Vox Pop Influentials - September / October 2014

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 Vol. 9 Issue 5 www.voxpopinfluentials.com US $3.50

CENTRAL VALLEY’S VOICE OF THE PEOPLE — INNOVATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL, INSIDE MAGAZINECENTRAL VALLEY’S VOICE OF THE PEOPLE — INNOVATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL, INSIDE MAGAZINE

RED FLAGS OF A RELATIONSHIP

HUMANS LEARNING POSITIVE LESSONS FROM ANIMAL BEHAVIOR?

NUTRITION: NEW FINDINGS, OR SAME OLD STORY

FEATURED STORY THE EARLY MEHRTEN PIONEERS

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SB-16277 / OCTOBER INFLUENTIALS / 9”X 10.75”

TERM OR WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE: WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

When shopping for life insurance, you’ll face

several important decisions. One of the most basic

is whether you want term or whole life coverage.

Understanding the benefits and risks of each will

help you choose the best policy for your current

and future financial needs.

TERM LIFE

With term life, you pay premiums for a certain

period, say 20 years, and in exchange, the insurer

agrees to pay your beneficiaries a stated benefit if

you pass away during that time.

PROS

You’ll receive great value. Term insurance can be

purchased in large amounts for relatively

small premiums.

You can match terms to needs. Most people

purchase term life to provide for their dependents.

Once your kids are grown, your mortgage is paid

off, and your retirement is nicely funded, you may

have little use for a policy.

CONS

The policy is temporary. One of the key benefits of

term life is also its biggest risk. If your term expires

and you still have life insurance needs, you’ll re-

enter the market as an older and potentially less-

healthy consumer. That means significantly higher

premiums, provided you’re coverable at all.

The benefit may not be paid. Some people

chafe at the idea of paying for a benefit their

beneficiaries may never receive. If you stay current

with your premiums and take care of your health,

you’ll receive no reward for outliving your policy.

WHOLE LIFE

Whole life insurance provides a death benefit

throughout your life. It also includes a cash value

component that accrues value over time, allowing

you to borrow or withdraw funds as needed.

PROS

Lifetime coverage. A whole life policy covers the

rest of your life, not just a stated term. As long as

your policy is in force when you pass away, your

beneficiaries will receive a death benefit.

You’ll retain access to your money. The premiums

you pay for a whole life policy become part of the

policy’s cash value. After an introductory period,

this cash value becomes available to you through

loans or as a surrender value. Unpaid loans and

withdrawals will reduce the guaranteed death

benefit and policy cash value. Loans accrue

interest. You can even report the cash value as

an asset when applying for a line of credit. Any

way you choose to use it –if you choose to use

it – the cash value of a whole life policy provides

another level of financial security for your family.

You may receive dividends. The insurer may pay

dividends to whole life policy owners, depending

on the company’s financial performance. Although

dividends are not guaranteed, the possibility of

earning extra income is

an attractive feature of

whole life policies.

Estate planning. If you

plan to pass on sizable

assets, your attorney or

estate planner can help

you use the policy’s

death benefit to remove

some of the burdens

of estate taxes for

your heirs. State Farm

agents do not provide

tax, legal, or investment

advice. Please consult

your tax, legal, or

investment advisor

regarding your specific

circumstances.

CONS

Higher initial premiums.

In the first year of a

whole life policy, the

premiums are often

higher than comparable

term life coverage.

However, the lifetime

level premiums available for a whole life policy

become more affordable over time, while term

renewals can involve significant increases

in premiums.

Long-term commitment. Insurers offer several

payment plans for whole life policies, but the most

common plans require regular premiums for an

extended period of time. Policyholders who cannot

consistently pay their premiums may see their

policy lapse.

Good financial decision-making is based on solid

research and sound advice. If you’re in the market

for life insurance, be sure to discuss your options

with a qualified insurance representative or

certified financial planner. Also be sure to consult

your tax and legal advisor regarding your situation.

For more information go to www.StateFarm.com.

State Farm, Bloomington, IL1211031

Privileged to help.

My staff and I look forward to many more with you. Thank you for your continued support and business. Get to a better State®. Get State Farm. CALL ME TODAY.

Patrick L Salazar, AgentInsurance Lic#: 0C796595127 West WalnutVisalia, CA 93277Bus: 559-625-2318

We’re honored to serve thiscommunity for 15 years.

2 VOX POP Influentials

As I sit here enjoying the cool ocean breeze, I notice that the high temperature today will be 72°F and the low 58°F. Now that’s what I call perfect weather! Why is it that we still live and work in the Central Valley? Oh, yeah, that’s right…it’s the low cost of living, now I remember.

I am presently surrounded by water in South Beach Marina a few hundred yards away from beautiful AT&T Park, home of the mighty Giants. For the moment I have forgotten that California is still in the midst of a severe drought. It’s easy to forget how hot and dry the Central Valley is, especially when you travel a few hours north or south.

I understand now how easy it is for our big city neighbors to forget about our drought. Both major metro areas, San Francisco and Los Angeles, are surrounded by a whole lot of ocean. These massive bodies of water along with the occasional rain shower simply do not add up to a statewide drought. At least for the moment here in San Francisco it appears that water shortages simply don’t exist. This is certainly not the case.

Some of you may recall in our last issue that I pointed out how California was one of the last western states not to monitor ground water usage. This is no longer true. There are a new set of laws that were written to keep an eye on this now. Could it be that someone in Sacramento has been reading my Publisher’s Letter in Vox Pop Influentials?

Gov. Brown signed these water bills this week. Unfortunately, I’m sure as soon as these new laws go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015, there will be a bunch of lawsuits filed trying to derail the movement. I carefully choose the word derail here, since a train load of lawsuits were filed to try to stop building California’s High Speed Rail. Those lawsuits are not having much effect at this point in time.

Groundwater pumping is more complicated. Who really has the legal right to the water in these underground aquifers? While this water is a public resource, the right to use it for beneficial applications, such as for homes and to grow crops, goes to whoever is pumping it. The new laws just passed raise major questions about just how much legal authority private parties have to pump. This is another legal battle that is likely to go on for years.

I predict in the next few years the new thing in California will be the fast-track construction of desalinization plants in coastal communities. These facilities, which turn salt water into fresh water, used to be very expensive to build and operate. But all that has changed given the current price of water, especially if you have to buy it like many farmers do, by the acre-foot.

Before signing off I want to remind everyone about the Visalia Breakfast Rotary’s upcoming Bob Cary Memorial Golf Tournament and Crab Feed on October 24th. Their goal this year is to raise $150,000 to create a Heart Safe Community. They are saving lives by trying to make defibrillators as accessible as fire extinguishers. Contact Bill Mathis at (559) 799-8073 if you wish to donate, golf, crack some crab, or get shocked.

R.J. Latronico, Publisher

PublisherR.J. Latronico

Creative DirectorJennifer Lingard

ContributorsAlana Unger, Harvey Mackay, Kurt Eichsteadt,

Cathy Humerickhouse, Emily Latronico

Contact InformationVOX POP Influentials

Volume 9 Issue No. 5 September/October 2014

Advertising SalesStacey Bella

[email protected]

www.voxpopinfluentials.com

Executive, Editorial and Advertising Offices at:

PO Box 2753

Visalia, CA 93279

Phone: 559.901.7910

News, Projects, Comments & Letters

[email protected]

Every effort has been made to ensure the information

within this publication is complete and accurate at the

time of publication. VOX POP Influentials does not

warrant such accuracy or the claims of its advertisers.

Vox Pop Influentials is published 6 times a year by

Latronico Communications

PO Box 2753 • Visalia, CA 93279

Postmaster: Send address changes to

Vox Pop Influentials, PO Box 2753, Visalia, CA

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CENTRAL VALLEY’S VOICE OF THE PEOPLE - INNOVATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL, INSIDE MAGAZINEAhoy from San Francisco

[ FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK ]


FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK2 Ahoy from San Francisco

WEALTH & FINANCE6 Harvey Mackay: Many humans share the same

characteristics as animals do. We thrive in familiar territory, do what we know is safe and comfortable, and we won’t take risks for fear of failure. If you want to quit acting like a dumb animal listen to what Harvey Mackay has to say about how to leave the crazy zoo that you refer to as a job.

