July 24, 2008
In honor of he who gives hope and awesome speeches — a round up of train news.
CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS
I agree with Northbayist that the SMART campaign has been lackluster at best. NBayist offers some reasons why. SMART has now created the North Bay Transportation Alliance…Sexy. They have just announced they will be beginning to contact voters in August. August? Umm..guys. That is about 90 days to explain to voters why they need to spend more in sales taxes in an economic downturn for a system that was voted down by Marinites last time it was on the ballot.
The Marin IJ is reporting that this newfangled North Bay Transportation Alliance is pleading with Supervisors not to put a sales tax measure for open space, fire protection, and farmland protection.
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Posted in SMART 
No Comments »
July 24, 2008
Did you know that St. Joseph was the patron saint of real estate? Did you know some of our local real estate agents are praying to him? I heard on NPR yesterday that you are supposed to bury one or two St. Joe figurines upside down by your real estate sign. According to NPR, absolutely no one can explain why this particular ritual would work. Why upside down? Nobody knows. If you are doing this practice and know why, email me.
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Posted in Events No Comments »
July 24, 2008
A lot of developments are happening on the Light Brown Apple Moth and it is pretty disturbing. It seems that when the State announced that they would halt spraying over urban areas, it didn’t mean the entire program halted. They are still going to spray in undisclosed areas. The planned ground eradication programs are troubling. This program may include truck fogging and splats on thousands of telephone poles with permethrin, a neurotoxin that has been shown to toxic to humans and bees. These splats can easily blow off in windy conditions and find their way into our yards and playgrounds. It is clear that we need to re-engage and renew the fight.
Next Monday, July 28th, there is going to be a Town Hall Meeting and Potluck at the First United Methodist Church
9 Ross Valley Drive, San Rafael, CA at 6pm. Medical expert Dr. Ann Haiden and Frank Egger will be speaking. There will be a short documentary shown. For information contact Craig Slater at 721-7241 or craigyes@sbcglobal.net. This is sponsored by Marin Peace and Justice Coalition and First United Methodist Church.
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Posted in Bay Area News, Pesticides, Stop the Spray, Support AB977 No Comments »
July 19, 2008
An unjust law has just got a name…California Proposition 8.
Tomorrow, I am working at the AIDS Walk in Golden Gate Park to do my part to stop this horrible proposition. I will be at the Golden Gate Park Entrance by Haight and Stanyan wearing my stylish Marin Politics / Marinmaven.com long sleeve shirt offering myself in service to the wonderful folks who are running the No on Prop 8. I ask and I plead with you to volunteer, talk to your friends, and show up in November to vote down this very, very unjust law. Buy a PROTECT MARRIAGE! NO ON PROP 8 bumpersticker! I would love to have company, so if you live South of Marinwood I have room for 2 people to join me and I will drive. My shift is 11:30 am to 3 pm. I am thinking of going earlier to find parking and get some breakfast on the Haight. Oh how I miss All You Knead! If you are interested you can email me or call the Marinmaven hotline at 415-203-6965.
Posted in NO ON PROP 8 1 Comment »
July 16, 2008
Isn’t that adoreable? What you are watching is the always cute African Pygmy Hedgehog atelerix albiventris . While these mammals due originally hail from mid-Africa, they are found practically all over the world. They come from one of the most ancient mammal families Erinaceidae, who were around with the dinosaurs.
These adorable animals eat fruits, vegetables, and cat food. They also provide great natural pest control in your garden, while being cute and friendly. Unfortunately, these wonderful creatures were put on the list as “detrimental animals” and are illegal to possess in California and Hawaii. In all other states they are legal. Some states make a distinction between the European Hedgehog and the African Pygmy Hedgehog — making the latter legal. Some states do require ownership permits and licenses for breeding African Pygmy Hedgehogs, which seems reasonable. Once hedgehogs as pets catch on, you can only imagine the revenues the state would rake in.
They are as small as pocket dogs, but cuter and are not yippy.
They are so safe around small children that hedgehogs have been found to be an excellent classroom pet. Since they are not rodents they don’t have a smell. As long as the family practices handwashing, as they should with any pet, the hedgehog is perfectly safe as any pet to be around babies and small children.
My husband really wants to have hedgehogs and I would love to be able to get him a couple for our 13th anniversary or his birthday, but I do not want to run afoul of the law and risk confiscation.
My mission is to get African Pygmy Hedgehogs off the list of the California Fish & Game commission, and make the possession, sale, and breeding of headhogs as pets legal.
