Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Racial Equality and Small town drug laws

(FROM 2009)

..............AND

ARRESTED (blast from the past)

Click

enlarge

Uploaded on Apr 3, 2008

WHLT interviews William and Lynn McLean about William's arrest for "disorderly conduct" on March 5, 2008. Here's a story on the arrest from the Hattiesburg American:

Local war protester arrested
By VALERIE WELLS

William McLean was standing at the intersection of Hardy Street and U.S. 49 on March 5 holding a sign protesting the war in Iraq.

McLean said a Hattiesburg police officer told him to put down his sign. He said he responded, "What are you going to do if I don't put down my sign? Arrest me?"
He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

On March 11, McLean, 49, made an initial appearance in Municipal Court. Charles Lawrence, city attorney, was filling in as judge that day for Judge Ed Pittman.

"I recognize the right to protest," Lawrence said. "In my opinion, it didn't need to go to trial."

Lawrence said if McLean had no more problems with the police within six months, the charge would be "passed to the file" or dropped.

According to the Police Department, an officer approached McLean because of safety issues concerning a crowd too close to the street, said Synarus Green, HPD spokesman.

The officer asked McLean to move, Green said. After several attempts to get him to move, McLean was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Green said McLean made "several rude comments" and showed "blatant disregard for authority." Green declined to give any more details due to an "ongoing investigation."

"If anybody was rude, it was the police, and they haven't apologized yet," McLean said.

Asking a police officer what crime you are committing is protected by the U.S. Constitution, civil liberties lawyers say.

"It's a perfectly legitimate question to ask a police officer," said Brent Cox, public education coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi.

"The problem is when police officers hear it as a challenge," Cox said.

McLean said the incident began when someone complained to police. A police officer came and told McLean to move because he had to be 50 feet from the street.

McLean said he asked if the supervising patrol officer could be called. Previously, Hattiesburg police had told McLean to do this if a police officer interrupted his monthly protests.

When he asked which law he was breaking, he was told it was one that said he had to be 50 feet from the intersection.

When more police showed up, one of them ordered McLean to put down his sign. McLean said when he questioned the unidentified officer, the policeman's face turned red and he became angry and told the other officers he was arresting McLean.

The booking officer's last name was Smith, according to the Forrest County Jail docket. McLean said Officer Smith was not the angry police officer, but was the one who first showed up on the scene and wound up driving him to jail.

"I asked to be charged with the being too close to the road holding the sign," McLean said. "He said it was too complicated to do it that way."

Two other people were protesting with McLean that day: Lynn McLean, his wife, and Scott Tyner, 40, of Hattiesburg.

Tyner said at first one police officer came, but eventually there were seven officers.

Police separated the three peace demonstrators. What disturbed Tyner the most is what he heard one officer say as McLean was handcuffed.

"The officer said William was out in the street and disturbing the peace," Tyner said. He said McLean was never in the street.

Tyner also had asked one of the officers if he could show him in writing what the law was.

"The officer said, 'If I have to go back to my car and get the code, I'm going to cite you for it,'" Tyner said.

McLean said he is keeping the ACLU updated.

"We are certainly going to investigate this," said Kristy Bennett, a staff attorney with ACLU of Mississippi.

F U T H E R back
(arrested again!)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Green
Party of Florida
October 22, 2003
http://keepontrudging.blogspot.com/2011/12/william-in-st-pete-in-2003-united.html

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Sun Tan Glen, est 1930

the Van Duzen River

Sun Tan Glen
Swains Flat
Humboldt County
20 East of 101 on Hwy 36, or 4 miles West of Bridgeville on Hwy 36
(Call for F U T H E R Information)

Friday, December 19, 2014

Here Is The Future World Party

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Swains Flat makes the News

Two people sent to hospital following shooting in Swain's Flat

video: http://kiem-tv.com/video/two-people-sent-hospital-following-shooting-swains-flat

