Mendocino County Today: Monday, Feb 2, 2015

• Hopeful Forecast
• Navarro River Walk
• Super Finish
• Hollywood Consequences
• Cliches
• National Priorities
• Cuba Visit
• Kentucky Bourbon
• Pinoleville Pothouse
• Curbing Wall Street
• Balls
• Catch of the Day
• The KOZT
• Fouling Aquifers
• #GoSolar
• February Fevers
• ukiaHaiku Festival

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE for Northwest California:

"Confidence is increasing that a major wet pattern will develop by late Thursday through the weekend. Strong southerly winds will be possible by Thursday as well...particularly on ridge tops and along the immediate coast."

REPORT FROM THE NAVARRO RIVER

by David Severn

Amidst the growing hysteria surrounding the measles and how an independent and fractured humanity chooses to deal with it (to vaccinate or not to vaccinate), we in Anderson Valley have a glorious diversion (if we choose to use it) in the Navarro River. Sacred are the waters that circle the Earth cleansing and feeding not only our bewildered souls but all of life that exists - even those pesky microbes. Our River as it springs pure from the hills and valleys around is an emissary of hope and optimism straight from West Africa, Ukraine and all points Mid-East. Some time ago I reported that the vineyard owners on the old Tumbling McD Resort, turned Beja Flor, now Wentzel Wines had moved their pump intake to a deeper spot on the drought challenged stream - an indication that they were still pumping away. On a recent visit I made two discoveries; one, the Wentzels had removed completely their pumping apparatus from the River, and two, nearby in the sand were several bear prints showing the beast emerging from the water and meandering along its edge. Being somewhat of a novice at identifying animal tracks it took my son-in-law Eli to help me realize I wasn't looking at those of a giant mountain lion. You know Paul Bunyan's pussycat would have humongous feet. Also this was not far from where Monika Fuchs had told me a month or so before that she had seen a full racked dead buck laying on the river's edge. At that time my search had produced no remnants of that deer but on the sloping bank above I found a quite large and dead raccoon. Hmmm! Monika's deer makes the fourth found dead along about a quarter mile of river since last summer. Some say it might be a disease called Blue Tongue. Currently the Navarro is steadily yet slowly dropping at just below 70 cu ft/sec. Last year at this time a drizzle had raised the rate from 8 to 10.8 cu ft/sec. so you could say its doing much better until you realize that the "median daily statistic" which I think is the average is something like 600 cu ft/sec. I expect it will rise a bit more especially if the heavy rains predicted for next week-end materialize. Let's all dance for rain. Got up to about 80 in Boonville today (Saturday) as January's eerily and unprecedentedly dry days and sunny tranquility come to an end. First January in recorded history that it hasn't rained in our part of NorCal. Saturday was, however, perfect for the the large crowd that turned out for the seed exchanges and grafting exhibitions at the Boonville Fairgrounds.

MALCOLM BUTLER'S GOAL-LINE INTERCEPTION gives Pats come-from-behind Super Bowl XLIX title

With about a minute to play, Seattle's Jermaine Kearse had just made the kind of catch that doomed New England's hopes twice previously by the New York Giants in two Super Bowls past and Seattle had a first down at the 5 with 1:06 to go, trailing by four. Kearse somehow came down with Russell Wilson's 33-yard pass while laying on his back at the 5 after Patriots cornerback Malcom Butler tipped it. So on first down, Seattle smartly gave the ball to bruising Marshawn Lynch, a.k.a. Beast Mode, who powered off the left side for 4 yards to the 1. It was now the Seahawks' game to lose -- and they found a way! Still holding a timeout in their pocket and the clock running, it was time for Lynch to run again. Only this time, Wilson surprisingly set up in the shotgun and forced a shallow pass over the middle of the end zone toward Ricardo Lockette. Butler was there again this time, only he didn't tip the ball, he intercepted it to give New England the victory in yet another pulsating end to a Super Bowl.

— Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

NEED FOR SPEED. A reel short review of a reel bad movie — If you like dumb dudes and brainless babes decorating endless car chases you'll love 'Need For Speed,' filmed partially in Mendocino County in 2013. AVA readers may recall the predictions made during the March of 2013 pre-filming meeting at the Boonville Fairgrounds, a community meeting called by the PR lady for the film after the County had approved the permit for it without a public hearing.

WHILE FILMING was underway, local roads were blockaded here and there for two weeks while car-chase scenes were rehearsed and filmed, inconveniencing many Fifth District constituents of Supervisor Dan Hamburg. Hamburg, of course, denounced critics of the County's slight-of-hand permit process and even more fervently denounced people who said the movie was another filmic invitation to bad driving.

THE PLOT in a nutshell: An extended fast-car commercial with flaming, rolling expensive car crashes interlaced with occasional shots of dudes talking about babes while the babes caress the vehicles.

THE MOVIE BEGINS with a car chase in Detroit, perhaps to alert the cretins who've paid their way in to the theater that they haven't accidentally walked into an art house. After a couple of chases during which a homeless man crossing the street is run over and a car-driving moron dies in a crash, another of the high speed morons goes to prison, emerging to denounce other morons as "bitches," ancient prison lingo from the middle 1960s. Toward the end of the movie we get glimpses of Highway 253 and Highway 128 in the final car-crash/race where there's a near miss with a school bus, the Navarro Bridge, the Point Arena Lighthouse, all the while we wondered why the masterminds funding this epic bothered coming all the way up here from LA when they could have recorded in any scenic area anywhere. You wouldn’t recognize Mendo as Mendo unless you’re from Mendo.

WE'LL CONCEDE the project brought some money into Mendocino County. So do the people who sell speed in powder form. And the money wasn't much because the film company set up their own little village at the Boonville Fairgrounds complete with their own restaurant.

THE MOST RIDICULOUS claim by company rep Mandy Dillon at that March 2013 meeting in Boonville was her repeated insistence that the production would be “green” because they recycled some of the wreckage and used biodiesel generators and vehicles “where possible.”

SUPERVISOR HAMBURG'S prediction that “Highway 253 is one of the most beautiful roads in the state and moviegoers will see the beauty,” and, “The movie will be a postcard about the beauty of Mendocino County,” was, uh, not realized anywhere in the movie.

DEBRA DeGRAW of the one-person Mendocino County Film Commission had said that Mendocino County would get positive marketing exposure, but when asked for specifics she said, “I’m working on that.” Her work didn’t pay off. There's no mention of Mendocino County in the movie.

HOWEVER, as the end-credits for the thing scrolled endlessly on — including a roster of about 140 stunt drivers — one of the location crew lists was entitled “Mendocino/San Francisco.” Then, much further down after the caterers, accountants, production assistants, miscellaneous flunkies and vehicle wranglers, in very small print, was, “Thanks to Mendocino County, the Mendocino County Department of Transportation and the Mendocino County Film Commission,” followed by the obligatory, “Motor vehicle scenes depicted in this film are dangerous and performed by professional drivers on closed roads. Do not attempt to duplicate the action in this film.”

AT THE MARCH 2013 Need For Speed meeting, Grace Minton of Boonville pointed out that everyone in the Valley knows speeding on local roads is a vehicular form of roulette, just as many of us also know someone or know of someone who has been killed in a speed-related auto accident. Ms. Minton reminded the group that back in March of 2004 four young vineyard workers were killed speeding through Philo on Easter Sunday morning. “How can you justify this?” Ms. Minton asked, receiving a round of applause from a number of attendees.

DREAMWORKS/DISNEY rep Ms. Dillon replied, “It is not intended to glorify speeding, and the characters will have real-life consequences.”

