LES CHEVALIERS DU ZODIAQUE – La Légende du Sanctuaire
Au cinéma le 25 février
Un film du studio TOEI Animation (‘Albator, corsaire de l’espace’)
Réalisé par Keiichi Sato
Producteur délégue en chef : Masami Kurumada
Synopsis : Au commencement, il y avait une Déesse chargée de protéger la Terre, Athéna. Gardienne de l’équilibre, elle fut cachée des Forces du Mal.
Quand sa vie est menacée, Seiya et les Chevaliers de Bronze endossent leurs armures. Ce sont les Protecteurs d’Athéna, les Chevaliers du Zodiaque.
Pour sauver leur Déesse et l’avenir de la Terre, ils vont devoir atteindre le Sanctuaire du Grand Pope et y affronter sa légendaire armée des 12 Chevaliers d’Or.
La plus grande bataille des Chevaliers du Zodiaque débute aujourd’hui.
1/14/2022: Some avian veterinarians are temporarily reducing their office hours due to the spread of COVID19. Before going to your appointment or (especially) dropping in, we strongly advise you to call your vet’s office to confirm they are open.
Mickaboo is hosting monthly online adoption fairs via Zoom and Facebook. Our February 2022 virtual adoption fair has been posted to Facebook.
Our next adoption fair will be on March 26, 2022, at 1 pm PT. Register here.
Our Youtube channel has all of our recorded virtual adoption fairs, bird nutrition videos, and more here!
03/17/2020: Mickaboo responds to Coronavirus (COVID-19) – .
Mickaboo is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax id #94-3286344) based in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Mickaboo is an all-volunteer virtual organization, meaning we are a network of volunteers with no central physical location. Our basic goal is to rescue parrots and other commonly domesticated companion birds who have been neglected, abused, injured or surrendered to us because their owners can no longer care for them. To accomplish this goal, we do the following:
Provide medical care and safe, healthy, foster homes for the rescued birds we take in.
Take in and rehabilitate injured or sick conures from the San Francisco “Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” flock.
Find and educate quality adoptive homes for the birds in our foster care
Inform avian caregivers on the most current standards of care via our free classes, online resources, and consultations.
Educate the public about the tragedies of overpopulation, and encourage them to adopt, not buy or breed birds.
Mickaboo is always looking for energetic, responsible volunteers to become foster parents and to help us rescue 300 to 400 birds every year, including helping with administration, education, fostering, public relations, technical support, and even simple one-day tasks such as bird and cage transport or staffing our adoption fairs.
We gladly accept donations. Over 95% of the financial support we receive goes to providing direct care for our birds.
Latin America’s women writers ride wave of acclaim — AFP pix
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MEXICO CITY, Nov 27 — From Uruguay to Mexico, Argentina to Ecuador, women writers from across Latin America are enjoying growing acclaim after years of marginalisation by an industry they say has long favoured male authors.
They reject the label of a new “Latin American boom” like the one that thrust male writers such as Peru’s Mario Vargas Llosa and Colombia’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s.
Instead, they see their success as a welcome break from the prejudice that sidelined many of their predecessors during the 20th century.
This weekend, hundreds of writers, editors and literary agents are expected to gather in Mexico’s second city for the Guadalajara International Book Fair, considered one of the world’s most important.
Uruguayan writer Fernanda Trias will receive the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Prize for her novel Mugre Rosa (Filthy Rose).
The 20th-century Latin American boom elevated figures such as Garcia Marquez and Vargas Llosa, but also “made the great women writers of that time invisible,” Trias, 45, told AFP.
But things are changing.
Her compatriot Cristina Peri Rossi won this year’s Cervantes Prize, considered the most prestigious award in Spanish-language literature.
Rather than a boom, Karina Pacheco of Peru prefers to speak of a “wonderful outpouring of women’s voices.”
“They have been there, contained by a dam, by the prejudice that a woman will not write as well as a man,” said Pacheco, 52, the author of El ano del viento (The Year of the Wind).
‘Intimate stories’
Mexico’s Guadalupe Nettel, winner of the 2014 Herralde Spanish literary prize for her novel Despues del invierno (After the Winter), sees underlying shifts in readers’ tastes.
Writers and readers alike are now inclined “much more towards subjectivities, minorities, the most intimate stories,” she said.
“And in that, women have always been the great narrators of everyday life, of the inner life,” said the 48-year-old.
Common themes explored by Latin American women writers include violence, fear and victimhood, as well as terror, supernatural or otherwise, said Maria Fernanda Ampuero, the Ecuadoran author of Pelea de Gallos (Cockfight).
Shunning marriage or having children is another shared thread, since “we were on the streets more, more exposed… (to) the dangers of being a woman,” added Ampuero, 45.
Trias sees common themes of de-romanticizing motherhood and “the different types of violence suffered by women’s bodies.”
“Women’s issues are issues of humanity,” she said.
‘Fight not won’
Despite the changes, discrimination persists insofar as “everything that women produce is positioned as if it were female literature,” and male literature is just literature, said Brazilian writer Djamila Ribeiro, 41.
“There is a hierarchy,” she said.