SWAIN'S FLAT- Two people are in the hospital after a shooting in Eastern Humboldt.
The shooting occurred on Church Lane in Swain’s Flat, a small community located on State Route 36 east of Carlotta.  As the investigation continues, authorities do not have a motive for the shooting at this time.
At around 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office responded to multiple reports of shots fired with a man and woman injured at a residence in Swain’s Flat.
"Upon the deputies' arrival, they learned that the suspect had entered the residence uninvited, an argument ensued, and the suspect shot the female victim and the boyfriend of the female victim returned fire and subsequently shot the suspect," said Sgt. Diana Freese with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
The female victim was shot in the arm and eventually transported to Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna.  The male suspect allegedly fled the residence on foot before authorities arrived.
"He had left the incident location and he was located out in the area of the Swain's Flat Outpost," Sgt. Freese said.
Both the victim and suspect are in stable condition.
"It's not clear what the motivation is, however, it's currently under investigation," said Sgt. Freese.
Investigators were at the crime scene on Wednesday and served a search warrant at the residence and surrounding area.
"The Humboldt County Sheriff's Department encourages anyone with any information to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department and we appreciate anybody who does call who provides us information," Sgt. Freese said.
You can call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251.  Police could not provide the names of the victim or suspect at this time.

Sheriff’s Office: Last Night’s Swain’s Flat Shootings Followed Home Invasion

http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2014/dec/17/sheriffs-office-last-nights-swains-flat-shootings/ (Look @ comments about Swains Flat ... interesting! ... this happened a mile from our new home.)

SEE ALSO: PREVIOUSLY: Breaking News: Two Shot Out Hwy 36

Hank Sims / Today @ 10:26 a.m. /

###

From the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On 12/16/2014, at about 8:45 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a call of shots being fired near the 19700 block of State Hwy 36. It was reported there were two subjects whom had sustained injuries from the gun shots. Upon deputy’s arrival, they learned the male suspect entered into the victim’s residence uninvited, and an argument ensued resulting with the suspect shooting the female victim. The victim’s boyfriend returned fire hitting the suspect. The suspect fled the residence on foot and was later found near the Swains Flat Outpost store with a gunshot wound. Both the suspect and the victim were transported to local hospitals for treatment and are in stable condition. The incident is under investigation by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Investigators.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Seeds "smuggled" into Humboldt County

We came to Humboldt County with the intent and seeds (genetically suited) for the development of "designer strains" of Blueberry bushes for here in Northern California.

The genetics of our seeds come from ones brought from the Blueberry farm in Mississippi we sold last July. Through a selection process we hope to have "Swain's Flat" strains (our nomenclature) by 2016 and 2017 for "cuttings" (genetically identical) developed for desired characteristics suited for this bio-environment.

The variety of the seeds genetics is primarily Vaccinium virgatum or"Rabbiteye". SEE: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/varieties-rabbiteye-blueberries-24753.html
They come South Central Mississippi and are a cross of 4 main Rabbiteye varieties, as well as, perhaps wild Mississippi (native) or heritage variety genetics.

We hope to not only grow blueberries ourselves, but also have a large (SHARE) distribution of the strains that we develop for Humboldt County and the surrounding area.

The below pictures are of the Blueberry bushes @ the farm in Mississippi we sold last summer (see older posts; Magee).

Please see the article (below the pictures) quoting our friend John Braswell (MSU) about Blueberry genetics, growing and production.

WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ... as new strains are developed,
... and there is a lot of support, horticulture knowledge, experience and "needed love" here in Humboldt County. (& btw, seeds are not frequently "smuggled" or brought to here)

