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MCT: Thursday, April 16, 2020

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GENERALLY DRY and seasonably warm weather conditions are likely to persist through the end of the week across the interior with marine influence returning to the coast. Precipitation chances will increase late this weekend and into next week, yet rainfall amounts will be minimal across northwest California. (NWS)

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JERRY BOWERS has died. A long-time resident of the Anderson Valley at Boonville's Airport Estates, Bowers had been in ill health for some time. A full obituary will appear soon.

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CHIEF NAULTY’S PRIMARY DUTY

by Chris Calder

Twenty-five days into a historic statewide lockdown, Fort Bragg is feeling the strain.

Like Mendocino County as a whole, the town is seeing a marked surge in interfamily disputes, domestic violence, and suicide.

On March 26, a woman jumped to her death off the Noyo Bridge. On April 1, a 28-year-old man stabbed a 68-year-old woman in a domestic violence incident. On April 9, an 81-year-old woman assaulted her 89-year-old husband, also in the home.

These are the awful outliers — nearly all coast residents are grumpy and surely will not look back at every moment of Lockdown 2020 with pride. But most people are at least making it with conscience and limbs intact.

Law enforcement deals with the outliers, though, and Fort Bragg Police Chief John Naulty is keenly aware of the outlier-nature of the whole situation his officers are dealing with in this time of COVID-19.

"It's the first time the nation has dealt with anything like this," he said Tuesday, while keeping an eye on a Board of Supervisors meeting where they were expected to discuss the job of the county's Public Health Officer, Dr. Noemi Doohan. Naulty talked about a fast-evolving and sometimes chilling situation in Fort Bragg, but one that so far has stayed out of worst case scenario territory.

Keeping an eye on the Public Helath Officer's fate is not usually part of the police chief's purview, but throughout the state, Public Health Officers have been handed a kind of power that would have been unimaginable even a month ago. Local law enforcement must first understand, then enforce, a set of orders like none of us have ever heard before.

Naulty gave high marks to county government for communicating — to him at least — the gist of Shelter in Place orders that change regularly and are making people increasingly unhappy, either in their particulars or their overall effect of putting lives, but not people, in suspended animation.

Just a quick sampling of the Fort Bragg (and Ukiah) police call logs shows how things have changed.

On March 24, just before the stay at home order, the log is pretty typical — very low on actual crime, populated mostly with person to person contacts — homeless people the largest portion, plus assorted distraught, confused, angry, vindictive or just curious members of the public.

The April 14 log paints a different picture, not so much in the type of calls, but in their frequency and intensity. At 8:11 a.m., two women fighting on Gobbi Street in Ukiah. At 8:31 an irate person causing a disturbance in the Walmart parking lot. Also 8:31 a.m., a white male with a shaved head tattoed blue running in traffic waving a California State flag.

The day continues heavy with calls of people fighting, freaking out and threatening to harm themselves and each other.

Again, nothing particularly new, but the increasing frequency backs up Naulty's assessment that people are moving closer to the edge. He said he's glad the trails are re-opening, that people need to get out and enjoy themselves any safe way they can.

How to handle out of towners or neighbors calling in reports of children playing in front yards without proper social distancing, or even businesses sideways with county orders (compliance is now pretty universal, Naulty said, with no citations issued), is on the lighter side of duty these days, though.

One thing that concerns Naulty a lot is what happened to a Santa Rosa Police Detective Marylou Armer.

Detective Armer died March 31 of COVID-19. As she got sicker, she asked to be tested. Her doctors at Kaiser Permanente refused her, telling her she was too young to worry. The Santa Rosa Police Department either didn't weigh in or didn't have the clout.

Naulty said that is not going to happen in Fort Bragg. The department has a routine including daily temperature checks to make sure officers are healthy. He said he's satisfied for now with the amount and quality of the protective equipment — masks, gloves, etc. — the department has been provided by the state, though until recently that wasn't so.

The availability of tests is still a weak point. So far, according the Coast Hospital Medical Chief of Staff William Miller M.D., 60 tests have been done on the coast, not including the positive test in Gualala March 18. Miller said 23 people have been tested at Coast Hospital — 21 patients and two healthcare workers. Twenty nine tests have been done at Sherwood Oaks Convalescent Hospital and seven at Mendocino Coast Clinics, both in Fort Bragg. All known results are negative, he said, with 13 results pending.

But no one is guaranteeing that an officer (or firefighter or ambulance worker etc) could for certain get tested if they're showing symptoms.

Naulty said his eye is on that and if an officer seems to be getting sick "I would drive them to the front door of the hospital myself."

Naulty praised the teamwork so far between city officials, city council members, the hospital (Mayor Will Lee is also part of hospital administration) his department, the relatively new Street Medicine Program, and the Sheriff's Office, especially in contacting homeless people and helping move the most vulnerable into motel rooms in Fort Bragg.

But the very nature of that work makes the still shaky protections being provided first responders a prime issue for Naulty.

Protecting fellow officers is kind of "a thing" for him, as he puts it. Understanding how much of "a thing" it is for him means knowing that on March 19, 2014, when Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino was slain in the line of duty a few miles north of Fort Bragg, it was Naulty who arrived first on the scene and stopped the gunman who took Del Fiorentino's life with a round from his service weapon.

Naulty, who was hired to be police chief in February after a five year hiatus from police work, speaks quietly and steadily about what he will do to see that his officers are safe dealing with COVID-19.

"I'm a pretty forceful person when I need to be," he said, noting again the close collaboration between city and hospital officials so far.

"I have a way of making things happen. And human life is important to me. A police officer's life is very important to me."

Naulty said he wanted to make sure the people of Fort Bragg know too that their patience, effort and forbearance is admired and very much needed.

"That is what will get us through this," he said of his home town for decades. "This is a special community. It knows how to come together."

Anyone needing help with mental health issues or violence or other abuse in the hone can call the county's Mental Health Warm Line at 707/472-2311. For emergencies still call 911.

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BOBBY BEACON'S BEACON LIGHT BY THE SEA, ELK

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COMPTCHE ALERT:

Comptche P.O. box thefts—

I just learned today that someone has been breaking into Comptche P.O. boxes and stealing packages and mail. I'm missing 3 things that I know of. It will be two weeks before we get new boxes. Theft reports can be made to the Albion Postmaster, 937-0667.

Sonya Nesch

Comptche

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IDEAL RENTER LOOKING FOR SMALL HOME [MCN-Announce]

Ideal renter-

  • non-smoker
  • non-drinker
  • no drugs
  • no pets
  • very quiet

Verifiable steady income
Excellent references
Thank you for calling! 895-3462

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COMPTCHE COWBOY

Direct capture

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AV VILLAGE INFO

FOR RENT AT AV ELDER HOME: Brand new independent-living cottage for seniors 62+. ADA compliant, 2 BR, 1 bath, all kitchen appliances. Available now. $1300/month + deposit. Utilities not included. For questions or to get a statement of interest form, email aveh@pacific.net or call 707 895-3820.


FOOD BANK INFO:


Anderson Valley Food Bank

Methodist Church, Boonville

3rd Monday - April 20th

3 to 6 pm


FORT BRAGG FOOD BANK IS OPEN FIVE DAYS A WEEK!

