Nisqually Land Trust Peissner Road mulching project needs volunteers

Up to 5 volunteers are needed tomorrow, and Thursday, December 3rd, and Friday, December 4th. Please schedule in advance with Ed Kenney, baldhillssolar@gmail.com.

UPDATE: Volunteer slots are also available for Saturday and Sunday.

Blogger Klein is a Nisqually Land Trust supporter and contributor.

• Dear readers: I am very pleased to introduce you to the work of friend and fellow South Sound blogger Bruce Smith. Smith’s blog is The Mountain News and is based in Eatonville covering SW Pierce County news.
• Smith’s passion for years has been investigating the disappearance of a passenger ticketed under the name DB Cooper, who hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines Boeing 727-100 between Seattle and Portland in 1971, lowered the rear air-stairs in-flight and parachuted into history, never to be heard from again.
• I asked Smith to share with you in his own words about his appearance in an HBO Documentary [WATCH NOW] that debuted last week, which follows:

DB Cooper reporter Bruce Smith in HBO doc.

“I am the author of DB Cooper and the FBI – A Case Study of America’s Only Unsolved Skyjacking, and I have been helping the production team develop this [HBO] documentary [The Mystery of DB Cooper] since 2017. Besides showing on HBO, it is also airing on BBC television [scroll to bottom for BBC’s access].

“I loved being part of the HBO’s documentary “The Mystery of DB Cooper,” now streaming. [WATCH NOW]

“For the uninitiated, DB Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient jetliner 49 years ago and flew over Yelm on its getaway flight. Astonishingly, the crime is still unsolved. In fact, nothing has ever been determined about the case. We don’t know DB Cooper’s identity, where he came from, nor what happened to him after he jumped out of the plane and parachuted into infamy. Adding more mystery to the case, the only solid evidence ever recovered has been a few bundles of ransom money found eight years later on a Columbia River beach, and no one knows how it got there or when. For me, besides the ego gratification of seeing myself on screen, this production is an elegant take on the DB Cooper story that is not often told, and viewers receive more direct information from the flight attendant and cockpit crew than any other Cooper production. Further, this docu is as much about belief as it is a true-crime mystery, and the broadcast follows closely four suspects from the FBI’s huge pool of suspects and confessees. As the show digs into the profile of each suspect, each individual’s status is elevated to noteworthy heights. However, just when the viewers’ mind start reeling from the possibilities, the camera then pivots to the friends and family of the suspects and asks them why they believe so strongly that their loved one is the notorious skyjacker. That is when the show really comes alive.”

Oregon Live: D.B. Cooper doc on HBO showcases 4 suspects, expertly captures 1970s mood, obsession with famous case

BBC Storyville – The Hijacker Who Vanished: The Mystery of DB Cooper

“A Storyville documentary. A mysterious fugitive, a hijacked airplane and a daring mid-air escape. The real-life tale of one of America’s most extraordinary unsolved crimes. Just who is DB Cooper?

“A mysterious fugitive, a hijacked airplane and a daring mid-air escape. This is the extraordinary, real-life tale of one of the greatest unsolved heists in American history and a case that has taunted the FBI for decades. This documentary brings the stories of the four possible suspects to life through candid testimony, archive footage and stylised drama. Each account is gripping and highly plausible. But who is telling the truth, who is lying and, ultimately, who is DB Cooper?” from BBC Storyville. WATCH NOW

Humor allows a view from a different perspective

• Editor’s note: This video is pure genius in using poetry to deliver a message: Hard Pressed by Tomfoolery – “We, the administration, wish, as bluntly as we can, to reassure the nation that, despite all evidence, there’s a plan.”

• Editor’s note: With the CDC predicting up to 321,000 coronavirus deaths by mid December [on track for 350,000 deaths on Trump’s watch by the time he is supposed to leave office], the story below explains what is classified as a COVID-19 death.

+ FOX News: “CDC predicts coronavirus deaths may reach up to 321,000 by mid-December“

“Amid a surge in coronavirus cases nationwide and concern among leaders about post-Thanksgiving Day celebration spikes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said forecasting models are predicting that the virus’ death toll in the U.S. could reach up to 321,000 by mid-December,” by Alexandria Hein, FOX News. Read more of the full story.

