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MCT: Thursday, May 2, 2019

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A DRY APRIL

April showers were scant this year, with Boonville getting less than an inch and Yorkville under two. Monthly totals for the 2018-19 rain season:

Boonville (total to date: 47.72 inches)

  • 00.70" Apr
  • 07.28" Mar
  • 17.73" Feb
  • 11.54" Jan
  • 03.72" Dec
  • 05.32" Nov
  • 01.43" Oct

Yorkville (total to date: 64.44 inches)

  • 01.76" Apr
  • 10.12" Mar
  • 24.88" Feb
  • 14.36" Jan
  • 05.80" Dec
  • 06.04" Nov
  • 01.48" Oct

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GRIFFITH PARK MAY DAY festivities, 1930.

photo by Dick Whittington

* * *

FAIR PLAY FOR FATHER LOU

Catholic Bishop Giving Beloved Father Lou ‘The Boot’

Unconfirmed Rumor Vietnam Vet Padre Out In June

MSP was messaged by a “reliable source” that beloved Mendocino Coast Catholic priest (and Marine Corps Vietnam veteran) “Father Lou” — Louis Nichols — of Mendocino’s Saint Anthony’s Church is being unceremoniously ousted from his position in June.

The message read: “Have you heard Father Lou is being kicked out of his house - the rectory in Mendocino — by the Bishop? He has two dogs. Can you help him? He will be 87 on June 16 and will be kicked out of his church and home on June 24th. Father Lou is a great man. We need a campaign to either to keep Father Lou in the house or church or find him a place for him and his dogs. Also, a place for him to say Mass. Father Lou does not want to retire.”

MSP went to the Diocese of Santa Rosa website to get Bishop Robert F. Vasa’s email address and found this: “You may contact (the Bishop) by phone at 707.566-3325 or send him an email through Lynne Peter, his assistant, lpeter@srdiocese.org. “

We sent an email to see if they could clear up this situation.

MSP wrote to Lynne Peter and, after sharing the message we received today, wrote:

“Could you please address whether he is being tossed out of the rectory onto the street in June?

I'm a Catholic and can't for the life of me imagine the Bishop just ‘tossing’ him out in light of his decades of devoted service to the church - including during the Vietnam war. Father Lou is much beloved here on the Mendocino coast, I can tell you that.

Is this how the ‘new’ Catholic Church treats its elders now?

I'll be posting a link to your email address so others can chime in on what, up to now, is only a rumor.

Please let me know what is going on in regards to Father Lou.”

MSP wonders why the Diocese doesn’t have him simply move to the VACANT rectory in Elk? If this is truly going on, it is certainly one of the most UNCHRISTIAN decisions we’ve heard of. In light of their scandals, one would think the Catholic church would be happy to accommodate a man truly devoted to God and his church.

If you wish to comment on the removal of Father Lou from his service to the coast, contact the Diocese of Santa Rosa at either the phone number or email listed.


Day 2: No Word From Santa Rosa Diocese On Father Lou’s Status

MSP wrote a letter to the Bishop in Santa Rosa for confirmation that beloved Mendocino Priest “Father Lou,” who served the Catholic Church in Vietnam, is getting booted out of the St Anthony Church rectory June 24th. We have yet to receive a reply.

We posted the “rumor” (at this point) and heard from a viewer who said,

“Unfortunately, the rumor is true. If you wish to contact the Bishop directly and speak up for Father Lou, his complete contact information is below.

Direct Email: BpVasa@SRDiocese.org

Mailing Address: The Most Reverend Robert F. Vasa, Bishop of Santa Rosa, P.O. Box 1297, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

I think ‘snail mail’ would be most effective, but frankly, I don't think either will work, although it's worth a try. My guess is the Bishop has some plans, but has been unwilling to share them with anyone.”

(—MendocinoSportsPlus)


Background

(From the January 2019 Church Newsletter)

Father Lou celebrates his 58th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood on Friday, February 2nd. Throughout the 58 years of his priestly service Father Lou has been grateful that he has had the opportunity to serve people in many ways. From 1960-1966 he was a parish Priest in the Diocese of Syracuse, New York. In 1966 he was granted permission to enter the United States Navy Chaplain Corp.

