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OPINIONOPINION

Mountain Views-News SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 1015

MOUNTAIN 
VIEWS

NEWS

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR

Dean Lee 

SALES

Patricia Colonello

626-355-2737 

626-818-2698

WEBMASTER

John Aveny 

DISTRIBUTION

Peter Lamendola

CONTRIBUTORS

Lori A. Harris

Michele Kidd

Stuart Tolchin 

Harvey Hyde

Audrey Swanson

Meghan Malooley

Mary Lou Caldwell

Kevin McGuire

Chris Leclerc

Dinah Chong Watkins

Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Rich Johnson

Lori Ann Harris

Rev. James Snyder

Katie Hopkins

Deanne Davis

Despina Arouzman

Jeff Brown

Marc Garlett

Keely Toten

Dan Golden

Rebecca Wright

Hail Hamilton

Joan Schmidt

LaQuetta Shamblee

RICH JOHNSON

TRIVIA: NO TRIVIAL PURSUIT

STUART TOLCHIN

PUT THE LIGHTS ON


NO TIME FOR COMPLAINING


Trivia is pretty much a 20th Century phenomenon. Trivia is essentially 
information of little importance…except that it adds color to conversation. 
And as I have said ad infinitum or maybe ad nauseum, trivia 
will add texture to your conversation. Trivia will make you a lot more 
interesting to talk to. That’s why I write this column. And I have made 
a recent wonderful discovery.

At Fables & Fancies, my favorite bookstore in Sierra Madre, I recently stumbled (metaphorically) 
on the trivia book of all trivia books. It is entitled “Ultimate Book of Trivia: 
The Essential Collection”. The author, my new favorite hero, is Scott McNeely. The book 
is a mere 350 pages and is only 5” x 7” in size. $19.95. There is so much trivia packed in 
those 350 pages. If you want to start adding real color to your interpersonal communications 
purchase this book. 

For example, the speed of light is roughly 186,000 miles per second. Traveling at that 
speed would get you from your driveway to the moon in 1.3 seconds. The sun? 8.5 
minutes.

The two greatest contributions by Sir Isaac Newton? Well, he formulated not only the 
laws of gravity, but he is also credited with inventing the cat door. Where else can you 
get important stuff like this?

The bad news? Our Milky Way galaxy will eventually collide with the Andromeda galaxy. 
We do have a little time: the collision is predicted to take place in 4 billion years. 
So, relax!

Name a food you could solely live on your entire life? If you answered honey, you are 
right. 80% sugar and 20% water, honey is the only complete food in nature. Bring a 
toothbrush. Also, scientists tell us honey is the only natural food that does not rot. 

Did you know right-handed people live on average, nine years longer than left-handed 
people? I don’t know why. Speaking of “left” the word is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 
word “lyft” which literally means “weak” of “not working.” I wonder if the “Uber” ride 
service people know that? Apparently the “Lyft” ride service people don’t.

If you want to write a love song with the word “orange” in it, you should know, there is 
no word that rhymes with “orange”.

People who live in San Francisco are called “San Franciscans”. Duh? People who live in 
Frankfurt are called “Frankfurters”. 

The plural of the word “fish” is…are you ready? “Fish” Not fishes. Oh, and by the way, 
most fish cannot swim backward. Elephants are not the only mammals that can’t jump. 
Rhinos, sloths and hippos can’t. (I’m not particularly good at it either.)

Speaking of mammals, what mammal holds the record for staying awake the longest? 
Walruses. Eighty hours at a time.

How many times did Sherlock Holmes utter the phrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson”? 
Zero. And what did the super sleuth do after he retired? He became a beekeeper.

If you are ever in London and you have the plague, it is illegal to flag down a taxi or ride 
on a bus. Oh, and if you have leprosy or rabies, you better walk.

Were you a fan of the music of Henry John Deutschendorf Jr, or Steveland Judkins? 
They were two of my favorites. You might know them better as John Denver and Stevie 
Wonder. Speaking of singers, Elvis never wrote a song. 

