BOOK REVIEW: EASY AS PIE AT BOBBY’S DINER
By Susan Wingate (May 2010, Blue Star Books) Book review by Dennis Moore April 12, 2010 (San Diego)–If ever the expression, “Love is Blind,” would apply, it would be in the book by Susan Wingate, Easy As Pie at Bobby’s Diner. Georgette Carlisle, the owner of Bobby’s Diner in Sunnydale, Arizona, falls hard for Hawthorne Biggs, and basically everything he tells her. But it turns out that Hawthorne, whom Georgette is engaged to marry, has been leading a clandestine life of murder and corruption, unbeknownst to her. He conspires with others to steal the diner from Georgette, while love blinds her to his true intentions. In the second book of the four-part Bobby’s Diner series, Easy As Pie at Bobby’s Diner, Georgette invites an old girlfriend back into her life, which imperils her ownership of the diner and her relationship with her fiancé. Georgette invites Helen to move in with her. Georgette’s old girlfriend, Helen, was always cloaked in something, always scheming, but true friendship has a tendency to overlook such faults. Georgette is an understanding and forgiving sort, not faulting Helen for trying so long ago to take her late husband Bobby from her. Georgette could afford to be understanding, as she and Bobby had pulled something similar with Bobby’s first wife, Vanessa. Set in the Arizona desert, Easy As Pie at Bobby’s Diner could be described as a meeting between the Whistle Stop Café and the ladies from the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, with all the similar elements of mystery and intrigue. Of course, it is a love story also, with all the elements of amorous behavior and innuendo! It has the playful interaction between men and women in those expressions of love between each other, which, coupled with the mystery and intrigue throughout the book, makes for a captivating story. The book is also a tale of betrayal, kidnapping, sexual assault, rape and murder. Easy As Pie at Bobby’s Diner, will find its home with women who like mysteries and exciting entanglements between men and women. It has elements of a Hitchcock film. The way the author describes the various scenes and situations in the book, from the setting of the desert sun to the objects in Georgette’s home and diner, makes the reader feel as if they were actually in the scenes. Other key characters in this book are Roberta, the town Mayor and daughter of Georgette’s deceased former husband, Bobby (whom the diner is named after), along with Willard (Willy) Cleary, the Police Chief of Sunnydale, who is also the first guy that Georgette dated after Bobby died. Although the dating between Georgette and Willy is short-lived due to Hawthorne coming into the picture, it adds to the mystery and intrigue. Georgette’s cat, “Gangster,” also has a central role in the story. Georgette actually runs Bobby’s Diner with Roberta, the Mayor of Sunnydale, and Bobby’s daughter. Since Roberta’s mother, Vanessa, had also died shortly after her father, Georgette attempts to supplant that role. Georgette and Roberta are more like best friends than mother and daughter. When an old friend, Helen, comes back into town after a failed attempt at a writing career, she is once again attracted to Georgette’s man. After they part company over this latest betrayal, Helen goes missing. Georgette and Roberta set off to find her, braving separation, danger and a new strength in their relationship – one that empowers them separately but bonds them together. Of course, it has a satisfying ending for Georgette and Roberta, but one has to read the book to find out what happens to Helen and Hawthorne, as well as the various other characters in this book. I strongly recommend this novel to all those that like a good mystery, sprinkled with danger and intrigue.
