Seal pupping season demands respect I was at the Children’s Pool Jan. 16 about noon and two persons decided to have lunch on the wrong side of the rope. I talked to the lifeguard and he said that they don’t want to get involved. I asked if he would call the police and he said he would. When they finally got there, it was a woman police officer. I approached her and she said that she didn’t know that the city had put up the rope to protect the seals at pupping season. I then told her that I had seen it on your website, and she said that may be because it was the pro-sealer website and it may not be accurate. I finally called that 800 number on the sign that says it’s illegal to disturb seals during pupping season. I guess it’s called NOAA, and they said that they would do something about it. I didn’t stay around long enough to see if they did show up or not. The reason I’m writing this letter is because it seems like the police department is misinformed, or doesn’t care about the seals. Can you contact the proper people so this doesn’t happen again, these people don’t seem to like the seals and will not help unless people are informed. I hope this helps the seals. Henry Gembitz, Palmdale, CA Hang-up in Haiti help While commercial air travel to the Dominican Republic and airlift to Haiti is the only viable way for most American aid workers to get where they need to be, airlines are setting firm limits on the bags they’re permitted to bring — even if that means leaving medicines behind as happened today (Jan. 19) in San Diego. Some tense hours greeted six volunteers with nonprofit relief organization Rescue Task Force of Carlsbad, at the San Diego International Airport when they checked in. With so many relief agencies flying to American Airlines’ Caribbean hub in the Dominican Republic, the airline was strictly enforcing a limit of two 50-pound bags plus a carry on for all relief workers. The five volunteers loaned from Sempra Energy and their guide and translator, a Los Angeles law enforcement officer from Haiti originally, unfortunately had three bags too many. These bags contained many life-saving, vital medications and first-aid materials requested by their contacts on the ground in Haiti. This included 400 units of life-saving calcium chloride, a medicine which is given by injection for crush syndrome to keep them alive. Haiti is in desperate need of such medicines, and each dose was a potential life saved. The team tried to pay for extra bags or an extra seat but the airline would not allow extra bags even for a fee and all seats were sold out. Ultimately, the group re-packed all of their supplies to fit what they could and left what they could not carry behind. Officials at the San Diego International Airport tried to pull strings for the local relief team with no luck. Team leader Darryl Hall contacted me later to say the rescue relief team landed into the Dominican Republic and they are waiting on military transport. “All is good and they are ready to help,” says Darryl. Chris Morrow, Coronado La Jolla’s Spanish heritage Congratulations to the La Jolla Historical Society’s popular and successful Classic Motor Cars fund-raiser, the result of its many dedicated community volunteers. As a 35-year resident of the Jewel, I would be remiss if I did not mention President Eisenhower’s vision of international friendship and cooperation based on the nonprofit and volunteer concept of the Sister Cities program made possible between San Diego and Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Regarding La Jolla, the cultural links between the universities UCSD and the one in Alcalá are many (a padre named Diego helped poor students there). The Village also boasts the La Jolla Symphony, Playhouse, Art Association, La Jolla Music Society’s summer festival of music, the Athenaeum, Scripps Hospital, the Birch Aquarium, soccer league and others too numerous to mention. Last but not least are the many bell towers and graceful gardening embellishing replicas of Spanish structures of Alcalá, birthplace of Cervantes, the author of “Don Quixote” (“Man of La Mancha”), which made me proud indeed of being sent as a Goodwill Ambassador to Alcalá by Pete Wilson in May of 1983 at the head of a 40-person delegation of San Diegans. Alfonso de Bourbon, La Jolla