If I had just one herb to use in the kitchen forever, it might be thyme. Basil is sometimes called the king of herbs, and, along those lines, I’ll dub thyme the wise butler. And this behind-the-scenes butler gets along with virtually everyone.

There are so many wonderful applications for thyme in both sweet and savory cooking that I’m hard pressed to mention them all. Suffice it to say that I appreciate its amazing versatility.

Restaurant critic Jeff Cox, a gardening and culinary guru, says if you have only one pot to use for an herb planting, plant thyme.

If you’re inclined to plant a backyard or windowsill herb garden, now’s the “thyme” to start, and there are plenty of varieties from which to choose.

The basic thyme used in most recipes is common or garden thyme, with the botanical name thymus vulgaris. It grows as a small, woody shrub with petite and flavorful gray-green leaves. In mid-summer, when most thyme plants flower, it sports tiny blooms in shades varying from white to lilac. This is the thyme that is typically found for sale in markets.

Another popular version of this herb is lemon thyme, prized for its light citrus taste. It’s popular in the garden and, as its name implies, adds a lemony touch to beverages and foods. A simple tea may be brewed by pouring a cup of boiling water over four or five sprigs in a cup. Lemon thyme is wonderful with fish and fresh summer salads.

Caraway thyme, native to the islands of Sicily and Corsica, was imported to continental Europe, where it’s beloved because its caraway overtones are perfect for flavoring beef.

Other thymes with interesting scents and flavors include nutmeg thyme and camphor thyme, which smell and taste of their namesakes.

Different thyme varieties grow as shrubs, hanging plants or ground creepers. Mother-of-thyme is a creeping variety used in landscaping, often planted between flagstones on a path. Its lavender flowers are a favorite of bees.

When buying the herb fresh, whether for planting, cooking or drying, run your hand gently over the leaves. If they don’t lightly scent your hand, choose another plant.

Thyme is one of the herbs central to the cooking of Provence, France and is featured in the popular “herbs de Provence” dried herb mixture, along with lavender, fennel and a variety of other herbs. Every company has its own signature blend.

It’s also commonly used in the traditional French “bouquet garni,” a bundle of fresh herbs tied with kitchen spring or enclosed in cheesecloth and dropped into a soup or stew to flavor it. The bouquet garni is then pulled out prior to serving.

Thyme goes with almost all meats – fish, beef, chicken, lamb, pork and some game animals such as venison or rabbit. It also pairs well with sweet vegetables, such as carrots; meaty vegetables, such as mushrooms and eggplant; with cooked onions and tomatoes; and even with fruits such as figs and strawberries.

In addition to its use in the cooking of France, other Mediterranean cuisines enjoy its benefits, such as Italy, Greece and Spain. It’s used in Middle Eastern and Jamaican dishes, as well.

It’s wonderful with beans and other legumes; it flavors soups, stews and ragouts; it pairs well with cheeses such as cheddar and chevre (fresh goat cheese); it’s fantastic in vinaigrette dressings; and it’s even used to flavor honey.

Other herbs that are companionable with thyme include bay leaves, oregano, marjoram, basil, savory, lemon verbena, mint, tarragon and rosemary.

It gets along well with spices as varied as cloves, allspice, paprika, coriander, mustard and nutmeg, to mention a few.

Other friends include garlic and lemon.

See what I mean about this behind-the-scenes butler getting along with everyone? Thyme is definitely the belle of the ball, the popular debutante.

One herbal newsletter has gone so far to advise, “When in doubt, use thyme.” Thymely advice, indeed.

The plant’s reputation as a medicinal curative has grown over the centuries. It’s been thought to assist in the cure or relief of ailments as diverse as epilepsy, melancholy, nervous disorders, flatulence, stomach aches, asthma, coughs, nightmares and even shyness.

As recently as World War I, thyme oil was used as a battlefield antiseptic.

While modern science hasn’t connected the dots in all the claims made by thyme enthusiasts through the years, it has found the volatile oils in thyme to be beneficial to our health in many circumstances.

Thyme has long been thought to be beneficial to respiratory conditions, such as coughs, bronchitis and chest congestion, and several volatile oils in the herb have been isolated in the aid of these ailments.

Not only does thyme have antimicrobial properties (specifically against bacteria and fungi), it contains significant antioxidants and flavonoids that protect cells against damage.

Thyme is considered a nutrient dense spice, with excellent stores of iron and manganese. It’s also a very good source of calcium and dietary fiber.

The word “thyme” may be traced to ancient Greek, where it was derived from either a word meaning “courage,” appropriate for its invigorating quality, or from one meaning “to fumigate” since the burning of thyme was used to chase stinging insects from ancient Greek homes.

Thyme may be used as a fresh or dried herb. My preference is to use fresh thyme, but the flavor of this herb holds up well when dried. Since dried herbs are more concentrated, use about two-thirds less than when using fresh.

Late spring and summer is “thyme” for thyme, and here are some ideas for its use.

Serve sprigs of fresh thyme with yogurt or sour cream on beet borscht, hot or chilled, in place of dill.

