Mexican offensive lineman Alfredo Gutierrez was left off the 53-man roster of the San Francisco 49ers starting lineup for this season; however, he will be able to remain on the practice squad with the International Player tag.
It should be noted that the native of Tijuana, Baja California, is part of the International Player Pathway program, so he got a place to play the preseason with the Gambusinos, where he was even praised by coach Kyle Shanahan.
However, for the start of the regular season, which begins next week, teams must reduce their roster from 90 to 53 players, while also forming a 16-player practice squad to help train the main roster.
What does the International player label mean for Alfredo Gutierrez?
In order for a practice squad player to be active in a regular season game, he needs to be retained by the main roster, which usually happens when someone suffers an injury.
Despite the fact that Alfredo Gutierrez was selected to join the practice squad for the 49ersWith an international player designation, the offensive lineman from Tijuana is ineligible to play in the regular season.
However, the good news is that Guitierrez will be able to continue training at a professional level with San Francisco, gain more experience and get to know Coach Shanahan's playbook as he looks for a spot in the starting lineup next season.
Other Latin American players who joined the International Player Pathway program this year include Brazil's Durval Queiroz Neto of the Miami Dolphins and Mexico's Isaac Alarcon of the Dallas Cowboys, who will also be part of their respective training teams.
While the Chilean Sammis Reyes, from Washington Football Team, became the first player from that country to be part of the NFL, signing a three-year contract for 392,600 dollars, thanks to this program.
A 35-year-old man suspected of sexually assaulting a child he was babysitting was arrested this week in El Granada, an unincorporated area near Half Moon Bay.
Michael Dennis Banister allegedly assaulted an 11-year-old boy on three occasions, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant and arrested Banister on Tuesday on suspicion of lewd acts with a child and possession of a controlled substance.
Banister has a long criminal history from Oregon and had moved to El Granada two years ago, sheriff's officials said.
In addition, authorities asked anyone with information about Banister to contact Detective J. Fava at (650) 363-4192 or email jfava@smcgov.org.
A 26-year-old Redwood City man was killed in a shooting Tuesday night in East Palo Alto, police said.
Around 9 p.m., Menlo Park Fire District crews came upon a man sitting in a vehicle parked along the sidewalk in the 100 block of Jasmine Way and later discovered he had been shot.
The victim was taken to a hospital, but succumbed to his injuries, police said. The name has not yet been released.
East Palo Alto police have not announced any arrests or suspect information in the case and ask anyone with information about the murder to call Detective Aleyda Romero at (650) 853-7249, leave an anonymous text message or voicemail at (650) 409-6792, or send an anonymous email to epa@tipnow.org.
In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts began to increase in adolescents aged 12 to 17, especially among girls, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The research specifies that between February 21 and March 20, 2021, visits to the emergency department for suspected suicide attempts were 50.6 percent higher among girls aged 12 to 17 than during the same period in 2019; while in the case of boys of the same ages increased 3.7 percent.
As part of Suicide Prevention Month, researchers suggest that a comprehensive approach involving multisectoral partnerships is needed, as well as the implementation of evidence-based strategies to address the range of factors that influence suicide risk.
As of March 2020, the pandemic and the response to COVID-19, which included physical distancing and confinement, disrupted daily life in the U.S. Compared to the rate in 2019, there was a 31 percent increase in the proportion of mental health-related emergency department visits among adolescents ages 12 to 17 in 2020.
In June of last year, 25 percent of adults surveyed between the ages of 18 and 24 reported experiencing pandemic-related suicidal ideation in the past 30 days.
The most recent patterns of emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts among these age groups are unclear. Using data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP), the CDC examined trends in emergency department (ED) visits for suspected suicide attempts during January 1, 2019, to May 15, 2021, among persons aged 12 to 25 years, by sex, and in three distinct phases of the pandemic.
Compared to the corresponding period in 2019, individuals aged 12 to 25 years made fewer visits to the ED for suspected suicide attempts between March 29 and April 25, 2020. However, in early May 2020, the count of visits for suspected suicide attempts began to increase among adolescents of those ages, especially among girls.
The CDC examined NSSP ED visit data, which includes approximately 71 percent of those in 49 states, except Hawaii and the District of Columbia.
Emergency department visits include suspected suicide attempts and attempts, as well as some non-suicidal self-harm visits.
Self-reported suicide attempts are higher among adolescent girls than among boys. Pre-pandemic research also indicated that young women had higher and increasing rates of emergency department visits for suicide attempts compared to men.
