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Table of Contents
Home Park 901 North McDowell Blvd. Petaluma, CA 94954 Office Phone (707) 763-8501 petalumaestates@att.net For Park issues or questions, please call or visit the office between the hours of 9-12 and 1-4 Monday thru Friday. On the weekends, call Sandy Schaffner at (707) 796-3887.
FIRE AND POLICE EMERGENCY CALL 911 Non-Emergency Numbers: Police Dispatch (707) 778-4373 Fire Dispatch (707) 568-5992 If you have fallen and need help, Call 911
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Contact Information
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Officers & Chairpersons Calendar President’s Message Poetry Eat Well for Less Libby's Reel Review Music Pets for Seniors Bleacher Report All in the Family Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Capturing Nature On the Bright Side Recipe Coloring Page
2 3 4 5 6-7 8 9 10-11 12 13 14-15 16-17 18 19 20
Petaluma Estates Homeowners Association Officers/Chairpersons/Volunteers
President and GSMOL Representative: Diane Pimentel 772-7514 dpimentel@earthlink.net Vice President: Patti Dellabruna 765-2363 kayme1954@icloud.com Secretary and Observer Editor: Annette Allsup 369-208-8029 jonanncan97@comcast.net Treasurer and Observer Delivery: Nancy Jamark 774-6168 ncjam@sbcglobal.net Activities Director: Libby Bianchi 253-509-4842 eliz.bianchi@gmail.com Sunshine: Ellen Reinhold 415-419-7267 ellenreinhold@icloud.com Neighborhood Watch: Carole O'Brien 981-3589 Clubhouse Pantry: Julia Marshall 415-260-2382 Hospitality: Jeanne Williams 939-8666 phw1922@gmail.com Library: Patricia Vollmer has agreed to take on this position! Thank you, Patricia! 707-779-2961 Contributors to this edition of the Observer are Rob Sky, Libby Bianchi, Beth Wehlage, Jeanne Williams, Diane Hawley, Luise Pommermayer, Diane Pimentel and Arcelia Sandoval-Guizun. If you would like to contribute articles to the Observer, please contact Annette Allsup. A thank-you also goes to Nickola Frye and Diane Hawley for their technical support.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!!!
(and many more!!!)
John Berton
12/2
Diane Tallotson
12/3
Noelle O’Loughlin
12/6
Lisa Davis
12/10
Stanley Kaczmarski
12/16
Tim O’Donnell
12/16
Luise Pommermayer
12/22
Carol Cavanaugh
12/23
Neil Bowe
12/24
Gabrielle Mahurin
12/25
Barbara Ayre
12/28
Annette Allsup
12/31
Please correct your phone book: Cher Church 628-301-2004
AND Muriel Truett 707-772-6914 2
November Sunday
Monday 1
Tuesday
Wednesday
2
3
4
Yoga 10:00 Pinochle 12-4
8
Pickle Ball 5 PM
9 Pinochle 12-4
10 Yoga 10:00 Pickle Ball 5 PM
15
16 Pinochle 12-4
22
17 Yoga 10:00
Pool Exercise 10:00
11
Friday 5
Saturday
Game Day 1-3
Yoga 10:00
Pickle Ball
Pickle Ball 5 PM
Game Day 1-3
9:00
12 Game Day 1-3
13 Yoga 10:00
Pool Exercise Pickle Ball 5 PM Game Day 1-3 10:00 Bowling 1:30 - 3 18
19 Game Day 1-3
20 Yoga 10:00
Pool Exercise Pickle Ball 5 PM Game Day 1-3 10:00
PM
ZINGO 6:30 PM
24 Yoga 10:00 Pickle Ball 5
25 Pool Exercise 10:00
7
6
Pickle Ball 5
23 Pinochle 12-4
Thursday
26 Game Day 1-3
27 Yoga 10:00
Pickle Ball 5 PM
Game Day 1-3
14 Pickle Ball 9:00
21 Pickle Ball 9:00
28 Pickle Ball 9:00
PM 29
30 Pinochle 12-4
For more information: Patti D. for pinochle, Stephanie S. for yoga, Sue K. for pickle ball, Jeanne W. for pool exercise, Carol G. for bowling, Libby B. for Zingo .
