who they’re geared towards. When I list off “Steam” as one of the platforms, that means it’s exclusively played on a personal computer using a program called Steam. Steam was developed to create a nexus for computer games users could download online, eliminating the need for DVD installations.

Also worth noting, I’ve listed the prices of these games when I looked them up. During sales, such as Steam’s Autumn Sale (Nov. 27, for about a week) and Winter Sale (Dec. 20 or so, until Jan. 1) the prices of these games can plummet into the single digits, meaning big bang for your buck.

If you’re unsure what device your loved one uses, slyly ask some questions.

You might get some indignant you-knownothing huffs, but I guarantee they’ll be squealing with joy when you get them exactly what they wanted on their device.

Enough talk, let’s rock!

Disclaimer: All games with online multiplayer are rated without online interactions taken into account. Foul language may not be programmed into the game, but that doesn’t stop someone’s friends from using it while they play.

Torchlight II - $19.99 Platforms: Steam Torchlight falls under the category of “action role-playing game” or ARPG for short. If you’ve heard of a little game called “Diablo 2”, this is the more family-friendly version of that. You create a character that delves into a dungeon to destroy a legion of fantasy creatures and get shiny loot in the process. It’s not gruesome, and there are even options to turn off what little blood is present in the settings.

No Man’s Sky - $59.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox One If “Minecraft” and “Star Wars” had a baby, this is it. Get a spaceship, build stuff and explore a nearly-endless galaxy.

It now has multiplayer, so you can play with friends! There is shooting, but you’re only ever shooting other spaceships or wildlife. There’s no blood or gore, and it’s also not the focus of the game.

Starbound - $14.99 Platforms: Steam, coming to PS4, Xbox One and PS Vita eventually If you liked “Megaman” or “Metroid” in the ‘90s, you’d love “Starbound”.

Build stuff, shoot stuff, explore the galaxy. It has an art style reminiscent of 32-bit games from the ‘90s, so there’s no blood or gore to speak of.

Play with friends!

Stardew Valley - $14.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, Android phones/tablets, iOS (Apple) phones/tablets Start your own farm, build relationships with the locals, do whatever you want. No violence. This is a great one for any age.

Universe Sandbox 2 - $24.99 Platforms: Steam, Virtual Reality-ready with HTC Vive If you want something educational and fun, US2 lets users create solar systems or whole galaxies to see how things interact in space. These are real simulations developed by astrophysicists. They did all the hard work, you get to watch planets blow up.

Cities: Skylines - $29.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Build your own city! Manage it, make sure nothing bad happens to it or overflow it with raw sewage if that’s your thing. It’s completely safe for all ages, and can be a valuable learning tool for traffic and city planning.

ARK: Survival Evolved - $49.99 Platforms: Steam, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Android phones/tablets “ARK: Survival Evolved” is, unsurpris-

ingly, about survival. The catch is, you’re on a giant tropical island (or a desert), surrounded by dinosaurs. Violence is a big part of the game, but there’s no cussing or dismemberment. Best played with friends.

Hearthstone - Free to play Platforms: Blizzard Battle.net (PC/ Mac), Android phone/tablet, iOS Apply phone/tablet A digital trading card game set in the “Warcraft” universe. Easy to learn, difficult to master, it can make for a fun holiday diversion for the whole family.

Requires a Blizzard account, which is free.

One really neat feature of Steam is that you can buy items and then safely gift them digitally via email. It’s all very clearly labeled in Steam, and it does a great job of walking you through the process. You do need to register an account, but doing so is free.

If the family member you’re shopping for wouldn’t be interested in anything on this list, or already owns all of it, don’t fret.

Most retailers offer gift cards for Steam, the Microsoft Store (Xbox One), the PlayStation Store and the Nintendo Online Store.

Getting a gift card for a gamer isn’t an insult. It can be the perfect present when it’s a gift card for their preferred console.

