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VOLUME 8 Camped Fire Changed

YESWECANNEWSPAPER.COM The Reason For The Season

ISSUE 12 BIRTHDAY FREEBIES

Lives Page 3

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Quotes that will make us Think Page 8

I saw these photos and as I read the article written about “A Cat, a Rat and a Dog” a thought came to my mind. “I wish human being could get alone like the Cat, Rat and the Dog. Yes, they’ll are difference but they found an answer of how to get alone with each other while in this world. It didn ’t matter to them what their differences was. They figured it out! all deserve respect no matter what! As Aretha Franklin sung it! “R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Oh a Little Respect”. This is a true story and their story is, a cat, a rat and a dog might sound like the beginning of a joke, but that's the last word anyone would use to describe the incredibly dynamic relationship between this trio of unlikely friends. Sasha the dog, Tweaks the rat and Jack the cat were surrendered to a shelter by their owners. "They had to downsize their home, and they weren't able to take the three animals with them, so they took them to the Community Area Humane Society. "A lot of people would say 'Why would you do that?' But not every place will accept pets, let alone three of them." Each of the animals had to undergo a medical examination after the surrender. When it was Jack's turn, he wasn't too keen on being separated from Sasha and Tweaks. "He became very frightened and was growling and not very cooperative at all," So one of the staff said, 'Why don't we try to bring the dog in?' And it was just amazing. As soon as the dog came in, he was like a totally different cat. He just became more relaxed knowing that his buddy was there." Jack the cat has a vision impairment, and it turns out that he relies a lot on Sasha the dog to guide him around. Tweaks the rat is the oldest of the three but is perhaps the youngest at heart. At first, the staff worried about putting Tweaks in the same enclosure as his buddies, but they soon reali zed there was no separating this team nicknamed the Rat Pack. "We thought, 'Well maybe we should bring the rat in,'" So we did. We put the rat down, and right away the rat was running all over the dog, and going up and licking his face, and the dog was licking the rat. So, it was like, 'OK – I guess they really are friends.'" The bond between these three friends could not be severed, and the rescue staff hoped that someone would be willing to adopt all three animals together. Thankfully, one day a lady and her daughter stopped by the shelter and overheard the Rat Pack's story. They had adopted a cat from the Co mmunity Area Humane Society and they were thinking about getting another cat and they also wanted a dog. The lady felt this was a ready-made family and it might be ideal for her family. The lady’s family fell in love with all three animals, and soon the Rat Pack was headed off into the sunset to a new, permanent, lovin g home. The Community Humane Society staff was so happy for the team but also sad because of how much they missed their company and antics. The effort to take care of the Rat Pack and keep these three together in a forever home is wonderful. Share the Rat Pack's amazing story with your friends and family. This incredible true story was taken from Facebook.

Your Community Area Humane Society have hundred of dogs, cat and other pet waiting to be adopted. Think about it! be open to adopting a pet for Christmas. The Animal Services has a great selection of pets in all sizes, ages, and breeds, just waiting for a new home with you.

Yes We Can Newspaper

Ethel Martin-Miller

Publishers Note I would like to wish all my readers a blessed Merry Christmas and hope and pray that we all make it over into the new year. Wow! It is hard to believe 2018 is on its way out. As you read through the newspaper this month I have researched a few Holiday Acts that I have participating in myself and really didn’t know the story behind it. So, the first one is (Kissing Beneath the Mistletoe ) In the forest, mistletoe is a bit of a scourge, a parasitic plant that latches on to trees and feeds off of them. But at Christmas, it becomes a symbol of romance. So where did the tradition of kissing beneath the mistletoe come from? The plant’s association with romance dates back to ancient Norse mythology. By the 18th century, stealing a kiss beneath the mistletoe became a common practice among British servants and the tradition spread from there. According to the tradition, it’s bad luck to refuse a kiss beneath the mistletoe. After the kiss, the couple is to pluck one of the berries from the plant. Once all the berries are gone, the bough no longer has the power to command kisses. So if you hang a bough of mistletoe this year, make sure it has Christmas Trees (Christmas Tree) It’s not Christmas without the smell of fresh pine needles filling the home. The Christmas tree is one of the most cherished holiday traditions, and the first versions of an indoor tree started to appear in Germany more than 500 years ago, slowly spreading across Europe from there. However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the tradition really took off when it got a boost from a British monarch. Queen Victoria was particularly fond of the tradition and in 1848 a newspaper report of her tree in Windsor Castle caused the practice to spread to the British upper class. By the early 20th century, a Christmas tree could be found in most Christian homes in the U.S. and Britain, decorated with a string of lights, baubles and tinsel. plenty of berries on it.

