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Author: Leslie Eastman

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Leslie Eastman

I am an Environmental Health and Safety Professional, as well as a science/technical writer for a variety of news and professional publications. I have been a citizen activist since 2009, and am one of the co-founders of the San Diego-based group, Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 30, 2018 21 Comments
Central American migrants are beginning to turn 'self-deport" back to their homeland rather than continue to stay in the temporary camp stationed within a sports complex in Tijuana, Mexico.
Despite traveling as much as 4,500 miles - much of it on foot - hundreds of migrants have already accepted free flights home rather than stay longer in the filth-strewn sports complex that has become their temporary home in Tijuana, Mexico.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 28, 2018 28 Comments
We have been following the spread of a mysterious, polio-like disease that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). The illness, the cause of which remains undetermined, continues to expand its range and public health officials have recorded 286 cases.
The mysterious, rare 'polio-like' disease blighting the US has now spread to 31 states, sickening at least 116 children. And yet, officials still have no idea what causes acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), nor how to treat or prevent it. The poorly understood illness, which can cause paralysis and, in rare cases, prove deadly, has struck Colorado the hardest, followed by Texas.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 27, 2018 20 Comments
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's newest exploration vehicle InSight landed on Mars on Monday with much social media fanfare on earth.
Mission Control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory exploded into celebratory applause and cheers after the touchdown was confirmed. The landing was watched around the world and even broadcast live on the Nasdaq Stock Market tower in New York City's Times Square. During a post-landing NASA press conference, the astronauts on the International Space Station called down to congratulate the mission team and said they "got some goosebumps" watching the coverage.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 26, 2018 47 Comments
California is dead to me...a smoldering ruin of a once prosperous state. I spent a glorious Thanksgiving week in Michigan, enjoying my first snowfall in many years and escaping coverage of the wildfire disaster.  Before leaving, I went through my jewelry collection and packed sentimental favorites and valuable items in the event that San Diego was hit with a fire during my vacation. While I was organizing my case, my anger at the choices made by both federal and state politicians and bureaucrats that led to the loss of life was heating up as hot as any of those flames. And instead of meaningful change, Governor Jerry Brown's solution to this is to let the utilities charge us for the fire settlements likely to stem from this disaster.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a measure allowing utilities to bill their customers to pay for future legal settlements stemming from devastating 2017 wildfires.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 17, 2018 7 Comments
President Donald Trump will travel to California this Saturday to meet with victims of several deadly wildfires currently burning in the region that have already claimed the lives of over 70 people.
The state is currently fighting two fires, one outside of Los Angeles and another far more deadly fire north of Sacramento. As of Thursday afternoon, authorities had confirmed 56 deaths in the northern California fire known as the Camp Fire, and another three deaths in the southern fire, known as the Woolsey fire.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 14, 2018 24 Comments
New York Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez certainly has started her time at Capitol Hill off with a bang, by joining a climate change protest held outside Nancy Pelosi’s office.
The self-described Democratic socialist, who’ll be entering Congress next year, joined environmental activists from the Sunrise Movement to demand legislation to achieve 100 percent renewable energy and a special committee in Congress to address climate change.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 12, 2018 27 Comments
In the wake of the midterm election last week, I remarked to a friend that California remained Satan's playground. Little did I realize that this would be prophetic, as vast portions of our state have become a Hell-scape and over 20 people have died in devastating wildfires that are scattered across the state.
The remains of 14 more victims were found in the ashes of a massive Northern California wildfire, bringing the total number of deaths from blazes raging across the state to at least 25, officials said Saturday.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 11, 2018 16 Comments
We recently reported that over 100 people in the Los Angeles area have contracted the bacterial disease typhus, and the area's public health officials are sounding the alarm about the infectious disease spreading. At the epicenter of the epidemic are the homeless camps, and the Los Angeles Police Department station nearest to the city's Skid Row is battling the rats and fleas that spread the typhus bacteria as the officers attempt to protect themselves from becoming ill.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 10, 2018 18 Comments
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris has just ordered a halt to the construction of the $8 billion Keystone XL Pipeline, the next phase of the massive pipeline system, until further environmental analysis is conducted.
The decision comes as TransCanada is preparing to build the oil pipeline beginning in northern Montana, with pipe being shipped to the state by train and trucked to locations along the line.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 09, 2018 14 Comments
As election officials are counting chads once more in Florida and in Arizona in search of the victor in the US senate race, there is a district in California that is poised to make history once all the mail-in numbers come in. Young Kim, the Republican candidate, is likely be the first Korean-American woman elected to the US Congress once the final numbers are crunched.
California’s Congressional District 39 was one of the tightest races of the 2018 midterm elections, and even with the votes tallied, the outcome remains far from clear.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 07, 2018 40 Comments
Today was a beautiful day in San Diego: Few clouds, 75 degree hight temperature, and light breeze. Why do I bring this up? Because last night's election results for the State lead me to conclude the weather is the sole aspect of this nuthouse worth touting.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 04, 2018 3 Comments
What is the status of the Singapore Summit agreement five months after the historic deal was signed by President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un? The American press is highlighting a set-back on the path to peace.  North Korean officials are warning that the nation will begin strengthening its nuclear arsenal if the United States does not lift economic sanctions against the country.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 02, 2018 21 Comments
Midnight blue California is often cited as an indicator of national trends. If this is still the case, then the big blue wave predicted by some pollsters and progressive pundits will become a big blue drip. Early voting in the Golden State is trending bright red.
Election Day is around the corner and Californians have been voting for three weeks. Given the data on who has voted so far, it does not point to a big surge for Democrats.
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