Sauté strips of red and yellow bell pepper with olive oil, garlic and thyme and serve with pasta.

Marinate artichoke bottoms in olive oil, lemon juice and fresh thyme.

Add thyme sprigs to olives in their brine.

Scoop out the inside of halved cherry tomatoes and fill them with a mixture of yogurt or sour cream, minced fresh thyme, basil and a bit of Dijon mustard.

Don’t forget about thyme blossoms. Use them as a beautiful garnish along with thyme leaves.

The recipe for today is a springtime brunch tart with a variety of flavors that, though diverse, complement one another: thyme, cardamom, balsamic vinegar, apricot jam, sweet spring strawberries and freshly ground black pepper. I especially like the combination of strawberries, cardamom and fresh thyme.

If goat cheese is unavailable, you may double the amount of cream cheese used. Enjoy!

Strawberry brunch tart with thyme and black pepper

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 pound (2 pints) fresh strawberries, sliced

3 tablespoon apricot jam

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 – 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, crushed slightly

Freshly ground black pepper

Brown sugar to taste (about ½ - 1 tbsp)

4 ounces cream cheese (low fat is OK)

4 ounces goat cheese, “fresco” style

With a fork or a whisk, mix the cardamom and sugar together in a bowl until they’re evenly combined. Set aside for later.

Unfold the puff pastry and roll it out a little to flatten it and seal any seams.

Crack an egg into a bowl. Whisk it with a fork to blend well.

With a pastry brush, spread the beaten egg along each edge of the puff pastry.

Fold one edge over about three-quarters of an inch or so and repeat with the other three sides, so that your puff pastry looks like it has a picture frame around it.

Place pastry on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush the pastry with beaten egg.

Sprinkle the whole thing (edges + center) with cardamom sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Set aside to cool.

Wash, hull and slice strawberries into medium bowl.

Combine jam, balsamic and thyme leaves in small saucepan and heat until just warm.

Pour over strawberries and mix well. Add ground pepper and brown sugar to taste.

Combine goat cheese and cream cheese in food processor with a teaspoon of cardamom sugar, or mix by hand until creamy.

Spread over cooled pastry.

Spoon strawberry mixture onto tart. Spread evenly to edges of “picture frame” but not on it.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Recipe by Esther Oertel.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's Red Cross is now a partner with two other counties' chapters, which officials say is drawing on synergy between the groups to accomplish the mission of assisting those in need.

Lake County's Red Cross chapter formally merged with the Red Cross of Sonoma and Mendocino counties last summer, according to Ellen Maremont Silver, the Sonoma Red Cross' director of marketing and communications.

For the five years before that, Lake County had been combined with the Yolo Red Cross after the local independent chapter was closed. Yolo has since been merged into the Capital Region Chapter, officials said.

Tim Miller, chief executive officer of the Red Cross Chapter of Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties, said they are excited to team up.

“The Red Cross nationally had been reorganizing,” said Miller, noting that the combination of the Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake County chapters made sense.

The three-county chapter has its main office in Santa Rosa, with offices in Ukiah and one in Lakeport, at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave.

Locally, the Red Cross reported that its primary activities include disaster response, cardiopulmonary resuscitation classes and service to the Armed Forces.

There's also its ongoing mission of raising funds for areas hit by natural disasters, including Haiti and Japan.

A month after the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, the American Red Cross reported that its donations for that disasters had reached $103 million

Just in the Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino area, Silver estimates the total will be around $137,000; volunteers are currently counting the donations. That amount doesn't include donations made directly to the American Red Cross or Japanese Red Cross, officials said.

On Friday, Plank picked up a donation from East Lake Elementary School, which raised an estimated $600 in a penny drive the children held for Japan, as Lake County News has reported.

Silver said the vast amount of work done for the Red Cross is accomplished by volunteers.

Miller said the three-county area has about 650 volunteers, most of them prepared to offer disaster services, but some also acting as administrative volunteers. They work both in the Red Cross' office and their homes.

One of Lake County's well-known Red Cross volunteers is Pam Plank, who in 2001 went to New York City to assist in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. She's often on the scene of local incidents, notably leading the effort to set up a shelter in Clearlake Oaks when the 2008 Walker Fire broke out.

Plank helps oversee Lake County's Red Cross volunteers.

“I have a cadre of about 65 people,” she said, with about 10 of those being volunteers who can be called on at any time.

While in the past Red Cross volunteers were called out in major disasters, a new change is in effect as of this year, with more regular trainings and gatherings taking place, Plank said.

Plank said she plans to hold disaster planning meetings for current and prospective disaster volunteers the third Monday of every month so volunteers can be ready for any eventuality. The meetings are held at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave.

Silver said Red Cross does many “table drills” with volunteers. Essentially, those are planning exercises to go through how a disaster might be approached.

“They are amazingly effective,” Silver said, noting that it's amazing how the “heart gets pumping” when talking about how to react in such situations. “These are not insignificant practices.”

Miller said that, in addition to the organization's mission of preparation and response, it also offers critical support to families of members of the armed forces.

The Red Cross assists military families by offering referrals to key social services, as well as a military comfort kit and stress management tools. Those services to military families are carried out solely by volunteers, Miller said.

