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Afro-descendants and Latinos in the U.S.: population most affected by climate change

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Afro-descendants and Latinos in the U.S.: population most affected by climate change
Pam Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press.

After the unprecedented fires registered in California during this year, and floods of catastrophic proportions in other U.S. states, the Afro-descendant and Latino populations have been among the most affectedMany of them do not have the necessary resources to deal with such disasters.

He pointed out that during a video conference organized by Ethnic Media Servicesthe sociologist and environmentalist Robert D. Bullardwho pointed out that climate change has been a determining factor in demonstrating that in the U.S.A. we continue to live a situation of segregation.

The above, since so your skin color alone increases your chance of dying early by 15 percent by the secondary effects of the environmental crisis that is being experienced in the world, as is the case of the increase in carbon dioxide due to the fires registered on the west coast of the country.

Likewise, households of African descent with an income between 50,000 and 60,000 dollars a year live in neighborhoods that are more polluted than the homes of Caucasians who earn less than $10,000 and their exposure to fine particles is 1.5 times greater.

In addition, 11.5 percent does not have insurance and 55 percent of that population lives in the southern states of the U.S. where governors have advocated dismantling the Affordable Care Act (ACA). 

He further explained that the government acts slowly to help people of African descent and Latinos in poverty, and that situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the effects of climate change, have increased this situation.

In this regard, he said that Disaster support is less forthcoming in hyper-segregated neighborhoodsThese are the ones that commonly occupy these populations, which ends up causing many more health problems.

Until 2018, in 46 states of the United States, people of African descent lived where the most pollution is recorded, so breathe air that is up to 30 percent less quality and there are more than 200,000 early deaths per year among African descendants, Latinos and the poor.

And it is that before this "climate racism" If there is no improvement in climate policy, there will be a 6.0 per cent drop in Gross Domestic Product, which translates into millions of dollars in losses in these areas.

For his part, the professor of the University of California Merced and climate change expert, LeRoy WesterlingHe indicated that the fires registered in the state will be more and more common, reason why it will be necessary to be prepared for the impact that it will generate in the health of the population. 

This, he said, coupled with climate change has affected the rainy season and reduced its period, so it generates a dry environment that encourages fires, which in turn generate more pollution and risks for the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

What is the blue moon?

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What is the blue moon?

The Blue Moon is an astronomical phenomenon that gives way to two full moons in the same month.

The Moon, our natural satellite in 2010. Wikimedia Commons.
Rober Diaz. Peninsula 360 Press.

Normally, there are 12 full moons per year. Logic, therefore, tells us that because, for each month, one is perceived; however, in this month of October, two moons may be perceived in a single month: an atypical phenomenon. It is worth mentioning that this same year, on January 1st, we already had the fortune of seeing a moon called "the Wolf Moon". According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, in ancient times they made the wolves that surrounded the villages in the Middle Ages harass the villagers with their abnormal and abundant howling. On February 9, 2021 we will be able to observe the Snow Moon, a fascinating event.

This same year, we already had two "supermoons": March 9 and April 7. The Moon of March 9 and, according to the same almanac, corresponded to the Worm Moonbeing that of 7 April, the Pink Moonthe one on 7 May corresponded to the Moon of Flowersthe one on 5 June corresponds to the Strawberry Moon and the one that follows it; that is to say, that of July 5 would be the Dollar Moon and, after that, the one that followed it was the Sturgeon Moon, on 3 August; the one on 3 September was to be the Corn Moon and, to that of October 1, the Harvest Moonfor this same month there is the marvelous Blue Moon. The following two, on November 30 Beaver Moon and the last one of the year, on December 29th, is called the Cold Moon. 

You may wonder, however, what authority this Old Farmer's Almanac has for astronomy... or reputation, and we have to answer that possibly none, but an almanac, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, "is a book or table containing a calendar of the days, weeks, and months of the year. They keep records of astronomical phenomena, with climatic information, seasonal suggestions for farmers and other miscellaneous data".

The Old Farmer's Almanac has been published in the United States since 1792 and contains weather forecasts, planting schedules, recipes and more. Its forecasts tend to focus on meteorological data. This Almanac was dedicated to give these forecasts based on esoteric data of natural phenomena, so it has given erroneous data although among his most amazing predictions is the having anticipated the existence of a pandemic in the year of 2020 -there is evidence of that in the 1981 edition-, although this does not mean that his predictions are infallible as we have already said.

But, what concerns us here is the phenomenon of the Blue Moon that did not happen on a day so close to Halloween since 1944 and that was visible to everyone and that is the coincidence that has pleased more than one and that will not be repeated until 2039. 