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Yes We Can Newspaper ing. Hospitals evacuated and patients cared for in garages. Firefighters protecting hundreds of stranded victims in parking lots. In Concow (where I lived), residents had to jump into the lake to save themselves. Thousands of people literally had minutes to save themselves. At first, I couch-surfed with friends in Chico. After five days I got confirmation that my house, my ugly little solar, off-grid, cobb and straw bale house, was destroyed. This house that, according to the alternative building books, was immune to fire, burned to the ground. And still no sign of my dog, Angel. I was distraught and everyone believed she was gone. As it turned out I couldn’t believe my ears Angel was found in the wreckage. My clever survivor. A neighbor found my dog! Angel had survived for six days by crawling into a hole in a tree. Her paws were burnt to the point that she couldn’t walk; she could only crawl. When I was reunited with her at Valley Oak Animal Hospital, she was visibly skinnier. She was happy to be found. I found a room in Redding for a couple of days. I brought my dog Angel with me for comfort. After 10 days, my insurance company was able to secure a room for me in Corning at the Super 8. This is where I am as I type out this story. My future is uncertain. Much of my work was with clients in Paradise, a town that doesn’t exist anymore. My dog will take two months to heal from her burns. I have anxiety that stays with me all day. I have lost my appetite. I am having problems making decisions for my life. I can’t sleep at night without pharmacological assistance. I am one of the lucky ones: I had insurance. And yet, competing with 50,000 other climate refugees for housing, in an already tight market. I have enough money, but I still have no place to live with my dog. I am through living in wildfire country. Those wonderful foothills that I love so much have become tinder traps for fire. California has simply become unlivable during the fire season. We all suffer as the smoke makes 20-cigarette-a-day smokers out of all of us. My son called me from Connecticut the other day, and told me that the sky was hazy there due to the Camp Fire. On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, a scientist on top of a mountain in Hawaii took a reading of CO2 – the carbon emissions that are the most important component in climate change. They’ve been doing that every day since 1958. On that day the reading was 409.02, and in 1958 was 221.1. and Scientists say the safe level for CO2 is 350. Over the last few years, the Sierra has lost millions of trees to bark beetles and drought – side effects of climate change. The forest couldn’t be drier This is what climate change looks like. The new

Veteran Affairs "This is what being a climate change refugee feels like..."by Allan Stellar | Ethnic Media Services/ChicoSol

Allan Stellar with Angel | photo by Andrew Meyer That awful, awful day, when Paradise was engulfed in flames, I hugged my yellow lab Angel goodbye. I lived in the foothills, at 2,000 feet, some 37 miles from Chico where I had work to do as a home health RN. I had lived in this off-grid solar house for a decade, enjoying the yip yap of coyotes in the country and sleeping on the deck under the stars on hot summer nights. Angel watched me dress that morning with an eerie gaze. It was as if she knew something was going to happen. I promised later I would take her for a hike. At 6:45a.m., driving down Highway 70, CalFire trucks were booking it up the hill. I saw a plume of smoke in my rear-view mirror. Not too big. It looked far enough away not to pose too much of a problem. I stupidly drove to Chico then I looked out the window at “The Grateful Bean” coffee house and saw the smoke. I saw a massive plume of smoke that made my stomach feel like it had been sliced open. I tore out of there to go get my dog Angel. Too late! At 8 o’clock, Highway 70 was already blocked at Pentz. I pulled off to the side of the road and wept. My dog was up there. Somewhere around 52,000 people have an evacuation story regarding that tragic morning. It was a “9/11” moment. None of us will ever forget that plume became our Twin Towers moment. People caught in cars with steering wheels melt-