+ The Washington Post: “Your [coronavirus] questions, answered“

“What is the criteria for classifying a death by covid-19 in the United States? For instance, if someone with covid-19 dies but had an underlying condition, what cause of death is being put on that person’s death certificate?” — Jean in Ireland

“If a patient has underlying conditions — as is the case in the vast majority of covid-19 deaths — physicians look closely at whether the disease was part of the chain of problems that killed them.

“Because of the way the novel coronavirus affects the human body, covid-19 is typically listed as a contributing cause of death. The primary causes are usually listed as something triggered by the infection, such as respiratory distress or pneumonia. Those fatalities are included in the overall pandemic death toll because covid-19 set off a sequence of health issues that killed the patients. The same principle applies to tallying influenza deaths.

“‘If somebody has cancer and their treatments are going well, and then covid-19 comes in and abruptly changes the trajectory, that becomes a cause of death,” said Jorge Salinas, a hospital epidemiologist at the University of Iowa hospital system. “The fact that people have comorbidities doesn’t mean that the disease didn’t play a major role in their death. It doesn’t mean they were meant to die this year because of otherwise manageable conditions.’

“The same is true even for a terminal illness, Salinas said. ‘They may not have that much longer to live,’ he said, ‘but if covid happens and kills someone earlier, it’s the cause of death,'” by Avi Selk, The Washington Post. Read more of the story.

** SELECT REGIONAL, NATIONAL NEWS **

One percent of Thurston County residents have contracted COVID-19

Record number of new COVID-19 case numbers confirmed Friday in Washington state

Shop Local Thurston County Boutiques for the Women on Your Gift List

Washington blood banks plead for donations as blood supply reaches ‘critical’ levels

Pope Francis Op-Ed: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts – “To come out of this pandemic better than we went in, we must let ourselves be touched by others’ pain.”

The Ancient Heresy [Gnosticism] That Helps Us Understand QAnon

CBS News: The QAnon Effect: What growing support for QAnon means for America’s future

** CORONAVIRUS NEWS FRIDAY **

Coronavirus cases are skyrocketing again in cities

Los Angeles issues stay-home order as coronavirus cases surge out of control

Doctors say CDC should warn people the side effects from Covid vaccine won’t be ‘a walk in the park’

Vaccines may not prevent the transmission of Covid-19 from vaccinated to unvaccinated, Moderna chief doctor warns

RFK Jr.: Pfizer COVID vaccine does not prevent virus transmission

Wyoming’s governor has resisted calls for a mask mandate. Now he has the coronavirus.

Mayo study supports effectiveness of masks and social distancing – Findings show masks are very effective, even at a one-foot distance, and six feet of social distancing is highly effective even without masks.

What type of mask works best and how to wear it to slow the spread of coronavirus

** TRUMP NEWS FRIDAY **

When he leaves office, can ex-President Trump be trusted with America’s national security secrets?

Ex-President Trump’s financial state could make him a unique threat to national security, ex-intel officials say

A Trump-appointed judge eviscerated the president’s biggest election lawsuit in Pennsylvania, saying the campaign’s ‘claims have no merit’

Trump moves to strip job protections from White House budget analysts as he races to transform civil service – “If enough employees are viewed as disloyal to the outgoing administration, they could be fired or reassigned, leaving Biden with an empty budget office.” [Ed. note: Trump is going to break everything before leaving.]

Iraq fears Trump’s final weeks could see confrontation between U.S. and Iran

Trump’s inner circle is telling him that Giuliani and the rest of his legal team are making him look like an idiot, report says

Trump declares Twitter national security threat after #DiaperDon trends following meltdown at miniature table

Trump said Thursday he will ‘certainly’ leave White House

President loses Pennsylvania appeal as he backtracks on vow to leave WH peacefully tweeting Friday: “Biden can only enter the White House as President if he can prove that his ridiculous “80,000,000 votes” were not fraudulently or illegally obtained.

‘Isn’t this the language of a dictator?’: Trump confronted after press conference littered with misinformation

Christmas Tree Farms closest to Yelm now open!

