My stock response to people who say that they haven’t been vaccinated against Covid (“It’s still experimental,” “It’s a government plot,” “I don’t believe in vaccines,” “microchips — Bill Gates — tracking…”) has been, “Then I guess you believe the Earth is flat?” Such is the current level of my frustration at those — currently about 40% of Americans — who, under the guise of “freedom” or “rights,” endanger the lives of the rest of us. Especially immuno-compromised folks. Plus no vaccine is 100% effective and I’m old = vulnerable.

But in hindsight, I wonder if I’m doing flat-Earthers a disservice by conflating them with anti-vaxxers? Because believing that the Earth is flat is, comparatively, far more rational than believing, for instance, that a vaccination against Covid is more dangerous than the disease itself. Or that wearing a mask somehow impinges on one’s civil rights. (Does driving on the right also restrict their freedom?) After all, flat-Earthers have empirical evidence on their side. They look around and see a flat world, ergo…Whereas anti-vaxxers watch Fox (or follow one of the dozen FaceBook individuals who post 90% of anti-vax propaganda) and buy into crazy conspiracy stories without an ounce of evidence, just their trust of right-wingnuts.

OK, rant over. Let’s give flat-Earthers their due and ask, “What’s going on?” First, the numbers. In February 2018, on-line pollers for YouGov asked 8,215 Americans their thoughts: round Earth, flat Earth or not sure? I thought this was a joke until I saw the results. A full 2% of us “have always believed the Earth is flat” while 16% of us aren’t sure. And — here’s the particularly worrying number — just 66% of 18-24 year-olds are sure the world is round. No joke. A third of our future leaders are scientifically illiterate.

What would it take to convince the other 34%?

• The obvious answer, one that occurred to the ancient Greeks over 2000 years ago, is to watch a ship heading out to sea. The farther out it goes, the less we can see of it as it slips below the horizon, until finally only the tip of a mast or sail is visible. When that’s gone, it’s worth asking, “Where did it go?” (Maybe it sank!)
• Or how about gravity? Flat-Earthers, as I understand it, believe that, what most of us take to be gravity pulling us down to the center of the Earth, actually results from a flat Earth accelerating upwards, pushing us down as it does so. (This is Einstein’s “equivalence principle,” by which it’s impossible to distinguish between gravity and inertia.) Which would result in gravity/inertia being uniform the world over. So why does gravity vary?

• Lunar eclipses pose a particularly tricky problem for flat-Earthers, since the shadow of the Earth on the moon is always round.

Finally, I can offer my own (anecdotal) evidence, having traveled east — the direction the sun rises — around the world some years ago, coming back to where I started. Try that on a disc world!

A joint message from the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District (NCUAQMD) and partners:

The Monument Fire, McFarland Fire, River Complex, and McCash fires continue to remain active and producing smoke. USFS Air Resource Advisors on the fires indicate that with variable winds forecasted, smoke is not expected to significantly clear in areas where it currently is today. Mountain communities near active fires will continue to see Hazardous to Very Unhealthy conditions, with little relief as smoke is added to these valleys.Areas south of the fires will see conditions worsen as the inversion breaks and smoke mixes down to the surface before improving later today and overnight. Increasing area-wide smoke affecting even the coastal communities by this afternoon.

Air quality monitors and the current Air Quality Index (AQI) for communities should be viewed at https://fire.airnow.gov. USFS Air Resource Advisors (ARA) assigned to the Monument/McFarland and River Complex fires provides daily ARA Smoke Outlook Forecasts at https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks.