For 11 years he served at several Navy and Marine Corps installations including two tours of duty in Vietnam. While he served at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, he also served as Chaplain at the FBI Academy. After Military service he continued his education earning a Master’s Degree in Psychological Studies which afforded him the opportunity to provide Ministry to Veterans and Airline Employees. He served with US Airways for 10 years, to 53,000 employees in 130 cities, his largest parish ever. Then it was back to being a Parish Priest at St. John’s Church in Spencerport, New York (1990-1993).

In 1993 he was Chaplain at Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa, California. In 1994, he became Administrator of St. Anthony’s Parish in Willits. From1997-2005, he became the administrator of Queen of Peace Church in Clearlake. In 2005 Bishop Daniel Walsh appointed Father Lou the Pastor of St. Anthony’s Church in Mendocino. Father Lou has served in the Diocese of Santa Rosa for 24 years. In his words, “People anywhere and everywhere come to appreciate the presence of the priest, which only adds to the truth of the concept that a priest in ordained to serve all, or in the words of St. Paul,

“Not it is not I who Live, but Christ lives in me.” People, people, people all of them beautiful people. And I thank my God for the opportunity to serve many.

Father Lou had the privilege of Parochial jurisdiction of the Vietnamese Parish in Thach Nam, Vietnam, during the war.

Their parish priest was killed by the Vietcong. The people requested that the Marine Battalion allow Father Lou to visit Thach Nam to celebrate Mass and the Sacraments for the villagers. Father Lou stated: “The Marines whom I instructed to convert to Catholicism made their First Communion and their Confirmation with the Vietnamese children in a combat zone visited by the Holy Spirit. It was an unforgettable event. It was the brotherhood of the priesthood that stabilized me. And the brotherhood of the Military Chaplains was unmatched by anything else in the world. Long live the priesthood.

There is no greater vocation than to care for God’s people. What is a Priest then? A Priest is a man taken from among men and ordained for men with regard to the things pertaining to God” Please pray for Priests. Peace and Love,

* * *

* * *

EXCELLENT ATTENDANCE at the first presentation in the Living with Wildfire series Tuesday night. Next Tuesday is "Part Two: Fire Behavior & Best Management Practices for Your Property" with Mary Mayeda of the Resource Conservation District. See you there! (KATHY WYLIE)

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AGENCY PREDICTS HEAVY WILDFIRE SEASON along West Coast

The National Interagency Fire Center is predicting a heavy wildfire season.

Most of the country can expect a normal wildfire season, but residents along the West Coast should be ready for another busy season, the National Interagency Fire Center says.

* * *

* * *

HENDY WOODS GALA & FOREST FESTIVAL. Sunday! May 5th. Noon-3pm. Hendy Woods State Park, Philo.

A Community Celebration of Hendy Woods State Park

FREE Day Use Entry for Mendocino County Residents - know your zip code

Games for All Ages, May Pole, Guided Hikes

Wear Your Forest-themed Costume: Creatures, Plants, Bugs, Slugs, Lichen

Snacks Provided, BBQs available

* * *

FORT BRAGG HOUSING SURVEY

The City of Fort Bragg is updating the Housing Element of our General Plan. The Housing Element sets City Council’s goals and policy with regard to housing regulations and development. Community participation is important and encouraged. Please consider participating in one of more of the following!

Complete our short housing needs survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Fort_Bragg_Housing

Attend our Community Workshop on May 15 at 6:00 PM in Town Hall, 363 N Main Street

Visit the City’s Farmers Market table on May 15 and/or May 22 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM

https://city.fortbragg.com/689/2019-Housing-Element

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NARCAN TO THE RESCUE

On 04-29-2019 at about 12:25 am, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a possible overdose situation at a residence in the 7900 block of Pinecrest Drive in Redwood Valley. Deputies were advised there were possible two victims at the residence who had ingested illicit drugs and had become unresponsive. The Redwood Valley Fire Department and an ambulance from a local provider were also dispatched to the residence. Sheriff's Deputies arrived at the residence and immediately began rendering aid to the two adult male victims (50 year-old and 61 year-old). Sheriff's Deputies administered at least four separate 4 milligram dosage units of NARCAN to the 61 year-old male and he responded to the opioid antidote medication and began to awaken. Redwood Valley Fire Department and ambulance personnel arrived and took over further life saving efforts. The 61 year-old male was transported by ambulance to the Ukiah Valley Medical Center for further medical treatment. The 50 year-old male had a very weak pulse, was not breathing and was also given NARCAN while life saving measures were started. Unfortunately these efforts were unsuccessful and the 50 year-old male was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) recently began to issue NARCAN ® (Naloxone HCI) nasal spray dosage units to its employees as part of their assigned personal protective equipment. MCSO's goal is in protecting the public and officers from opioid overdoses. Access to naloxone is now considered vital in the U.S. The Center for Disease Control. The California Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard reports Mendocino County ranking, per capita, 3rd in all opioid overdose deaths. (https://discovery.cdph.ca.gov/CDIC/ODdash/)

