Mendocino County Today: Tuesday, July 31, 2018

• Complex Updates
• Ernie Blattner
• Poleeko Roadhouse
• Jones Injured
• Airport Day
• Little Dog
• County Notes
• Yesterday's Catch
• Empire Demise
• Horrid Thoughts
• No Adults
• August Fantasies
• County Vacancies
• Voter Registration
• Crosswords
• Hospital Survey
• Pedestrian Needs
• Waikiki Day
• Bigfoot Erotica
• Comic Comments

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MENDOCINO COMPLEX, TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE (7am): 74,408 acres burned, 12% containment. Cause is under investigation (the two fires started 58 minutes apart). cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile2178_3781.pdf

LIVE MAP of fires: mappingsupport.com/p2/gissurfer.php?center=39.113014,-123.092194&zoom=11&fire=CA,MendocinoComplex

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MENDOCINO COMPLEX UPDATES, JULY 30, 7 PM

The two fires in the complex grew to 68,487 acres Monday with 10 percent contained. There are major road closures involving CA-175, CA-20 and CA-29. Over 10,000 residents have been evacuated. Please see attached photo capturing the extreme fire behavior on the Ranch Fire.

Narrative: Firefighters continue to battle the River and Ranch fires. The fire continues to burn aggressively when in alignment with wind, fuel and topography. Firefighters were also challenged by long distance spotting. Weather conditions will continue to challenge firefighters as hot, dry and windy conditions persist.

Punky Moore, Public Affairs Officer, Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest

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4:45pm Mandatory Evac order for Kelseyville and Finley: A mandatory evacuation notice has been issued for Kelseyville and Finley areas.

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MENDOCINO COMPLEX FIRES IN MENDOCINO, LAKE COUNTIES NEARLY DOUBLE IN SIZE OVERNIGHT

pressdemocrat.com/news/8582291-181/mendocino-complex-fires-in-mendocino

pressdemocrat.com/news/8579975-181/mendocino-complex-fires-in-mendocino

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SUPES ADD HEALTH EMERGENCY to Tuesday’s disaster declaration agenda:

Item 5b: Discussion and Possible Action Including Adoption of Resolution Ratifying Declaration of Local Health Emergency as Proclaimed by the Local Health Officer

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FROM BETSY CAWN IN LAKE COUNTY: River Fire: Evacuation Information and Links - Hot Topics at the City of Lakeport https://www.cityoflakeport.com/hot-details.aspx?id=239 Very good info from city Emergency Operations Center, but outdated at this moment. “Community Meeting” scheduled for 5 pm yesterday at the Kelseyville Middle School was cancelled. Have heard that Middletown Rancheria shelter is full; people showing up here this morning slept in the parking lot there last night. Moose Lodge has showers available from a Sebastopol outfit (Community Event Services). Many grateful refugees.

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Lake County Community Awareness

Another great resource (top of the page: “LOCAL EMERGENCY RESOURCES”) in general. Will be much needed in the “aftermath."

facebook.com/groups/183017831844038/permalink/913728592106288/

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In lieu of local GOOD info; no radio broadcast from Lakeport since yesterday, profoundly erroneous rumors flying.

Visibility at Moose Lodge (Hwys 20+53) dismal, particulate matter continuous downfall. Have heard that all available lodging south of Redding’s evac area is taken by their evacuees, south through Williams.

Nowwhere to go from here; Lodge “campground” is packed, many older/disabled individuals with their animal companions, but amazing serenity for the most part.

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CalFire: California Statewide Fire Summary

Monday, more than 12,000 firefighters remain on the lines of 17 large wildfires burning across California. To date, these fires have burned almost 240,000 acres and damaged or destroyed over 1,000 structures. An additional 25,000 homes continue to be threatened by these fires, and more than 52,000 residents have been evacuated.

