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Why ageism prevails and how to stop it

Age isn’t everything when it comes to human health and ability, yet it often dominates conversations about these to the detriment of older adults

by Selen Ozturk

Oct 9, 2023 – Age isn’t everything when it comes to human health and ability, yet it often dominates conversations about these to the detriment of older adults.

In a Friday, Oct. 6 EMS briefing, aging experts discussed why ageism — discrimination on the basis of older age — prevails in the way we view older adults, and how to overcome it.

How we talk about aging determines much of how we experience it, said Dr. Louise Aronson, a geriatrics professor at UC San Francisco. “We were about the same age as a species for a really long time, and though now we’re a whole lot older, some things haven’t changed. Old age still ends in death.”

As far back as 10,000 B.C. until as recently as 1820 A.D., the global life expectancy was 20 to 30 years; in 2019, it was over 73.

The COVID-19 pandemic “showed us how age matters,” she added, as older adults had disproportionately greater risks and fatalities. U.S. adults 65 and over made up over 75 percent of COVID-related deaths as of September 2023, according to the CDC.

The health system’s very definition of older adults as anyone 65 or older, however, prevents practitioners from meeting these adults’ individual needs.

For example, “We give vaccines based on people’s biology and social behaviors, so there are 17 subcategories for children, three for adults between the ages of 19 and 64,” Aronson said. “But everybody aged 65 and up is lumped into a single category, even though a child would instantly see the physical and assume the differences between a 64 year old and 104 year old. This distinction is not based on scientific evidence about our lives.”

Nevertheless, “age isn’t everything,” Aronson said. Ethnic differences also compounded these risks, with Black Americans aged 75 to 84 having a nearly 900-fold difference, Latinos well over a 500-fold difference, Native Americans a 200-fold difference, and AAPI a 150-fold difference over non-Hispanic whites in the first six months of the pandemic.

This way of viewing age in terms of vulnerability to death has particular implications for ageism in the U.S., where life expectancy has declined to 76.4 years — the shortest in two decades.

However, life expectancy, too, is disproportionately divided among racial and economic lines. Even before the pandemic, for example, 56 of the 500 largest U.S. cities had life expectancy gaps up to 30 years between neighborhoods a few miles apart.

“That isn’t about biology,” said Aronson. “That’s about social choices, and where we put our money, our values and our priorities … I would like to see a world in which you may be “over the hill,” but the entire range of the hill has value … ‘anti-aging’ terminology is not helpful. The only way not to age is to die.”

Cheryl Brown, Chair of the Executive Committee for the California Commission on Aging (CCOA), said that behavioral health, caregiver training, and housing access are key to addressing ageism.

Such policies prioritizing equity for older adults are key given that by 2030, California will be home to 10.8 million older adults — comprising one-quarter of the state’s population, and nearly twice as many as in 2010.

The trend is similar nationwide: by 2030, U.S. adults 65 and over are projected to increase by nearly 18 million from 2020, comprising one in every five Americans and outnumbering children for the first time.

Brown urged efforts in other states and nationwide similar to the California Master Plan for Aging, a 10-year blueprint developed by CCOA in 2021 and aimed at supporting older adults socially, economically, and healthwise.

Ageism and Alzheimer’s 

Relating ageism to Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Barry Reisberg — psychiatry professor at NYU and adjunct aging professor at McGill University — said the point at which older adults can no longer participate socially and in the workforce is later than many may think.

This point is measured clinically by the Global Deterioration Scale, which identifies the 7 stages of Alzheimer’s.

Reisberg, who developed the scale, said stage one precedes any detectable impairment of memory. In stage two, the adult “would not remember things, like names or where they place things, as well as they could five or 10 years previously”; this lasts a mean of 15 years.

In stage three, this symptom advances to “a decrease in job functioning” — e.g. organizational or travel skills — which lasts about seven years in otherwise healthy adults. Many people can go on working into this third stage and the fourth — which entails more forgetfulness of recent events — depending upon the job at hand, he emphasized.

In the fifth and sixth stages — which entail the need for help with daily activities and a greater inability to recall names — the key is to help older adults “be all that they can be as long as they can,” said Reisberg. In the seventh and final stage, which normally lasts one to two years, communication is impaired and help is needed with all daily activities, like bathing and dressing.

One way to both combat ageism and support older adults — especially in the case of health problems like Alzheimer’s — is optimizing aging through intergenerational activities” and communication, suggested Brown, wherein older adults could learn from innovations of youth and youth could learn from the experience of older adults.

Optimizing aging is not mutually exclusive but inclusive with recognizing aging, added Aronson. “Does old age come with an increased risk of illness and death? Absolutely it does,” but “age alone cannot predict which category the person is in …  There are some teenagers with really good judgment, who could drive perfectly well at 14 and there are others who shouldn’t be driving at 25.”