The extent of progress is also uneven depending on the country.
Pacheco regrets that in Peru there are not as many reviews of women’s work as in Argentina or Spain.
But “I’m not going to cry about this inequality. We denounce it and turn it into a challenge,” she said.
Striking a note of optimism, Nettel underlined that in 2014 she was only the third woman in 30 years to win the Herralde award — and since then, three others have received it.
Although there are steps in the right direction, Trias warned that “the fight is not won in the least.”
“To think that at this moment we are on an equal footing is a bit naive,” she said.
It is as important as ever to be vigilant to ensure “that what has been won is not lost,” Trias added.
Ampuero sees the increased visibility of women thanks to international movements against gender violence such as “Me Too” as an important factor.
There is also “a thirst to read other stories, to read about themselves in the stories,” she added.
But the bottom line, according to Nettel, is that women’s writing sets a high standard and is capable of opening universes and little-explored conversations.
“To get uncomfortable, you have to read women’s literature,” she said. — AFP
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California weighs changes for new water rights permits in response to a warmer and drier climate
“As California’s seasons become warmer and drier, state officials are pondering whether the water rights permitting system needs revising to better reflect the reality of climate change’s effect on the timing and volume of the state’s water supply. A report for the State Water Resources Control Board recommends tailoring new water rights permits to California’s increasingly volatile hydrology. And it warns that the increasingly whiplash nature of California’s changing climate could require existing rights holders to curtail diversions more often and in more watersheds — or open opportunities to grab more water in climate-induced floods.” Read the article at Western Water here:
Future of Sierra, Sequoia forests being decided now. How Creek Fire figures into plans
“New forest management plans that could be in effect for the next 15 years in California’s Sierra Nevada are almost complete – using public comments made prior to the catastrophic Creek Fire that burned nearly a third of Sierra National Forest. The aftermath of that wildfire – the largest single fire in California’s history – isn’t prompting big changes in national forest plan revisions that have been in the works for years, federal land managers said. Officials said that’s because a previous draft released in 2019 already factored in the probability of future mega wildfires. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Future of Sierra, Sequoia forests being decided now. How Creek Fire figures into plans
Conviction for violation of Clean Water Act required knowing discharge “into water”
“The Ninth Circuit reversed a conviction for three counts of violations under the Clean Water Act because the district court failed to instruct the jury that the defendant needed to knowingly discharge material “into water” to convict. United States v. Lucero, No. 19-10074 (9th Cir. March 4, 2021). In the summer of 2014, Lucero executed a scheme under which he charged construction companies to dump dirt and debris on lands near the San Francisco Bay, including wetlands and a tributary subject to the Clean Water Act. Although Lucero admitted to “walking the land” where the dumping happened, the period when the dumping occurred was unusually dry due to drought. The trial court found Lucero guilty on two counts of discharges into wetlands and one count of discharge into a tributary. … ” Continue reading at the California Land Use & Development Report here: Conviction for violation of Clean Water Act required knowing discharge “into water”
ACWA-sponsored SB 323 passes committee hearing
“ACWA-sponsored SB 323 (Caballero) passed out of the Senate Government and Finance Committee on March 25, following a hearing in which ACWA staff and members testified in support. The bill passed out of the committee on a 4-1 vote and will next be heard by the Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary. A date for that hearing has not yet been scheduled. … ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: ACWA-sponsored SB 323 passes committee hearing
In regional water news this weekend …
Sacramento: Warm weekend weather brings snowmelt, danger to area waterways
“A big warm-up is expected for the last weekend of March. Afternoon high temperatures will be 10-15 degrees above average. Saturday and Sunday highs will come close to 80 degrees for the valley and close to 60 degrees in the Sierra. These warm conditions mean Sierra snow will be melting and moving downhill this weekend and over the next couple of months. Local waterways will be very cold and swift so even though most people won’t be swimming, those spending time enjoying the beautiful trails and recreation should be extra cautious. … ” Read more from ABC Channel 10 here: Sacramento: Warm weekend weather brings snowmelt, danger to area waterways
Calaveras County: Vandals hit local water authority’s supply system
“Vandals caused thousands of dollars in damage to a Calaveras County water authority’s supply system and now the public’s help is being sought to catch the suspects. The crime occurred sometime during the weekend of Saturday, March 6th at the Utica Water and Power Authority’s (Utica) public water supply system east of Forest Meadows near the end of Pennsylvania Gulch Road in the Murphys area. Authority officials note that this is the only water supply for more than 10,000 residential, commercial and agricultural customers between Murphys and Angels Camp. ... ” Read more from My Mother Lode here: Calaveras County: Vandals hit local water authority’s supply system
St. Helena set to impose penalties for exceeding water rations
“The city is getting ready to impose new penalties for water customers who exceed their rations during St. Helena’s Phase II water emergency. On Tuesday the City Council told staff to bring the recommended penalties back for adoption at the April 13 council meeting. The new penalties would take effect May 1. Meanwhile, city officials will develop clear conservation targets and look at adjusting the city’s water management policies, including how water allocations are calculated. … ” Read more from the Napa Register here: St. Helena set to impose penalties for exceeding water rations