Narcan nasal spray units are widely known to reverse opioid overdose situations in adults and children. Each nasal spray device contains a four milligram dose, according to the manufacturer. Naloxone Hydrochloride, more commonly known by the brand name NARCAN ®, blocks the life-threatening effects of opioid overdose (both medications and narcotics) including extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing, or loss of consciousness. The antidote can reverse the effects of an overdose for up to an hour, but anyone who administers the overdose reversal medication in a non-medical setting is advised to seek emergency medical help right away. The spray units can also be used by Public Safety Professionals who are unknowingly or accidentally exposed to potentially fatal amounts of fentanyl from skin absorption or inhalation. The issuance of the Narcan nasal units, thus far, have been to employees assigned to the Field Services Division and the Mendocino County Jail medical staff. Employees are required to attend user training prior to being issued the medication. Sheriff Thomas D. Allman would like to thank the Mendocino County HHSA Public Health for providing the Narcan nasal units to the Sheriff's Office free of charge as part of the Free Narcan Grant from the California Department of Public Health.


COMMENTS

[1] “Victims”? Is this the proper use of the word? We feel sorry for victims because something unfortunate happened to them and as caring fellow humans we sympathize. These people stuck a needle in their arm to get high and knew full well that overdoses occasionally happen. I have a hard time seeing them as “victims”. perhaps there is a better word….junkies, druggies, dummies…some word that will not allow young people reading this to think that people sticking needles in their arms are the same as innocents caught up in motor vehicle accidents?…Yes- I may be heartless and evil. I also don’t think participation trophies build character in young people - crappy jobs do!

[2] I know this might not matter to you, but you dont always need to shoot up to overdose. fentanyl especially can kill you by oral, nasal, or even touching it depending on how strong it is. Anyone who does heroin knows the risk everytime they get high, they just dont care in the midst of their addiction. Have some empathy for your fellow human being.

[3] The victims might have spent a lifetime working hard everyday until the discs in their spine have worn down to bone on bone. Then when the pain became intolerable, their doctor might have prescribed pain medication to them. The pain meds allowed them to keep working with the side effect that they might need to use more and more to get relief and all the while the original injury is getting worse and worse. Maybe their insurance wouldn’t cover a spinal fusion, so the only way to keep working was to take more pain meds. Alas, they finally are allowed to receive the surgery that will help relieve their pain, only to discover that they are hopelessly addicted to opioid pain meds. Then their doctor cuts them off. Believe me, nobody wants to be addicted to opiates, and getting off is not as simple as some might think.

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(photo by Frank Hartzell)

* * *

THAT PLAN FOR MEASURE B

Letter to the Editor,

Re: Sonya Nesch’s proposal to place ready-to-go modular units for Crisis Residential Treatment Centers on Orchard Street, rented coast MCDH land and on south coast.

That’s a great idea, it would be a test run to see exactly what the county needs. It would be much cheaper than putting 20 mil into ole Howard.

Unfortunately, it will never happen, it makes to much sense…

As always,

Laz

Willits

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BISSELL PET FOUNDATION'S EMPTY THE SHELTERS EVENT is Saturday, May 4 at the Mendocino County Ukiah and Fort Bragg Animal Shelters. If you want to get into the Ukiah Shelter earlier than the usual opening time this Saturday, submit an adoption application, have it approved, and you will be allowed into the shelter 15 minutes before the 10 a.m. opening. For more information about adoptions, and to download an adoption application, email Amy at campbella@mendocinocounty.org and click the link to take you to our website:

http://www.mendoanimalshelter.com/programs-events/bissell-partnership-VnkOq

To see our adoptable dogs and cats, visit: www.mendoanimalshelter.com

* * *

A READER WRITES:

Fashion Accessory Tribute pop quiz:

Noted accessory designer Richela Fabian Morgan has just published a guide to creating 40 hand bags using —

A. Roadkill

B. Duct tape

C. PVC pipe

D. Soda bottles

E. Cow Udders

(Answer below)

* * *

PEACE & QUIET

Letter to the Editor,

Re: peace, quiet, contemplation

You mention the "peace, quiet and contemplation offered by books" in an item about a library sale in the April 24 Valley People.