“We need different sorts of measures than age,” she continued, “so everyone over a certain age doesn’t feel completely a part of this society … (and) won’t miss out when they could have added to it more fully.”

Hurricane Otis is strongest ever to hit Mexico’s Pacific coast

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco as a powerful Category 5 storm early Wednesday, bringing extremely strong winds and heavy rain to the Pacific coast resort city and surrounding areas.

The storm was stronger than Hurricane Pauline, which claimed hundreds of lives in Guerrero and Oaxaca in 1997.

Otis, which strengthened very quickly into a major hurricane after being upgraded from tropical storm status on Tuesday morning, flooded homes and roads, toppled trees and caused significant damage to buildings in Acapulco, but no deaths had been reported as of 11 a.m. Wednesday.

“The hurricane hit Guerrero very hard,” President López Obrador said at his Wednesday morning press conference, noting that Acapulco, Coyuca de Benítez, Benito Juárez and Técpan de Galeana were among the municipalities most affected.

He said that no deaths had been reported, but acknowledged that communication “had been completely lost” in the area, where electricity, telephone and internet services were cut off.

The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that satellite imagery showed that Otis made landfall near Acapulco at about 12:25 a.m. Mexico City time.

“The maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 165 mph (270 km/h),” the agency said a short time after the hurricane hit.

At 9 a.m., Otis was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum winds of 130 km/h, according to the NHC. It was located 160 km north-northwest of Acapulco near Ciudad Altamirano.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1717206856441962765

The powerful winds brought by the hurricane shattered windows and sent objects flying through the air in Acapulco, according to a report by Aristegui Noticias. The newspaper Reforma reported that hotels were among the buildings damaged, while the Associated Press said that “downed trees, persistent rain and flooding made it difficult to move” in coastal areas of Guerrero.

A photograph showed that the Galerías Diana shopping center in Acapulco sustained major damage.

Dozens of vehicles were stranded in floodwaters on major roads that run through Acapulco, including the seafront Miguel Alemán Avenue, according to Reforma, while the Autopista del Sol highway was closed near the La Venta tollgate due to a landslide.

Videos posted to social media showed wind howling through buildings in Acapulco, including an IMSS public hospital.

Guerrero Civil Protection Minister Roberto Arroyo Matus said early Tuesday that authorities hadn’t been able to establish contact with regional Civil Protection officials. There are dozens of small towns along and near the Guerrero coast where significant damage likely occurred.

Shelters were set up in numerous towns in Guerrero and authorities had warned residents to take measures to protect themselves. However, the rapid strengthening of the hurricane likely caught many people by surprise.

The New York Times reported that “forecasters were alarmed by the speed of Otis’s intensification.”

“… Just how much devastation it will wreak, experts say, will depend both on the storm’s force and the rapidness of emergency response,” the Times said.

The National Meteorological Service (SMN) said Wednesday morning that Otis would cause “extraordinary” rain of over 250 mm in Guerrero as well as “intense” precipitation of 75-150 mm in Michoacán and southwest México state. Heavy rain is forecast for Morelos and parts of Puebla and Oaxaca.

Meanwhile, the Federal Electricity Commission said on the X social media site that power went off for over 504,000 customers, but service had been reestablished for just under 203,000.

Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said on X that authorities were working to reestablish telephone service as soon as possible in areas where it was cut, including Acapulco and Chilpancingo, the state capital.

“From the first hours of the morning, we’ve met with representatives of the three levels of government to evaluate the damage caused by the impact of Hurricane Otis,” she said, adding that assistance was already being provided to those who need it.

With reports from Reforma, Aristegui Noticias, AP and El Universal 

The plight of the refugees

It is very sad to see how millions of Latin American brothers and sisters, along with other nationalities from around the world, overflow the border to enter the United States, with the hope of achieving relief from their misfortunes, from their lack of opportunities that they do not obtain in their countries of origin, to be able to live a comfortable and prosperous life.

The desperation in which those human beings live who were not able to fulfill a dream of getting ahead economically for the happiness of their families in their countries, is painful.

I’m sitting at a table in a Nicaraguan restaurant eating a delicious fish fillet with gallo pinto and slices of ripe plantain. Sitting next to me is a Puerto Rican lady who once said that she was 93 years old. She arrives with her caregiver almost every day to taste the dishes at Las Tinajas Restaurant in SF.

My concentration on my food is taken away by a woman who approaches the old lady and asks her if she needs someone to work in her house, or if she does know where they need someone.

The old lady answers that she does not, and after an exchange of words, the woman approaches a worker who came to pick up the dirty dishes from the table.

The woman asks the worker if they need someone to work. She answers no.

