By Ruby Elbogen

The temperature is expected to soar to over 100 degrees today, so stay as cool as you can, and drink lots of water. If you have to go outside, use sunscreen and stay out of the sun.

Quinlan Community Center, 10185 -N. Steeling (408/777-3120) is Cupertino’s designated COOLING STATION, for people to get relief from our hot weather. If you do not have air conditioning, and need a cool place to hang out, read and relax – please do not hesitate to go to Quinlan.

Bring children and dogs as well. Please keep your pets inside on hot days like today. They have no way to tell you they are overheated, and can die from the blistering weather. AND, please do not leave children or pets inside cars, which get to high double digits of temperature on warm and hot days.

Remember, if you need to cool off on hot days–even for a little while, come to Quinlan, Cupertino’s official cooling off station. You will feel welcome. Bring a book or two to read, magazines, games for the kids, and take time to enjoy the cool air inside our Community Center.

By Ruby Elbogen

The Cupertino ACS Relay For Life held Sat. & Sun. was a memorable event. The theme of Less Cancer makes More Birthdays was stressed as Lighted Luminarias spelled out the words across the visitor’s bleachers to light the way for team members walking their laps from dusk to dawn. It was a very moving sight to behold.

Mayor Kris Wang opened the Relay along with Councilmen Orrin Mahoney and Mark Santoro; and City Manager Dave Knapp. Wang noted the fact that with this was Cupertino’s 4^th Annual RFL, the numbers of team members has grown exponentially; and that by the time next years 5^th Relay, sponsors, members and teams will grow from the present 400 walkers on 25 Teams.

Team Flamingo’s Fighting For A Cure walked in memory of Michael Krohmer, former manager of B.J.’s—a Corporate Silver Sponsor, who recently lost his battle with Esophageal Cancer.

This year, 3 Corporate Team were active: Lehigh Cement, with Capt. Sandy James, and 2 Lockheed Teams: Cancer Crushers, with Capt. Carol Repucci, and Rock ‘n Roll For Life with Diana Rudd, Capt.

Cupertino activists: Chamber Pres., Lynn Ching, Fremont H.S. Dist. Member, Barbara Nunes, Dennis Whittaker, Joanne Mansch, Mahesh Nihalani, Stuart Chessen, Kim Worrall, Gail & Howard Jensen (Quota Club & Lion’s), Alice Jacob, and hundreds of others joined teams, walked, donated and participated in the effort to cure cancer in our time.

By Ruby Elbogen

Former Mayor Orrin Mahoney greeted members of the Press on behalf of Cupertino, as Lehigh’s Plant Mgr. Henrik Wesseling, announced the plan, initiated in 2008, to reduce Mercury emissions by 25%, long before the AQMD deadline.

Like a Rube Goldberg sculpture-fraught with tubes, pipes and “whiskers,” the machinery cleaning the cement-sucks up the limestone, before spitting it out, sans mercury.  Although it’s not the exact terminology, you get the picture; Volitizing is the process of turning vapor to the solid state it must be in before the mercury can be reduced.

The important caveat here is that Lehigh, owners of the cement plant have been improving air quality since they purchased it from Kaiser 3 years ago.

While it’s easy to accuse them of a plethora of bad deeds, Lehigh is regulated by so many agencies, it’s easier just to name the only one, seemingly, not using them for target practice-the S.P.C.A.

Spokesperson, Sandy James told of regular ongoing meetings with neighborhood groups to disseminate information and handle complaints; their hotline: 408/500-5034; and that Lehigh is now working with Police Chief Terry Calderone to improve the impact of trucks coming and going, in Cupertino.

By Ruby Elbogen

Unless you’ve lived in the Carmel Highlands or Pacific Grove you don’t know what water rationing really is: awful.  Our water company should take a few lessons from those playbooks.

You absolutely CANNOT build without water credits. That’s where the real solution lies; water is not automatically served at restaurants, “mellow-yellow” means toilets don’t get flushed every time; lawns get brown–they are tough on water wasters. In Cupertino, we see sprinklers blasting in the middle of the day: rain or shine- all over the sidewalks, and when was the last time a restaurant server here asked if you want water before putting the glass on your table? This alone saves thousands of gallons. At Pebble Beach, gray water is used on the golf courses.

We see leaky broken sprinklers everywhere.  Certainly, meter readers can watch for those infractions. Instead of being creative, our “water world’s” first line of defense seems to be rationing.

And, if we do mandate rationing will that water stay in our community, or be allotted to overbuilding in Santa Clara or San Jose? The only true way to save water – to really conserve is to stop overdevelopment.

Get water smart, so we won’t be water starved. I know a bit about these things; not to brag, but a while back-I was awarded an Honorary PhD in H2O from the Metropolitan Water District in LA.