I guess that these three states are not popular in modern urban America. I gave up cable TV three years ago because I felt it was bad for my peace of mind and then in the fall of 2017 when my computer stopped working I didn't get it fixed and I decided to discard it and instead use the computers at the local library for the same reason: Peace of mind.

I have found that it's very rare simply to encounter the term "peace of mind" or the word "serenity" anywhere in this society.

The only subcultures I've been part of that regularly acknowledged "serenity" or "peace of mind" were the Al-Anon and ACA 12 step programs with their Serenity Prayer and program literature referring to those topics.

I never really encountered the term "serenity" at the several churches I've tried as an adult. And while "peace" is referred to at churches in a generalized sense, the term "peace of mind" is not used.

And speaking of books, I'm sorry to read of the unfortunate passing of the former owner of a used bookstore in Fort Bragg. Certainly used bookstores are invaluable to serious book readers.

Keith Bramstedt

San Anselmo

* * *

“Please understand I can offer you only the fleeting illusion of happiness.”

* * *

NO QUIZ TONIGHT, Thursday, May 2. The Quiz returns next week, on the second Thursday of the month: May 9th. Cheers, Steve Sparks, Quiz Master

* * *

CATCH OF THE DAY, May 1, 2019

Campos-Esquivel, Hodges, Jensen

CHRISTIAN CAMPOS-ESQUIVEL, Ukiah. Loaded firearm in public.

JODI HODGES, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

LONDA JENSEN, Boonville. Smoking/injecting device probation revocation.

Koski, Rennaker, Roberts

AARON KOSKI SR., Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol. (Frequent Flyer)

CHRISTOPHER RENNAKER, Fort Bragg. Domestic abuse, controlled substance, false imprisonment, probation revocation.

CHERRI ROBERTS, Ukiah. Resisting. (Frequent Flyer)

Saelee, Sauve, Valentine

TORN SAELEE, Oakland/Willits. Shoplifting with larcenist intent, petty theft with priors, grand theft, petty theft, suspended license, false ID.

RONALD SAUVE, Lower Lake/Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

RONALD VALENTINE JR., Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol. (Frequent Flyer)

* * *

U.S. PROPAGANDA

A brilliant discussion between two blacklisted journalists, Chris Hedges and Aaron Mate.

rt.com/shows/on-contact/457138-conspiracy-mueller-trump-collusion/

* * *

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I think that for the most part people don’t even understand much of anything in their lives anymore. They get how to go online or use their smartphone but how it really all works is beyond them. They have no clue how the banking system works. No clue whatsoever about how to grow food or, for many, cook from scratch. No clue how to live without electricity, central AC, electronics etc. Kids have no clue how to entertain themselves without video games, phones, TV’s etc.

All of this has sped up to a great degree in recent years. Contrast how we live now compared to how people lived in the 40’s or 50’s even. I think a lot of people sense that technology has gotten out of hand and that they have little understanding or control over the most essential things needed to keep them alive. So people are nervous and anxious.

* * *

“You knew I was a realist when you married me.”

* * *

POP UP FRIDAY, FORT BRAGG

First Friday Pop UP Shops and Paint night!

May 3rd from 5 to 8 pm, come support our local cottage industry businesses and shop! We are excited to announce that Tipsy Brush will also be providing a fun painting class, from 6 to 9 pm. Learn to paint a fun Giraffe! Cost includes the canvas, paint and fun instruction! Come shop and then paint! For more information about the Paint class:

https://www.tipsybrushmendocino.com/book-online

Located in the Beautiful Masonic Center

428 North Main Street

Fort Bragg, CA 95437

707-357-1889

* * *

SWINGIN’

Well, she was standing by the highway

In her boots and silver spurs

Gonna hitchhike to the yellow moon

When a Cadillac stopped for her

And she said, “Hey, nice to meet you, are you goin’ my way?”