However, the findings of this study suggest more severe distress among young women than has been identified in pre-pandemic reports, reinforcing the need for greater attention and prevention for this population.
It is important to note that, although this report found an increase in emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts among adolescent females during 2020 and early 2021, it does not mean that suicide deaths have increased.
Some researchers have warned of a possible increase in suicides during the COVID-19 pandemic because of a growing number of risk factors. Youth may represent a high-risk group because they may have been particularly affected by mitigation measures, such as physical distancing-including lack of connection to schools, teachers, and peers; barriers to mental health treatment; increases in substance use; and anxiety about family health and economic problems.
In addition, average rates of ED visits for mental health problems and suspected child abuse and neglect, risk factors for suicide attempts, also increased in 2020 compared to 2019, potentially contributing to an increase in suspected suicide attempts.
Conversely, by spending more time at home with youth, adults may have become more aware of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and therefore would be more likely to take their children to the emergency department.
According to the CDC's leading causes of death reports, in 2019, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 47,500 people.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death among 10-34 year olds and the fourth leading cause of death among 35-44 year olds.
In addition, there were almost 2.5 times more suicides -47,511- than homicides -19,141- in the country.
Three highly effective COVID-19 vaccines are being used in the United States and have been shown to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and reduce deaths from the disease. According to a study these immunizations prevented the deaths of nearly 140,000 people and three million cases during the first five months they were available.
As of this August, about half of the population has been vaccinated on the full schedule, but vaccination rates vary across the country, with some states making much faster progress than others.
A team led by Sumedha Gupta, Ph.D., of Indiana University and Christopher Whaley, Ph.D., of the RAND Corporation analyzed how the vaccine rollout impacted the drop in deaths from COVID-19. Their study is one of the first to evaluate the impact of statewide vaccination campaigns.
To determine the speed of vaccination in each state, the researchers used data from government websites and official statements.
The study looked at the period from Dec. 21, 2020, to May 9, 2021. They compared the time it took each state to reach a series of goals, starting with five doses of vaccine per 100 adults, up to 120 doses per 100 adults. They also calculated the number of vaccine doses per 100 adults at the end of each week.
The team used the data to create a statistical model. They then examined the relationship between state vaccination intensity and changes in COVID-19 deaths. The model accounted for the lag between vaccination and the effects on death rates.
According to the model, COVID-19 vaccines prevented more than 139,000 deaths during the first five months.
About 570,000 COVID-19 deaths had occurred in the country as of May 9; however, the model projects that about 709,000 deaths would have occurred without the vaccines.
The researchers estimated that the economic value of preventing these deaths was between $625 billion and $1.4 trillion.
The estimated reduction in deaths was variable among states. In New York, for example, the vaccines resulted in an estimated 11.7 fewer COVID-19 deaths per 10,000 people; Hawaii had the smallest estimated reduction, with 1.1 fewer deaths per 10,000 individuals.
While the study had limitations that may have affected the estimates, the results highlight the crucial role of vaccines in saving lives during the pandemic.
"This study highlights the dramatic success of the first few months of the nation's coronavirus vaccine rollout," said one of the lead authors of the research, Christopher Whaley.
The findings support policies that further expand vaccine delivery, particularly to low-income and minority populations.
So far, according to Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has administered 369 million 117,822 doses of one of the three vaccines available in the country, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson.
The state of California has administered the largest number of doses with 48 million 12,379, followed by Texas with 30 million 165,551 doses, Florida with 24 million 897,414 doses, and New York with 24 million 370,206 doses.
In the case of California, more than 80 percent of the eligible population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, ranking it No. 9 in the nation and No. 1 among the largest states.
By Hans Leguízamo Romero.Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
During a general meeting with investors in early July, Nintendo was questioned about a BBC report based on research from the Australian Policy Strategy Institute (ASPI)The company was linked to the alleged use of forced labor in its production line in China.
In this regard, Shuntaro Furukawa, director of Nintendo, confirmed that some of the factories mentioned in the report are part of the production chain of his company, but reiterated that "they have no knowledge of forced labor being used in the manufacture of their products." He assured that his company has monitoring protocols in place to make sure this does not happen and added that if there was a risk of forced labor being used by any of their contractors, they would stop doing business with them immediately.
The problem of forced labor is not limited to Nintendo; an investigation by ASPI mentions 82 international brands, including Sony and Microsoft, creators of the Playstation and XBox consoles, respectively. The document also notes that these emporiums may not be aware of such a situation; in some cases, they have stated that they have terminated relationships with suppliers suspected of engaging in this practice. However, the research points out that neither company was able to ensure that there are no cases of forced labor deep in their production chains.