910 N Franklin St, Fort Bragg

Monday thru Friday 10:00-11:15 seniors

12-3 all ages with premade bags

Wednesday from 4:30-5:30

Curbside Pick Up May Be An Option

call 707-964-9404


UKIAH FOOD BANK

888 N State St, Ukiah, CA 95482

(707) 463-2409

Open:

Tuesdays/ Thursdays 9 - 12 for seniors and disabled people

Wed, and Friday (fresh produce) - 12-4 for everyone


via Anica Williams

Anderson Valley Village Coordinator

Cell: 707-684-9829

Email: andersonvalleyvillage@gmail.com

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TRUMP DENIED WANTING HIS NAME ON RELIEF CHECKS. HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED

When President Donald Trump publicly denied on April 3 that he wanted his signature on stimulus checks that would be sent to millions of Americans struggling amid a pandemic, officials in the Treasury Department were already secretly working on a plan to get the president's name on the payments.

pressdemocrat.com/news/10900561-181/trump-denied-wanting-his-name

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A couple wearing masks crosses the almost-deserted Times Square in New York City on Monday. (Johannes Eisele / AFP via Getty Images)

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HOME BAKED: MY MOM, MARIJUANA, AND THE STONING OF SAN FRANCISCO

by Alia Volz

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 435 pages; April 20, 2020; $27

Book Review by Jonah Raskin

Poet George Sterling called San Francisco “the cool grey city of love.” Journalist Gary Kamiya borrowed Sterling’s phrase for his book about San Francisco titled Cool Gray City of Love, which offers 49 views of what must be one of the most beloved peninsulas on the face of the earth. In Alia Volz’s new book, San Francisco boasts all the colors of the rainbow. It’s also a city of love between brothers and sisters, brothers and brothers and sisters and sisters. San Franciscans can’t seem to read too much about their hometown, though it has been written about lovingly for more than one hundred years. Home Baked is Volz’s Valentine to San Francisco, her parents, including her father, who might or might not be heterosexual, and to friends and family members. For years, Volz’s mom baked and sold ten thousand marijuana-laced brownies a month. She made real money. Her enterprise was called “Sticky Fingers.” Volz’s mom —”the Brownie Lady”— is not to be confused, the author herself explains, with “Brownie Mary,” who gave away brownies laced with marijuana, most notable during the AIDS/HIV pandemic and who was arrested trying to do good. Probably only in San Francisco could there be two such non-competitive women. Volz takes readers through a familiar landscape with familiar figures, including Dennis Peron, Harvey Milk, Dan White, Cleve Jones, and less well known personalities, too, such as Stannous Flouride who helped create punk San Francisco and who now gives guided tours of the neighborhood known as the Haight.

To call Home Baked pro-pot would not be an exaggeration. It’s also an indictment of state and federal governments, and national and local law enforcement agents who made raids, cuffed and arrested millions of Americans for possession of small amounts of weed.

For nearly a decade Volz and her family lived in and around Willits, where they were often misfits. Her book is mostly gritty and urban with descriptions of the Castro District, North Beach, Finnila’s Finnish Baths, the Condor with Carol Doda’s “neon nipples,” and The Mabuhay Gardens, which appears in these pages as the “heart of an intense demimonde.” The author has pulled off a literary feat. Indeed, she has written a book for people who were there and who did all or most of the things that could be done. At the same time, her book is for those who weren’t yet on the scene.

So, there are explanations of historical events like Jonestown, the assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone and groups like the Cockettes. Home Baked is about those who survived, the drug culture, the HIV/AIDs epidemic, police raids and the “sexual anarchy”—to borrow a phrase from filmmaker John Waters—that fueled large swaths of the City.

Volz’s hot blooded memoir honors hippies and hippie culture and reminds readers that for decades San Francisco refused to adhere to the All-American paradigm even as it kept alive the best non-conformist American values and customs.

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ED NOTES

RUSS EMAL'S look back at the Anderson Valley of the 70's and early 80's, has inspired me to remember some men's league basketball games, circa '72 and '73, at the Boonville high school gym. I barely was aware that there was a town six niles north of our leased ranch where we, a rag tag squad of deluded idealists, supervised, more or less, a wild crew of juvenile delinquents. But we managed a pretty good basketball team composed of a couple of former college players and the rest former high school hoopsters. When we noted in Homer Mannix's weekly ava that there was a Sunday men's league in town we signed up.

THAT FIRST GAME we handled the local boys with relative ease, but they had a bunch of very good players. And they played rough underneath. I still remember getting bounced around between Lindsey Clow and Ken Hurst, football players misplaced on a basketball court. Pretty sure the Boonville team also included Charlie Hiatt, Rick Cupples, Leroy Perry, David Knight, and probably Tony Summit.

AS WE cruised past the Boonville boys by about twenty, I heard one of them say, "Well, it would be different if we had Yewgene." And another guy said, "Next time we will have Yewgene."

FOR A COUPLE of weeks we joked about Yewgene. "Better knock that off or I'm going to get Yewgene." Or, "That's it. I'm calling Yewgene."

AND one Sunday afternoon there was the man himself, the fabled Yewgene, an unprepossing dude you wouldn't necessarily take for a jock. So this is Yewgene. Doesn't look like he'll present special problems.

THE GAME STARTS. Yewgene immediately glasses one from about a thirty-five foot oblique, an NBA-quality shot we blithely assumed was a fluke. "Yewgene lucked out on that one." But Yewgene proceeded to fire up swishers from every area of the court, including underneath where he out-jumped people a foot taller, me being one of them. We were stunned. "Who the hell is this guy?"

INTRODUCING Eugene Waggoner, Boonville native son, Ole Miss basketball scholarship, a few years later the high school's basketball coach.

NOTE: Yewgene, head-to-head in a basketball game with Ukiah's great athlete, Kelvin Chapman, was a sight to see. I always thought Yewgene had the edge, but Chapman gave Yewgene all that he could handle.

BERNIE said Wednesday it's "inappropriate" not to vote for Biden. I guess it's appropriate to vote for a guy who is obviously senile and politically is barely to the left of Trump, if he is to the left of Trump. And Elizabeth Warren came out for Biden Wednesday, and, like Bernie, after campaigning against him as Trump Lite. Rubbing it in big time, Warren said, "In this moment of crisis, it’s more important than ever that the next president restores Americans’ faith in good, effective government—and I’ve seen Joe Biden help our nation rebuild. Today, I’m proud to endorse Joe Biden as President of the United States.”

SURPRISE! About 82 percent of a Republican tax provision hidden away in the coronavirus relief fund will go directly to the nation's millionaires and billionaires. The clause, entered into the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by Senate Republicans, temporarily suspends a limit to the amount that owners of “pass through” structured businesses can deduct against their non-business income — including capital gains — to reduce their tax liability. Analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) discovered the suspension overwhelmingly benefits high earners, with hedge-fund investors and real estate businesses set to be the biggest winners. Three percent of the benefits will go to Americans earning less than $100,000 per-year.

