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Mendocino County Today: Thursday, May 15, 2014

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NOT SUMMER YET, but depending where you were in the Anderson Valley, and most places inland, it was a hundred degrees. The National Weather Service said that several places along the coast, including Eureka, have never been this warm at this time of the year.

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HONORED as Redwood Empire Athletes of the Year, 2014, were:

- JaJuan Lawson, Casa Grande

- Jenna Bauer, Montgomery

- Justin Sundstrom, Point Arena

- Kelcie Reynolds, Clear Lake

Honored as Scholar Athletes of the Year were:

- Matthew Payne, Cardinal Newman

- Morgan Bertsch, Santa Rosa

- Cole Jessup, Willits

- Ursyla Baumgarten, St. Vincent

The coaches honored on Wednesday night were:

- Maria Carrillo cross country coach Greg Fogg

- Anderson Valley volleyball coach Mike McDonald

- Cardinal Newman girls basketball coach Monica Mertle

- Willits boys basketball coach Duane Nelson

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A READER WRITES: Speaking of Judge Nadel (response to letter on Dr. Nayak) I had to spend five, torturous days in Ukiah a month ago on jury duty: a DUI case in Judge Nadel's courtroom no less. She's a rational, cute and bouncy package who leans toward lenient. Prior to the trial I observed her in her traffic court. Broke or a student with a speeding ticket? She'll cut the absorbent fine in half. Illegal in from Mexico charged with hit and run? Okay, a fine and some probation, but no bus ride back to Tijuana. At times I felt a certain sympathy for her. For instance, during jury selection when a prospective, young female juror asked to be dismissed because she "did not believe in the system." Judge Nadel inquired: "What do you believe in?" Answer: "Yoga — meditation should decide things." Shaking her head in disbelief, Nadel, in an attempt to save jurisprudence for western civilization, immediately dismissed the brainless beauty from pot-land.

I voted for acquittal. (Hung jury 8 to 4 four to acquit) Okay, the guy had two empty and one half full beer bottles in his old van, and his blood alcohol was double .07, but who am I to cast stones for transgressions I may have been guilty of myself? Like Judge Nadel, I can be lenient too. For some reason the judge would not allow the fact that the guy had fairly advanced prostate cancer into evidence, but the main reason I did not want to send this accused creature into additional financial ruin (he was probably already out ten grand for the lawyer and another five for an expert witness) was the simple, fourth amendment fact that — and you may not know this, but be forewarned — the CHP has hidden microphones in the back seat of their cars! The cop allowed the sipping suspect the use of his cell phone to call his wife to come get their van. He told his wife on the phone that he "screwed up" and Eyster's minion was allowed to use this as evidence. Let this be a warning to both you and your readers: remain silent in your seat. Silly me, I thought it was illegal to record conversations without permission in California. I spoke to the accused after the trial. He felt that Eyster had it in for him because when Eyster was an attorney, Eyster lost a civil case to this guy's attorney: Susan Massini as a matter of fact. Who knows, but it's Mendocino and grudges do persist.

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EDITOR,

The County Recorder Must Stop Recording Fraudulent Documents

It seems that people don't understand the absolute necessity of having reliable and accurate public property records. Thousands of property records in our Recorder's office have been compromised due to the Wall Street Banks' filings of forged, fabricated, and improperly notarized documents that they are using to unlawfully foreclose homes in which they have no legal right foreclose upon. Each and every short sale or foreclosure sale based on these fraudulent documents are VOID and should never have happened. Even if you have not been foreclosed upon or are not in danger of foreclosure, your property value and future purchases depend on the integrity of accurate records.

John O'Brien, the Recorder in Salem, Ma. performed an audit of his public records and found that 75% of mortgage assignments were invalid!

Former San Francisco County Recorder and current State Assemblyman Phil Ting found in his 2012 audit of foreclosure records that 84% of foreclosures had at least one clear legal violation, and that nearly 66% of documents were back-dated in some fashion. That means that these foreclosures SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED as they were based on VOID documents!

The billions of dollars in bank settlements is solid proof of their complicity in massive mortgage fraud.

The judge in the Texas lawsuit Nueces County v MERSCORP stated the following:

The filing of fraudulent liens undermines the reliability of the public records system on which so many rely, including landowners, purchasers, local governments, title companies, insurers, and realtors. Filings of inaccurate or fraudulent property records is alleged to be so wide spread and pervasive as to have damaged the integrity of Texas' real property records and to have all but collapsed the real property recording system in the County. The County has been harmed, first, because it relies on accurate property records in conducting its own business, and because the value of this essential public service and the County's value as an institution has been damaged if people and institutions can no longer rely on the accuracy of the property records it maintains.

Mendocino County has experienced the same fraudulent filings as Nueces County and every other county in the nation!

