Eagle’s Eye – Longview Kiwanis’s 85th Anniversary

In April, my wife and I had the opportunity to attend the 85th Anniversary celebration for the Kiwanis Club of Longview. It was a big event, and there were a number of people that I recognized from different Kiwanis clubs.
My wife and I found a table. We visited with people and enjoyed a great meal.
Longview President, Charles Angelico opened the meeting, and made a number of formal introductions. Charles mentioned that the City of Longview honored the club by proclaiming the day as “Kiwanis Day.”
President Charles then introduced club historian Holly Bishop. Holly shared numerous facts about his club. The Kiwanis club of Kelso started the Longview Club in April 1926.  Bishop, a former band member related: “We used to have a marching band. Our club organized the first Longview Community band and they were good. The band became regular winners at the Portland Rose festival.”
From Holly, I learned that the Longview Kiwanis club helped start Lower Columbia College. In addition to the college they started the Cities Annual Kids Day parade. They also started bus service for handicapped and senior citizens. In addition to a band, they used to sponsor an annual talent contest. According to Bishop this contest used to be one of the Communities top entertainment events.
The club now purchases police dogs for the city, they sponsor a Key club at R.A. Long High, and they sponsor several High School scholarships. They have built parks, playgrounds and camps and have done much for the children and adults in their local community.
Kiwanis International President Sylvestor Neal was the celebrations Keynote speaker.
Sylvestor is not a big man, but he has a big smile, and the ability to radiate love wherever he goes.
Sylvestor spoke about the fifth object of Kiwanis; “Altruistic Service.” “Altruism is caring about others. It is one of the reasons why Kiwanis exists.”
He told everyone a short parable about an airplane that crashed in Alaska. The weather was below freezing and the survivors managed to start a small fire. They foraged for more wood to keep the fire burning and managed to each carry back a log.
The survivors looked across the fire and some of their thoughts went “Why should I share my log and warm that guy? I don’t like him.” All the people had reasons not to share their logs. Some didn’t like a co-passenger’s religion, others objected to another person’s color or politics.  It didn’t matter their reason, the only thing that mattered was that they disliked each other enough so that they weren’t about to give up their logs.
The end result was that they all froze to death.
They didn’t die of the cold; they died because they were all too hard hearted to share with each other.
Kiwanis believes in altruistic service. They believe in sharing their skills, their talents and their love with others. They know that they can do things together that they cannot do by ourselves.
Sylvester touched all of our hearts with his message.
My wife and I were glad that we attended Longview Kiwanis’s 85th Anniversary celebration. I felt privileged and proud to be a part of an organization that really cares for people.
Longview Kiwanis is looking for new members and if you are interested.
Why don’t you have lunch with them? They meet at JT’s Steak and Fishhouse 1203 14th Ave at 1:00 PM every Thursday. They would welcome your visit and if you visit, you might even want to stay…
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Eagle’s Eye – Debit Card