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President’s Message I have been traveling the Southwest since Sept 4th, so have nothing to report this month. We are fortunate to have a capable Board of Directors who have kept things moving in my absence, and the activities continue with or without me. We have election of officers coming up at our December meeting, so if you would like to get to know your community better, or have ideas you would like to see implemented, please contact our Nomination Committee Chair, Libby Bianchi, to have your name added to the ballot. We are especially in need of a Secretary because Annette cannot be both our editor of the Observer and Secretary, as it's just too much work for one person. Diane Pimentel, President Petaluma Estates Homeowners Association 707-772-7514
2026 GSMOL Legislation GSMOL's legislative efforts this year delivered real wins for mobile home residents. Every bill GSMOL sponsored reached the Governor's desk — one is already law — and the bill we supported has landed there as well. Just as critically, every bill we opposed was stopped before reaching him, sparing mobile home residents’ harmful consequences. None of this happens without you. Your membership dues fund this work, and your response to every call to action from GSMOL's Legislative Action Team and Legislative Contacts is what turns advocacy into results. Thank you — and congratulations on a genuinely strong legislative year. GSMOL SPONSORED AND SUPPORTED BILLS • AB 635 (Ahrens) — Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program — On the Governor’s desk • SB 722 (Wahab & Wiener) — Transit-oriented housing development: excluded parcels and sites — Signed into law • AB 1817 (Addis) — Mobilehome parks: ending a tenancy for failure to follow a rule or regulation — On the Governor’s desk • AB 2596 (Gipson) — Mobilehome parks: federally approved housing programs; compliance with state and local laws — On the Governor’s desk
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Come Little Leaves “Come little leaves,” said the wind one day, “Come o'er the meadows with me and play; Put on your dresses of red and gold, For summer is gone and the days grow cold.” Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call, Down they come fluttering, one and all; Over the brown fields they danced and flew, Singing the glad little songs they knew. -George Cooper
The Kitten Playing With The Falling Leaves See the kitten on the wall Sporting with the leaves that fall! Withered leaves, one, two, and three, From the lofty elder tree. Every little leaf conveyed Some small fairy, hither tending, To this lower world descending. -But the kitten how she starts! Crouches, stretches, paws and darts: First at one, and then its fellow, Just as light, and just as yellow; There are many now - now one Now they stop and there are none. -William Wordsworth
September Sunshine Report Sympathy Card: Diann Athoe 95th BirthdayCard: June Hudnall
Get Well Card: Cher Church Get Well Card: Stephanie Stone Get Well Card: Keith Crosby
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Eat Well for Less With These Simple Food Swaps By Paul Greenberg, AARP
Eating well sure seems to cost a lot these days: You want to feed your family healthy food, but you also need to keep an eye on your budget. Sometimes it feels like these goals just aren’t compatible. Vegan “alternative meat” burgers can cost 40 to 80 percent more than ground beef. Trendy quinoa may be more healthful, but it’s sometimes six times the price of plain old rice. I’ve been researching the impact of food choices for much of my career. Now, as a budget-conscious omnivore, I’d like to let you in on some smart food swaps that can improve your health and your bottom line. A bonus: They’re all better for the planet, too. Like Steve Austin’s bionics, they can make you better than you were, but they won’t cost you six million dollars. Following are simple supermarket switches that will save you money, boost your health and even help improve the environment. 1. Frozen fish over fresh You may think of frozen fish as mushy and bland, but it has changed since our youth. Today’s flash freezing methods preserve the texture of the flesh so well that it can be hard to tell a fresh fish from a frozen one. And there’s a health advantage: Flash freezing eliminates any parasites that could be lurking in wild-caught fish. (They’re killed by heat, but they can still present an issue if the fish isn’t cooked all the way through.) And because frozen fish can be shipped, it’s cheaper and more environmentally sound than fresh fish, which usually has to be flown in at a higher price (at times up to 50 percent higher). Think of it as sending a letter via regular mail versus FedEx. 2. Chicken over beef We all know that eating more plants and less animal protein is cheaper and brings us closer to the kind of diet most cardiologists recommend. But when you’re craving meat and watching your margins, the right choice can make a difference. Chicken is lower in calories and the saturated fat linked to heart disease than beef. And a chicken is an inherently more efficient animal than a cow. It comes to market in 12 weeks instead of two years and needs much less food to raise. Because of that, a pound of chicken is less than half the price of a pound of beef. Plus, chicken has a carbon footprint roughly one-tenth that of beef.