8 Kurt Eichsteadt: He spent millions to trying to develop a Smartphone. He was unsuccessful at it, but made his second fortune by creating the infomercial marvel the MagicJack. Daniel Marc Borislow was part of the wild world of long distance carriers in the 1980s and 1990s. He made two fortunes, and then died very suddenly this year in his early fifties.

HEALTH & WELLNESS14 Alana Unger: Nutritional scientists are always doing

studies to perfect our knowledge and change our mind about the food we eat. Many times, however, new studies show that we have been doing things right revealing nothing new at all.

24 Cathy Humerickhouse: Even if you are in a great relationship, ask yourself if there are any red flags are visible. You know the type, those involving important things like character, emotions and interpersonal stuff. Looking for these now may create a greater level of assurance and appreciation later in your life.

FOOD & WINE26 Kurt Eichsteadt: By 1967, it was the number one white

spirit in the U.S. In 1976 it even surpassed whiskey. By 2012, Americans were spending $1.3 billion on this class of super premium drinks. Can you guess what it is?

ENTERTAINMENT 28 Kurt Eichsteadt: Don’t waste your time watching stupid

movies! Kurt’s DVD picks this month include: Words and Pictures, Godzilla, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and two DVD DON’TS: A Million Ways to Die in the West and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

The retired keeper of Lake Kaweah, Dale Mehrten, is 80 years old. For nearly half a decade, he and his wife, Joy, operated Lake Kaweah Marina in Lemon Cove. Dale’s grandfather, Barney Mehrten, was married to Fanny Ann Tharp. Fanny is the daughter of the early pioneer Hale Dixon Tharp (Tharp’s Log in Sequoia National Forest is now a landmark). This is their story.

16

FEATUREON THE COVER

CONTENTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Our cover story is a historical recap of the early pioneer days of the

Lake Kaweah region. Information for this story has been gathered from local sources including historians, newspaper articles, books, and an interview with Dale and Joy Mehrten.

www.voxpopinfluentials.com 5

The Future of Health Care and Concierge Medicine

Here in the valley and across the country, health care is continually evolving and changing. Our future at Concierge Medical is as bright as ever. Each and every day we grow and adapt to the needs of our patients. As the first and only concierge medical practice in Kings & Tulare counties, we understand that in order to grow, changes need to occur. To this end we are now accepting insurance plans from most major carriers. By using the very latest in technology and providing health care services that no other medical practice

provides (like house calls and convenient office visits) the applications are endless. For a small annual membership fee, Concierge Medical offers its services to everyone - this includes individuals, families and businesses. All of our services are tailor made and very accessible. Want to give someone the gift of good health? Inquire about our gift cards. These are perfect for someone with mobility issues, dementia or those who lead a busy life. We know that time is money, so no long waits here, ever! Sometimes the simple act of driving a loved one to an appointment is difficult. No worries here either. We’ll come to you for routine medical check ups or even an acute injury. This is what medicine should be, but was only hoped for until now. Concierge Medical, we’re making healthcare very personal.

JAIME SALVATIERRA, PA-C

Now accepting most major insurance plans.


Lessons from the Animal Kingdom

The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. It’s a remarkable feat to observe – so effortless and graceful, a real defense mechanism necessary on the predator-filled savannas.

But put these magnificent creatures in an enclosure in a zoo surrounded by just a three-foot wall, and the animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will land. They will be killed rather than risk the unknown.

Many humans share these characteristics. They thrive in familiar territory, doing what they know is safe and comfortable, but they won’t take any risks for fear of failure. They would rather watch opportunities pass them by than jump over the wall.

And then there is the barnacle which makes one single and lasting decision about where it’s going to live. After it decides, the homely little creature spends the rest of its life with its forehead cemented to a rock or attached to a ship. It survives by capturing food with its feathery legs and fending off predators. Not a glamorous existence, to be sure.

Again, parallels can be drawn to human behavior. Some people will attach themselves to a job or company with no intention of doing much other than eating or being eaten. Even if I were stuck on a luxury yacht, I know I’d get bored in a hurry, (but I know Latronico wouldn’t!)

Have you ever wondered how a little stake in the ground attached to a chain can restrain a four-ton elephant? These powerful creatures must be trained to stay with their keepers. For the first few days they are in captivity, the elephants are tied to bamboo trees with heavy rope. After trying unsuccessfully to free themselves, the animals give up, and can be restrained thereafter by a rope anchored to a small stake.

Certainly the stake is no match for the elephant’s power, but these largest of land mammals have learned to be helpless. Chances are you’ve worked with a few elephants, who won’t leave their comfort zone even though they have plenty of strengths to protect them. Their spirits are broken and they step back at the least resistance.

Of course, we can also learn plenty of positive lessons from animal behavior.

In the 1930s, a leading zoologist concluded it should be impossible for a bumblebee to fly. That is because its size, weight and the shape of its body are all wrong in relation to its total wingspread. Fortunately, no bumblebees have ever studied aerodynamics so they just naively keep on doing what they should logically be incapable of doing.

We work with people like that too. They buzz around, doing the seemingly impossible without giving it a second thought. No explanation for what they are able to accomplish: they just do what needs to be done, and along the way, they pollinate ideas and make them grow.

Watch a duck navigate across a lake. It looks so smooth and steady, floating along, like a postcard from the north woods. Look under the surface, and observe how hard the webbed feet are working. Then look at the wake the duck leaves behind. A ten-pound duck, less than a foot wide, opens up an angle of at least 40 degrees, with ripples extending more than 50 feet. The duck has left its mark - more than 600 times its size!

This poem, “Plain Old Oyster,” attributed to David Cohen, really captures what a determined spirit can achieve:

[ WEALTH AND FINANCE ]

By Harvey Mackay


There once was an oyster, whose story I’ll tellWho found that some sand, had gotten into his shellIt was only a grain, but gave him great painFor oysters have feelings, although they are plain.

Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fateThat had brought him to such a deplorable state?“No,” he said to himself, “Since I cannot remove it,”I’ll lie in my shell, and think how to improve it.”

The years rolled around, as the years always do,And he came to his ultimate destiny ... stew.Now the small grain of sand that had bothered him so,Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.

This tale has a morale, for isn’t it grand,What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?Think ... what could we do, if we’d only begin,With some of the things that get under our skin.

Mackay’s Moral: Even the turtle knows you have to stick your neck out to get ahead.

Reprinted with permission from nationally syndicated columnist Harvey Mackay, author of the New York Times #1 best seller Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door. The Mackay MBA Of Selling In The Real World is Mackay’s seventh New York Times Bestseller.


Visalia Chamber of Commerce

2014 Medium Business of the Year


INTROHe spent millions to trying to develop a smartphone. He was unsuccessful at it, but made his second fortune by creating the infomercial marvel the MagicJack, which offered free long distance service.

Daniel Marc Borislow was part of the wild world of long distance carriers in the 1980s and 1990s. He made two fortunes, and then died very suddenly this year in his early fifties.

Borislow is this month’s rich man and his money.

BACKGROUNDBorislow was born September 21, 1961, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. At the age of 13, after his parents divorced, he started spending time with his gambler grandfather, which lead to his fascination and skill at playing the horses.

He attended Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he studied business and developed a love for soccer.

When he died earlier this year, the Los Angeles Times quoted a profile from the magazine of his alma mater, which said, “At the age of 12, he acquired a fast lawn mower that enabled him to cut more grass at lower prices than his neighborhood competitors.”

On the other hand, the Daily Racing Form said he “sometimes ruffled feathers in the racing community with his outspoken demeanor.” As we will discover later, after he became involved in women’s professional soccer, he made some enemies there, too.

BEFORE MAGICJACKBefore graduating from college in 1984, Borislow was installing cable boxes and bartending.

