While you and I were busy dodging potholes in the Lakeport roads and praying that our homes and schools don’t burn down due to the city council’s abandonment of the city’s weed abatement program, the city council is now working on the latest chapter of its playbook entitled, “Insensitivity.”

The same city that carried out the early morning shotgun slaughter of the park geese five years ago, with no public input or apparent remorse for killing and wounding the geese that historically call Library Park home, has now set its sights on the downtown business district and its merchants.

During the height of Lakeport’s business and tourist season, the city council has launched a construction project that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, closing Main Street, creating dust, disrupting traffic, parking and foot traffic. The Record-Bee reports a 50-percent reduction in business due to the city’s poorly timed project.

This questionable project, which will narrow the street to the detriment of the traveling public, obviously should have been carried out, if at all, in spring or fall, not in the middle of the busiest season of the year.

When they rely on out-of-county consultants to tell them what to do, the city council has again lost track of their purpose to help Lakeport’s businesses and citizens.

While the city government goes about its four-day workweek with a generous paycheck, city businesses struggle to keep their doors open due to the city’s improvident and poorly timed spending that ignores impacts to its citizens.

The insensitivity of the city council and its staff to the businesses and lives of the citizens of Lakeport needs to end.

A city council election is coming up with nomination papers becoming available on July 18 and a deadline for filing on Aug. 12.

Rumor on the street is that city hall is quietly recruiting candidates with pliable minds that will continue to follow the city staff’s “Insensitivity Playbook” and frustrate the voters’ attempts for a more sensitive government. 

We need three new candidates that will be responsive to the feelings and needs of the city’s businesses and citizens, curtail spending on unnecessary projects and cut excessive utility rates.

Bob Bridges lives in Lakeport, Calif.

BERKELEY, Calif. – For her book on Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh’s famously mutilated ear, British author Bernadette Murphy needed to clear up confusion about the extent of the damage the artist inflicted on himself in 1888.

So she called up UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library.

Somewhere in the archives of the late Irving Stone, author of the fictionalized Van Gogh biography Lust for Life, she suspected there lay a signed letter from Van Gogh’s doctor detailing the self-mutilation.

Then library assistant David Kessler searched through an uncatalogued box devoted to that book, and finally retrieved the note and a sketch of his left ear, which attested to the fact that the artist removed all but part of the earlobe.

That tale and more are now revealed in the newly published book “Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story” (Chatto & Windus, London).

The letter, on loan from the Bancroft, went on display at the Van Gogh Museum on July 15 as part of an exhibit titled “On the Verge of Insanity.”

This is the first time the museum has focused specifically on the Impressionist’s much-debated mental condition.

The letter is also the centerpiece of a new BBC documentary of the same name, “Van Gogh's Ear,” that will premiere in the fall, and which is based on Murphy’s book.

David Faulds, now the Bancroft Library curator of rare Books and literary manuscripts, delivered the letter, written and signed by Dr. Félix Rey on Aug. 18, 1930, to the museum.

For more about the letter, visit https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about-the-museum/press/press-image-bank/images-on-the-verge-of-insanity/letter-from-felix-rey-to-irving-stone ; for more on the exhibit see https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/about-the-museum/press/press-releases/van-goghs-illness-ear-and-suicide-explored-in-depth-for-the-first-time .

A new USC study debunks the popular belief that electronic cigarettes are merely a substitute for cigarettes among teens. Instead, the study suggests that some teens who never would have smoked cigarettes are now vaping.

E-cigarettes, which entered the U.S. market in 2007, vaporize liquids that may or may not contain nicotine. In 2011, about 1.5 percent of high schoolers had vaped in the past 30 days, according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey. Four years later, that number skyrocketed to 16 percent.

A USC study of 5,490 high school juniors and seniors shows tobacco use among teens in Southern California is on the rise.