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3. Oats over rice When we were a horse-drawn nation, oats were a primary part of the American diet. But as went the horse, so went the oat. That’s a shame. Oats are cold-hardy, take little or no fertilizer and, unlike water-needy rice, require nothing but rainwater for irrigation. They’re also an excellent cover crop that helps keep soil healthy. Oats are higher in fiber than even brown rice and are especially rich in beta-glucan, a form of soluble fiber that helps lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. That means more nutrition for every dollar spent. “But oats are for breakfast!” you say. Don’t tell that to the Irish, who love brotchán roy, a savory oatmealand-leek soup, or the people of Shanxi, China, who specialize in oat noodles and other oat-based dishes. Steel-cut oats and oat groats can even be used as rice substitutes in a stir-fry, risotto or almost any dish that calls for rice or polenta. It just takes a little imagination. And don’t forget dessert, like a yummy Baked Apples With Oat Crumble. 4. Roots over leaves “Nutrient density” is one of those wonky phrases you see in food science literature, but if you recast it as “cost efficiency,” it’s a lot easier to digest. Root vegetables are just cheaper. And while both greens and root vegetables are packed with vitamins, the roots deliver the same amount of fiber as broccoli and more than three times as much as lettuce. Now consider the fact that root vegetables keep a lot longer, and you’re getting much more nutritional bang for your hard-earned buck. 5. Hummus over blue cheese dip Chickpeas and other legumes are essential elements of the Mediterranean diet, which study after study finds to be the best at reducing all-cause mortality. Buy premade hummus to save a fair bit over cheese dip, but if you make it at home — it’s just chickpeas, olive oil, lemon, garlic and tahini — you’ll save even more. 6. Mussels and clams over shrimp Harvesting wild shrimp is expensive, and it can result in the inadvertent killing of 10 pounds of other marine animals for every pound of shrimp. Farmed shrimp require a tremendous amount of wild fish to be ground up into their feed. But farmed mussels and clams (and oysters) live off plankton they filter from the water. That translates into savings: Mussels can go for as little as a buck a pound at membership stores, though around $4 a pound is more the norm. Meanwhile, shrimp generally range from $7 to $14 a pound, even at discount shops.
