Collaboration keeps our community healthy
We know this much to be true about the novel H1N1 flu (aka swine
flu). It has brought the public’s attention to a disease,
influenza, which circles the globe yearly in one form or another
taking lives and causing misery wherever it goes. Now that the
initial anxiety about a brand new strain of flu has subsided
somewhat, we all need to take a look at yearly seasonal influenza
for what it is: a major preventable cause of morbidity and
mortality.
Everyone from the U.S. president to your friendly local
government officials have been very involved and motivated to
remind all of us to wash our hands, cover our coughs, stay home
when ill and lead a healthy lifestyle to maximize our immunity to
diseases. Now, more than ever, we need to keep spreading the
message. Seasonal flu season is just a few months away and we
cannot forget any of the lessons we have learned during the past
few weeks. On our crowded planet, we are all responsible for the
health and safety of others.
The Public Health Division of the San Benito County Health and
Human Services Agency would like to take this opportunity to thank
all of our community partners who came together and worked in
concert to bring the latest information, guidance, consultation and
antiviral medicines to our community. San Benito County government
employees, health care providers, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
and Clinics, the San Benito Health Foundation, San Benito County
school superintendents, principals and their staff members, local
law enforcement and CHP, local pharmacies and the Free Lance and
Pinnacle newspapers all played a role in our response to this new
flu threat.
Thank you all so much. And thank you too, San Benito County
residents, for putting your trust in us to do the right thing. And
one more thing, of course: Get your yearly flu shot.
Elizabeth Falade, MD, MPH
Health Officer
San Benito County Public Health Division
Collaboration keeps our community healthy
We know this much to be true about the novel H1N1 flu (aka swine flu). It has brought the public’s attention to a disease, influenza, which circles the globe yearly in one form or another taking lives and causing misery wherever it goes. Now that the initial anxiety about a brand new strain of flu has subsided somewhat, we all need to take a look at yearly seasonal influenza for what it is: a major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality.
Everyone from the U.S. president to your friendly local government officials have been very involved and motivated to remind all of us to wash our hands, cover our coughs, stay home when ill and lead a healthy lifestyle to maximize our immunity to diseases. Now, more than ever, we need to keep spreading the message. Seasonal flu season is just a few months away and we cannot forget any of the lessons we have learned during the past few weeks. On our crowded planet, we are all responsible for the health and safety of others.
The Public Health Division of the San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our community partners who came together and worked in concert to bring the latest information, guidance, consultation and antiviral medicines to our community. San Benito County government employees, health care providers, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and Clinics, the San Benito Health Foundation, San Benito County school superintendents, principals and their staff members, local law enforcement and CHP, local pharmacies and the Free Lance and Pinnacle newspapers all played a role in our response to this new flu threat.
Thank you all so much. And thank you too, San Benito County residents, for putting your trust in us to do the right thing. And one more thing, of course: Get your yearly flu shot.
Elizabeth Falade, MD, MPH
Health Officer
San Benito County Public Health Division
Green technology has problems
David Huboi’s eco-green-energy article in the May 2nd Pinnacle heralding “a new chapter in the story of civilization” was rather long on hyperbole and short on realism. He implies the “infinite, free, eternal and clean forms of energy – the sun, wind, tides and thermal” can be used to replace the 26 billion tons of carbon monoxide (should be dioxide) that present technology “belches out” each year.
Consider the amount of carbon dioxide generated by humans. Assume a 2,000 calorie per day carbohydrate diet for each person on earth. Humans release about 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. Add in the contribution of animals, decaying vegetation, and volcanoes, and the non-industrial sources of carbon dioxide is a significant fraction of the total. Some estimates have the non-industrial sources of carbon dioxide exceeding the industrial sources.
Solar energy can and will make a contribution to our energy demand. Best locations for solar farms are in the desert. Unfortunately for solar energy, the majority of California’s deserts are off limits to any and all forms of development. We cannot disturb the desert tortoise, Joshua trees and cacti. About six weeks ago, President Obama placed another 2 million acres off limits. Much of this land is in arid areas suitable for solar farms.
Wind-generated electricity is an intermittent, low-reliability source. If the wind speed is too high or too low, they cannot operate. Also, it requires a 400,000 acre wind farm to generate the same amount of electricity as one nuclear power plant. Wind farms have a high mortality rate for birds, including Bald Eagles. Wait until a Condor tangles with one.
Huboi omitted nuclear power. He may be too young to remember Three Mile Island. He may be concerned about another Chernobyl accident.
The containment structure did its job at Three Mile Island. It contained the accident. Controls and instrumentation have improved significantly since then, reducing the probability of a repeat.
The Chernobyl reactor had a graphite moderator. Also, the containment structure was less than US standards of 40 years ago. When the graphite caught on fire, it was one big charcoal fire.
Fifty years ago, I worked for the old Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) at what is now Fermi Lab in northern Illinois. The buzz at the time was the AEC banned reactors with graphite moderators because of the remote chance of fire. (Obviously a good decision.) The rumor at the time was our graphite reactor was buried somewhere in Idaho.
All graphite reactors have been or are being decommissioned. Another Chernobyl event is out of the question.
Safe, reliable nuclear power is the best way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In off-peak hours, they can be used to generate hydrogen for the transition to a hydrogen economy.
California’s SB-32 (Greenhouse Gas Reduction Law), when implemented, will have a very negative impact on our economy. The Cap-And-Trade legislation being considered by Congress is not only a new revenue stream (tax) for the federal government; it is another power grab by our government in Washington. It, too, will have a very negative impact on our national economy.
I have been criticized for discussing science without mentioning my credentials. I have a bachelors degree in chemistry and mathematics and a doctoral degree in physical chemistry. Somewhere along the line, I earned an MBA.
Marvin L. Jones
Hollister
Shop local for a pleasant experience
I spent time this week walking downtown Hollister, soliciting donations for the annual Hollister United Methodist Church Tea, to be held May 30. I met cordial business owners, generous with their time and with contributions and friendship. I realize these small business owners are the heart to our community.
Next time I need a prescription filled, I will go to Penny Wise Drugs. Next time I build a deck, I will go to McKinnon Lumber. Next time I have lunch out, I will go to Best of Times Cafe, and I’ve already joined Designing Women gym.
In these tough financial times, generosity means more than ever. It is important that we support these people who have such commitment to Hollister.
Annie Laura Bradford
Hollister