The 70s and the 80s were the wild west of long distance wars. That’s when the government ordered the break up of AT&T. Remember,

MCI, World Com and the endless telemarketing calls to get to you select your long distance carrier?

In 1989, Borislow formed Tel-Save with $160,000 allegedly borrowed from a gambler. His idea was to resell access to AT&T long distance time. The company went public in 1995.

In 1997, Borislow made a deal to be the exclusive telephone service provider for all AOL users. By early 1998, Tel-Save had a value of $2 billion and sales of $300 million.

Although Tel-Save lost $221 million in 1999 because of the AOL deal, it didn’t prevent Borislow from unloading his Tel-Save stock in the same year for reported $200-300 million.

IT’S CALLED MAGICJACKIn Borislow’s obituary, the Los Angeles Times said that in the early 2000s, he built 30 types of phones, trying to create a smartphone. He invested $13 million and built up a telecom network, trying to make a Wi-Fi smartphone work. It was costing him $1 million a month. So, instead, he developed the MagicJack. “Introducing MagicJack,” said one of the infomercials, “the breakthrough device that makes your monthly phone bills disappear.”

MagicJack debuted in 2007. It plugs into a router or a modem. When you bought the MagicJack Plus for $39.95 you received unlimited local and long distance call time in the U.S. and Canada.Now it’s called the MagicJackgo. It’s $59.95 and includes one year of service with free worldwide calling from MagicJack to MagicJack, and unlimited international calls to the United States along with the U.S.-Canada calls.

They’ve sold 10 million of them and they are now available in more than 26,000 retail stores.

Borislow took the company public in 2012, with a net worth of $450 million. He retired as CEO and a director on January 1, 2013.


A Rich Man and His Money:

by Kurt A. Eichsteadt

DANIEL MARC BORISLOWAN INFOMERCIAL MOGUL


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WHAT HE DID WITH IT: HORSE RACING In the 1990s, Borislow was living on a $20 million estate with his wife and kids. Part of his estate included his very own soccer field. He also owned a 66-foot yacht, the Triple Crown, with three bedrooms, nine flat screen televisions and gold fixtures. In 2008, Borislow took his daughter’s soccer team to a youth tournament in Sweden. The team went undefeated.

He loved horse racing and gambling. Between 1999 and 2004, he concentrated on horses, and then sold most of them in 2004.

In May of 2014, shortly before his death, he picked six winners in six races at Gulfstream track in Florida. His bet of $7,603 returned a cool $6.67 million.

WHAT HE DID WITH IT: SOCCERBorislow’s involvement with professional soccer was somewhat troubled. In 2010, he bought a controlling interest in The Washington Freedom, a women’s professional soccer team, part of the Women’s Professional Soccer league (WPS).Then in early in 2011, he went on a spending spree, adding stars like Hope Solo and Abby Wambach. He continued to spend the money, doing things like putting the team up in condos in Florida. This made quite an impact on the players. Some were just out of college and some had been struggling to make a living. Now they were living in luxury – a condo with a pool, a theater and a sauna. However, there were disturbing signs. According to ESPN the Magazine, he seemed oddly uninterested in attracting crowds. He micromanaged the team and did strange things like reducing the size of the home field to make it more suited to his team’s personnel.

In July of 2011, the WPS banned Borislow from being on the sideline for the rest of the season.

On October 25, 2011 the other owners voted him out of the league. Some of his partners called him a bully.


Borislow’s response was to keep his team, now called the MagicJack, as a barnstorming exhibition club.

In 2012, Solo and Wambach came back from London, where they won the Olympic gold medal, to find the WPS out of business. The National Women’s Soccer League took its place. WHAT HE DID WITH IT: PHILANTHROPYBorislow set up the D&K Charitable Foundation in 1997 with a $21 million stock donation. It donated money to the Clearwater (Florida) Endoscopy Center and the Center for Digestive Healthcare.

It also made substantial donations to the study of religious texts such as the Talmud and the Torah.

His obituaries also said he gave money to the families of the Newtown shootings.

LEGACY Little is known about Borislow’s activities from the end of WPS in 2012, and his death in a pickup soccer game on July 21, 2014. It does appear that he spent a lot of his time gambling on horseracing though. He was 52 when he died, leaving behind his wife and two children.

His legacy includes, the D&K Charitable Foundation and of course, MagicJack. A number of published reports blame him in part for the collapse of the WPS.

At 52, he was relatively young, but he’d already made two fortunes. It’s interesting to speculate at what he would have done with the next 20 or 30 years.

MORE INFORMATIONMAGICTRICK, by Shaun Assael and Peter Keating, ESPN The Magazine, September 13, 2012

Obituary: “Dan Borislow”, LA Times, July 23, 2014

Obituary: “Friends Remember Dan Borislow,” Palm Beach Post, July 25, 2014

Obituary: “Owner Dan Borislow dead at 52,” Daily Racing Form, July 22, 2014

“Dan Borislow, Whose MagicJack Changed Telephone, Dies at 52.” www.bloomberg.comwww.magicjack.com

KEEPSHARING.Sierra Grant Program recipients are doing

truly incredible things. This year the program

will be giving its millionth dollar since it

began in 2004. To celebrate this milestone

and the future of the program, we’re

doubling the annual grant contribution

maximum to $200,000. In your hands, this

money will help make our communities better.

Side by side.

BankoftheSierra.com

1404-0672_AD_HEISE-VOX POP Mag.indd 1 5/2/2014 3:57:16 PM


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INDISPENSABLE ASSETSIN THE FOOD CHAIN

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AGR FACT SHEET

The Alltech 30 th Annual International Symposium

May 18–21, 2014

Lexington, Kentucky, USA

City of Visalia (559) 713-4222 Fax (559) 713-4861

303 S. Johnson Street, Visalia, CA 93291

Police Department

Carlos Rivera

559.733.3325 Ext. 7352

559.734.6301

[email protected]

1. It’s easy – give through payroll deduction

or a one-time contribution.

2. Your donation stays local.

3. Your single contribution supports many

improve quality of life in our community.

4. United Way of Tulare County is

– 85% of your contribution

is spent on programs that strengthen our

communities.

5. Small change brings big change: United,

we can bring change to our community.

Top 5 reasons to give to

United Way:

GiveRaise dollars for important programs

AdvocateRaise awareness about important issues

VolunteerRaise your hand for important actions

Building stronger communities

YOU MAKE ALL THE

DIFFERENCE!

Thank you for your

support!

United Way of Tulare County

1601 E. Prosperity Ave., Tulare, CA 93274

www.unitedwaytc.org

Join our online community

“I’ve been giving to United

Way of Tulare County for

over 36 years. My job here at

UPS allows me to do payroll

deduction and assist those who

are less fortunate then I am.”

~ Izzy, UPS Visalia

United Way of Tulare County

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Company Team Name:

Perpetual trophy will be presented to winning Rotary Club.Please see back for sponsorship details.

TIMES

LOCATIONS

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

TIMES

• 4 person scramble (best ball)• Limited to the first 144 players• Pick your own team• Ladies will play from red tees• Only 1 player per team with a

6 handicap & under

• October handicaps, minimumteam total handicap 72

• If no GHIN number, writeyour average score

• Maximum Handicap:25 for Men, 30 for Women

10:30 am

12:00 pm5:00 pm

Check-In Begins

Shotgun StartCrab Feed

Soliciting Rotary Member

All team members from the same Rotary Club? Yes No

(Please mail with check)

ENTRY FORMENTRY FORM

PresentsPresents

VisaliaBreakfast

Rotary ClubFifteenth Annual

REGISTRATION10:30 am

TEE TIME12:00 pm

CRAB FEED5:00 pm

Golf Tournament will be held at the Valley Oak Golf Course and the Crab Feed will follow at the Holiday Inn.