Video games are evolving daily, and many of them offer downloadable content (DLC) at a premium after they’ve been released. Think of them like expansion packs. Your family may own the game, but they may really want that new desert map all of their friends have been playing on, and a gift card could be their ticket in.

is now accepting applications for the remainder of the current school year.

We have openings in 7th-10th grades.

Accepted students may begin on Jan. 7, 2019.

Applications are available on our website www.forrestbirdcharterschool.org or in both school offices.

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MUSIC

‘The real thing’

This week’s RLW by Ellie V. Kiebert

Beth Pederson and Bruce Bishop release new album “Driving Into the Moon”

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff It’s been a decade since local musicians Beth Pederson and Bruce Bishop joined forces, bringing their signature blend of tunes to life and to listening ears across the Idaho Panhandle and beyond.

“I am forever grateful that our paths crossed back then. I can’t imagine my life without this beautiful gift,” Pederson said.

“We’ve had some extraordinary moments when the music moves beyond itself and our expectations. Magical.”

The pair will celebrate the release of their latest album, “Driving Into the Moon,” on Friday, Dec. 14, at Di Luna’s with a special CD release show at 7:30 p.m.

As with any team, Pederson and Bishop each bring a little something different to the creative table. Pederson said Bishop’s musical “experience and expertise (are) huge.”

“To me the beauty of Bruce’s playing is that it’s ever changing. The song structure remains the same but the ‘sweetening’ is spontaneous and often so beautiful that it practically stops me in my

READ

My sophomore year in English class, we went in-depth analyzing “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. Me, being the 16-year-old I am, didn’t realize how connected someone could become with nature.

He expands on the relationship he had with his natural surroundings, writing down essays later compiled into a book. After two years of staying in a cabin in a rural area, he notes how his transcendental experience helped him find himself spiritually.

LISTEN

tracks,” Pederson said. “He’s full of surprises.”

Bishop noted Pederson’s love for music as a medium for storytelling is where her greatest strengths lie.

“She is song-focused and story focused,” Bishop said. “Her intent is to deliver a message, and it’s all about the voice.”

Together, Pederson and Bishop create music ranging from “old standards” to contemporary folk, all highlighted by their laidback style.

Pederson said her favorite part about creating “Driving Into the Moon” had everything to do with the process.

“My favorite part? Recording in such a beautiful setting

Above: Bishop (left) and Pederson (right) perform a local gig. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Inset: The duo’s new album “Driving Into the Moon.”

with my compadre,” she said, referencing Bishop’s home studio in Hope.

“Driving Into the Moon” was recorded in a live format, which Bishop said gives it “an honest feel.”

“It’s a very authentic album because Beth is the real thing,” Bishop said. “I have always chosen to try to work with people who I think are really real

and who are also really, really talented. She’s way up there on both those lists.”

Seats at Friday’s release show are selling fast, so to secure a table call (208) 2630846. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and music is set to start at 7:30.

To learn more about Pederson and Bishop, visit www. highmoonmusic.com or www. brucebishopmusic.com.

If you’re looking for a bopping rap album to get you in a hype mood, Aminé dropped one later this summer that you want to check out. “OnePointFive” has a vibe that can really get someone going. Personally, whenever I’m feeling goofy, “Ratchet Saturn Girl” completes me. Bumping to this album in my mom van of a car really sets a mood.

WATCH

Craving something spooky?

Then hop onto Netflix and watch the original show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. (This is a nice spinoff of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”) Based in a town where almost every day feels like Halloween, half-mortal, half-witch Sabrina tries to fit her witch life and human life all into one package.

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December 13, 2018 /

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By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor

Stray dog

From Northern Idaho News, Aug. 12, 1904

HUMBIRD LUMBER MILL IS CLOSED THREE HUNDRED MEN LOSE EMPLOYMENT WHEN MILL CLOSED THIS MORNING The Sandpoint mill of the Humbird Lumber company, employing about three hundred men, closed down for the season this morning and nothing definite has been given out for publication as to when operations would be resumed.