Sprouffske Tree Farm
14020 Finian Road SE, Rainier.
Phone: 360-446-2213
Open each day November 27-December 11 from 9-4.
sprouffsketrees.com

Hunter Family Farm
7401 Yelm Highway SE, Olympia.
Phone: 360-456-0466
November 27-December 23 – Weekdays 10 to 6, Weekends 9 to 6.
hunterfamilyfarm.com

Schilter Family Farm
141 Nisqually Cut-Off Road SE, Olympia.
Phone: 360-459-4023
November 27-December 13, 9am-Dusk.
schilterfamilyfarm.com

2020 Guide to Christmas Tree Farms in Thurston County

Many turn to real Christmas trees as bright spot amid virus

** SELECT REGIONAL, NATIONAL NEWS **

‘Hang on’: Biden Thanksgiving address calls for hope amid steep rise in Covid-19 cases while Trump pardons Michael Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI

Thurston County records 83% turnout in 2020 general election as ballots certified

With increased pandemic restrictions, Washington grocery workers face more stress

What happens when the eviction moratorium expires?

Health officials alarmed over hospital occupancy rates amid ‘exponential’ COVID spread

Local Army soldiers serving overseas extend Thanksgiving greetings [one from Vernal Garris of Yelm]

JOLT News: Friendly Water for the World has a new story to tell this Friday at 4:30 pm

A growing number of Americans are going hungry

College students work to reduce food waste and feed hungry families

China’s President Xi Jinping sends delayed congratulations to Biden

Shop safe. The scammers are coming for you.

For the first time, scientists detect the ghostly signal that reveals the engine of the universe

Army Corps says no to massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska

** CORONAVIRUS NEWS **

Covid cases are exploding across U.S. and Thanksgiving could be an ‘accelerator event’

Nurse: “We Are Screaming at the Top of Our Lungs and So Few Are Listening”

ICU doctor: What you’ll see at ‘end of your life’

The last covid-free places on earth have something in common: Travel shutdowns

Forget Thanksgiving, America needs to be preparing now for a Covid Christmas

Delta to launch first quarantine-free, COVID-free travel to Europe through new testing protocols

CBS News 60 Minutes: Doctors are still searching for answers to why a portion of people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 are still suffering symptoms months later. [“This past week, Dr. Mary Fowkes, the head of autopsy and neuropathology at Mount Sinai, died suddenly of a heart attack. Her work helped inform Mount Sinai’s COVID treatment protocols since the beginning of the pandemic.”]

SCOTUS Rules Against New York State’s COVID Limits on Large Religious Gatherings

Glenn Greenwald: Interview with Edward Snowden on Silicon Valley Censorship, Biden, and Lurking Press Freedom Dangers

** SELECT TRUMP UPDATES **

‘Loser’: How a Lifelong Fear Bookended Trump’s Presidency

President Trump granted clemency to protect an individual (Flynn) who might have implicated the President in criminal misconduct [Ed. note: Flynn, who twice under oath said he was guilty, had intended that his attorney, Sidney Powell (Yes, Trump’s former team member) work to clear his name via the courts to prove and gain his innocence, yet now accepts a pardon. Accepting the pardon means Flynn confirms his guilt. Also, if he is called up on future charges, he cannot plead the 5th, as his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination is extinguished.]

Not Just Flynn: Trump White House Reportedly Considering ‘Pardon Blitz’ on His Way Out [Ed. note: Of course he will, especially The Mueller Report guilty parties, who may implicate Trump in future criminal misconduct probes.]

Manhattan DA appeals Manafort dismissal to NY’s high court [Ed. note: No worries, Trump’s pardon is coming soon!]

Donald Trump Might Want to Think Twice Before Trying to Pardon Himself

YouTube suspends One America News Network channel for violating COVID-19 misinformation policy

The Justice Department is fast-tracking a rule that could reintroduce firing squads and electrocutions to federal executions.

Trump Is on a Death Row Killing Spree and Wants to Make Firing Squads Possible [“Unless he grants requests for commutations, President Trump will leave office having set a grim record for overseeing the most executions of federal prisoners during a presidential transition period in U.S. history, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.”]

Pro-Trump Group Donor Sues Over Failure to Expose Election Fraud

Giuliani’s influence on Trump is the Thanksgiving miracle we needed

Trump’s last order as president is essentially a bid to keep racists happy

Justice Department still fighting to intervene in defamation case brought by Trump’s rape accuser [Ed. Note: before Barr exits!]