Friday, October 24th 2014

Fifteenth AnnualFifteenth Annual

Golf Tournament& Crab Feed

Valley Oak Golf Course 1800 S. Plaza PkwyCrabfeed - Holiday Inn 9000 W. Airport Drive

Visalia, CA 93291

LOCATIONS

Team Captain :

Address:

City: Zip:

Average Score: or HDCP:

GHIN#:

Phone:

E-Mail:

Name:

Address:

City: Zip:


GHIN#:

Phone:

E-Mail:

Name:

Address:

City: Zip:


GHIN#:

Phone:

E-Mail:

Name:

Address:

City: Zip:


GHIN#:

Phone:

E-Mail:

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

Lunch on the Course

$

Creating a “Heart Safe Community” with strategically placed defibrillators is a large component of our annual fundraiser. To date we have placed over 150 defibrillators throughout our community. In addition, our members and proceeds also help support the following organizations and projects.

Golf Tournament & Crab Feed

PURPOSEPURPOSE

As a Charter Member of Visalia Breakfast Rotary Bob Cary embodied

the spirit of “Service Above Self”. He always gave back to the community. His

acts of kindness over many years have made a big difference to so many, who were touched by his kind heart, his winning smile and that twinkle in his eye. He shared his time, he shared his talents and he shared his treasure with all that asked. In recognition of Bob’s outstanding support, our Golf Tournament was renamed in his honor.

For more information please contact:

Bill Mathis: (559) 799-8073 • fax (559) 635-1357e-mail: [email protected]

Entry Deadline: Friday, October 17th, 2014

ReservedSeating

forTables of Ten

• Automated External Defibrillator Program (250 Community Placements)• Arts Visalia• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tulare County• Boy Scouts of America• Boys and Girls Club of Tulare County• Camp Royal• CASA• Central California Blood Bank• The Creative Center• Foodlink• Future Business Leaders of America, Redwood High School• SCICON• Happy Trails Riding Academy• Imagine U Children’s Museum• Interact, Redwood High School

• International Solar Cookers• Jim Matthew’s Memorial Scholarship• Juvenile Court Children’s Play Area• Shelter Box USA• Pro Youth - Heart Program• Read for Life, Tulare County• Kaweah Delta Hospice Foundation• Rotary Centennial Project, Interactive Fountain• Rotary Wheel Chair Foundation• Jeff Barnes Brain Injury Foundation• Teen Survival• Tulare County Office of Education, College Night• Tulare County Youth Symphony• Tulare County Library Foundation• Visalia Emergency Aid Council• The Visalia Rotary Community Foundation• and Others

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- Jack Hannah


The great thing about nutrition is that we’re always doing new studies to perfect our knowledge about how the food we eat affects our health. The frustrating thing about nutrition is that we’re always doing new studies to perfect our knowledge, and thus always changing our mind about how the food we eat affects our health. Or are we? Many times new studies show that we have been right for some time about a subject, revealing nothing new. The most unfortunate instances, however, are those times when a study gives false representation on information that nutrition professionals have been trying to educate the public on, discrediting the much needed guidance that dietitians are working to convey. There have been two such tales from the nutrition crypt recently, resurfacing nutrition issues only to cloud the public’s understanding and deflate their faith in the science of nutrition. Without faith, we have no motivation to pursue needed change.

BACK AWAY FROM THE BACON, SATURATED FAT IS STILL BAD FOR YOU!

The first recent blow to nutrition progress came from a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluating the association between dietary saturated fat and cardiovascular disease. The study determined that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that dietary saturated fat increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Despite the century long history of a multitude of studies indicating that a high saturated fat diet IS a major risk factor for heart disease, as soon as the word was out

on this study, the news spread like butter on a hot biscuit. I mean, wouldn’t that be great news to shout from the mountaintops? Eat all of the butter and bacon your heart desires, with no fear of shutting your heart down in the process? Headlines read “Don’t Fear the Fat: Experts Question Saturated Fat Guidelines”, “Everyone Was Wrong: Saturated Fat is Good for You.”. Wow. Really? Those headlines hit the newsstands, made national news, and mislead all of the uninformed readers who are easily blinded by cheeseburger promises.

A more truthful headline would have read “Poorly Done Study Omits Key Evidence to Give Faulty Advice.” But that wouldn’t have been quite so pleasing to the movie popcorn eating public, would it? Pleasant or not, this is the sad truth. The flaws in this study should never have let it pass the peer-review process necessary for it to have been published. Let me ask you if you would have given your approval for a study done with techniques similar to these:

• Study participants are asked about their diet habits at the beginning of the study.

• 12-17 years later, the participants are screened for indicators of heart disease but are NOT questioned about their current dietary habits or their dietary habits over the course of the study.

• Is it accurate to conclude that the diet habits of the participants at the start of the study are an acceptable or reliable means of determining the effect of their diet on their health over the span of an

excess of 10 years? What if they were pizza fanatics at the beginning of the study, but became health-conscious vegans a week later? Would the pizza-packed diet be an accurate means of determining any diet-related health concerns?

• If findings from the study that would have changed the overall conclusions were deliberately ignored because they contradicted the outcome that the researchers were hoping to find, would you support the validity of the conclusions that were drawn without acknowledging these findings?

Again, this is a very simple example to give you the general idea of part of the faulty reasoning behind the study that filled the headlines with false hope and harmful misguidance. Many detailed rebuttals have been sent out for damage control to explain the inaccuracies, but it’s hard to get Americans to put down their fried chicken thighs once they grab hold of them.

FOR PITA’S SAKE, EAT SOME BREAD - JUST NOT THE WHOLE LOAF!

Oh, my gosh! Are we REALLY having this carb-vs-fat debate AGAIN? Somebody out there must have a boatload of stock invested in low-carb products that they want to sell you. They want you to believe that a low-carb diet is the only option to control weight and improve cardiac risk. They want you to fear the bagel and buy the beef.

[ HEALTH AND WELLNESS ]

Nutrition Crypt Nutrition CryptFROM THEFROM THETALESTALES NEW FINDINGS

OR SAME OLD STORY?

NEW FINDINGS OR SAME OLD STORY?

Alana Unger, Registered Dietitian


For weight control and overall health, we never have to choose one nutrient over the other, or try to avoid and entire nutrient in our diet. It is not reasonable or advisable to cut out all fats or all carbs. Fats come in good, bad, and ugly varieties. Yes, we need to avoid unhealthy saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol for our overall health. Yes, we need to avoid excessive amounts of fat unless we can handle excessive amounts of calories. However, unsaturated fats play an integral part in an overall healthy diet, including improving heart health. Enjoy olive/canola oil, nuts, avocados, fatty fish, flax and chia seeds…but use a slice of avocado, not a whole bowl of guacamole.

Yes, if you eat too many processed empty calorie carbohydrates, you will be lacking in nourishment while gaining weight and jeopardizing your overall health. We are learning more all the time about the harmful effects of sugar leading to inflammation and related health issues. Here again, though, carbohydrates come in all forms from good to bad to awful. Cutting out white bread and soda would be a wise move for anyone, but cutting out whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, yogurt, milk…How can you possibly see the value in losing all of the nutrients that come in these carbohydrate-containing foods?

So, why is this debate hitting the headlines again? Another poorly done study stretching to attain a predicted and desired outcome rather than an unbiased study seeking factual outcomes. To equally

compare a low-carb diet to a low-fat diet, is it fair to cut overall fat intake by 5% to achieve a “low-fat” diet, then cut overall carbohydrate intake by 75% to achieve a low-carb diet? Hardly a fair comparison. If by cutting fat by a mere 5% and cutting carbs by 75% you ended up cutting calories dramatically more in the low-carb diet than in the low-fat diet, would it then be accurate to say that cutting the carbohydrate caused weight loss, or cutting calories caused weight loss? Many studies have shown that it does not make a difference if calories are coming from carbohydrate, protein, or fat – it is the drop in caloric

intake that leads to weight loss, not an alteration of macronutrient levels. As for heart health, a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils… all carb-containing foods… is the recognized diet for heart and overall health.

The answer to the carb-vs-fat debate is…both. Healthy carbohydrates. Healthy fats, and not too much of either one, as part of an overall healthy diet.