When military families are hit with an emergency situation, the Red Cross also is able to act as official communicator with the military in an effort to get family members sent home when necessary.

“It's a very powerful service,” said Silver.

Plank personally saw this service in action. She was at Camp Pendleton when her grandson was born, and she was able to use Red Cross channels to contact her son's command in Iraq to inform him of the birth of his son.

Miller said that, on the disaster services end of the organization's operations, they respond to between 70 to 100 local incidents annually across the three counties. Many of those are home fires, where the Red Cross offers temporary housing assistance.

In such cases, the Red Cross also offers trained emotional support, as Silver pointed out that losing one's home is very traumatic.

Besides home fires, “There are a whole host of other things that can happen” – from earthquakes and floods to chemical spills, added Silver.

Silver said the Red Cross has open recruitment for volunteers, but it's during disasters that volunteers come to them.

Miller said that as long as the Lake County community supports the Red Cross, “it will be a safer community to lie in.”

Those wanting to donate to the Red Cross can do so at www.arcsm.org, www.redcross.org, can mail donations to the American Red Cross, 5297 Aero Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, or can do so by phone at 707-577-7627.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The report, based on information the association collects from more than 90 Realtor associations and multiple listing services statewide, showed that closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 514,090 units in March.

That amounted to a 3.1-percent month-over-month sales increase, and 1.5-percent over March 2010, the report showed. The association said those numbers aligned with its expectations.

“For the first time in many months, we are seeing a genuine improvement in the overall economy, especially with respect to jobs,” said association President Beth L. Peerce. “However, while interest rates and current home prices are favorable, uncertainty about whether the economy has stabilized, concerns about inflation, and an unresolved state budget have created hesitation among buyers.”

The statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home sold in California increased 5.4 percent in March compared with February to $286,010, but declined 4.9 percent compared with March 2010’s median price of $300,900.

The decline from the March 2010 numbers can be attributed partly to an increase in distressed sales in recent months, and to last year’s federal home buyer tax credit, which pushed both sales and home prices higher, according to California Association of Realtors Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young.

In Lake County, the report showed that the median home price was $94,170 in March, down from $123,330 in February, a decrease of 23.6 percent, which also constituted the biggest month-over-month value drop in the state for March.

Home prices have dropped 39.2 percent since March 2010, when the median home prices was $155,000, based on the statistics. That 39.2-percent drop also was the largest year-over-year change among the state's counties.

The next county closest in home price was Siskiyou, with a February median home price of $112,500, the report stated.

Marin County had the highest median price statewide, $826,700, a 30.7-percent increase over February's median home price of $632,580 and 4.6 percent above the $790,620 median price reported in March 2010.

Tehama had the highest month-over-month increase, 50 percent, with the February median home price of $83,330 jumping to $125,000.

Lake's unsold inventory index, which calculates how many months it would take to deplete the supply of home son the market, was 7.7 percent in March, down from 8.4 in February but up from 6.9 in March 2010.

Some good news – homes were selling faster in Lake County in March. The median time on the market was 83.9 days, down from 112.8 days in February and also down from 94.3 days in March 2010.

In other findings, the report also showed that the Unsold Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes was 5.3 months in March, down from 7.3 months in February 2011, but up compared with March 2010’s 4.8-month supply.

The index indicates the number of months needed to deplete the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.

Thirty-year fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 4.84 percent during March 2011, compared with 4.97 percent in March 2010, according to Freddie Mac. Adjustable-mortgage interest rates averaged 3.22 percent in March 2011, compared with 4.20 percent in March 2010.

The median number of days it took to sell a single-family home was 56.7 days in March 2011, compared with 37 days for the same period a year ago, the association reported.

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In commemoration of the 150^th anniversary of the founding of Lake County this year, Lake County News is publishing a series of historical stories about the county, its people and places. This week the topic is settlers who moved to Lake County hoping to escape the unrest of the American Civil War, which also marks the sesquicentennial of its beginning this year. The following excerpt is from “Lower Lake Lore,” written by Jane Weaver, a moving force behind the restoration of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum.

The Copsey train of some 40 wagons came from Missouri to Lake County in 1856.

These pioneers understood that trouble was brewing between the North and South and they wanted to get as far away from it as possible.

Pleasant Smith and wife Saphonia Copsey were married on the trip across the plains, and came directly to the Lower Lake area.

She was known for naming Jerusalem Valley and giving similar biblical names to other adjoining territory. They also were the first to move to Jerusalem Valley, and they lived there for many years.

Only a few years after the Copseys establishing themselves in the lower end of our county the Civil War broke out. Those men that had come with the Copsey train decided that they would have no part of a war and would not fight for either side.

Believing it possible that authorities might enforce a wartime draft and compel the younger men to enter the army, they decided to resist.

About one-half mile south of where the road crosses Soda Creek in Jerusalem Valley and one-fourth mile up, and west of the stream, is a slope nearly one-half mile long from top to bottom. It is composed mostly of clay, is open country and contains a few small white oaks. The immigrant road from Middletown runs through here.