Fixing a dysfunctional marsh on Sonoma Creek
“Restoration projects, like species, evolve. The Sonoma Creek Enhancement Project, originally about mosquito control, has shown itself to be a boon to special-status tidal marsh wildlife as well. More than a decade of adaptive management actions made that happen. The existing marsh, formed rapidly beginning in the 1960s by deposited sediment, lacked the dendritic channels of a mature marsh. High tides brought in water that pooled in a central basin and didn’t drain out, providing breeding habitat for mosquitos. The disadvantages of chemical treatment prompted land managers to look for alternatives. So in the 2000s, the Marin-Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District teamed up with the US Fish & Wildlife Service (the land manager), Audubon California, and environmental scientists Daniel Gillenwater and Stuart Siegel to improve tidal circulation in the dysfunctional marsh. … ” Read more from Estuary News here: Fixing a dysfunctional marsh on Sonoma Creek
Bay Area: Local salamander study could shed light on life in fire zones
“With California now facing yearly threats of devastating wildfires, a Dominican University researcher is looking to salamanders as a potential indicator of the fires’ impact on wildlife. In a bit of happenstance, a plot of land that researcher Obed Hernandez-Gomez had been visiting each year to count salamander populations burned in last year’s Woodward Fire in the coastal area of Point Reyes in west Marin County. He saw it as an opportunity to continue the counts, only now through the charred lens of the recent fires. “So we have estimates of how many salamanders were here before and after the fire,” Hernandez-Gomez said. “It’s almost a silver lining.” … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area here: Bay Area: Local salamander study could shed light on life in fire zones
Bay Area: Sediment paparazzi
“As the Estuary faces drowning marshes due to rising seas, people want to see action – acres saved, walls built, marsh mice whisked to safety after crawling to the tip of the tallest gumplant. In terms of action, “sediment monitoring” doesn’t come immediately to mind. Monitoring is something you do after all the action is over, isn’t it? And as for “sediment,” well what’s all the fuss over some dirt and mud? In fact, there is quite a fuss. ... ” Read more from Estuary News here: Sediment paparazzi
Dutch Slough laboratory
“For a hawk’s-eye view of one of the Estuary’s most ambitious restoration efforts, visit the Dutch Slough Tidal Marsh Habitat Restoration Project’s YouTube channel. Drone-shot footage shows what the Department of Water Resources has been doing on 1,200 acres of former wetland, converted to pasture and subsided up to 15 feet, in the West Delta between Big Break and Jersey Island. After moving millions of cubic yards of soil to elevate the marsh plain, a team of engineers, scientists, and contractors led by project managers Katherine Bandy of DWR and Mark Lindley of Environmental Science Associates has carved channels and created a basin-and-range landscape on the Emerson and Gilbert parcels, the western two-thirds of the project site. … ” Read more from Estuary News here: Dutch Slough laboratory
Proposed natural gas well at edge of Bay Area riles up opposition, at odds with state’s climate goals
“A Brentwood company’s proposal to drill a natural gas well in Suisun Marsh has become the latest flash point in California’s quest to fight climate change and transition away from fossil fuels. Sunset Exploration wants to search for a commercially viable amount of gas at the site of an abandoned well in the wetlands south of Suisun City. If the company finds enough fuel, the Solano County project could be operational for 20 years, connecting to a pipeline that would help heat homes and light stoves around the region. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Proposed natural gas well at edge of Bay Area riles up opposition, at odds with state’s climate goals
Valley Water evaluating five dam alternatives for proposed expansion of Pacheco Reservoir
“In the face of climate change and severe weather, there is a risk of more prolonged droughts in California. Despite recent storms in March, Santa Clara County is now in a drought and it is unknown how severe it will get. Valley Water remains focused on preparing for future dry and wet years through a variety of projects and programs, including the proposed expansion of Pacheco Reservoir in southern Santa Clara County. The project would increase the reservoir’s capacity from 5,500 acre-feet to up to 140,000 acre-feet, enough water to supply up to 1.4 million residents for one year. … ” Read more from Valley Water here: Valley Water evaluating five dam alternatives for proposed expansion of Pacheco Reservoir
Early indicators of drought surface in Santa Cruz County
“As cherry blossoms and calla lilies spring to life, the sun shines and rain showers begin to seem like a distant memory. Spring is here, and with it Santa Cruz County has begun to show early indications of drought, with little reprieve in sight. Rainfall levels in the city of Santa Cruz and in the mountains are well below average. Loch Lomond is at a little more than 70% capacity and the San Lorenzo River is low for this time of year, according to officials. Several water agencies are considering implementing water-use restrictions — including rationing. The region’s current drought conditions are less severe than elsewhere, though. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Early indicators of drought surface in Santa Cruz County
Mono County victorious in litigation protecting local habitat and resources
“On March 8, 2021, the Alameda Superior Court issued an Order requiring the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to reverse its plan to eliminate water for wildlife habitat and scenic, recreational and economic resources on approximately 6,400 acres of land in Mono County — at least until such time as LADWP completes the required environmental review. The decision came as a result of a petition filed by Mono County and the Sierra Club under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Specifically, Mono County and Sierra Club sought to prevent damage to these valuable environmental and recreational resources resulting from a sudden and unanalyzed change in historic water management practices. … ”
Click here to read this press release from Mono County.