Hot and dry conditions persist across the state. In Northern California, poor overnight humidity recovery is continues, and southwest to northwest winds with gusts 25-35 mph are forecast in the coastal mountains into the west side of the Sacramento Valley each afternoon and evening through Tuesday, increasing the fire danger. Southern California temperatures will remain above normal, with potential for isolated thunderstorms in some parts of the region.

With the extreme fire conditions, don’t wait to evacuate! Prepare now and GO! early. If you see fire approaching, don’t wait to be told to leave.

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Lake County Jail Evacuated

On July 29th, 2018 the Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuated the Lake County Jail related to the River/Ranch fires. This was done with the assistance of CDCR, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. 285 inmates were moved and are being housed in Alameda County. Lake County Correctional and Medical Staff are being utilized in Alameda County to care and oversee the inmates from Lake County. There are currently no accommodations for visitation of Lake County inmates in Alameda County.

Lake County CA Sheriff's Department, 1220 Martin St, Lakeport, CA 95453

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CALFIRE LIFTS HOPLAND EVAC ORDER MONDAY AFTERNOON

REPOPULATION JULY 30, 2018 at 12:00 P.M.

Evacuation orders have been lifted and residents may return to the following areas:

Community of Hopland, including the Hopland Rancheria (Hopland Band of Pomo Indians)

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has reduced the Evacuation Order to an Evacuation Warning in the following areas:

South of 8000 Old River Road, east of the Russian River, north of Highway CA- 175, west of mile marker 5.6 on Highway CA-175;

Evacuated areas east of mile marker 5.6 on Highway CA-175, north of Highway CA- 175, west of the Mendocino-Lake County Line, and south of the fire remain under an Evacuation Order.

SAFETY MESSAGE – The public is reminded to stay vigilant on current fire conditions. Please continue to adhere to road closures and any evacuation warnings. A reminder to drive slowly and yield to emergency personnel in the area. There will be smoke in the respective areas as firefighters continue firefighting operations. If at any time you feel unsafe, please call 911.

Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Tribal Health, and the Lakeview Clinic are all closed due to the mandatory evacuations. Adventist Health Hospital and Adventist Health Clinics in Clearlake, Middletown and Kelseyville are operating as normal. For emergency refills and non-emergency needs please go to one of the clinics as not to overwhelm the emergency department. Wreaking havoc on countless people. KPFZ is back on the air.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued Mandatory Evacuations for the area of Kelseyville and Finley as the River Fire expanded early afternoon Monday. According to the press release, “The Mandatory Evacuation area is north of the Sonoma-Lake-Mendocino County Line, east of Highland Springs Road, south of Clear Lake, and west of Bottle Rock Road extending north to Clear Lake State Park including the communities of Kelseyville and Finley.”

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Mendocino Complex fires prompt new evacuations

pressdemocrat.com/news/8582291-181/mendocino-complex-fires-in-mendocino

WE LEARNED Monday morning the sad news that Ernie Blattner had died in Ukiah. He had been battling cancer. A full obituary will appear next week.

IF YOU CAME IN LATE, The Roadhouse is located in downtown Philo at the site of the former Libby’s Restaurant, freshly remodeled by Tommy Lemons and Sons.

DAVID JONES of Navarro suffered a terrible accident a month ago near Yorkville when his car unaccountably left the road, badly injuring the popular, long-time resident of Navarro. Dave was badly injured but is now at home recovering. He’s looking for a replacement vehicle and home-delivered water. If you have one or the other or both, please call the patient at 895-9230.

BOONVILLE AIRPORT DAY and Potluck Dinner

Saturday August 11, 2018

Festivites begin at Noon. Potluck Dinner at 5pm.

Please bring your favorite Potluck dish.

Corner of Estate Drive & Airport Road, at the Boonville Airport

JOIN US FOR A FUN DAY AT THE AIRPORT

For additional info contact Cindy or Kirk Wilder at (707) 895-2949

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “Tell me you don't get the fire heebie-jeebies when the afternoon winds come up, and I'll call you a lyin' Skrag!”

COUNTY NOTES

by Mark Scaramella

UNPRECEDENTED: A reasonable response from the Supervisors to a public comment!

Ron Edwards of Willits offered a couple of simple suggestions to improve the Pot Permit report at the recent meeting of the Board of Supervisors meeting and darned if they weren't immediately adopted by our new Ag Commissioner, Harinder Grewal, so new he doesn't apparently know that alacrity is not ordinarily a County practice.

“We will make these changes, yes. The next report will show the difference from this report to the next report and also we will have the information why permits are denied, why we are denying those permits. We will update the reports and we will have information we were asked to provide.”

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A YOUNG MAN named John Phillips, describing himself as “a local cannabis enthusiast,” complained to the Board: “I think another study could be done on how much has been lost during this pot permit implementation process. Where have the tax dollars gone? I can tell you right now that they have gone to illicit activity. I don't even know where to start. I guess I will start at the end. I spoke to Chief Investigator Kevin Bailey yesterday at the DA’s office who told me that they were not going to press charges in a robbery that happened to me on October 16 of last year. The thieves showed up and stole about half a million dollars worth of my crop. It's all documented. I have the Sheriff’s report here. It says an armed robbery was committed. The reason that Kevin Bailey and the DA don't want to press charges is apparently they said that both parties were acting illegally. I have been in the program since early May of last year. I asked Mr. Bailey what he was talking about. I paid my taxes, I'm in the program. I don't know what you guys expect me to do. And he said, You most certainly have not paid your taxes. I assured him that my taxes are right here, paid, filed. Here's the bill, I paid them. All that money is gone. That's another about $10 grand in taxes that it has disappeared.”

Response from Board Chair Dan Hamburg: “Thank you, John.” The others were silent, and Hamburg might as well have been, although versions of Phillips' complaint are common among growers trying to work within the County's fluid rules.

THE HIRING PANEL FOR PUBLIC DEFENDER: As we already know from the appalling dearth of competence in every office in the land, from the pesidency of the United States on down to the lowliest County official here in Mendoland, the question is never about who can best do the job, but rather who is the best “presenter,” that is, who has the higher skills at landing the job, who is the better schmoozer, the glibbest flatterer, the more assiduous nuzzlebum, the better bootlicker, the best connected to the ladies who run Mendocino County.

The applicants for Mendocino County Public Defender include three local lawyers, Jan Cole-Wilson, Douglas Rhoades, and Christiaine Hipps, along with an as-yet untold number of out-of-area applicants. Of course the process is rigged.

County CEO Carmel Angelo will presided over a panel that will include one County Supervisor (probably the most malleable of the bunch, meaning either Hamburg or Crosky), one “representative” from Human Resources (Hello, Anne Molgaard!), one “person” from out-of-county who, we may eventually learn, is a palsy-walsy of one of the above.

The rest, we don’t know who they will be, although I’ve been assured that County Counsel Elliot will have already have had her say. I asked Judge Ann Moorman who would sit on this hiring panel and she said she didn’t know. “But you and the other judges will surely be the most directly affected by the decision, won’t you?” I asked. She thought about it a second and decided she was going to go find out and get back to me. So: I’ll keep you updated. (Bruce McEwen)

SHERIFF ALLMAN'S Measure B Advisory Committee held their July meeting last Wednesday at the County Admin offices in Ukiah. The session meandered from topic to topic without resolution. Nobody made any motions or proposed any specific action.

During the discussion of the “Stepping Up Initiative” County Auditor Lloyd Weer told the Board that as far as he can tell the $150k allotted for Stepping Up back in 2015 is still in the budget. Weer also said that there was $100k set aside for Laura’s Law implementation. (Laura’s Law is a sort of semi-coerced mental health treatment through the courts for people who meet very specific criteria. The Board of Supes authorized a limited version of Laura's Law back in 2015 in the wake of the Aaron Bassler murders — even though Bassler himself would not have qualified and would not have voluntarily participated, a key provision of what is essentially feel good legislation passed in the wake of a gun tragedy.)

There was mention of first-responder training on how to deal with mental health patients, which, interestingly, Sheriff Allman said would also be open to the general public. But no particulars were provided. (Free range disturbed persons now being so common in every area of the country, and certainly in Mendocino County, most locals have become quite adept at coping with the deranged, although at least half the time their problem is drugs, not simply a mental health problem.)

Committee member Jed Diamond (Willits area rep) reported on the number of people sent out of Mendocino County after being declared “5150” — a danger to themselves, others or “gravely disabled” — and in need of medication adjustment. Diamond read from an unpublished memo sent to him by Dr. Jenine Miller, Mendo’s Mental Health Director:

In Fiscal Year 2016-2017 there were 36-46 clients per month sent out of County for "treatment." In 2017-2018 there were 31-38 per month sent out of County. Most of them went to facilities in Vallejo, Redding/Red Bluff, or Santa Rosa. Diamond did not say how long they stayed, or what happened to them upon release, nor did he say how many of them were the same person being re-hospitalized.

According to Dr. Miller’s data as passed along by Diamond 53% of those assessed as 5150 were “danger to self;” 44% were “gravely disabled;” and the rest, 2%-3%, were considered “danger to others.” Diamond said that if those statistics are correct, then communities don’t need to worry too much about the safety of any proposed mental health facility in their neighborhood. f The Committee punted on the question of a response to the Willits resolution asking for assurances that City regs would be followed for any psychiatric health facility that might be established at the old Howard Hospital in Willits after Sheriff Allman said that it’s the Board of Supervisors’ responsibility, from one government entity to another — the Measure B committee is not an elected/government body. But even though the Oversight Committee’s actions are what prompted the Willits resolution in the first place, nobody suggested drafting anything for the Board to consider.

CATCH OF THE DAY, July 30, 2018

HUGO ALVAREZ-PENA, Redwood Valley/Boonville. Domestic abuse, false imprisonment.

HEATHER CHANEY, Fortuna/Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, probation revocation.

SHAWNTEL HOAGLEN, Laytonville. Willful cruelty to child, under influence, probation revocation.

RICHARD HONER, Ukiah. Burglary, stolen vehicle, suspended license, failure to appear.

DONALD HOPPER JR., Clearlake/Willits. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, probation revocation.

MICHAEL LOCKETT SR. Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

MONICAL MALDONADO, Ukiah. Paraphernalia, receiving stolen property, failure to appear.

DAVID MAXWELL, Oceanside/Fort Bragg. Brandishing.

MISCHA MILLER, Ukiah. Domestic abuse.

LINDA SWENNEY, Clearlake/Willits. Resisting.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

You have to notice that the supposed bi-coastal intellectual class doesn’t ask itself where their attempts to extricate Trump lead to, how it changes the political and cultural landscape.

Because, as sure as we sit here, it alters the collective behavioral genome and not in a good way. It now is apparently allowed for the ruling oligarchy and its Deep State enforcers to unseat a duly elected Chief Magistrate for no other reason than his ideas. Never mind intellectual shortcomings, advanced age, a calamitous personal life, business disasters, lack of experience in governing. These count for shit. Trump’s sin was to give voice and legitimacy and validation to a great mass of people whose economic interests were hurt by long-standing government policy.

You have to notice also the disingenuous expeditions from the coastlines by self-proclaimed researchers into the hinterlands where people actually did the unthinkable and declined to go along with elite consensus. You read their wide-eyed articles in main-stream media ripe with condescension for ruined people and communities, especially ones that look to the naked eye to be majority White. It’s not only condescension but also contempt, the people the researchers talk to are portrayed as fearful of economic and cultural change, deficient in their education, suspicious of foreigners, ignorant of the wonderful new world of open borders and free movement of people and money.

What’s always missing in these deeply learned analyses is how the previously unthinkable and impermissible has been made thinkable and permissible. If one societal group can defend its collective interests by flouting long-standing law and practice, then it opens the door to others. If the economic elite can pull strings in law enforcement and intelligence institutions to reverse the results of an election, then pray tell, what measures become off-limits?

Keep your eye on the colonels, especially those guys that came up from the trailer-parks, especially those whose military careers were side-lined but who nonetheless possess a repertoire of leadership and operational skills honed by decades in the field. If it becomes permissible for Deep State organizations to act illegally then the law is a dead document, the use of extra-legal force by fly-over NGOs ie those with guns, perhaps led by current or former military men, gets put on the table, if for no other reason than to restore the constitutional order.

Never mind the constitutional order, the motive could be no more complicated than to remove the boot of an exploitative governing aristocracy. If the regime uses its power to work against the interests of the soldier boy and his kin-folk, then why on earth would the soldier boy defend said regime? Why would he not take measures against it, just as the regime took measures against him and his interests?

The continental land area of the USA is by itself an empire, like the long-expired Roman Empire, comprised of smaller political units. In the case of Rome they were sometimes provinces, sometimes vassal kingdoms. But empires fail, without fail. No exceptions. They tend to disassemble into their constituent pieces. What the greatly learned are not seeing, or refuse to see, his how they themselves are hastening the demise.

A LAST REUNION WITH ALL MY FORMER FRIENDS

by Bruce McEwen

“Journalists are the enemies of the people.”
-- President Trump

“Newspapers should have no friends.”
-- Joe Pulitzer

Bruce: “Just in from Grants Pass, Oregon, my friends Ben and Michelle, here for a funeral service over the weekend, the car overheating near Redding where the smoke was so bad from the Carr fire, and some good Samaritan took the thermostat out and solved the problem, so they could get on their way.”

Michelle: “Wasn’t that nice of this guy, a total stranger?”

Bruce: “Yea! Terrific! Get those cars up and running, contributing to the global warming!”

A silence fell on the joyous occasion. And my friend Yoba from Morocco, having just flown in a few weeks ago, coming from another funeral in North Africa, mentioned that it was not a very nice thing to say, to suggest that these nice people, our best friends, are contributing to global warming.

Yoba: “After all, we’re not the deniers – they are: Those deplorable Republicans who voted for Trump! And Trump still refuses to sign the Paris Accords!”

Bruce: “Yes, but commercial airliners are the No. 1 cause of global warming; and since everyone agrees, we’ve talked of this before, that the Paris Accords are pretty much a toothless gesture, nigh on to being worthless, and nothing more than window dressing, the trip to Paris would contribute more to global warming than the empty gesture of signing would be worth.”

Ben: “Where did you hear that jet planes and cars were the cause of global warming?”

Bruce: “Well, global warming has been attributed to internal combustion engines from the outset of the concept; and only recently did the huge up-tick in air travel since Nine-Eleven surpass the massive output of carbon monoxide at ground level, with an even greater level of burnt kerosene being spewed directly into the stratosphere, resulting in two layers, one from jets up high and one from cars down below.”

Ben: “But I thought air travel went down after Nine-Eleven.”

Bruce: “It did, for a few weeks, and during that time we had the likes of Steely Dan and Paul McCartney singing those songs lamenting how their lifestyle – flying from New York to London – had been curtailed, their freedom infringed. A boost in the number of people working as spies and more intense searches at airports rejuvenated the business of air travel, however. Because you can’t inconvenience elite liberals like rock stars without annoying the MSM, and getting “bad press.”

Yoba: “Well, what was I supposed to do, stay here while my poor old mother is dying at some hospital in France?”

Ben: “And we couldn’t live without our cars; and that’s that.”

Yoba works on a pot pharm out in the hills, so they need a big four-wheel-drive truck to get in and out of the steep oak woodland where the pharmstead is. You couldn’t very well go in and out of there in a Prius; and there was some anxiety as to whether the pharm would have to be evacuated.

Bruce: “So that’s it: We are the problem, and there’s nothing we can – or are willing – do about it. We can’t get out of our cars any more than we can go back push mowers, or replace weed-eaters with clippers, or return to rakes instead of leaf-blowers with two-cycle gas engines. And how could we live without gas-powered toys like four-wheel ATVs, Ski-Doos and snowmobiles?

Yoba: “Yes, but I make up for flying to Europe and Africa and back every year by riding my bicycle when I’m here!”

Ben: “Yes. And I’m going to start riding my bicycle to work! Ha! So there! And I’ll only drive my trucks and cars in emergencies. Except to go shopping, that is, ’cause you can’t carry enough on a bicycle.”

Bruce: “Don’t worry about it, the scientists tell us it’s all too late anyway. Actually these fires are a good thing: Look at all the land that’s been cleared of upper-story vegetation, and like slash-and-burn agriculture, great huge pot pharms can be planted where the woodlands used to be.”

Ben: “What an awful thing to say!”

Michelle: “Yes, that’s just a horrid thought!”

Ben: “You know, I hate to agree with anything Trump says, but it’s true, you journalists really are the enemy of the people.”

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE WEEK

The U.S. has been a youth obsessed culture for decades. It appears we have reached the pinnacle of that obsession by having no adults to speak of in any role of significance, public or private. The few adults we do have are like people over 30 in Logan’s Run. Hiding. Disgusted. Embarrassed. Scurrying to become an expat before they get locked into the asylum. Adults fully realize that this will get worse, a lot worse, before it ever gets better. If it ever does.

ON THE BEACH

by James Kunstler

Comes August now, the month of vacancy, idleness, the slap and hiss of waves on sand, furtive romance on the dunes, perhaps, sweet corn, country roads, and county fairs, and more furtive romance, perhaps, on a blanket in the high meadow under a blood moon — and respite from the hellish host of foolish ideas, dark trends, and bad faith driving life in this demolition derby of a nation.

If one word defines the preoccupying affairs of the USA these days it’s tiresome. The entire population seems to be enacting the old myth of Sisyphus, every, man, woman, child, swamp-creature, and non-binary child-of-God in the land, legal and undocumented, pushing that boulder uphill to the tippy top, only to have it roll back down to the bottom… repeat ad infinitum.

Take Mr. Robert Mueller, for example, the sphinx-like figure looming over the political landscape with his lawyer’s attaché case full of radioactive secrets. He has already done yeoman’s service in his mission by indicting two dozen Russian Facebook trolls and Internet hackers — who will never be extradited or set foot in a US courtroom, sparing taxpayers the expense of trying them (and testing the theory of “collusion” with the current POTUS). It’s a little hard to picture old horse-face popping a third beer at the clambake, let alone the stories he might tell around the fire (with necessary redactions). When he awakes hung over in the sand the next morning to the shrieking gulls, next to someone not-his-wife, will he be overwhelmed with regret for a year spent chasing gremlins from the Kremlin? The public appears to be good and goddamn sick of him. Even The New York Times has stopped squealing about Russia. Standing by for September histrionics….

Have we reached Peak Sexual Confusion in America? Maybe it’s time we stopped handing out brownie points to people who don’t agree with some of the fundamental conditions of being a mammal, such as the apportionment of X and Y chromosomes. Of course the big idea behind that is the crypto-Gnostic wish to transcend nature, human nature especially, and fly away to the liberating vales of some boundary-less utopian ether where nobody has to be anything in particular — or else in a constant state of transformational flux, like the computer-graphic imagery that saturates our movies. Life without boundaries, I think we’ll discover, is not the Great Idea it’s been cracked up to be. I suspect the groups behind this fad are finally fresh out of new astonishments.

Had enough reverse racism? I know I have. All this howling about the horror of the white patriarchy. It will be interesting to see how the world gets on when that force of wickedness is finally vanquished. No more annoying string quartets, tedious dental implants, boring brass bushings, or hopeless theories of surplus value. Thank God for that. The unburdened public can finally give its full attention to hair care and dieting. When women and people-of-color fill all the seats in congress we can look forward to the glorious day when the USA is run as well as Baltimore.

The buzzword harkening to Democratic Party big dawgs on the Hampton lawns and the briny bluffs of Martha’s Vineyard is Universal Basic Income, the suddenly amazing proposal to put the whole country on welfare. I’m all for it — as long as we can get the Martians to pay for it. Why not? A thousand bucks a month just for walking-around money? Wahoo! You could help pump the GDP a little more by taking that dough to the nearest casino and investing it in the excellent economy-building activity known as blackjack. With a little luck, you might increase your nut sufficiently to get that longed-for sex reassignment surgery, to correct the clerical error that the stork made when you were dropped down the chimney.

Well, these are, after all, only my own personal August fantasies. I await September with as much excitement as all y’all. But I’m not going anywhere. I’m lashing myself to the mast and awaiting heavy seas.

(Support Kunstler’s writing by visiting his Patreon Page.)

YOU, TOO, CAN BE IGNORED AND, WHEN NOT IGNORED, INSULTED. SIGN UP TODAY!

The list of vacancies, due to term expirations and/or resignations, for County Boards and Commissions has been updated. A list of all new and existing vacancies is available on the County Website at: mendocinocounty.org/government/board-of-supervisors/boards-and-commissions.

AppointmentsWeb

Vacancy Notice

VOTER REGISTRATION THIS SATURDAY AT PAY N' TAKE!

Register To Vote At Pay N' Take This Saturday, August 4, At Gualala Community Center

"So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind — it is made up for me. I cannot live as a democratic citizen, observing the laws I have helped to enact — I can only submit to the edict of others."
–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Voter registration will be available this Saturday, August 4 from 8:30am - 12noon at the Pay N' Take at the Gualala Community Center. The November 6 election is rapidly approaching, so please register to vote! You must re-register if you have moved, changed your name, or wish to change your party. You may register if you are a U. S. Citizen, will be 18 years old by Tuesday, November 6, 2018, and are a California Resident. The forms are in English and in Spanish. It is simple to register, takes only a few minutes, and you will feel good by exercising your precious right to register & vote! Voting is the foundation of our Democracy. First time Voters and New Citizens especially welcome! See you at the Pay N' Take THIS SATURDAY! Bring your Driver License, California ID Card, and your Social Security number. Information at sos.ca.gov or Voting Rights For All! at 707-884-4703.

Sister Yasmin

 

“I’ll stop calling you ‘the enemy of the people’ when you start printing crossword puzzles that I can solve!”

MENDOCINO COAST DISTRICT HOSPITAL ADOPTS NRC HEALTH TO CAPTURE PATIENT INSIGHT

Fort Bragg, CA - July 30, 2018 - Mendocino Coast District Hospital (MCDH) announced they have partnered with NRC Health, a leading provider of patient insights and healthcare improvement solutions, to conduct text, email, and phone surveys about patient experiences at MCDH and North Coast Family Health Center.

"If you were admitted to the hospital or had an appointment at North Coast Family Health Center, you will be receiving an invitation to take a survey after your care. Many of our community members may have already completed one of these surveys, and we want to thank you all for your valuable time. We realize that this can be an inconvenience but the data received will be invaluable for our improvement efforts," commented Will Lee, Director of Medical Staff Services at MCDH.