Trump Races to Weaken Environmental and Worker Protections, and Implement Other Last-Minute Policies, Before Jan. 20

Wag the Dog? Israeli military instructed to prepare for Trump strike on Iran: report

This Thanksgiving Day message was first published here in 2009:

THANKSGIVING DAY has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863 & became a federal holiday in 1941. President Lincoln issued this proclamation which set the precedent for America’s national day of Thanksgiving on October 3rd, 1863, which is as pertinent today as during the Civil War to heal our nation’s wounds:

By the President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln
A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.

Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State
Read more

– America the Beautiful sung by Hillsdale College’s Choir (Michigan)
“Written by Katharine Lee Bates and composed by Samuel A. Ward, “America the Beautiful” is one of the most well-known and beloved American patriotic songs. The song celebrates the natural beauty and the “patriot dream” of the United States.

Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.”
Click here for the video.

– America the Beautiful sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Click here

+ CNBC: American Express’s 11th annual Small Business Saturday is November 28. Here’s how you can Shop Small and support your local community.

** SELECT REGIONAL, NATIONAL NEWS **

+ AP News: Voter turnout in Washington hit 84.1%, just shy of record, election to be certified Dec. 1st [Thurston County final votes tally on Nov. 24]

+ JOLT News: Thurston County officials reflect on complicated, successful election season

+ NVN: Late Republican Ballots Thwart Democratic Gains in State Legislature, [though] Balance of Power Unchanged in Olympia

+ Bounty For Families: Yelm’s Gift of Gobble Feeds 150 Families in 2020 [Ed. note: A 50% increase over supporting an annual 100 fmailies.]

+ Air Force Magazine: The US is Out of the Open Skies Treaty [with Russia]. What’s Next?

+ South Sound Biz: New Marriott Tacoma Hotel (adjacent Convention Center) Signals Promising Future for South Sound Conventions/Tourism

+ The Olympian: State expands who’s eligible for $1.1 million still left in Thurston’s rent assistance fund

+ Yelm Chamber: $500 Grants Available to small Yelm Businesses

+ McClatchey News: Health workers join Gov. Inslee to warn that hospitals are approaching capacity

+ Common Dreams: ‘Go Big, and Stay Big’: Economists Call for $3 Trillion Covid Relief Package to Stop Nation’s Descent Into Ruin – “The Senate’s failure” to approve funding the cause+ McClatchey News:

+ McClatchey News: Looking to get outdoors after Thanksgiving? Washington, Oregon waive state park fees

+ CNBC: Pennsylvania and Nevada certify Biden wins over Trump

+ AP News: Michigan AG investigates threats against Wayne County Board of Canvassers

+ The Hill: Biden surpasses 80 million votes [a record for any President], eclipsing Obama’s record by more than 10 million votes

+ UK’s Daily Mail: Billionaire Charles Koch says he was ‘horrified’ by extreme immigration and foreign policy views of Republicans HE funded – said he ‘screwed up’ by being too partisan

** CORONAVIRUS NEWS **

Thurston County COVID-cases show concerning trends – 135 cases so far this week, with 5 days to go. [patterns of multiple household members getting sick]

Threshold for reopening WA schools could be lowered significantly, draft plan shows

4 in 10 Americans Plan to Defy CDC Guidelines on Thanksgiving

US Coronavirus: US sets record for Covid-19 hospitalizations amid fall surge

CDC to shorten quarantine for those exposed to Covid-19

Of all the people who died of the 1918-1919 flu in Seattle, more than half died after the holiday season [Ed. note: Will Puget Sound learn from history, or set a new record 2020-2021?]

Several Puget Sound hospitals postponing non-urgent procedures amid COVID surge

Washington cell phone and traffic data show slowdown in Thanksgiving travel amid COVID warnings

The Best and Worst Places to Be in the Coronavirus Era

** SELECT TRUMP NEWS **

+ The New York Times: Trump Is Said to Plan Pardon of Flynn, one of a string of pardons he plans to issue before leaving office[Ed. note: As if this is a surprise to anyone. Are pre-pardoning Jared, Ivanka, and Trump himself next?]

Former House speaker Paul Ryan calls on Trump to concede

Trump’s post-presidency will be cluttered with potentially serious legal battles