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Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, Dec 10, 2014

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WINTER STORM WARNING: 12-09-2014

Mendocino County

Date: 12-09-2014 Time: 12:00 PM

The Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services (OES) has been working with the Mendocino County Department of Transportation, Mendocino County General Services, Mendocino County Health and Human Services, City of Ukiah, City of Willits, City of Fort Bragg, City of Point Arena and various other agencies in preparation of a pending winter storm anticipated to impact Mendocino County starting on 12-10-2014 (Wednesday).

WeatherChart

A surf advisory for the coastal areas, high winds in the upper elevations and up to 8 inches of rain is expected in some areas during the storm. It is predicted to be the worst storm California has seen in the past five years.

The following is the storm forecast from the California Office of Emergency Services regarding the following rivers in Mendocino County:

Navarro River at Navarro:

Forecasted to reach flood stage at 8:00 AM on 12-11-2014 (Thursday) and recede at 8:00 AM on 12-12-2014 (Friday). The river is anticipated to peak at 33.5 feet at 6:00 PM on 12-11-2014 (Thursday).

Impacts:

Water flows over the banks of the river approximately 1 mile east of Highway 128, and is expected to flood property in this area including several homes. Complete closure of Highway 128 is expected.

Russian River at Hopland:

Forecasted to reach flood stage at 8:00 AM on 12-11-2014 (Thursday) and recede at 8:00 PM on 12-11-2014 (Thursday). The river is anticipated to peak at 24.8 feet at 4:00 PM on 12-11-2014 (Thursday).

Impacts:

Severe bank erosion is likely with widespread flooding of farmland, buildings and low-lying homes in the Hopland, Ukiah, and Talmage areas. Many secondary roads will be flooded. This level of flooding caused 6,100 acres to flood in February 1940.

Do not drive on or across roadways where water is flowing and/or rising. Flowing water can wear away the roadway surface and cause your vehicle to sink into deeper water. Flowing and/or rising water can carry your vehicle away swiftly which can result in serious injury or death to the occupants of the vehicle.

As part of preparation for the storm there will be sandbag stations for the public at the following locations:

  • Fort Bragg Fire Department
  • Freidman's Home Improvement Store (Ukiah, Ca)
  • Mendocino County General Services (to the left of the baseball fields in Ukiah, Ca)
  • Hopland Fire Department
  • Laytonville Fire Department
  • Potter Valley Fire Department
  • Redwood Valley Fire Department
  • Willits Justice Center, east parking lot (City of Willits)

The Mendocino County Emergency Operation Center will be monitoring the storm and will be ready to activate if needed.

Mendocino County Health and Human Services Disaster Response Team will be available and ready to assist with setting up shelters if needed in coordination with Red Cross.

North Coast Opportunities has been alerted in the event Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) is needed.

MCARCS (HAM Operators) have been asked to be available if needed.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office has been disseminating Public Safety Announcements (print, internet, radio) on where the public can get sand bags along with weather safety information.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office will be updating all social media sites in regards to the pending winter storm to include the following:

  • www.facebook.com/MendocinoSheriff
  • www.twitter.com/MendoSheriff
  • www.instagram.com/MendoSheriff (from smartphones)

There has been a hash tag established so people can follow updates/get information on the storm at #WXMendoStorm14 via twitter.

The California Office of Emergency Services has notified all State Operations and they are ready to assist.

Updates will be given as more information becomes available.

Approved By: Greg Van Patten

The following are advisories from the National Weather Service (www.weather.gov) for Mendocino County for the pending winter storm anticipated to impact Mendocino County beginning on 12-10-2014:

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FLOOD WATCH

National Weather Service Eureka Ca

3:26 Am PST Tue Dec 9 2014

Mendocino Coast-Mendocino Interior-

Flood watch remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday evening...

The flood watch continues for a portion of Northwest California...including the following areas...Mendocino Coast and Mendocino Interior.

From Wednesday evening through Thursday evening

Potential impacts of flooding...rises on streams...creeks and small rivers are expected and may result in flooded roads.

Highways potentially impacted...Hwy 1 at the Garcia River... Hwy 128 along the Navarro River...Hwy 175 near Hopland with other low lying locations possible.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A flood watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts.

You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

Allow additional time for travel or alter travel plans if possible.

High wind watch urgent - weather message National Weather Service Eureka ca 319 am pst Tue Dec 9 2014

...strong south winds expected Wednesday into early Thursday...

Mendocino Interior- 319 am pst Tue Dec 9 2014

...High Wind Watch remains in effect from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning...