Back to the basics – no new stories from the nutrition crypt worth reporting on at this time. Just the same-old healthy recommendations. If we could discover the secret to making us all follow a healthy diet consistently…now that should make headlines!

THE ANSWER TO THE CARB-VS-FAT DEBATE IS…BOTH. HEALTHY CARBOHYDRATES.

HEALTHY FATS, AND NOT TOO MUCH OF EITHER ONE, AS PART OF AN

OVERALL HEALTHY DIET.


Early Pioneersof Lake Kaweah

BY R.J. LATRONICO


Just about everyone living in Tulare County knows that the first inhabitants of the Kaweah River watershed were the Yokut Indians. These Native Americans were actually the first with water rights to the entire Kaweah River. The Yokut’s settled in several villages in the arid valley where the Kaweah River cuts through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Most of this area today is now submerged under Lake Kaweah. It is in this exact region of the Kaweah lakebed and the surrounding foothills that our cover story begins. VPI has taken the liberty this month to do away with our usual Q & A interview format. Instead we will recap for you a historical account of how the very first Influential men and women decided to settle in this region. We call these bold and daring settlers “The Early Pioneers.”

Today, in 2014, there are many businesses in the valley that use the word “Kaweah” in their name. Few people, if any however, actually know the meaning of the word. In the ancient Yokut language the word means “crow” or “raven cry.”

The Wukchumni Indians, a Yokut sub-tribe, also lived in this area. Their villages included settlements at Cobble Lodge, at the confluence of the Kaweah River, Horse Creek, and Slick Rock Village further upstream. The Fawia, Telamni, Wolasi, Choinok, and Yokut lived on the lower reaches of the river above Tulare Lake, a large expanse of land to the west.

If you have ever traveled up to Sequoia National Park, via the Ash Mountain Gate at the far eastern end of Hwy 198, you will pass a historical landmark called Hospital Rock. If you explore this area a bit you will find a number of large granite boulders with rounded out depressions bored into the rock. This is where the Yokut tribal women ground acorns and made them into cakes and pastes. Many of these mortar and pestle sites are still visible today.

While the Yokut’s claimed the water rights to the entire Kaweah, tribes from the Mono Basin east of the Sierra Nevada came over the mountains and settled in the high mountain valleys of the Kaweah. Mineral King, a valley on the East Fork Kaweah River, was a summer settlement for the Yokut. Years before the arrival of Europeans, the valley became taboo to them for some unknown reason. Many left the area.

One of the first known European settlers in 1856 along the Kaweah River was Hale Dixon Tharp. Tharp settled on Horse Creek near its confluence with the Kaweah River. He was a miner during the California Gold Rush, and one of the first non-Native American settlers to enter what is now known as Sequoia National Park.

Tharp was born in Michigan in 1828. In 1851, a widow from Illinois, Chloe Ann Smith Swanson, hired Tharp to take her and her four sons to California in a covered wagon with two teams of oxen. They eventually settled in Placerville, where Tharp married Swanson. Tharp then began mining in California’s Gold Country. The Tharp’s had a daughter named Fanny Ann Tharp. Fanny Ann would later become


[ FEATURED STORY ]

the grandmother to our present day pioneer and friend, Dale Mehrten.

In the summer of 1856, Hale Tharp traveled to Tulare County to establish a preemption homestead, with the intent to return to it later to establish a cattle ranch. He built a shake and brush shack near Horse Creek, east of Visalia and south of Three Rivers. After he finished building his homestead, he returned to Placerville.

Two years later, Tharp, along with his brother-in-law John Swanson, returned to this homestead and built a log cabin and barn, called Cattle Cabin. Tharp then sought cattle summer pasturage. Led by the local Yokut Indians, Tharp discovered Crescent Meadow and Log Meadow near the Giant Forest. He claimed grazing rights there for several years as well.

In Sequoia National Park today, Tharp’s Log is a small home that he built out of a hollowed out Giant Sequoia. The home is located at Log Meadow and has been recently restored. Thousands of tourists visit the site annually. It is also on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Some also claim that Hale Tharp and his stepsons George and John Swanson, were the first non-Native Americans settlers known to ascend the granite dome Moro Rock.

During the 1860s, other stockman settled along the various forks of the river claiming large areas of land under the Homestead Act of 1862. This act allowed a single settler to occupy 160 acres, or 320 acres for a man and wife together. Thus began the settlement of the Kaweah region. Since then, various mining towns (mainly due to the discovery of silver at

Mineral King) and small establishments have existed in the area.

The Kaweah River region was a slow starter in the settlement patterns of California. Before 1862, there was very little there to entice settlers to the area. The entire Southern Sierra was wilderness to the first Euro-Americans who explored its foothills. The Spanish government was interested only in finding any escaped mission Indians or army deserters in the secluded landscape. The first Americans in the area were interested in collecting beaver pelts and forging routes across the mountains. The earliest miners stayed almost entirely to the north where gold deposits were a recorded fact and civilization lay closer at hand.

After mining began to affect Tharp’s health, he decided to try his hand at ranching. In the summer of 1856, during one of California¹s greatest drought years, he headed south through the nearly uninhabited lands of Tulare County, which had been formed just four years earlier. On reaching the fledgling community of Visalia, he turned east to investigate the Kaweah River’s foothill lands.

Tharp found a small valley he liked below Three Rivers, at the confluence of the Kaweah River and Horse Creek, an area now damned and flooded to form Lake Kaweah. After befriending the local Wukchumni Indians, he erected a shake and brush shelter there to establish, you guessed it, another preemption homestead. He then returned to the northern mines for two more years.

In 1858 Hale Tharp came back again to his Kaweah homestead bringing with him his brother-in-law. Together they built a cabin and barn and explored the surrounding area for summer pasturage for their cattle. The Wukchumni Indians led Tharp to the Sequoia groves of Giant Forest and Crescent Meadow, where he claimed summer grazing rights for years.

Tharp’s Cabin built 1858

Crescent Meadows where Tharp summer-grazed his animals.


[ FEATURED STORY ]

When he wasn’t grazing his animals amongst the Giant Sequoias, Tharp lived in his hollow Sequoia log, which has become known as Tharp’s Cabin. In 1860 Tharp also claimed to have explored the Kaweah’s East Fork, using an old Indian trail, which led to the Mineral King Valley.

Back then, most California natives had two homes; one in the winter and a different one in the summer, and the folks in Three Rivers were no different. They moved their camp into present day Giant Forest located in the Sequoia National Park during the summertime, returning to Three Rivers as soon as the weather turned too cold or the snow too heavy for them to easily find food. By the 1870s, these settlers were successfully raising their domestic livestock and had also planted many orchards of citrus trees and other types of fruit trees.

In the late 1880s, an additional group of about 160 people arrived. They had originally met in San Francisco and decided to build their socialist utopian dream in the mountains. Here they created a place where individuals would truly be equal, value would come from labor and not from mere demand, a good education would be available to all, and women could be as well respected as men. The colony slowly fell apart and the experiment failed when the colonists were denied title to their land, but not before the group had swelled in size to 300 and made contributions, which survive to this day. Some of the colonists left the area upon the colony’s demise never to return again while some remained and were eventually absorbed into the local community.

For starters, once they had set up their headquarters along the banks of the North Fork, the Kaweah colonists formed a joint stock company, which they called the “Kaweah Co-Operative Commonwealth Company of California.” They structured their society into divisions and departments, established sewing clubs, brass bands, theater groups, debate societies, and experimented with then-new ideas for governance, including the concepts of referendum, initiative, and recall. The colonists typically enjoyed croquet and mandolin music. They also contributed to and participated in the annual spring picnic which evolved over time into the Three Rivers Lions Team Roping held every year on the last full weekend in April.

Additionally, they built, almost entirely by hand, an amazing road of approximately 20 miles in length, over dangerous precipices of sheer granite, steep gorges, and steep chaparral-covered mountainsides

from the banks of the river to the edge of present-day Giant Forest, where they erected a portable saw mill. This road is still in use today, as an access route for firefighters and park rangers. For 36 years, until the completion of the Generals Highway, the Colony Mill Road was the only road into Giant Forest other than cattle paths, which followed ancient Native American paths.