By Ruby Elbogen

Since I missed the last City Council meeting due to major partying, I watched the not-so-instant replay. The only bright spot was THE ANSWER OF THE YEAR: “This would be the biggest waste of taxpayer money we could ever do or the city has ever done.” Finally, the voice of reason is heard throughout the land.

The question: “Put aside $50,000. for a health study (and here’s where I lost track of exactly why) for a cancer study or survey because some residents at San Antonio said it was prevalent there. Maybe.

Cancer IS prevalent, the surveys and studies have shown that-1 in every 3 is diagnosed with cancer. The statistics are, indeed, grim.  The “C-Buzz’ is that old silicon-and the super fund sites had more than a little to do with that, as did asbestos, which was spread around freely for too many years.

City Council members are elected to set policy, wade through budgets, smile often, kiss babies; and as the sign says-to think before they speak. They are NOT elected to practice medicine without a license.

However, just to be sure, and to rack up Good Karma points by supporting cancer research-Fight Back with The Cupertino ACS Relay For Life. Check out the website. http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=20365

By Ruby Elbogen

Our City Manager put it very succinctly at the June First City Council Meeting-when he asked one City Council Member what the city should do with the results it might gather if an air quality/health survey that member was requesting were to be taken?

After being told by the Council Member that he felt he had been elected to protect the health of the Cupertino populace; Knapp repeated that our city has no jurisdiction over Lehigh-it is a county not a city issue-and if Cupertino did pay many thousands of dollars for a survey-what would the results prove and how could we deal with them.

As far as I know, we do not have a Physician on the City Council or on the City Staff, and I don’t believe that any are Public Health experts. So, to repeat the question, what would we do with the data we collect, and who or what would determine the health impact from Lehigh: if it’s good do we apologize for having spent thousands of dollars for nothing; and if it’s bad do we hire physicians to deal with something we are prohibited from dealing with?

We have issues we have domain over, let’s stick to solving them. Columbus is not discovering America with this one; there is no Don Quixote in Cupertino, and waving a sword at a flue is not nearly as impressive as waving it at a windmill.

By Ruby Elbogen

Cancer strikes one in every three people. One in every three will be diagnosed with cancer. In Silicon Valley, it’s closer to one in every two.

Startling statistics.  Support research to fight this scourge that cuts across all boundaries: infants to seniors, black, white, all races all ethnicities-no one is safe. No part of our bodies is safe. Fight Back.

The ACS Cupertino Relay For Life will be July 17-18 at the DeAnza College Track. Join, support, donate time and money to fight back. Don’t just sit around waiting, do something to help.

This Thurs. 5/13-one of the Relay For Life Teams, Flamingo’s Fighting For a Cure, will hold a fund raiser at B.J.’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, on De Anza,  from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Please download a flier at Relay For Life Cupertino and come out to support the event. B.J.’s will give back 15% of the proceeds (if a flier is turned in with the tab) to the Cupertino Relay For Life. Fight Back.

Flyer for BJ’s: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10CA?sid=87537&type=fr_informational&pg=informational&fr_id=20365

By Ruby Elbogen

We’ve heard it all before, but it’s very very true. Age IS a state of mind. After watching iconic comic Betty White on Saturday Night Live—many of us realized this adage is fact and not fiction.

How many of us have looked in the mirror “the day after” and uttered to no one in particular – ‘who is that person looking back at me?’ It happens to all of us, sooner than later.

While opportunities in business, social activities and athletics have changed how people react and perform as they age, the revolution against outward aging was quietly going on. And, many folks who actually are considered Senior Citizens (legally and by their kids) do not feel they are. I feel your pain.

In Cupertino one becomes an official Senior Citizen

or, Old (rhymes with part) at 50. Yes, all you smug young feeling people, F*I*F*T*Y.

Betty White is 88, and she’s still young. She’s my hero and what I’ve learned from her is DON’T act accordingly. Party often, laugh much, dance even if you feel silly and hang out with kids and those who still feel like kids. And, whatever else you do—don’t act like an Old (rhymes with part.)

By Ruby Elbogen

It’s ironic to me that our county officials are focusing their efforts to reduce childhood obesity on fast food toys, instead of providing more opportunities for kids to exercise.

Instead of looking for an easy target—they should take a good look at our schools and the cuts to education that reduce physical activity. To cut obesity in our schools, slice the pork at the county level to bring greater physical programs to classrooms and after school programs.

Portable classrooms blossom like spring Poppies where outdoor games should be taking root. Cutting programs that encourage movement and music took its toll, you are reaping what you sowed. Instead of blaming themselves for over development of homes that overcrowd schools, they blame fast food purveyors for toys in fatty meals. Really?

County officials: Take a look in the mirror to place the blame for your lack of interest when it would  actually have mattered.  Use innovation to bring physical movement to schools—fund yoga, aerobics and ballroom dance classes in our schools, and watch the pounds drop. Be creative, not punative. It works.