Winds...ridge top southwest winds 20 to 40 mph with gusts possibly to 60 mph. Lighter winds in valley locations of interior Mendocino County.

Strong winds will make driving difficult...especially for high profile vehicles.

For a detailed view of the hazard area...visit http://www.weather.gov/eureka/hazards

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A high wind watch means there is the potential for a hazardous high wind event. Sustained winds of at least 40 mph...or gusts of 58 mph or stronger may occur. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

Hydrologic outlook

National Weather Service, Eureka CA 315 am pst Tue Dec 9 2014

...heavy rain expected Wednesday night into Thursday...

Heavy rain is expected to develop Wednesday night through Thursday. All main stem rivers will experience moderate to sharp rises by Thursday morning. Also rises on smaller creeks and streams are expected with possible flooding of low lying areas.

  • The Eel River at Fernbridge may reach flood stage as early as Thursday evening.
  • The Navarro River at Navarro is expected to exceed flood stage Thursday morning.
  • The Russian River at Hopland may reach flood stage Thursday morning as well.

Stay tuned to the latest river stage forecasts for updates and changes.

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RUMOR OF THE WEEK: The Coast branch of the CHP has a "little red binder" in which the names of habitual drunks are kept. The CHP then visits alcohol vendors asking them not to sell booze to the persons listed in the little red binder. The CHP spokesperson got a good laugh out of that one. She said, “Let's put it this way. It's highly unlikely. We have enough to do.”

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ONLY THE TRUEST GRINCH can resist the charm of Christmas lights shining out of the dank dark these December nights, and they are especially beguiling along the Boonville stretch of Highway 128 where many homes and businesses are elegantly garlanded with them.

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A READER sends along the "2015 Budget Preview Summary" for the Redwood Valley Community Church. He's circled the senior pastor's projected salary at $87,440.76, noting that the pastor also gets a free house. The assistant leader of the RV flock will also do pretty well at $60,478.72. “How about the same for everyone else!” the reader demands.

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ADD LOOK-ALIKES: Claude Lewenz and Jay Leno; Charlie Paget-Seekins and Andrew Luck; Rod Balson and Charles Bronson; Greg Krause and Rob Goodell; Herb Ruhs and Burl Ives; Tommy Wayne Kramer and Samuel Beckett; Carmel Angelo and Mama Cass; Geraldine Rose and Grandma Frickert; Judge Moorman and Sandra Bullock; John McCowen and James Schlesinger.

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RANDOM IRRITANTS

PEOPLE who sidle up to me and say, “I don't read your paper but…” as they proceed to tell me about something they've read in my paper. The presumption is they don't read it because they're too high minded, too much the intellectual to deign… More irritating are the people who say, “Why do you trash so many good people?” I ask for names. “Well, you know…" Or they rattle off purportedly “liberal” supervisors and random other frauds, apparently unaware or uncaring that public people taking public stances on public issues are of course open to criticism. As am I, so bring it on, wimpos and quit whining.

THE MAJOR was quite huffy when he came through the office door Monday noon. He'd been on a trip downstairs to buy a cup of Mosswood's excellent soup but had returned without it. “Where's the soup?” I asked. “There was the grungiest hippie I've seen since 1975 in line in front of me,” The Major said, “and he was with the prettiest girl… What do these women see in these dirt bags?” I counseled tolerance. “He was holding up everyone,” The Major continued, “asking if he could get soy milk in his coffee and so on. And he was pulling greasy dollar bills out of his fetid pocket one at a time until he had the right amount. I'm surprised the girls at the counter just don't pull out guns and start shooting. But he was with the prettiest girl!” There, there, Maj, I said. Calm down. Us old dogs know love is blind and the mysteries of human sexuality labyrinthian. “Golly, she was pretty, though, and he looked like Who Done It and What For,” The Major concluded.

MEANWHILE, across the street at the Boonville Post Office where Postmistress Collette was engulfed by outgoing packages and working by herself in the pre-Christmas rush because the Post Office won't pay for the full-time assistance she obviously needs, a woman walks in with a broom and asks Postmistress Collette how much it will cost to send the thing to England. “I’ll box it, of course,” the lady added, somewhat obliviously. Right about there the temptation would be to say, “Lady, why don't you put it crosswise in your mouth like a rescue dog and swim the goddam thing across the Atlantic.” Postmistress Collette, of course, as a government employee can't get salty with the public, so she and the Broom lady proceeded to try to weigh the thing and otherwise calculate the required postage. After several minutes of complicated geometrics, Postmistress Collette said, “At least $19 to England.” The Broom Lady, apparently realizing the shipping was more than the broom was worth, said, “Thank you,” and walked out the door.