So I called the California Department of Fish & Game and the Fish & Game Commission. No one could tell me why exactly the hedgehog has been put on the list. They told me that hedgehogs were put on the list 30 to 50 years ago by the California legislature, before the Fish & Game Commission had the authority over the list. Steve Martarano at the Fish & Game Information office told me that they know there is an underground of people who own ferrets, and it is a low priority for the department. He says he has never been asked about hedgehogs before. He found one rational by one biologist, “Hedgehogs are insectivores and when exported from their native ranges have established populations in the wild outside those ranges. Unfortunately, pet owners sometimes become tired or frustrated with pets and release them into the wild which is detrimental to California’s native animals, because they compete for food, habitat, and may introduce new diseases.” Thanks to Steve for the clarification and his research.
Other than that, people I talked with could only speculate generally as to why the hedgehog was put on the list. They guessed that they worry the non-native species would get loose, become feral and become a threat to a native species. I must stress that no one at the California Fish & Game could find any information specific to the hedgehog as to why it was on the list. This biologist statement still isn’t very specific and is not accurate.
The problem of owners getting tired or frustrated with pets is universal no matter what species we are talking about. Making African Pygmy Hedgehogs legal would allow for educational programs, rescue homes, and adoption programs to exist to deal with such cases. Making hedgehogs go underground will actually lead to abandoned illicit hedgehogs that would most likely be set free in the wild. Legalization is the only way we can keep hedgehogs safe and out of the wild. African Pygmy Hedgehogs do not come from Africa anymore since they have been bred for a long time in the United States. The first legal Californian African Pygmy Hedgehogs will most likely be brought in initially from our neighbors Oregon and Washington State. These hedgehogs have been and be bred domestically for the domestic pet market.
I can state that the African Pygmy Hedgehog is breed to be a domestic house pet and owners of these pets are careful to make sure that they limit the time outdoors if at all due to wanting to maintain the hedgehog’s temperature needs so they do not go into hibernation. Plus the animal is so darn cute, you would not want to be apart from one’s hedgehog. Another fact is that a hedgehog baby can run you about 300 bucks, so there is an incentive to not let your pet to escape from the wild. One of the reasons we do not want to sneak hedgehogs over the border from Oregon or Washington is we couldn’t tolerate having our hedgehog confiscated as illegal contraband. If our neighbors to the North on the West Coast Region have no problem with the legalization of African Pygmy Hedgehog, California should have no problem.
It seems California is perfectly willing to introduce pesticides that not only harm the target insect but pose risks to beneficial bugs, animals, and humans all the time. Hedgehogs are the ultimate in green pest control for your garden as they are insectivores. They don’t have to be, as they are also happy with cat food.
I was really surprised that Fish & Game had no information on what exactly is the problem with the hedgehog. How can they justify keeping them on the list?
I would like people to join me in writing a letter to the California Fish & Game Commission to get them to make owning, selling, and breeding African Pygmy Hedgehogs legal in California. Please let them know that you would like to legalize the sale, possession, and breeding of domesticated African Pygmy Hedgehogs as pets in California, since they are unable to provide any reasons for why they got on the list since it was put on the list 30 or 50 years ago before the commission had control of the list. Even Fish and Game itself sees enforcement of this regulation as low priority, even though they are aware of underground hedgehog population.They cannot even tell us if there are any industries or interests who are threatened by the existence of the African Pygmy Hedgehog. They are supposedly the experts with biologists on staff to tell us which species need to be protected or excluded.
It is time for the health and safety of these animals that this population is allowed to be legal and regulated so California can insure that these animals are being treated humanely, bred responsibly, and allow veterinarians to serve this population.
California Fish & Game Commission
Mr. John Carlson, Jr.
Executive Director
1416 9th Street, Suite 1320
Sacramento, CA 95814
Posted in LEGALIZE HEDGEHOGS! No Comments »
July 15, 2008
I was just minding my own business and working on being tan, ready, and rested when all hell breaks loose in my own community over the whole Marinwood Plaza plan. Long-time readers of this blog know that I have special interest in what happens to that eyesore of a plaza just off the Marinwood exit. Living in Marinwood, I need a market that I can walk to and everyone in Marinwood agrees with me on that, but the feeling of unity disintegrates after that.
What got me out of the soaking pool? A couple of weeks ago I received an email announcing what would be last night’s meeting from the Marinwood Village Task Force. Then there is an email from the CSD saying that the task force is not a part of the CSD and a mailer from the county stating their position. Oh.oh. someone or the entire Marinwood Village Task Force has gone rogue. This meeting could be very, very entertaining. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Developments in Marin, Living in Marin, Marin Politics, Susan Adams, marinwood village 5 Comments »
June 20, 2008
The RNC Hates Our Oceans
“California’s coastline is an international treasure. I do not support lifting this moratorium on new oil drilling off our coast.“
Is Arnold Schwarzenegger really the only republican that likes our oceans and appreciate what drilling off our coasts would do to our tourism?