In 2014, about 14 percent of 12th-graders said they had either smoked or vaped in the previous 30 days. A decade earlier – before e-cigarettes were sold in the United States – 9 percent of surveyed teens in this age group reported that they had smoked, said Jessica Barrington-Trimis, lead author and a postdoctoral scholar research associate in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

“If teenagers who vape are using e-cigarettes instead of cigarettes, we would have expected to see the decline in smoking rates continue through 2014,” Barrington-Trimis said. “But what we've seen is a downward trend in cigarette use from 1995 to 2004 but no further decrease in cigarette smoking rates in 2014. The combined e-cigarette and cigarette use in 2014 far exceeded what we would have expected if teens were simply substituting cigarettes with e-cigarettes. The data suggest that at least some of the teens who are vaping would not have smoked cigarettes.”

The study, published on July 11 in the journal Pediatrics, followed five groups of high schoolers who graduated in 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014. Researchers collected the history of tobacco use in an individually administered questionnaire.

Cigarette use is the largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“An important question in the rapidly evolving landscape of youth tobacco product use is whether e-cigarettes are replacing cigarettes,” said Rob McConnell, the study's senior author and professor of preventive medicine at Keck Medicine of USC. “However, use of e-cigarettes by youth who would not otherwise have smoked results in exposure to the hazards of inhaled vaporized liquids and flavorings in e-cigarettes and may result in exposure to nicotine that can damage the adolescent brain.”

USC is one of 14 U.S. research institutions that received National Institutes of Health funding to establish the Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science.

What the numbers suggest

The National Youth Tobacco Survey has reported a long-term decline in teen smoking rates followed by a leveling off between 2014 and 2015.

The USC study found that the number of 12th-graders in Southern California who had smoked in the past 30 days dropped from 19 percent in 1995 to about 9 percent in 2004 and then leveled off, with the rate of smoking just under 8 percent in 2014.

But when cigarettes and e-cigarettes were combined, some 14 percent of high school seniors in 2014 said they had smoked or vaped in the last 30 days.

“Because e-cigarettes are perceived as less harmful and less dangerous than combustible cigarettes, another concern is that teens may be introduced to nicotine use via e-cigarettes,” Barrington-Trimis said. “In California, where smoking rates are among the lowest in the country, the increase in vaping, possibly followed by increases in smoking, could erode the progress that has been made over the last several decades in tobacco control.”

A perilous experiment

In fact, older teens who experiment with electronic cigarettes are six times more likely to try regular cigarettes within about a year when compared to those who have never vaped, reported Barrington-Trimis and her USC colleagues in a study published last month in Pediatrics.

Although some e-liquid providers say their products do not contain nicotine, this industry has not been regulated until just recently.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to regulate all tobacco products – including e-cigarettes, cigars and hookah tobacco – in May.

Last month, California became the second state, behind Hawaii, to raise the age of tobacco purchase – including e-cigarettes – from 18 to 21.

“E-cigarettes may be recruiting a new group of kids to tobacco use,” Barrington-Trimis said. “E-cigarettes may be safer than regular cigarettes for adults who are transitioning from smoking to vaping, but for youth who have never used any other tobacco products, nicotine experimentation could become nicotine addiction.”

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute and the Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Earlier this year the detection of gravitational waves was confirmed.

This important prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity remained a theory for 100 years. Now we know that, again, Einstein was right and these waves really do exist.

Dr. Steven Pollaine, who spent 30 years at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in laser fusion research, is one of Taylor’s most popular lecturers.

His talk at the Taylor Observatory at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23, is the second this year for this hugely important topic. Pollaine will emphasize the implications of this discovery for physics.

The first of two showings in the planetarium precedes the talk at 7:30 p.m.

Einstein’s theory of relativity made two startling predictions about gravity. One was that a heavy object, such as our sun, would bend light from distant stars. The second was that gravitational waves would be generated when two massive bodies collapsed into each other.

Now, 100 years after the prediction, the second gravitational theory is verified.

The recently detected gravitational wave arose from the collapse of two black holes a billion miles distant from our solar system.

Scientists in the states of Louisiana and Washington simultaneously detected the gravitational waves using a laser apparatus which was funded by the National Science Foundation in 1992, at that time the most expensive NSF project ever.