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AFTER READING Linda Williams recent piece about Caltrans planned use of herbicides in Little Lake Valley as part of their bypass “mitigation” program

http://www.willitsnews.com/localnews/ci_27076216/caltrans-use-herbicides

… we asked Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie about their reintroduction of herbicides in Mendocino County after what we thought was a well-deserved ban achieved by some serious anti-herbicide protests back in the 90s.

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From: Frisbie Jr, Phil N@DOT <phil.frisbie@dot.ca.gov>

Date: Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 2:13 PM

Subject: RE: herbicides?

To: bruce anderson <ava@pacific.net>

Hi Bruce,

It has been a while.

I am not sure what you mean by ‘reintroducing herbicides’, when herbicides have continued to be used in Mendocino County when absolutely needed with little fanfare. For example, at the request of the City of Fort Bragg, Caltrans used herbicides on invasive pampas grass along state and city property in Fort Bragg a few years ago. And I have heard (you will need to confirm the details with them) the City of Willits has used herbicides recently on city property.

Most of the information I have for the Willits Bypass herbicide use is at http://willitsbypass.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/eliminating-invasive-blackberry-on-willits-bypass-mitigation-parcels/

If you have additional specific questions I will happy to answer them.

Sincerely,

Phil Frisbie, Jr.

Public Information Officer for Lake and Mendocino Counties, Web Content Administrator

Caltrans District 1

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DORIS JEAN COOLEY, March 14, 1940 to November 26, 2014

DorisCooleyDoris was born in Arkansas to Marion and Emma-Lee Hughes. She was the oldest daughter having two older brothers and a younger brother and sister. Doris grew up in sawmill camps and her family followed the work until they landed in Boonville, where she met, fell in love and married her childhood sweetheart Jim Cooley in 1955. Doris had three children, Doug, Tammy and Karen and adopted her oldest grandson Ryan. Doris was a loving wife, a fiercely protective mother/grandmother and a very loyal friend, anyone who knew Doris can attest to that. Doris made sure all of her children could cook, clean, bake, sew, and iron so they could be completely self-sufficient.

Doris passed away suddenly holding the hand of her great love on November 26, 2014 after several years of declining health. Doris was proceeded in death by her parents, Brother Jim, Sister Sandy and Daughter Karen. Doris is survived by her husband of 60 years Jim Cooley, Doug (Son) and Donna Cooley of Vacaville, Tammy Kuhn (Daughter) of Ukiah, Ryan (Son) and Nancy Cooley of Ukiah, Jerry (Brother) and Pam Hughes of Ukiah, Glen Hughes (Brother) of Sacramento, and her best friend, who was more of a sister than a friend, Kathy Tolman of Santa Rosa. Doris has 7 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and 1 great, great grandchild. A memorial service with a reception to follow will be held at 1:00pm on Saturday, December 6th at the Ukiah Elks Lodge, 1200 Hastings Rd in Ukiah.

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FANFARE

As always, I'm stirred by the opening oboes giving ground to the strings then the kettle drums and the double basses. It's a high-sky morning in Wyoming. Joel McCrea's galloping across a windy prairie. Barbara Britton, fresh from Vermont, stands out in front of their sodbuster cabin. 'Why is he so late? Is there trouble? What can I do, a woman alone?' I've worn out three disks this fall. Almost any Copland (today it's the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by some Israeli) can persuade me on almost any given day that I'm not just any old man doing something old men do: driving to the grocery for soy milk, visiting the periodontist, motoring to the airport to greet young soldiers from wherever our country's waging secret wars and committing global wrongs in freedom's name.... It doesn't take much to change my perspective on a given day — or a given moment, or a given anything.

— Richard Ford, Let Me Be Frank With You: A Frank Bascombe Book

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To the Editor:

Regarding Mendocino County Board of Supervisors agenda item (5c) for their meeting on December 9, -- the discussion and possible action on deferred compensation -- the public should know the following: Deferred compensation plans do nothing to benefit the county's rank and file workers. They spend their paychecks. Few workers save. They don't get paid much.

The public should also know there are two types of deferred compensation plans. The first type of plan, which requires contributions by workers, is a type of tax-advantaged savings plan. It's a good thing. The second type of plan, which requires no contributions, benefits very few workers. It's a bad thing. If passed, the second type of deferred compensation plan will benefit the Brahmin class among county workers...the elected officials and top managers who get paid big bucks, i.e. County CEO, Carmel Angelo, who just signed a five-year contract with an annual base salary of $180,000. (Ms. Angelo's benefits package is worth another $50,000 or more.)

