Thought Train:
Bolinas and our
Beloved Bolinas Lagoon, N and S of Slide Ranch.
Archive for November, 2007
Revenue Loss Adjustment, Favorable Publicity & Beach Reopening
Monday, November 19th, 2007Bolinas and our
Beloved Bolinas Lagoon, N and S of Slide Ranch.
SF Oil Spill
Sunday, November 18th, 2007To view the latest information regarding the San Francisco Bay oil spill see Oil Spill Information: http://www.marinsheriff.org/about.aspx?gi_id=45 at the County of Marin Website, http//:www.co.marin.ca.us. Below are relevant telephone hotlines:
• To report oiled wildlife: (877) 823-6926
• To report oil sightings: (985) 781-0804
• To report oil related property claims: (888) 850-8486 -UPDATED 11/9/07
• For more Information: (415) 399-7305
• Marin County Sheriffs Office: 415 479-2311
Minister of Information, Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce, 415 868-1330. On the ground updates in the Muir and Stinson Beach Area.
415 868-1330, Minister of Information, SBCCommerce for alternate pristine spots to visit in the SW Marin Area and updates for the impacted beaches. Keep away from the affected beaches. No volunteers at this time, needed. Do not interfere with designated cleanup crews.
Emergency Housing and Lodging Referrals for 1st Responders and interested others in the SW Marin Area: Call SBCCommerce, 415 868-1330 for referrals to rentals, park facilities and areas for temporary logistical and supply locations in the SW Marin Area, including parking lots, shelter and 24HR. HOT MEALS for emergency vehicles and crews.
— Stinson Beach -World at Peace Redwoods Haus- Beach, Bed and Breakfast, www.stinson-beach.com, 415 868-1034, 868-9828. #1 Belvedere and Shoreline Hwy. #1. Wireless/ Phones/Meals/Showers/Rooms w VCR/HBO/DSL. Located next to Hwy. #1 SB Firehouse, and the Stinson Beach Community Center [415 868-1444]
— Adjacent Stinson Beach Lodging: Stinson Beach Motel 415 868-1712, Ocean Court 415 868-0212+ Sandpiper Motel 415 868-1632. Muir Beach: Pelican Inn, 415 383-6000
— Muir Beach: Pelican Inn, 415 383-6000
Marin Humane Society - Oil Spill Disaster Response
http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/HelpAnimals/oilspill.html,
In response to the major oil spill in San Francisco Bay on November 7, the Marin Humane Society is cooperating with the Marin County Office of Emergency Services (OES) and assisting the command center at Fort Mason with animal handling and transport as needed.
People and their pets are discouraged from visiting beaches that have been impacted by visible oil. If your pet gets small amounts of oil on them, remove with mineral oil or bathe in the usual manner. If your pet becomes drenched in oil, contact your veterinarian immediately.
To report oiled wildlife
If you see a bird or other animal that has been affected by the spill, please call the Oiled Wildlife Reporting Hotline at (877) 823-6926. A team of trained wildlife responders has been established to handle all calls. Wildlife exposed to oil are considered hazardous and as a result only people with specific training should have direct contact or handling. If you are unable to get through to the hotline, please call the Marin Humane Society at (415) 883-4621.
Media inquiries
For media inquiries, please contact the Marin Office of Emergency Services at (415) 499-6584.
Local Updates
For Muir Beach or Stinson Beach, Minister of Information, SBCCommerce, www.stinson-beach.org, 415 868-1330.
Health precautions and health effects
The Marin County Environmental Health offices advises the following information for all persons at or near the affected areas:
Health Precautions
• Avoid contact with the oil.
• Do not swim in water contaminated with oil.
• If you do get oil on your skin, wash it with soap and water. Do not use solvents, kerosene, or other similar products to remove oil from your skin.
• Do not harvest shellfish or fish from beaches contaminated with oil.
• Do not burn debris (such as driftwood) contaminated with oil.
• Keep pets out of oil and oily water. If pets get small amounts of oil on them, remove with mineral oil or bathe in the usual manner. If a pet becomes drenched in oil, contact your veterinarian for advice
• Ingestion (eating) of oil may cause nausea and/or stomach ache.
• Inhalation of (breathing in) of oil fumes may cause headache or dizziness.
• Skin contact with oil may cause a rash or other reaction.
• If you come in contact with the oil and experience symptoms, consult with your healthcare provider.
Signs will be posted by Marin County Environmental Health Services at affected Marin County beaches to avoid swimming and harvesting fish/shellfish from these areas. People and their pets are discouraged from visiting beaches that have been impacted by visible oil. Marin County Environmental Health Services will be working with the Environmental Management Branch of the California Department of Public Health on any issues related to regulatory oversight of shellfish harvesting areas.