It was a Saturday and the phone rang. The caller I.D. read “Toll Free.”  A radio was playing in the background and I was more intent on listening to it than to my telephone answering machine.
The answering machine clicked on and I pretty much expected the caller to hang up. I could hear fragments of what appeared to be a message. “This is Bank of the… Claudia’s MasterCard … Unauthorized charges…”
“What the heck?”  I turned my radio off and replayed the answering machine message.
The message was from MasterCard. It warned me that there might be unauthorized charges on my wife’s debit card.
I went on line and accessed our checking account. Sure enough there was an unauthorized charge.
I immediately called my bank.
I spoke to a man who asked: “What is your wife’s Debit card number?” I mumbled something, while my wife hunted for her card.
“Will my checking account number help?” I asked
“Yes,” the man replied. “What are the last eight of your twelve digit number?”
I looked at my wife’s checks and started to get confused. “Uhhh, the last four numbers are the check numbers, so that… lets…see?”
I started reading numbers and they were the wrong ones.
“Can I have the last four digits of the account holder’s Social Security Number?” Asked the man.
I gave him my number
“I’m sorry sir, but that isn’t the correct number.”
“Whoops. I guess we used my wife’s number for this account.’
Fortunately, I had that written down and gave it to him.
My wife, by this time, had also managed to find her debit card. I gave the man her number.
“Yes,” said the bank rep. “They attempted to charge over $700 to CVS Pharmacy in New York.”
My wife exclaimed “New York? We live in Oregon!”
“There were a total of three separate charges at that drug store.” He said.  “MasterCard stopped two of them but one charge managed to sneak through.”
My wife moaned “Does this mean that I’m going to lose my money?”
“No ma’am,” he replied. You’ll need to fill out an affidavit that we’ll mail you stating that you haven’t made any of these charges. You will have ten days to mail it back to us. I’m sure that you will be able to recover all of your money. We’ve cancelled your debit card and we’ll issue you a new one.”
What a relief.
Three weekdays went by and no affidavits appeared in the mail.
I called the manager of my bank.
She was adamant “Don’t wait for a letter, you need to come down right away. We can produce an affidavit here and you can sign it and we’ll fax it in. “
Five minutes later, my wife and I were at the bank filling out papers.
I asked: “How were these people able to get my wife’s Debit card number? Claudia hardly ever uses hers.”
The bank manager smiled: “She doesn’t have to use it. We’re dealing with organized crime. They have computer programs that generate numbers, and when one works, they stamp out a card. The card probably didn’t have Claudia’s name or our bank’s name on it. Most places don’t care. You were just lucky that the fraud division caught it.”
We were lucky. I hope that we stay lucky. My advice is to continually check your balances. If you can go on line, do so. You might be sorry if you don’t.
And your bank might not be as alert or accommodating as mine.
Pray that this sort of thing doesn’t happen to you.

Eagle’s Eye – My ‘Smart’ Phone

Wow! I got myself a smart phone.
It was one of those high tech marvels that cost lots of bucks and is supposed to answer a person’s every need.
My daughter bought one first and showed it to me. Her phone had all sorts of features. It had a virtual compass, a virtual spirit level, and a radio. It could do mathematics, display maps, give directions and even tell me what’s playing at our local movie house.
I was impressed.
It had an 8 megapixel camera and flash.
My daughter showed me more: “It has a Kindle, You can read books at night when the lights are out, and you won’t keep mom up.”
I was even more impressed.
“Dad, look at this. It has a built in camcorder so that you can take videos. , Not only can you take videos, but you can also watch movies on your TV. You can download Netflix with it.”
Was I ever impressed.
I knew in my heart that I just had to have one of those super duper smart phones.
No more would I have to mess with my little flip phone, I would now have a power house that could be used to watch TV movies, play arcade games and tell me the price of gas at the nearest gas station.”
“I’m due for an upgrade. I told her. “I think I’ll order one of those great phones.“
I did just that, and it arrived the next day via overnight mail.
It looked impressive.
I started to set my email and then received a nasty surprise. The telephone didn’t have a real keyboard. It had a virtual keyboard and my fat fingers didn’t fit well on virtual keys. It took me well over an hour just to type in my login and password.
My telephone made a groaning noise.
“Oh my gosh, “ I cried. “Someone’s calling me.”
I fumbled with the phone and tried to answer. No buttons, no keyboard, and the phone continued to groan.
I pushed everything that I could push and rubbed my fingers all over its virtual screen. I finally managed to bring something up.
Too late, the caller had fled.
No problem, after some time and a few mistakes, I eventually figured out how to answer my phone.
My blue tooth was another problem. I could only partially synch, I could hear sound, but was unable to transmit my voice. I called tech support (on a land line) and they told me that my model of blue tooth was too old and this phone was much too sophisticated.
I ordered a new Blue tooth.
I decided to access my bank online and check my account.
Fat fingers again. It seemed to take me forever to log in and write my password; the same thing with my Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo and Google accounts.
“Curse those fat fingers!”
My friend Bob is very much into things electronic. I showed him my new “State of the Art” smart phone and he sneered: “It’s only 3G. Why didn’t you hold out for 4G?”
Huh?
Wow! I got myself a new smart phone, and a 2 year contract. I wonder how much it will cost for me to get my old flip phone back?