UH OH. A “cascading series of events” is disrupting the US food supply chain in a way which could impact millions of Americans, so says a guy who knows, Tom Vilsack, former Secretary of Agriculture. Virus outbreaks have forced processing plants to close and supply is redirected away from major consumer sources such as closed restaurants and schools. "You start ending school lunch programs, universities shut down, food service shuts down… At the end of the day you've basically got a tremendous amount of the overall supply of food having to be redirected,” Vilsack said.

SO, MR. WIZARD, what would you do about the homeless camp vexing the City of Ukiah? As I've said many times, people unable or unwilling to help themselves can't be negotiated with, much as you don't negotiate with three-year-olds. For their own good, and for the welfare of the much larger community, the collected Hastings Avenue people should be moved outtathere to the Ukiah Fairgrounds, as per the City of Ukiah's wishes. At the Fairgrounds they can be safely housed. But, you say, they won't go. Of course they won't go because in any supervised context they can't huff dope and drink themselves into daily stupors. Or act crazy. So you arrest the people who won't go and park them at the County Jail. Or in a hospital if they're certifiable. Problem solved. Until the next camp appears. Repeat process as many times as necessary. Call me naive, but I really don't understand why the homeless "problem" is so perplexing. Sorry to impose the habituals on the cops, but supplying the necessary impetus is what the cops are for, and what they've been doing on a daily basis with zero help from this county's inept authorities.

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LADIES AND GERMS, THE CONTINUUM OF CARE!

  • Dan McIntire — RCHDC (Co-Chair), Organization Representing a Housing Developer
  • Jacque Williams — Ford Street Project (Co-Chair) Org. Addressing Needs of Persons with Chronic Substance Abuse
  • Lisa Judd — Community Development Commission Public Housing Authority
  • Carla Harris — Mendocino Coast Hospitality Cntr Shelter Representative - Coast
  • Diana Clarke — Ukiah Senior Center, Org. Addressing Needs of Seniors
  • Sean Kaeser — Ukiah Police Dept., Organization Representing Law Enforcement
  • Judy Albert — Project Sanctuary, Org. Addressing Needs of Victims of Domestic Violence
  • Sandra Stolfi — Veterans Administration, Org. Addressing Needs of Veterans
  • Grace Peeler-Stankiewicz – MCAVHN, Org. Addressing Needs of Persons with HIV/AIDS
  • Que B. Anthnoy, Homeless or Formerly Homeless Individual
  • Zenia Leyva Chou — Mendocino Cmty Health Clinics, Org. Providing Health Care Services to the Homeless
  • Lindsey Spencer — Adventist Health, Org. Addressing Needs of Chronically Homeless
  • Wynd Novotny - Manzanita Services, Org Addressing Needs of Persons with Serious Mental Illness
  • Sage Wolf — Redwood Cmty Services, Shelter Representative — North/ Inland
  • Karen Lovato, County of Mendocino Health and Human Services Agency
  • Blythe Post – MCOE, Organization Serving the Needs of Children
  • Amanda Archer – MCYP, Org. Addressing Needs of Unaccompanied Youth or TAY
  • Veronica Wilson – HHSA, Collaborative Applicant / Administrative Entity, Open CoC Secretary (non-voting), Homeless or Formerly Homeless Transition-Age Youth

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TED WILLIAMS: Ideas for local economic recovery? Shopping local is more important now than ever. What can we do to support local businesses in a period the IMF head foresees as the worst global economic downturn since Great Depression? No matter one's perspective on the health emergency response, the economic impact is very real. The County will see substantial losses in sales tax, transient occupancy (bed) tax and potentially property tax, so unless state or federal programs backfill lost revenue, county services will be negatively impacted. (I highlight this to temper suggestions of local tax cuts in a time we might be forced to substantially reduce services just to balance the budget.) The county is contracting with West Business Development Center to assist with small business loans (debt isn't a solution, but might buy time). Ensuring those eligible for unemployment are assisted where necessary is crucial. Helping businesses with online commerce and curb-side for non-essentials when orders allow? What else can we do to help, both local government and as community?

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WANDA TRABER, FORT BRAGG:

People are losing their livelihoods, their homes, their health, their minds.

So much precious energy, time, money being focused on lone beach walkers, the rare sighting of a child swinging (how uplifting!), someone weeding someone else’s yard, a "non-essential” person (what a horrible term) providing a young local family with a needed art or school supply refill.

I have been accosted four times already by “code-enforcement” officers. Once while walking the Heeser loop (on the pavement), once while walking to work two blocks from my home, and twice while working inside of my closed shop. On one of these visits, I was even handed a stern letter.

Talk about non-essential work. Not once have I been approached by an officer to inquire about my or anyone else’s welfare. How about turning these code-enforcement officers into outreach and crisis workers? Perhaps the busy-body community members, too, who obviously need something to do.

Meanwhile, not a dime seems to have yet materialized of the promised support coming from the state and federal coffers.

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FORT BRAGG CITY COUNCILMAN LINDY PETERS:

I am out for an essential exercise bike ride. What a beautiful day in Fort Bragg!

The Coastal Trail is bursting with color.

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HOW WILL CORONAVIRUS AFFECT SCHOOL SPENDING?

Many school districts can expect a precipitous drop in their state’s K-12 revenue next year due to the widespread shuttering of the economy. The shutdown of businesses and skyrocketing unemployment rates will crater states’ sales and income tax revenue, which many districts are heavily reliant on.

edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/13/how-will-coronavirus-affect-school-spending-9.html

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TRYING TO READ Karen Rifkin’s faithful summary of West Company Director Mary Anne Petrillo’s keen business-savvy article in Wednesday’s Ukiah Daily Journal, we stumbled right off at the title: “Coronavirus - Time to ‘buy local’.” Are we to infer that it wasn’t “time to buy local” until now? Then we saw more keen economic insight: “Businesses go through cycles.”

Ms. Rifkin adds her own personal business savvy to the mix: “Part of the challenge of serving small businesses with federal and state funding is that all of them are different.”

Rifkin continues: “The focus of West Company’s current advising [sic] falls under [sic] three categories: cash flow management, loans and grants and human resources. The federal government as of April 8 is offering the Economic Injury Disaster Loan for which [Ms. Petrillo] says everyone needs to apply. The process has been simplified and the money will take time to get to the business owner. ‘We know the money is starting to flow,’ said Petrillo. ‘People are already seeing it. We know that people are reticent to get a loan but there are parts of this loan that could be forgiven. You can apply and when it comes to you, you can reject it. You might not need it today, but in two or three months this might change. This is a national loan and it’s going to get harder the longer you wait’.”

Rifkin: “The other loan is the Paycheck Protection Program that comes through lending institutions.”

Petrillo: “We tell everyone to check with their own bank first to see if they are offering it; there’s a better chance to get it with the bank with which you are already working.”

Rifkin: “She [Petrillo] says, however, banks are not prepared for all the requests that are coming through and they need the proper regulations and processes in place to be able to follow through.”

Petrillo: “Now is the time to buy locally; if you need a pair of socks, buy locally online [buy socks locally on-line? where would that be?] before going to Amazon or the big retail stores. Now is the time for innovation: can we skill people up [sic] to do different things, train them to be more tech savvy? What can we as a community do?”