Taylor’s new policy of free admission for Lake County students in grades K-12 to the monthly Window to the Universe events has been a great success and will continue. For others, tickets are $5. Donations to Taylor are always appreciated.

The Window to the Universe event includes the lecture, a planetarium show and, weather permitting, views of the moon, Mars, Saturn and various deep space objects through Taylor telescopes.

Friends of Taylor Observatory-Norton Planetarium sponsors Window to the Universe events. Taylor is located at the end of Oak Hills Lane in Kelseyville.

For further information phone 415-209-3084, or visit the Friends of Taylor Facebook page.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Senior Activity Center is planning a fundraiser event featuring a prime rib dinner and melodrama on Saturday, July 23, and a matinée performance on Sunday, July 24.

Love, time travel and laughter fuel the melodrama, entitled “It’s About Time.” It was written by Carolyn Burke and is a fundraiser for the senior nutrition programs of the Lakeport and Kelseyville senior centers. 

Burke has directed many plays through the years and is excited to help fund the nutrition programs she has come to enjoy.

Living close to the Kelseyville Senior Center, along with many other seniors, she is grateful to have a fresh and balanced meal every day.

The programs are severely underfunded and are only possible by the generous donations and support of the community. 

Limited seating tickets are selling fast and are available at the Lakeport Senior Center and Meals on Wheels Thrift Store for $20 or $25 at the door for Saturday, when the performance begins at 5:30 p.m.

Saturday's performance will be accompanied by a choice prime rib three-course dinner.

Tickets for the Sunday performance, which begins at 2 p.m., are $10.

For more information call 707-263-4218.

The Lakeport Senior Activity Center is located at 527 Konocti Ave.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Dennis Sautelet entered eternal rest on July 12, 2016, at home in Kelseyville.

Born Dec. 30, 1942, in New Douglas, Ill., to Georgette Angeline and Marceau Sautelet, Dennis is preceded in death by his parents, and brothers Henry, Robert, Emil and Marceau II.

He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Jan Coppinger; daughter, Leah Sautelet; grandson, Jaden Nunez; sister, Cecilia Angeline of Olathe, Colo.; brother, Raymond (Brenda) Blackwood of Texas; and nieces and nephews in Colorado.

Dennis served in the United States Army from 1961 to 1964, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Colorado Mesa University in 1989, and moved to California in 1990, where he owned and operated a painting contractor business in Rohnert Park, until moving to Kelseyville and retiring in 2003.

In addition to a love of book collecting, reading, politics, cribbage, fishing and re-telling jokes, Dennis will be most remembered as a rare and amazing loving father and grandfather.

A full military honors funeral service will be held at Hartley Cemetery at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 23, immediately followed by a celebration of life at Highland Springs Reservoir (with horseshoes, fishing, swimming and potluck). Please join the family at either or both.

The family would like to express its sincerest gratitude to Hospice Services for its all-encompassing support during the final months.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sons In Retirement, or SIR, is opening its September bowling tournament to all.

Not only does this open the tournament to SIRs wives and significant others but it will also allow those who are not familiar with the SIR organization to participate and get to know some of SIR members.

The group's motto is “Making friends for life.”

This is one of the many fun activities sponsored by SIR and, yes, there will be prizes.

The tournament is scheduled for Sept. 17 at the Yokayo Bowl in Ukiah.

The cost is $25 per person.

Check in time is 9 a.m., with the start of the tournament scheduled for 10 a.m.

The alley will be full with 64 participants with four bowlers per lane. However, if enough additional bowlers express an interest, they will entertain a second group if the bowling alley can accommodate them.

If you are interested or have any questions, please call today to reserve a spot. Call the SIR Bowling coordinator, Gary Schurdell, at his home number, 707-263-2911, or at his cell number, 707-367-4713.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Housing Commission will accept by mail-only applications from 225 extremely low-income households.

Household qualifications, income guidelines and applications may be picked up at 15975 Anderson Ranch Parkway in Lower Lake and at most other Social Services agencies.

Forms can be mailed upon request.
 
For additional information please call 707-995-3744.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS (Rated PG)

Do you ever wonder what Fido or Fluffy are doing all day while the family is at work and school?