Also Elvis first made it big in 1956, which was also the first year the first Elvis impersonators 
showed up. More than one.

And a subtle reminder, JJ Jukebox, my rock and roll band has two gigs coming up. The 
acoustic performance is Thursday night, June 12 at Nano Café, and the full rock band, 
Saturday night, July 19 at Nano Café. Come see what all the hub bub is about.

A few minutes ago, I was happily composing my weekly 
article on my computer when---boom---- suddenly, 
the computer turned itself off and I could not bring it 
back to life. I struggled for a while but then did what 
I always do in such situations I went to find someone 
who could help. In situations where I need to do something 
I invariably look for someone who can help. At 
this present time that person is my wife who is completely 
sick of helping me. I can hear her saying “Can't you do anything 
yourself” whether she actually says anything, or not I can see her annoyance 
on her face.

Well, I too am annoyed; but the undeniable truth is that I am always asking 
her for assistance. I blame my mother for this. It was she who gave 
me the continual message “don’t touch anything—you will just make a 
mess.” Her overriding message to me was to not rip my pants and to not 
make extra work for her. Her life was hard enough as it was. Our family 
lived in a two-bedroom apartment. I slept in the living room on the 
couch or on the floor and would wake up in the morning to find that my 
mother had laid out my clothes for me and had already prepared breakfast. 
I wore the clothes and ate the food and didn’t think much about 
it until I went off to college. In college it was much the same thing. I 
lived in a dormitory which provided three meals a day at no additional 
cost. On Saturdays there were football games almost right on campus at 
Strawberry Canyon. On weekends when there were not football games 
I was usually with some girl, and we would hitch-hike across the Bay to 
San Francisco and voluntarily usher at the theatres and see the performances 
for free. I recall seeing a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan at one theatre 
and recall other musicals and plays at other venues.

So college was pretty great and another gift to me. My first roommate 
was my old high school friend who had given me the idea of going to 
Berkely in the first place. We had been great friends talking about sports 
and playing ping pong while in High School. He had a disabled sister 
who basically just stayed in her room, but she always read my articles in 
the High School paper when I was Sports Editor. This was 65 years ago 
but I can remember how pleased I was to talk to someone who had read 
my column. That hasn’t changed; but enough about the past. 

I am now in my eighties and have lost a lot of things. My hearing, vision, 
and taste are all in the process of disappearing and my major companion, 
other than my wife, is my dog. After watching PBS news programs at 
8AM and 4PM with my wife, my dog and I take a walk around our canyon 
circle which contains several hills. I would like to make a rule that 
I needed only to walk downhill but, alas, that is not possible If I controlled 
the world I would try and create a society wherein no one aged 
and forever remained the wonderful people they all were as children. 
Well, nevertheless, ageing seems preferable to a lot of other things, and I 
am very happy to have the privileged comfortable life that I do. For me, 
at least, the present time is still a marvelous adventure every day listening 
to the birds and watching their graceful flight from our outside deck. The 
weather today was beautiful, and I love noticing the sky and the clouds 
and the trees and plants as my dog and I take our walks. So, this is a message 
to me. The present has always been a gift to me, and I am happy to 
have had the opportunity to live, and I hope that you feel the same about 
your life.

Giving others the opportunity to help has turned out to be a good thing 
and being of help also feels pretty great. Let’s all enjoy what we have and 
see what the future brings. Maybe we can help!! Perhaps, though, we 
should stop watching the news.

Mountain Views News 
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Case number GS004724: 
for the City of Sierra 
Madre; in Court Case 
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Madre, California, 91024. 
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HOWARD Hays As I See It


“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts.” 
– Sen. Daniel Moynihan (D-NY)

 

Whether in scientific research or developing policy, it’s looking at 
facts and then forming an opinion. But under President Trump, 
it’s the opposite: ignoring facts and just making stuff up to support 
whatever opinion or otherwise unsupportable action.

