It’s 7:30 on a Monday morning, and I’m loading up for a 9:30 AM gig. Not a radio promo. A 200-seat ballroom. I’m skeptical. And I’m probably going to need a Bloody Mary. #LiveMusic #HonkyTonk #CentralValley #Sacramento #HotJazzJubilee

The Danger of ‘Invisible’ #Biolabs Across the U.S.

Opinion by Dan Greene, August 31, 2023

"Recently, many #California residents were disturbed to learn that a small, privately-operated bio lab in the #CentralValley town of #Reedley was shut down by Fresno County Department of Public Health officials after they found that it had been improperly managing almost 1,000 laboratory mice and samples of infectious diseases including #COVID19, #rubella, #malaria, #dengue, #chlamydia, #hepatitis, and #HIV. The lab was registered to a company called #PrestigeBiotech that sold a variety of medical testing kits, including for pregnancy and COVID-19, and it was likely storing disease samples for the purpose of developing and validating its testing kits. Government authorities are still investigating the company’s history, but it appears to have previously operated a lab in Fresno under the name Universal MediTech, where city officials flagged it for investigation regarding improperly stored chemicals.

"From what is publicly known, the Reedley lab should likely have followed proper biosafety practices to minimize the risks of an #outbreak, and it apparently failed to do so. It could have caused illness, disruption, or even death among local communities and beyond depending on the circumstances of an outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (#CDC) maintains a system of four 'Biosafety Level' standards that are used worldwide for work with dangerous pathogens. Based on the pathogens that were being used at the Reedley lab, it probably should have followed Biosafety Level 3, which involves controlling the airflow inside the lab as well as a host of other practices, equipment, and facility design requirements.

"Yet, astonishingly, the U.S. government seems to not have even known that the Reedley lab existed until it was discovered by chance by Jesalyn Harper, an observant local city code enforcement officer—the only such officer working full-time in the entire city. Once discovered, the Fresno County and California Departments of Public Health found it to be in violation of local and state codes, including those for registering clinical labs and managing medical waste. Based on our reading of available information, it was likely also in violation of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations for protecting workers from bloodborne pathogens. But these codes require proactive reporting, and the lab simply never reported any issues to regulators. In slightly different circumstances, it would likely have continued to operate unnoticed for a long time."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/the-danger-of-invisible-biolabs-across-the-u-s/ar-AA1g2xoJ?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=63e1f402a65c4defaf12a4efa4962d12&ei=7

#BioHazard #LabSafety #Pathogens
Potential #Pandemic #LabLeak

Banks Rail makes some of the funniest videos about urbanism and rail transportation in North America.

He’s got a new one on California High-Speed Rail: “The Central Valley is NOT the ‘middle of nowhere.’”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF01CkXslt8 #california #CentralValley #rails #transit

Mad dash early this morning to tend to as much as possible before the heat fully sets in. Animals all taken care of, cooling setups good to go. Finally walked in house drenched at 10am; outside thermometer 102F / 39C already. It's going to be a long day. #climatechange #california #centralvalley

Farmers in the Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District who rely on #groundwater will be paying a new fee intended to create “financial equity” with #farmers who contract for surface #water. #CentralCA #CentralValley https://sjvwater.org/new-groundwater-fee-aims-to-create-equity-among-south-san-joaquin-valley-farmers-but-some-say-it-will-unfairly-devalue-their-farms/

Farmers in the Wheeler Ridge-Maricopa Water Storage District who rely on #groundwater will be paying a new fee intended to create “financial equity” with #farmers who contract for surface #water. #CentralCA #CentralValley https://sjvwater.org/new-groundwater-fee-aims-to-create-equity-among-south-san-joaquin-valley-farmers-but-some-say-it-will-unfairly-devalue-their-farms/

Even if you've been reading about the newly-reemerged Tulare Lake, the aerial footage here is totally worth a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1tJciznPK0

#California #CentralValley #water

I had a pretty big outdoor gig booked today that was canceled due to excessive heat (forecast 114°F/45.5°C). The financial hit will hurt a little, but I am extremely grateful to venues who prioritize the safety of their staff, contractors, and patrons over money. I will prioritize you as well.