Yeah, that’s when it happened

The world caught fire that day

And she went down swingin’

Yeah, she went down swingin’

Well, she was over twenty-one

In trouble with the law

And it didn’t faze her none

She called her mother-in-law

And said I need a little money

I knew I could count on you

After that night in Vegas

And the hell that we went through

We went down swingin’

Like Benny Goodman

Yeah, we went down swingin’

Moonlight on the interstate

She was ‘cross the Georgia line

Looked out the window feeling great

Yeah, it had to come in time

And she said I’m never goin’ back

She said at last I’m free

I wish ma could see me now, she’d be so proud of me

She went down swingin’

Like Glenn Miller

Yeah, she went down swingin’

Like Tommy Dorsey

Yeah, she went down swingin’

Like Sammy Davis

She went down swingin’

Like Sonny Liston

(Tom Petty)

* * *

* * *

FRANK HARTZELL WRITES:

For those who think of Fresno as a backwards redneck burg, a single visit should change your mind. Ethnic diversity has kept the downtown alive. The census shows 50 percent white and a thorough mixture of other races. The Hmong population is big and there is a statue to Hmong allies of USA in the Vietnam War on the front courthouse lawn. The so called white population has a lot of diversity, including Basque, Portuguese and Russian populations. On the back lawn is an amazing and somewhat horrifying statue to the Armenian folk hero David of Sassoon. Armenian farmers continue to be an important part of the San Joaquin Valley. Fresno once must have been one of the best places in America to catch a movie, with at least five grand old theaters downtown, mostly unused, one playing Spanish films another housing ethnic shops, like the hair shop shown. There is also the Pep Boys location, opened in 1948 and still going I saw two traffic crashes happen in front of me on this trip. One in Fresno was really weird. Something exploded inside the guy's truck when he hit the other guy in the back and smoke was billowing out the window. Then a crane knocked over this light and a cop with a sense of humor came to file a report. "Crime scene photos"? "The suspect is over there," he said pointing at the enormous crane. A pair of Red tailed hawks had babies in this water tower and are being watched with a live camera and a TV news program. Under the tower, some blond folks snorted crack. Criminals too come in all shades and there are gangs from multiple groups according to the all knowing TV News. Fresno has gang problems and is known as the drunkest city in California.

I found a great local steakhouse for dinner. On the way I walked up to the Fresno Grizzlies minor league park. As soon as I arrived I heard the distinctive crack of the bat that means someone has hit the daylights out of the ball and the crowd roared. The ball came right for me and landed in the stands not more than 50 feet away. I seem to be in the wrong or right place constantly on this trip. It was one of two home runs for Collin Cowgill, 33 of the Grizzlies but not enough to win the game. Like Fresno itself, Cowgill's glories are waning, but were impressive on a sunny last day in April.

* * *

CONSTANCE

If many remedies are prescribed

for an illness, you may be certain

that the illness has no cure.

A. P. CHEKHOV, ‘The Cherry Orchard’

1 FROM THE NURSERY

When I was born, you waited

behind a pile of linen in the nursery,

and when we were alone, you lay down

on top of me, pressing

the bile of desolation into every pore.

. . .

And from that day on

everything under the sun and moon

made me sad—even the yellow

wooden beads that slid and spun

along a spindle on my crib.

. . .

You taught me to exist without gratitude.

You ruined my manners toward God:

“We’re here simply to wait for death;

the pleasures of earth are overrated.”

— Jane Kenyon

. . .

I only appeared to belong to my mother,

to live among blocks and cotton undershirts

with snaps; among red tin lunch boxes

and report cards in ugly brown slipcases.

I was already yours—the anti-urge,

the mutilator of souls.

. . .

2 BOTTLES

Elavil, Ludiomil, Doxepin,

Norpramin, Prozac, Lithium, Xanax,

Wellbutrin, Parnate, Nardil, Zoloft.

The coated ones smell sweet or have

no smell; the powdery ones smell

like the chemistry lab at school

that made me hold my breath.

. . .

3 SUGGESTION FROM A FRIEND

You wouldn’t be so depressed

if you really believed in God.

. . .

4 OFTEN

Often I go to bed as soon after dinner

as seems adult

(I mean I try to wait for dark)

in order to push away

from the massive pain in sleep’s

frail wicker coracle.

. . .

5 ONCE THERE WAS LIGHT

Once, in my early thirties, I saw

that I was a speck of light in the great

river of light that undulates through time.

. . .

I was floating with the whole

human family. We were all colors—those

who are living now, those who have died,

those who are not yet born. For a few

. . .

moments I floated, completely calm,

and I no longer hated having to exist.

. . .

Like a crow who smells hot blood

you came flying to pull me out

of the glowing stream.

“I’ll hold you up. I never let my dear

ones drown!” After that, I wept for days.

. . .