normal. Huge fire. Smoke. All of it predicted back in the ’80s by our climate scientists. Ironic that the prince of doubt when it comes to climate change, Anthony Watts, is a local weather celebrity. He should be fired immediately. And this is what being a climate change refugee feels like: Doubt. Uncertainty. Anxiety. Loss. No home. I fear returning to the forest. My dog and I will probably end up living in a gifted trailer on a coworker’s farm outside of Corning –a landscape of dreary industrial agriculture and domesticated animals and far from the wilds of the tinder-box forest. Angel is expected to recover fully from her burns and will once again accompany Allan on daily walks in a couple months.

More Traditional Stories About (Gingerbread) Baking up a batch of gingerbread cookies is a surefire way to fill a house with the smells of Christmas. But when did this potent mix of spices take on its Christmas connection? Ginger isn’t native to Europe, and it wasn’t until the era of the Crusades that traders began to bring the spice back from the Middle East. As the spice trade picked up in Europe, gingerbread cookies became much more common. In the 16th century, we see the first appearance of gingerbread men — a practice credited to Queen Elizabeth who wanted to impress some visiting dignitaries, so she created a cookie in the image of each person. The Brothers Grimm can probably take credit for the invention of the gingerbread house. The tale of Hansel and Gretel, first published in the early 1800s, is likely the first reference to these edible structures, and German bakers soon followed with their own versions. German immigrants to the U.S. brought the tradition with them, and many Americans have been practicing increasingly complex and record breaking feats of confectionary engineering ever since. (Christmas Oranges) In stockings across the country, beneath the trinkets and the candy canes, you’ll usually find a single Mandarin orange nestled in the toe. But why give the gift of an orange on Christmas morning? According to legend, it all goes back to the real life St. Nicholas, a fourth century bishop with a heart for the poor. Upon learning of an impoverished father with no money for his daughters’ dowry, St. Nick is said to have dropped sacks of gold into their stockings, which were set by the fire to dry. Over time, oranges have come to symbolize the sacks of gold and remind people of this first act of holiday gift giving.

The process of hypnosis is getting your mind into a state where it can accept a suggestion. During hypnosis, a subject can take a trip deep into their subconscious to eliminate beliefs and habits that may be a detriment to his everyday life. This is why hypnosis is so popular for those seeking to lose weight. However, it is not necessary to seek and pay for a professional. Most insurance plans also do not cover the cost of hypnotherapy as well. Try to self-hypnotize yourself to lose extra weight. There was a problem providing access to Code: 232403) Step 1 Find time in your day where you will not be distracted by external factors. Try to set aside at least 30 minutes where you can immerse yourself in a trance. It is important to focus during this entire period of time. Step 2 Set weight loss goals for yourself. Aim for an exact amount of weight you want to lose and specific time you want to lose it. Read this goal aloud before you begin. Step 3 Visualize yourself as the size you want to be. Imagine what your body will look like once you attain your ideal weight. Also, think about how others will react and what they will say. Try to 3

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make the scene as vivid as possible rich with color, smells, sound and feelings. Step 4 Close your eyes and relax your body until it is completely limp. Engage in deep breathing for three minutes until you feel a sensation from your skull to your feet. After the sensation is felt, relax that part of your body. You will be in a trance state. Step 5 Imagine your ideal self in a trance state. Think about how you will view the world, the way others will see you, and how good it will feel to be healthy and in good shape. Look at your body in its lean, trim state. Step 6 Come back to your present state slowly. Be sure you bring the feelings of the internal experience back with you. Doing this daily will train your mind to feel how good it will be to lose the weight. You will gradually make the behavior modifications necessary to lose weight. There are so many diets out there, who knows this might work!