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Libby's Reel Pizza Reviews By Libby Bianchi “Serving up fresh reviews of movies and TV shows—one slice at a time”
TV series to be reviewed this month: HOUSE OF THE Dragon For all you Game of Thrones Fans---it’s time to return to Westeros! The Crust: Set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon takes us back to a time when the Targaryen dynasty sits securely on the Iron Throne and dragons still rule the skies. I'll warn you—the beginning is slow. There are names, marriages, alliances, and time jumps to keep straight, and initially I wondered if I was going to become invested in it. I did. Give the story time to build, because what looks like a family disagreement gradually becomes something much bigger. The Sauce: The real heart of the series isn't the dragons at all—it's a family destroying itself over power. At the center is the question of who should inherit the Iron Throne, but underneath that are some surprisingly interesting themes: loyalty versus ambition, friendship, and women attempting to claim power in a world largely controlled by men. The moral gray area was one of the great strengths of Game of Thrones, and House of the Dragon carries on that tradition. The Toppings: The characters aren't quite as immediately memorable as the wonderful cast we met in Game of Thrones. There may never be another Daenerys Targaryen! But these characters do become more interesting—and more lovable, frustrating, and complicated—the longer you watch them and the story unfold. And then there are the dragons! They're not simply spectacular special effects; they're symbols of power, weapons of war, and sometimes characters in their own right. Libby’s Final Slice Review Four Pepperonis - A Delicious Choice Libby’s Take: House of the Dragon isn't Game of Thrones, and I think that's important to accept going in. The characters don't grab you quite as quickly, and the story takes longer to find its footing. But stay with it. If you loved Game of Thrones, don't expect a copy of it. Instead, think of House of the Dragon as a darker, slower-burning return to Westeros. Give it a few episodes to heat up. This pizza gets much better once the fire-breathing dragons get the pizza oven going! Available on Apple TV, HULU, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, The Roku Channel or on DVD at the library.
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Micky Dolenz, 81, Is Still Monkeeing Around By Gayle Jo Carter (AARP) Cast in a made-for-TV band in 1966, Micky Dolenz topped the charts and is now the last surviving Monkee. For the band’s 60th anniversary, he is touring with its hits, personal stories and footage of his late bandmates. How does it feel to be the last one standing? I sometimes feel melancholy, but the show’s videos and songs by David, Peter and Mike make it seem they’re still here. What role did each Monkee play? The Monkees began as a scripted musical comedy about four aspiring musicians in a Malibu beach house, not a traditional band. Mike was the pragmatic leader, I was the wacky drummer, Davy was cute, and Peter played the fool despite being highly educated, eloquent and intelligent. What’s your routine off the road? I use my home mini-gym briefly each day because consistency beats an occasional hard workout, especially at my age. After injuring my knee on a leg press two weeks ago, I must remember I’m not 80 anymore.
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Pets For Seniors By Rob Sky BEFORE GETTING ANY PETS, RESIDENTS OF PETALUMA ESTATES SHOULD CHECK WITH PARK MANAGEMENT FOR CURRENT REGULATIONS.
Should a 60, 70, or 80-year-old have a cat? Yes, provided they have the physical mobility, finances, and a support plan in place. Adopting an older calmer cat (5 to 10+ years old) is highly recommended, as most adult cats are already housetrained and require much less supervision and energy than kittens. Cats are low maintenance, which is why they are one of the best pets for seniors. You don’t need to walk cats, and they don’t require the same amount of attention as dogs -for the most part. Felines are fantastic for those who live in an apartment or community living center since they don’t bark. Although cats can be easy pets, some breeds still need daily playtime and brushing.
CAT SUPPLY CHECKLIST • •
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES
Litter Box, unscented litter, and
•
Nail trimmers (cat specific)
scooper
•
Breakaway cat collar (only required if
Carrier for transporting to the vet for
you let your kitty outdoors) **
annual shots
•
Quality food, water and a bed
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Brush or rubber comb
•
Scratching post/cardboard scratcher
Cat tree
•
Catio (this is a patio for indoor cats that allows them to spend time both indoors and outdoors.
(different substrates)
•
•
Toys (start with one or two such as pole toys, feather toys, balls, fake mice)
You should line up with a veterinarian you will be using and have the cat you choose get a full checkup. There are many sources for pet cats. To ensure it’s a great match, speak to your local animal shelter or cat rescue organization about fostering an older cat first to see how it fits into your daily lifestyle. It is important that you find a good fit so that both of you can enjoy each other’s company. Keep in mind that early spaying and neutering is essential to prevent spraying.