ALERT – Hazardous Conditions (AQI 301 and higher, 24 hr avg):

• Trinity Center/Coffee Creek – Very Unhealthy to Hazardous

ADVISORY – Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy Conditions (AQI 151-300 range, 24 hr avg):

• Orleans – Overall Unhealthy, better in morning, improvement overnight
• Weaverville – Very Unhealthy to Hazardous
• Lewiston – Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy possible Hazardous periods
  
• Junction City – Very Unhealthy to Hazardous
  
• Douglas City – Very Unhealthy to Hazardous
  
• Hayfork – Very Unhealthy to Hazardous
• Platina area – Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy with possible Hazardous periods Regional Smoke Outlooks – Good, Moderate, to USG Conditions (AQI 0-150 range, 24 hr avg)

Humboldt County: (see above Advisory) 

• Eureka (including Scotia to Trinidad) – Moderate, possible periods of USG in afternoon with smoke aloft
  
• Weitchpec – Moderate to USG 
• Hoopa Valley – Overall USG, Unhealthy midday, then improving 
• Willow Creek – Overall USG, Unhealthy midday, then improving 
• Garberville, Redway – Overall Moderate with periods of USG, improving overnight

Del Norte County: 

• Crescent City – Good to Moderate
• Gasquet – Moderate to USG
  
• Klamath – Moderate, USG in evening

Trinity County: (see above Advisory and Alerts)

Smoke Impact Summary

The Monument Fire, McFarland Fire, River Complex, and McCash fires continue to remain active and producing smoke. USFS Air Resource Advisor on the Monument & McFarland Complex indicates that with variable winds forecasted, smoke is not expected to significantly clear in areas where it currently is today. Mountain communities near active fires will continue to see Hazardous to Very Unhealthy conditions, with little relief as smoke is added to these valleys. Communities in the Trinity River drainage west of the fire may be impacted by smoke transported from fires further to the north on top of smoke draining down the valley but will see improvement as the upcanyon winds clear out the smoke early afternoon. Areas south of the fires will see conditions worsen as the inversion breaks and smoke mixes down to the surface before improving later today and overnight.

The USFS Air Resource Advisor on the River, and McCash fires indicates that for today expect very light winds which will be insufficient to clear smoke from the valleys. Tomorrow will bring down slope winds, adding more smoke to what lingers through today. Expect dense smoke to persist in the steep mountain valleys, with increasing area-wide smoke affecting even the coastal communities by this afternoon.

If you are in areas that continue to be Unhealthy to Hazardous air quality, it is really important to take health and safety precautions. Take actions to limit outdoor activity and smoke exposure. Learn how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke. Visit the Wildfire Smoke Resources section of our webpage at www.ncuaqmd.org.

In Trinity County, High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filters have been placed at the following locations: 

• Trinity County Library, 351 Main St., Weaverville Hours: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1:00pm - 6:00pm; Tuesday/Thursday 10:00am - 6:00 pm

Particulate Matter (PM2.5) monitors are located in Crescent City, Weitchpec, Hoopa, Willow Creek, Weaverville, Hayfork, Eureka, and Garberville. Air quality monitors and the current Air Quality Index (AQI) for communities should be viewed at https://fire.airnow.gov

Health Information & Actions To Protect Yourself From Smoke Impacts

Concentrations of smoke may vary depending upon location, weather, and distance from the fire. Smoke from wildfires and structure fires contain harmful chemicals that can affect your health. Smoke can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. People who are at greatest risk of experiencing symptoms due to smoke include: those with respiratory disease (such as asthma), those with heart disease, young children, and older adults.

These sensitive populations should stay indoors and avoid prolonged activity. All others should limit prolonged or heavy activity and time spent outdoors. Even healthy adults can be affected by smoke. Seek medical help if you have symptoms that worsen or become severe.

Follow these general precautions to protect your health during a smoke event: 

• Minimize or stop outdoor activities, especially exercise. 
• Stay indoors with windows and doors closed as much as possible.
  
• Do not run fans that bring smoky outdoor air inside – examples include swamp coolers, whole-house fans, and fresh air ventilation systems. 
• Run your air-conditioner only if it does not bring smoke in from the outdoors. Change the standard air conditioner filter to a medium or high efficiency filter. If available, use the “re-circulate” or “recycle” setting on the unit.
  
• Do not smoke, fry food, or do other things that will create indoor air pollution.

Consider leaving the area until smoke conditions improve if you have repeated coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea, unusual fatigue, lightheadedness.