AFTER the final car chase, the lead character, played rather crudely by Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad), is the only driver whose car isn't wrecked. He triumphantly drives down the short road to the Point Arena Lighthouse where some sparklers go off and he's told that he’s won a $2 million Lamborghini. He's arrested at gunpoint, put in jail for another 180 days (about 30 seconds in the film) after which he gets out of prison and is picked up by the lead babe in, of course, another new Mustang. (Ford Motor Company put up most of the money for the production of the movie.) And the two imbeciles drive off to mate, producing another generation of learning disabled worshippers of the internal combustion engine. So much for “consequences”

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Cliches:

Deep dive. (My personal bugaboo. Can I get bonus points for bugaboo? "I'm doing a deep dive on evidence based practices" is good for a six month nap anywhere in government, and "deep dive" by itself has infested business, coming to mean "I've already typed the word into Google and scanned results.")

Bonus points.

Humboldt Nation.

US out of Humboldt.

Celebrate diversity.

Mean people suck. (Meaning, I suppose, the people in your car aren't mean, they just don't like people who would harsh your mellow?)

Harsh your mellow.

Haters gonna hate. (Meaning, I suppose, that when people complain that you've cut them off, insulted them, done them damage, or killed them, you have no reason to respond or question your own behavior.)

Whatevs. (Was cute for a week.)

Whatev. (Was cute for a day.)

Prolly. (Was cute for an hour.)

That is all. (Was never cute.)

Because [one word here]. (As in, "Because, cliche!")

Postmodern.

Follow your bliss. (Yes, by all means, but "get a job" and support yourself first.)

— Mitch Trachtenberg

JIM'S BIG ADVENTURE

To Cuba With Love

Editor,

I will be part of an official delegation visiting Cuba next week at the invitation of the Cuban Government and coordinated by CODE PINK, the political activist group often seen demonstrating at Congressional Hearings for human rights, woman's rights, and world peace. The delegation will have high level meetings with Cuban government officials in Havana and will travel to the cities of Santa Clara and Las Terrazas. We are planning a Valentine's Day Cubano love-in in downtown Havana.

Upon our return I will publish a diary of our travels with particular focus upon the economic and social plight of the working class and the prospects for improvements in living conditions when the pointless 54 year economic blockade imposed by the United States is finally lifted. Will a tourist tsunami of Americans flood this poor but peaceful island with fast food emporiums, casinos, and carpet baggers? Will this tsunami destroy the newly developing Cuban private sector now replacing the old Communist straightjacket? How can their government protect this unique culture? Send me any questions you have that I might bring up in Havana.

Email: jameshoule@wildblue.net

Hasta luego, Jim Houle, Redwood Valley

WHAT’S UP WITH THAT BIG PINOLEVILLE POMO GROW?

by Emily Hobelmann

Kansas-based tribal economic development firm Foxbarry Companies and Colorado-based “Cannabinoid Technology” Corporation and United Cannabis are officially starting an industrial cannabis cultivation operation at the Pinoleville Pomo Nation’s reservation north of Ukiah, in Mendocino County. Construction will start sometime this month.

LostCoastOutpost.com captain Hank Sims covered the beginnings of this novel development back on Jan. 7. The key factor leading to this partnership was an Obama Administration memo made public in early December. The memo laid out a permissive policy for marijuana cultivation on tribal lands. Grows can go down on tribal lands provided “robust and effective regulatory systems” are in place. Ryan Burns covered the contents of the memo and got a reaction from the Yurok Tribe in this Dec. 11 LoCO post.

At the time of Sims’ Jan. 7th coverage, the Pinoleville Pomo Nation reservation wasn’t confirmed as a grow site: “… Barry Brautman, founder and president of Foxbarry Companies, told the Outpost today that United Cannabis’ naming of Pinoleville as the tribal partner was premature.”

I spoke with United Cannabis' former CEO Paul Enright on Jan. 28. He would not confirm a location for the grow site, even though Indian Country Today Media Network ran an article announcing that the Pinoleville Pomo tribe will be the first to grow the cannabis.