Additional Information Sites:
Marin County OES
Marine Mammal Center,
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org
Oiled Wildlife Care Network,
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/owcn
SFGate.com,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/09/BAD8T8PLU.DTL
MarinIJ.com,
http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_7413483
The Preceding was compiled and researched by the Minister of Information, SBCCommerce, John Posadas www.stinson-beach.org, 415 868-1330, see our Stinson Beach Community Network Site, www.stinson-beach.net, funded and supported by the World at Peace, Redwoods Haus-Beach, Bed and Breakfast in Stinson Beach, www.stinson-beach.com, 415 868-1034.
Disclaimer: Information presented on this email is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We strongly recommend that Stinson Beach Chamber of Commerce data be acquired directly from the SBCCommerce Website, www.stinson-beach.org, server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While SBCCommerce makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. SBCCommerce welcomes suggestions on how to improve our home page and correct errors. SBCCommerce provides no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of furnished data.
Some of the documents on this server may contain live references (or pointers) to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that SBCCommerce does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials.
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Update: SBFire Chief Ken Stevens has personally coordinated the laying of the boom, to ward off fuel oil from entering the Bolinas Channel. Federal Park Service Chief Officer Ken Norton is in charge of Closure of Stinson Beach Federal Park coordinating Cleanup of Fuel Oil by Contractor Cleanup Crews-no volunteers or gawkers, legal penalties for trespassers. Stay Tuned for updates.
Update: SBFChief Ken Stevens has laid a boom across the Bolinas Channel to ward off entry of fuel oil. That boom has broken 2x due to tidal backflow from the Lagoon. The Chief, is back out fixing the boom, wish him luck…GGNRA Park Federal Officer Ken Norton has closed off Stinson Beach Federal Park to coordinate cleanup by contractors, no volunteers or trespassing by the interested public allowed.
Update: SBFChief Ken Stevens has successfully laid a boom across the Bolinas Channel to ward off entry of fuel oil, into the BoLagoon, that boom has been broken by tidal outflow, 2x, afterwards repaired. Thank you, Chief Stevens and SBVFD, for your heroic efforts, your commitment over and above the, Call of Duty, to save the seals, migratory aquatic birds and pristine quality of the BoLagoon for the nature loving public. Note: We need a high tech boom, innovated to sustain the tidal flow/ high and low, where are you, when we need you, Silicon Valley? . .
GGNRA Park Federal Officer Ken Norton has supervised the closure of the Stinson Beach Federal Park to coordinate cleanup by contractors, no volunteers or trespassing by the interested public w or w/o domestic animals allowed. Thank you, GGNRA Federal Park Officer Ken Norton and Co. for protecting the public safety and insuring the return of the White Sands of Stinson and Muir Beach to the posterity of Mankind.
Update: Talked with SBVFD Volunteer Toby Bisson about Sunday Morn [witnessed Sun. Early Morn Prep at Seadrift, toured beach, counted dead birds, took samples of fuel oil droplets] during installation of new Red Float/Bumper Boom, that broke from tidal pressure. Will be reinstalled Monday Morn, by Marin Open Space and Park Dept. Personnel and State Contracted Service.
Sun. Night delivery of 10? porta-potties to Stinson Beach Federal Park, by semi truck. Made phone calls from SBCCommerce Office, across from Hwy. #1 SBVFD Firehouse, to MC Sheriff to coordinate, opening of gate, by GGNRA Federal Park Police. Significant.
Stay tuned, read following historical/informational references.
Keep on Praying, Meditating, Astral-Projecting, Bowing to Mecca, Dancing [Smileys in Bo, Rancho Nicasio in Nicasio] Communing (Live Water Surf Shop-Bilabong-Movie-7p.m. Sat. Night, Parkside Restaurant-live music, Sat. Night, Open Mic Every Tues. Night w Soup-Salad-Pasta at $10.per person, Sunday Worship-Nondenominational 9:30a.m. Catholic 11 am, Stinson Beach Community Presbyterian Church-Belvedere Ave. Stinson Beach, that’s right, in the same bldg., Bolinas Presbyterian and Episcopal, dif. church locations on Brighton], Supporting your: Volunteer Fire Depts. in Stinson, Bolinas, Muir Beach; MC Sheriffs Dept.; CHP, U.S. Coast Guard; GG
NRA, Point Reyes National Seashore Personnel, Tamalpais and Tomales State Park Personel; Ca State Dept of Fish & Game; MC Open Space District; the first line of defense against the Fuel Oil Spill reaching more beaches as well as the BoLagoon & Tomales Bay in SW and West Marin, your cooperation with the former agencies is required, to protect our Pristine Homeland….