Then the woman is about to leave the restaurant, and it occurred to me to call her. “Hello, excuse me,” I said. She turns to look and approaches me.

“What do you know how to do?” I asked her.

“Well, anything, cleaning houses, helping in a restaurant…”

I invited her to sit at my table so she can tell me more about her situation. She starts to tell me that she is from Nicaragua, without knowing that the restaurant she is in is Nicaraguan.

“This restaurant is Nicaraguan,” I said. “Oh yes,” she answers, surprised.

“Yes,” I replied.

She tells me that she has been in the US for three months and that since she arrived she has not found a job, even though she has been knocking on doors from business to business in search of employment. She has work permit. That she lives with her girlfriend in a nearby city and that she gets around by train (BART or Metro) and on an electric scooter that her friend lends her, who is the one who petitioned her through the expanded humanitarian parole program that the United States launched in October 2022 for Venezuelan migrants and was later expanded to Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti, for a two-year permit.

Guessing that maybe she hadn’t eaten I ordered her a plate of food and gave her $20.

She accepts them from me with regret, with a “don’t worry…” I figured it would help her.

I gave her several contacts of restaurant owners that I know to contact them.

On another occasion as I am walking on the sidewalk on Mission Street in the Mission District of San Francisco, something catches my attention.

“Fresh arepas,” I think the sign said, which a very nice young woman with a complacent smile held up and showed to those who passed by.

I was curious and asked her where she was from. She told me that she was from Venezuela, and that she had been in the United States for several months. She told me that in her country she had studied industrial engineering, that she had a little girl and that they lived with her husband. I marveled at her effort and creativity.

Another day, on the same Mission Street, a woman who was about 7 months pregnant was with her husband offering “fruit drinks, delicious and all natural, without sugar,” and sweet biscuits, in a cart. I bought her a glass, and it was delicious. She charged me $10.

The number of professionals who are in strange lands, without the English language, and who knows with what housing limitations, looking for their daily bread, without being able to work in their respective professions, and many times without being able to get a job, is sad.

The majority have abandoned everything in their countries: husbands or wives, dependent children, their houses where perhaps they did not pay rent, and on top of that many have pledged their properties at high interest rates, which they may lose if they do not find work soon after arriving here. And the greatest sadness: not knowing the language, which makes them vulnerable to being exploited, humiliated and discriminated against.

In large cities like New York and Chicago, local people are already rising up against their mayors and politicians for promoting the reception of these refugees, as the cities are providing services and resources that they claim, “should be used in the local communities”, which is risking these cities to go bankrupt economically.

California Academy of Science honors those who died on their day

by Magdy Zara

The California Academy of Science has organized a series of activities to celebrate the Day of the Dead, and honor the souls of the deceased.

For this, the group “Xiuhcóatl” Danza Azteca will open the show with a traditional Aztec blessing held outside the building before starting the event.

To pay tribute to those who have passed into the world of the dead, a beautifully decorated, crafted and curated offering was created by the Latin Affinity Group of Conciencia Academy.

Mariachi San Francisco will be in charge of making those present dance all night, with electrifying rhythms and moving melodies.

Likewise, attendees will witness the captivating story of life and death, through a fascinating folkloric ballet performance, there will also be living catrinas wandering through the museum from the Mission Cultural Center.

This evening will also feature delicate sugar skull-inspired face paintings by talented artist and face painter Beatriz Saldivar.

Additionally, tonight there will be more than 20 Latin vendors at El Mercado, displaying their varied merchandise ranging from artisanal jewelry to handmade ceramics.

The Academy of Science’s Day of the Dead celebration will take place on Nov. 2, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; at Golden Gate Park 55 Music Concourse Drive San Francisco. Tickets are $22, for those over 21 years old.

Santa Cecilia appears in San Francisco

The musical group La Santa Cecilia, based in Los Angeles, performs in San Francisco after a long break in 2020 and 2021 due to the quarantine as a result of Covid.

La Santa Cecilia (named after the patron saint of musicians) was formed in 2007 as a sextet. Its founding members were the guitarist Gloria Estrad; the accordionist and requintero, Pepe Carlos; the bassist, Alex Bendaña: the percussionist Miguel “Oso” Ramírez: the drummer, Hugo Vargas and the main vocalist Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernández.0

The band members were born or brought to the United States when they were very young. While they all grew up with traditional forms of Latin music at home, they were also exposed to the sounds of American pop culture: rock, soul, blues, jazz, funk, punk, ska, reggae, and other world sounds played on the streets. waves and in the neighborhoods. They performed at block parties, bars, coffee shops, and occasionally at opening concerts for out-of-town events and festivals.

Its members are musically inspired by the Pan-American rhythms of Colombian and Mexican cumbia, bossa nova, rumba, bolero and tango and combine them with rock, soul, R&B, ska, jazz and even klezmer.