A STATE OF MINE

Yes We Can Newspaper

THE WORD

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night; in some traditions, Christmastide includes an octave. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season centered around it.The traditional Christmas narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then further disseminated the information.

of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, viewing a Nativity play, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, pulling Christmas crackers and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkindl, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world. Taken in account all that transpires on December 25th the day set aside for Christmas Day, we thank God for the birth of His Son and for the purpose of His Although the month and date of Jesus' birth are birth! Researched and taken from Wikipedia, the free unknown, by the early-to-mid fourth century the Western encyclopedia Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date that was later adopted in the East. Today, most Matthew 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it However, some Eastern Christian Churches celebrate rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King HerChristmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, od heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregori- him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief an calendar, the day after the Western Christian Church priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the celebrates the Epiphany. This is not a disagreement over Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they the date of Christmas as such, but rather a preference of replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But which calendar should be used to determine the day that you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means is December 25. Moreover, for Christians, the belief least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come that God came into the world in the form of a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than the Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to in celebrating Christmas. The celebratory customs associ- Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the ated in various countries with Christmas have a mix

child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Joy to

the World; The Lord is come; Let Earth receive her King: Let every Heart prepare him Room, And Heaven and Nature sing. Joy to the Earth, The Saviour reigns; Let Men their Songs employ; While Fields & Floods, Rocks, Hills & Plains Repeat the sounding Joy. No more let Sins and Sorrows grow, Nor Thorns infest the Ground: He comes to make his Blessings flow Far as the Curse is found. He rules the World with Truth and Grace, And makes the Nations prove The Glories of his Righteousness, And Wonders of his Love.

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“TIME-OUTS AND COOL DOWNS”

By Contributor Writer,

As we all know when it comes to marriages there are ups and downs, as an old saying “Opposites attract” people are very different from each other but the attraction is there. Whatever the case there will be issues, situations and anger that can possibly creep up into your marriage. TIME-OUTS need to be used whenever you feel your anger is rising. At the first sign of anger, let your spouse know that you need a Time-Out, and take it Immediately. If your spouse needs to take a Time-out, make sure you respect that need. Talk with your partner about cool -downs right away. Let them know that sometimes when you’re together it may be necessary for you to take a time-out or cool-down in order to relax. Let them know that when you come back, then you will agree on a time either later that day or the next to discuss the issue again. They might want to do the same thing. Take a Time-Out or Cool-Down every time you think your anger is starting to climb by recognizing your physical and emotions cues and leave the situation. Do not swear, raise your voice, threaten, or use any intimidating behavior. Go somewhere and try to relax and think positively about yourself. Remind yourself of what goals are in the program. It may help to walk or jog or do deep breathing to get some tension out. Do not drive, drink alcohol or take drugs. When you come back, decide with your partner on a good time for dis-

cussion of the issue. Maybe it is a good time to talk it over with a third-party present, someone you both trusts. Sometimes after a time-out you may both decide to just drop it. If you decide to discuss the issue and you recognize the cues occurring again – TAKE A TIME-OUT! Remember some points about respectful communication and conflict resolute. You need to know that you have the right to say what you want to say, but you cannot do it in an abusive way, using intimidating or harsh language. In order for communication to be effective, both parties must listen to what the other person is saying and not try to merely convince the other of your position. Let them finish speaking before you start speaking. Good communication requires negotiation and compromise. If somebody has to win the argument then somebody else has to lose it, and you’ve lost good communication. No single issue is as important as your overall goal of remaining non-violent and non-abusive in your relationship. Make this your main commitment. Both research and experience show that when people with anger problems change self-talk, their anger deescalated, and they regain control. When you start to feel angry, take a TIME-OUT and speak to yourself and say: I don’t need to prove myself in this situation. I can stay calm; As Long as I keep my cool, I’m in control of myself; No need to doubt myself, what other people say doesn’t matter; I’m the only person who can make me mad or keep me calm; It is time to relax and slow things down; Take a time-out if I get uptight or notice my cues; I can relax and stay cool; Nothing says I have to be competent and strong all the time. It’s okay to feel unsure or confused; It is impossible to control other people and situations. The ONLY thing I can control is myself and how I express my feelings; If people criticize me, I can survive that, nothing says I have to be perfect; Most things we argue about are stupid and insignificant. I can recognize that my anger comes from having my old primary feelings re-stimulated. It’s okay to walk away