Today, Dale Mehrten, at 80 years of age, is well known as the Keeper of Lake Kaweah. For forty-six years before his retirement, he and his wife, Joy, owned and operated Lake Kaweah Marina in Lemon Cove.

To connect the dots with the earlier Influential pioneers, Dale’s grandfather, Bernard (Barney Merhten), was born in 1860

in Calaveras County. He was the ancestor who married Fanny Ann Tharp (the daughter of the early pioneers Hale and Chloe Tharp). The couple had three children – Minnie May, David Nathan and Mamie Matilda. David Nathan was Dale Mehrten’s father.

Top L-R: Mildred, Ralph, Gordon, Bernice

Bottom L-R: David, Dale & Lavina Mehrten

Hale Dixon Tharp 1830-1912

Another brother of Barney’s, William “Dutch Bill” already had started a farming and livestock raising operation up near present day Lemon Cove. At that time, Lemon Cove was referred to as Lime Kiln Hill.

One of the chores that Dale’s grandfather, Barney, had to do was break horses. The Mehrten Ranch also had a contract at the time to provide stock to the Butterfield Stage Line. Another job Barney had was that of a teamster (not the union type). Teamster’s then had to drive twenty-two horses that were needed to pull the grain harvester over the rolling foothills.

Dale’s dad, David and his wife Lavina, later bought 270 acres of land in this region for a $1 an acre. Their holdings included Terminus Beach and a large portion of Lime Kiln Hill all the way up to the South Fork of the Kaweah River near Cinnamon Creek.

David and Lavina settled into what is now Lake Kaweah. There the family stayed until the area was flooded to form Lake Kaweah. The large holdings of the Mehrten Brothers back then included not only the typical herds of cattle, but over 150,000 turkeys as well.

The family also grew apples there and their apples became known as the best in the area.Their produce was shipped out of town and purchased locally at an apple stand along what is now Highway 198.

In 1919, Dale’s grandfather, Barney, moved his family to the Tharp Ranch on Horse Creek near the present day bridge at Kaweah Lake. He lived there until his death in 1932. Dale’s grandmother, Fanny, lived the rest of her life at the ranch until she died in 1937. Barney Mehrten is considered one of Tulare County’s Founding Fathers.

In 1959, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began building the Terminus Dam (named after the Visalia Terminus Electric Railroad which ended there). After the lake was formed the Mehrten family bid and eventually acquired the concession rights to the lake.

When Lake Kaweah was finally in operation a few years later in 1964, Dale Mehrten and his brother Ralph opened Lake Kaweah Marina. The marina included a wooden building, docks, and patio boat, all built by the Mehrten brothers in their backyard in Pacoima.

Dale Mehrten today still owns 66 acres of land that he inherited from his father near the lake. These days Dale’s daughter, Jeanne Mehrten Howard, and her husband Brad, whose family also has deep roots in the region, operate Kaweah Marina. Since taking over operations after Dale Mehrten retired several years ago, Jeanne and Brad have

expanded the marina to include nearly three dozen patio boats, a half dozen fishing boats, and spaces for nearly 275 privately owned vessels.

Now every May, a week before Memorial Day, this magazine hosts The Lake Kaweah Trout Derby at the lake in conjunction with the Mehrten family and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Another generation of the extended Mehrten family, (the Howard children) are now learning all about the family’s heritage and how best to continue on as Keepers of Lake Kaweah.

COVER STORY REFERENCES: Portions of this article are reprinted from James Franklin Kirkman’s writings to rootsweb, An Ancestry.com Community

The Mineral King Road Corridor “The Pioneers” Copyright © 2006

Additional data courtesy of The Kaweah Commonwealth, Wikipedia and the novel, Challenge of the Big Trees

20

[ FEATURED STORY ]

Dale Mehrten

Dale and Joy Mehrten

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Important Facts You Should Know About Estate Planning, Living Trusts & Wills

Many people think estate planning is concerned solely with the transfer of assets to heirs upon death; and that only the wealthy need to do more than create a simple will. Both of these assumptions are wrong.

Estate planning is much more than transferring assets to heirs upon your death. It is also about protecting and preserving your assets and your independence while you are living.

It is important to work with an estate planning lawyer to create an estate plan that meets your needs and that fulfills your wishes.

With an estate plan, you have control over what happens to your finances and assets after your death. You can also determine the course of your medical care should you become incapacitated and unable to make a decision.

With a living trust, you can maintain complete privacy in how you pass on your property to your heirs. This is complex aspect of estate planning law.

Here are some things you can accomplish with estate planning while you are living:

By using trusts and asset transfers, you can protect your assets from being wiped out if you become disabled and need to enter a nursing home.

By executing a California Advance Health Care Directive (often called “living will”), you give instructions to care providers and loved ones whether live-sustaining equipment should be used if you are unable to express your wishes and have no hope of recovery. This directive also allows you to name someone to make health care decisions for you if you are not dying but are unable to communicate your wishes yourself.

By establishing a charitable trust, you can give a portion of your estate to a charity you believe in. Your trust will not only benefit the charity but will also provide tax savings to you and your heirs.

Through a by-pass trust and life insurance trust, you can minimize or eliminate estate taxes (also known as “death taxes”)

Through a special needs trust, you can provide a lifetime income for a disabled child without causing the child to become ineligible for government benefits such as SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and Medicaid.

By distributing assets to heirs through a revocable trust or living trust instead of a will, you can eliminate the expense and delay of probate. This allows your heirs to receive more.

Through powers of attorney, guardianships, and conservatorships, you can obtain the legal authority you need to care for an incapacitated parent or a disabled adult child.

Phil and John Bianco | 118 E. Oak Street | Visalia, CA www.BiancoLawFirm.com

What You Need to Know About Medi-Cal Liens and Estate Planning

Many people think estate planning is concerned solely with the transfer of assets to heirs upon death; and that only the wealthy need to do more than create a simple will. Both of these assumptions are wrong. Previously, in this column we have addressed the different types of living trusts and wills, as well as advanced health directives, guardianships and conservatorships.

This month we will touch on the topic of liens and estate claims. Both of these have been used by the State in attempts to reimburse the Medi-Cal program for payments made to beneficiaries. California’s Medicaid program — known as Medi-Cal — provides health insurance and long-term care coverage to 6.5 million low-income children, their parents, the elderly, and the disabled.

State Liens on Homes Liens are placed on living Medi-Cal beneficiaries’ estates to “hold” the property until the person dies. Estate claims are claims made against the estate of the Medi-Cal beneficiary after he or she dies. As of January 1, 1996, California is not permitted to impose liens against the homes of nursing home residents or their surviving spouses, except in cases where the home is not exempt (i.e., the nursing home Medi-Cal applicant did not indicate an intention to return home) and the home is being sold. Under current law, these are the only liens that can be placed on the homes of living beneficiaries.

Most Medi-Cal applicants’ homes are exempt because a spouse, child or sibling lives there or they do indicate an intention to return home on the Medi-Cal application, so even these liens are rare. After the beneficiary has died, the heirs or survivors may sign a “voluntary” lien for Medi-Cal recovery purposes, if they cannot otherwise avoid an estate claim against the property.

If You Received Medi-Cal Then Die After the Medi-Cal beneficiary’s death, the State can make a claim against the estate of an individual who was 55 years of age or older at the time he or she received Medi-Cal benefits or who (at any age) received benefits in a nursing home, unless there is a surviving spouse or a minor, blind or disabled child. Thus, if there are any assets left in the estate of the deceased beneficiary, Medi-Cal will seek to be reimbursed for benefits paid. It is important to note that, even if you received Medi-Cal at home, any benefits paid while you were 55 years of age or older will be subject to Medi-Cal recovery.

How Much Can the State Recover? California’s definition of “estate” includes such assets as living trusts, joint tenancies, tenancies in common and life estates, although claims on the remainder interest in life estates are limited to those that were revocable. Many consumers place their property into living trusts, thinking that this will protect it from an estate claim. It does not. The State can still make a claim against property held in a living trust, joint tenancy or tenancies in common, as long as the beneficiary’s name is still on the property at the time of death.