For further information, visit the District’s website at www.ncuaqmd.org or call the District’s Wildfire Response Coordinator at (707) 443-3093 x122.

On Thursday, August 19, 2021, David Allen Bellairs passed away at the age of 61. Dave was born on Flag Day, June 14, 1960 in El Cajon, California to Donald and Gwendolyn Bellairs. He graduated from Granite Hills High School. Dave entered the workforce, first joining the family clock repair business at the most aptly named shop: Time Machines. He married his high school sweetheart, Tresa, and soon after decided to follow his older brother’s path and joined the United States Coast Guard.

Serving as a machinist, he rose through the ranks and gathered countless experiences under his belt: leading small-boat crews to repair buoys, developing a passionate expertise on Pacific coast lighthouses through their arduous repair, and was a crewmember aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman, which was the first Coast Guard ship to circumnavigate the globe. During that historic voyage around the world, he saw wonders in Singapore, Seychelles, Madagascar and Barbados; he even made the front page of the Johannesburg, South Africa newspaper by scaling the side of a critically damaged oil tanker, repairing the generator, and averting a costly disaster. The intent of this mission was to support peacekeeping operations in the Persian Gulf in cooperation with the US Navy; Dave always remarked how ridiculous it was to be sailing around a warzone alongside tactically camouflaged Navy vessels, while his own ship was painted bright white with a red stripe on the front and a red helicopter on the back!

Dave served his nation honorably for 20 years, finally retiring in 2001 achieving the rank of Chief Warrant Officer II. During his career, he and Tresa were also blessed with the birth of his two sons, Alexander in 1991 and William in 1997. Retirement from the Coast Guard allowed Dave to be more present in his family’s life, a time treasured by all. It also allowed Dave the chance to delve into his mechanical passions with his brother, restoring hit-and-miss engines, drag saws, farm tractors, and all sorts of machinery essential to early 20th century households in the country. He became a staple of the Fortuna Auto Expo, camping out at Rohner Park, joining the cacophony of engines, always striving to display what the engines would be used for in real life: cutting wood, pumping water, crushing soda cans… (that last one was a bit of a fun construction they made).

Dave got back to work after a few years, picking up the clock repair profession he had started earlier in life. First taking work out of home, he soon began working closely with Bartow’s Jewelers in Fortuna for several years, before opening his own shop in Old Town Eureka, naming it Time Machines in honor of his parents’ business, where his motto was “If your clock won’t tic, talk to Dave!” Dave was able to get this business opened and settled into his next stage of life alongside his second wife, Kathy. Dave loved this work, because it was more than just fixing broken pieces of machinery. Clocks hold so much history. He fixed “the clock that sat on my grandma’s mantle for 50 years” and “my dad’s pocket watch, the only thing I have left of him.”

So much of Dave’s life revolved around loving others. From self-sacrificing service in the Coast Guard, to dedicated fatherhood, to keeping people connected to some of the most important treasures in their lives.

Dave is survived by his wife Kathy, his sons Alexander and William, his step-daughter Nathalee, and his step-son Nate.

His memorial service will be held on September 1st at Ocean View Cemetery at 2 p.m. There will be a viewing at Paul’s Chapel in Arcata on the 30th of September from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Funeral arrangements made by Paul’s Chapel in Arcata.

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With poetry plastered on public walls and posted in Arcata storefronts, many local writing contests and an official poet laureate for the City of Eureka, it’s clear that Humboldt has a robust community of writers (oh hey, LoCO writes too!) and Heather Quarles — a local writer and highschool teacher — feels that the community needs a central place for active and aspiring writers to get inspiration and hone their craft.

That’s why Quarles is opening the Unbound Writing Center — a small business in Arcata’s Sunny Brae shopping center that will provide access to materials and resources to help people with whatever type of writing they are interested in.

“There’s so many writers in our community who need something like this — a hub for Humboldt writing,” Quarles told the Outpost in a recent interview. “My whole goal is to really inspire and excite people to write and to support them in that process.”