MENDOCINO COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER, Dr. Noemi Doohan had better advice for the short term: Businesses should figure out how to do curbside delivery. Funny, “advising” expert Ms. Petrillo didn’t mention that. Maybe that’s because Ms. Petrillo has never run a business. According to the praise she gives herself in her LinkedIn profile she’s been a consultant and marketing rep, but never actually run a business or met a payroll or even managed a department. Mendo is very good at paying people to advise other people with silly slogans like “Time to buy local.” But Ms. Petrillo can’t even rise to the level of “advising” that Dr. Doohan did. Mendo’s small businesses have a long road to recovery and it won’t be shortened by West Company.


THE DAY BEFORE, Ms. Rifkin quoted Ukiah School Superintendent Deb Kubin on what they’re doing under the school closures during the shutdown: “We’ve asked all staff members to not assign any work during the break so we can give our kids and families a break from academics,” she says with a sigh of relief. “Now we are gearing up for our next meal distribution.” Right: Ukiah High School kids really need a break from all that those rigorous “academics” they’re so famous for.

(Mark Scaramella)

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WHY CRUSH CLOSED

To the Editor:

To the Community of Ukiah:

Crush ownership, management, and staff regret to inform the Community of Ukiah our restaurant has been forced to file bankruptcy. This draconian action was taken not due to present economic conditions, but due to the actions of three former employees and their attorney which resulted in an extraordinarily large judgement levied against Crush by the Superior Court of Mendocino County.

Allegations made against one of our managers were not substantiated by the plaintiffs or corroborated by any witnesses for the plaintiffs. It was truly a “he said, she said” situation with zero evidence presented by the prosecution. The allegations against Crush (separate from the manager charges) resulting in the high dollar judgement amounts were the result of the jury believing we did not protect the former employees and instead directed efforts to shield the manager accused. At no time did the plaintiffs ever make Crush management, owners, or other employees for that matter, aware of any allegations of improper conduct during their employment and prior to their firing or dismissal for other causes.

On behalf of Crush employees, managers and owners we want to thank all our guests who supported us for seven years. You supported a business that was truly local and invested in the community, in spite of representations to the contrary made by the three plaintiffs in court. Crush was a place to meet, to socialize, to do business in, and to celebrate a special occasion. We take pride in our role in making Crush … Crush.

It breaks our heart to close Crush. Jason, Debbie and I will miss our Crush family and wish them the all the best. They truly set a new standard of hospitality, service, and quality food and drink we can all take pride in.

As owners, we provided a vision and a goal, staff embraced that vision and made it something far more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. “Thank you” does not go far enough to express to all of Crush employees how grateful we are for your contributions, work ethic, and extreme efforts that have gone into making this business the thriving success it had become. As Jason and I have told staff many times, we were told by some community leaders Crush would NEVER find staff that would be loyal to us, share our vision of hospitality, service, and dedicate themselves to making the fantastic organization that Crush became. You have all our respect and gratitude.

It has been our experience, when one door closes, another opens. We hope that extends to every one of our employees.

Doug & Debbie Guillon, Jason Colabove, Owners, Crush Italian Steakhouse & Bar, Ukiah

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WHAT IS SECURITY?

by Lloyd Sinclair

As we hunker down in fear of the corona virus, a lot of us are testing the strength of our security blankets. One of greatest realizations that our culture will have to make in order to find balance is our perception of security, and what a timetable such a concept might have.

The base of our modern society has a financial structure that implies if you work as part of the beehive you will be given honey, and hopefully a lot of it. But is the honey of the future ours to give, when it is fought for continuously throughout the year.

What is actual security? One of my favorite stories in recent years is about an old black man in my little white town of Mendocino. Big Al was a tall, semi-houseless man who barely spoke. I first met him when he cared for the little league baseball fields I played on, where he was known to sleep in the dugouts. There were legendary stories of him showing up for pick-up basketball games in rain boots and dunking all over the local ballers. As a tiny kid I assumed he had played in the NBA with Wilt Chamberlin. With his long dreadlocks flying as huge clouds of smoke followed him around the county, he was certainly loved by multiple generations in Mendocino and was what you could call small town famous.

When this man reached old age, it was clear, because his dreadlocks were grey and he now rested on a walker in front of the coffee shop smoking his cigar-sized joints, waving hello to people. The day he wasn’t in front of coffee shop the towns-people started talking and it got ’round that his health had declined quickly. Before I knew what was going on, money had been gathered to pay his medical bills and rent where he was now living, and someone tracked down his long-lost family. This man, who hardly had anything, had everything when he needed it. Big Al was so engaged in the community that when old age arrived he was given honey. But how do you guarantee this when the future is unknown?

I recently tried to figure out who was the most secure person in my social circle. For the past four years I have been coaching high school soccer in Mendocino; one of the parents always shows up dirty, emotionally drained, and a little frustrated. Finally I learned that he had a small farm, which provided for his family. I didn’t have to talk to him very long to decide that he was the most secure. I wanted to know what his timeline of security was, and he answered without hesitation: “Six months. Because of the nature of the seasons, there is no point in thinking much past that,” he said bluntly.

We have built a vast distribution system, which crisscrosses the planet to bring us needed provisions, but also helps diminish the drastic seasonal fluctuation that can affect a region. As we sit inside our homes watching our distribution system break under the strain of a virus that is only waking us up to what a pandemic could be, it feels safe to say that readjusting our opinions of security may be in order.

Maybe you can weave yourself into the fabric of a community like Big Al, until you always reach part of the honey at the table, or like a farmer, you could make your own honey on a six-month timeline with the turning of the seasons. But there is another option where you count on the ethereal financial system that says you will be given honey depending on how your last job holds value within the current financial trends, and it doesn’t take long before paper money does work as toilet paper – think about it – what is security?

I might start mowing the little league field, and sleeping in the dugouts. I could put some pigs and house bees under the scoreboard. The next time a catastrophe hits I’ll be living high on the hog, trading pork and honey within my community. At least that way I will be living within the rhythm of our world, and be cared for by the people around me. When things are going crazy, it sounds a lot like security, doesn’t it?

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SHELTER, PLEASE

Editor:

I want to offer some thoughts on an insidiously cruel risk of ignoring coronavirus shelter-in-place restrictions.

In 2019, I spent nearly five months in the hospital for a life-threatening condition. With the grace of God, excellent health care and loving family and friends, I am home recovering well. I know without the love and care of all of those people I wouldn’t have survived. My point is simple — this virus is different.

I am not afraid of dying, but I am terrified of dying alone. Being infected with the coronavirus brings terror to reality for all of us. To die alone in isolation without the tender touch of a human hand and not being near the people you love would be unbearable.

If you choose to ignore shelter-in-place restrictions, remember there are things worse than death as a consequence of this horrible virus. To be sick or dying in quarantined isolation without human contact with people you love is one of those consequences.

For the sake of your loved ones, yourself and people you don’t even know, please shelter in place and observe social distancing.