From some of the employees of the mill it was learned that work on Labor Day was suspended for the afternoon, the men thinking they would have at least a half holiday, but when they returned this morning to their jobs, were informed that work had been suspended.

It has been reported from time to time that the mill would close within the course of the present month, as the supply of logs was insufficient to warrant continued operations, yet no one looked for it to close on such short notice.

T.J. Humbird is expected in the city late today from Spokane, at which time the question of reopening will be gone into by him.

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a song by Charley Packard & Mike Wagoner A warm sultry evenin’... temptation came stealin’... I was sleepin’ at the wheel.

She was a bold one... a truthful and cold one... sayin’ we could make a deal.

I played around with fate just to see if it would bend and to test the love I had with you.

Like a child I threw caution to the wind... wish I could say it wasn’t true.

Now I dream one day you’ll take me back and I’ll have a chance to prove.

That just for you... my heart’s callin’... just for you on my knees I’m crawlin’... I’m like a stray dog.

In the rain... crawlin’ home to you.

Like a stray dog in the rain... crawlin’

home to you.

I feel like I’m lost at sea... gazing at reflections of me... I’ve never seen before... and the hardest part about this lie... watchin’ the light go out in your eyes... oh I hurt you so... I played around with fate just to see if it would bend and to test the love I had with you.

Like a child I threw caution to the wind wish I could say it wasn’t true. Now I dream one day you’ll take me back and I’ll have a chance to prove.

That just for you... my heart’s callin’... just for you on my knees I’m crawlin’... I’m like a stray dog in the rain... crawlin’ home to you. Like a stray dog in the rain... crawlin’ home to you.

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Blow ye winds, Like the trumpet blows; But without that noise.

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Woorf tdhe Week

craic

/KRAK/

[noun] 1. fun and entertainment, especially good conversation and company (often preceded by the) “Come for the craic, stay for the beer.”

Corrections: In last week’s “Off the Record,” Lyndsie referred to a palette of eyeshadow as a “pallet.” That’s a lot of eyeshadow.

1. Russian emperor 5. A sloping mass of loose rocks 10. Snake sound 14. Conceal 15. Blow up 16. Dwarf buffalo 17. Powered by electricity 19. Questionable 20. Not bottom 21. Carved 22. Southern breakfast dish 23. Amaze 25. Avoid 27. Citrus drink 28. Vibratos 31. Piques 34. Panderers 35. Downturn 36. Money 37. To yield or submit 38. Sandwich shop 39. French for “Friend” 40. Deputies 41. Sausage 42. Celebrated 44. Ear of corn 45. Sludges 46. Keep going 50. Fasteners 52. Small slender gulls 54. Calypso offshoot 55. “Oh my!”

56. The climax of a drama

Solution on page 22 58. Ascend 59. Wash out with a solvent 60. Brusque 61. The bulk 62. Willow 63. Evasive

10. Hairstyle 11. Baseball shortstop for example 12. Not hard 13. Articulates 18. Thumps 22. Gingivae 24. Pledge DOWN 26. Past tense of Leap 28. Clocked 1. 8th Greek letter 2. Grain storage buildings 29. Anagram of “Silo” 30. Expectoration 3. Apt 31. Stigma 4. Record (abbrev.)

32. What a person 5. Calm is called 6. Throng 33. Mica 7. Graphic symbol 34. An architectural 8. Skin layer support 9. And so forth

37. A soft return in tennis 38. Anagram of “Buds” 40. Barley beards 41. Most bad 43. Beginning 44. Thurible 46. Chatter 47. Put out 48. Play the bagpipes 49. Yummy 50. Leavening agent 51. Hodgepodge 53. Decorative case 56. Chief Executive Officer 57. Card with one symbol

December 13, 2018 /

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