6 IN AND OUT

The dog searches until he finds me

upstairs, lies down with a clatter

of elbows, puts his head on my foot.

. . .

Sometimes the sound of his breathing

saves my life—in and out, in

and out; a pause, a long sigh. . . .

. . .

7 PARDON

A piece of burned meat

wears my clothes, speaks

in my voice, dispatches obligations

haltingly, or not at all.

It is tired of trying

to be stouthearted, tired

beyond measure.

. . .

We move on to the monoamine

oxidase inhibitors. Day and night

I feel as if I had drunk six cups

of coffee, but the pain stops

abruptly. With the wonder

and bitterness of someone pardoned

for a crime she did not commit

I come back to marriage and friends,

to pink fringed hollyhocks; come back

to my desk, books, and chair.

. . .

8 CREDO

Pharmaceutical wonders are at work

but I believe only in this moment

of well-being. Unholy ghost,

you are certain to come again.

. . .

Coarse, mean, you’ll put your feet

on the coffee table, lean back,

and turn me into someone who can’t

take the trouble to speak; someone

who can’t sleep, or who does nothing

but sleep; can’t read, or call

for an appointment for help.

. . .

There is nothing I can do

against your coming.

When I awake, I am still with thee.

. . .

9 WOOD THRUSH

High on Nardil and June light

I wake at four,

waiting greedily for the first

note of the wood thrush. Easeful air

presses through the screen

with the wild, complex song

of the bird, and I am overcome

. . .

by ordinary contentment.

What hurt me so terribly

all my life until this moment?

How I love the small, swiftly

beating heart of the bird

singing in the great maples;

its bright, unequivocal eye.

—Jane Kenyon

* * *

* * *

FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY FUNDRAISER CONCERT REIMAGINED IN ITS FOURTH YEAR

UKIAH, CA. This June, six Family Medicine residents will begin their three-year training with Adventist Health Ukiah Valley (AHUV) as the inaugural class of a program that has generated tremendous community and institutional support over the past five years as it was being built. Says AHUV Family Medicine Residency Program Director Dr. Noemi Doohan, “Years of hard work to bring new doctors to our area have finally paid off, and we're excited to celebrate this accomplishment.”

Rural Health Rocks is an annual fundraising event put on by Family Medicine Education for Mendocino County (FMEMC) in support of the residency program. After three incredibly successful years, Rural Health Rocks is being re-imagined in its fourth year as Music is Medicine, in which the new residents are the celebrities and health and wellness are the focus. The event, being held on Saturday, June 15 at the Mendocino College in Ukiah, will include a farm-to-table dinner by Black Dog Farm catering and dessert by the Mendocino College Culinary Arts program. The dinner’s MC is a crowd favorite, Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman. The multi-part concert will feature Alex de Grassi, Jeremy Cohen, Spencer Brewer, and many other local legends. Special guests include the new residents, elected officials, and the 2019 Rural Health Rock Star winners.

With only one concert this year and the addition of a family-style dinner featuring local farms and served al fresco, tickets are expected to go fast. Past concert goers have come away with enthusiasm and hope. “I’m always overcome with a sense of gratitude for the community,” says Kate Magruder, who has attended all three years. “It is an honor to be even a small part of this exciting new opportunity that is going to have such a wide impact.”

In partnership with UC Davis, the AHUV Family Medicine residency program will take on six medical school graduates every year; at the end of three years, 18 new doctors will be living and working in our community. Says FMEMC President Mary Anne Landis, “The residency program will let us ‘grow our own’ primary care doctors for years to come, which is something the community wants and supports.”

Studies show that the majority of residents set up practice in the region where they train, and each new doctor represents a $1 million economic benefit to the community. Family doctors are especially impactful in rural areas: they are the “Swiss Army knife” of doctors, according to Dr. Doohan, and can diagnose and treat the majority of health issues requiring care.

Proceeds from Music is Medicine will help fund wellness and specialty curriculum for the residents (like Lyme awareness and treatment) and the Street Medicine program. It will also support the Nursing, Recording Arts, Visual Arts, and Culinary Arts programs at Mendocino College.