USC student tackles Kern River for media project
“It may surprise you (it surprises me all the time) but a lot of young people are deeply interested in how our world runs. Especially young people who also have a passion for journalism. One of those young people, Jonathan Horwitz, a graduate fellow at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, contacted me some months ago asking about water. … ” Read more from SJV Water here: USC student tackles Kern River for media project
Seawall protecting Laguna Beach home slated for demolition after legal battle
“Legal efforts to preserve a seawall protecting a waterfront Laguna Beach home have been exhausted, as the state Supreme Court declined on Thursday, March 25, to hear the issue after trial and appellate courts ruled in favor of a state Coastal Commission order to tear down the protective structure. The decision ends a 2½-year court battle. “The lawsuit is over,” said Steven Kaufmann, lawyer who represents the owners cited by the Coastal Commission. “I expect the seawall will be removed.” The fate of the house itself is not yet clear, but prospects appear grim. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: Seawall protecting Laguna Beach home slated for demolition after legal battle
California preparing for another drought? Local experts say the Coachella Valley is prepared
“California has experienced another consecutive dry winter, which has some state officials concerned that we could face drought-like conditions as we head into the Summer season. The state has adjusted its initial state water project allocation from 10% to 5%, but here in the Coachella Valley officials tell NBC Palm Springs we are prepared for the long-term. “When I say long-term I mean 40 or 50 years. We look at how we are going to supply enough water to meet the demand of our customers, residences, businesses, agriculture, it’s really a long-term plan,” explained Katie Evans, Director of Communications and Conservation with the Coachella Valley Water District. ... ” Read more from NBC Palm Springs here: California preparing for another drought? Local experts say the Coachella Valley is prepared
Santee Council gets update on Padre Dam’s big project
“Padre Dam Water District wants to keep everyone in the loop about its massive sewage reclamation project, especially the city where the project is located — Santee. At its March 24 virtual meeting, the Santee City Council approved a legal agreement to work collaboratively with the joint powers authority that is overseeing the nearly $700 million program called Advanced Water Purification. … ” Read more from the East County Times here: Santee Council gets update on Padre Dam’s big project
In people news this weekend …
Former Marin water official tapped to lead Madison Water Utility
“Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has appointed a former California water official to lead the Madison Water Utility. Krishna Kumar will become general manager of the utility June 1, the mayor’s office announced Tuesday. Kumar retired in 2018 as general manager of the Marin Municipal Water District, where he served for six years. He previously worked in Sonoma County, California, including as general manager of the Valley of the Moon Water District. … ” Read more from the Wisconsin State Journal here: California water official tapped to lead Madison Water Utility
Stockholm International Water Institute: Freshwater Thought Leader Sandra Postel awarded 2021 Stockholm Water Prize
“Sandra Postel is awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2021 for her long and outstanding work to make sense of complex water-related issues. As an author and educator, she has made important contributions to the understanding of some of the greatest challenges of our time and shown that we have the power to find sustainable solutions. Sandra Postel is a leading authority and prolific author and communicator on international water issues. She has been hailed for her inspiring, innovative, and practical approach to promoting the preservation and sustainable use of freshwater. Throughout her career, Postel has tackled complex water problems in her books, articles, and lectures, with an aim to make them comprehensible to a wide audience. … ” Continue reading at the Stockholm International Water Institute here: Freshwater Thought Leader Sandra Postel awarded 2021 Stockholm Water Prize
From the Officer of the Governor:
Jacqueline Hostler-Carmesin, 65, of McKinleyville, has been reappointed to the California Fish and Game Commission
… where she has served since 2013. Hostler-Carmesin has been Chief Executive Officer at Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria since 2010 and was Director of Transportation and Land-Use Planning there from 2007 to 2009. She was Roads Director at the Hoopa Tribal Roads Department from 2003 to 2007. Hostler-Carmesin held several positions at the Redwood Empire Aggregates Inc. from 1990 to 2002, including Payroll Administrator and Contract Administrator. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Hostler-Carmesin is an American Independent.
Samantha Murray, 44, of Del Mar, has been reappointed to the California Fish and Game Commission
… where she has served since 2019. Murray has been Faculty and Executive Director of the Master of Advanced Studies Program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego since 2017 and Principal at Samantha Murray Consulting since 2015. She was Director of the Water Program at the Oregon Environmental Council from 2015 to 2016. Murray directed various programs at the Ocean Conservancy from 2007 to 2014 and was Conservation Director at the Golden Gate Audubon Society from 2005 to 2007. Murray was Assistant Director of Conservation at the Audubon Society of Portland from 2004 to 2005 and a Legal Intern at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission in 2003. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Lewis & Clark Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Murray is a Democrat.