WATER RECLAMATION & SAND MINING PROPOSAL WOULD YIELD NEW WATER SOURCE FOR HELIX DISTRICT–BUT EL MONTE VALLEY RESIDENTS VOICE CONCERNS
By Miriam Raftery April 12, 2010 (Lakeside) –Concerns bubbled up at a Saturday meeting between Helix Water District general manager Mark Weston and residents of Lakeside over a proposed El Monte Valley mining, reclamation, and groundwater recharge project. “The problem is that we are losing water from the Colorado River and Northern California,” Weston said at the meeting, held at the Hazy Meadow Ranch. “Now we, like all water agencies, are looking at how to expand water supplies in our district.” Ninety percent of San Diego County’s water supply is imported. After nine years of drought along the Colorado River, supplies have lessened and the water itself has become more saline (salty). Meanwhile a federal court ruling has ordered a halt to delta pumping to protect fish, further restricting water supplies for southern California. Helix has proposed to take wastewater that has been gone through standard tertiary treatments and filtered with 100% reverse osmosis, hydrogen peroxide, and ultraviolent treatment. The treated water would then be pumped into ponds along the north side of El Monte Valley and seep into the groundwater basis to mix with naturally occurring water. After six months in the ground, it could be pumped from wells on the south side of the valley and sent to a treatment plant in Lakeside, where it would be treated with ozone to become drinking water. The plan would also allow sand mining in the valley a section at a time, followed by revegetation that Helix officials say would ultimately restore and enhance natural habitat for wildlife, adding hiking and riding trails and several river crossings. “For the last three years, Orange County Water Treatment’s premier project through 100% reverse osmosis has been treating 70 million gallons a day—twice what we use in Helix,” Weston said. “This demonstrates that we can provide safe drinking water through reverse osmosis. Absolutely it removes everything that cause harm.” The project could provide five million gallons of purified water per day, up to 15% of total water demand in the District, which includes La Meas, Spring Valley, Lemon Grove, El CAjon, parts of Lakeside and Santee, and some unincorporated areas of the County. Helix has used El Monte Valley for well fields dating back 80 years, also leasing portions of land for agricultural usage. About 15 years ago, developers approached the district asking to build two golf courses. The project went awry when the economy tanked and developers couldn’t get financing after completing rough grading, so they proposed an alternative project that, under the latest revisions, would include moderate sand mining, recontouring of the valley, and complete river restoration on 500 acres. About 14,000 Lakeside residents will be notified of public hearings on the environmental impact report, Weston assured residents. “A lot has been spoken. Not all of it is true.” Some residents, however, remained skeptical. Residents with wells near percolation ponds would no longer be able to drink their well water, Weston confirmed, though the water would still be safe for irrigation and other uses, he said. “We estimate that about 40 families will need drinking water,” he said. One resident responded angrily, “I have a well in the middle of the river. You’re telling me you’re going to ruin my well water and then charge me for drinking water!” Others echoed that concern. “Are we to be assessed with huge bills each month?” Milt Cyphert, president of Lakeside First, a citizens watchdog group, asked. “You could be putting people out of business here.” He added that mitigation for the project should include the District agreeing to pay for costs of providing drinking water for impacted residents. Another woman objected to using the affected well water for livestock or pets. “I have endangered species,” she said. “I’m not going to give them filthy water.” Weston said that while the local health department won’t allow the treated water to be used for drinking, the same quality water has been used for drinking in other states and countries. He objected to the term `toilet to tap’ and said water currently coming in from the Colorado River and Northern California already contains wastes. “The water we’ll bring in will be much cleaner with 100% reverse osmosis,” he assured, adding that the finished product would be better than current well water quality. “We have the technology. You don’t need to be afraid. It removes 100% of the pharmaceuticals and so forth.” But residents were unconvinced. “It’s all about the mine,” one resident said. “It’s all about money. Give us clean water and leave us alone.” The value of sand has risen, providing a financial incentive for mining sand. Helix rejected a more drastic proposal by the developer to go down 20 or 30 feet in the middle of the river. “We said, ` You guys are crazy,’” Weston recalled. The current proposal would allow sand mining down 10 to 15 feet, to be done in phases. Invasive plants such as bamboo and tamarisk would be removed and replaced with native vegetation as each section is completed. Residents had other concerns. “Will we be left with a swamp—West Nile virus?” one concerned resident asked. Weston responded that the valley is permeable and drains fast, but that more water could be extracted if needed. Cyphert recalled another disease that has plagued the area in the past. “There are people in this valley who almost died from Valley Fever,” he told Weston, “and animals that have died of Valley Fever. What are your plans so you’re not stirring up dust with Valley Fever?” Weston said that dust control mitigation would be addressed in the EIR. “One of our employees got Valley Fever,” he added. “I’m not sure if it was from this valley or not.” Others voiced concerns over changes in water levels, noting that newly planted trees and foliage could wash away if flooding occurred in the two to five years that revegetation is predicted to take. An 80-year resident of the Valley voiced concerns about the dam, which
EDITORIAL: WHY DIDN’T SAN DIEGO COUNTY POST ANY INFO ABOUT THE QUAKES AT ITS “EMERGENCY” WEBSITE?