Music is Medicine is made possible by its many generous supporters. For the fourth year in a row, Fowler Subaru has come in strong as the presenting sponsor. Other major sponsors are Ukiah Waste Solutions, Frey Vineyards, and Fedele and Linda Bauccio. Additional sponsors are Crane of Ukiah, Gary Nix – Realtor, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Hawkes Construction, Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Flow Kana, Community First Credit Union, Dr. Robert Ortega, Myers Medical Pharmacy, South Ukiah Rotary, and the Mendocino College Foundation. Promotional support is being provided by KOZT, KZYX, and KWINE and the City of Ukiah. Hospitality sponsors are Barra of Mendocino, Handley Winery, North Coast Brewing Company, Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, and Crush Italian Restaurant.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.ruralhealthrocks.com.

Alex de Grassi and Kirk Harwood play at the 2018 concert. Both musicians will be back again this year for Music is Medicine. Photo: Nathan DeHart

* * *

POINT ARENA CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP, May 4, 2019

A) Workshop Introduction

B) Review of Past Council Goals & Progress

C) Possible New Goals & Projects Discussion

D) Next Steps

* * *

* * *

REDWOOD COMMUNITY CHORUS — Spring Concert (free)

Friday evening, May 10, 7:00 pm — and Saturday afternoon, May 11, 2:00 pm

Mendocino Presbyterian Church, Main St., Mendocino

Admission is free; donations to help cover costs are appreciated.

The 40-member local chorus will sing a variety of songs, including Mozart's 'Te Deum' and Haydn's 'Gloria.' The program will feature a special composition, 'All of Us,' written to commemorate the death of Matthew Shepard, the gay college student brutally murdered in a hate crime in Wyoming in 1998.

Jenni Windsor, Chorus Director, says, "I chose the Matthew Shepard piece because it lifts us up, musically and inspirationally. In one section twelve separate voices harmonize (rare in music) in celebration of its important message for us to allow our hearts lead us out of what we might fear and judge in others, and into a more beautiful appreciation of our different but common humanity."

The program will also include two love songs and the musical adaptation of that beloved classic children's book, "Goodnight Moon."

"Trebl'd Women," another favorite local singing group, will lead off the concert with three fun songs. Please call 964-1722 or 937-4084 for further information.

* * *

* * *

SMALL BIZ IS THE BACKBONE

Editor:

Hatred of big business is nothing new. In Adam Smith’s later writings, he suggested that stock corporations should be illegal. Teddy Roosevelt railed against big business in the 1890s. The fact is that big business creates more problems than it solves. The reason for that is that it is dehumanizing and alienating.

With the National City Lines conspiracy, big business gave us the automobile instead of mass transit. It gave us 18-wheelers instead of trains. It has also given us the factory farm in place of the family farm. These are the biggest drivers of global climate change.

Big oil, for the sake of profits, is denying that climate change even exists, using a strategy developed by tobacco companies to deny the devastating health effects of their products. And it is big business that has given us the highly processed, sugar-infused foods that are at the root of the obesity epidemic.

Teddy Roosevelt said that it is the local small-business man, who has to look his customers and his employees in the eye every day, who is the foundation of our economy. I agree with him, and with Adam Smith as well.

Edward Meisse

Santa Rosa

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SHOULD SANDERS BE SUPPORTED in the 2020 primaries? Yes, but not without separate efforts to build powerful grassroots social movements beneath and beyond the absurdly time-staggered big money candidate-centered quadrennial electoral extravaganzas that are poisonously sold to us as “politics” – the only politics that matters. Noam Chomsky is correct in his judgment that a President Sanders in 2017 “couldn’t have done a thing” because he would have had “nobody [on his side] in Congress, no governors, no legislatures, none of the big economic powers, which have an enormous effect on policy.” A Sanders presidency would have been undermined — if it had tried to do anything seriously progressive — by several factors, including a significant downturn in capitalist investment (with an attendant rise in joblessness) and the relentless hostility of the corporate media oligopoly. Right-wing media, including Fox News, talk radio and Breitbart News (recipient of many millions of dollars from arch-reactionary plutocrat Robert Mercer) would have gone ballistic, driving its followers to scary new levels of deadly disruption. As Chomsky might have added, Sanders’ oligarchy-imposed “failures” would have been great fodder for the disparagement and smearing of progressive, left-leaning and majority-backed policy change. “See,” the reigning plutocratic media and politics culture would have said, “we tried all that and it was a disaster!”

— Paul Street

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FRED THE DEEP

It seems to me at this moment that the power and utter success of what is almost certainly a practical joke in cyberspace put an instant end to it. Suddenly, I feel like whining. Get up. Get back into those boots. Take a hike. Rhapsodize.