Erika S. Zavaleta, 49, of Santa Cruz, has been appointed to the California Fish and Game Commission
… Zavaleta has been a Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department since 2016, where she was a Professor in the Environmental Studies Department from 2003 to 2016. She held multiple positions at The Christensen Fund from 2005 to 2007, including Consultant and Program Specialist for Landscape Ecology. Zavaleta was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley from 2001 to 2003. She is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the Ecological Society for America; a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor; a member of the Society for Conservation Biology and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group and Invasive Species Specialist Group; an advisory board member at the Wildlife Conservation Society – Climate Adaptation Fund; and Associate Editor at Elementa. Zavaleta earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in biological sciences and a Master of Arts degree in anthropology from Stanford University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Zavaleta is a Democrat.
RIVERSPEAK PODCAST: Monty Schmitt: Water for the Navarro
In this episode, we hear from Monty Schmitt, senior project director of The Nature Conservancy’s Water Program. Monty’s years of creek hopping and frog chasing in his youth led him into a career as a water resources scientist and well-known specialist in salmon ecology. We’ll hear how his experience and expertise is translating into successful strategies for increasing flows and wild salmon populations in our California coastal watersheds.
EYES ON EARTH PODCAST (USGS): Landsat Water Atlas
“Dr. Alan Belward has spent a lot of time thinking about the planet’s surface water. The former Landsat Science Team member uses satellite data to track changes to lakes, rivers, and streams, and recently published a book that uses Landsat data to tell some of those stories. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we hear about some of the surprising things Belward and his team learned about how surface water has changed since the early 1980s and about the value and importance of remote sensing to the study of this critical resource.”
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING PODCAST: High Altitude Oceans
Steve Baker writes, “The summit of Mount Everest is composed of a two hundred fifty-million-year-old ocean created limestone. Darwin found marine fossils at the 12,000-foot elevation in the Andes. It’s unlikely that the oceans rose up to these heights during prehistoric global warming events so what really happened? Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life. ” Produced by Steven Baker, Operation Unite® Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, Online at www.operationunite.co
In national water news this weekend …
A Republican wants to breach Snake River dams. Where are Democrats?
“A sweeping proposal to remake the Pacific Northwest’s energy system to save its iconic salmon has been met with crickets on Capitol Hill and appears to have driven a wedge among environmental groups. Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson (R) released a $33.5 billion proposal for the region in early February that would breach four dams on the Lower Snake River in eastern Washington — the subject of decades of litigation and the country’s most expensive endangered species boondoggle. Simpson said breaching is necessary to give the river’s dwindling salmon runs a chance at survival. But in order to bring all the parties that rely on the dams to the bargaining table, he included many provisions and pots of money to, as he puts it, make everyone whole. Some of those measures have rubbed environmental groups the wrong way. The Center for Biological Diversity’s Oregon policy director, Quinn Read, called it a “nonstarter” in a statement. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: A Republican wants to breach Snake River dams. Where are Democrats?
America’s obsession with wipes is tearing up sewer systems
“Even before the pandemic, Americans were already flushing far too many wipes into the sewer system. After a year of staying at home, the pipe-clogging problem has gotten worse. Just ask Larry Hare, who says he immediately observed the change from his vantage point as the manager at a wastewater reclamation facility in Des Moines, Iowa. Sewer backups are up 50%, and he attributes this to the flushing of wipes, which don’t break down in water like toilet paper. “We’ve always had the problem, but it just hasn’t been as big a problem as it is currently,” Hare said. … ” Read more from Blo0mberg’s City Lab here: America’s obsession with wipes is tearing up sewer systems
Common mosquito pesticide packed with PFAS
“A pesticide widely used for mosquito control in Maryland and other states contains so-called forever chemicals — including a notorious compound phased out of U.S. production years ago due to health concerns — according to recent test results. Testing ordered by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Maryland Pesticide Education Network (MPEN) found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Permanone 30-30, an insecticide used by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) in its mosquito control efforts. The results come just weeks before the state is scheduled to begin its annual mosquito control spraying of 2,100 communities in 16 counties. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: Common mosquito pesticide packed with PFAS
Catch up on last week’s news in the Weekly Digest …
About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.
Cyrus told PEOPLE that their touring schedules put a kibosh on the short-lived liaison, adding, “We gave it a shot and that’s all you can do. Every time I hung out with that girl or talked on the phone with her, it was amazing. She’s someone I can totally relate to. But she is a lot younger than me. When someone is that much younger, you’re looking for different things in relationships. Maybe when she’s older and we’ve both matured, we’ll be looking for the same thing and it can work out.”
Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas dated in 2009 through 2010 while filming and promoting Camp Rock 2
Lovato starred alongside the Jonas Brothers in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2. While filming the sequel, she fell hard for Joe Jonas, describing him as her “best friend” and a “complete gentleman.” The couple went public…but it wouldn’t last. After a only a month or so together, Jonas told Us Weekly, “Demi and I knew going into our romantic relationship that it may not be an easy one. I realize over the time we have shared together that I feel I care more about our friendship right now. It was my choice to break up, but I love her as a friend. She’s been there for me when I needed her. I will continue to be her friend and be there for her.”