The group, which is made up of the children of immigrants, has a long history and has been awarded a Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album and this Nov. 2 will perform at Salón de Agosto, starting at 7 p.m. The entrance fee is $30.

August Lounge is located at 420 Mason St. San Francisco. For over 21 years.

Tickets on sale now at http://ow.ly/6lRc50L6p5y

San Francisco hosts APEC Economic Leaders Week

The United States will host APEC this year 2023 under the motto “Creating a resilient and sustainable future for all.” Concluding its year as host, the United States will host APEC Economic Leaders Week (AELW) in the iconic San Francisco, California.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum created in 1989 to take advantage of the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC is the primary platform for the US to advance economic policies in the Asia-Pacific region that promote free, fair and open trade and investment that foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

APEC’s 21 member economies represent nearly 40% of the world’s population, nearly 50% of global trade, and more than 60% of U.S. goods exports. Additionally, these economies have made impressive direct investments in the United States, estimated at $1.7 trillion and employing 2.3 million American workers as of 2020.

AELW 2023 will bring together delegates, opinion leaders and stakeholders with global leaders to address global challenges, focusing on three global policy priorities of APEC 2023.

The APEC Economic Leaders Week will take place between Nov. 7 and 11 in the city of San Francisco.

10 essential utensils you are sure to need for your Mexican kitchen

by Bethany Platanella

Oct. 24, 2023 – Whether you’ve moved to Mexico or simply want to create Mexican masterpieces in your kitchen, a few special tools are essential to your success.

I recently embarked on a mission to find out exactly what is required in an authentic Mexican kitchen. I enlisted the help of my friend Mich, born and raised in Mexico City, and his mother. I admit there is one vital tool missing from this list that I personally deem the most important of all – jícaras for mezcal. Because you’ve got to sip while you slice, right?

If you’re in Mexico, many of the items below can be found at your local tianguis, or market. Admittedly, I’ve succumbed to ordering from Walmart and Ikea on occasion, which carry nearly everything needed for a Mexican kitchen. If you’re not in Mexico, it will be just as easy to stock up with the assistance of almighty Amazon.

Ready to fill up your cart? Here are the 10 essential items you will need to become Mexico’s next top chef.

Molcajete

Known in English as a mortar and pestle, the molcajete was the number one utensil that each of my interviewees suggested when I asked for the most essential Mexican kitchen items. Molcajetes serve a variety of purposes: grinding spices, making salsas and smashing up local avocados for a giant bowl of crowd-pleasing guacamole.

However, it’s crucial to research your molcajete options thoroughly before making any purchases. Many “knock-off” pieces have surfaced in recent years, made of cement instead of volcanic stone.

Comal

If you’ve walked the streets of any Mexican town or city, you’ve likely seen a comal sizzling with quesadillas and gorditas. They’re usually round, flat and quite thin griddles made of clay or cast iron, and are used to fry tortillas, meats and tortas. A comal is also great for toasting chiles and spices.

“Cazuela” is a word that can refer to both a “stew” or “casserole,” as well as the recipient the cazuela cooks in, oftentimes a shallow clay dish painted with delicate flowers or vines. A cazuela can come in a variety of sizes and can be used to hold soups, stews or even cocktails.

Traditional cazuelas are made by hand in states like Hidalgo, where clay is extracted locally. They can be used directly on a stove top, in an oven, on a grill or even in a microwave if the size is right. Make sure to cure the pot before usage.

Tortillero (tortilla warmer)

Regardless of whether you choose to make or buy them, tortillas are a staple in any Mexican household and a tortillero will save you both the time and energy required to reheat them continuously. If you’re in Mexico, you can buy a colorful tortilla warmer on any street corner for a modest price.

Lime squeezer

Some locals may gawk at the idea of using a squeezer instead of your fingers and a fork, but for those dishes that require lots of lime juice, a squeezer is a game changer. I suggest buying a stainless steel squeezer, because despite the visual satisfaction of a colored plastic one, the paint often chips off from the acid and can fall into your dish. There are much better seasonings to choose from.

Tortilladora (tortilla press)

If buying fresh tortillas from the tortillería (tortilla shop) isn’t an option, or if you enjoy the process of making your own, a tortilladora will be all but necessary in your kitchen. These presses can be made of cast iron, aluminum or wood, and come in a variety of sizes. Have a look at this article in Epicurious, which rates and ranks a handful of tortilla presses that can be ordered online.

Olla de barro frijolera (ceramic black bean pot)

Similar to a cazuela, the “olla de barro” is a stout clay pot generally used to make beans, and can be used on a stovetop or in an oven. Since the pot is made of clay and generally comes with a lid, your culinary masterpiece will keep warm for a much longer period of time. When purchasing your olla de barro, double check that it is not coated with any toxic substances and make sure to cure it before use.