Whatevs… It’s happening. I tried to get Brautman from Foxbarry on the phone too, but he can’t talk till next week because he’s so swamped with press requests from every one and their mom. However, I was able to connect with Brautman’s PR guy, Victor Cruz from the Massachusetts-based firm MediaPR.net. Cruz forwarded me the following statement from Brautman, prefacing the statement with, “This is just the start of a budding enterprise…”:

“We are scheduled to meet with the local authorities including the Sheriff’s and DA’s office from the Ukiah community, as well as a group of local growers. In addition, we have meetings scheduled with the Pinoleville Pomo Nation’s EPA office. We are fully committed to being in full compliance with local ordinances. The Project is still in its early stages, so it’s hard to say exactly when it will be operational, although we are right on schedule. However, we will keep you posted. We expect our partnership with United Cannabis and Pinoleville Pomo Nation to employ from 50-100 people in our 110,000 sq. foot grow, processing and operations facility. UCann will be responsible for training personnel, making certain that products meet company specifications and distribution to local CA dispensaries, co-ops and collectives. There are no plans currently for a retail dispensary on the Tribe’s land. We will also accept cannabis plant matter from registered independent growers to meet market demand.”

When I spoke with Cruz on the phone, he provided me with some additional details. He says the facility is being constructed on a two-and-a-half acre plot and that 20,000 sq. feet of the facility will be devoted to processing and office functions. The rest is greenhouse. Foxbarry is putting up $30 million.

Cruz was unable to give an estimate of the facility’s expected output, but since the demand for medical marijuana is high (endless weed puns…), as Brautman says in the above quote, they’ll be looking for product grown outside the reservation’s operation in order to meet demand. Cruz said Brautman plans to meet with the Emerald Growers Association sometime soon.

According to Cruz, coming up with clones or seeds to start the grow will be the responsibility of United Cannabis, and whatever products that emerge will be distributed under the United Cannabis Prana brand.

Will it be an organic operation? Cruz was not sure.

Will the public ever be able to check the facility out? He said that’s up to the tribal council. That may never happen.

Enright was at least able to tell me that “dozens” of strains will be cultivated, particularly strains with high CBD content. CBD or Cannabidiol is all the rage in the medical cannabis scene. Cannabis plants contain a number of cannabinoids — according to this Pure Analytics blog post there are over 80 cannabiniods in the cannabis plant. CBD and THC are the most famous. THC is famous because it’s psychoactive — it gets you high. CBD is famous because, well, just check out this quote from the Project CBD website:

“Cannabidiol — CBD - is a cannabis compound that has significant medical benefits, but does not make people feel ‘stoned’ and can actually counteract the psychoactivity of THC. The fact that CBD-rich cannabis doesn’t get one high makes it an appealing treatment option for patients seeking anti-inflammatory, anti-pain, anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic, and/or anti-spasm effects without troubling lethargy or dysphoria.”

So those are the two best-known cannabinoids, but there are many. My understanding is that cannabinoids are most effective in concert, therefore medicating with proper cannabinoid ratios is desirable.

United Cannabis made news in the Denver Business Journal last October when it applied for patents on cannabinoids. That’s patents on cannabinoids, not strains. However, the phrase “proprietary strain” is used in the article I just linked to. Sims uses the phrase in his Jan. 7th coverage of the UCann-Foxbarry deal too, saying that United Cannabis is “a publicly traded Colorado marijuana firm that grows proprietary strains.”

“Proprietary strain” is a misnomer, it seems. Check out following quote from an Oct. 28 United Cannabis press release through the PR firm SmallCapVoice.com, Inc.: “[United Cannabis] has filed for provisional patents related to unique combinations of pharmaceutically active cannabinoids used to treat disorders of the nervous system, immune system and cancer, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

Enright told me that United Cannabis filed for 14 patents on certain CBD profiles (not strains of weed) and there are probably thousands of strains that can yield those particular CBD profiles. And at this point, United Cannabis will rely on strains that are grown in California to produce their proprietary compounds, as opposed to bringing in strains from out of state.

United Cannabis, Foxbarry and the Pinoleville Pomo Nation are going forward with this big marijuana cultivation project, and it appears that they will have to rely on local marijuana resources to make it a reality. Well, we certainly have plenty of weed resources in these parts, like Garberville medical marijuana dispensary, Wonderland Nursery for clones, and the Southern Humboldt Seed Collective for CBD-rich strains… Who will they tap?