Partially inspired by writing centers in other communities — such as 826 Valencia, which started in San Francisco and has expanded to multiple cities across the U.S. — Quarles will offer writing workshops and tutoring to help folks with subjects including resume and cover letters, academic writing, poetry and short stories. One of Quarles’ upcoming workshops will focus on helping writers sharpen their flash fiction skills to prepare for Humboldt’s 2021 Flash Fiction Contest. Quarles is a great lover of the genre, she said, and actually won first place in 2020 with her story “A Perfect Stranger.”

Quarles has been passionate about writing for as long as she can remember and as a literature and language teacher at the Northcoast Preparatory Academy (NPA), she has dedicated her life to sharing that passion with her students. Quarles plans to further educate and assist high school students by providing workshops and tutoring sessions specifically for teenagers to help with both creative and academic writing, including college application essays. 

One of the ways Quarles plans to encourage young people to write is through the Teen Zine Team, which will allow a group of teenagers (13 to 19) to self-publish a collection of writings, drawings, photos and collages. The zine team is something Quarles has already been facilitating with a group of NPA students, but the group stopped meeting recently due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. Quarles has found that some of her students find creating zines to be a more accessible form of expression than formal writing styles.

Some of the teen zine team’s materials | Photo courtesy of Unbound Writing Center

“Having a welcoming, safe environment for teens to be able to express themselves and put their thoughts on paper is really important to me,” Quarles said. “To me, zines are more social — something where you can have music going on while you create. It can be messy, fun. It breaks down that barrier of ‘do I have to spell things correctly?’”

If everything goes as planned, Quarles expects the writing center to be open by the end of September. Right now she is busy painting and remodeling the space, which is pretty small and consists of two rooms. The front room will be a shop of sorts, with supplies and resources — such as books on writing theory and books by local authors — for sale, Quarles said, and the back room will be the gathering place and will hold the workshops.  But with the ongoing pandemic, there is a good chance that all group activities will be held virtually, at least to start. Of course, like many of us, Quarles is eager to return to in-person meetings as soon as it seems safe to do so.

Quarles wanted to start the center not only to provide writers and aspiring writers with a hub to meet and to work on their craft, but also because she felt there needed to be a central place to access information on all the various resources and opportunities already available to Humboldt writers. Quarles wanted to point out that Unbound’s website contains several free resources, including a calendar of Humboldt’s literary events and journal prompts to help you inspire your creativity.

For more information on the Unbound Writing Center, you can visit the website or email questions to  unboundwritingcenter@gmail.com. If you are also passionate about writing you can help out with a donation to the Unbound Writing Center’s Gofundme page. Quarles says that the money will go towards purchasing books by local authors to have at the center and also to employ the local writers as guest lecturers for future workshops. Supporting local writers and amplifying voices in our community is a big part of Quarles mission.

“I’d love to bring in all the different facets of our writing craft, but also the different facets of our community,” Quarles said. “Writing is incredibly powerful. Words can be used for comfort, for release and can be used for change.”

Turns out 2021 is not a good year for Democrats to make California stand out too much for being weird.

With Gov. Gavin Newsom facing a Sept. 14 recall election, fellow Democrats in the Legislature appeared to protect him from having to sign or veto some controversial measures as they culled hundreds of bills Thursday in the biannual ritual known as the suspense file.

The notorious process marks a critical point in the legislative cycle when lawmakers decide which bills will advance to a vote of the full Senate or Assembly — and which they will snuff out for the year, often with no explanation. Killing bills on the suspense file is one way for Democrats who control the Capitol to shield their party from having to make a tough vote — on a proposal that could anger a powerful interest group, frustrate progressive constituents or draw the wrong kind of attention to this deep-blue state.

The recall election that’s under way — voters have already received ballots in the mail and have until Sept. 14 to turn them in — added a new layer of political intrigue to the suspense file process that’s already steeped in mystery. While Newsom has until Oct. 10 to decide on bills the Legislature approves, killing these bills — which had already passed one chamber — removes them from the campaign entirely.