How big a problem is forced labor?
According to ASPI's research into local sources and records of workers' applications from the same Chinese companies, it is estimated that around 80,000 Uighurs were transferred from the Xinjiang region to factories across the country. This is part of a re-education program devised by the Communist Party aimed at the "assimilation" of minorities and "religious extremists" into the culture and values imposed by the party.
These workers have limited transit rights, are prohibited from religious practices, live in segregated dormitories, and are subjected to ideological training outside of work hours.
How are video game companies involved?
ASPI's investigations point to Chinese companies that solicited or have records of "state-funded" workers. Likewise, these companies publicly display their relationships with international companies to which they manufacture parts or complete products.
Such is the case of Hubei Yihong Precision Manufacturing Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Dongguan Yidong Electronic Co. Ltd, which states on its website that it provides electronic parts and battery covers for various companies including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. ASPI records that 105 workers from Xinjiang were transferred to Hubei Yihong factories on May 17, 2018. Following the publication of this investigation, Hubei Yihong deleted its website and issued a statement denying its involvement in the use of forced labor.
Another case is the company Foxconn Technology which is one of the largest electronics manufacturing companies in the world. Foxconn supplies electronics brands which again include Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. In 2019, ASPI reports that 560 workers from Xinjiang were transferred to Foxconn facilities.
O-Film Technology Co. Ltd is a company engaged in the production of compact camera modules, touch screens, components for smartphones and laptops. O-Films official website lists Microsoft and Sony as partners. In May 2017, 1,200 people were taken out of Hotan prefecture, outside Xinjiang, and 700 of them were brought to Jiangxi to work at O-Film.
The evidence provided by ASPI is pretty clear: the companies that produce the consoles we play games on are either unaware that there is a possibility of forced labor being used in their products, or they are aware of it and choose to ignore it. Abuses against minorities in China are real and are linked to the production of our favorite products.
Shouldn't suspicion of the use of forced labor be enough to cut off trade relations with these factories and with China? Apparently for the big players in the video game industry it is more important to cut a few cents in the production of electronics than the dignity and freedom of human beings.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday proclaimed a "state of emergency" for Alpine, Amador and Placer counties because of the Caldor Fire, which has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, including major portions of South Lake Tahoe.
Earlier this month, Newsom also proclaimed a state of emergency for El Dorado County because of the same fire that has been active for 17 days and has consumed 191,607 acres.
"It is imperative that residents in the affected areas stay safe and prepare to evacuate immediately if requested by local authorities. We thank all of the heroic firefighters and emergency responders who are working around the clock to fight this rapidly spreading fire and protect local communities in California this fire season," said the governor.
He also signed an executive order to support the state's wildfire recovery and response efforts.
At the request of several counties currently in a state of emergency due to wildfires, the order allows out-of-county emergency workers who are unable to cast ballots in their local precincts to receive provisional ballots, upon request, for the upcoming election.
Among other provisions, the order also allows for the waiver of regulations so that hospitals and other health care facilities affected by the fires can continue to provide care and services, and allows U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel to help remove hazardous debris from damaged private property, protecting public health and the environment.
Governor Newsom announced last week that the White House approved California's request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, including supports available for residents affected by wildfires and assistance for state, tribal and local governments with ongoing emergency response and recovery costs.
California was also recently awarded a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) to support the state's response to the Dixie Fire in Lassen, Butte and Plumas counties, as well as the response to the French, Caldor, Monument, River and Lava Fires.
Notably, the State Operations Center has also been activated to its highest level and has proclaimed a state of emergency in the counties affected by the Caldor Fire, McFarland and Monument, Antelope and River, Dixie, Fly and Tamarack fires, in addition to the Lava Fire and Beckwourth Complex Fire.
The governor signed a executive order to support affected communities and to strengthen recovery and response efforts to these fires.
CAL FIRE and Cal OES personnel are responding in conjunction with other federal, state and local agencies to address emergency management and mutual aid needs.
Friday, August 13, 2021. In the zocalo of Mexico City, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador leads the event. 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance. 1521 Mexico - Tenochtitlan. His speech is accurate from the beginning: "Today, August 13, a funeral date, as the master Carlos Pellicer would say, we remember the fall of the Great Tenochtitlan and we offer forgiveness to the victims of the catastrophe caused by the Spanish military occupation of Mesoamerica and the rest of the territory of the current Mexican Republic. Further on, the president also points out: "So the great lesson of the so-called Conquest is that nothing justifies imposing by force on other nations or cultures, a political, economic, social or religious model for the sake of the good of the conquered or with the excuse of civilization".