Rich Brothers

Petaluma

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PHILLIP MURPHY WRITES: "I took all these shots at the Kelseyville dam on Sunday; it's on Kelsey Creek about 500’ upstream from the south end of my ranch. Most of them are gone now, last night there were about 600 left, there were over 3,000 at my place and the creek up to the dam where they were trapped."

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CREEPY JOE A TOUCHY SUBJECT FOR TIMES

Ben Smith, the New York Times media columnist, asked executive editor Dean Baquet some tough questions in an interview about the paper’s story on a sexual allegation against Joe Biden.

Smith questioned the timing, nearly three weeks after the allegation became public, and flagged the fact that the paper made changes after publication. It removed a reference to earlier complaints about Biden’s unwanted touching of women.

Baquet’s answer dug a deeper hole, saying the Biden “campaign thought that the phrasing was awkward and made it look like there were other instances in which he had been accused of sexual misconduct.”

So the Gray Lady agreed the many previous complaints against Biden’s touchy-feely conduct were not important.

Another Smith question: “Do you think that, in your heart, you’re reluctant to promote a story that would hurt Joe Biden and get Donald Trump re-elected?”

Baquet gave the classic denial, “I can’t make that calculation.” In fact, the question illustrates the dilemma the Times has created by being so obviously biased against Trump.

Imagine the paper making changes because Trump’s campaign complained of unfairness.

You can’t, because then they’d have to change the whole paper. Every day.

(Michael Goodwin, New York Post)

* * *

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

People who are secure will reject universal basic income, people living hand to mouth will take anything at this point. Privilege will show in the comments, as they can afford the time to debate and present the what-ifs. Either way you’re held captive by a capitalist class of psychopaths.

* * *

MSP received this message from a viewer Wednesday @ 7:26 am:

"Good morning, so the government stimulus checks showed up today. Not only that, but my account was overdrawn almost $200 and I got an additional check for the exact amount of the overdraft saying 'Government 30 day overdraft protection.' I thought that was pretty cool and definitely deserves a little recognition if you would like to post about it."

That is great news! We thank our viewer for the good news.

* * *

FROM TODAY'S NY TIMES, ACTOR SHAILENE WOODLEY:

“I’m an introvert’s introvert,” Woodley told me this week by phone, “so this feels like heaven in a lot of ways because I don’t have to talk to people, I don’t have to deal with people, I don’t even have to look at people. I can play the game of being an extrovert when I need to — it’s a big part of my job — but my happy place is honestly being alone.”

* * *

A woman walks past photos of the Cannes Film Festival on the Croisette in Cannes as a lockdown is imposed to slow the rate of the coronavirus disease in France on Friday. (Reuters)

* * *

PLANT FOODS CAN HELP FIGHT VIRUSES

by Anna Herby, RD, CDE and Petra Schulte, Nutrition Educator

A healthy diet, in addition to good hand washing and social distancing, is key to help your body fight a viral threat.

Here are a few tips to start with:

Hydrate with water. Drinking water supports your immune system.

Get enough rest. Your body works best when it is rested.

Exercise. Exercise reduces upper-respiratory infections.

Reduce added sugar. Added sugar lowers your immune system.

Eat immune-boosting foods like kale, broccoli, berries, and mushrooms.

Eat anti-viral foods like garlic, ginger, and spices.

Eat fiber-rich foods like legumes (beans, lentils, dried peas), whole grains (especially intact grains) and fruits and vegetables as they feed healthy gut bacteria (probiotics). Studies show that people who take probiotic supplements or eat foods for our friendly gut bacteria have fewer colds.

We can boost our immunity by eating a healthful diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables that contain phytonutrients. These are plant chemicals that protect our bodies from disease. Specific foods that make your immune system stronger include kale, broccoli, berries, kiwis, nutritional yeast and mushrooms.

Keep your immune system functioning at peak performance with a healthy diet and lifestyle. While some people may be more vulnerable to viruses such as COVID-19, everyone can benefit from eating a healthy diet to strengthen their immune system. Fruits and vegetables, especially kale, broccoli, berries, kiwis and mushrooms, have been shown to improve immune function. Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day is ideal.

Your body‘s greatest exposure to the outside world is through the lining of your gut. Much of the immune system is located in your gut, so eating a high fiber diet is essential. Also, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts have nutrients that maintain the body‘s gut defense system. Cooked mushrooms, especially white button mushrooms, increase a type of cell in your body that fights viruses. The key is to eat them regularly.

Berries may boost your levels of natural killer cells, another important cell for fighting viruses and cancer. Lastly, vitamin C keeps your immune system at full strength, but it's better to get it through food than a pill. Eat vitamin C rich foods like kiwis, tomatoes, bell peppers and citrus fruit.

Regular exercise improves immune function and lowers risk of infection. Immune cells need to circulate everywhere in the body in order to fight off invaders, so getting your body moving is essential. A half-hour-a-day walk can significantly drop your risk of getting an upper-respiratory illness as even moderate exercise may boost the number of immune cells in your body.

(To download a flyer with this information go to http://wholeplantfoods.info and click on Boost Immunity Now or contact nutrition educator Petra Schulte at petra@wholeplantfoods.info or call her at 707-397-5575.)

* * *

NIGHTMARE ECONOMY: US Hospitals Close During Raging Pandemic! The Burning Question is—Health Needs or Profits?

Hospitals across the country continue to close down or lay off workers in the midst of a deadly pandemic. More than 170 hospitals have closed over the last 15 years.

forbes.com/sites/claryestes/2020/02/24/1-4-rural-hospitals-are-at-risk-of-closure-and-the-problem-is-getting-worse/#797622811bc0

The Covid-19 Pandemic highlights the question of the day. Do we want mass graves and an economy driven by profit for the 1%, or a healthy society and an economy motivated by the needs of the 99%?

Most hospitals in the US are businesses set up to make a profit for their investors and CEOs. If they can’t make a profit they close down or lay off workers and put their money somewhere else. Almost all hospitals survive in part due to the government programs of Medicare and Medicaid.

Over the last 30 years politicians in the Federal and State governments have cut billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid, even as more people have become eligible for these programs due to increasing age and poverty. The Trump budget proposal for 2020 cuts anadditional $2 Trillion from Medicaid and Medicare,

marketwatch.com/story/trumps-proposed-48-trillion-budget-will-seek-cuts-to-medicare-medicaid-2020-02-09

And the Republican Party is still going to the Supreme Court in an attempt to destroy the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which gives health care insurance to millions. The resulting 30 years of cuts have steadily decreased revenues and profits for hospitals, so they close down. Profits before people is the essence of this capitalist economy.

A National Public Health and Hospital System freely available to all, with universal disease prevention and treatment is the solution. Going to the hospital or a medical doctor should be as free and easy as going to the Public Library. The profit system economy must be replaced by an economy based on the health needs of the people. The corporations, the banks and the rich, who have made trillions of dollars in profits over the recent years, must pay for this Public Service.

Dr. Nayvin Gordon

Oakland

PS. Dr. Gordon writes about health and politics. He maybe reached at gordonnayvin@yahoo.com

* * *

MTA BEGINS SPECIAL HOPLAND BUS SERVICE

Mendocino Transit Authority now offers Hopland residents a roundtrip bus ride to Ukiah for essential shopping every Thursday, beginning Thursday, April 16.