Update: SBVFChief Ken Stevens, chief Open Space Ranger Brian Sanford, as well as their Dept. personnel as well as the Bo Fire Dept., have successfully pulled and floated into place, two Government Supplied technologically inferior booms, one yellow-twice broken, mended and put back into service, the 2nd-Red placed today and then broken [Sunday Morning, Nov. 11th], across the channel of the BoLagoon, to ward off entry of Fuel Oil from the SF Bay Fuel Oil Spill. Both booms have been broken by low tidal outflow &/or high tidal inflow, afterwards repaired, the second boom, to be reinstalled by manpower tomorrow. Putting into high peril, the pristine quality, migratory aquatic and seals of the BoLagoon. That’s Homeland Security Efficiency in practice, another nail in the coffin of the Bush Administration, oil boarding the wildlife of the BoLagoon, by lagging, in the development of appropriate remedies to deal with the negative effects of oil spills, if 58K gallons of oil, can’t be mopped up, imagine the H.L.S. preparedness for another 3 mile episode or better yet, Chernobyl. Thank you, SBVFD Chief Stevens, BVFD Chief Anita Turrell-Brown, Chief Open Space Ranger Brian Sanford & your Dept. for your heroic efforts, your commitment over and above the, Call of Duty, to save the seals, migratory aquatic birds and pristine quality of the BoLagoon for the nature loving public. Note: We need a high tech boom, innovated to sustain the tidal flow/ high and low, where are you, when we need you, Silicon Valley? Or, do we have to call in the Japanese, the Israelis, the Germans or the Swiss?
GGNRA Park Federal Officer Ken Norton has supervised the closure of the Stinson Beach Federal Park to coordinate cleanup by contractors, no volunteers or trespassing by the interested public w or w/o domestic animals allowed. Thank you, GGNRA Federal Park Officer Ken Norton and Co. for protecting the public safety and insuring the return of the White Sands of Stinson and Muir Beach to the posterity of Mankind.
Update: Happy Days: For SW Marin, excepting the cleanup of Stinson, Muir Beaches and all affected beaches in South and East Marin. The major amount of Fuel Oil Sludge has been blown south towards Half Moon Bay by NW Winds… Unlucky, for Half Moon Bay but great for the West Marin Beach Areas, Bolinas Lagoon and Tomales Bay. The Low and Medium Booms which were rented by the MC OES Dept. at $8K per day, that were insufficient, for the purpose of keeping out, of the BoLagoon, fuel sludge are being returned to the rental service that sent them out… Experts that consulted the Open Space and Parks District, now, have recommended a heavy boom, that would be anchored in the Ocean, close to the mouth of the BoLagoon Channel, to protect the channel from fuel oil… Phew! Now we can focus our prayers and mental energy to our brethren in Half Moon Bay, Pacifica and all Beach communities South that the fuel oil can be cleaned up before it fouls their locale. Thank you SBVFD Ken Stevens, for this latest update.
Minister of Info. SBCCommerce, info@stinson-beach.org, 415 868-1330., .
Update: Noon Monday, received info. that NW Winds blew Sunday Night and Monday Morning, all the surface fuel oil, South to beaches from S.F. to Half Moon Bay and beyond… as such, there was no reason to redeploy protective defective rented containment boom, across BoLagoon. Given notice, that there would be a meeting at the Bolinas Firehouse, at 7p.m. Monday Night, to review the event protocol set up to protect the Coastline and BoLagoon from oil spill and whether it followed through in this case.
Update:Business owners in SW and West Marin, in the next week elements of the 1st responder agencies and depts. as well as the representatives of the Cosco Busan are going to discuss and elaborate on:
We need to train personnel in the local area as 1st responders and boom operators/installers in the event of future oil spills threatening our bay, inlets and Lagoon. Giving credence to locals, a priority.
Financial Loss incurred from the present event, the formula that the Cosco Busan will use to redress merchant claims.
The infrastructure necessary to advert future spills effects, such as permanent anchors, hold-downs, storage items and storage containers in close proximity to deployment areas.
Consolidation of 1st Responder Agencies, Department and Bureaucracy, to achieve faster response..
Please R.S.V.P., SBC Commerce, Minister of Info, 415 868-1330, info@stinson-beach.org, A.S.A.P. Send suggestions, pledges of support, contribute incidentals [food, organizing]. There is no time to lose, Busans Reps. are lining up as well as the state agencies, [CA. state Fish and Game] strength in numbers. We can Change the way things get done. Why Accept/Acquiesce, we have done nothing wrong…
Effects of Bolinas Meeting-this Nov. 18th Sat. 9a.m.-1p.m: EPA is offering a course, “Trainers Trainer” at the Bolinas Firehouse 9a.m.-1a.m. This course is open to all those who wish to volunteer for fuel oil toxic cleanup. Required course for trainers of trainers.
Internet Troubles: Switching Internet Providers
Sunday, November 18th, 2007John,
Before you read this message, it may be beneficial to review a few things about modems > routers > range expanders > wireless adapters > personal computers.
