The World

Coronavirus, Courts/Law, Immigration, The World April 4, 2020

ACLU: Release COVID-19 at-risk detainees (Updated 4/13 — Detainees released.)

Updated Monday, April 13….ACLU clients, Yusuf Ozdemir and Jane Doe, were released the night of Thursday, April 9; and Miguel Angel Benitez and Issis Yoselin Zelaya Sagastume were released the following Friday night. “Our plaintiffs’ release from custody is a victory for them and their families,” said Monika Y. Langarica, immigrants’ rights staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties. “We urge ICE to continue…

Coronavirus, Fire, Health, Health & Fitness, The World March 7, 2020

Coronavirus first responders on the front lines

When first responders answered roughly 10 calls from a long-term care center in Kirkland, Washington, over the course of a week, they did not expect to become patients themselves. Entering the Life Care Center of Kirkland last month exposed them to the novel coronavirus that sickens people with an illness known as COVID-19. Because the emergency calls came before authorities realized the virus was circulating…

Education, San Diego, The World March 6, 2020

International Women’s Day, anyone?

Today, March 8 is International Women’s Day. Honored throughout the world, free and otherwise — it used to be a staple for communist celebration in th Soviet union and Bloc — it generally gets short thrift in the United States. Said to commemorate an 1857 strike by women workers in New York, the effort to set aside a day to celebrate women’s achievements and assess…

California, Education, San Diego, The World, Weather March 1, 2020

Coastal wetlands protect property, study says

In coastal communities prone to hurricanes and tropical storms, people typically turn to engineered solutions for protection: levees, sea walls and the like. But a natural buffer in the form of wetlands may be the more cost-effective solution, according to new research from the University of California San Diego. In the most comprehensive study of its sort to date, UC San Diego economists show that…

Animals and pets, Lifestyle, Lifestyle/Society, The World February 26, 2020

Rats! People got to change or rats will prevail

(Editor’s Note: A statewide panel of pest control experts says San Diego and other urban areas in California are experiencing a rat infestation that threatens public health. A report released by Reform California last year said a survey of 23 rodent control companies across the state showed a sharp increases in rat populations everywhere. More than 78 percent of the companies reported an increase of at least…

California, News, Public Policy, The World February 20, 2020

Census 2020 on its way to San Diego County

Census 2020 has gotten off to a Trump Administration start, which is to say already under scrutiny for lack of competency, missed deadlines and multiple causes for concern. The General Accountability Office (GAO) last week said “readiness for upcoming operations is mixed” for the 2020 Census. GAO is the authoritative agency providing Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information…

Blogs, Columns/Blogs, Consumer News, Health, Opinion, The World January 30, 2020

Considering microplastics in food, water & air

This is a followup to an article of mine published on 12/13/18, and was inspired by a recent measurement of the likely ingestion of microplastics by typical Americans through diet and inhalation.  The findings are of real concern, given the risky chemicals associated with plastics and new data showing that, once microplastics get into our tissues, they can translocate to other organs and are even showing…

Immigration, Public Policy, The World November 5, 2019

ACLU steps up for stranded asylum seekers

The ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLUF-SDIC) filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesady against the U.S Department of Homeland Security. The suit demands that people seeking asylum who have been subjected to the Trump administration’s dangerous Remain in Mexico policy – referred to by the government as the “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP) – and who have expressed a fear of being returned to…

California, History, The World, Weather November 5, 2019

California is living America’s dystopian future

The Golden State is on fire, which means that an idea of American utopia is on fire, too. Utopias are the good places of our imagination, while dystopias are the places where everything goes terribly wrong, where evil triumphs and nature destroys her own. Frequently utopias and dystopias are the same place, because perfection may not be possible without someone suffering. Ursula LeGuin writes about…