However, the amount of recovery is limited to the amount of benefits paid or the value of the beneficiary’s estate, whichever is less. For example, if the appraised value of your home is $200,000 and you left it in joint tenancy with your three children, the State can only collect up to $50,000, which is your part of the estate - even if the Medi-Cal benefits paid to you is more than $50,000. The value of the estate is also reduced by any outstanding mortgages or debts on the home.

Contact the Bianco Law Firm at (559) 732-8654 if you are in the need of fair, aggressive and intelligent legal help dealing with Medi-Cal Liens & Estate Planning.

Phil and John Bianco | 118 E. Oak Street | Visalia, CA www.BiancoLawFirm.com


No single estate plan can meet the needs of every person. Everyone who has a preference about what happens to their property during their lifetime or after their death should have an estate plan tailored to their needs.

An option that many people are taking advantage of is establishing a living trust.

Contact Us For More Information on What Will Work Best For You

The advantages of a trust being private far outweigh the complicated aspects of creating and funding it. It is because of these complicated aspects that you need a seasoned attorney who is skilled in the development of living trusts.

At the Bianco Law Firm, we pride ourselves on personalized service. For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced lawyer, please contact us.

Contact the Bianco Law Firm at (559) 732-8654 if you are in the need of fair, aggressive and intelligent legal help dealing with Estate Planning.

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Previously, we have discussed information on

healthy relationships. Healthy relationships

thrive on communication, honesty and respect.

Continuing along that theme, let’s take a close

look at the red flags of a relationship. Take a

few minutes and ask yourself, “Do I see any

red flags in my relationship?”

Being in a relationship can be an exciting time.

Perhaps you have recently met someone

who caught your interest and you are hoping,

in time, you will be able to discover if this

relationship can move towards marriage.

Perhaps, you have been dating someone for

quite some time. You notice you are able to

identify some of their strengths. But also may

see some areas of concern.

Time can seem more like an enemy. As

you spend more time with one another,

you may begin to notice some things with

apprehension. Then uncertainty or fear may

start to play in your mind, especially noticing

a particular characteristic or personality trait.

You may begin looking at things through that

lens of fear. Fear that you are not getting any

younger. Fear that your “biological” clock is

slowly ticking away. Fear of having your family

and friends inquire about your love life and

ask that dreaded question, “When are you

going to settle down and get married?” Even

your own sense of loneliness can make you

fearful and nudge you closer to the alter.

These forces are not out to destroy you,

but so many of them may urge you towards

marriage. This can be an important time to

pause and ask yourself some questions that

might prevent heartache down the road.

You will need to decide what to do with this

relationship you are in. No other person can

make that decision for you. But how would

your life have turned out, if only, we had taken

the time to explore the red flags that were at

least partially visible?

Marriage can be great. But to achieve

greatness requires 100% participation by

both parties in the relationship. You come

alongside each other as support. But it’s been

said, “I’d rather be single and wish I were

married, than married and wish I were single.”

It’s one thing to be lonely alone, it’s an even

more distressing to be with someone and still

be lonely.

Now, is the time to look carefully at who you will

marry before the vows are exchanged. Even if

you are in a great relationship, asking yourself

the tough questions now will only create a

greater level of assurance and appreciation if

you do decide to marry.

Three types of red flags: character, emotional and interpersonal.

CHARACTER RED FLAGSCharacter is defined as the mental and moral

qualities distinctive to an individual.

Is your partner controlling you? A person can

be controlling by manipulating you in many

ways such as, guilt-inducement, threats of

abandoning you, threats of self-harm, verbal

aggression, physical aggression, wanting to

isolate you, pouting, interrogating you, etc.

It may be obvious or more subtle. You might

be told that this is what love really looks like.

Deep down you know that’s not the truth. If

you see a glimpse of controlling actions now,

however, it’s fair to say they will likely increase

in marriage.

Is your partner dishonest? It can be easy to

minimize or overlook instances of dishonesty

in a relationship. You may think, “I’m sure he

or she was just stretching the facts a little bit.”

But, lying is often a pattern that will destroy

trust. If you can’t trust a person’s words,

what can you trust about them? We want

and need to trust our partner, but when we

find an instance of dishonestly, it causes us

to wonder what else has been stretched or

distorted. “Truthful lips endure forever, but a

lying tongue lasts only a moment.”

Does your partner have the inability to

apologize? We all can mess up. Being mature

and healthy provides the ability to apologize

when we have made a mistake or done

something wrong. People may tend to struggle

more with admitting mistakes when they’ve

grown up around critical people. Writing out

an apology may be the first step and can

make it easier than having to verbalize it. You

can begin to practice apologizing on smaller

matters, which can make it easier when the

offense has a greater emotional impact. When

saying, “I’m sorry,” it needs to be followed up

with identifying what you are apologizing for.

Is your partner unwilling to seek help? If your

partner is not willing to go to counseling if you

marry and can’t resolve an issue together,

it might be best not to marry. I know it may

sound self-serving since I’m a marriage and

family therapist, but it’s true. It’s not about a

person refusing to meet with a counselor, but

more of unwillingness to grow and learn.

EMOTIONAL RED FLAGSIs your partner angry? I’m not talking about

just expressing anger, but anger that turns into

resentment. When we hold onto anger and

do not address it, it begins to harden us and

by Cathy Humerickhouse, RN, LMFT

Do you see any Red Flags in your Relationship?


bad things can often happen. Additionally,

there may be contributory issues about un-

forgiveness in a person’s life. Beneath anger

is most often fear and pain. I am talking

about the ways anger is expressed. The way

a person expresses anger can be a MAJOR

red flag. What I mean is if someone acts out

in anger by hitting things, throwing items, or

any type of destruction. Men tend to have a

tougher challenge facing their anger. They

may either ignore it, deny it, or they may

explode. Seeing how your man resolves his

anger will be the difference between a red

flag and a green light to move forward in your

relationship. That goes vice versa too. I’m not

letting women off; we too, can have significant

anger issues.

There is no place for physical control or violence in any relationship!

Does your partner lack self- control? Does

your partner follow through on commitments

and plans? Do they lack the initiative to find

and hold onto employment? Have they gotten

into debt because of impulse spending? Do

you even know about each other’s credit

history? I reference credit history because it

can reflect impulse control or what might be

consuming an individual. When a person’s

emotional state rides like a rollercoaster,

there may be a need for some evaluation of

their bio-chemical history. Is there a legitimate

explanation for one’s actions? If the behavior

continues, you will have to decide if you want

to deal with that for a lifetime.

Is your partner self-absorbed? How much

does your partner’s life revolve around them?

Does your partner’s need to get what they

want occur even at the expense of others?

You may think that you are being selfish when

you want your partner to meet your needs, so

look for a balance.

Does your partner suffer from having a victim

perspective? When a person struggles with

distrust they may be only a step away from

playing the role of the victim. It can be called

different names such as, hypersensitivity,

self-pity, critical or martyrdom. Life can be a

chain of events that never end. Other people

or circumstances are perceived as the

cause of undesirable events and “the victim”

can blame just about every problem on just

about everyone else. This person will take

little responsibility for life’s struggles. When

married, it becomes very easy for a spouse to

be blamed for the other’s lack of contentment.

INTERPERSONAL RED FLAGSDoes your partner avoid conflict? Some

people just don’t want to deal with conflict of

any size or shape. When tension is present,

withdrawal or denial serve to gloss over the

problem allowing it to be avoided for another

day. Obviously, the problem gets bigger with

every effort to sweep things under the rug. Ask

yourself, “Does my partner deal with conflict?

Does the problem get avoided or minimized?”