By Miriam Raftery, Editor www.EastCountyMagazine.org April 6, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – More than 24 hours after a 7.2 earthquake jolted our region, triggering more than 100 aftershocks, why has the County of San Diego failed to post a single mention of the recent quakes on its so-called “emergency” website at http://www.sdcountyemergency.com/? Granted, San Diego County wasn’t declared an emergency area and didn’t suffer catastrophic damages. But many local residents were frightened and concerned. Some suffered power outages, gas line ruptures, phone service interruption, and property damage. People were hungry for news about epicenters and magnitudes of the quakes, power outages, damages, road closures, hazards, and how to get news of friends and relatives south of the border. Our County did not even provide warnings for holiday travelers–including a shut-down of I-8 in neighboring Imperial County, boulders in roadways, or closure of a border crossing. No tips on where to report problems or get help. No warnings that aftershocks were moving northeast, with some centered in East County and Imperial County. No info on how to get word about loved ones who might live or be visiting in Mexico over Easter weekend. Zero. Zip. Nada. Other than standard safety tips in a permanent “earthquake” section, there was absolutely nothing to address concerns of area residents. This is a bad case of déjà vu. During the 2007 wildfires, the then-newly-launched County Emergency website crashed repeatedly, making it all but impossible for residents to get essential public safety information. As a reporter for a weekly print newspaper back then, I received middle- of-the-night emails from panicked backcountry residents who couldn’t access emergency info online. No TV news outlets were covering fires in the backcountry during the crucial early hours. People tried to evacuate, only to find road closures or flames blocking their way, with no info on safe routes, progress of the fire, or location of shelters. East County residents—and indeed, people countywide–deserve better. Lives are at stake when timely information is not available. Last week a woman near Ramona struck a four-foot-boulder on Highway 78. East County Magazine’s Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts have saved many a motorist from encountering similar unpleasant surprises during rockslides, floods, and other disasters. Some roadways reportedly had rocks tumble onto them after Sunday’s quake. Why wasn’t somebody at the County posting info from Cal-Trans, Cal-Fire, CHP and other emergency responders to help keep people safe? Would anybody have bothered to do better if the Big One had actually been centered in San Diego County? At first I thought this must be a case of bad timing, with the large quake striking on Easter Sunday (though emergencies can strike anytime, and the County should be prepared to react). But come Monday morning, with a hundred aftershocks still rattling the area (one of which ruptured a gas line on an Indian reservation in East County), the County still hadn’t bothered to post any info on the quakes. Protecting public safety is the number one function of government. Our County ought to be prepared to get important information posted live online whenever an emergency or significant disaster strikes. An earthquake twice as strong as the one that leveled Haiti, striking within 100 miles of San Diego County’s borders and sending powerful aftershocks rippling north into East County, surely should have qualified as grounds to calm public fears and provide timely, important information. If the County still doesn’t have its act together on emergency notification three years after the 2007 wildfire fiasco, one wonders just what it would take for County officials to get it right. Sign up for East County Magazine’s free Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via e-mail at: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/89 . Our alerts can reach you even when phone lines are down or cell phones don’t work, a situation that has occurred here during earthquakes and wildfires. Also get our award-winning publication’s free weekly e-newsletter with top weekly news and events for our region.
SANTEE STRENGTHENS SOCIAL HOST ORDINANCE
April 12, 2010 (Santee) – The City of Santee has amended its social host ordinance after working in partnership with the City Attorney, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and local community groups. Under the new law, party hosts are required to take all reasonable steps to prevent consumption of alcohol by minor and drugs by anyone. The steps include verifying identification cards and supervising activities at parties to ensure guests act in accordance with the law. “ The newly amended ordinance puts a higher level of responsibility on hosts and allows for unprecedented enforceability by local law enforcement,” a press release issued by the Sheriff’s office stated. Penalties for failure to abide by the ordinance include fines that can exceed $1000 and possible jail time.
WILL POWER REPORT: PAPAL INFALLABILITY
Nothing but the Truth! April 12, 2010 (San Diego) — Generally, I don’t write too much about religion. I always felt it was none of my business. When Descartes answered the argument "Is there a God?" with "Why not?", I agreed. But the mumbo-jumbo and dogma accompanying most "organized" religion has nothing to do with morality. "What did the Pope know and when did He know it" are the big questions Catholics need to ask. And when the Church’s advisor likened the current crisis to "Jewish Persecution" he was way off base. The criminal acts perpetrated by Catholic Priests should not be simply "confessed" and "forgiven". Somebody who abuses a deaf child should go to the hottest ring of Hell. Since we don’t know if they are eligible, we should at least throw them into prison. The argument that the Pope can’t be deposed or charged because he is the "Head of State" is like saying Ken Lay could not be charged because he was the head of Enron. You don’t get a "Get out of Jail Free: card because you are the head of a large and powerful organization. At the very least, the Pope should apologize. It would be better if he resigned. Catholics throughout the world are going to have to go to their confessionals and prey for the Pope. For two thousand years the Catholic Church has abused the trust of people who go to bed at night trusting in its wisdom. They no longer burn witches, Muslims, or Jews, but ruining the lives of young people is worse than murder. They won’t be able to cover up this stinker by burning incense. They need to put some Priests in jail. They already know who did it. They should rat them out and put them where they belong. Protecting criminals in an institution isn’t protecting the institution, it is protecting criminals. Will Power is a retired teacher who holds a masters degree in creative writing. The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine.