Bruce Wilson

CV tree fall update:

The city says 699 trees were knocked down by strong winds at city parks and other city property, almost 60 alone at Rohr Park, which remains partially closed two and a half weeks later.

Cost of cleanup is pegged at $1.2 million and growng ("wortk is far from over").

Uh, $8870 per tree average. 

My cost so far is zero. The city came and moved the fallen tree (s) on to our property (even though the city has an easement) and it is now "homeowner's responsibilty". 

Easments are a funny artiface and you can't even fnd out what it's nature is without a trip to the Recorder's Office and some legal research.

I'll return (maybe) with an update.

Robert Eugene (Bob) Beckwith

Terry I’ve been accused of lots of things, but not a Libertarian!! Now I’m laughing.  I find the graph Bruce used extremely interesting. It would be informative to build an economic graph to determine who in our society are being incarcerated and how it compares to their incomes.  The number of private prisons have exploded, my guess filled with the folks from drug abuse violations.  Folks who couldn’t afford good lawyers.

I met Skonz on the Noatak River. I was guiding him and his friends through the Gates of the Artic National Park in late 80’s. I offered him beer or wine arriving at one of our first camps.  He said he couldn’t because he was a member of AA.  He explained he was recovering from a Cocaine addiction.  I asked him how much his habit cost him.  He said $80,000.00 a year at peak use.  He didn’t get arrested or go to jail.  His Wall Street firm, bought him a stay at a rehab facility for Doctors only at 10K a month, up front. He was in rehab 6 months.  He worked down town NY, NY.  My hunch is the cartels giant bails of $100 bills is not coming from the people who are incarcerated, but from very wealthy members of our society.  This is an untested Beckwithonian Theory.   Skonz said that it was common at the time to go to parties with unlimited alcoholic beverages and long rows of white powder for all to enjoy.

So we arrived at where we started; what to do?  It is such a frustration to think the answer is legalizing the drugs.  I know our public schools and students are hurting from lack of funding.  I know it’s easy for a young person to make a poor choice.  Spending a bunch of money on our young people before bad choices makes more sense than putting them in jail after bad choices.  And I know for darn sure that spending $$$ on a wall won’t make a difference in our drug use.

I can also say as Terry snuck across the border in the trunk of a car (as did my patty perfect sister + many others); a wall will only create an inconvenient challenge.  Thanks to all for the input.  I mentioned Title 10 previously-could money saved be used to support a Nation-Wide Title 10 effort???   Andie, you are spot on with notion of grants and innovations for STEM. 

Bruce I too wonder “why some people succumb to abuse more readily than others”.  Why did I choose Alcohol over drugs when both were available?  I sort of liked a hangover.  Reminded me too much fun was had!!!  I’m not sure how that would work with drugs?  One time I offered a beverage to a Chinese genetic research scientist. She was second generation American/Chinese, taught English by a Chicago neighbor; Chinese/Chicago accent.  According to Dr. Chin it’s in the genes.  Without certain genes, the alcohol can’t be processed; forms a form of formaldehyde.  Our “drunken” American Indians are examples.  The worst possible beverages for the Indians were alcoholic.  They couldn’t sober up or took a long-long time because of their genetic codes.  I think those genetic traits are found in our addicted population. 

George Bracey Gillow

Yes, Bob I never considered myself to be a Libertarian and have never been accused of being one.

Although I have been accused of being a "Radical Moderate".  Just Kidding, but the term is used.

Remember Elliot Richardson from the Nixon and Ford Administrations:

   Available on Amazon.

Concerning Bruce's post on the trees down in Chula Vista: We spent $1,100 for fence repair and removal of one large fallen tree and three small ones.

Madeline Bazzel (Hooper)

Here's a picture of Mr Fedder and I at my grandsons basketbal game last Friday night.  Hilltop vs Southwest, we won.  It was nice to see him after all these years.  His son Will brought him to the game after talking to my daughter.  They were friends in school, class of 1987.  What a small world. 

Gypsy Baumgartner (Wayne)

I'm certainly in agreement with the concept of legalizing all drugs and prostitution as well.  Human trafficking is a very real problem with our most vulnerable young females.  I also believe there is an addiction gene and have sadly had a close personal view of the devastating results.  I've seen families financially ruined trying to save their offspring from their addictions, and other children die due to accidental overdosing.  I, on the other hand, took pain medication for about a year following a serious accident and had no difficulty giving it up.  When I wasn't in pain there was no need (physical or emotional) for me to want to continue on the drugs.  Other individuals have said the same drugs were instantly addicting.  For all that the medical establishment knows about addiction and psychiatry there is far more that they don't know.  The people I know who've had the most success with food, alcohol, or drug addictions did it on their own.  If the experts can easily identify the addictive gene, perhaps it should be done in early childhood so that those kids could be educated to never ever use anything addictive. Some would do it anyway, but others would have a fighting chance to be sober and drug free.  

Kay Kozuye Ochi

I've been on the sidelines enjoying all of the conversation for the past months, but unable to join in due to

technical problems (real or imagined). I particularly loved Bob's recent comments on the Wall, drugs, etc. and

agree whole heartedly. Many of my friends have participated in the demonstrations at LAX- carrying

signs that read "Japanese Americans say: "No Wall, No Muslim Registry, No Deportations". We know that

a previous Executive Order threw 120,000 Japanese Americans into America's concentration camps during

WWII- my parents, every JA's parents. Many of us have not gotten over that. . .and, now, with ethnic and racial targeting and reckless Executive Orders, well . . . enough said for my first post.  - Kay

Madeline Bazzel (Hooper)

Sorry for such a big pic guys.  It was my first time dealing picture download.

Kay I do feel for your family.  I remember hearing about all the dedicated JA's, as you put it, trying to protect our country while fheir families were in camps.  I always hoped we would learn from the mistakes made.  Maybe if we (meaning the new government, along with everyday people) listened and were more alert these problems wouldn't happen.  Nothing is perfect, and love and kindness doesn't seem like enough. 

Well that's my two cents worth.  Just trying to exist in this new environment.

Bruce Wilson

Good to hear from some infrequent contributors.

Great photo Madeline. If  you'd  said an unidentified former HHS teacher, although I never had him for a class (my sister did), I think I would have guessed Mr. Fetter. 

George:  When life gives you down trees, make firewood I guess.

Then use your wood sales $$ to find legal research into the nature of easements ,

Bruce Wilson

Basketball break. 

LaMelo Ball, 15 year old brother of Lonzo Ball who is playing at UCLA this year, scored 92 points in Chino Hills 146-123 victory Los Osos in a rather dull defensive match.

According to a box score provided by Southern California News Group's Tommy Kiss, Ball shot 30-of-39 on two-point attempts and 7-of-22 on threes. He was also 11-of-14 from the line and added seven assists and five rebounds for good measure.

He took 61 shots in 32 minutes. 

I don't recall anyone in San Diego with a mixtape BITD, but here's LaMelo

Robert Eugene (Bob) Beckwith

I have been fortunate not to be an addictive person.  (my seeeeee food diet being the exception-I pine for 157 pound playing wt.) Guess I’m lucky with right genes-and lucky it is.

The stories of addiction are never happy.  Gypsy your notion of early detection seems like maybe one of the first steps in correcting the challenge.  I hate, I hate, the notion we can’t just fix this ourselves.  Just doesn’t seem possible. But if the drugs were legalized it would free up resources to actually go after the causes and hopefully cures.  Wouldn’t it be something if we could leave future generations with better choices and cures that worked- I have hope.  

Kay here in Idaho we are very familiar Japanese Americans and America's concentration camps. What an American tragedy. One of my Nampa High School yearbook photographers, Teresa Tamura, wrote: “Minidoka” This is quite a documentary.  It we don’t learn from our past -how can we move forward into the future???

Bruce Wilson

I'll use an analogy to diabetes type I. This was the thinking a while back.

Clearly it has a genetic determinant, however, a person won't necessarily get it unless an environmental trigger occurs.

I'd guess that something similar is the case for the abuse syndrome..

The causes of type 1 diabetes are unknown, although several risk factors have been identified. The risk of developing type 1 diabetes is increased by certain variants of the HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB1, and HLA-DRB1 genes. These genes provide instructions for making proteins that play a critical role in the immune system.

George Bracey Gillow

The late Huell Howser did an excellent program on the Manzanar Japanese internment camp where he talked to people who had been interned there during WWII:                    https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2002/01/08/manzanar-californias-gold-4012/

Below, again, is a YouTube video of a PBS program on the US homefront during WWII that I posted a while back. There are good personal stories in the documentary.

Starting at time 23.19 they cover the Japanese Internments including a couple of personal stories of difficulties during and after the war.

I put this on YouTube as unlisted:

Frank Gregory

Bruce, commenting on your easement post #2517,; if the easement is over your property you should be able to examine it by breaking out your title insurance policy and locating the easement in question, which will be shown as a recorded matter. Once you locate it see the date and recording reference and call your title insurer to send you a copy. 

Bruce Wilson

Frank:

Thanks for your advice. My mom and dad bought this house in 1967.  All the historical docs are in their names and pretty much require my trip to the recorder's office since I don't have any them. 

The chain:  mom&pop --> mom's trust --> me is quite clear.

It's turning nto a non-issue except for my interest in just what an easement entails, since the city cut up the tree and dumped it on my (or their?) property and I agreed to dispose of it.

What makes me nervous going forward is the liability if one of the remaining trees were to fall and land on someone.

A fallen tree by any other name, even a rose, still is a scary proposition when it lands on somebody's head.

Frank Gregory

Bruce, if you are in a subdivided neighborhood, i.e. lot and map number, you might want to get a copy of the subdivision map. The easement will probably be shown on the map and it might also contain the nature of it's use. The subdivision map number is shown on your tax bill.

Bruce Wilson

Hey Frank:

Thanks again. The plot map I downloaded a while back didn't show easements. It just occured to me that Otay Water also claims an easment in the front.

Continuing saga of The Gtreat Tree Debacle

Storm Damage Prompts Chula Vista to Declare State of Emergency

Excerpt..

The public was reminded they are not allowed to cut up or remove trees located on any city property including Rohr Park, said city officials.  The mulch from downed trees will be used at various city properties.

https://timesofsandiego.com/life/2017/02/10/storm-damage-prompts-chula-vista-to-declare-state-of-emergency/

Bruce Wilson

There are more important thigs in life. It may be Otay, but it's still our Town, eh?

Jim Hawes

Speaking of Northern Exposure and cover songs, this link should take you back to "Our Music" sung in a beautiful blues voice by Sarah Collins. Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqullXSi3yE&list=RDZqullXSi3yE

Andie (Joan) Ault (Harvey)

First, THANK YOU Madeline for posting that darling photo of you with Mr. Fetter...it made me so happy. He was my all-time favorite teacher: he modeled excellence in everything a teacher should be, and inspired me to enter that profession. What a champ.  ~  For the record, I'm not a Libertarian either, but I do agree with them on legalizing victimless crimes. [Note: I realize that "victimless" is controversial, but the difference is consent.] That includes drugs, prostitution (yes, Gypsy!) and gambling. People engage in these activities in every state, and will continue to do so irrespective of their states' laws. Again, I'd much prefer that these activities be state-regulated and made safe than serving as profit sources for the cartels.  ~  Kay, I'm right there with you on the immigration issue. All of our parents either knew people who were victimized by these camps, or were victimized themselves. My heart breaks for the families that are being torn apart by the current policies.

Bruce Wilson

I'll just respond to one part Andie. 

All 1,150 Japanese living south of Del Mar were ordered to leave the county on April 7, 1941. (North County’s Japanese were shipped off a few weeks later.) Officials later commented on the orderly way these residents — many of them citizens, some veterans of the U.S. military — gathered in the Santa Fe Depot, their destination unannounced.

This wasn't self-deportation, but real deportation to Central California or Arizona.

Bruce Wilson

I happened to notice Mr. Page checking in the other day. So here's one for you and I Richard. Kirda makes me wish I'd stuck with the trumpet longer.

It also got me to wondering, what with the drought possibly being over, where all the spit used to go.

George Bracey Gillow

OROVILLE RESERVOIR FROM DROUGHT TO POSSIBLE FLOOD

You may recall that in post 1063 (about page 44) I put in pictures of the Oroville Reservoir in 2011 and 2014 to show how low the water level was due to the drought.  I am posting these again below.

The recent heavy rainfall and snow have resulted in Oroville overflowing via the regular and emergency spillways. This has resulted in erosion of the spillway. The pictures below show the spillways this week.

If the spillway fails, then possibly a 30 foot wall of water will flow down the valley towards the city of Oroville.  Consequently almost 200,000 people have been evacuated to places like Chico and Sacramento.

Helicopters are being used to drop rocks into the eroded spillway.  They are also hoping to get the level down about 50 feet before large storms predicted for the end of this week.

Oroville Reservoir 2011

Oroville Reservoir 2014

Bruce Wilson

https://www.crower.com/

Another CV institution from about the same time as La Bella, Crower Cams (on Main St.

Shirts are in the clearance section for $8.99

For a bit more ($1776.26) you can have

Part Number: ML93008B4-8 
Maxi-Light Steel Billet #4 Crower Connecting Rod SB Chevy 5.850/2.225

Bruce Wilson

I checked and Otay Dam is holding, so we're not in danger down here in the river bed.

Seriously, though, it's a very scary situation up in Oroville.

If you go to this page 

http://lhwoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/encasements3-200x200.jpg

Then scroll down to project #2, you'll see the  $4.4 million

OTAY RIVER CONSTRUCTORS
Otay River SR125 Encasements

Bruce Wilson

This is for Jim and any other car followers and/or procrastinators reading here. A little free, but good nonetheless, advice.

It is better not to let your old cars (in this case a 1976 280Z) sit too long so that the brake shoes do not bond to the drums via rust.

This was the only way I could get the drum to move and when it popped using a big breakder bar on the nut on the puller, it sounded like a bomb had exploded. No injuries. No damage to the drums, but I think the shoes are beyond repair.