Put another way, the first of the two types of deferred compensation plans requires contributions by employees. That's fair. The second requires no such contributions. That's highway robbery. And it's self-dealing, because it's a plan passed by the very people who will benefit by it..

What else do we know about deferred compensation plans for the county? Not much.

Records for Bay Area counties show that Alameda County grossly abuses deferred compensation plans. They're in a league all by themselves. Shame on them. We'll get to Alameda County in a second.

Regarding other Bay Area counties, except for San Francisco, which refused to release deferred compensation and pension data, the other Bay Area counties show they paid considerably less in deferred compensation than Alameda County. Four counties -- San Mateo, Marin, Solano and Santa Cruz -- made no such payments. Others, including Contra Costa and Sonoma, offered deferred compensation to rank-and-file employees in amounts ranging from $130 to $1,020.

It is unclear how many county governments statewide pay deferred compensation to top office holders. More than half of California's counties have yet to respond to public records requests for the data. The State of California's Association of Counties doesn't track such payments.

Deferred compensation, if passed by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, might mean that our county's leaders may sometime in the future be quietly reaping a rare and unusual, very lucrative, government benefit: taxpayer-funded contributions into special "deferred compensation" accounts that give the county''s elected officials and top managers, in effect, another public pension.

Deferred compensation that does not require contributions by elected officials and top managers is a highly unusual arrangement that allow county executives to retire on hefty pensions plus hundreds of thousands of dollars more in investment accounts...all paid for by the county.

Worst of all, the additional accounts could allow the county to boost the retirement pay of a select few, while not increasing pension benefits for rank-and-file employees. That's a slap in their face. An insult.

To review, Mendocino County sets its pensions through a formula and tiers -- similar to that used by other counties -- that caps benefits at between 2 percent and 3 percent of top salary multiplied by the number of years of service. The major advantage to having deferred compensation plans is that you get tax-deferred status on more money. It's another way of getting compensation, a tax-efficient way of getting compensation.

But pension reform advocates said the plans may need to be limited by law to rein in expenses. Any type of supplemental pension should be the subject of restrictions. And they should require contributions by elected officials and top managers.

So how sweet will Mendocino County's new deferred compensation be?

Exactly how sweet?

It could be very sweet, indeed. Alameda County pays the entire "deferred compensation" contribution itself, rather than requiring an employee contribution, as most other counties do. For some top employees, Alameda County's contributions are so large that it maxed out what is allowed under federal tax laws. In all, in its first year of having a deferred compensation plan (2010-2011), Alameda County paid $828,285 into deferred compensation accounts for 23 elected officials and top managers in 2010-2011, according to records. No other Alameda County employees received deferred payments in 2010-2011, records show.

These deferred compensation payments border on looting the public treasury. Apparently, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors didn't look at what county leaders do as public service; instead, they looked at county employment as an opportunity for self-enrichment.

But will this new form of looting the county really hit the outrage factor here in Mendocino County? Will SEIU, Local 1021, and the county's other collective bargaining units be outraged, if Mendocino County opts for a deferred compensation plan that kicks in the elected official's or top manager's contribution?

I don't know. Are they paying attention?

John Sakowicz, Ukiah

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NEXT!

(Lexicographic note: “Overjoyed” is one level above “very excited,” which is, in turn, one level above “excited,” which is one level above “happy,” which is one level above “pleased,” all of which are equivalent in modern slang to various degrees of “whatever,” but still one level above “who cares?”)

Board Of Supervisors Appoints County Library Director

After conducting a national recruitment and review of 11 potential candidates, on December 9, 2014, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors announced the appointment of Wallace Clark as the Mendocino County Library Director.

Supervisor John Pinches, representing the 3rd District and current Board Chair, commented on the Board’s action stating, “In a national recruitment process, Wally Clark, a local candidate, rose to the top. As part of our Leadership Initiative and succession planning, we are happy to promote a current employee to the Library Director position."

Valerie Frey, current Library Advisory Board Chair, added, “We had excellent candidates for this position and I am pleased that Wally was selected. He has proven he can do the job and I appreciate his dedication to Mendocino County."

Mr. Clark brings over 20 years of experience to the role of County Librarian having worked in the library field since 1990 in various locations throughout California, Washington, and Idaho. Most recently, Mr. Clark has served as the Interim County Librarian and prior to that as the Branch Librarian for the Mendocino County Library, Fort Bragg Branch, since July, 2012.