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Sometimes a cat will choose you. Many years ago, while walking my dog in the park, there was a yowling coming from the bushes. A black kitten seemed abandoned. After taking the dog home (he hated cats) I returned, the cat was still there so I took him home, made sure he was kept separate from the dog and found some food for him. As cats will do, he made himself at home, taking over, ended up sleeping and playing with the dog. He was a sleek black cat, similar to the cats seen on Egyptian tombs and I named him Amenhotep. Few things can compare with a contented cat sitting on your lap kneading and purring. Let me know if there are any anecdotes or comments that you wish to share. Rob Sky/ skypuli@sbcglobal.net
**There are many reasons to keep your kitty indoors including no traffic dangers, less exposure to predators, lower disease risk, no lost pets, and longer average life span. Consider also that freeroaming domestic and feral cats are the top human-caused source of direct mortality for birds, killing an estimated 1.3 to 4 billion birds each year in the United States alone. A large portion of these victims are small songbirds. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Also, your neighbors do not appreciate cat poop in their flower and vegetable gardens.
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BLEACHER REPORT By Jeanne Williams As I sit down on this beautiful, sunny September Sunday morning to write my second article, which is scheduled to appear in the November Observer issue, I am watching the Federation International Basketball Association, also known as the Women’s World Cup, being played in Berlin, Germany. Playing on this day are the USA team and the French team in the tournament final game. The USA team has some familiar names on the court including Caitlin Clark from Indiana Fever and Gabby Williams from our Golden State Valkyries. After a game filled with exciting play, the USA team won. It’s their 5th straight Gold Medal and World Title. The final score was 97 to 75. On a further women’s basketball note, the Women’s National Basketball Association is scheduled to have its playoffs in October and the Golden State Valkyries should do well. The final game for this playoff is scheduled for October 17, and I will not have a chance to report on the games as this Bleacher Report is due at the beginning of October. At the same time, on this sunny Sunday, I was watching the US Men’s Tennis Final on a different sports channel. The USA has a young player named Ben Shelton, aged 23, battling a much more experienced German player, Alexander Zverev, who ended up winning the match in four sets. I have plans to spend most of October watching Major League Baseball playoffs and am looking forward to next year's baseball season. Since none of our local teams were playing in the playoffs, I typically root for the underdog in each game. I am a little bit concerned that there may be a delay in next year's schedule due to the pending Collective Bargaining Agreement. “Billionaires vs Millionaires” as they say on sports talk radio. In addition, The NFL will have played 9 or 10 league games when this report appears in the Observer, so I think it is too soon to tell how our local teams are doing. On a more local front, I had the chance to watch a junior College team play on YouTube. If you have any interest in local teams, I found that if you look at any high school or college website and click on their athletic program you can live stream many games. I found it very easy to do. There may be a charge, but if you have grandchildren playing at high school or college that might be a convenient way to see them play. I certainly enjoyed watching. NOTE: I just found out the San Francisco Firebells of the Women’s Professional Baseball League are in the final of their league playoff. It’s a five-game series. After losing the first two games against the Los Angeles Queens, the Firebells won the third and fourth games, but lost by a score of 2-0 in the final game. As often said in sports, “There's always next year!” “Pressure is a privilege.” -Billie Jean King