California Penal Code 115 states that any person who knowingly records a false or forged document is guilty of a felony!

I have personally presented our county government with forged and falsely notarized assignments, which legally renders them VOID, as proof of fraudulent documents recorded our Recorder's office. Yet all have refused make any effort to protect our public records from the Wall Street Banks' attempts to file fraudulent documents. They also refused repeated requests to perform an audit of our public records in order to gain a clearer understanding of the extent of recorded fraudulent documents.

If we do not stop the current destruction and repair the past destruction of property records, the future of securely owning real estate in the United States is in serious jeopardy. This could lead to a permanent deflation in property values and an unstable real estate market for generations.

Jed Davis, Potter Valley

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PHANTOMS

by Jeff Costello

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." — H. L. Mencken

"You're nothing but a pack of cards." — Alice in Wonderland

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Aparentar lo que no es — Colombian aphorism meaning, to put on a false showing is to not exist.

Some hubbub on facebook about Secretary of State John Kerry's name. Supposedly it's really Kohn, he's originally Jewish, and said to be a Zionist. What this says about his involvement with Israeli-Palestinian "peace talks," one must ponder for oneself. I don't really care about Kerry and who he might be. The inherent dishonesty of such large-scale political figures is bigger than any individuals, their deceptions or particular issues.

The show-biz world is rife with phony names, but who cares — it's a fairly innocent or even funny manifestation of falsehood, like with Lenny Bruce. Asked why he changed his name, he said, "Because Leonard Alfred Schneider sounds too Hollywood." An actor or other entertainer is out-front about pretending, basically, to be someone he/she is not. One reads about actors "losing themselves in their roles," more or less becoming the character they portray. This hurts no one, damages nothing. It's just a movie or play. The actors — temporarily — negate their own existence deliberately.

The American political stage is quite another matter. There is nothing funny about the Secretary of State or others like him. If one can correctly assume that the major political "personalities" of the day are lying some — if not most — of the time, it follows that we are being led by Mencken's imaginary hobgoblins — phantoms. And nasty ones at that. Factual truth about the phantoms is rewarded in their world by severe punishment, since they have so much to hide. But the bigger, universal problem is the consequences of the lies. The phantoms speak, we can make the mistake of acting on what they've said. The child cries wolf, you know the story. We are led down blind alleys.

The falsehoods, the phony stories… The bullshit comes over the media at an ever-increasing rate, from authority figures we are supposed to respect and believe. Human behavior seems to grow more insane by the day, as people act on the lies coming from everywhere. So what's to be done? Hate Monsanto and put quotes from Chomsky and other bearers of anti-establishment wisdom on facebook? Plenty of that going on, makes everyone feel good, like they've done something bold. Vote for Democrats? The above-mentioned full-of-bullshit Kerry is a Democrat, enough said.

Whatever it is, it's not enough. But what is? The gun crowd thinks they're going to have a shootout with the government, which has nuclear bombs. And those gun guys are either just more liars or totally nuts. "Right now UN tanks are amassing in the suburbs to come down our streets and take our weapons away." I first heard this twenty years ago, from a flag-waving, bible-thumping auto mechanic, who specialized in Japanese cars. Where was his patriotism? Still waiting. No need to cite any stories about people who really need their guns taken away. Never mind about religion as a source of truth.

As we used to say in the anarchist/pirate days of the Sausalito waterfront, FuckabunchaBullshit. It's not just dirty words.

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HOMETOWN GIRL Opens Law Office in Laytonville

ElinaAgnoliLaytonville, CA, May 16, 2014 — Elina Agnoli is pleased to announce the opening of her new law firm, The Law Office of Elina N. Agnoli. Her practice encompasses a wide range of civil matters, including but not limited to Personal Injuries, Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts, Family Law, Real Estate/Property Disputes, Mediation, Business Consulting and Incorporation, and Business and Contract Negotiations. In addition, she will soon be offering notary services out of her office.

Ms. Agnoli was born and raised right here in Mendocino County, where she attended Laytonville Elementary, Middle and High Schools. She was named valedictorian of her graduating Middle and High School Classes. From a young age, she was active in sports, extra curricular activities, and community enrichment programs; she also participated in high school rodeo, horse shows, and 4-H programs throughout Mendocino County and Northern California. In 1997, she was crowned Laytonville Rodeo Sweetheart.

After graduating high school in 2000, Ms. Agnoli was awarded an academic scholarship to the prestigious University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where she graduated cum laude in 2004 with dual Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Political Science and Creative Writing. After college, she was accepted at the University of San Francisco School of Law. She graduated in the top 1/3 of her class in 2008, passed the California Bar Exam, and thereafter quickly landed a job at Kazan McClain Satterly & Greenwood, one of the premier plaintiffs' asbestos firms in the country. At Kazan McClain, Ms. Agnoli spent several years litigating complex cases – frequently obtaining multimillion dollar settlements and judgments on behalf of clients, and their families, harmed by some of the worst corporate tortfeasors in American history. After leaving Kazan McClain, Ms. Agnoli worked for the nationwide firm of Brown, Koro & Romag, LLP, which specializes in representing injured motorcyclists.

