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The 3.7-magnitude earthquake was reported at 3:59 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.
The quake, which occurred at a depth of 1.7 miles, was centered two miles northeast of The Geysers, four miles west southwest of Cobb and six miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, the US Geological Survey reported.
Ten smaller earthquakes followed within the hour – most of them at or near the epicenter of the 3.7-magnitude quake – with the largest measuring 2.5 on the Richter scale, according to monitoring records.
Shake reports were made to the US Geological Survey from Hidden Valley Lake, Middletown and Sebastopol, as well as more faraway locales including Sacramento, Martinez, San Francisco and Menlo Lake.
The Geysers area last experienced a quake measuring 3.0 or above on Oct. 30, when a 3.6-magnitude quake occurred there, as Lake County News has reported.
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The California Highway Patrol (CHP) will mount a focused campaign against safety belt violators during the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Wearing a seatbelt is the easiest and quickest way to save a life,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “It takes two seconds to buckle up.”
Thirty-three people were killed on California roadways during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2008, the CHP reported.
Among the 20 vehicle occupants killed in CHP jurisdiction, 35 percent were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
In addition to keeping an eye out for vehicle occupants without seatbelts, officers will be especially watchful for impaired drivers during the period.
“Throughout the holiday travel season officers will also emphasize driving under the influence enforcement to help remove these most dangerous drivers from California’s roadways,” said Commissioner Farrow.
Starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, through midnight, Sunday, Nov. 29, the CHP will be implementing the annual Thanksgiving enforcement period. During this time all available officers will be out on the road.
“The roadways get crowded during the four-day weekend and on the day after Thanksgiving with holiday shopping traffic congestion,” said Commissioner Farrow. “The message is simple, drive safe, sober and remember to buckle up.”
Thanksgiving is also an Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) holiday.
Operation CARE is a joint program of the nation’s highway patrols that places special safety emphasis on interstate highways during holiday periods.
CARE highways in California include Interstates 80, 40, 15 (San Bernardino to the Nevada border) and 5 (Bakersfield north to the Oregon line).
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“Give thanks and praises to the Most High.”
– Robert Nesta Marley
“kick back and let the light shine
remember all yours could’a been all mine
that’s why y’all ought to be thankful
you ought to be thoughtful …”
– Sylvester Stewart
In the biography of Bob Marley, “Catch A Fire,” penned by rock journalist Timothy White, it is written that on their first American tour in 1973, Reggae icon Bob Marley & The Wailers opened for Sly & The Family Stone.
Bob & The Wailers were thrown off the the tour almost immediately. They were stranded in Las Vegas where they were forced by circumstance to leave on foot, walking toward the fame and fortune that was, bit by bit, seemingly, slipping away from Sly (Sylvester Stewart).
When I read White’s report of how the then-ragged Wailers were treated by the so-called rock establishment, or at least an icon of the rock establishment, I took serious note of it. How could two of my favorite artists not survive together on the same tour?
Exuding from their lyrics, despite being a culture apart, was the same thematic concern. Peace, love and the elevation of the underdog not withstanding, the brothers just couldn’t seem to make it. It seems as if all the strife in the world can be traced to the strange truth that mankind has this need to dominate one another.
Though we again approach that season that retailers pant heavily for, that children, by ritual and fantasy are encouraged to covet and play with war toys and other multimillion dollar industries within industries, much of the world is wracked by war, poverty, sickness and crime. We sit here in the west unable to agree on what freedom is, yet we continue to dole out the standard that the rest of the world looks at and I guess we should be thankful that some of us are able to at least envision true Thanksgiving and good will toward men.
Meanwhile, behind the big scene, the purse string bandits continue their merry trek to the shrinking collective of banks, corporate bonuses still in vogue despite cries of foul from the highest office in this land. Hard to fathom, but it seems suddenly the chief executive is largely ceremonial. I suspect it has been that way for a long time.