MTA will pick up passengers at the Old Savings Bank bus stop in Hopland at 10:30 a.m., bring them to the Walmart bus stop in Ukiah where transfers can be made, and pick up passengers at 1:30 p.m. at the Walmart bus stop for the return trip to the bus stop at Brutocao Cellars Tasting Room in Hopland.

Operations Manager Jacob King said that, when MTA cut bus service to Santa Rosa in an effort to minimize spread of the coronavirus, some people in Hopland were stranded. Hopland doesn’t have a grocery store since the Superette closed. MTA began getting phone calls.

The new service is temporary, and MTA said it could be discontinued if no one uses it. A trial run last week showed demand for transportation into Ukiah for essential shopping.

“The coronavirus pandemic has taught us about pockets of customers who really depend upon MTA, particularly those who ride our regional buses.” said Carla Meyer, MTA executive director. “We’re committed to help people travel for essential services in Mendocino County while supporting Mendocino County’s guidance for sheltering in place and social distancing.”

MTA welcomes customers aboard for essential trips. Buses are disinfected thoroughly before each trip, and every other row of seats is taped off to promote social distancing. Riders are encouraged to use on-board hand sanitizers.

For more information, visit MTA’s website homepage alerts: Or contact MTA for travel assistance at (707) 462-1422.

Mendocino Transit Authority provides clean, low-cost, safe and convenient public bus service throughout Mendocino County. Information: mendocinotransit.org.

* * *

SLEEPY O'S FOR CREEPY JOE

* * *

HEATHY MENDOCINO LAUNCHES COVID-19 RESOURCE LIBRARY

By Molly Rosenthal, Healthy Mendocino Coast Coordinator

Healthy Mendocino has launched a COVID-19 Resource Library chock full of articles, toolkits, videos, and announcements to assist Mendocino County residents and organizations during the coronavirus pandemic. The library is organized by category and includes services at the local, state and federal level. In addition to resources for non-profits, small businesses, and affected workers, users will find COVID-19 educational activities for children, support for pandemic anxiety, services for seniors, and more.

Visit healthymendocino.org and follow the Resources & Tools menu item to access the library. Please email <mrosenthal@ncoinc.org> if you would like to submit a resource to the library. To help agencies with their COVID-19 response efforts, Healthy Mendocino has also compiled a dashboard of indicators representing local populations most vulnerable during the pandemic and shelter-in-place mandate. The indicators reveal communities that are at risk of not having their basic needs met, such as people 65+ living alone and food insecure households with children. Each category is mappable by city, ZIP code, and census tract.

Healthy Mendocino is continuously working to provide outreach and support for organizations and agencies assisting Mendocino County residents during this difficult time. Please connect with us at <healthymendocino@ncoinc.org> to let us know how we can partner with your organization to enhance your response efforts or to help mobilize the community on your behalf.

Molly Rosenthal, Coast Coordinator, Healthy Mendocino

* * *

WARM LINE

The Mendocino County Health Board has set-up a non-crisis support line for people feeling stressed out. See below:

Mendocino County Warm Line (707) 472-2311

The Warm Line is a telephone-based non-crisis support that provides emotional support and a compassionate ear for Mendocino County residents. It’s a resource for individuals who are feeling stressed, isolated, overwhelmed, or need emotional support. The Warm Line is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

* * *

I'LL HAVE A QUARANEENIE, a reader observes: "Quarantine has turned us into dogs. We roam the house all day looking for food. We are told 'no' if we get too close to strangers, and we get really excited about car rides."

* * *

* * *

MAGIC MONEY

Supplemental Security Income Recipients Will Receive Automatic COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments

by Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration

Today, we announced that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive automatic Economic Impact Payments directly from the Treasury Department. Treasury anticipates these automatic payments to go out no later than early May.

SSI recipients with no qualifying children do not need to take any action in order to receive their $1,200 economic impact payment. The payments will be automatic.

SSI recipients who have qualifying children under age 17, however, should not wait for their automatic $1,200 individual payment.

They should now go to the IRS’s web page and visit the Non-Filers: Enter Your Payment Info section to provide their information. By taking proactive steps to enter information on the IRS website about them and their qualifying children, they will also receive the $500 per dependent child payment in addition to their $1,200 individual payment.

If SSI beneficiaries in this group do not provide their information to the IRS soon, they will have to wait until later to receive their $500 per qualifying child.

This is great news for SSI recipients, and I want to remind recipients with qualifying children to go to IRS.gov soon so that you will receive the full amount of the Economic Impact Payments you and your family are eligible for.

I also want to thank the dedicated employees of the Treasury Department, Social Security, and the Internal Revenue Service for making this happen and working non-stop on this issue.

SSI Recipients with Dependent Children Should Still Go To IRS.gov to Provide Their Information

Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability insurance beneficiaries (who don’t normally file taxes) will also qualify for automatic payments of $1,200 from Treasury. These payments are anticipated to start arriving around the end of April.

The Treasury Department, not Social Security, will make these automatic payments to beneficiaries. Recipients will generally receive the automatic payments by direct deposit, Direct Express debit card, or by paper check, just as they would normally receive their SSI or Social Security benefits.

For those SSI and Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability insurance beneficiaries, with dependent children, who use Direct Express debit cards, additional information will be available soon regarding the steps to take when claiming children under 17, on the IRS website.

Please note that the agency will not consider Economic Impact Payments as income for SSI recipients, and the payments are excluded from resources for 12 months.

For more information about Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability insurance beneficiaries, please see

The eligibility requirements and other information about the Economic Impact Payments can be found on the IRS website. In addition, please continue to visit the IRS for the latest information.

The agency will continue to update Social Security’s COVID-19 web page as further details become available.

* * *

THIS MAN LIVES ALONE ON A DREAMY RANCH WITH REDWOODS

The architect Charles Bello has spent the past 52 years restoring forests from logging and protecting the land on his 400-acre Bello Ranch in Northern California. Here's what he's learned along the way.

outsideonline.com/2411200/bello-ranch-california-sustainable-living

* * *

REOPEN CALIFORNIA? THAT’S THE TOUGHEST PHASE YET, GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAYS

Even as the death toll climbs to 758, Gov. Gavin Newsom praises Californians for bending the curve and lays out a science-based path for reopening California. But it may not be anytime soon.

calmatters.org/health/2020/04/reopen-california-thats-the-toughest-phase-yet-newsom-says/