Wooden spatulas

Wooden spatulas are a staple in any Mexican kitchen since they will not scratch your cooking pots and pans while sauteing. Over time, they tend to absorb flavors and spices so it’s good to replace spatulas about once a year. While on the topic, allow me to also suggest investing in an “escobetilla”, a small bristle brush used to clean everything from fruits to cooking pots without leaving a scratch.

Vaporera (steamer)

As we enter the never-ending Mexican holiday season, now is a good time to purchase a “vaporera”. Why? Because if you are the lucky guest to end up with a tiny baby Jesus figurine in your slice of Rosca de Reyes on Three Kings Day, you will be expected to host a tamal feast on Día de la Candelaria (Feb. 2). And how will you make tamales without a steamer?

Well, you could order them, but what’s the fun in that? If you’re not located in Mexico where you can buy a vaporera at your local market, check out Bustle’s list of The 4 Best Tamale Steamers and order online.

Molinillo de chocolate

I actually left this one off the first draft, thinking nobody actually made hot chocolate at home. Well, apparently I was wrong.

When I showed my original list to my friend Mich, he immediately identified this tool as the missing link. A “molinillo”, or little mill, is a wooden whisk that will, and I quote, “mix and melt it without leaving big pieces of chocolate.”

With this little gadget you are guaranteed an even distribution of chocolatey flavor in your mug, impressing even the most experienced of abuelas.

But wait! There’s one more!

Specifically for readers moving, or recently relocated, to Mexico, I highly suggest investing in a good quality water filter. Plastic water bottles, and garrafones (jugs), are available and affordable, but with the safety of drinking from plastic constantly in question (see the Clean Water Action Organization’s article, Bottled Water: The Human Health Consequences of Drinking from Plastic), it’s good to know that there are options. Eco Filtro is made in Guatemala and comes in a beautiful variety of colors, designs, and sizes. It filters tap water naturally through a system of activated carbon, clay, and colloidal silver, leaving clean and fresh drinking water – without the plastic waste.

– Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. 

Anti-hunger advocates seek federal funds, honor CA lawmaker

by Suzanne Potter

California News Service

October 16, 2023 – Groups that fight hunger are calling for a fair shake in the upcoming farm bill, which provides federal matching funds for programs that help low-income families afford fresh produce.

The Market Match program gives people on Cal Fresh about $15 per market per day to spend at 270 sites across the state.

Minni Forman is the food and farming program director at the nonprofit Ecology Center in Berkeley, which runs Market Match.

“In 2022, there were 500,000 transactions,” said Forman. “Almost $20 million in CalFresh and Market Match spending, primarily going back to small and mid-size farmers. So, this program has massive impacts for CalFresh shoppers, for farmers and for market operators.”

The current Farm Bill expired September 30 and negotiations are ongoing for a new bill to cover the next five years.

Groups such as the Farmers Market for All Coalition and the Alliance for California Farmers Markets are asking Congress to fund programs such as Market Match across the country.

Andy Naja-Riese is CEO of the nonprofit Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), which runs farmers markets.

He said the feds need to prioritize programs with proven results and not make them compete for funds with newer programs.

“We’re advocating for our elected officials to support this tiered approach,” said Naja-Riese, “so that programs like in California and across the country can continue to operate successful innovative programs like Market Match.”

On Sunday, anti-hunger groups gathered at AIM’s Clement Street market in San Francisco on its tenth anniversary, to honor Assemblyman Phil Ting – D-San Francisco – who wrote the bill in 2015 that led to the creation of the Market Match program.

Ting said there’s enough money to keep it going – for now.

“With the Market Match program,” said Ting, “we did the $35 million this last year’s budget to hopefully get us through one or two more years before we have to ask for more money.”

Grupos de consumidores y seguridad automotriz instan a vetar el proyecto de ley para cambiar los límites de las demandas

Los grupos que luchan por los consumidores y la seguridad de los automóviles están instando al gobernador Gavin Newsom a vetar un proyecto de ley que, según dicen, haría más difícil para los californianos que alegan fraude o se quedan atrapados con un vehículo “limón” probar su caso. El Proyecto de Ley Senatorial 71 aumenta el límite de $25,000 a $35,000 para evitar ser trasladado a un tribunal civil limitado, donde el proceso de descubrimiento y el número de declaraciones son limitados.

Frustrated young asian man looking at broken down car engine on street waiting for assistance to arrive and recover or fix the vehicle. Male angry stand front a broken car. Broken car while traveling.

Michael Brooks, director ejecutivo del Centro para la Seguridad Automovilística, sostiene que este cambio pondría en desventaja a las personas que compran vehículos de gama media.