Eagle’s Eye – The Shrine

By Bill Eagle, Columnist

I like to walk daily. On my walks, I visit with neighbors, wave to other walkers/joggers, and pet animals. I notice things around me, and will often see day-to-day changes. One thing that caught my interest was a power pole.
On the power pole was tacked a faded plasticized picture of a handsome young man. Lettered underneath the picture was the young man’s name and the inscription “ In Loving Memory, Feb 16, 1987 – October 31, 2006.” At the base of the power pole were some flowers in a vase.
I continued walking.
From time to time things would change. The flowers died and were replaced.
Every day that I walked that route, I would look at the picture and the mementos at the power pole base. I thought to myself that this was a young man, not yet 19, who’s life probably ended someplace close to this spot.
Fall arrived and sitting next to the flowers was a small beautifully carved pumpkin, with an unlit candle inside. A snickers bar sat next to the pumpkin.
Someone had to be stopping by, and placing things by the pole.
Christmas season, and the cut flowers were replaced with artificial flowers and a tiny plastic tree. A new picture replaced the old one.
I continued to ask people about the shrine at the base of the power pole, most people expressed ignorance.
No so, my friend Lynn. Lynn is a former teacher and is actively involved with youth. She immediately knew about the shrine.
“He was a very handsome boy and he had a lot of potential,” said Lynn. “He attended the alternative school.”
“What happened to him?” I asked.
“He was partying with friends, and had too much to drink. He was traveling way too fast. His car became airborne and crashed.”
“His parents must have loved him.”
“Everyone loved him, “said Lynn. “He was brilliant. He had a future, and now he’s dead.”
I shook my head. “What a waste.”
“He’s not the only one on that road,” interjected Lynn.
“No?”
Lynn replied. “I’m a member of MADD; Mothers against Drunk Driving. Many deaths, particularly those of young people could have been avoided.
People do dumb things, and it’s really dumb to drink and drive. Keep your eyes open. You’ll notice that there are other shrines along that road. A lot of young and older people have died there. People with potential, people who could have helped others and made our world better. …Such a waste.”
I like to walk daily, and in my walks I have noticed that there are (as Lynn pointed out to me) other shrines, and crosses.
I think about these people and the lives that they have lived, and the lives that they could have lived.
At times I have felt compelled to buy flowers and leave them on a shrine. Somehow I know that it is a meaningless act. I feel helpless when I think about it.
Do you think there might be some way for us to call attention to these deaths, a way that might be able to help others? I do wonder.
M.A.D.D. is an organization that promotes awareness of drunk driving, and the impact that it has on the world around us, especially in young teen lives. Here is the mission statement, taken from their web site: http://madd.org
“The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.”  To date, MADD’s work has saved nearly 300,000 lives…and counting.
Candy Lightner founded MADD in 1980 after her daughter, Cari, was killed by a repeat drunk driving offender. Cindy Lamb—whose daughter, Laura, became the nation’s youngest quadriplegic at the hands of a drunk driver—soon joined Candy in her crusade to save lives.
Don’t drink and drive.

Eagle’s Eye – Jury Duty

I get lots of junk in the mail, I get magazines, I get credit card solicitations, I get numerous bills, but I don’t get many personal letters. Last month, I got a letter in the mail. It was not addressed to Occupant or resident, but to me personally. It was from our County Circuit Court and it was a summons for Jury Duty.
“Hey, hey,” I exclaimed to my wife. “Look, I get to do my job as a citizen.”
My wife didn’t seem to be all that impressed, but I was. People don’t get this sort of mail everyday.
“Look at this Claudia,” I gushed. “I get to do something worthwhile and responsible, and they will even pay me for it.”
“Lots of Luck,” said my wife.
The summons letter gave me a time and place to report for “Juror Orientation.” It stated that I should wear appropriate clothes. I was not sure what they meant by “appropriate clothing.”
I decided that the safe thing would be for me to wear a sports coat and tie. So it was with Jury duty, I was pleased to find out that I really didn’t have to dress up. Only two people sported ties, a person who happened to be a funeral director and myself.

Jury orientation was kind of fun. They showed us a video. Some people seemed bored, but I enjoyed it. The Video related: “Trial by jury has been a cornerstone of freedom and justice for centuries…Your public service as a juror is one of the most important functions of our democracy.”
The right of trial by jury was adopted by the US when we chose the British System of law. It’s origins go back well before the 12th century and we have enshrined this right in both the Six and Seventh amendments of our Constitution. We were told that we were selected at random from a master list of County voters.