Oh, excuse me. This is supposed to be a music column. Divine music, the balm that eases pain like the snake oil we bought a century or two ago. I’m told there was music at the first Thanksgiving, a century or two before that. Then the hordes from all the continents came. By hook or by crook we came. Some of us assimilated. Some of us remain marginalized. Like it or not as the poor and the middle class become one, the destiny of the super rich is the stuff that science fiction used to be made of. Give thanks!
Keep prayin’, keep thinkin’ those kind thoughts.
******
Upcoming cool events:
Monday, November 30
Blues Monday at the Blue Wing featuring Memphis Exchange with Randy McGowen. 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Blue Wing Saloon & Café, 9520 Main St., Upper Lake. Information: 707-275-2233 or www.bluewingsaloon.com .
Friday, Nov. 27, and Saturday, Nov. 28
Fifteenth annual Holiday Jazz Festival at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino. The festival kicks off on Nov. 27 with the top-selling American jazz artist, trumpeter Chris Botti, who boasts four No. 1 jazz albums, as well as multiple gold and platinum albums and Grammy Awards. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Sting, Josh Groban, Paul Simon, John Mayer, Andrea Boccelli and Jill Scott. Nov. 28 features funky horn man Boney James. A saxophonist, producer and songwriter, James' success with contemporary jazz and R&B have made him one of the most respected and best-selling instrumental artists of our time. Doors open each evening at 7 p.m. with live entertainment beginning at 8 p.m. For tickets call Omega Events Box Office at 949-360-7800 or visit www.omegaevents.com.
T. Watts is a writer, radio host and music critic. Visit his Web site at www.teewatts.biz .
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Ocean and lake temperatures are their coldest at this time of year and even a strong swimmer can experience difficulty if they accidentally find themselves in cold water, according to Marine Patrol Sgt. Dennis Ostini.
It can take only a few minutes for a boater falling into cold water to have their ability to swim and rescue themselves compromised and the real risks can take effect in the first few seconds. Ostini said the use of a life jacket or personal flotation device always increases the chances of survival.
The effects of cold water immersion are predictable and well documented officials reported.
Within one minute of an accidental immersion, the body reacts with an involuntary gasp, followed by hyperventilation of up to 10 times normal breathing.
If the head is underwater during that initial deep gasp, the person can inhale enough water to drown. It is imperative not to panic and breathing will return to close to normal.
Within 10 minutes of cold water immersion, a person will become incapacitated to the point that the muscles in their limbs stop working and they will no longer be able to swim or rescue themselves.
Self-rescue should be accomplished before incapacitation becomes a factor. If self-rescue is not possible, the person should at least try to get as much of the body out of the water as possible to delay the onset of hypothermia.
Within one hour of cold water immersion, depending on the water temperature, the body continues to cool and the resulting hypothermia can create a range of symptoms from confusion to unconsciousness and eventually lead to death.
The best way to survive an accidental cold water immersion is to wear a life jacket, according to Ostini. It will help keep the head above water in the event of an accidental immersion until breathing can be brought under control.
It also will keep a person afloat while they concentrate on rescuing themselves. If self-rescue is not possible, a life jacket can provide some thermal protection against the onset of hypothermia and keep a person afloat until someone else can assist with a rescue.
Boaters are also advised to file a float plan before heading out on the water. The chances of successfully locating an overdue boat are much greater if responders have certain facts about the boat trip that may be included on a float plan.
For your own safety and before boating, file a float plan with a reliable person who will notify authorities if necessary, Ostini urged.
For more information on safe boating or to fill out a float plan, please visit www.BoatSmarter.com or call 888-326-2822.
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COVELO – A Covelo man was arrested late last week for allegedly choking his elderly father.
Randy Maple, 40, was arrested last Friday at around 6:30 p.m. and charged with battery, elder abuse and false imprisonment, according to a report from Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Smallcomb said the charges stemmed from an incident, earlier in the day, in which Maple allegedly attacked and choked his elderly father.
Maple was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he was booked without incident, Smallcomb said.