“Lo que están haciendo es aumentar el límite a 35.000 dólares”, dijo. “Y luego, a todos los que estén bajo ese listón les resultará mucho más difícil tener éxito cuando tengan un vehículo defectuoso que califique como limón”.

El proyecto de ley cuenta con el apoyo de los cobradores de deudas y la Alianza para la Innovación Automotriz, que representa a la industria automotriz. La Alianza, en una carta a los legisladores, dijo que el cambio “beneficiaría a los consumidores y a la industria automotriz al reducir los costos de los litigios y acelerar los plazos de los casos en los casos de la ley limón”.

Brooks dijo que esa línea de argumento no se sostiene.

“Se está haciendo pasar como un proyecto de ley que de alguna manera simplificará el proceso para los consumidores, pero lo que en realidad hará es limitar su capacidad para probar su caso”, imploró Brooks.

En los tribunales civiles limitados, el plazo para presentar apelaciones se reduce a 30 días y hay un límite en las indemnizaciones que un juez o jurado puede otorgar. El proyecto de ley también aumentaría el límite en los tribunales de reclamos menores de $10,000 a $12,500.

 

Underground installation

PG&E’s undergrounding program is an essential tool for wildfire prevention

 

To the editor:

 

October 23, 2023 – At PG&E we are deeply committed to doing everything we can to stop wildfires in the communities of Northern and Central California.

Burying power lines is the most effective solution to reducing the risk of wildfires caused by electrical equipment as it reduces the risk of ignitions in areas with the highest risk of wildfires by almost 98 percent. Undergrounding also makes power more reliable by reducing outages caused by winter storms and in some cases eliminating the need for safety shutoffs.

That’s why we’ve proposed moving 2,000 miles of overhead power lines underground by 2026.

However, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) wants to dismantle this critical safety program by reducing the proposed underground to just 200 miles system-wide.

We have seen the devastating toll that wildfires have taken on our communities. Our customers and local officials have told us time and time again that they want us to bury our power lines. This is because burial is the safest and most effective tool we have to prevent ignitions in high fire risk areas.

We urge CPUC to review its proposals and accept PG&E’s proposal to bury 2,000 miles through 2026. If you agree, please let the commission know by visiting www.cpuc.ca.gov/publiccomment.

 

Aaron Johnson

Region Vice President, Bay Area

PG&E

Stop the war that brings no benefit, especially racism

I was perplexed when I heard the news reports of the surprise attack and the massacre perpetrated against children and women against Israel. I could not believe what I was hearing.

The cruel and inhuman way in which Hamas began the attack, killing and beheading infant children, murdering and raping women in a surprising way to the innocent civilian population within their homes showed the excessive evil of its actions. Something diabolical. These were not military targets.

And in a rapid reaction of defense and retribution, Israel declared war and began bombing the Gaza Strip where more than half of the more than 2 million Palestinians live, with hundreds of victims, following the Jewish biblical dogma of ‘ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’.

And while there is no doubt that Palestinians have suffered isolation and loss of freedom within what has been their ancestral land, Palestine, in the course of building the Jewish state, it is not possible to accept the cruelty committed against children and innocent people, by Hamas, according to the Israeli government.

A few days after Israel’s war against Hamas was officially declared, the world is already counting on holding accountable those who commit war crimes, acts considered outside the perimeters that govern wars in the world. And it seems to be from both sides.

And it’s already said. Both sides in the war are possibly committing war crimes.

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry said it has been “collecting and preserving evidence of war crimes committed by all sides” since the violence began last week. That evidence could be added to an International Criminal Court investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Hamas in past conflicts, the Associated Press reported on Friday, October 13.

When the target of attacks is the civilian population without military motive, then the perpetrator falls under the jurisdiction of international law.

“Intentionally attacking civilians and civilian objects without a necessary military reason to do so is a war crime, period,” said David Crane, an American international law expert and founding chief prosecutor of the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone. “And that is a standard that both sides must meet under international law.”

Hamas militants shot dead entire families, including women and young children, in border communities around the Gaza Strip, according to Israel. Israel’s health service said it removed the bodies of more than a hundred community members from Kibbutz Be’eri. Militants attacked the Tribe of Nova music festival and shot dead people desperately seeking shelter. However, this is being denied by Hamas.

As I write this editorial, Israel is preparing for a total ground invasion of the Gaza Strip to pursue and destroy all members of Hamas, and has called on more than one million Palestinians residing in the conflict area to mobilize. south, in an attempt to avoid unnecessary slaughter.

However, Hamas has asked the population to stay in their homes, which Israel interprets as an action to use the population as hostages or shields. But Palestinians accuse Israel of allowing this event in order to wipe out Palestinians and take over the whole land of Palestine.