* * *

FOUND OBJECT

18 Comments

  1. Craig Stehr April 16, 2020

    ~Spiritual Revolution~

    Walking north on Pi’ikoi Street past the Safeway to the Makiki post office branch, watching the mental activity and not paying any particular attention to anything else. The heart continues to beat, the brain functions, the legs move, the arms gently sway, a slight smile on the face, going past the American Savings Bank, then underneath the highway overpass, crossing the street to the Pi’ikoi Mini Park. The sign states that just about everything is prohibited, including golf! There is one large tree there, a row of rent-a-bicycle, and undeveloped land. Crossing the street, walking to the next corner, and then crossing the street to go to the post office. Checking the post office box dispassionately. With no emotion whatsoever, exiting the post office.
    [Forgot all about going into Safeway and getting a coffee from Starbucks.] Stopped by the food truck outside of Kaiser Permanente to purchase a delicious chocolate brownie. Sat on a bus bench and enjoyed both. The security guard walked by smiling. It’s a bright sunny morning on south Oahu, with a warm balmy trade wind carrying the enchanted scent of the plumeria flower wafting over the island. The dove birds are coo cooing. Puffy white clouds look like dragons overhead. The palm trees just stand as witness to it all.
    A #1 bus goes all the way to the Kahala Mall, with few passengers due to the stay-at-home political executive recommendation in response to an invasive molecule surrounded by a layer of fat called COVID-19. In spite of the Department of Health stating that only an N95 3M mask’s material will keep out the molecule, the public is almost forced to wear a face mask, which does nothing significant to protect the wearer. The N95 3M masks are unavailable, due to the government taking the entire supply to issue to health workers. And the virus does not cause diahrrea, so purchasing hundreds of rolls of toilet paper is pointless. Regardless, store shelves are barren of toilet paper. Meanwhile, Honolulu high school students are wearing monster themed masks, since the mask is now a fashion item, while riding on public buses with their skateboards and socializing in the rear portion of the bus.
    Transferring to a #22 bus, and going past Diamond Head which is crowded with swimmers, surfers, tourists who do not want to argue with the Honolulu Police Department at Waikiki Beach, and locals who are out essentially walking, the body is completely relaxed and the mind is silent. The scene outside of the bus window just goes by, a veritable passing show of island living, which ignores the warning of politicians, the enforcement effort of the Honolulu Police Department, and is headed to the beach with six packs of Hawaiian brewed beer and carrying bags of food.
    Deboarding at Waikiki Beach, which has few sunbathers since the tourists are in the water or surfing further out, which is permitted. Locals fish off of the stone breakwater. The Honolulu Police Department is minimally monitoring. Not identifying with the body and not identifying with the mostly silent mind, walked past the Don Ho statue inside of the International Market Place, which has been adorned with leis and other flowers. The singer of “Tiny Bubbles” is an icon in Honolulu. Proceeded to the second level to the Mitsuwa Japanese Market for soy milk and mushroom spaghetti in the bowl. Enjoyed it outside, since there is no sitting down inside. “Social distancing” is being encouraged.
    Wandered all the way back to the Ala Moana Shopping Center which is mostly closed. Food Land barred all customers not wearing a mask. Went by Target and WalMart where mask wearing is optional. Eventually walked by A’s barber shop on King Street, which is closed until further notice. They give a good haircut for $16. Crossed the street and ambled on to the 7-11 for those red bean filled mochi balls and some cold matcha tea for later on. Walking past the ever-present Honolulu Police Department squad cars, which are keeping the squatters away from their ususal place of congregation in front of the dry cleaners, the spiritual reality which nobody can describe which is inhabiting this body-mind complex, effortlessly entered the front gate of the Plumeria Hostel Alternative, and returned to the room from whence it left many hours before. A refreshing cold shower was taken, as the pink and purple Polynesian sunset slowly sank in the west. ~Mahalo~

    Craig Louis Stehr
    April 15, 2020 A.D.
    Email: craiglouisstehr@gmail.com
    Blog: http://craiglstehr.blogspot.com
    Paypal.me/craiglouisstehr
    Snail Mail: P.O. Box 235670, Honolulu, Hawaii 96823-3511
    No phone ?

    • Bruce Anderson April 16, 2020

      Warm spiritual greetings, Craig, and thank you for an excellent report. Keep ’em coming!

  2. Eric Sunswheat April 16, 2020

    RE: UH OH. A “cascading series of events” is disrupting the US food supply chain in a way which could impact millions of Americans, so says a guy who knows, Tom Vilsack, former Secretary of Agriculture. Virus outbreaks have forced processing plants to close and supply is redirected away from major consumer sources such as closed restaurants and schools. “You start ending school lunch programs, universities shut down, food service shuts down… At the end of the day you’ve basically got a tremendous amount of the overall supply of food having to be redirected,” Vilsack said.

    ———->. April 10, 2020
    Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency has predicted an increase in methane emissions in 2020 as falling oil prices reduce incentives to capture the gas—particularly troubling as methane is over eighty times more potent as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide.

    How does extreme weather alter the calculus?

    Despite any short-term emissions drop, the rest of 2020 will likely bring extreme weather fueled by rising temperatures. In the United States, scientists predict that this year’s hurricane season, which is just over two months away, will be more destructive than typical seasons.

    California faces a greater than usual risk for large fires, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters predict that major to moderate flooding will likely affect twenty-three states this spring. Record-breaking heat is also likely.

    This bundle of disasters will tax the United States severely as it struggles to contain the coronavirus’s spread. And it will not be alone, as warming brings record-breaking extremes worldwide.

    Multiple extreme weather events occurring within a single region in rapid sequence or in clusters could compound the damage, undermining governments’ responsiveness, U.S. intelligence agencies warn [PDF].
    https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/what-coronavirus-pandemic-teaches-us-about-fighting-climate-change

    Apr 3, 2020
    Disaster readiness is like exercise. We know the consequences of failing to do it can be deadly (heart disease is the number-one killer). But it’s so boringly uncontroversial that it’s all too easy to agree that it’s important, then fail to act.

    But in moments like this, while the disaster is underway, people can think of nothing else. Perhaps we can use this moment to direct money and attention to some of the obvious adaptations needed to live in a warmer world, that people can still make, before it’s too late…

    The Adapt Now report lays out five areas for governments to focus on: building early-warning systems, buttressing infrastructure, protecting water systems, improving dryland farming, and leaving mangroves to grow so they can keep sheltering shorelines from storms while removing carbon from the atmosphere…

    The most terrifying projections about what hell climate change will bring are often based on forecasts that assume governments refuse to adapt to a wetter, warmer world.

    But as we can see cleary during this pandemic, the argument for preparation seems blindingly obvious once disaster strikes. So why wait?
    https://grist.org/climate/be-prepared-key-lessons-from-the-pandemic-and-climate-change/

    APRIL 8, 2020
    The climate crisis is going to be many, many times worse. It may happen more slowly, but let’s not kid ourselves. Greater disease transmission, food shortages, energy blackouts, floods, homelessness, joblessness, species extinction—each will stagger us and then do so again.

    You have to ask yourself, why are our political leaders unwilling to take serious action on climate? They know it will be too late before too long. So what’s going on?

    We live in a hyper-capitalist system that rewards and even demands short-term thinking by political and business leaders. Time after time, political and corporate power brokers put their short-term interests ahead of the long-term health and economic security of all.

    The crude right wing in American life and media (Fox News and others) gaslights America on this topic; they endlessly claim that pro-climate activists are out-of-touch elitists, while they are the true guardians of the (white) working class.

    The more sophisticated types—the neoliberals who have dominated economic policy for 40 years—hide behind an ideological smokescreen to argue that theirs is the only path, that another world is simply not possible. Fortunately, the Sanders and Warren campaigns stuck a dagger in that enduring lie…

    We can save our climate by investing in jobs policies that will transform and improve manufacturing, agriculture, electrification, transportation, housing, infrastructure, care work—and virtually every aspect of our economy.