All Jurors must be U.S. citizens, local residents, legal age, approved integrity (whatever that meant), and of reasonable intelligence. We were told that our serving as Jurors was an honor, and that we should be proud to be part of a system that allows for us to be able to pass judgment on our peers.
Some people quietly made scoffing noises, but I didn’t. I had to admit that I felt proud to be part of our Democratic process. They also told us that if a person ignores a summons for jury duty, or if a person fails to complete jury service, that they can be held in contempt. I was unsure what would happen, if person were held in contempt. I suspected that it wouldn’t be very nice.

We were informed that anyone who has already served on Jury duty, in a State or Federal Court within the last 24 months would not be eligible. A person would also be ineligible as a juror, if he or she has been convicted of a felony or is in state prison.

I asked if a person could volunteer for Jury duty. I was told “Absolutely not.”
“You mean I can’t talk my wife into doing this in my place?” I asked.
“Not unless you want to be willing to pay a fine or do jail time,” was the answer.
Every one of us had a separate juror number. They gave us a paper with a list of jury dates and a telephone number. We were told that we needed to call in to check and see if our numbers were called.
They had us sit in a Circuit Court room, and we were given a short talk by one of the judges. “Be sure to bring a paperback, or something to read with you,” said the judge.  “You will be spending a good deal of your time just sitting and waiting.”

On that first day, we were required to wait. Numbers were drawn from our group on who would serve on the Grand Jury. Later a group of us was asked to remain as potential jurors for an impending trial. I enjoyed myself by visiting with people that I had not seen in years. We were finally told that the trial was settled out of court and that we could go home.

The next week I called in and got this message: “Hello this is the County jury call in, jurors numbered (and a list of numbers were given) please report to the Jury coordinators office at 8:45 AM.”
“Wow!” thought I. “I get to go tomorrow. It’s the real thing, I am going to be a real juror.”
My wife looked at me and said: “You will be home in two hours.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Everyone knows you, there is no way that you will ever be chosen for a jury,” smirked my wife.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
The next day, I reported for jury duty. I was given my jurors badge. My number was called and I got to sit in the Jury box. It was a Felony Drunk Driving Case. The lawyers then started asking questions.
“Do you know any of the people here?”
I raised my hand.
“Do you know the police officer involved?”
I raised my hand.
“Are any of you members of M.A.D.?”
I raised my hand.
I was home within an hour and a half.
I no longer have jury duty.
I never did get the opportunity to serve as an actual juror, but oh I feel so much the better. I did my patriotic duty… and not only that but they paid me. They paid me real money; ten bucks a day. Now is that great or what?
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Eagle’s Eye – January 2011

This December, my Kiwanis Club rang bells for the Salvation Army. My wife (Claudia) and I both signed up for a couple of shifts. The weather was nippy so we wore warm sweaters and socks and took gloves. We were both determined to ring bells and collect money to help people, not freeze to death.
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Christmas Leaves

Kermit balanced a chest high package on his walker as he pushed his way up my front steps. The walker made clanking sounds as he painfully climbed to my home’s entryway. If anyone were to observe his progress, they would have seen that he was not having an easy time. He reached over the side of his walker and leaned on my doorbell. Kermit rang several times.

My face exploded into a big grin as I opened the door. “Hey Kermit, what’s up my friend?”
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KDCCP

KDCCP stands for Kiwanis Doernbecher Children’s Cancer Program. Their board of directors is made up of members from Kiwanis clubs in Oregon and southern Washington. I am pleased to say that I have been a member of this board since 2000.
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Saint Helens Mini Volcano

I am an old guy, and other than in my ears, really don’t have much hair on my head. I have been told that when the sun is out, the reflection from my hatless head can be blinding.

To be politically correct you might say that I am “follically deficient.” Despite my lack of hair, I will still, on occasion, require a haircut.
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My first Car

Looking back over my life, I can’t say that I can remember with clarity all the cars that I have ever had, but I do remember my first car. For many of us a first car is a life changing event.

I was seventeen, I was starting my senior year.  In my mind, I was sure that I would soon be the oldest High School Senior in the entire world that didn’t have a car.
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