Castellar and Hoff respond:
We would like to dispute the irresponsible and erroneous article printed on the front page of the Federal Way Mirror on Nov. 17, titled “An olive branch, but no kiss goodbye.”
The olive branch was given by Evelyn Castellar to support her position that the Federal Way School District needs athletics. Charlie Hoff argues that we spend too much money and time on athletics. Evelyn Castellar had just returned from an educational tour of Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia, complete with a guest lecturer with a doctorate in ancient history. The olive branch came from Olympia, Greece (not Italy as The Mirror suggests) where the first Olympiad was held, and Evelyn Castellar shared the importance of the games for the youth and ultimately the communities of more than 700 years B.C. It was not given as a peace symbol and we (Charlie and Evelyn) are not at war as The Mirror insinuated.
Oswald Spengler, author of “The Decline of the West,” wisely claims that the “free” press does not spread free opinion — it generates opinion for financial purposes and that the press stirs the public into a frenzy forcing us into conflict.
We (Charlie and Evelyn) will not be forced into a conflict that does not exist. We have never raised our voices at school board meetings. This is yet another purposeful lie to stir up conflict. We have both served this school district and community by recognizing the importance of coming prepared, and studied to argue positions that we believe will benefit the children of our community.
The proper use of arguing was considered one of the noblest of arts in ancient Greece, if not the noblest. Thanks to the exaggerations and outright lies of present-day media, there is a tendency for our leaders to shy away from this skill because they are accused of controversy.
We (Charlie and Evelyn) have not cowered from our responsibilities and we leave the board not as enemies, but as fellow school board members that did not agree about athletics. But we did agree on “Latino Night School,” NATEF, Cambridge, an effective 13th-year plan, the TAF academy, K-8, JROTC, etc., and these programs are now in place in Federal Way.
Evelyn Castellar and Charlie Hoff, Federal Way School Board members
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An eye for healthy vision:
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50 years of age.
It is caused by the breakdown of the central portion of the retina (the nerve layer part of your eye that works like the film in a camera to pick up the picture) called the macula. The macula is responsible for the fine central vision in the eye that is needed for driving a car, reading fine print, recognizing faces, etc. There are two types of macular degeneration: Dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration is generally caused by aging and vision loss is typically gradual. In the “wet” form of AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye. Sometimes these vessels leak blood or fluid that cause blurred or distorted vision. You can lose this fine central vision in one eye without knowing it and continue driving and reading as long as you have one good eye.
Here is a simple test that you can do at home. Find a small object like an alarm clock. Cover one eye and look at it, then cover the other eye. Then you need a straight line like a door way. Do the same thing again. First one eye, then the other. If you have any blurriness or distortion, you need to see an eye specialist as soon as possible. There is treatment to stop or slow down these abnormal blood vessels.
Dorothy Rozek, Federal Way