Our Mississippi Blueberry Bushes 2012

Mississippi blueberry acreage on the rise
David Bennett

In recent years, the U.S. blueberry industry — including the Mid-South portion — has benefited from favorable health-related information.
“Blueberry growing is definitely changing and progressing,” says John Braswell, Mississippi State University Extension professor. “It’s become a food in big demand. People are eating a lot of blueberries, sales have gone up and volume has gone up across the United States.”
In Mississippi, there are some 3,000 acres of blueberries with around 125 growers. In a good year, the state produces about 8 million pounds of blueberries. A good yield is about 10,000 pounds per acre.
Most of the state’s blueberry acreage — about 80 percent — is in the southeast quarter of Mississippi. “Fifteen percent is in the southwest quarter and about 5 percent in north Mississippi, above I-20. But the vast majority is below I-20 on the eastern side of the state.”
Asked if there’s a reason for the concentration, Braswell says blueberries are actually native to the Southeast United States and grow in pine forests.
“There are a lot of wild blueberries growing in our pine forests. The rabbiteye blueberry that we grow commercially is one of our native species. Of course, it’s been bred up through breeding programs to produce good, quality fruit. But it’s adapted to that growing environment — and the southeast part of Mississippi is largely in piney woods.”
As you travel north, the soil pH and types change and the forests change to mainly hardwoods and cedars. It’s harder to grow blueberries there.
Braswell is stationed at the South Mississippi Experiment Station in Poplarville — a USDA experiment station — that has been doing work with small fruits since the early 1970s.
Much of the early Mississippi blueberry production began around the station. “There was no blueberry acreage prior to this station beginning work on the crop. Researchers here selected varieties, developed some cultural practices and then the industry sprang up from this area. That’s another reason why there’s a concentration of blueberry acreage in the southeastern part of Mississippi.”
The blueberry industry in the northern United States began in the early 1900s. “Michigan and New Jersey are big blueberry-producing states. Three types of blueberries are grown in the United States. Highbush blueberry varieties are grown in the Northeast and Northwest. Lowbush varieties are grown in Maine. Rabbiteye varieties are grown in the Southeast.”
The rabbiteye blueberry varieties were developed for production in the South. The research began in Georgia in the 1950s. Mississippi researchers began working with them in the 1970s.
Are there lines, cultivars or varieties that have branched off?
“It’s kind of like row-crop varieties. The blueberries that were being grown in the 1950s aren’t around anymore. In fact, you wouldn’t be able to find the plants for most of them.
“There’s an active breeding program here at the Poplarville Experiment Station, another in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.”
New varieties are released “pretty regularly.” Most of the blueberry varieties being planted this year have been released within the last decade. As with rice varieties, “the new varieties are more vigorous, more productive with disease resistance and corrections to past problems.”
Establishing a planting
To establish a blueberry planting, select a site and lay out the rows. “Ideally, the rows run north to south. Till the rows and place 3 to 4 inches of pine bark on top. The bark is then tilled into the soil. Pull the soil/bark mixture up into a bed, 8 to 10 inches high.”
The blueberry plants are then planted 5 feet apart down the row. Drip irrigation lines are placed and mulch is placed on top of the soil.
“Mulching increases the organic matter in the soil and keeps the soil loose, moist and cool in a uniform manner throughout the year. The plants really respond well to that. The mulch also help control weeds.”
How long is the planting process?
“Ideally, you’d start a year in advance with weed control, eliminating perennial weeds before planting. Growers will spend a summer getting the soil ready and then plant that winter.”
Two-year-old plants are used to plant. “These plants spent their first year in a propagation bed and the second year in a pot in a nursery. At the end of the second year they are placed in the ground.”
By the third growing season, growers should get a good yield. By the fifth year, they should be getting maximum yield from the plants.
There are mechanical harvesters developed for blueberries. Braswell says those have improved over the last decade.
But the majority of the fresh fruit is hand-picked. The processed grade fruit is machine-harvested. So, there’s still a lot of hand labor.
Once picked, the berries are taken to a processing, or grading, facility. They go over a grading line where the fruit is sorted. The good fruit is packed in pint containers and put in a flat which holds 12 pints — about 10 pounds. Those berries are then shipped all over the country.
Agronomics
Currently, all blueberries being planted are irrigated.
“I don’t know of any blueberries being planted without irrigation. Many blueberry fields are fertilized through the irrigation systems. That’s true of most of the new acreage planted over the last five or six years.
“It’s much more efficient to inject fertilizer through the irrigation system than to apply granular fertilizer: you can monitor it closely, use a small amount every week and provide just what the plant needs. And making adjustments is very easy.”
The nitrogen source growers use is either urea or ammonium sulfate. Blueberries do not respond well to ammonium nitrate and it is damaging to the roots.
“On mature blueberry plants, we recommend applying about 30 pounds of actual nitrogen in a complete fertilizer in the spring. In mid-summer, right after harvest, growers make another application of nitrogen.”
Braswell also says “P and K are important. We take soil samples every two or three years to see what’s needed. P and K concentrations build up, so you need to monitor them. If they’re building up, growers will adjust how much they provide.”
Now, growers are taking leaf samples in addition to soil samples. “They study those and make adjustments for maximum production and nutrition.”
Early varieties begin producing berries in mid-May.
“Most varieties mature their fruit over a three-week period. Early varieties begin in mid-May and are complete by mid-June. Later maturing varieties continue into July.”
As harvest is completed, growers begin pruning and applying a late application of fertilizer.
“Usually we just hedge them a bit, shape them up, and trim the perimeter of the plant to encourage new growth. That new growth is where the fruit will be the next year. We also cut out old wood as it begins to slow down and become less productive."