While reviewing footage from Camp Rock and its sequel in 2017, Lovato revealed she and Jonas had their first kiss on camera and that she had a crush on him since they’d first met, even though they only ended up dating for about a month or two.
Though quite brief, Lovato’s relationship with Jonas would be one that affected them both deeply and publicly. Shortly after their split (which went down in 2010 during a tour together), she entered rehab for substance abuse, bipolar disorder, self-harm and bulimia. Jonas later wrote of the experience in Vulture, “I really got to know her and got to see the ins and outs of what she was struggling with, like drug abuse. I felt like I needed to take care of her, but at the same time I was living a lie, because I wasn’t happy but felt like I had to stay in it for her, because she needed help. I couldn’t express any of that, of course, because I had a brand to protect.”
Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama were together for six years
In late 2010, Lovato began dating Wilmer Valderrama, who was 30 at the time. She insisted in her 2017 documentary, Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated, that though they met when she was 17, at Valderrama’s urging, they didn’t begin dating until she was no longer a minor. Lovato said in the film that when she met Valderrama while filming a public service announcement at his home, she fell in love at first sight. “I was like, ‘I love this man and I have to have him,’” she recalled, “but I was only 17 and so, he was like, ‘Get away from me.’”
She explained in Simply Complicated, “[The breakup] had nothing to do with falling out of love. We decided together that we’re just probably better as friends. I think my heart’s always with Wilmer. I think it was with Wilmer. I think that it is with Wilmer, and I think that it will be because you don’t share six years with somebody and not give them a piece of your heart and vice versa. I’m pretty sure that I’m not gonna meet anybody that compares to him.”
Lovato also noted, “The sparks never faded, but there are issues that I haven’t conquered yet that I know I won’t conquer if I’m relying on somebody else to take care of the loneliness.”
The singer told Glamourin November 2016 that the split was something that needed to happen in order for her to continue to grow and mature.
“I think it’s healthy to be able to start over with someone else. Being sick was always a part of my relationship with him; I always had something wrong with me. I needed to let go of that,” she said. “It was hard to depart from somebody who saw everything, but it may be nice to start fresh with somebody. Because that person I was when I was a lot younger is not who I am today.”
Valderrama and Lovato remained close friends post-split, and the That ’70s Show actor supported her after her 2018 overdose. In April 2020, Lovato revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that while she and Valderrama aren’t close anymore, she wished him well on his engagement to model Amanda Pacheco, with whom he welcomed a daughter in February 2021.
“I’m really happy for him and I wish him nothing but the best, but we’re not in each other’s lives [and] haven’t spoken in a long time,” she said. “But I think I needed that, because I needed to learn to be okay on my own.”
A newly single Demi Lovato played the field with three athletes 2016
In July 2016, Lovato was reported to have gone on some dinner dates with NFL star Odell Beckham Jr.. Lovato’s first semi-public romance after her breakup from Valderrama was with UFC fighter Luke Rockhold. The pair were photographed holding hands at Madison Square Garden while watching a UFC match, but PEOPLE reported at the time that they weren’t exclusive.
Lovato also was rumored to have hooked up with another MMA fighter, Guilherme “Bomba” Vasconcelos, that July and again after ending things with Rockhold in late 2016. She admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that Vasconcelos was “so cute” and that she was very happy, but their flame burned out by May 2017.
Demi Lovato was spotted holding hands with Lauren Abedini in 2017
Lovato and DJ-producer Lauren Abedini were spotted holding hands in Disneyland in September 2017. Neither has ever commented on the nature of their relationship, but Lovato has been open about her sexual fluidity: One listen to “Cool for the Summer” makes that clear.
If not, she will explain it anyway. She told InStylein March 2018 that her sexuality is “very fluid,” explaining, “I think love is love. You can find it in any gender. I like the freedom of being able to flirt with whoever I want.” Three years later, Lovato would reveal that cis men really aren’t her type (at least not anymore).
Demi Lovato dated Henry Levy from late 2018 to March 2019
Lovato suffered a near-fatal overdose in July 2018. Once out of the hospital and treatment, her first known romance was with clothing designer Henry Levy, with the pair going public that December in an Instagram Story.
The relationship lasted four months, and Lovato reportedly sought more treatment just before the breakup was announced.
Demi Lovato briefly dated Bachelorette contestant Mike Johnson in 2019
Lovato is a loyal member of Bachelor Nation. In late summer 2019, she went on a few dates with Mike Johnson, and he was more than happy to speak about their connection publicly.
The Bachelorette alum revealed on Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti‘s Almost Famous podcast that September, “We’ve gone on more than one date. I like her tattoos. We both have a lot of tattoos and she kisses really well.” Ironically, he added, “To be honest, I personally don’t like [dating in the spotlight]. I am very private with my relationships, straight up. But she’s in this light and that’s why I said she’s so humble and I think the world of her, because she has been able to have to deal with this crap. I can’t even imagine from her perspective. I’m a gentleman. I’m not going to kiss and tell.”
Demi Lovato dated model Austin Wilson from November to December 2019
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HTF 1W:
The weekly chart continues within the prior range-bound movement between the 30k USD and 70k USD areas. After quite an ugly weekly close, the bitcoin’s price action is still trading below its 50-week average value of 47000 USD.