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All in the Family’s Jean Stapleton (Author Unknown: Fact Checked) For nine years, her husband called her a “dingbat” on national television, though she was the one who understood everything. When All in the Family debuted in 1971, CBS aired a disclaimer, yet forty million people watched. Each week, they saw Archie Bunker bluster and embarrass himself while Edith smiled, worked in the kitchen, and offered seemingly scattered remarks. Creator Norman Lear gave Jean Stapleton one quiet direction: Edith could let Archie’s words roll off her. From it, Stapleton built a quietly radical character whose kindness was strength, patience was wisdom, and moral compass surpassed everyone’s—including the audience’s. She befriended the Black family next door when Archie would not, embraced her cousin’s lesbian partner in 1977, and challenged his ugly assumptions without anger or superiority—only love and clarity. Then one Sunday evening in October 1977, Norman Lear did something no American sitcom had ever done. He aired an episode in which a man posing as a detective broke into the Bunker home and attempted to rape Edith while she was alone. Lear had spent over a year preparing it, consulting the founder of the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica Hospital. He held advance screenings for police departments and hospitals across the country. Jean Stapleton did not play the scene for drama. She played it exactly as Edith would experience it confused, rambling, terrified, falling back on politeness because politeness was the only armor she'd ever been given. The studio audience, which had laughed at Edith for seven years, went completely silent.When Edith finally shoved a burning birthday cake into her attacker's face, kicked him out the door, and ran into her own surprise party — collapsing into Archie's arms, shaking — the room erupted into what Lear later called the biggest sound he had ever heard on a television set. The episode dealt with what came after, too. The fear. The depression. The reluctance to name her attacker. The moment her own daughter had to reach her. It changed how hospitals, police departments, and American families talked about sexual violence. The Rape Treatment Center saw its profile and funding grow significantly in the wake of that single hour of television. That same year, President Jimmy Carter appointed Jean Stapleton to the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. She served alongside Bella Abzug, Betty Ford, Coretta Scott King, Maya Angelou, and Gloria Steinem. After nine years, when the show ended, Stapleton walked away — deliberately, clearly, without hesitation. She had won three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes. Forty million people knew her face. And she knew exactly what that meant: if she stayed too long, Jean Stapleton would disappear entirely inside Edith Bunker. Jean Stapleton went on to play Eleanor Roosevelt on stage and screen. She performed a onewoman show about her for years. She proved everything she needed to prove. She died on May31,2013, at the age of ninety.
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Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Happy Life!
It’s time to practice good hygiene at home, school (Press Democrat) Editor: I enjoyed the article regarding the youngest children missing school days and how it affects their educational path. One thing that was overlooked was the lessons in hygiene small children lack. The last 15 years of my working career I was a substitute teacher who focused on TK to sixth grade only — my husband would say “pre-attitude.” I thoroughly enjoyed the choices I had and the wonderful teachers, districts and children I encountered. However, the sickest I ever was when a young child sneezed in my face. Young children cough and sneeze without covering their mouths or hand-wipe their noses then continue playing with the shared toys. The goal for parents, family members, and school staff is to diligently teach our toddlers — as well as ourselves — to cough and sneeze into our elbows, wash our hands regularly and wear masks whenever we are sick. Dr. Anthony Fauci taught us this during the pandemic. I still don’t shake hands at his recommendation. I’m a knuckle-bumper. So, as we enter cold and flu season, with the upsurge of COVID in the Bay Area, please help our children and all of us to practice good hygiene. Let’s keep ourselves healthier. — Marsha Taylor, Santa Rosa