#LiveMusic #Bass #CentralValley

A big part of #TulareLake, largest lake in western #USA lakes until it dried up in the 1800s, has returned amid #California flooding, and will likely stay for about 2 years. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/25/us/california-storms-tulare-lake.html

#geography #geographyteacher #hydrology #Tulare #CentralValley @geography #physicalgeography

AHHHH YOU LOVE TO FUCKING SEE IT!! Win-win situations in adaptation to climate change and human-caused habitat loss are so dope. #CAWater #Salmon #Rice #Farming #CentralValley #SacramentoValley

https://mavensnotebook.com/2023/06/22/notebook-feature-wild-baby-salmon-raised-on-a-california-rice-farm-show-stunning-survival-to-the-ocean/

Many truckers in the US are Punjabi, and that’s why there’s delicious dhaba food. This is an episode about Punjabi Dhaba in Bakersfield CA. I hope to go there soon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5VF7cTSoHY

#California #Bakersfield #CentralValley #Food #IndianFood

"With torrents of snowmelt flowing through California, two men kayaked an improbable route from Tulare Lake, 215 miles upstate, to the eastern edge of San Francisco Bay." #tularelake #centralvalley #california

https://twitter.com/sfchronicle/status/1667757069565407234?s=19

From the Los Angeles Times: “Winter storms boost Central Valley water supplies, but aquifer levels remain depleted”

#Climate #GroundWater #California #CentralValley

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-06-09/despite-wet-year-california-groundwater-still-depleted

Referenced link: https://phys.org/news/2023-06-sierra-nevada-snowpack-confounds-central.html
Discuss on https://discu.eu/q/https://phys.org/news/2023-06-sierra-nevada-snowpack-confounds-central.html

Originally posted by Phys.org / @physorg_com: http://nitter.platypush.tech/physorg_com/status/1665825863428976640#m

How Sierra Nevada snowpack confounds #CentralValley #groundwater readings @theAGU https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL103222 https://phys.org/news/2023-06-sierra-nevada-snowpack-confounds-central.html

Spotted this and another biplane flying low to spray crops near Marysville, CA.
Struggled to get focus. Was using a 55-300 Nikon APS-C kit lens. Despite my fat fingers on the dials, sharing bc they were still cool-looking planes. #biplanes #aviation #california #centralvalley

Why California’s High-Speed Rail Is Taking So Long https://youtu.be/FgHSYHXFfwg via @cnbc #HighSpeedRail #CentralValley #California @CaHSRA @USHSR

Thousands of acres of #farmland in #California's #CentralValley region have been destroyed due to torrential #rainfall. “All of the #crops are completely #flooded and ruined,” local Martina Sealy said. “It takes a lot of jobs for people.” Read more: https://www.isciences.com/blog/2023/04/18/united-states-widespread-surplus-throughout-w-sw-states

#flood #drought #climate #environment #watermaps #sustainability #WaterScarcity #EnvironmentalScience #MiddleEast #freshwater #dams #FoodScarcity #WaterSecurity #EnergySecurity #FoodSecurity #WaterNews

It’s rather 🤯 to think that the hot weather this week will lead to catastrophic flooding in the middle of CA....but a major problem with how our society works is that it doesn't function in 40-year timelines.

The last time #TulareLake reformed to this level was 1983...and it took 2 years for the water to go away.

What's also notable is that CA’s #CentralValley has such rich soil BECAUSE it was a lake! Mother Nature is trying to reset, but we just can't deal.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/15/us/tulare-lake-california-flood-climate

“The really long view is that this was a lake, and now it’s a lake again.”

#TulareLake #CentralValley #California #Flood #CaWx
https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/tulare-lake-corcoran-california-17882518.php

In the summer of #1983, “two men kayaked through floodwaters from the banks of the Kern River outside Bakersfield to the San Francisco Bay, a meandering 450-mile journey across what would typically be sun-baked land.”

#TulareLake #SanJoaquinRiver #CentralValley #California #Flood #CaWx
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/us/tulare-lake-california-storms.html