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Camp Fire changed lives: a survivor’s story “This is what being a climate change refugee feels like..." by Allan Stellar | Ethnic Media Services/ChicoSol photo by Andrew Meyer

That awful, awful day, when Paradise was engulfed in flames, I hugged my yellow lab Angel goodbye. I lived in the foothills, at 2,000 feet, some 37 miles from Chico where I had work to do as a home health RN. I had lived in this off-grid solar house for a decade, enjoying the yip yap of coyotes in the country and sleeping on the deck under the stars on hot summer nights. Angel watched me dress that morning with an eerie gaze. It was as if she knew something was going to happen. I promised later to take her for a hike. At 6:45 a.m., driving down Highway 70, CalFire trucks were booking it up the hill. I saw a plume of smoke in my rear-view mirror. Not too big. It looked far enough away not to pose too much of a problem. I stupidly drove to Chico then I looked out the window at “The Grateful Bean” coffee house and saw the smoke. I saw a massive plume of smoke that made my stomach feel like it had been sliced open. I tore out of there to go get my dog. Too late! At 8 o’clock, Highway 70 was already blocked at Pentz. I pulled off to the side of the road and wept. My dog was up there. Somewhere around 52,000 people have an evacuation story regarding that tragic morning. It was a “9/11” moment. None of us will ever forget that plume became our Twin Towers moment. People caught in cars with steering wheels melting. Hospitals evacuated and patients cared for in garages. Firefighters protecting hundreds of strand-

ed victims in parking lots. In Concow (where I lived), residents had to jump into the lake to save themselves. Thousands of people literally had minutes to save themselves. At first, I couch-surfed with friends in Chico. After five days I got confirmation that my house, my ugly little solar, off-grid, cobb and straw bale house, was destroyed. This house that, according to the alternative building books, was immune to fire, burned to the ground. And still no sign of my dog, Angel. I was distraught and everyone believed she was gone. I grieved my stalwart friend of a decade and couldn’t believe my ears when she was found in the wreckage. My clever survivor. A neighbor found my dog! Angel had survived for six days by crawling into a hole in a tree. Her paws were burnt to the point that she couldn’t walk; she could only crawl. When I was reunited with her at Valley Oak Animal Hospital, she was visibly skinnier. She was happy to be found. I found a room in Redding for a couple of days. I brought my dog Angel with me for comfort. After 10 days, my insurance company was able to secure a room for me in Corning at the Super 8. This is where I am as I type out this story. My future is uncertain. Much of my work was with clients in Paradise, a town that doesn’t exist anymore. My dog will take two months to heal from her burns. I have anxiety that stays with me all day. I have lost my appetite. I am having problems making decisions for my life. I can’t sleep at night without pharmacological assistance. I am one of the lucky ones: I had insurance. And yet, competing with 50,000 other climate refugees for housing, in an already tight market. I have enough money, but I still have no place to live with my dog. I am through living in wildfire country. Those wonderful foothills that I love so much have become tinder traps for fire. California has simply become unlivable during the fire season. We all suffer as the smoke makes 20-cigarette-a-day smokers out of all of us. My son called me from Connecticut the other day, and told me that the sky was hazy there due to the Camp Fire. On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, a scientist on top of a mountain in Hawaii took a reading of CO2 – the carbon emissions that are the most important component in climate change. They’ve been doing that every day since 1958. The reading was 409.02, in 1958 was 221.1. and Scientists say the safe level for CO2 is 350. Over the last few years, the Sierra has lost millions of trees to bark beetles and drought – side effects of climate change. The forest couldn’t be drier This is what climate change looks like.

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The new normal. Huge fire. Smoke. All of it predicted back in the ’80s by our climate scientists. Ironic that the prince of doubt when it comes to climate change, Anthony Watts, is a local weather celebrity. He should be fired immediately. And this is what being a climate change refugee feels like: Doubt. Uncertainty. Anxiety. Loss. No home. I fear returning to the forest. My dog and I will probably end up living in a gifted trailer on a coworker’s farm outside of Corning –a landscape of dreary industrial agriculture and domesticated animals and far from the wilds of the tinder-box forest. Angel is expected to recover fully from her burns and will once again accompany Allan