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The California Employment Development Department’s latest report put Lake County’s October unemployment rate at 16.2 percent, up from a revised rate of 14.8 percent for September. In October 2008 Lake County posted a jobless rate of 11.2 percent.
The county was ranked No. 50 out of the state’s 58 counties for joblessness in October, the agency reported.
The state’s overall unemployment rate for October was 12.5 percent, compared to 8.0 percent in October of 2008, the Employment Development Department reported. In September, the state’s unemployment rate was 12.3 percent.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation’s October unemployment rate was 10.2 percent, up from 9.8 percent in September and 6.6 percent in October of 2008.
In response to the unemployment reports, US Sen. Barbara Boxer said the news is a clear sign that more action must be taken to put people back to work, and she’s working with Senate leaders and other committee chairmen on a job creation package.
Boxer, who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, said she’ll work to include significant investments in transportation and infrastructure in the package, and will push for the immediate reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration to allow creation of private sector jobs in the communities that need them most.
She said those initiatives could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
“I will also work to make sure the package includes legislation I sponsored to increase lending to small businesses, which are the main engines of job creation in this country,” she said.
Based on the state’s revised unemployment reports, Lake County’s jobless rate hit 16 percent in January and February before peaking at 16.6 percent in March.
Over the last several months, the county’s unemployment rate has been reduced somewhat, likely due to the seasonal agricultural harvests.
However, with harvest now over and with hundreds of jobs lost – possibly permanently – in the recent closure of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, the rate likely will climb for the remainder of the year and into next spring, which is part of the normal yearly unemployment cycle.
Lake’s neighboring counties registered the following jobless rates and state rankings in October: Colusa, 17.3 percent, No. 53; Glenn, 13.4 percent, No. 33; Mendocino, 10.6 percent, No. 12; Napa, 9.0 percent, No. 3; Sonoma, 10.1 percent, No. 10; and Yolo, 12.2 percent, No. 24.
California’s unemployed numbered 2,293,000 in October, an increase of 808,000 from the previous October, and up 36,000 from September, according to the Employment Development Department.
Imperial County had the state’s highest unemployment rate, at 30 percent, while Marin County’s unemployment rate was the lowest statewide at 8.1 percent.
The Employment Development Department reported that nonfarm payroll jobs in October totaled 14,199,000, an increase of 25,700 jobs over September but a decrease of 687,700 jobs – or 4.6 percent – from October of 2008.
The employment figures are based on information derived from two sources – a federal survey of 5,500 California households and a survey of 42,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy.
The agency reported that the federal households survey showed a decrease in the number of employed people, estimating the number of Californians employed in October was 16,041,000, down 94,000 from September, and down 981,000 from the employment total in October of last year.
In October, six employment categories – information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 48,600 jobs, according to the report.
The biggest job number increase for October came in the government sector, which added 13,400 jobs but has posted an average job loss of 8,000 per month over the last six months, the Employment Development Department reported.
Declines in job numbers in October came in five categories – mining and logging; construction;
manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and other services – for a total of 22,900 lost jobs. The Employment Development Department’s report showed that manufacturing posted the largest decline over the month, down by 8,300 jobs.
Educational and health services was the only industry division to show job gains over the year, posting a 1.4-percent increase, amounting to 23,500 jobs, based on the report.
The 10 remaining categories posted declines totaling 711,200 lost jobs since October of 2008. They included mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government.
The largest decline of an industry on a numerical basis over the year was found in trade, transportation and utilities, which lost 160,900 jobs, a decline of 5.7 percent, according to the report. Construction posted the largest decline on a percentage basis, down by 18.2 percent, a decrease of 136,500 jobs.
During the October survey week, approximately 740,272 people were receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits, according to the Employment Development Department. That’s down slightly from the 744,924 people receiving the benefits in September and 527,918 reported last year.
The agency reported that, at the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance jumped up to 83,475 in October, compared with 69,160 in September and 67,491 in October of last year.
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