Opinion: El Desencanto. 14 years of Evo Morales' government

Hugo José Suárez
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Opinion: El Desencanto. 14 years of Evo Morales' government

By Hugo José Suárez

Last Saturday morning [early September], my new book began circulating. Disenchantment. 14 years of Evo Morales' government (Editorial 3600, available on the Internet) in which I critically analyze the political actions of the former president and particularly my involvement in the "process of change", which went from hope to deep disappointment. Many people reacted, I am grateful that it is being read and circulated.

The most curious thing was that, before twenty-four hours had passed, someone called my house in Bolivia - I don't know how he acquired the number - and, hidden on the other side of the receiver, left a question that was really an accusation: "How much did Doria Medina pay you for El Desencanto?

I don't know the origin of the call, although I sense its source, let's start with the obvious. Nobody paid me to write the book. Or rather, Doria Medina did not, whom I do not know personally and from whom I have never received a fifth (and of course I do not support his candidacy). The institution responsible for my monthly salary is the National Autonomous University of Mexico; I have been a tenured researcher there for more than a decade and I write freely and responsibly.

But that is not what is important. What the call reveals is the desire to control thought, the impossibility of accepting other ideas, the need to homogenize a discourse that polarizes and flattens differences. For this reason, I think it is appropriate to bring up two reflections that are in the introduction to my book: why I wrote it and where I am writing it from in political terms: "I wanted to publish this book because this is the story of a bet, perhaps not mistaken, perhaps naïve, but certainly deviated and decomposed.

It is a small example of how people and projects can change, how politics has multiple faces and how power can distort the best intentions.

The critical tone of these pages is not to forget the mistakes. Complacency is a bad advisor, especially with politicians. The experience of the Morales government, successful, contradictory and complex, should have been the perfect occasion for a deep and critical assessment of the limits and successes of a progressive agenda, but what we heard was an overwhelming wave of applause and visceral defense of the indefensible. As a critical collectivity, we missed the opportunity to move forward based on transparent self-assessment of mistakes, many preferring the trench and fostering the mutual praise brigade. This book is a dissonant note in that melody".

With respect to my political position, I maintain: "I write from a critical, ecumenical left-wing position that does not obey bosses, that does not promote monopolies of truth and interpretation, with its own voice, undisciplined, passionate about diversity, irreverence, autonomy. A left that does not bow to statues, nor dogmas, nor learned men; that does not bow to the intellectual or political guidelines of a central committee or of the 'historical leaders'. A libertarian left that, in the face of the rottenness it sees in front of it, bets that another left is possible".

There is little more to say. Hopefully the book will help us to move forward, avoiding stumbling over the same stone twice.

Hugo José Suárez is Bolivian, PhD in Sociology, professor and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. This column was published in El Deber and shared by the author for P360P.

Los Angeles school district sued for distance education mismanagement

Peninsula 360 Press
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Los Angeles school district sued for distance education mismanagement
Pam Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) could face a lawsuit after parents and organizations argue that its distance learning plan "violates students' rights to a basic public education.

The lawsuit, which will be filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, says students of African descent and Latinos, as well as English language learners and students with disabilities, were the most affected after learning began virtually.

And, they point out, LAUSD schools provide less remote classroom time than the other five large districts in the state of California.

The litigation comes after, according to a report released by LAUSD in July, more than 50,000 students of African descent and Latinos who attended middle and high school during the spring semester did not regularly participate in the school's virtual classrooms following the campus closure in March.

The district-wide analysis also revealed that English language learners and students with disabilities or homeless students had lower participation in virtual classes.

The transition to virtual classes, the plaintiff group said, highlighted the inequality that exists in access to technology and the Internet for these students.

As the fall semester begins, LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner stressed that the district will address the challenges of the digital divide by ensuring that all students have adequate devices and Internet access, as well as voluntary online and in-person tutoring for those who need it most.

Currently, Los Angeles County is in purple on the COVID-19 color-coded system, the most restrictive stage due to the number of cases, so the vast majority of schools will not be able to reopen until it moves to red and remains in that status for two weeks.

Mexico will support California in fire fighting

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Mexico will support California in fire fighting
Mexican fire brigade arriving from Guanajuato.

Conafor sent five brigades with 20 members each; they will depart from Jalisco, Mexico to California.

Pam Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press.

After the emergency for the forest fires facing the state of CaliforniaIn the United States, the Mexican government reported that sent 100 people and a technical liaison to assist in the control and liquidation of the fire.

Through a statement, the National Forestry Commission (Conafor) pointed out that the people selected make up five brigades with 20 members eachwhich will be coordinated by a technical liaison fluent in English.

All staff counts with protective equipmenthas the physical aptitude necessary and complies with the training and education standards that the United States is requesting.

The selected elements come from different states of the country and will be concentrated in Conafor's central offices, located in Zapopan, Jalisco, and then leave for California from Guadalajara International Airport.