Well, you may find a hypothetical answer with “The Secret Life of Pets,” which animates household pets to speaking English even better than some people you may encounter in everyday life.

The ringleader, so to speak, of domesticated animals living in Manhattan apartments is a cute, pampered terrier mix by the name of Max (voiced by Louis C.K.). He hates to see his owner, the sweet-natured Katie (voiced by Ellie Kemper) leaving for work.

But what Max dislikes even more is his owner’s soft spot to rescue another canine from the pound. The new arrival is the wildly furry Duke (voiced by Eric Stonestreet), a sloppy, massive mess of a mongrel with zero interpersonal skills.

A turf war breaks out between the two dogs, as a jealous Max does not want to share Katie’s affection, or more importantly, his bed as well as his food bowl with the disruptive, abusive and basically insensitive Duke.

Meanwhile, some of Max’s neighbors figure into the story, such as the exceedingly obese cat Chloe (voiced by Lake Bell) who won’t give you the time of day unless you are willing to substitute a nice juicy chicken meal for the awful dry cat food.

The very fluffy white-haired Gidget (Jenny Slate) is a naïve but gutsy Pomeranian who talks tough for such a small dog. On the inside, she’s a secret admirer of Max, which becomes truly evident when the object of her affection goes missing.

Out for a walk in the park with an inattentive dog walker, Max and Duke find themselves cut loose from the group and suddenly lost on the mean streets of New York. An aggressive animal control crew snags them for a trip to the pound.

The streets of the city, to say nothing of the back alleys, are the home territory for feral animals, mostly former pets that have been abandoned by previous owners, and now call themselves the Flushed Pets.

This motley gang has a vengeful mission to terminate humans, except they seem to be lacking a workable game plan, even though their leader, a fuzzy white rabbit named Snowball (voiced by the funny Kevin Hart) is always talking a good game.

Since one of Snowball’s compatriots is in the same animal control van as Duke and Max, the domesticated duo pretend to be denizens of the street so as to be freed from an unwelcomed trip to the pound.

Unstable and erratic, Snowball is so deranged that he gives new meaning to paranoia. He may look cute and adorable, but he’s insane. His crew of misfits lives in the sewers where they plot the extinction of mankind.

Things start to go badly for Duke and Max when they are unable to keep up false appearances of undomesticated life, and must suddenly flee Snowball and his angry tribe right out into the Hudson River.

Above ground, in the seediest alleys, the turf belongs to untamed felines that are itching to rip apart uninvited canines. Ozone (voiced by Steve Coogan), hideously ugly inside and out, is an alley cat with a bad attitude.

As the day wears on, and Duke and Max have come to terms with the need to band together in a quest for survival in a world that is foreign and inhospitable, their friends back at the apartment building worry about their long absence.
  
Gidget ventures forth from the safe confines of her world to enlist the help of Chloe and the dopey, excitable pug Mel (voiced by Bobby Moynihan) along with the sarcastic dachshund Buddy (voiced by Hannibal Buress) to search for the missing pals.

Taking a big chance to find an ally, Gidget finds a lonely, hooded red-tailed hawk named Tiberius (voiced by Albert Brooks), who has a sharp wit and even sharper talons. Somehow, Tiberius suppresses his natural killer instincts to befriend the small dog.

Together, this diverse group of animals recruits the much-needed help of Pops (voiced by Dana Carvey), an old basset hound slowed down by age but who knows the city like the back of his wrinkled paw.

One of the more fascinating animals is Leonard, a posh poodle living in a swanky penthouse that never speaks, but has a penchant for blaring punk rock music as soon as his snooty owner leaves for the day.

Even when the action descends into the scary world of the sewers, “The Secret Life of Pets” holds on to its essentially good-natured feeling, though the animal control workers may beg to differ.

This is the type of animated film that’s good enough for family fun during the summer, but will never achieve the memorable status of “Frozen” or “Toy Story.”

Yet, “The Secret Life of Pets,” an amusing comedy, manages to strike the right notes of delightful entertainment.  

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.