At the same time, outside the Zócalo, prevented from moving forward by the capital police, a contingent of people from different indigenous peoples mobilized under the slogan "We are not going to let you go, we are not going to let you go. 500 years since the beginning of the resistance. They did not conquer us. There is the Otomí Indigenous Community, resident in the CDMX, who struggle for decent housing and who took over the offices of the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples to convert them into the "House of Indigenous Peoples and Communities Samir Flores Soberanes". There are also the Otomí peoples of the Autonomous Council of Santiago Mexquititlán, Querétaro, who are defending the water from their community well. There are also the United Peoples of the Cholulteca region of Puebla, who a few days ago took over the facilities of the Bonafont company as a protest against the plundering of the region's water. Also participating are members of the Binni'zaa people who in the state of Oaxaca are resisting the imposition of the Inter-Oceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
500 years later, the peoples are resisting. They resist megaprojects and the dispossession of their territories. The Yaqui people resist, and pay with jail, death and disappearances for daring to defend what is theirs. The Mayan people also resist, those who refuse to be stripped of their best lands to be sent to work in the hotels and restaurants promised to them by the misnamed Mayan Train. The people of Tecámac resist, those who denounce the scarcity of water in the face of the construction of the Santa Lucía Airport.
In Mexico, the people say, the 501st year of resistance has begun.
Raúl Romero is a sociologist, Latin Americanist and academic technician at the Institute for Social Research at UNAM.
Florida radio host Marc Bernier, a conservative who criticized COVID-19 vaccination efforts and called himself "Mr. Anti-Vax," died this weekend of complications from the disease.
"It is with great sadness that WNDB and Southern Stone Communications announce the passing of Marc Bernier, who informed and entertained listeners on WNDB for more than 30 years," the radio station said in a statement.
When Bernier was hospitalized with Covid-19 three weeks ago, WNDB operations manager Mark McKinney told local media "if you've heard him on his show, you know how anti-vaccine he is."
"Mr. Anti-Vax" called on the population not to be vaccinated, as he considered it a "Nazi" conspiracy.
Bernier joined other radio hosts who also did not believe in vaccines, such as WWTN Nashville's Phil Valentine and Florida broadcaster Dick Farrel, who have also died of complications from COVID-19.
As the Delta variant spreads, Republican-led states resisting public health mandates, including Florida, are struggling with a significant increase in hospitalizations and deaths.
Similarly, experts have indicated that the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. occur among unvaccinated people.
Anna Lee Mraz Bartra. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Photo: Manuel Ortiz.
Half Moon Bay: "Mila," her name read in the sand. Letters were set by mounds of marigold flowers with details of red and pink roses. Her life was a dedication to others.
Milagro del Carmen Orantes Dheming, known as "Mila" to friends and family, was an elementary school teacher, a teacher of teachers, a friend, mother, grandmother and "soul" mother to many.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz.
Milagro Orantes was one of the pioneers of the Fremont Unified School District's bilingual curriculum. She taught the Spanish-English immersion program at John Blacow Elementary School for more than 40 years and was recognized as a bilingual teacher in 2009 at the Alameda County Office of Education conference.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz.
She retired from teaching in 2019 from Fremont at the young age of 80. She instructed thousands of students during her teaching career and, as she grew in her professional career, she also prepared and mentored other teachers.
In retirement, he enjoyed weekend trips to the coast, good meals in restaurants and was looking forward to traveling abroad as soon as some of the COVID-19 restrictions began to improve.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz.
Unfortunately and tragically, his retirement was cut short by a medical procedure that did not go as planned.
On Sunday, August 30, amidst trees and with the ocean as a backdrop at Moss Beach, Mila's family, closest friends, alumni and community leaders gathered to say their final goodbyes around her portrait.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz.
The Moss Beach trail was one of Mila's favorite places, so, with a heavy heart, the congregants walked together through the woods and along the beach, leaving sempasúchil petals along the trail to wish her a light departure as they did one of her favorite things: a walk along the coast.
Arturo Samoaya, Mila's son. Photo: Manuel Ortiz.
At the end of the path, the congregation went down to the beach where they said goodbye to this extraordinary and energetic woman with songs, prayers and tears, while her son, Arturo Samayoa, along with Mila's grandson and granddaughter, returned her to the sea wrapped in an urn of salt.
Photo: Manuel Ortiz.
Mila will be missed by her family, her friends and the thousands of students and hundreds of teachers she taught and helped. She will live on through their lives.
