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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad May 11, 2005 Class engages kids of all ages Recently, the children (and adults!) at SOU’s Schneider Children’s Center had the unique and magical opportunity to watch fairy tales come alive, thanks to Maggie McClellan and the acting students in her Movement for Actors III class. The audience, ranging in age from 3 to 53, was completely absorbed and entertained. Truly, Maggie broke the record for engaging children of this age range; never have I seen them sit for just shy of an hour! From start to finish, Maggie’s students were first rate. Animated, articulate, creative, engaging, clever, funny — a complete joy to watch. More importantly, these students really seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that energy transferred to the audience. We weren’t joking when we suggested that her class come visit us every week! It is wonderful for our preschool community, and the community at large, to have these opportunities involving SOU’s theater department. This would give students the exposure and experience they need, and the community a chance to see the hard work and learning that blossoms on the SOU campus. I am quite hopeful that Maggie and her students will be able to visit us, and others, again — her work is sheer delight! Joanie Keller-Hand Head Teacher SOU Schneider Children’s Center Celebrating labor on Mayday Mayday, the international holiday celebrating labor, was May 1, and I would like to pay tribute to the American Worker. I know we have “Labor Day” but we do nothing to actually thank the workers. In recent decades, presidents have ushered in a corporate era in government, reducing the efficacy of unions and stripping the everyday worker of his/her stake in our government. The history of labor is the story of ordinary citizens freeing themselves from the ruling class; in other words, the American story (starting with the Revolution). It’s the biggest fear of every major corporation: the fact that we workers outnumber the corporate bosses 1,000 to 1. And when we finally organize like we did in the early 1900s, we will free ourselves of their exorbitant rulership and return government to where it belongs — in the hands of the electorate. I live on the edge of Ashland, surrounded by hayfields and pastures. I see workers in the fields and I feel a sense of admiration for the work they do. I see highway workers, construction workers, small-business owners (who I consider workers), insurance companies, hardware stores, restaurants and clothing shops. I see the Growers Market on Tuesdays full of small farmers, landscapers, potters, woodworkers, and other crafters. Then there’s the utility workers, firefighters, police officers, government employees, and all the rest. Collectively, they are the workers and the creators of community. They are labor and they deserve to be celebrated. Cris Kelly Ashland Cheers for Biscuit protest Hooray! To all my heroes, who in their earnest manner, continue to resist the illegal and outrageous Biscuit salvage logging hoax by the Bush Forest Service. After being hospitalized during the Biscuit Fire of 2002 because of all the smoke, I was angered to learn that most of it was caused by back-burns that escaped and burned hotter than the wildfire itself! According to studies, just on the east side of the Biscuit Fire alone, the back-burns scorched more than 100,000 acres. Our sensitive Sisikyou’s have already been hurt enough by Forest Service bumbling! Now facing another high fire-risk season; the Bush Forest Service is busily destroying ancient landscapes far from town that scientists agree should be left to regenerate naturally. Instead, the forest service should be thinning the interface zones between our homes and the forest which could offer meaningful wildfire protection. The activists involved are the “real human beings,” and they contribute much truth, light, love, skill and grace to our region. The protests are unique and classy. We’re witnessing history. Don’t just talk about it folks, get involved. My old bones rest more easily because I can tell my great-grandchildren that I at least tried to save their legacy. Pat Simonsen Cave Junction Bianca leads from the front I want to express my sincere appreciation and commendation for the way Chief Mike Bianca, Sgt. Teresa Selby, officers of the Ashland Police Department and other peace officers handled a recent critical incident case involving a standoff and a violent threat to public safety. Their rare restraint and good judgement under intense pressure are not only remarkable and exemplary but indeed saved a human life. Chief Bianca also deserves accolades; he leads Ashland peace officers by example, on the street, out in front. Vic Sims Talent A disservice to mentally ill I am writing to express my dissatisfaction and dismay at your sensationalizing of the tragic Dirk Binder story, instead of treating it as the mental illness story it is. I am mentally ill myself and know Dirk; it is only by divine/biochemical grace that I am not as sick as he is. You have done a disservice to mentally ill people, our families and friends, and indeed the entire community. Stephen Weiner Ashland --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.