The Israeli military has pulverized large areas of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with airstrikes and blocked supplies of food, water, fuel and electricity ahead of a possible ground invasion. The bombing has already killed about 1,800 people in Gaza, including UN workers, paramedics and journalists. The event threatens the war to spread outside of Palestine.

Experts say the blockade, which affects the territory’s more than 2 million inhabitants, violates international law. “Collective punishment is a war crime. Israel is doing it by cutting off electricity, water, food and blocking aid from entering the Gaza Strip,” Shakir said.

In 1947 neither Palestine nor Israel existed, but the Jews gained independence from the British and formed Israel. The idea of a Palestinian nation did not come to light until 1964, with the creation of the PLO.

Those who were born in that land were Palestinians, whether they were Jews or Arabs. Before independence, which brought back the word Israel, Jews called themselves Palestinians. And they talked about “returning to Palestine.”

Destruction and war will not give positive results, but rather, as one expert said: “prevent this crisis from leading to a prolonged confrontation through dialogue and putting the integrity of civil society first.” Let the war stop now and begin a negotiation. This war benefits neither side.

Furthermore, hate due to racism is evil.

Will there be a 2024 presidential election?

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: The views of the author do not reflect the views of El Reportero or its editorial staff.

Share/by Paul Craig Roberts

This question arises from the FBI’s designation of Donald Trump and the half or more of the American electorate that supports him as “domestic terrorists” who constitute a “persistent, evolving, and deadly threat” to the United States. As a senior official put it, “Trump’s army constitutes the greatest threat of violence domestically, politically, that’s the reality.” https://www.newsweek.com/2023/10/13/exclusive-fbi-targets-trump-followers-2024-election-nears-1831836.html 

Here we have the FBI causing disunity by splitting the US population into half. The good half are the Democrats. The bad half is comprised of traditional Americans who want their country back from the special interests and support Donald Trump. It is the FBI that has made this division, not the people who want their country back. The FBI has proved itself to be a dangerous domestic terrorist that has created disunity among the population and gone to war against the traditional American population.

How can the FBI permit such a deadly threat to America, as the FBI declares Trump and his supporters to be, to win the election? How can an army of domestic terrorists be allowed to vote Trump into office? The FBI has equated Trump’s election with an insurrection, that is, with the overthrow of the government.

This would seem to commit the FBI to preventing Trump’s election, and the FBI is applying “counterterrorism methods developed over the past decade in response to Al-Qaeda and other Islamist groups” to Trump supporters. In other words, the FBI doesn’t differentiate between Trump and his supporters and Muslin terrorists.

It is reasonable to conclude that if the Democrats’ political prosecutions of Trump fail to prevent him from running for president, the Biden regime will declare a national emergency and suspend the election.

Biden’s Homeland Security also equates Trump supporters with “the use of violence to pursue political ends” and “a threat to our national security.”

Attorney General Garland says “attacks by domestic terrorists are attacks on all of us collectively.” What attacks is Garland talking about? The ones the FBI is about to orchestrate?

It is clear that the Biden regime and security agencies regard half or more of the US electorate as domestic terrorists. In other words, the FBI is now a political police, no longer a criminal police. The FBI and Homeland Security are geared to protecting Washington from the American electorate. Attorney General Garland has made it clear that the “Justice” Department will validate whatever unconstitutional methods are used.

The position of the FBI and Homeland Security is that if you disagree with an official narrative, you are a domestic terrorist.

I do not believe that Trump will be permitted to be President. If he wins, it will be said that he lost, or he will be assassinated, or a state of emergency will be declared. The Establishment will do whatever it takes to keep Trump out of the White House.

I think that the Democrats and their security agencies are demonstrating their Nazi inclinations for no real purpose. If Trump regains the White House, he still doesn’t have the government. Who can he appoint to help him? Who are they? Those who helped him in the past, such as his lawyers, are all indicted by a black woman in Fulton County, Georgia. If Trump is reelected, it will be a repeat of his first term–constant accusations against him repeated endlessly by the presstitutes, constant investigations, more impeachments. Any cabinet secretary who helps him will be a social outcast. His career will be over.

When white Americans themselves are demonized as “aversive racists” and “white supremacists” in US universities and public schools and are investigated by the FBI for protesting the brainwashing of their children at school board meetings, what can anyone do?

Insouciant Americans have been asleep for too long, and they have lost their country. How are they going to get it back?

Consider that those who vote Democrat actually believe that the other half of the electorate are dangerous white supremacist domestic terrorists. They believe this despite the absence of any buildings blown up by Trump supporters, by the absence of assassinations, by the absence of rioting and looting as practiced by the Democrats’ agents, Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Democrats are so indoctrinated that they believe the propaganda in the absence of evidence.