This long-term picture does not seem to favor any specific direction, other than sideways for now. I personally expect this chaotic horizontal chop to continue as long as BTCUSD does not reclaim the said 50-week mean. A proper weekly close or a monthly close through this resistance could add enough momentum into the market, so that bitcoin springs towards the psychological barrier of $50000. Until then, it’s expected to continue between the 30000 USD lows and the 50-week mean regions acting as support and resistance areas, accordingly.
The bottom indicator, Birbicator, presents a combination of a trend and momentum measures. As of now, the upwards momentum has slowed down in the medium-term perspective. It could be portrayed by the flattening and tightening Stochastic ribbon. The trend analysis coming from the TK histogram, which shows a relative distance of Tenkan and Kijun based oscillators, shows that BTCUSD is nearing a bullish crossover to confirm an upwards trend. Most likely, it would align well with a break above the 47000 USD resistance.
HTF 1D:
After a failure to hold the weekly lows and an ugly daily close, bitcoin seems to be testing a strong technical support area defined by several BPRO indicators in conjunction.
Firstly, BTCUSD is tagging Baseline Wave Pivot demand zone spreading between 37300 USD and 38300 USD levels, based on the advanced price action. If this region fails and bitcoin closes a day strongly below the said 37300 USD support, it gains on chances to go south towards the market lows in the 33-34k USD area. Otherwise, the major daily resistances defined by BPRO are given at $44800 and $66000.
The daily trend still has not confirmed a breakdown, which implies that not all is lost just yet against the bears.
The Momentum Bands give an expected range of volatility for bitcoin in the 34800 USD and 49200 USD boundaries. The Low Band suggests a volatility-based demand zone at 34800-37000 USD, which based on average volatility could be considered a good buying opportunity in this region, at least for the short-term. A clean violation of the floor could validate a volatility breakout to the downside and potential further downside implications.
HTF 12H:
The middaily chart gives a clear picture for who’s got the upper hand over the medium-term bitcoin market. It’s bears for now.
Per the BPRO indicator, CTF Trailer, the bitcoin bulls lost the upper hand with a breakdown beneath 41500 USD support. Since then, BTCUSD has remained under the control of the bears – as long as BTC does not get back above 42558 USD level (CTF Trailer Stop).
The BWAP block suggests that this price and volume backed zone at 39400-40200 USD is the main local supply region for short-term bitcoin movements. A close above this area could further imply in an attempt to reach and break through the said CTF Trailer Stop at 42558 USD.
Until the condition above is met, bitcoin remains more bearish than bullish and potentially ready for a retest into 33-34k USD lows region. It is, provided that Russia-Ukraine tensions escalate and more FUD news flow in.
MTF 4H:
The MTF chart shows a clean set of support and resistance levels defined and adjusted automatically by the BPRO Level Lines, aside from other indicators.
Clearly, BTCUSD has been remaining under the bearish influence, empowered by external FUD factors. This news play dictated by the mainstream media seems to add nothing but noise and chaos into the charts.
As of now, bitcoin is struggling to break above the local BWAP block resistance at the 39000-39400 USD zone. As long as this area is not reclaimed by the bulls, bitcoin is in danger of going lower into the next support area near 36000 USD.
BPRO Level Lines show resistances at:
45192 42928 41796 40297
BPRO Level Lines show supports at:
38761 36208
These levels could be anticipated to serve as level-to-level references. In other words, when one level is breached, the next one in the direction of the movement can be expected to act as the next “magnet”
LTF 1H:
The hourly chart presents the key pivotal levels and zones given by the BirbicatorPRO.
As of now, it seems that the main activity for bitcoin is taking place between the 37500 USD lows and the 40150 USD highs. Currently, bitcoin is trading in the middle zone between those extreme levels with a fake breakdown at the bottom.
More often than not, a bottom fakeout is a potential symptom of demand lining up for a potential bounce. Yet, this bounce or an upswing is not confirmed until a strong pump above the $40150 resistance.
Local demand region is set at 38100-38400 USD.
Personally, I don’t find this short-term chart to be supportive of safe trading. Instead, it involves a lot of noise induced by external factors like Russia-Ukraine tensions and the media narratives. None of those is within our control or the “technicality” of the market.
For the sake of keeping it safe more than sorry, I prefer to view the intraday price action as chaotic movements, coming more or less randomly in both directions, depending on which narrative is supported more at a given moment by the media. Technical analysis does not offer forecasting what the media are going to print in the headlines, sadly.
Bitcoin: Number of Active Addresses (168h Moving Average)
As glassnode explains, this on-chain metric is “the number of unique addresses that were active in the network either as a sender or receiver. Only addresses that were active in successful transactions are counted.”
Clearly, the wallet activity has declined sharply ever since bitcoin’s rejection at the 45000 USD highs. It is rather not supportive of a price increase. Instead, it more works in favor of the bears in the short-term spectrum of the dates.
That being said, ever since bitcoin peaked at around 69000 USD (for now), the wallet activity seems to be moving in sideways rather than a clear downwards trend, whereas the BTCUSD price dropped.