Regarding his appointment, Mr. Clark stated, “I am overjoyed to be appointed as the County Librarian. Mendocino County Library is a vibrant community institution that supports a wide variety of needs and interests. We look forward to a fantastic new year.”

Mr. Clark received his Bachelor of Arts degree at California State University Fullerton in 1998 and furthered his education, receiving his Master of Library Science at UCLA in 1990. [sic]

The Mendocino County Library District comprises five locations (Coast Community/Pt. Arena, Covelo, Fort Bragg, Ukiah, and Willits) in addition to the Bookmobile traveling branch library serving remote locations throughout the county.

For more information, please contact the Mendocino County Executive Office at (707) 463-4441.

Carmel J. Angelo, Chief Executive Officer

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CATCH OF THE DAY, Dec 9, 2014

Amador, Barry, Cady
Amador, Barry, Cady

LIA AMADOR, Eureka/Willits. Possession of more than one ounce of pot, vehicle theft, receipt of stolen property, driving on suspended license, false ID to police officer.

WILLIAM BARRY, Ukiah. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

WILLIAM CADY, Fort Bragg. Interfering with business, probation revocation.

Chebotko, Cutting, Donahe
Chebotko, Cutting, Donahe

PAVEL CHEBOTKO, Shingleton CA/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

RANDALL CUTTING, Fort Bragg. (Offense not specified.)

MICHAEL DONAHE, Ukiah. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

Gonzalez, Hernandez-Paniagua, Reynoso
Gonzalez, Hernandez-Paniagua, Reynoso

ANARBOL GONZALEZ, Ukiah. Driving without a license.

MIGUEL HERNANDEZ-PANIAGUA, Willits. Pot cultivation, processing, possession for sale; possession of meth for sale, armed with firearm, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

NOE REYNOSO, Ukiah. DUI.

Russell, Turnage, Yadon, Ziegler
Russell, Turnage, Yadon, Ziegler

DAVID RUSSELL, Ukiah. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

RAY TURNAGE, Chester. Pot possession for sale.

DAVID YADON, Willits. Smuggling controlled substances or booze into jail. Driving on invalid license. (Frequent flyer.)

TIMOTHY ZIEGLER, Willits. Pot possession for sale, transport, furnish; driving on invalid license.

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I'M MY OWN GRANDPA

Many, many years ago when I was twenty-three

I was married to a widow who was pretty as could be

This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red

My father fell in love with her and soon they too were wed

I'm my own grandpa, I'm my own grandpa

It sounds funny, I know but it really is so

I'm my own grandpa

This made my dad my son-in-law and really changed my life

For now my daughter was my mother, 'cause she was my father's wife

And to complicate the matter, even though it brought me joy

I soon became the father of a bouncing baby boy

My little baby then became a brother-in-law to dad

And so became my uncle, though it made me very sad

For if he were my uncle, then that also made him brother

To the widow's grownup daughter, who was of course my step-mother

I'm my own grandpa, I'm my own grandpa

It may sound funny, I know but it really is so

I'm my own grandpa

Father's wife then had a son who kept them on the run

And he became my grandchild, for he was my daughter's son

My wife is now my mother's mother and it makes me blue

Because although she is my wife, she's my grandmother too

Now if my wife is my grandmother, then I'm her grandchild

And every time I think of it, it nearly drives me wild

'Cause now I have become the strangest 'case you ever saw

As husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpa

I'm my own grandpa, I'm my own grandpa

It sounds funny, I know but it really is so

I'm my own grandpa

I'm my own grandpa,

It sounds funny, I know but it really is so

I'm my own grandpa…

--Dwight Latham; Moe Jaffe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYlJH81dSiw

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ANTI-BELLUM US HYPOCRISY

Spanish Slavery: Bad; US Slavery: Good

During the fall of 1841, Madison Washington, a self emancipated former slave from Virginia, knocked on the door of Robert Purvis in Philadelphia as he was on his way back South to assist his wife's escape from bondage. Washington had certainly come to the right place. Purvis had been active for several years in the Vigilance Committee and the Underground Railroad. He remembered years later, “I was at that time in charge of the work of assisting fugitive slaves to escape.” Purvis already knew Washington because he had helped him gain his freedom by getting him to Canada two years earlier. Washington had since “opened correspondence with a young white man in the South,” who had promised to ferry his wife away from her plantation and to bring her to an appointed place so that the two of them could then escape northward.

Purvis did not like the plan. He had witnessed others undertake such dangerous labors of love and fail. He was sure that his visitor would be captured and re-enslaved. Washington, however, was determined to carry on.