In the middle of this slope is a neat little hill with an appearance as if it had been poured out of a sand bucket. On the top of this hill is a natural formation of broken up rocks ranging in size from small stones to large boulders.

Pleasant Smith, George Bishop and others living nearby took advantage of this natural fortress-like location and built themselves what is now known as Jerusalem Valley Fort.

Instead of building a wall around a single enclosure, they dug a series of fox-holes. There were four well-defined holes, each about 5 feet across and three feet deep. Another half dozen less perfect holes were started.

From this vantage point, the men in the fort had a good view in all directions. With two men to a foxhole, back to back, hidden behind these rock barricades, it would have taken a small army to dislodge them.

Necessary supplies, such as powder, lead for bullets and other items to withstand a siege, were brought in with each family furnishing a share.

The Civil War ended. No attempt was ever made by the government to force any of the men to enter the conflict, therefore, the fort was never put to use.

After all danger was over, the supplies were divided up and given back to the original owners and the Jerusalem Valley Fort was abandoned.

A late descendent of one of the parties remembers, as a boy, helping to cut up the remains of a lead brick which had been stored in the fort.

The intention had originally been to melt down the brick for bullets. It was cut up and used instead as shot for a muzzle-loading shotgun.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's annual burn ban, which addresses fire hazards and air quality, begins Sunday, May 1.

The burn restriction applies to all areas in Lake County. All burn permits expire on April 30.

An annual burn ban was first implemented in 1986 in response to weather conditions that often create extreme fire danger and poor air quality.

For many years a managed approach which incorporates fire and air agency concerns has been implemented and improved upon, according to the Lake County Air Quality Management District.

The ban as implemented allows a quick fire agency response to all fires observed from May 1 onward, as they are all assumed to be uncontrolled fires unless specifically authorized by an exemption for time and place.

County air quality officials credited the program with being a the primary reason for Lake County's superior and healthful air quality.

The air quality management ban also helps prevent smoke impacts to the general public and large planned outdoor events by unrestricted vegetative waste burns.

The burn ban includes all open waste burning, though exceptions are possible for agricultural operations, essential control burns and public safety burns.

To obtain an agricultural exemption, first contact your local fire protection agency so that your burn site can be inspected and evaluated for fire safety.

Only after the fire agency has inspected the burn site and notified the Lake County Air Quality Management District that the proposed burn is fire safe, should community members contact district to establish economic necessity and obtain a written exemption permit.

Anyone responsible for open burning without a valid written exemption permit may be subject to a citation, fines and the cost of the agency response to extinguish the fire.

Burn restrictions will remain in effect until Cal Fire declares an end to fire season.

The public is asked to observe the ban and, in doing so, to help reduce the danger and losses caused by uncontrolled fires, and protect the county's designation as the only air basin in the state to meet all ambient air quality standards.

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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A local school has been named among the top schools in the North Coast region and a finalist in the annual Governor's Fitness Challenge, which works to encourage young people to be more physically active.

Lower Lake Elementary School is in the competition to win a fitness center if it comes out ahead in the challenge, which runs through the end of May.

As of Tuesday, April 26, the school was leading the North Coast region with 83,946 active days recorded, officials said. An active day is one in which a student is active for at least 30 minutes.

The school's next closest competitor in its region was Harvest Middle in Napa, which had 59,480 active days.

Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Chairman Jake Steinfeld said the council will award three $100,000 Live Positively Fitness Centers to California schools that participate in the 2011 Governor’s Fitness Challenge, and make a special effort to promote physical activity for students during the month of May – California’s Fitness Month.

“When it comes to fitness, I’m a big believer in giving schools the tools,” he said. “We started the Governor’s Challenge this year offering three fitness centers as our grand prizes. Now, thanks to Coca-Cola’s Live Positively Initiative, we’re able to double that to 6.”

Steinfeld thanked the company for stepping up “at a time when our state government is being forced to slash budgets.”

He said he hopes the new fitness centers will be an incentive for all California children to be active during the month of May, a month in which most schools implement state mandated academic testing.

“When kids are active they feel better about themselves, they have more confidence and they do better in school,” Steinfeld said. “That’s a big reason why we started the Governor’s Challenge, because academics and fitness go hand in hand.”

One Northern, Central, and Southern California school will each be selected to receive a Live Positively Fitness Center award.

Officials said winning schools will be selected from a group of finalists based on participation in the 2011 Governor’s Challenge and based on essays describing what each school has done to help its students “live positively” by promoting physical activity during the month of May.

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, a longtime proponent of physical activity, was the leader in establishing May as California Fitness Month when he was in the California State Assembly and the California State Senate.

Torlakson said he is taking on a leadership role with the Governor’s Fitness Challenge because of the proven benefits of physical activity.

“Research shows that physically active students are in better health, have greater confidence and self-esteem and perform better academically,” said Torlakson. “I encourage all California students to take the Governor’s Fitness Challenge and engage in an active, healthy lifestyle.”

The other top 10 Northern California schools ranked by region include the following.