Here are highlights of what we saw:

It’s not the time to push boundaries

Newsom will not have to decide this year whether California should legalize mushrooms, ecstasy and other psychedelic drugs — nor will he have to weigh in on an ethical debate over turning people into garden compost after they die.

Minutes before the suspense file hearing began, the senator who wrote a bill allowing adults to use and share psychedelic drugs announced that he’s shelving it for the year. While the proposal drew support from progressives who want to decriminalize drug use and advocates who cite the therapeutic role of psychedelics in treating some mental health disorders, it was opposed by law enforcement groups as well as Republicans and moderate Democrats.

“We have a realistic chance of passing it next year,” said a statement from Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat.

Sen. Scott Wiener speaks on the Senate floor during a vote on Aug. 31, 2020. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Lawmakers also halted a measure to allow Californians to turn their bodies into compost after death. Though it had bipartisan support and was pitched as an environmental alternative to cremation, which emits pollution, the proposal faced opposition from the Catholic Church.

Bottling the bills up now protects Newsom from having to choose between his progressive base and the potential national perception of: “There goes crazy California.”

No new campaign finance rules

Democrats also sidelined two progressive efforts to tackle the influence of money in politics. One measure would have required more disclosure on online political ads about who’s funding them, and would have required disclosing the funders behind initiative petitions when voters sign them. The other would have required prosecutors to recuse themselves from investigating a police shooting if they’d received campaign donations from police unions.

Both measures were opposed by public employee labor unions, which are major campaign donors to Democrats. The Service Employees International Union, which testified against the disclosure bill, has poured at least $4 million into Newsom’s anti-recall campaign.

Police unions — which have not donated to Newsom’s anti-recall campaign but donate heavily to legislators’ reelection campaigns — opposed the bill requiring prosecutors to recuse themselves from criminal investigations of officers if they take police unions’ campaign donations. The measure also reflected an ideological schism among district attorneys. Though it was backed by a handful of progressive prosecutors, it was opposed by the statewide association.

Lawmakers helped themselves by avoiding a conflict with police unions — while also helping Newsom steer clear of the fight among prosecutors.

Democrats block GOP attempts to fix EDD problems

Ongoing crises at the Employment Development Department have become one of the most embarrassing aspects of Newsom’s leadership during the pandemic. While Californians who lost their jobs struggled to get unemployment payments from an agency overwhelmed by technology problems and soaring demand, a criminal ring managed to fraudulently grab billions of dollars in benefits.

Lawmakers from both parties introduced bills attempting to fix some of the problems. On Thursday, Democrats killed three Republican measures addressing EDD, including one to improve call centers, modernize its technology and assess its safeguards against fraud; another to require the agency cross check applications for unemployment assistance with current state prison rolls; and a third aimed at fraud prevention by prohibiting the department from sending mail containing Social Security numbers.

Sen. Scott Wilk listens to comments by his colleagues on the Senate floor on September 4, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

“California completely failed its unemployed during the pandemic and today failed them again,” said a statement from GOP Senate leader Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita. “These were good, common-sense solutions recommended by the State Auditor. Good solutions shouldn’t have party lines — unfortunately, that was not the case today.”

Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat who leads the appropriations committee that killed the bills, said on Twitter:

“We passed a lot of reform bills, they’re in the senate. These were duplicative.”

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CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Michele Edrianne Philburn-McCardie, compassionately known as “Mickie” to her family and friends, left this phase of her life on her terms at the age of 89, on August 20, 2021 in her home in Hoopa with her loved ones by her side. Michele was born on May 25, 1932 in Jackson Heights, New York City, to Erma & Michael Aloysius Philburn.

Michele graduated from Bayside High School in New York 1949 and then graduated from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, June 1953. Michele started her professional career as a Kindergarten Teacher and then as a Social Worker in Boston Mass and Buffalo New York, as she worked diligently while putting her 1st husband James Collins through Medical School. Together they moved with their daughter Jennifer to Tacoma, Washington and then to Hoopa, California where Dr. Collins was a resident physician. She had her daughter Melissa in Eureka. Michele then met LeRoy McCardie and had son James McCardie. Michele and LeRoy married and then had Leanne McCardie Estrada. Michele worked for the Division of Highways, Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District as a teacher, Senior Resource Center and her favorite career as a Librarian at the Humboldt County Library.