Once in California, the staff will be coordinated by the U.S. Forest Service and will begin their activities in Sequoia National Park.

Later, they could also be deployed to other federal areas, according to the nature and behavior of the fires, as well as the mitigation measures to be taken in response to COVID-19.

The mobilization of these elements to the United States is the result of the events of August 24th, when the Mexican Government, through Conafor, expressed its solidarity, and later received a request from the U.S. government for support work.

It is worth mentioning that the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Northern Command (UNSCOM), has allocated more than $2 million over the past 10 years for cooperation in fire management.

This has resulted in more than 60 courses given, a thousand people trained, exchanges with hotshot brigades, training for aircraft pilots, fuel monitoring and prescribed burns.

COVID-19: San Francisco with the lowest death rate in the U.S.

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COVID-19: San Francisco with the lowest death rate in the U.S.

Until the first week of September, San Francisco maintained the lowest rate of COVID-19 mortality. compared to major U.S. cities, according to Dr. Jim Marks of Zuckerberg General Hospital. -ZSFGHThe new system will be available to the public in the next few years.

Pam Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press.
COVID-19 test.

In a graph the specialist showed that the percentage of deaths per case was 0.87% as of September 4, significantly lower compared to the 10 largest cities in the country.

The second lowest rate was Miami, with 1,63%; while the highest rates included New York (10,26%), followed by Philadelphia (5,12%) and Boston (4,83%).

After other cities experienced periods where there was a spike in cases and hospitals were at capacity, San Francisco has attracted attention because, despite ups and downs, it has kept the number of infections relatively low.

As of Sept. 21, the city of nearly 900,000 residents reported 10,807 cases and 99 deaths.

In an interview, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Medicine Chair Bob Wachter noted that the low rate of cases is a result of acting well, "acting well is everything. From the city's health leaders to every single person.

He added that San Francisco is probably one of the cities with the highest rate of facemask use in the country.

"I think from the beginning people have trusted the science, trusted the guidance. You don't hear in San Francisco that COVID-19 is a hoax. People have taken this very seriously, and the leadership of the mayor and the regional health directors has been fantastic," she said.

The doctor recalled that in April he sent a group of UCSF doctors to New York to help during the height of the pandemic, who recounted horror stories in good hospitals, where one nurse would see as many as seven or eight patients, a situation that has never happened in San Francisco.

"In New York, the team could have included an ophthalmologist or a dermatologist, both of whom may be great doctors, but their specialty is not COVID-19. They were all called in to help. They were overwhelmed. We've never had that in San Francisco," he noted.

Wachter also explained that the sickest COVID-19 patients are cared for in intensive care units with ventilators, so their chance of surviving severe cases of infection is greater than elsewhere.

In that sense, the specialist stressed that the survival rate with a ventilator at UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital is 80 percent, while the national average is between 60 and 70 percent.

To that, he added that the city's Public Health Department and hospitals learned to work together during the AIDS epidemic, so now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they've built on the lessons learned. "We learned this 30 years ago."

During the interview, Bob Wachter said that another factor contributing to San Francisco's low COVID-19 mortality rate is that it has a healthy population, with a relatively low rate of obesity and a very low rate of smoking.

What does Redwood City´s beer taste like?

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What does Redwood City´s beer taste like?
Tommy Domingo, brewer at Ghostwood Beer Co. Photo Manuel Ortiz Escámez /Peninsula 360 Press.

Ghostwood Beer Co. is a relatively new brewery in the town, only last week they celebrated their two-year anniversary. They produce about 10 different kinds of beer. 

Ghostwood is located at 1757 East Bayshore Rd. You are greeted at the door by a sturdy and friendly man who, you can guess behind the mask, smiles friendly. His name is Tommy Domingo and he is the brewer of the factory. 

With a Filipino father and a mother, as he said, white or from multiple European blends, Tommy has been making his beers for 7 years and you can see in the result that he combines them in search of body and essence.

Click here to read or listen to Anna Lee Mraz Bartra's gastronomic column.https://peninsula360press.com/food/sabe-a-mi-tierra-2/

California goes for zero vehicle emissions by 2035

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California goes for zero vehicle emissions by 2035

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that, due to the current climate crisis, by 2035, every passenger car and truck sold in the state must be carbon-free.

This, after issuing an executive order which specifies that within 15 years, all new cars must be electric or emission-free, which means that those that run on gasoline or diesel will no longer be sold.

Through his Twitter account, the governor stressed that "it is time to be energetic to such a big problem," besides being the most important step taken by the state to combat climate change, because "Californians should not worry about their cars cause asthma in their children, or worsen wildfires and generate more smoky days".

And, he said, the transportation sector is responsible for more than half of California's greenhouse gas emissions, 80 percent of smog and 95 percent of toxic diesel emissions, so the executive order will reduce demand for fossil fuels and thus fight climate change.