    The relevant question is whether we do so in a way that will help working-class, middle-class, and poor Americans first, not last. This is how we take responsibility for the world our children and grandchildren will inherit and inhabit…

    The desire for unlimited private wealth and power that characterizes America today will overwhelm our ecosystem just as the coronavirus is overwhelming our health care system.

    Luckily it’s not too late. We can flatten the curve on climate change too.
    https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/coronavirus-climate-change-rehearsal-for-climate-change/

  3. James Marmon April 16, 2020

    RE: FACE MASKS DON’T WORK

    When I go out I can’t believe how many people are still not wearing face coverings. Very inconsiderate. I was pleased to see that some people are calling non-face mask people out. One lady actually ran a guy out of Walmart yesterday for not wearing a face covering. She followed him all over the store badgering him about his disregard for other people’s lives.

    New Yorkers Have Been Ordered To Wear Masks In Public When Social Distancing Is Not Possible

    “All New Yorkers have been ordered to wear masks or face coverings in public situations where they cannot maintain 6 feet of distance from others, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.

    He issued an executive order that will go into effect Saturday in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

    “If you are going to be in a situation in public where you come into contact with other people in a situation that is not socially distanced, you must have a mask or a cloth covering nose and mouth,” Cuomo said during his daily press briefing.”

    https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/coronavirus-new-york-order-face-masks-cuomo

    “Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday also issued an executive order requiring people to wear masks or face coverings inside any retail establishments, including grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores, as well as when riding any form of public transit in the state.”

    https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/92953231_2291620514467697_4043517074151047168_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=ZsT4L0zzxwYAX8KM6hh&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=de12c4d36a0226acf6896cdfd48bc9d5&oe=5EBE914A

    James Marmon
    Mask Maker

    • Susie de Castro April 16, 2020

      Masks help YOU protect yourself.

  4. James Marmon April 16, 2020

    RE: OBAMA BASHING ON THE AVA

    I want to apologize to everyone about my comment yesterday regarding Former President Obama. I was raised better than that. During the eight years of his administration I never once bashed him about anything. In fact I voted for him twice. In 2009 I even took a 4 month leave from the County and went to work for SEIU 1021 in Oakland campaigning for his health care reform and stimulus package to be passed by congress who was holding out at the time. Conducted hundreds of home visits and made thousands of calls to SEIU members.

    I’ve never bashed any President in my whole life, no need to start now.

    James Marmon

    “God Bless President Trump”

    • michael turner April 16, 2020

      not often you hear apologies in today’s heated political climate – the comment bothered me so thanks for that

  5. Lazarus April 16, 2020

    Found Object

    Stockholm I think.

    As always,
    Laz

  6. Professor Cosmos April 16, 2020

    Bruce, I dont think we need the muscles of cops for the homelessness problem; we need the straining muscles of home construction crews.

    Forced relocation is not legal. The Ukiah Chief of Police knows this. Marbut’s housing 4th path also is a non-addressing of what is primarily needed: suitable land: timber; labor.

    • Lazarus April 16, 2020

      If the Military can build a functional tented hospital in less than a week, they could put up a tented homeless community in a few days.

      Now getting them to do it in Mendocino county is another thing. If the do-gooders didn’t run them off, the County officials likely would.

      Oh yea, and let the National Guard maintain law and order. No martial law, just the ordinary rules of a civilized society…what could possibly go wrong?
      As always,
      Laz

  7. Randy Burke April 16, 2020

    The Work Arounds to get us back to the way we were may not work, and we may not be around anyway. Kuntzler’s book “World Made by Hand” presents a good possibility to what we will ultimately face; An Amish type of existence. The current Society’s persistence to take us back from where we came seems a fruitless endeavor. Take Bello’s farm expose. Sustainability is the only way out, and as can be witnessed, the currency solution is in trouble on a global scale. We are not going to get out of the woods on this one, and returning to a hand built civilization without all the gizmos that one needs to stay up with the Jones’ is gonna force a lot of folks to getting back in shape;mind, body and spirit. So, if I can find my copy of “World made by hand” I think I’ll read it again to relearn what may be on the horizon. Oh yeah, Mother Nature always bats last.

  8. Whyte Owen April 16, 2020

    Just fyi: Face masks, including N95 offer insignificant to no protection to the wearer, as the virus lands everywhere else, including on the bandana and shoes. However, even a bandana, especially a double fold, provides substantial prevention of the wearer, if infected, from transmitting the virus to others. Best protection for recipient remains thorough hand washing when returning from an outing, and keeping physical distance indoors and out. And before that hand washing, do not touch your face or any other body part.

  9. George Hollister April 16, 2020

    Humans are caught between two activists groups; one that believes heaven can be created on Earth, and one that believes heaven can only exist in the afterlife. Thomas Sowell, says the same thing in his book, A Conflict Of Visions, though not in those exact words. Human history has notable instances of one, or the other of these groups having absolute government power. One enforces perpetual convention, the other perpetual revolution. Either way, the fostering or enforcement, of either of these ways of thinking creates conflict, and repression.

    America has done the best in finding a path between these two forces by promoting personal responsibility, protecting individual rights, striving to have all people living under the same laws, and limiting the power/responsibility of the federal government. The idea is to empower individuals, and let individuals chart their own course. This path has led to the most innovative, most prosperous, and most technologically advanced society in human history, with the greatest opportunities for the most people. But a struggle between the two activist groups has notably always been with us, and continues to be. The AVA, and fanning the flames of discontent, definitely represents the heaven on Earth activist group.

    • Harvey Reading April 16, 2020

      You live in a dream world, George. A conservative one at that.

    • Well Susie who else April 16, 2020

      America is a CONTINENT. But,

      I am not referring to that when I state the USA has insulated itself to its detriment.

      There’s a whole lot of a lot going on out there—that we aren’t PARTICIPATING* in. I would go so far as to say that we’re denying exits.

      Painful.

      *act of joining with others in doing something.

      • Susie April 16, 2020

        I would go even further, and say it hurts domestic policy. That is…the isolation affects every aspect of quality of life in the USA, to its detriment.

  10. Stephen Rosenthal April 16, 2020

    As various professional sports leagues conjure up plans to resume activities by mid-May at the urging of Trump and their own billion dollar interests, one thing really stands out: the athletes and other involved personnel will be tested on a regular (at least weekly, but likely more often) basis regardless of whether they are exhibiting symptoms of the virus. Yet a young Santa Rosa Police detective who WAS exhibiting symptoms died because the quacks refused to test her, citing that she was not in a suitable category to merit a test. We’re doomed, folks.

    • Lazarus April 16, 2020

      “We’re doomed, folks.”

      Could be, the likes of me will never get tested. Too old, and not connected. They’re already figuring ways to put us permanently at home or in the home.

      In Michigan, they labeled the protesters Nazis, KKK, even though many were of color and working people. Protesting not being allowed to buy house paint and carpet is endangering lives… so says the Michigan Gov.
      Laz

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