After Michele’s retirement from the Humboldt County Kim Yerton Memorial Library she decided to travel the country visiting her family and friends of many years! She would travel by train, plane, bus and her own car from Hoopa to New York to Kentucky, to Arizona, New Mexico and throughout California, most of the time with her pitbull Peggy-Sue, her traveling companion by her side. Michele enjoyed everyone and everywhere she went! She most often traveled to Los Angeles to be with her grandchildren and participate in every possible milestone she could. When the Estrada family returned to Hoopa, Michele continued to travel but always taking breaks with her grandchildren. After LeRoy passed in 2011 Michele traveled less but continued to be steadfast and constant in her grandchildren’s lives supporting them in their extracurricular activities such as sports, dance and clubs. She loved them with all and everything she had! Michele shared that the tragic deaths of her son Jamie and grandson Richard were the two most painful and difficult losses she experienced in her lifetime.

Michele was a Deacon of the Hoopa Presbyterian Church where she volunteered her knowledge and service over 35 years She started and operated the first Free Food Bank in Hoopa, in partnership with the Food For People Food Bank of Humboldt. She was the oldest member of the Hoopa Landmark Missionary Baptist Church.

Michele is survived by her Children: Leanne (Carlos) Estrada, Norma (Ken) McAdams of Hoopa, Jennifer Collins of Cattletsburg, Kentucky, Melissa Brinkerhoff of Arlington, Virginia. Wilifred (Tony) Alire of Reedley, Calif. Her Grandchildren: Virgil, Aaron, & Nathan (Leilani) Pole, Carlos Jr. (Crystal) Estrada, of Hoopa, Carleana Estrada of Eureka, Celina (Jesse) Lopez of Los Angeles, CA, & Andrew (Jenna) Alire of Fresno CA. Great-grandchildren: Stephanie, Carmen, Arianna, Sequoia, Natia, Lelencia, Julianna, Syliss, Virgil, Aaron, Johnny, Margaret, Cleo, King, Kik-ya, & K’ehniwh. Great-great grandchildren: Avianna, Alani, Alexander & Adrian. Her special Nieces and Nephew, Debbie (Gil) Martinez of Arizona, Jackie Philburn & Michael Philburn of New York, Christine (Ron) Trapane of Florida and many others.

Michele is predeceased by, her son, James Manning John McCardie, Grandson, Richard Fredrick Tis-mil Estrada, her husband LeRoy, her brother Michael (Jeanette)Philburn of Arizona, Parents, Erma & Michael Aloysius Philburn, Grandparents, Edward and Todia Echt of Seattle, Washington, & Michael and Margaret Philburn of New Jersey and many others.

Pallbearers: Virgil Pole ll, Aaron James Pole, Nathan Pole, Carlos Estrada Jr., Natia Pole, Syliss Pole, Virgil Pole lll, Aaron Ryan Pole, King Estrada

Honorary Pallbearers: Carlos Estrada Sr., Alex Pratt Jr., Arthur Jones Sr., Ken McAdams, Porty Blake, Virgil Blake, Loggie Jackson, Ryan Jackson, Virgil Pole Sr., David Tripp, Lance Lammon

A viewing for Michele will be at Paul’s Chapel in Arcata, August 26, 2021 between 3 and 6 p.m. at 1070 H Street, Arcata.

A graveside ceremony will be held on Friday, August 27, 2021 at the Jackson Family Cemetery at 5 p.m.

A meal will be shared at Pookies Park in Hoopa following the burial from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For any questions, call 530-598-9846.

The family requests that you practice physical/social distancing with your pods and family, and wear a mask during the services or when you are close to or near elders and children. If you have been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19 please send your condolences. Sanitation stations will be available at all locations!

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Wanda Janet Rocha
February 12, 1936 - July 23, 2021