Bay Area: FAME Public Charter, Fremont, 134,061 active days; Ruskin Elementary, San Jose, 132,419 active days; Sunset Ridge Elementary, Pacifica, 132,419 active days; Holbrook Elementary, Concord, 82,757 active days.

Gold Country: Waterford Middle, Waterford, 77,986 active days; Osborn Elementary, Turlock, 75,980 active days; Great Valley Academy, Modesto, active days 74,486; and Tuolumne Elementary, Modesto, 69,485 active days.

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One day, years from now – or maybe billions of years, no one knows – aliens might be surprised to run across an old spaceship from Earth.

Improbably far from home, the ancient probe is space cold, its nuclear power source spent long ago; an iconic white antenna points silently into the void, beaming no data to the species that made it.

Yet this Voyager may speak to its finders.

A golden record is fixed to the side of the probe, and if ET can decipher it, he might be surprised again, because Voyager has a story to tell – and it's a love story.

Rewind to 1977.

Jimmy Carter was president, Star Wars was the top-grossing film, and NASA was preparing to launch the two Voyager probes to the outer planets.

Like Pioneer 10 and 11 before them, Voyager 1 and 2 would fly by the gas giants and, after a frenzy of data-taking, slingshot out of the solar system.

These spacecraft were to become interstellar ambassadors. Less than nine months before launch, Carl Sagan was asked by NASA personnel to assemble “some message for a possible extraterrestrial civilization.”

Later, one member of Sagan's small team would describe the process as “a fire drill” with nothing less at stake than First Contact itself.

“The chances of aliens finding the Voyagers in the vast emptiness of space are small – some say infinitesimal – but we took our jobs seriously,” recalled team member Ann Druyan. “From the moment when Carl first broached the project to Tim Ferris and me, it felt mythic.”

Voyager would carry a selection of Earth's greatest music, a photo gallery of our planet and its inhabitants, and an audio essay of terrestrial sounds, both natural and technological.

But how would this information be conveyed?

A popular technology in the 1970s was the 8-track tape. That would never do. For one thing, what would ET think? Moreover, magnetic tape is susceptible to degradation by space radiation and magnetic fields. A message recorded on such a medium would decay long before it was found.

Radio astronomer Frank Drake, who became a key member of Sagan's team, suggested a phonograph record. Extraterrestrials would stand a good chance of figuring out how to play back such an old-school technology – and phonograph records were tough.

By one estimate, the etchings on a suitably-shielded metallic phonograph record could last for hundreds of millions of years in interstellar space, eroded mainly by a slow drizzle of micrometeoroid impacts. A copper record coated in gold would satisfy the thermal and magnetic requirements of the Voyager probes.

“Eventually we decided on having the record designed for 16 2/3 revolutions per minute,” wrote Sagan. This was half the speed of a conventional 33 1/3 platter. “[There would be] some loss in fidelity but not, we believe, an extremely severe loss, especially if the recipients were as clever as they would have to be to acquire the record in the first place.”

Choosing the contents of the record was a heady and agonizing process. Even with the stepped-down spin rate, there was only enough room for about 90 minutes of music and a hundred or so images.

“I remember sitting around the kitchen table making these huge decisions about what to put on and what to leave off,” said Druyan. “We couldn't help but appreciate the enormous responsibility to create a cultural Noah's Ark with a shelf life of hundreds of millions of years.”

In their book, “Murmurs of Earth,” Sagan and the team describe the decision-making process.

Much of the challenge was intellectual – for example, how to cover the complete geographical, historical and cultural variety of the world’s music in 90 minutes or less.

Among Western music, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Chuck Berry's “Johnny B. Goode” made the cut; selections from Jefferson Starship did not.

Some challenges were legal: The Beatles' “Here Comes the Sun” could not be sent because the Fab Four, who unanimously wished their work sent to the stars, did not hold the copyright to their own song.

Other challenges were bureaucratic. In one of many anecdotes that illuminate the human condition as well as anything on the Golden Record, Sagan describes the tortuous process of obtaining permission for a number of UN delegates to simply say “Hello.”

Ultimately, it couldn't be done, and Sagan appealed to the foreign language departments of Cornell University, where professors and students were eager to help. Thus a representative set of short greetings was assembled, beginning with Sumerian, one of the oldest known languages, and ending with a greeting from an American 5-year old: “Hello from the children of planet Earth.”

When all was said and done, Voyager blasted off with 118 photographs; 90 minutes of music; greetings in 55 human languages and one whale language; an audio essay featuring everything from burbling mud pots to barking dogs to a roaring Saturn 5 liftoff; a remarkably poetic salutation from the Secretary General of the United Nations; and the brain waves of a young women in love.

Of all the selections on the record, it is the latter which might pique ET's interest most. It certainly has this effect on human listeners.

Just how do you stumble upon a woman in love and record her brain waves for an interstellar message? It helps when the young woman is herself a member of the recording team: Ann Druyan.

“I had this idea,” said Druyan, “that we should put someone's EEG on the record. We know that EEG patterns register some changes in thought. Would it be possible, I wondered, for a highly advanced technology of several million years from now to actually decipher human thoughts?”

Sagan and the others liked the idea, and volunteered Druyan to provide the brain waves.