FEAR/GREED INDEX
The fear saga continues, empowered by the external forces from the outside of the crypto market.
It seems that the Russia-Ukraine tensions are inducing more and more uncertainty and fear into the markets, globally. The risk-on assets, e.g. equities or cryptos seem to not tolerate that well in the presence of ever-changing narratives dictated by the mainstream media.
The extreme fear at 25 points historically have been proven to be better buying opportunity than it was for selling. I, naturally, expect no different this time.
The crowds are usually right in the middle of trends and usually wrong about anticipating the extremes and reversals. Remaining patient while getting early indications about the extreme sentiment changes could be source of positive returns over a period of time. Price action wise, bitcoin receives a lot of destructive noise.
Overall, both the course of BTCUSD and the sentiment seem to be circling back and forth in the same place. Rest might just be the noise to ignore.
As always, more details are revealed in the exclusive video reports.
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QCOSTARICA – The contagion rate of covid-19 in Costa Rica registered a slight increase in the last week, but it remains at low levels.
The use of masks in open public places where it is not possible to keep the distance between people is one of the measures to avoid the spread of covid-19. Photo Rafael Pacheco
In the last seven days, the indicator of the Universidad Hispanoamericana (UH) went from 0.81 to 0.84. This means that 100 people would infect another of 84.
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A week ago those 100 people would have infected 81. Two weeks ago they would have infected 89.
However, this number is also considered low because the next generation of cases would be smaller than this.
Researchers remain surprised by this decline, the rate considered unexpected.
To this is added that the number of infections fell by 23.7%. In the last week, the average daily cases is 515, about 122 fewer daily compared to the previous week.
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However, analysts assert that this is not the time to categorically consider that we are “flattening the curve” since infections depend on many factors and this indicator can be very volatile.
“We hope that this trend will continue like this for much longer, but it cannot be predicted with a good margin of certainty, and if we are heading towards the flattening of the curve,” warns Ronald Evans, epidemiologist and coordinator of the analysis.
“This pandemic is unfolding through different waves and as long as there are no percentages of the population greater than 70% at least that have immunity, either by natural infection or by vaccination, we will continue to be exposed to the coronavirus. We must continue to apply mitigation protocols for a time perhaps longer than expected,” he added.
What does (and what does not) the contagion rate measure?
The contagion rate, also called the R rate, represents the speed with which this virus spreads in a place and indicates, on average, how many people each carrier of SARS-CoV-2 would infect.
It is important to note that a person without symptoms, either because they have yet not them (presymptomatic) or because they are not going to have them (asymptomatic), can transmit the infection.
If the contagion rate is equal to 1, each person will infect, on average, another, and this will keep the transmission constant. If it is at 2, on average each person will infect two more and the transmission speed will double.
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Ideally, R should be less than 1, which is a sign that the rate of new cases is decreasing. If the index is higher than 1, the evolution of the disease will have greater speed.
With a rate of 1 the infection would remain constant.
If we take into account the incubation period of the virus before the appearance of symptoms, the number of infections that are reported today, occurred approximately six days ago, so this is an index that shows delays.
The R rate does not have to do with the number of cases, but rather with the transmission speed or the speed with which the virus spreads.
Nor does it measure how aggressive it is, but how its movement and evolution is in a certain place.
In the provinces
The contagion rate is not the same throughout the country. However, the analysis of the UH shows that, for the second consecutive week, the seven provinces are below 1.
Guanacaste continues as the province with the lowest R rate during the last seven days, with 0.73, while the province with the highest infection rate is Cartago, with 0.94.
Last week was the one with the lowest level.
For the authors of the report, this is a sign of how volatile the transmission of the virus is.
The rate in the provinces from highest to lowest.
By cantons
This is the week there are, for the first 52 very low-risk cantons.
In the province of San José: Escazú, Santa Ana, Mora, Montes de Oca, Curridabat, Alajuelita, Coronado, Tibás, Moravia, Desamparados, León Cortés, Goicoechea, Puriscal, Acosta, Aserrí, Tarrazú, Turrubares, Dota.
In the province of Alajuela: San Carlos, Los Chiles, Atenas, Poás, San Ramón, Upala, San Mateo, Zarcero, Río Cuarto.
In the province of Cartago: La Unión, Paraíso, Alvarado, Jiménez, Turrialba.
In the province of Heredia: Belén, Sarapiquí, Heredia, Santa Bárbara, San Rafael, Flores.
In the province of Guanacaste: Nandayure, Abangares, Carrillo, Liberia, Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Bagaces, Cañas, Tilarán.
In the province of Puntarenas: Buenos Aires, Puntarenas, Montes de Oro, Esparza.
“Dr. Alan Belward has spent a lot of time thinking about the planet’s surface water. The former Landsat Science Team member uses satellite data to track changes to lakes, rivers, and streams, and recently published a book that uses Landsat data to tell some of those stories. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we hear about some of the surprising things Belward and his team learned about how surface water has changed since the early 1980s and about the value and importance of remote sensing to the study of this critical resource.”