The wedge that has been so successfully driven between Americans makes white people a minority in their own country. They are so divided that they cannot defend themselves or the Constitution that is the shield of their liberty.

Now that the FBI has declared the 85 million Americans who twice elected Trump president to be domestic terrorists, the FBI will have to organize some domestic terrorists events, like it had to organize Muslim terrorist events, in order to validate its proclamation of domestic terrorism from Trump supporters. Will federal agents blow up buildings, stage rioting and looting events, and assassinate Democrats in order to incriminate Trump supporters? Is this the playbook for the Democrats to win the next election?

What do we make of Hillary Clinton’s statement that Trump supporters have to be officially deprogrammed? Are we being set up for reeducation camps?

In America today, all of this is possible.

2 Mexicans reportedly held hostage by Hamas in Gaza

Israel informó al gobierno mexicano que Ilana Gritzewsky y Orión Hernández Radoux habían sido tomados como rehenes. (Imágenes recuperadas de X)

by the MDN staff

Two Mexicans are believed to be among more than 100 people taken hostage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas during a weekend of violence in Israel, according to authorities.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena said on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Mexican Embassy in Israel had informed the government that a Mexican woman and man were “allegedly taken hostage by the Hamas group in Gaza” on Saturday.

They have been identified in media reports as Ilana Gritzewsky and Orión Hernández Radoux.

President López Obrador said on Monday morning that three Mexicans had disappeared during Hamas’ attack on Israel. The third Mexican, David Heiblum, was reported to be alive at midday on Monday.

Gritzewsky and her Israeli partner were captured at the Nir Oz kibbutz near the border with the Gaza Strip, according to her father, Benito Gritzewsky, who spoke to the news website Enlace Judío.

Hernández, originally from Tepotzlán, Morelos, was reportedly at a music festival when he was taken hostage. His German-Israeli girlfriend, named on social media as Shani Houk, was reportedly killed by Hamas operatives. Some 260 bodies were reportedly recovered at a desert site near the Gaza Strip where the Supernova festival was underway when gunmen arrived on Saturday morning.

Bárcena said that Mexican authorities were in contact with their Israeli counterparts and the family members of the presumed hostages to monitor the situation and provide support.

According to an Israeli estimate cited by The New York Times, Hamas is holding some 150 hostages in the Gaza Strip. A spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing on Monday threatened to execute a civilian hostage every time an Israeli airstrike hits Gazans “in their homes without warning,” the Times reported.

In another post on X on Sunday, Bárcena said that 500 Mexicans in Israel had registered with Mexican authorities via an “emergency form we opened.”

López Obrador said Monday that about 300 Mexicans of an estimated 5,000 in Israel had sought government assistance to return to Mexico. The president said that one military plane had already departed for Israel and that another will leave on Monday afternoon.

Asked about the acts of violence committed by Hamas, López Obrador said his government is in favor of peace.

“We believe that violence mustn’t be used. The mandate of our constitution with regard to foreign policy is very clear – no intervention [in the affairs of other countries], self-determination and peaceful solution to disputes. That’s our position, we don’t want war, we don’t want violence,” he said.

More than 1,300 people had been killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip as of midday Monday. About 800 people have been killed in Israel by Hamas members who infiltrated the country and nearly 2,400 have been wounded, according to Israeli authorities.

At least 560 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes by Israel on the Gaza Strip, according to authorities there. At least 2,900 others have been injured in the retaliatory action taken by Israeli forces.

López Obrador said that the United States should “convene a meeting of all countries” to find a peaceful solution to the conflict and “avoid war.”

The Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE) said in a statement on Sunday that the government of Mexico “unequivocally condemns the unacceptable attacks against the people of Israel on October 7 by Hamas and other Palestinian organizations in Gaza.”

“Any terrorist act constitutes a threat to international peace and security, which calls for the full cooperation of all states to prevent and punish them. No cause justifies the use of terrorism,” the ministry said.

“Mexico recognizes Israel’s right to legitimate self-defense – which must be governed by the conditions established in international law – while condemning the use of force, regardless of which side uses it, especially when the targets are civilians, in clear violation of international humanitarian law,” it said.

After noting that hundreds of civilians including women and children were killed during an “escalation of violence” over the weekend, the SRE said that “these appalling events should serve as a reminder, once again, of the urgent need to resume negotiations to reach a definitive solution to the conflict in the region.”

“Mexico’s position is clear: Mexico is in favor of a comprehensive, definitive two-state solution to the conflict that addresses Israel’s legitimate security concerns and allows for the consolidation of a politically and economically viable Palestinian State that lives side by side with Israel within secure and internationally recognized borders in accordance with the United Nations resolutions,” the ministry said.

With reports from Milenio, El Financiero and El Economista.

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