(Courtesy, LostCoastOutpost.com)

A READER COMMENTS

I understand that everyone is profiting from the industry. But what gives a company in Colorado the right to come to California and grow on tribal lands and then sell that pot for profit to medical non-profit dispensaries? Most of the money will end up back in Colorado. I don't even care about the grow, it's the fact that they are going to sell to clubs for profit when the rest of California technically can't. This is basically the first recreational marijuana project in California and it's being funded by companies from other states.

IT'S NICE that presidential aspirants are talking about rebuilding America's middle class. But to be credible, the candidates have to take clear aim at Wall Street. That means proposing to limit the size of the biggest Wall Street banks, to resurrect the Glass-Steagall Act (which used to separate investment banking from commercial banking), to define insider trading the way most other countries do (using information any reasonable person would know is unavailable to most investors), and to close the revolving door between the Street and the U.S. Treasury. It also means not depending on the Street to finance their campaigns.

— Robert Reich

CATCH OF THE DAY,

DONALD BOWMAN, Fort Bragg. Possession of smoking-injection device, probation revocation.

JOHN BOWMAN, Fort Bragg. Drunk in public.

ASHLEY ESPINOSA, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

SCOTT FABER, Ukiah. Assault with deadly weapon not a firearm, possession of controlled substance.

SEAN FLINTON, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

TRAVIS ‘THE HUMP’ HUMPHREY, Talmage. Drunk in public, resisting arrest. (Frequent flyer.)

GREGORY HUNTER, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

JAMES JENKINS, Ukiah. Under influence of controlled substance, probation revocation.

VERNON KNAPP SR., Willits. Drunk in public, misdemeanor hit&run. (Frequent flyer.)

CODY MARTIN, Ukiah. DUI, reckless driving, driving on suspended license, possession of concentrated pot.

MONICA MARTINEZ, Ukiah. Petty theft.

LACY MONONI, Ukiah. Resisting arrest.

DOUGLAS OATES, San Diego/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

GABRIEL RAY, Ukiah. DUI causing injury, driving without a license.

MARGARET SMITH, Ukiah. Possession of more than an ounce of pot.

ERIC WRIGHT, Ukiah. Burglary, loitering, resisting arrest, conspiracy, probation revocation.

DANIEL YEOMANS, Fort Bragg. Drunk in public, probation revocation.

FROM BEN FONG-TORRES' Radio Waves column in today's Chron. Fong-Torres references North Coast radio stations that mix "familiar and new rock, had personality and gave information: "Reader Allen Cherry adds KOZT ('The Coast') out of Mendocino, and he's right. KOZT (at 95.3 and 95.9 in the Fort Bragg and Mendocino regions, respectively) carries the eclectic music banner and, in fact, is programmed by Tom Yates and Kate Hayes, who spent years in the Bay Area on KSAN, KKCY ('The City') and other stations. Also Coasting: morning anchor Joe Regelski, a news reporter at KMEL, which is back in its album-rock days. Go to www.kozt.com to check it out. Of course, there are dozens of stations that can be recommended, and I'm happy to hear — and pass along — your ideas."

GO SOLAR 2015

Dear Friends, Neighbors & Solar Supporters,

Welcome to a new year! 2015 is here and there has never been a better time to #GoSolar. Indeed, solar is the fastest growing source of renewable energy in the United States.

Solar's immense popularity is showing up in many different ways. Nine out of ten Americans want an increase in renewable technologies like solar, according to a survey conducted for over 12 years by Stephen Ansolabehere, a Harvard professor. "According to the number trackers at the Solar Energy Industries Association: "The solar industry, amid the greatest economic downturn of our generation, grew 3000%. The U.S. now has 15,900 megawatts of installed solar electric capacity, enough to power more than 3.2 million American homes."