 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Venezuelan immigrants deported 
to Guantanamo and El Salvador as “criminal alien murderers, rapists, child predators 
and gangsters”. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned “brutal crimes 
. . . like raping and murdering innocent law-abiding women and girls, and committing 
heinous acts of violence”. Serious policy affecting thousands of lives – but rather than 
dealing with facts, they make stuff up.

 

Reporting by the Texas Tribune and ProPublica shows it’s not a matter of being mistaken, 
but of knowing the facts and then lying. Of the 238 deported to El Salvador last 
March, 32 had criminal convictions in the U.S. – six of those for violent offenses. Only 
20 had a record of arrest or conviction in home countries. Neither Venezuelan nor international 
law enforcement agencies had any listed as having gang connections.

 

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded to this reporting, “ProPublica 
should be embarrassed that they are doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens”. DHS 
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin insisted that “These individuals categorized as 
‘non-criminals’ are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gang members and more 
- they just don’t have a rap sheet in the U.S.” Neither offered any evidence – they just 
made stuff up.

 

Deportations were conducted under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, invoked by Trump on 
the premise of an invasion by gang members “at the direction” of the Venezuelan government. 
The National Intelligence Council issued an assessment that no, there wasn’t 
any such connection between gang members and the Venezuelan government. An aide 
to National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard ordered the head of the NIC to “rethink” 
that assessment. When he refused, he and his top deputy were fired.

 

Former CIA Director John Brennan called them “two of the most experienced, accomplished and talented analysts in the entire U.S. intelligence community”. 
He called their firing a warning to others they “have to get in line, that there’s a sense that there needs to be fealty to Donald Trump”. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) 
adds, “the workforce can only conclude that their jobs are contingent on producing analysis that is aligned with the President’s agenda, rather than truthful 
and apolitical.”

 

According to Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), it’s “purging intelligence officials over a report that the Trump administration finds politically inconvenient . . . 
Whatever the administration is trying to protect, it’s not our national security”. It’s no longer a matter of establishing facts, but of making stuff up to protect 
Trump from any that might be “politically inconvenient”.

 

In a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services, “The MAHA Report: Making Our Children Healthy Again”, not only were its authors 
charged with making up “facts” to support whatever the opinion of HHS Secretary RFK Jr., but also the studies cited as sources for them.

 

As reported by NOTUS, an epidemiologist cited as the author of a paper on adolescent anxiety said, “The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues 
were involved with”, adding later that “it does make me concerned given that citation practices are an important part of conducting and reporting rigorous 
science”. 

 

When press secretary Leavitt was asked if, given this news, “information coming from HHS can be trusted”, she suggested all this might be attributed to “formatting 
issues”. Jen Psaki, a predecessor in Leavitt’s position, commented on MSNBC, “They put out a report that was full of errors and broken links, and 
seven of the sources cited don’t exist at all . . . I think we can all agree her answer wasn’t great here.”

Leavitt was asked about White House insistence the budget bill wouldn’t add to the deficit, while the Congressional Budget Office projected $2.3 trillion added 
over ten years. She suggested partisan motives, stating "there hasn't been a single staffer in the entire CBO that has contributed to a Republican since 2000". 
A poster responded on X that by going online, one can “see in a matter of moments that the literal Director of the CBO, a former Bush appointee . . . donated 
to a Republican candidate in 2014".

 

That post opened with the question, "This is just completely made up?” For those pushing the bill, further enrichment of the top one-percent justifies whatever 
harm to the rest of us. They’re entitled to that opinion. But not to their own “facts” - no matter how desperate they are for any that would help support 
the otherwise unsupportable. 

 

Next Saturday, June 14, we’ll be celebrating Flag Day. In Washington DC, President Trump will be celebrating himself with a military parade to emulate Vladimir 
Putin and Kim Jong Un. And throughout the country folks will gather in response to Trump with the message “No Kings” – what our flag is all about. 
Our own gathering will be from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Kersting Court. In my opinion, should be a good turn-out, and I hope to see you there. That’s a fact. 


Mountain Views News

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Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com