Does your partner fear commitment? Are

there times when your partner sends you

mixed messages, or struggles to commit due

to a fear of intimacy? The concerns with them

might be, “When you find out who I really am,

will you still accept me?” It seems like they

are interested, then it doesn’t. They appear to

want to move forward in the relationship, but

then they pull back. This hot and cold pattern

can go on for years. Even if you make it to

the alter, and this issue isn’t resolved, it can

still cause chaos and insecurity within the

marriage. Ask yourself, “Do I see a pattern of

inconsistency?”

Does your partner isolate from their family and

friends? Does your partner interact with their

family and friends? How healthy are those

relationships? We have no control over our

family members. Family interactions can tell

us a lot about a person. That doesn’t mean

our partner will end up like their family, but it

doesn’t mean they won’t. We don’t have the

ability to choose our family but we do when it

comes to our friendships. Does your partner

keep you away from your family? Does your

partner avoid introducing you to their friends?

If so, what might be the reason or reasons?

Are there some reasons that are being kept

from you?

Does your partner distrust others? No matter

what someone does, including yourself,

does your partner always second-guess the

motivation? If you give your partner a gift,

does a question come back like, “What do you

want?” Granted sometimes our motivation

may not be pure, but with time one’s constant

questioning will drive a wedge into any

relationship. Distrust often develops as a self-

protective measure when people were not

trustworthy in one’s life. It is likely that hurt

and pain exist behind their guard. Without

help, the distrust will likely creep into every

nook and cranny of the relationship. Without

trust, marriage becomes a daily witness stand

and over time, this will likely increase. Are you

ready to pay the price of all the relationships

before you?

Every potential mate has a deficiency. If you

are looking for the perfect mate, stop. You

won’t find them. Some will say, “Since no one’s

perfect, it really doesn’t matter who I choose

to marry. We are all flawed. True, but it really

is about being the right person, not finding the

right person. When you are the right person,

you will notice and be attracted to the right

people, not perfect people, but ones you can

live with, grow with, and thrive with. That is

what great relationships have in common. If

there are red flags in your relationship, you

might just find out that some of these flags

actually relate to you.

Information referenced by Focus on the

Family, 2011.

The information provided does not constitute

any therapeutic advice. If you feel you

need a therapist please contact one in

your area. You can always reach me at:

[email protected] or call (559) 625-6752

for more information.


In honor of National Vodka Day (Oct. 4), we’ll take a look at a new book about the history of vodka in America and the rest of the world.

While reading this keep in mind what Ian Fleming’s character, James Bond, said about a martini being stirred, not shaken.

This tidbit of information and quite a bit of other interesting material is presented in a light and breezy manner in Vodka: How a Colorless, Odorless, Flavorless Spirit Conquered America, by Victorino Matus

Vodka is the base ingredient in some great drinks: the Martini, the Bloody Mary, the Moscow Mule, the Screwdriver and the Harvey Wallbanger.

In the view of many, including Matus, all vodka is the same and it’s only the outstanding advertising campaigns that make any difference.

Even though the title says “flavorless,” Matus admits that there are some differences in taste, due to trace additives, which manufactures can add without declaration.

MATUS’S BRIEF HISTORY By the 19th century, vodka was the principal source of revenue for the Russian Government. Alcoholism was widespread, but one good thing did come out of all this. In 1864, Pyotr Smirnov started selling

vodka. By 1870, he was grossing 600 million rubles (about $7 million in today’s money).

After prohibition, sales and consumption of vodka started growing in the United States. In 1934, the King Cole Bar in New York created the Red Snapper: vodka, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and an olive.

By 1967, it was the number one white spirit in the U.S. and in 1976 it surpassed gin and whiskey.

By 2012, Americans were spending $1.3 billion on super premium vodkas and $1.2 on value brands.

BOND, JAMES BOND In the middle of all this, James Bond appeared on the big screen.. His drink was a vodka martini, ordered with one of the most iconic phrases in movies: “Shaken not stirred.”

Not so fast, Mr. Bond. According to Matus, a vodka martini should be stirred to achieve a smooth texture and dry martini clarity. I think this sounds like a fun home taste test.

MODERN DAY MARKETS Matus covers the marketing

campaigns that are credited with making vodka the

big player in America in an entertaining and informative way: Grey Goose, SKKY, Ketel One, Belvedere and more.

Smirnoff was the first global brand. Its slogan was “It will leave you breathless,” and their celebrity endorsers included Woody Allen and Johnny Carson.

In 1979, most vodka consumed in the U.S. was domestically produced. This marked the beginning of contemporary marketing. Importing of foreign vodka soon followed: This was the year Absolut entered the U.S. market from Sweden.

Absolut turned vodka into a luxury product, with dozens of versions of the same concept: a unique depiction of an Absolute bottle, along with the name Absolut and one adjective:

“Absolut Perfection,” with a halo over the bottle. “Absolut Peak,” with the bottle shape carved among the trees on a gigantic mountain. “Absolut L.A.” which is a swimming pool shaped like the bottle. “Absolute Manhattan,” with Central Park shaped like the bottle.

CONCLUSION Matus, who is Senior Editor at The Weekly Standard, has had his work appear in the

New York and Washington Post, the Washingtonian, and the Wall Street

Journal. Salon.com even turned it into an enjoyable and somewhat

lightweight tale.


[ FOOD & WINE ]

Book Review by Kurt A. Eichsteadt

Vodka : How a Colorless, Odorless, Flavorless Spirit Conquered America, by Victorino Matus


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Cathy HumerickhouseAs a Registered Nurse and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, I believe in treating the whole person which encompasses aspects of the individual’s biological, psychological, social and spiritual needs.

Reproductive Grief • (Infertility/Miscarriages)

Medical Illness/Diagnosis•

End of Life Issues•

Marital/Relationship Issues•

Blended Families•

Anxiety/Depression•

Cathy Humerickhouse

559.625.6752

RN, LMFT


WORDS AND PICTURESWords and Pictures is a marvelous look at the question, “Which is more powerful, words or pictures?” Teachers at a private school help their students get ready to debate the question: Which is more powerful, words or pictures? On one side of the debate team is Clive Owen. He is an alcoholic, a struggling writer and an English teacher. His opponent is an art teacher, Juliette Binoche. It’s hard to believe that something so basic as people talking could have as much an impact as Word and Pictures. Don’t miss this. One hour, 51 minutes. PG-13 for sexual material, language and some mature thematic material.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIERThis is very good movie. Not just a good movie “for its type,” which is summer action blockbuster, but a very good movie. Captain America first appeared in the 2012 movie The Avengers, where he was selected by secret agency director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to reunite with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Robert Redford is along for the ride as everyone tries to find The Winter Soldier. This is a solid movie, easy to follow, with top-notch acting and special effects Sit back and enjoy! Two Hours, 16 minutes. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences throughout.

GODZILLLAIt might be hard to accept that the basis for Godzilla is balancing out energy in the universe, but when you eliminate all the massive special effects, that’s exactly what’s going on in this film. Make no mistake; this is an excellent spectacle, complimented by a solid cast including Brian Cranston (Breaking Bad) and the amazing Ken Wantanabe. In spite of a predictable plot, this movie creates a high degree of tension and unsettled emotions in the audience. This is not as sophisticated as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but is enjoyable nonetheless. Two Hours, three minutes. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences.

DVD DON’TTwo movies to avoid here. A Million Ways to Die in the West and Mr. Peabody and Sherman. Multi-talented Seth MacFarlane tries to put smart-aleck humor in the old west. It doesn’t work. In Peabody, state of the art animation and great voice work from people like Ty Burrell (Modern Family) are a wasted attempt to bring adventures of the dog, Mr. Peabody, and his boy Sherman to the movies.

FROM THE VAULT: CROUPIERClive Owen (Words and Pictures) is a marvelously sleazy dealer in Croupier, set in the 1990s world of London casinos. Dark, but entertaining.

[ ENTERTAINMENT ]

This is a very good month for home video with excellent movies at the opposite ends of the spectrum: something small, Words and Pictures, and the big Captain America: The Winter Soldier. At DVD Diary, we point out movies that are worth your time and money and steer you away from the losers.

by Kurt A. Eichsteadt

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Vox Pop Influentials - September / October 2014

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