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Es hora de practicar una buena higiene en casa y en la escuela (Press Democrat) Editora: Disfruté el artículo sobre los niños más pequeños que faltan a la escuela y cómo esto afecta su camino a la educación. Un aspecto que no se mencionó fueron las lecciones de higiene que les hacen falta a los niños pequeños. Durante los últimos 15 años de mi carrera laboral, fui maestra suplente y me enfoqué únicamente en niños desde kínder de transición (TK) hasta sexto grado; mi esposo diría que son los años de “pre-actitud”. Disfruté muchísimo las oportunidades que tuve y de los maravillosos maestros, distritos escolares y niños que conocí. Sin embargo, una de las veces que más enferma estuve fue después de que un niño pequeño destornudó directamente en mi cara. Los niños pequeños tosen y destornudan sin cubrirse la boca, o se limpian la nariz con la mano y después continúan jugando con los juguetes que comparten con los demás. El objetivo de los padres, familiares y personal escolar debe ser enseñar diligentemente a nuestros niños pequeños y también recordárnoslo a nosotros mismos a toser y destornudar en la parte interna del codo, lavarnos las manos con regularidad y usar mascarilla cuando estemos enfermos. El Dr. Anthony Fauci nos enseñó esto durante la pandemia. Siguiendo su recomendación, todavía evito dar la mano. Prefiero saludar chocando los puños. Así que, al entrar en la temporada de resfriados y gripe, y ante el aumento de casos de COVID en el Área de la Bahía, por favor ayudemos a nuestros niños, y a todos nosotros, a practicar una buena higiene. Cuidémonos para mantenernos más saludables. — Marsha Taylor, Santa Rosa
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Capturing Nature Sharks can hear swimmers up to 100 feet away — and it’s a good thing By Rosanna Xia (Los Angeles Times) LOS ANGELES — Forget the smell of blood and all the shark fears we’ve internalized thanks to “Jaws” and “Shark Week.” Turns out, the first thing a shark notices about humans actually might be the unique sounds we make in the ocean. And great white sharks — at least the ones in a sharky hot spot like Southern California— have really, really good hearing. Whether you’re swimming or kayaking or paddling on your surfboard, even a juvenile can detect you from as far as 100 feet away. While this might sound like the start to another horror movie — especially with more sharks and more people seeking respite in the ocean amid record-breaking heat waves and a looming El Niño — there is good news. A new study shows that even though sharks react to human noises, they often can tell from just our splashing that we’re not worth the nibble. “There are dozens — if not potentially hundreds — of encounters daily at a beach with a lot of sharks and people. Why aren’t people being bitten? How do we explain this?” said Chris Lowe, director of the celebrated Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach. “We worked our way through all the different senses that a shark could use to go, ‘that’s a person,’ and we thought sound and vibration might be the most influential one.” For years, Lowe and his lab have documented white sharks getting very close to people in the water. The shark’s approach is never rushed or aggressive — it’s more like something piques the shark’s curiosity from dozens of feet away, and then as the shark creeps in closer to investigate, it loses interest and just swims on. The Shark Lab eliminated sight (limited horizontal visibility) and odor (disperses too quickly in water) as the reason a shark might react from so far away. So, the researchers started looking into sounds and vibrations, which can travel quite far underwater. (Sharks also have enlarged “macula neglecta,” or sensory hair cells, in their inner ears, which make them exceptionally more sensitive to the direction a sound is coming from.) In a first-of-its-kind study, the lab designed a hearing test of sorts for sharks. Using a special multichannel hydrophone that can capture not only sounds but also the 3D movement of them, scientists methodically recorded themselves doing three common ocean activities: freestyle swimming, kayaking and paddling on a surfboard. They then played back the “sound bites” at different distances underwater and observed whether a shark would change its angle and move toward the speaker. This study is ongoing, but the preliminary findings are striking: Sharks clearly can differentiate the three water activities, and it’s also clear that the louder, more erratic sound characteristics of freestyle swimming (which happen to be in the same frequency range as the sounds of a struggling fish) can make a shark more likely to approach from a distance. With paddling on a surfboard, the sharks clearly could recognize the sound, but they more often tuned it out like background noise. And the gentle, more continuous sounds of kayaking elicited little reaction, said Whitney Jones, who led and designed the study.