CinqueBy coincidence Washington arrived at the abolitionist’s home on the very same day a painting was delivered: Nathaniel Jocelyn's portrait, “Sinqué, the Hero of the Amistad,” as Purvis called the painting of the leader of the rebellion on the Amistad. It so happened that Cinqué and 21 other Amistad Africans had also been in Purvis’s large, majestic home on the northwest corner of 16th and Mount Vernon streets when they visited Philadelphia on their fund-raising tour of May 1841 to raise funds for their successful return to Sierra Leone. (Cinqué later sent a message, “Tell Mr. Purvis to send me my hat.”) Purvis had long been inspired by the Amistad struggle and in late 1840-early 1841 as the US Supreme Court prepared to rule on the Amistad case, he commissioned Jocelyn to paint the portrait.

Washington took a keen interest in the painting and the story behind it. When Purvis told him about Cinqué and his comrades and their rebellion aboard ship which eventually gained their freedom, Washington “drank in every word and greatly admired the hero’s courage and intelligence.”

Washington soon departed, headed southward in search of his wife, but he never returned, as he had hoped to do in retracing his steps toward Canada. Someone betrayed him, as Purvis had predicted (and only learned some years later). Washington was “captured while escaping with his wife.” He was clapped into chains again and placed on board a domestic slave ship called the Creole, bound from Virginia to New Orleans in November 1841.

As the Creole set sail, Washington remembered Cinqué’s story — the courage and the intelligence, the plan and the victory. Working as a cook aboard the vessel which allowed him easy communication with his shipmates, Washington began to organize. With 18 others he rose up, killed a slave trading agent, wounded the captain severely, seized control of the ship, and liberated 130 fellow Africans and African-Americans. Wary of trickery, Washington forced the mate to navigate the vessel to Nassau in the Bahama Islands where the British had abolished slavery three years earlier. In Nassau harbor they met black boatman and soldiers who sympathized with the emancipation from below and took charge of the Creole, supporting the rebels and ensuring their victory.

Representatives of the US federal government literally screamed bloody murder, just as those of Spain had done two years earlier following the rebellion aboard the Amistad. They demanded the return of the slaves, who must, they insisted, be tried in the United States for rising up to kill their oppressors. US officials self righteously defended the institution of slavery and called for all property (i.e., the slaves and the ship) to be restored to its rightful owners. The British government, however, refused to comply with the order. Madison Washington and many of his comrades gained their freedom, boarding vessels bound hither and yon around the Atlantic and left no further traces in the historical record.

The reverberations of the Amistad rebellion were being felt in the wider world of Atlantic slavery as predicted by abolitionist Henry Wright, an associate of William Lloyd Garrison. Wright foresaw that Purvis’s painting, properly displayed, would confront slaveholders and their apologists with a powerful message about successful rebellion against bondage. To have it in a gallery would lead to discussions about slavery and the “inalienable” rights of man and convert every set of visitors into an antislavery meeting.

Wright did not imagine a meeting of only two people, one of them a rebellious fugitive, nor could he have known that the painting would inspire radical action on another slave ship which would result in both a collective self emancipation and an international diplomatic row between the United States and Great Britain.

The combination of the Amistad and Creole rebellions had a major impact on the antislavery struggle, pushing activists toward more militant rhetoric and practices. As Purvis concluded many years later, “and all this grew out of the inspiration caused by Madison Washington’s sight of this little picture.”

— Marcus Rediker, "The Amistad Rebellion"

* * *

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

At the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

Thursday through Sunday, December 11-14, 5:00-7:30pm

MCBGFestival

Here is your plan for getting the most enjoyment from our annual, family-favorite, spectacular light display!

  1. Come for dinner, made for you by Fort Bragg's own David's Deli.
  2. Stroll the lighted paths through our enchanting displays.
  3. Enjoy hot cocoa or spiced cider and cookies at the Holiday Treats Café in our heated tent while also enjoying live music.
  4. Shop for holiday gifts in The Garden Store.
  5. Have your photo taken in front of a curtain of lights, then take home the memories with a free print provided by U.S. Cellular.

Tickets are only $10 for adults and free for kids age 16 and under.

Purchase yours in advance at Harvest Market in Fort Bragg, Out of This World in Mendocino, or at The Garden Store. Also available at the door.

For more information, check out the event on our website

(http://www.gardenbythesea.org/calendar/festival-of-lights?utm_source=Botanical+Garden+E-Blast+List&utm_campaign=ee4776fa2c-November_18_201411_18_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e4d628c753-ee4776fa2c-46531845)

We'll see you this weekend!

