Category: Uncategorized

Life in These Here Now United States (health care mix)

My health benefits provider (Blue Shield California) sent me a nastygram in the U.S. Mail saying I was cancelled, cancelled, cancelled. I looked on their website, saw that this was not so, and didn’t panic.

Then TriNet, who manages our benefits, sent an apologetic email saying the cancellations were their mistake and were being rectified.

Finally, they just now sent another email saying that they typed their customer service phone number wrong and were even sorrier.

“The persons responsible for sacking the previous persons have been sacked. And now, llamas!”

Why yes, yes it is.

I heard a carnival barker-style bellowing ad on the car radio yesterday while listening to the all-news AM station. It was the usual mortgage broker appeal to refinance, this time with the added warning that rates were going up. The ad concluded:

“It’s the biggest no-brainer in the history of Mankind!

What happened on June 26?

The radio monitoring world is nerdy rather than political, and when ideology shows up it’s almost always right-wing: crew-cutted middle-aged white guy thinking. But in general, it’s off the table.

This week, however, Monitoring Times‘ “Utility World” blog asks the interesting question: What happened on June 26?

The short version, for those who TL;DR or aren’t interested in radio geekery: the transmissions being heard indicate either an unusually large exercise, or preparations for war.

Area Homeless Man Clearly Seen As Cool Even By Cops

‘Prophet’ is back on street

Popular transient who was in confrontation with police is back in Lake Forest, on probation.

By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register

LAKE FOREST – Weeks after he was involved in a violent confrontation with police, a well-known transient known as “The Prophet” has been seen in the same area where deputies used Tasers, batons and beanbag shots to restrain the 265-pound man. Charles Barnes, 49, was released two weeks after police said the 6-foot, 6-inch-tall man took several items from a CVS Pharmacy near the intersection of El Toro Road and Rockfield Boulevard.

When Orange County sheriff’s deputies arrived to the area June 20, Barnes was wearing what appeared to be body armor constructed from pieces of traffic cones, magazines, plastics, and a hubcap strapped to his chest.

Barnes threw a bottle at officers as they arrived, said Lt. Don Barnes, chief of police services for Lake Forest. Officers used Tasers and beanbag shots to subdue “The Prophet,” but they had little effect because of the layers of clothing and material strapped to his body, Lt. Barnes said.

Officers said Barnes grabbed one deputy’s Taser and officers used batons to subdue him and force him to let go of it. When the popular transient was taken into custody, he was taken to a local hospital with cuts, bruises and what may have been a broken hand, Lt. Barnes said.

“The Prophet” was booked for robbery, but not for resisting arrest, Lt. Barnes said. “That was probably a decision that was made on the field by the deputies,” he said. Charges were not filed by the District Attorney’s Office regarding that incident.

Barnes remains on three years’ probation from an earlier charge of obstructing and intimidating a business and customers, which occurred June 4. Court records show that Barnes was arrested May 7 as well, and charged with resisting a police officer and obstructing and intimidating a business and customers. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years’ probation in that case.

“Our goal is to make sure the community is safe,” said Lt. Barnes. “We just don’t want to have another confrontation like we had last time.”