Letters to The Editor: January 19-25, 2023

Posted

The Editor:

Thank you for informing the community of those chosen for the ad hoc downtown advisory committee, and for some information about each member. This is an important committee for the future of Blaine and its character, and our community looks to them to plan a wisely chosen path for the betterment of all.

All of these members are noted to come with “pedigree.” However, to be honest, that is a bit disappointing to me. Where are the “mutts” among the committee? Those everyday people who have lived in Blaine for many years? It would have been nice to have also had some of those voices represented.

Too often those who possess “pedigree” or those called “expert” have a vast quantity of knowledge, but in that lack the quality of understanding. There is a big difference between knowledge and understanding. The insulated world of experts too often also tends to be specialized versus holistic, lack perspective, is theoretical versus practical, and are those who don’t walk their talk. Say this isn’t so with this committee.

Those ideas that will be offered to the city and the work of the committee are both appreciated. Let’s hope though that this “pedigree” has the ability to speak for the “mutts” or else we’re back in the same old boat with no one really listening to what I hear as a majority sentiment in Blaine. We like the seaside, quiet character of our community. We don’t need or want more and bigger, but do need some things to be better. 

Your challenge more than anything else, ad hoc committee, is not to just to speak for this community, but to listen to and to understand it. Then to act on those two qualities to make Blaine an even better place to call home.

Ray Leone

Blaine

The Editor:

I would like to thank you for posting the Blaine Community Organization for Resources and Education (CORE) class on Mason Bees 101 that was held at Blaine Library last Saturday. 

We had a great turnout of interested folks – 28 to be exact. I always ask at the beginning of the class how attendees found out about the class and the overwhelming result was from reading about it in The Northern Light. Thanks again! I am looking forward to another great class on sprouting this coming Saturday.

Kelle A. Rankin-Sunter

Blaine CORE coordinator

Blaine

The Editor:

For the first time in 15 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published comprehensive guidelines on treating children with obesity, recommending more intensive treatment options including therapy and medication.

The AAP also states that severely obese children 13 years and up should be evaluated for weight loss surgery.

Weight loss surgery for kids? We need to focus more effectively on prevention before they are subjected to bariatric surgery – which has a slew of drawbacks and risks, in my opinion. Two letter writers to this publication have highlighted the necessity to address the ballooning epidemic of diabetes. A local diabetologist, Dr. Sandhya Gelou, wrote about the urgent need for diabetes prevention. Another writer made a persuasive case that the epidemic of diabetes should be on the public health agenda.

I agree with both writers – get to the root causes of overweight and obesity. The too-little, too-late model must come to a halt. One program in our county that operates in some schools is Common Threads Farm, commonthreadsfarm.org. The nonprofit has a common sense approach to help ensure our kids can lead their healthiest lives possible: “When kids eat better, they learn better, act better, and feel better.”

Another community outreach program called “Ask a Nurse” developed by Health Ministries Network is making inroads in our vulnerable populations on diabetes education and management. The Mount Baker Foundation mounted a kidney health and diabetes awareness program.

Those organizations can’t do it alone. The Whatcom County Health Department must adopt diabetes prevention (which includes obesity) as a public health initiative. Our county medical groups – obviously, by extension local pediatricians – must offer in-person behavior and lifestyle treatment, including coaching on nutrition, physical activity and changes in behavior, such as role modeling by parents.

Yes, that would take time. Well, we’d better find the time, or our kids lose.

Sheri Lambert

Laurel

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