“I contacted Dr. Julius Korein of the New York University Medical Center, and with Tim Ferris's help we set up an hour-long recording session for my innermost self,” she said.

The EEG was scheduled for June 3, 1977. Druyan prepared a script to guide her thoughts – “a mental itinerary of the ideas and individuals of history whose memory I hoped to perpetuate.” She could not prepare, however, for what happened two days before the scheduled recording.

“On June 1, 1977, Carl and I shared a wonderfully important phone call,” she said.

Without the aid of a date or even a romantic moment alone, the two had fallen in love during the mad rush to complete the Golden Record.

“We decided to get married. It was a 'Eureka' moment for both of us – the idea that we could find the perfect match,” she said. “It was a discovery that has been reaffirmed in countless ways since.”

Echoes of that moment reverberated through her mind during the recording session. Her conscious mind may have been reciting culture and philosophy, but her subconscious was buzzing with the euphoria of the Great Idea of True Love. The hour was electronically compressed to a single minute that sounds, appropriately, like a string of exploding firecrackers.

“My feelings as a 27 year old woman, madly fallen in love, they're on that record,” said Druyan. “It's forever. It'll be true 100 million years from now. For me Voyager is a kind of joy so powerful, it robs you of your fear of death.”

If aliens ever do find one of the Voyagers and decipher its contents, they will briefly meet dozens of musicians, artists, whales, dogs, crickets, engineers, and common working people. But the only one who they might have a chance to truly get to know is that young woman – not a bad choice.

It has been pointed out that the most probable finders of Voyager will be … us. Eventually, technology may allow humans to overtake and recover the distant probes. In that case, they will be reduced to mere time capsules from the year 1977.

Arthur C. Clarke recognized this possibility and suggested adding a note to the Golden Record: “Please leave me alone; let me go on to the stars.”

Because Voyager has a story to tell.  

Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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Looking for an adventure? Get up in the wee hours of the morning May 6 and head out into the country, far from the city lights. You won't be alone. The birds will be up and singing about the coming dawn, and, of course, about the eta Aquarid meteor shower.

The eta Aquarids are best viewed from the southern hemisphere, but there's something special about them no matter where you live: “Each eta Aquarid meteoroid is a piece of Halley's Comet doing a kamikaze death dive into the atmosphere,” explained NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. “Many people have never seen this famous comet, but on the morning of May 6th they can watch bits of it leave fiery trails across the sky.”

A messenger from the dawn of the universe, Halley's Comet orbits the sun once every 76 years. Each time it swings by the sun, intense solar heat vaporizes about 6 meters of ice and rock from the nucleus.

The debris particles, about the size of sand grains, spread along the comet's orbit, filling it with tiny meteoroids.

“Although Halley's Comet is deep in the outer solar system at the moment and won't return to Earth until 2061, it treats us to a meteor shower twice a year as our planet passes by the debris cloud,” said Cooke. “In May we have the eta Aquarids, and in October the Orionids.”

And there is something especially significant about the 2011 eta Aquarids.

“This is your one chance this year to see meteors blaze across the sky without glaring moonlight dimming them.”

A thin crescent moon will vacate the sky in the early evening, leaving a dark canvas for the display. Early risers are in luck, as the best viewing is an hour or two before dawn. Lie down where you can see as wide an expanse of sky as possible to catch more meteors with your peripheral vision. Look up into the darkness and relax.

The radiant for the eta Aquarids is in the constellation Aquarius: diagram. But you don't need to look toward the radiant to see the meteors.

“Meteors can appear in any part of the sky,” said Cooke. “In fact their trails will tend to point back toward the radiant, so if you look that way the meteor may appear somewhat stubby. They'll appear much longer going by you than coming at you.”

You won't need binoculars or a telescope to observe eta Aquarid meteors. The naked eye's field of view is usually best for seeing meteors, which frequently streak more than 45 degrees across the sky.

“Eta Aquarids are fast, moving at 66 km/s (148,000 mph!), and often trace long paths across the sky, sometimes leaving glowing, persistent trains. In the northern hemisphere, depending on your latitude [the closer to the equator the better], you should see from 10 to 40 meteors just before dawn,” said Cooke.

Remember to pack a reclining chair or an old blanket to lie on, and a thermos of hot coffee would be nice. After all, you'll be up mighty early.

The spring night air may be damp and chill, so bring along another blanket – or better yet, a big furry dog, both for warmth and company. Golden Retrievers work nicely.

It's sure to be a memorable experience. A night breeze caressing your cheek, the aroma of hot coffee in the predawn air, a gently rising chorus of birdsong accompanying your own personal light show – and your greatest admirer by your side. It just doesn't get any better.

On May 5, NASA meteor experts will host an afternoon live Web chat from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Central time and an “up all night” chat from 10 p.m. on May 5 to 4 a.m. on the May6 (Central time).

Get ready to help NASA watch the skies. Join live the Web discussion about this shower – spawned by Halley's Comet – and all things meteoric. Details here: www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/aquarids2011.html.

Dauna Coulter works for the National Aeronautics Space Administration.