During high school, college, and law school, Ms. Agnoli participated in various mock trial and moot court programs, garnering several local and national awards and titles and generally honing her trial advocacy skills. She now judges several such competition each year, and also helps coach the Laytonville High School Mock Trial Team.

Ms. Agnoli is committed to offering each of her clients exceptional, personalized, high-quality legal services in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Ms. Agnoli is known for being an aggressive advocate as well as a pragmatic, straightforward and highly creative attorney.

Ms. Agnoli appreciates all the support and well-wishes she has received from the community since opening her office; she is exceedingly happy to be living and practicing law back in her hometown of Laytonville, and is looking forward to providing residents of her beloved community with outstanding legal services and advice for the next few decades.

The Law Office of Elina N. Agnoli is located at 140 Branscomb Road in Laytonville, California. Telephone: 707.984.6121 Facsimile: 707.984.6130 Email: eagnoli@gmail.com.

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COMPTCHE AUTHOR’S COOKING BY FLASHLIGHT

by Maria Goodwin

Long-time Comptche resident, Daniel Parker is the author of Cooking by Flashlight, a book comprised of ten charming vignettes about life on the Parker Ranch. Tales of both animals and humans are told with great humor and insight, revealing the deep connection between both.

Daniel Parker is a man of many talents – farmer, artist, writer, woodworker and more. He has lived and worked on his homestead in Mendocino County for over 40 years. Today, at 83, he is still a steward of the land, advocating conscientious coexistence between man and nature. This is his first book.

An evening at Gallery Books with the writer is planned, date TBA. Cooking by Flashlight is available at Gallery Books in Mendocino. Please patronize our local bookseller.

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FOR NO CLEAR REASON

I dreamt last night 
the fright was over,

that 
the dust came, and then water,

and women and men, together 
again,

and all was quiet 
in the dim moon’s light.

A paean of such patience—

laughing, laughing at me, 
and the days extend over

the earth’s great cover, 
grass, trees, and flowering season,

for no clear reason.

— Robert Creeley

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BACK TO THE FUTURE!

MARSDEN FARM – by Nikki & Steve of Petit Teton Farm

It was brought to our attention recently that there was a farming experiment on land owned by the University of Iowa, which started in 2003 and was partially sponsored by the Department of Agriculture. On the 22 acre Marsden Farm, three plots were set up. One mimicked the present day Midwestern planting cycle of corn one year and soy the next, with the usual use of nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides. The second was planted to a 3-year cycle which included oats and livestock for manure. The third was on a 4-year cycle which added alfalfa and livestock. Both the second and third plots used chemicals fertilizers and pesticides when and where needed.

The results of the study, which came out at the end of 2012 or early 2013, are game-changing. Strangely, they were turned down by major science magazines and barely reported on elsewhere. All three plots had equal profits. The longer rotations on plots two and three had greater yields and fewer expenses for herbicides and nitrogen, but this was offset by greater labor costs. (On plots two and three, use of nitrogen fertilizer and herbicides were reduced by up to 88%, and the amounts of toxins in the groundwater was reduced 200-fold.)

The longer rotations had only a positive effect as did paying for labor instead of buying the poisons the chemical companies foist on us. When asked to summarize the findings, an author of the study who works for the USDA said, “These were simple changes patterned after those used by North American farmers for generations. What we found was that if you don’t hold the natural forces back, they are going to work for you.”

It is obvious to us that this study went nowhere because it threatens the bottom line of the chemical purveyors’ balance sheets. Personally we would prefer that no chemicals were ever used, but a balanced use is a good compromise and a vast improvement over what is being done now.

Please read the articles at the links below for a full description of the project and its results. We would love this study to go viral and force the changes so desperately needed in the way we produce food.

http://www.wired.com/2012/10/big-smart-green-farming/

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BE STILL when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot.

— D.H. Lawrence

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Hernandez
Hernandez

GABRIEL MANUAL HERNANDEZ, 24, Ukiah, has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing another gang mope when two groups of morons encountered each other on Monday.

The victim and two other yobs were walking near the footbridge to a creek off Orchard Avenue when the Hernandez party engaged them in hand to hand combat. Hernandez, allegedly wielding a knife, seems to have cut his adversary twice.