John Mccain is now agreeing with Bush to reverse a 27 year old ban on offshore drilling for oil. It is completely obvious Mccain is writing off California and doesn’t want our votes. Californians would never benefit from the drilling as it would take 5-10 years to get anything and it will all go to our Chinese overlords.
Until I stop seeing Hummers, Escalades, Dodge Rams, and other Uber-Fuel-Sucking vehicles, I believe we have some work to do with conservation before we start digging holes offshore.
Posted in Don't Vote Mccain, california politics, holy crap No Comments »
June 20, 2008
More apologies to Eric Carle…
We hear the sound of successful grassroots activism! The California Department of Food and Agriculture has reversed its position on spraying nine highly urbanized coastal counties Northern California to control the Light Brown Apple Moth. The CDFA has said that in January 2009 they will release sterile moths to control the moths (why didn’t they try that FIRST?) and the state is proposing to use the insecticide permethrin (which is toxic to honey bees, aquatic life, and cats) on thousands of telephone poles, as well as conduct ground-based spray treatments with pheromones and “other” ingredients. Activists are questioning the need for the moths to be controlled at all since they have been here for 30 years without crop loss.We need to make sure that these ground methods won’t hurt us, our animals, or honey bees.
Just because the spraying has been stopped thanks to Frank Egger and the folks over at STOPTHESPRAYMARIN.ORG have done a great job in the North Bay and need some financial contributions for all the expenses they have incured on our behalf.
Posted in Events No Comments »
June 7, 2008
Waiting for My T-shirt
Phil. Phil. Phil Lesh! I am waiting for my Deadheads for Obama T-Shirt and it is harshing my mellow not getting it already. So, if you are out there…I need a miracle, Phil.
Waiting on the Class of 2oo8
Many congratulations to the graduating class of 2008. Your mission if you are willing to accept it is to work for a political campaign or movement you believe in. We have so much hope in you because we know you can do it. Check in with Marinmaven for more information.
Waiting for YOU to Buy I LOVE Marin Boxers & Thong
You know you want them.
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Posted in Deadheads, Hillary Clinton, Obama No Comments »
June 5, 2008
Don’t Spray on Me
Yesterday I went marching with 1000 others on the Golden Gate bridge against the Spraying of Checkmate. I am still working on the Video from the event.
Despite, Carole Migden being able to get Arnold Schwartzenegger to agree to testing, spraying is still scheduled in August. Checkout stopthespraymarin.org, and find out how you can put pressure on the State and Federal government to do an EIR (state level) and an EIS (federal level). Ultimately, our goal should be to stop the spraying period. Today, June 5th, Mothers of Marin Against the Spray will be having a Play Date in the Park/Letter Writing Campaign Party at Corte Madera Town Park from 3pm to 5pm.
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Posted in Motherhood, Stop the Spray, california politics, causes No Comments »
June 5, 2008
I am absolutely thrilled. Barack Obama will be our next president. It seems that there is already a letter going out that Clinton will suspend her campaign on Saturday and throw her support toward Obama.
It will take a lot of registration drives and hard work to get the turn out, but I feel good about our chances.
There is a lot of hard feelings on the part of Clinton supporters. I understand that for many of them this was the last chance to see a woman for president in their lifetimes. I am disappointed that a woman hasn’t been president yet, but unfortunately this woman candidate made choices that alienated many Americans. While it is true Clinton did capture her own constituencies, I believe that the more they get to know Obama the more they will like him. This has happened time after time.
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Posted in Hillary Clinton, Obama No Comments »
June 4, 2008
As I reported earlier, the Forces of Darkness was appealing to the California Supreme Court because they don’t want any same sex marriage occur before their initiative can try to make a mockery of the California state constitution. Of course, the California Supreme court refused their stay. So, on Tuesday, June 17th couples will be able to go to registrars offices around the state and get married like the rest of us. Marinites can now get married in Frank Lloyd Wright style. May you all wed in absolute loving bliss. Don’t mind me, I always cry at weddings…so beautiful.
Posted in california politics, marriage equality No Comments »
June 4, 2008
There is most excellent news to report. Proposition 98 went down in defeat and it was really not even close. Statewide 61% voted no. Marin county voted no 67.3%, Sonoma 69%, and San Francisco voted no with a whopping 74.67%. Apparently, 99 was fine winning statewide by 62.5%. Marin county voted yes on 99 by 64.65%, Sonoma by 69.5%, and San Francisco by 71.22%.
CD-3 State Senate Race aka Rumble in the Bubble
Congratulations Mark Leno!
Distric
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