I am shloshing in the memories. I visited the nearest dispensary around eleven this morning. I have only patronized a few. All of them are redolent of the first class ballrooms of the Titanic. But the bastards are having too rowdy a party. The neighbors are showing the obvious strains and toll of trying to live with it.


From a long-time and current contributor:

As I have not yet noticed a huge increase in my bank account balance, I have to assume that this is some guy's idea of a clever prank. Informing me by e-mail that NetFlix might produce a new multi-part bazillion dollar blockbuster on the scale of Breaking Bad and offering to honor to the nth legal degree, all of my legal rights. He said that their offer would let me guarantee their honoring of all adjudicated rights. Ya day .ca duh… Yada.

There is a vanishing fraction the effect of a black hole that this is true. So I am ignoring the information that I shared from my inbox. (Proper form would logically be understood to admit that there was the ghost of a ghost of a ghost of a chance that those planes would always him some minuscule fraction of a number marking the mathematical chance that maybe, just maybe, it might, indeed, be true.)

You have all of my respect, and then some. I am proud of my long-time association with the most ass-kicin'-est day in fact universe, eh? Thanks to all. What a ride.

(Bruce Brady)

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INTERIM COAST HOSPITAL CEO WAYNE ALLEN receiving a check, for $35,000, from Rich Jung (Mendocino Coast Ambulance Service) at last Thursday’s MCDH Board of Director’s meeting. The very generous donation to the hospital is for the purchase of a new Cardiac Monitor for one our ambulances. Thanks Rich for the “awesome” donation! The MCDH family thanks you!

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A READER WRITES:

Fashion Accessory Tribute pop quiz:

Noted accessory designer Richela Fabian Morgan has just published a guide to creating 40 hand bags using —

A. Roadkill

B. Duct tape

C. PVC pipe

D. Soda bottles

E. Cow Udders

Answer: B.

4 Comments

  1. Harvey Reading May 2, 2019

    SMALL BIZ IS THE BACKBONE

    Pure hokum. Give me Costco any day. They don’t look down their noses at me. Had enough of your kind growing up.

  2. Eric Sunswheat May 2, 2019

    Recently, highly acclaimed pediatric neurologist Dr. Andrew Zimmerman signed a sworn affidavit in which he states that while working for the CDC in 2007, he told DOJ lawyers that he had found “exceptions in which vaccinations could cause autism. I explained that in a subset of children, vaccine-induced fever and immune stimulation did cause regressive brain disease with features of autism spectrum disorder.” According to Zimmerman, the CDC and DOJ ignored him and misrepresented his position on the autism / vaccine link.

    Unconscionably, a 2004 CDC study that initially linked the MMR vaccine to the astronomical rate of autism among America’s youth was intentionally altered to show that no significant connection exists. In 2013, the CDC’s lead scientist involved in this study, Senior Scientist Dr. William Thompson, contacted biologist Dr. Brian Hooker, whose son is severely autistic, and “confessed that the CDC had omitted crucial data in their final report that revealed a causal relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism.” Thompson then told Hooker that the CDC destroyed key data linking MMR to autism.

    https://catholiccitizens.org/views/86175/the-inconvenient-truth-about-vaccines/

    The science is not settled on vaccines, and it should surprise most of us to know that there has yet to be a full-scale, unbiased, double-blind placebo study conducted on the safety of any of the vaccines on the children’s CDC schedule. Additionally, there has never been a full-scale study of vaccinated versus unvaccinated people.

    Why? Could it be that vaccines are not the “cure-all” that they are purported to be?

    Could it also be that “Congress is owned by pharma [vaccine manufacturers],” as Dr. Raeford Brown, a pediatric anesthesia specialist at the UK Kentucky Children’s Hospital and chair of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Committee on Analgesics and Anesthetics, said recently?

    He told Yahoo Finance in an article published March 13, 2019, that “the pharmaceutical industry pours millions of dollars into the legislative branch every single year. In 2016, they put $100 million into the elections. That’s a ton of money…. Congress is getting paid to not hold pharma accountable.”

    https://catholiccitizens.org/views/86175/the-inconvenient-truth-about-vaccines/

    • James Marmon May 2, 2019

      I’m suspicious that big pharma purposely put the measle virus in communities where folks are not having their children vac’ed, such as that Jewish community in New York. The Jewish communities are being targeted right now. Big Pharma don’t like losing money.

      James Marmon

      • Harvey Reading May 3, 2019

        I’m no fan of big pharma as you call it, but I’m no fan of conspiracy theories either, James.

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