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JANIE SHEPHERD WRITES:

Los Angeles, City of Water - NYTimes.com

If Los Angeles can hugely reduce its water consumption it's worth a few minutes to consider the claims of Claude Lewenz that Mendo Vito could indeed further show us the way forward. Surely if Los Angeles can reduce its water usage, a new community that doesn't have to retrofit can reduce per capita water use hugely as well. It's at least worth considering. I recommend reading the article in the New York Times via the link below. "One sign of Los Angeles’s earnestness is its success in conservation: The city now consumes less water than it did in 1970, while its population has grown by more than a third, to 3.9 million people from 2.8 million. Two projects — a nine-acre water-treating wetland constructed in a former bus maintenance yard and a water management plan devised for a flood-prone district of 80,000 people — won awards this year from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. The city itself won one of the first water sustainability awards given by the U.S. Water Alliance, in 2011."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/opinion/sunday/los-angeles-city-of-water.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A5%22%7D&_r=0

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STATE DEPARTMENT SELECTS CHEVRON AS FINALIST FOR ‘CORPORATE EXCELLENCE’ AWARD!

by Dan Bacher

It's hard to believe, but the Obama administration has selected Chevron, the San Ramon-based corporate giant known for environmental destruction and the violation of human rights throughout the world, as a finalist for a "corporate excellence" award!

According to a State Department news release, "The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs has announced the selection of nine finalists for the Secretary of State’s prestigious 2014 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE)."

The Secretary of State has awarded the ACE since 1999 to recognize American companies that are leaders in “socially responsible activities and contribute to the overall growth and sustainable development of the local economies in which they work."

“Chevron in Burma assisted local communities in 1,500 villages through its sustainable health improvement and empowerment program by providing funding to villagers for improvements in business, transmittable disease prevention (TB/malaria), agricultural practices, and infrastructure. The company's entrepreneurial programs have also empowered more than 8,000 women to start-up and operate their own businesses, “ the release states.

I've seen it all, but this is a new low in the race to the bottom. I thought the Hudson Riverkeeper giving Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger an environmental leadership award in April 2010 and the Blue Green Alliance honoring Governor Jerry Brown with the "Right Stuff" award in October 2013 were unheard-of lows in the corporate greenwashing arena, but this tops even those dubious "awards."

In fact, CREDO Action became so upset with the State's Department's award to Chevron that they are circulating an on line petition to stop the administration from honoring Chevron.

The petition states: 
"Chevron's toxic and deadly legacy of human rights and environmental violations should disqualify the company from being honored by the State Department. Don't give Chevron the Secretary’s Award for Corporate Excellence."

"The State Department will be announcing the winner of its corporate excellence award on Tuesday, so we need to act fast to make sure Chevron doesn't receive this grossly undeserved honor from the U.S. government," said Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager of CREDO Action from Working Assets

You can tell the State Department: Don't honor Chevron for its "corporate excellence" by going to the petition here:

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/chevron_state_department?t=3&akid=12352.7332896.lsMyIl

Chevron's toxic and deadly legacy

Nelson noted that Chevron was selected as a finalist for the State Department's award for its work in Burma, where its primary involvement has been the construction of the Yadana Gas Pipeline – a project that "has been marred by serious and widespread human rights abuses committed by pipeline security forces on behalf of the companies, including forced labor, land confiscation, forced relocation, rape, torture and murder."

"Honoring Chevron with the Secretary's Award for Corporate Excellence would send a dangerous signal to other corporations that there are no consequences for egregious human rights and environmental violations," said Nelson.

"Burma may be one of the most egregious examples of Chevron’s disregard for human life and our planet, but wherever Chevron does business – from California to countries like Ecuador, Nigeria and Kazakhstan – local residents and the environment pay the consequences in the form of dangerously polluted water and toxic air emissions," he said.

In Richmond, California, where Chevron has been repeatedly cited for safety and regulatory violations, a huge fire at the company's century-old refinery sent more than 15,000 local residents to hospitals with respiratory issues and other health problems, according to Nelson. Is that "corporate excellence?"

In Ecuador, local residents filed a class action lawsuit against Chevron for illegally dumping 18 billion gallons of polluted water into rivers in the Amazonian rainforest, causing local cancer rates to spike. Is that "corporate excellence?"

In Nigeria, local villagers sued Chevron for its highly-polluting practice of flaring – or burning off – excess natural gas at its oil drilling operations.

"These fires do not help us; they do not make crops grow or improve our health. In fact, it is the opposite. They destroy both our health and our environment," the counsel for the plaintiff explained after the case was settled for an undisclosed sum in June. Is that "corporate excellence?"