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“This is the first study to empirically show that they seem to be using sound to cue into people at these greater distances,” said Jones, who specializes in underwater acoustics and behavioral biology. “We have so much anecdotal evidence that these juvenile white sharks are habituating to people in the area just by growing up around them, but this is one of the first steps to showing that empirically.” As for how these initial findings can translate into beachgoing tips, that depends on what feels too close to comfort. The sound of swimming is more likely to attract a curious shark, so if you want extra peace of mind, go into the ocean with a group of people. A cluster of loud humans is an even clearer indication to a shark that you are not any kind of species they would eat. (Also avoid wearing flashy jewelry, which a shark could mistake for fish scales, or swimming in murky water, which boosts the chances of startling a shark. And if you’re kayaking, think twice before bringing fish on board.) It’s important to remember that sharks require a strong dose of caution, but the chance of being bitten — as long you don’t provoke them— is incredibly low. Last year, there were only 65 unprovoked shark bites across the entire world. Out on Cape Cod, another great white-hot spot, Jaida Elcock, a shark biologist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Marine Predators Group, said the more data, the better when it comes to dispelling our society’s collective misunderstanding of sharks. “We can’t let fear get in the way of respect,” said Elcock, who co-founded the nonprofit Minorities in Shark Sciences and runs @soFISHtication_, a popular page on Instagram and TikTok. “Sharks can tell us a lot about the health of our oceans, and there’s so much more to learn from them.” At over 400 million years old, sharks have outlived five mass extinctions and could teach us a thing or two about surviving in a changing climate. It’s worth noting there are over 500 species of sharks, and none of them eat humans. The largest shark in the world, the whale shark, is actually a filter feeder and couldn’t swallow you if it tried. “Sharks can be found in every type of ocean ecosystem — they’re deep sea, they’re in shallow reefs, there’s even an arctic shark,” Elcock said. “If we don’t even fully understand how they function in the world the way it is now, it is going to be even harder to understand how those vital parts of our ecosystems will function as the ocean continues to change.” Attack statistics: Sharks kill about 5 to 6 people on average worldwide each year from unprovoked bites. Around 67 to 88 total unprovoked and provoked incidents occur globally each year. Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually through fishing and finning. (From the International Shark Attack File)
Zebra Shark
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On The Bright Side Solar Ambulance Built By 23 Students In a test center in the Netherlands, a sleek white-and-yellow vehicle glides quietly over concrete -- but it was built for something far rougher: the red-dirt roads of rural Kenya, where the nearest clinic can be a day's journey away. Twenty-three university students, many of whom paused their degrees to see it through, spent a year constructing what may be the world's first solar-powered ambulance. Named Stella Juva -- "stella" for the team's lineage of solar cars, "juva" from the Latin for "to help" -the vehicle carries tuberculosis testing kits, cooled vaccine storage, ultrasound equipment for pregnant women, and a defibrillator, all powered by roof-mounted solar panels and a battery for cloudy days or night runs. Its range stretches 715 kilometers on a sunny day, and crucially, as one partner noted, "it doesn't have to go back to a central point -- it can go on and on and on." The design inverts the usual logic of emergency medicine: rather than rushing patients to hospitals, it brings the hospital to patients. Twenty-one-year-old project leader Mathijs van Gerven put it plainly: "We are 23 students and we built this within just one year. The technical industry should be able to do this way better and way faster." In its first practical test, in the Narok region of Kenya, where rough roads stretch for hours between communities and the power grid cannot be counted on, Stella Juva made its first journey - not toward a hospital, but toward the people who could never easily reach one. "In Narok, long distances and unreliable electricity still make quality healthcare difficult to access," said Geoffrey Sadera of Amref Health Africa; "Stella Juva can bring not only health workers to remote communities, but also the power and medical equipment needed to examine and diagnose people on the spot." During its first real-world test, the vehicle covered more than 800 kilometers of difficult terrain, and when a steering part broke on an off-road stretch, the team replaced it within 30 minutes and kept going - a moment that quietly captures something essential about the design philosophy behind the whole project. What Stella Juva ultimately offers is a reordering of assumptions about who deserves care and what it takes to reach them. -From the Daily Good, News that Inspires
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Neiman Marcus Chicken Casserole
By Nicole McLaughlin www.AllRecipes.com
This Neiman Marcus chicken casserole recipe is a casserole version of the famous department store's cafe dish. Saucy chicken, bacon, cheddar, and almonds are baked with a buttery cracker topping in this quick-prep dinner. •
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
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1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
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1 cup sour cream
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2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
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½ cup sliced green onions
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½ cup slivered almonds
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6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
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1 ½ teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco or to taste
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1 sleeve buttery crackers, such as Ritz Crackers, crushed
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½ cup of butter, melted
Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. 2. Place chicken, chicken soup, sour cream, cheese, green onions, almonds, bacon, and hot sauce into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour mixture into the prepared dish. 3. Stir crushed crackers and butter together until combined; spread mixture evenly over casserole. 4. Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes.
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