A MODEM is a box that SBC- ATT, or Comcast provides to customers for internet service. This device allows customers to access the internet with an ethernet cable OR via a wireless network. If you have a wireless network, you need a ROUTER The router is connected to the modem using an ethernet cable. The routher sends a signal from your modem to your personal computer which enables your pc to connect to the internet. This setup is call a WIRELESS NETWORK. Your pc must have a WIRELESS ADAPTER to receive the signal sent from the router. If your pc is in another part of the house, you may need a RANGE EXPANDER to strengthen the wireless signal. In our case, the modem is located upstairs next to Johnny’s big screen TV. Since I am on a lower floor, I need to receive a strong signal for my work. I use a range expander to enhance the signal from the router to my pc. Our network is SECURE which means other people cannot connect to our wireless network because they don’t have our password. It is critical for wireless networks to be secure, if not, then outside people can access to your pc and get critical information (credit card, bank account info, etc.).
When I first moved here, Larry Shore was using a cheap off-brand router The signal was weak to non-existent, and there was no product support. I bought a Linksys router ($79) and hooked it up to Johnny’s SBC modem. This router gave everyone at 1095 West Cal a secure network to go online from almost any location in the house. As with any wireless service, routine maintenance has to be performed because [stuff] happens which causes the wireless connection to go offline. Anything from temporary power outages to power surges cause problems. The most common way to resolve a connectivity issue is to power down all equipment (router, modem, range expander, network adapter, camera, and pc) and then repower them in a certain order. The LAST THING you want to do is press the reset button on the router because then you have to reconfigure the entire wireless network system which can take up to three hours. Linksys (a Cisco company) has one of the best support teams in the world, and they offer excellent service in handling wireless network problems. However, it’s still a royal pain in the butt when you have to do the wireless network setup thing. For the past eighteen months, I have maintained the wireless network at 1095 West Cal.
Sunday a week ago, Lincoln could not go online. I was not here, so Lincoln goes upstairs to Johnny’s place (while Johnny is there) and tries to fix things. The first thing Lincoln did was to press the reset button on the router which was a huge mistake. I don’t know what happened after that because I wasn’t there, but I do know Johnny tried to tell Lincoln that Mike Lee knew how the wireless network was setup. Apparently, Lincoln wanted to fix it himself. Lincoln called SBC, and they told him how to reconfigure a wireless network … the SBC way. When I came in early Monday morning, I noticed the “westcal” wireless network had been deleted. The first thing I did was run a search for any available unsecure networks, and I found Lincoln’s network. I easily circumvented his password and signed on. I found a couple of problems … it was not secure … it was frequently going offline …and my Linksys range expander and camera no longer worked. Later that day, I went up to Johnny’s place to ask him if anyone had changed the wireless network. He said on Sunday Lincoln came upstairs in a tizzy about not being able to go online. After talking with Johnny and finding out what happened, I decided to pull my Linksys router and not fool around with the maintence hassle any more. Lincoln could buy his own equipment and do whatever he wanted to do because I would no longer be affected by his actions. I also requested a direct connection to Johnny’s modem. One of Johnny’s friends had recently switched form SBC to Comcast and apparently got a good deal on DSL. After discussing the matter, Johnny and I agreed to have direct non-wireless connections in Johnny’s, Lincoln’s, and my room. Initially, Johnny said there was going to be a $150 installation fee. Then later he changed it and said there would be no installation charges. We agreed to split the Comcast bill each month between the three of us which was going to be be $19.99 per month for the first six months, then it would increase to $39.99 thereafter. I advised Lincoln of the changes, and he agreed to leave his door unlocked, so the Comcast installers could enter his room on Saturday morning. Since Johnny was going to be busy on Saturday, Johnny asked me to meet the Comcast installers.
When I got up early Saturday morning, I found that Lincoln’s door was locked, so I had no way of letting the installers come into his room. Later on when installers finally arrived, they put splitters on the coax cable, reconnected the modem and the big screen tv, and tested their installation. Then to my surprise they loaded up their equipment and started to leave. I asked them about the DSL direct connection for my room, and the installers told me they could not install service to my room because Johnny had not made the request. The installers said I would have to wait two weeks for them to come back, and I would have to pay an installation fee plus $40 each month. I told them I would stay wireless for the time being
After the Comcast installers finished their work and left, I spent three hours with Linksys tech support doing the network thing. We now have a secure wireless network at 1095 West Cal, and the name of this network is “westcal”. Johnny can go online with a wireless or direct connection, and my equipment now works fine. Anyone in this house, including Lincoln, should be able to connect to the internet and have a secure connection. I gave Johnny the Linksys tech info, so in the future he should be able to repair the “westcal” wireless network if I’m not here.
Michael