"On top of these examples, Chevron's entire business model is dependent on extracting and burning the fossil fuels that are fueling runaway climate change," concluded Nelson."Putting the welfare of human civilization at risk just to maximize profits is the opposite of corporate excellence – and it shouldn't be rewarded by the U.S. State Department."

Chevron and oil industry spend record amounts of lobbying and campaigns

These egregious human rights and environmental violations take place in the context of the dramatically increasing power of Chevron, the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), and the oil industry in California and the U.S.

The oil industry has spent over $70 million on lobbyists in California since January 2009, including record amounts of money spent during the third quarter of 2014, according to a new report written by Will Barrett, the Senior Policy Analyst for the American Lung Association in California.

Chevron was second only to the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) in oil industry spending on lobbyists since 2009 with a total of $15,542,565 spent. WSPA, the most powerful corporate lobbying organization in Sacramento, established to lobby for Chevron and other big oil companies, topped Chevron's own lobbying expenses with a total of $31,179,039 spent on lobbying since January 1, 2009.

From July 1 to September 30 alone, the oil industry spent an unprecedented $7.1 million lobbying elected officials in California "with a major focus on getting oil companies out of a major clean air regulation," said Barrett.

The oil industry spending total from July through Sept 2014 amounts to an amazing $2.4 million/month, $78,000/day, $3,200/hour, $54/minute and $1/second!

And this doesn’t include spending on ballot measures or the recent election, including Chevron spending $3 million (unsuccessfully!) to elect “their” candidates to the Richmond City Council. Big Oil also dumped $7.6 million into defeating a measure calling for a fracking ban in Santa Barbara County and nearly $2 million into an unsuccessful campaign to defeat a measure banning fracking and other extreme oil extraction techniques in San Benito County.

Nor does this include how the oil industry exerts its enormous power and influence by working its way into state and federal regulatory panels. In one of the most overt conflicts of interest in California history, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association, actually CHAIRED the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Blue Ribbon Task Force to create fake "marine protected areas" on the South Coast, as well as serving on the task forces for the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast from 2004 to 2012. (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/mpa/brtf_bios_sc.asp)

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FERGUSON GRAND JURY

Radio Curious this week:

Part One — Our guest is Law Professor James A. Cohen, who has tried over 100 criminal jury trials and teaches criminal law and related topics at Fordham University Law School in New York City. Professor Cohen and I review the evidence <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/25/us/evidence-released-in-michael-brown-case.html>, including Wilson's spoken testimony <http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1371222-wilson-testimony.html>, the written police reports and medical reports presented to the St. Louis, Missouri, grand jury, by District Attorney Robert McCulloch. His office exclusively organized and presented that evidence, which "with some exceptions," according to Prosecutor McCulloch, was "made public" shortly after he announced that the grand jury failed to return criminal charges against former Officer Wilson, on November 24, 2014. (Part Two next week.)

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JANIE REZNER'S GUEST on Women's Voices, KZYX on December 15, 7 pm PT will be Rev. Karen Tate, speaker, sacred tour leader, author of award-winning books that stand boldly against the patriarchal denigration of women and the Sacred Feminine, whose newest books are "Voices of the Sacred Feminine," and "Goddess Calling." She is in the documentary, "Femme, Women Healing the World, " produced by Sharon Stone, with voices of many esteemed women from around the world including Angela Davis, Marianne Willliamson, Elizabeth Sahtouris, Nobel Peace Activist Mairead Maguire and Riane Eisler. It has won many awards, around the world. We will be hearing a fifteen minute excerpt from that film, as well as details for Karen's upcoming tour to Turkey. The show will air at 90.7 FM Philo, 88.1 FM Fort Bragg, and 91.5 FM Willits and can also be heard live at www.kzyx.org It will be archived at http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/contributor/4206 or google Janie Rezner radio.

2 Comments

  1. Helen Michael December 10, 2014

    Fyi John-
    SEIU is paying attention.

  2. LouisBedrock December 10, 2014

    “Us old dogs know love is blind and the mysteries of human sexuality labyrinthian. ‘Golly, she was pretty, though, and he looked like Who Done It and What For,’ The Major concluded.”

    Yeats on love and old dogs:

    HOW can I, that girl standing there,
    My attention fix
    On Roman or on Russian
    Or on Spanish politics?
    Yet here’s a travelled man that knows
    What he talks about,
    And there’s a politician
    That has read and thought,
    And maybe what they say is true
    Of war and war’s alarms,
    But O that I were young again
    And held her in my arms!

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