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Employees and courthouse visitors were evacuated following the receipt of a threat that a bomb would go off in the building at around 10:30 a.m., according to Sheriff Frank Rivero.

Rivero said the threat was phoned in to the County Counsel's Office.

He said the caller said to “leave the marijuana people alone.”

At 10 a.m. the Lake County Planning Commission had been scheduled to hold a hearing on a medical marijuana dispensaries ordinance.

A perimeter was set up around the building with Lakeport Public Works barricading off the streets, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

Rivero said a bomb sniffing dog from the Department of Defense was sent in to help clear the building.

No explosives were found and the building was reopened to employees and the public at around 1 p.m., officials reported.

The sheriff's office reported that the investigation into the incident is continuing.

A full story will follow later tonight.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and the California Highway aPatrol (CHP) along with its traffic safety partners are reminding all motorists to safely share the road; it may save a life

Following several years of increases, in 2009, the most recent year for which finalized data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) is available, the number of people killed and injured in motorcycle-involved collisions dropped.

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That year in California, 396 people died and 11,488 were injured as a result of a crash involving a motorcycle.

“The drop in overall number of collisions is encouraging, but there is more work to be done,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “All motorists are reminded to be extra alert when on the road to help keep everyone safe.”

One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent.

“Motorcyclists are much more vulnerable than passenger vehicle drivers,” said Robert Gladden, Vice President of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “In addition to wearing the proper safety gear, especially a helmet that is certified by its manufacturer to meet DOT specifications, riders are encouraged to enroll in a training course.”

The CHP strongly encourages all riders to sign up for the California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP) before beginning to ride.

CMSP offers the Basic RiderCourse for beginning motorcyclists and Basic RiderCourses 2 for riders who are interested in improving their skills.

CMSP expects to train 65,000 motorcyclists per year and operates more than 120 training sites throughout California. To find a location nearest you, go to www.ca-msp.org/.

Committed to developing and promoting traffic safety campaigns that help save lives, the CHP uses educational campaigns as an avenue to reach the public with its motorcycle safety message. These campaigns are made possible by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

“Increased awareness by everyone on the road will result in greater safety,” said OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy. “Through the continued efforts of law enforcement, traffic safety organizations on every level and the public, we can extend this downward trend in collisions statewide.”

Helping the CHP spread the word about motorcycle safety awareness to the motoring public is the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). During may, caltrans is set to display an important message, statewide on the agency's changeable message signs: Share the road, look twice for motorcyclists.

“Exercising common sense and courtesy on the road will go a long way in this traffic safety endeavor," said Commissioner Farrow.

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Retitling assets, like stock and bonds, from one’s name into one’s living trust is necessary to avoiding an unnecessary probate of such assets if held outside of the trust.

Sometimes people fail to transfer some or all of their intended trust assets into their trust. A general assignment of assets to one’s living trust provides an important safeguard.

Let’s examine what a general assignment is and how it helps to fund one’s trust and avoid a probate.

A general assignment of assets transfers ownership on a wide variety of assets as the name implies.

An all-encompassing general assignment is regularly used by estate planners to transfer all types of financial assets (excluding tax deferred retirement accounts) and personal property (such as the contents of one’s home) into the trust. It is a half-step towards actually re-titling the securities and the financial accounts into the name of the trustee.

Nevertheless, the settlor should still proceed to contact the banks, brokerages, and stock transfer agents (as relevant) to formally transfer legal title into the name of the trustee.

But, in the event that the formal legal title is not transferred prior to death, the general assignment can be used to obtain a court order to transfer legal title into the trust.

In Kucker v. Kucker, (2011), 192 CA 4th, 90, the Court of Appeal reversed a trial court decision wherein the trial court disallowed a petition to transfer stocks into a trust based on a general assignment of all assets by the settlor to the trustee.

The Court of Appeal agreed with the petitioner that a general assignment of all or substantially all of the settlor’s assets into one’s trust does cause the stocks to be owned by the trustee. An otherwise unnecessary probate was thus avoided thanks to a general assignment by the settlor.

Similarly, a declaration of trust by a settlor to hold certain assets listed on a schedule of pledged assets attached to a trust document can likewise be used to accomplish the same result.

Most attorneys use a schedule of initial trust assets and a general assignment to reinforce one-another.

Moreover, unlike the general assignment, the schedule of trust assets will also include the real estate – together with a full legal description -- for the same reason.

That is, if a trust transfer deed is not properly executed prior to the settlor’s death, then the schedule of initial trust assets to a declaration of trust can be used to petition the court to transfer legal title into the trust without a probate.

While the general assignment and the declaration of trust are important safeguards against the failure to formally transfer title to trust assets while the settlor is still alive and competent, such safeguards are just safeguards.

The better course of action is to see that one’s real estate, stocks and bonds, and financial accounts (and other trust assets) are properly titled in the name of the trustee of one’s trust.

After all, filing a court petition entails further expenses and delay in the administration of the trust that can be avoided.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235.

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The 2011 report, which includes lists of the nation's most polluted metropolitan areas, was released Wednesday.