SEIA recently organized a "Shout Out For Solar Day" social media campaign to highlight the broad range of support for solar. Mendocino Solar Service joined other solar supporters nationwide by posting and sharing pro-solar messages on Friday, January 16 under the hashtag #GoSolar.

Nationwide, the results were impressive. "Pro-solar messages reached 40 million unique Twitter accounts, generating 105 million impressions from nearly 20,000 Tweets. SEIA passed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Facebook likes, adding 81,208 likes during the campaign – bringing SEIA to a total of nearly 455,000. Support came from across the spectrum – leading businesses, environmental groups, politicians, sports stars, celebrities and trade associations, such as the National Association of Realtors. The Top 10 contributors were: President Obama, Climate Reality, SEIA, Senator Cory Booker, fitness guru Rock, Philadelphia Eagles, Greenpeace, San Francisco 49ers, [and the] New York Giants."

So why all the excitement about solar? What is different today than, say, 40 years ago, when large scale use of solar power still seemed to be a distant dream?

With this issue of "News from the Solar System," we will shine some light on why solar is making so much sense for so many people, by considering Five Reasons 2015 could be the best year yet to #GoSolar.

Here's to another great year in solar!

Kind regards,

Bruce Erickson & Maggie Watson, Co-Owners, Mendocino Solar Service

FEBRUARY FEVER!

Feverishly in love during the month of Valentine’s is not what I’m writing about here as the more common fever of February is the flu (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season.htm). So what to do, when “whoops”, the flu kisses you?

Don’t crush a fever with drugs! Fever is your friend for driving pathogens out of the body. It’s the way those white blood cells zip around the lymph system. Use herbs and homeopathic remedies to assist your immune system in the fight. If you catch flu symptoms immediately (ache, chills, headache, fever, that feeling of being taken over by aliens), pop some Oscillococcinum homeopathic flu remedy by Boiron to clip the duration of illness. If you are in the throws of fever (or you feel unusual hot flushes or chills), it’s time for diaphoretic (‘makes you sweat’) herbs! My favorites are elderflower, boneset, peppermint, yarrow and ginger – even one of these as a tea will help, but 3 together seem to work best. Boneset can break nearly any high fever, but it is extremely bitter (see article below). Kids do better with elderflower-yarrow-peppermint and you can always add licorice, which is warming and immune enhancing. Dip a cloth in strong peppermint tea, wring it out and place warm it on your head to cool it down and help with any headache.

Fear a fever is getting too high (104F and over) for too long? Stand in a footbath of ice cubes in cold water for 3-5 minutes (for children, wrap lower legs and feet with ice-cold, wet cloths) to pull heat away from the head and lower your temperature gradually. Afterwards, rub olive oil with essential oil of thyme into the bottoms of your feet (better yet have someone else do that for you!). Generally, however, a spike of fever for 2-4 days is a vigorous immune response. Chills are the body’s way to raise core temperature above 100F. The immune system resets the core temp to help drive out pathogens (viruses prefer us cold), when you reach the higher set point you sweat – that’s good! Supporting this process means dressing uncomfortably warm, even taking a hot bath as you drink the tea. Fever breaks when you no longer have chills and sweating slowly decreases as the core temp is reset to 97/98F, as the bulk of pathogens is dealt with. Trusting the process, staying hydrated with electrolytes and resting are key.

Karin Uphoff, www.RainbowConnection.net

UKIAHAIKU FESTIVAL — Annual festival approaching

The deadline for haiku submissions for the 13th Annual ukiaHaiku Festival is March 21, 2015. Nine categories are reserved for poets from Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, and Humboldt counties with divisions by age and topic, and with two categories in Spanish. There is no fee to enter the contest, including for the Jane Reichhold International Prize, which is open to poets from around the world and offers cash prizes. For more information please visit www.ukiahaiku.org. Entry forms are available on the website as well as at the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah or at branches of the Mendocino County Library. The winning haiku will be shared with the community, and their creators honored, at the ukiaHaiku Festival on Sunday afternoon, April 26, at the SPACE theater in Ukiah.

— Roberta Werdinger