NRC Health will be texting all patients within 24 hours of their visit or check-out with a targeted assessment about their experience with the provider and the organization. If NRC Health does not receive a response to the text, follow-up emails will be sent, and finally a phone call is made if the other efforts were not successful. The assessment takes about 5 minutes, and helps MCDH improve quality of care and the patient experience.

Feedback gained will enable MCDH to:

* Discover opportunities for improvement and service recovery

* Enable providers and staff with learning opportunities

* Empower consumer decision-making by converting insight from patient feedback into online ratings and reviews

* Build meaningful relationships with patients * Increase knowledge of local patient needs

"Nearly 50 percent of patients are frustrated by their healthcare experiences, so it's especially important for organizations to better understand these experiences and use that insight to drive improvement," said Jhordan Elsberry, Customer Success Manager, NRC Health. "MCDH is taking proactive measures to better understand the people they serve and we couldn't be more excited to partner with them on their journey toward care excellence."

Doug Shald
Director PR & Marketing Communications
Mendocino Coast District Hospital
707.961.4961

PLEASE, WE NEED THE GRANT

Please Take Our Pedestrian Needs Survey!

City of Point Arena <pa-admin@mcn.org>, Mon, July 30, 2018 2:34 pm

The Mendocino Council of Governments is leading a Cal-Trans funded study of improvements for walking in Point Arena and the South Coast community. The results of the survey will result in a report outlining specific pedestrian needs, such as safe sidewalks and expanded trails. The study will then be used to apply for funding for improvements. We need your ideas and concerns. Please fill out the brief survey at the link below. Deadline for submission is August 15.

surveygizmo.com/s3/4376440/South-Coast-Mendo-Peds

CATCHING UP WITH CRAIG

Surfing Samsara

Awoke Sunday morning early and headed out of my Plumeria Alternative Hostel room, into the bright Honolulu sunlight. With no particular route, made my way to Waikiki Beach, going through mostly empty neighborhoods. Took a slow walk along the beach, which was crowded with tourists engaged in water activities, and sunning themselves while reading. Later, dropped by the edgy new jeweler Night Rider and purchased a box toggle sterling bracelet, which is keeping the Lono (Hawaiian god of peace) cuff and the automatic Swiss Army watch company on the left wrist. Rock stars wear this sort of jewelry, I was informed by the sales staff. Showed it off at the Maui Brewing Company, while enjoying beer and a shot o' Glenlivet scotch, plus being entertained by a singer/guitar performer. Following a second round, ordered the rib eye steak cooked medium rare. Eventually moved from the bar to the general seating area and sang along with the rest of the crowd to popular songs. Exited, crossed the street and took a seat at the back bar of the Cheesecake Factory. Inhaled a piece of Craig's Crazy Cheesecake and washed it down with a macchiato caramel coffee. Eventually took a cab back to the hostel, and was sound asleep by 9 P.M. This is my sincere recommendation to everyone in these times of political degeneration and environmental implosion: hang in there and witness everything! And if you feel so inclined, write down the bones and share it with others. ~Peaceout~

Craig Louis Stehr, Honolulu, Hawaii, Email:craiglouisstehr@gmail.com

GOP CANDIDATE accused of being 'devotee of Bigfoot erotica' by Democratic opponent in Virginia House race.

rawstory.com/2018/07/republican-accused-of-being-devotee-of-bigfoot-by-democratic-opponent-in-virginia-house-race/

(Ed Note: Leslie Cockburn is Alex Cockburn’s sister-in-law.)

FOLLOW THE FUNNY: SPEAKING JOKES TO POWER

(One year late…)

In the Watergate movie All the President’s Men, informant “Deep Throat” advises investigative reporters to “follow the money.” But as contemporary scandals ensnare the White House, another insider might counsel: “Follow the funny.”

“Comedians can say things journalists can’t say now,” says Palestinian American comic Dean Obeidallah. “They cut right to the chase, tell you what’s going on — and make you laugh about it.”

progressive.org/magazine/follow-the-funny/