For several years Lake County has been ranked a top clean air county, and this year it was ranked No. 6 for cleanest counties based on year-round particle pollution.

Of the 25 counties on that list, the only California counties listed were Lake and San Benito.

The No. 6 ranking was an improvement over the No. 10 ranking the county received in the 2010 report. It 2009 Lake County was ranked No. 3 nationwide.

The report showed that Lake County received an “A” for having no high ozone days from 2007 to 2009, but received a “B” grade for having two high particle pollution days, also in the 2007 to 2009 time frame.

That latter grade was likely influenced by the Walker Fire and other regional forest fires in 2008 which caused several local air quality warnings during the summer months.

In California, in addition to Lake County, those receiving “A” grades overall were Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou and Sonoma.

The report found that the majority of American cities most-polluted by ozone (smog) or year-round particle pollution (soot) have improved, showing continued progress in the cleanup of deadly toxics, thanks to the Clean Air Act.

Though progress has been made, the American Lung Association said some members of Congress are working to weaken the Clean Air Act and public health protection it provides.

The Lung Association's annual air quality report, available at www.stateoftheair.org, reveals that just over half the nation – 154.5 million people – live in areas with levels of ozone and/or particle pollution that are often dangerous to breathe.

State of the Air 2011 finds the Clean Air Act is working. All metro areas in the list of the 25 cities most polluted by ozone showed improvement over the previous report, and 15 of those cities experienced the best year yet. All but two of the 25 cities most polluted with year-round particle pollution improved over last year's report.

However, only 11 cities among those most polluted by short-term spikes in particle pollution experienced improvement.

“State of the Air tells us that the progress the nation has made cleaning up coal-fired power plants, diesel emissions and other pollution sources has drastically cut dangerous pollution from the air we breathe,” said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association president and chief executive officer. “We owe our cleaner air to the Clean Air Act. We have proof that cleaning up pollution results in healthier air to breathe. That's why we cannot stop now. Half of our nation is still breathing dangerously polluted air. Everyone must be protected from air pollution.”

The State of the Air 2011 report grades cities and counties based, in part, on the color-coded Air Quality Index developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help alert the public to daily unhealthy air conditions.

The 12th annual release of the Lung Association's report uses the most recent EPA data collected from 2007 through 2009 from official monitors for ozone and particle pollution, the two most widespread types of air pollution.

Counties are graded for ozone, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution levels. The report also uses EPA's calculations for year-round particle levels.

The report identified Honolulu, Hawaii and Santa Fe-Espanola, N.M. as the cleanest cities – the only two cities in the nation that were among the cleanest for year-round particle pollution and also had no days when ozone and daily particle pollution levels reached unhealthy ranges.

The report also found that one in five Americans breathe dangerous levels of deadly particle air pollution.

Nearly 60 million Americans (19.8 percent) live in counties with too many unhealthy spikes in particle pollution levels, and 18 million people live with unhealthy year-round levels of particle pollution.

Particle levels can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end (short-term) or remain at unhealthy levels on average every day (year-round).

“Particle pollution kills,” said Norman H. Edelman, M.D., American Lung Association chief medical officer. “When you breathe these microscopic particles, you are inhaling a noxious mix of chemicals, metals, acid aerosols, ash and soot that is emitted from smokestacks, tailpipes, and other sources. It is as toxic as it sounds and can lead to early death, asthma exacerbations, heart attacks, strokes and emergency room visits in substantial numbers. Science clearly has proven that we need to protect the health of the public from the dangers of particle pollution.”

Only 10 counties received an “F” for year-round particle pollution, a reflection of progress made under the Clean Air Act. Bakersfield, Calif. tops both lists of cities most-polluted by short-term and annual particle pollution. Bakersfield and Hanford, Calif. were the only two cities where year-round particle levels worsened over the previous report.

State of the Air 2011 finds that nearly half the people in the U.S. (48.2 percent) live in counties that received an “F” for air quality due to unhealthy ozone levels.

Ozone (smog) is the most widespread air pollutant, created by the reaction of sunlight on emissions from vehicles, power plants and other sources.

When ozone is inhaled, it irritates the lungs. It can cause immediate health problems and continue days later. Ozone can cause wheezing, coughing, asthma attacks and even premature death.

Lists of the most polluted cities follow.

Nation's most polluted cities

Most ozone-polluted cities

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.

2. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif.

3. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.

4. Fresno-Madera, Calif.

5. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, Calif.-Nev.

6. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.

7. San Diego-Carlsbad-San arcos, Calif.

8. Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, Texas

9. Merced, Calif.

10. Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, N.C.-S.C.

Cities most polluted by short-term particle pollution

1. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif.

2. Fresno-Madera, Calif.

3. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.

4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.

5. Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, Utah

6. Provo-Orem, Utah

7. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.

8. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.

9. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.

9. Logan, Utah-Idaho

9. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, Calif.-Nev.

Cities most polluted by year-round particle pollution

1. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif.

2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.

2. Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz.

2. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.

5. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.

6. Fresno-Madera, Calif.

7. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.

8. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.

9. Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.

10. Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, Ky.-Ind.

10. Modesto, Calif.

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