It will also allow California to lead the nation nationally on this issue, and then the U.S. will join 15 other countries that have already committed to phasing out gasoline-powered cars, driving innovation in zero-emission vehicles and reducing costs for all.

Thus, the state Air Resources Board will issue regulations to require every new car or truck sold to be zero-emission, which could lead to a more than 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

At the same time, it is intended that by 2045, operations for medium and heavy freight transport services will also be zero emissions, a mandate that will come into force in 2035.

Newsom's signature document stresses that zero-emission vehicles are a key part of the economic innovation of a clean California.

It also directs the state to take greater steps to address oil extraction and support its workers by retaining and creating new jobs during the transition to a non-fossil fuel sector.

Moreover, the executive order calls on state agencies to develop strategies to create a statewide integrated rail and transit network, as well as incorporate safe and accessible infrastructure into projects that support bicycle and pedestrian options, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

Tasty operation by the Community Police Unit of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office

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Tasty operation by the Community Police Unit of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
Peninsula 360 Press

Peninsula 360 Press


At 1:00 p.m. on the hot afternoon of Wednesday, September 23, an operation involving several vehicles from the Sheriff's Office arrived at the intersection of Hampshire and Halsey streets in the North Fair Oaks area.

The horn of the police vehicles, as well as the brief screech of a siren, was combined with the traditional sound of the ice cream cart. 

People started to get close. The ice cream cart opened its doors and one of the sheriffs announced through a megaphone, "Free ice cream, bring, bring your little ones for ice cream!"

Amidst faces of surprise and laughter, girls and boys holding their parents' hands lined up in front of them to ask for their ice cream, which was delivered along with toys by San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos G. Bolaños himself and Christina Corpus, commander of the Community Police Unit.

"The reason we are here giving out ice cream is because the San Mateo County Community Policing Unit works very hard to build and maintain positive community relationships," said Sgt.

Peninsula 360 Press

A car driving down Hampshire Street stopped in front of the line. Inside, a woman, with her approximately three-year-old son in the back seat, prowled around trying to find out what was going on. Suddenly an officer approached her window and instead of asking for her license and registration card, he kindly offered her an ice cream for her son. "Yes, chocolate please," she replied.

"I was happy that my two children received their ice cream and that they see that not all police officers are bad or racist," said Mrs. Adriana Rosas, mother of a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. "If more cops in the country were like this (pointing to the sheriffs handing out ice cream), we would have less crime because people would support them, and there wouldn't be so many protests because there wouldn't be racist abuse.

"This is a way to remind people that we are here for them and when they see us in the patrols and in the uniforms, they sit down with confidence, they say hello and they don't hesitate to dial 911 when they need us," Zuno said.

The community police also distributed ice cream on Barron Street, Dumbarton Street and the Sienna Youth Center.

Market boosts local agricultural production in eastern Palo Alto

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Market boosts local agricultural production in eastern Palo Alto

A market with local, organic and healthy products will be available until November at 2555 Pulgas Avenue in Bloomhouse.

Fresh Approach Mobile Marketplace.
https://www.freshapproach.org/

Every Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., farmers and customers have been meeting at the East Palo Alto Farmers Market since May and will continue through November.

It encourages the sale of locally produced food to low-income communities. The market is an initiative of the nonprofit Fresh Approach, and they work with California family farms to offer their produce in a space where East Palo Alto residents can access low-cost, healthy food.

In addition, Fresh Approach has an assistance program to access products at a lower cost than regular sales and even offer them for free. For example, this program has provided nearly $25,000 in free food to benefit the Cal Fresh program.

Fresh Approach Food Access Program Coordinator Vera Cordova Mendoza said, "For a place like East Palo Alto, where you don't have easy access to a grocery store where people can find locally produced, organic, healthy food, it's extremely important to support the community, especially in this time when, for some, money can be a limiting resource."

It is estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of a large number of businesses and, with it, an increase in the unemployment rate in the Bay Area, so it is of utmost importance to address the community's first needs, such as the right to healthy food.

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank reported that the number of households served weekly due to food shortages has approximately doubled from 32,000 before the pandemic to 60,000 households today. The COVID-19 has increased the food emergency for both communities in need and small farmers.

Currently, the market encompasses farmers from Gallardo's organic farm and Ponce Produce in Watsonville, a farming community in the Salinas Valley, as well as Castellanos Farms in Tulare County, which is more than a three-hour drive east of Palo Alto.

Fresh Approach is also preparing a mobile agricultural unit to tour the South Bay, an initiative that could see results later this month.

For more information about Fresh Aproach's initiatives and how to access food support programs for families and seniors, go to their site: https://www.freshapproach.org/

[With NCB information]

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