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POLICE CALLS AS OF THURSDAY MORNING

VEHICLE PROWL -- Caller in the 600 block of North Pine Street reported at 3:02 a.m. Sunday that a male in a red hoodie had attempted to break into a vehicle there. An officer responded and checked the area but the suspect was gone.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE -- Caller in the 900 block of West Perkins Street reported at 10:17 a.m. Sunday that her boyfriend grabbed her by the throat. An officer responded and arrested Cameron DeLapo, 19, of Ukiah, on suspicion of domestic violence. He was booked into Mendocino County Jail.

DUI ARREST -- An officer stopped a vehicle in the 1100 block of North State Street at 10:43 a.m. Sunday and arrested Winifred Edmonds, 62, no hometown listed, on suspicion of driving under the influence.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE -- An officer responded to the 100 block of Henderson Lane at 11:38 a.m. Sunday and arrested a 36-year-old woman for being under the influence of a controlled substance, and Anthony Hall, 30, on suspicion of domestic violence.

MAN YELLING IN DOG PARK -- Caller in Low Gap Regional Park reported at 11:44 a.m. Sunday that a shirtless man with a black and white dog was acting strange, in the dog park yelling that "people need to die." An officer responded, spoke with the man and reported that everything was fine.

MAN DRUNK -- Caller in the 900 block of North State Street reported at 7:53 p.m. Sunday that a family member was drunk and on the railroad tracks near Brush Street. An officer responded and arrested the 59-year-old Ukiah man for violating his parole.

BIKE STOP -- An officer stopped a bicyclist in the 200 block of Talmage Road at 9:36 p.m. Sunday and arrested a 46-year-old Redwood Valley man for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

POT POSSESSION -- Caller in the 1200 block of Airport Park Boulevard reported at 8:22 a.m. Monday that a drunken man was out front. An officer responded and arrested Garry Potts, 33, of Oakland, on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and conspiracy; Asahel H. Weaver, 46, of Willits, on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and conspiracy, and Bianca C. Tutera, 27, of Florida, on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and conspiracy. All three were booked into Mendocino County Jail.

TRAILER FULL OF TRASH -- Caller in the 300 block of Warren Drive reported at 8:46 a.m. Monday that a house had a trailer full of trash out front and a loose dog.

DOG IN CAR -- Caller at Ukiah Valley Medical Center reported at 9:22 a.m. Monday that a dog in a Gold Jeep Grand Cherokee parked outside appeared to be in distress. An officer responded and reported that the dog was fine. The caller called again and requested that the officer come back. The officer returned and reported that the dog was still fine and he contacted the owners, who agreed to check on the animal.

911 HANGUP -- Caller on Canyon View Court dialed 911 at 11:55 a.m. Monday then hung-up. When recontacted, the caller said she called about a snake in the road.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE -- Caller at Ukiah Valley Medical Center reported at 12:57 p.m. Monday that a woman was being treated for a head wound. An officer responded and arrested Charles Foster, 18, of Ukiah, on suspicion of domestic violence.

CART FULL OF COPPER -- Caller in the 700 block of South State Street reported at 4:41 p.m. Monday that two Hispanic men had walked through the complex with a shopping cart full of copper wire.

DEATH -- An officer responded to the 300 block of North Main Street at 6:29 p.m. Monday and took a report of a death.

DOG BITE, DUI -- Caller at Todd Grove Park reported at 7:27 p.m. Monday that a dog had bitten a child. An officer responded and arrested James Mattern, 64, of Ukiah, on suspicion of driving under the influence. The dog was quarantined.

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'I REQUEST YOUR SANE COOPERATION RIGHT NOW!'

Warm spiritual greetings, Due to the fact that the Caffrey for Congress 2014 staffpersons did not forward my mail to me for over three months, I did not get my California food stamp renewal forms back in time, and therefore have lost my food stamp benefits. Secondly, due to the crazy, insane, dope-stupid bullshit which surrounded this campaign for the California District 2 house of representatives seat, the candidate himself is now not able to reimburse me the $290 which I lent to him. For clarity sake, please understand that I do not hold this against Andy Caffrey personally. Presently, I am still in New Orleans as the anarchist housing rights organizer Jamie "Bork" Loughner's in-house medical assistant, and I need to continue eating food! I want you to give me money, and I want you to telephone Andy Caffrey at (707) 923-2114, and tell him that he owes you the money. I fully understand that this is all an inconvenience. WELCOME TO POSTMODERN AMERICA!!! I am still willing to go to Washington D.C. and initiate the Washington D.C. beltway action, chant the mahamantram continuously, and to hell with the meaningless waste of materialism-as-lifestyle in the United States of America. Let's go...what are we waiting for? Love, peace, and whatever else that you need to get, Craig Louis Stehr, May 14th, 2014 Anno Domini. (504) 302-9951. CraigStehr@pamho.net

Snail mail: 333 Socrates Street, New Orleans, LA 70114

Blog (maintained by Earth First! icon Ron Huber): http://craiglstehr.blogspot.com

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