#copperopolis

[rosie-b]

Sometimes I remember that I have been to an old Wild West town called Copperopolis and have to smile. Copperopolis! It was very tiny and adorable and of course there was the titular copper mine (not longer in use) behind the bar we stopped at. Amazing. 10/10

[polkadotmotmot]

Ray Roberts - Creekside Poppies: Copperopolis, California, 2023 - Oil on linen

[princess-of-the-corner]

Shit not Mayor it's the Mayor's Daughter's girlfriend. Also I thought about swapping Swandive and Bubblegum and The Traveller.

Polyedia fits Swan dive's vibe more as a hero for fun especially since I'm isolating the mayor specific plot to just Lucky and Copperopolis is shiny enough for Bubblegum to be there for fun and offical enough for her to bullshit it as a diplomatic mission or something.

Fair enough!

[musesmusingz]

Swimming Caves in Copperopolis

City kids aren’t used to the sound of crickets and coyotes in the humid night and dodging rattlesnakes in the hot afternoon. I was lucky to leave the city ambience every so often. Free weekends in the summer were dedicated to the two-hour trek to a small mining town named Copperopolis in Calaveras County, 40 miles east of Stockton. The summer of 2007 was one of economic tension for parents as the impending doom of the Great Recession began to breathe down their necks, making their hairs stand on end and their brows furrow. For a five-year-old, it was the summer before 1st grade and a time for freckles to multiply and blonde hair to tint green in the heavily chlorinated Saddle Creek Pool. Pulling into my grandparents’ garage was like landing on Mars. One late summer afternoon, the garage concrete somehow felt hotter than the pavement outside. Despite its covering, the air felt thicker indoors, like the heat was visible and wavy. There wouldn’t be any life on this barren, foreign planet until Grandma, Grandpa, and the cousins would arrive later in the day.

We spent our days chasing rabbits and lizards in the backyard, taking golf cart rides to the pool, and indulging in sodas from the drink fridge in the garage. Copperopolis itself is an incredibly small (now defunct) copper mining town, and we hardly ever left its limits during our trips. Sometimes we would enter new territory in Angels Camp (the lesser known City of Angels), Sonora, or one of the other barely incorporated towns in Calaveras County. They were never worth the visit, and they all had the same low resolution travel pamphlets listing the same few local haunts. The only one worth exploring was the Natural Bridges trailhead just east of Angels Camp.

The Natural Bridges Trail’s contents have no connections to its name. It’s a two-mile, winding, dry, dusty trail on incredibly uneven terrain full of loose rocks. After traversing all of the rocks and small valleys one day, my dad and I reached a watering hole gently flowing into massive limestone caverns. We couldn’t see how deep they went or whether or not there was another side.

After taking off our dusty sandals, my dad took my small hand and we walked into the water. I was already a strong swimmer, and a strong kicker, especially. He told me there were more natural pools on the other side of the cave if you swam through. I was determined to get across, despite the cavern’s threatening size and the darkness of the water. It was about a two- minute-long swim across. He let me ride on the back of his shoulders when I got tired, but I was determined to reach the other side (mostly) on my own. My breathing was incredibly heavy and my small legs were growing weary as we started to see light at the end of the cave. Suddenly we were back in the sunshine, and children were playing in more pools on the other side. We had struck gold.

[alleycatallies]

VICTORY! 3 Critical Wins for Cats in Court

Alley Cat Allies takes a stand in court when cats are threatened by dangerous or even lethal government policies, or when they are victims of animal cruelty. This fall saw major legal victories that will set a critical precedent to protect and improve cats’ lives into the future.

Charges Against Ohio Caregiver Dropped

Alley Cat Allies took swift legal action when a community cat caregiver in Parma, Ohio, was threatened with nearly one year of jail time and over $2,000 in fines for doing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in her community. An attorney working with Alley Cat Allies represented the caregiver in court and, in October, all charges against her were DISMISSED.

The City of Parma tried to claim the caregiver was the owner of the cats and impose charges related to ownership on her. However, community cats are unowned; the people who care for them are just good Samaritans providing a public service. We made that reality clear in court, and in so doing so set an important precedent in law to protect caregivers throughout Ohio.

People should never be penalized for taking positive and proven action for cats and their community. Compassion is not a crime, and Alley Cat Allies stands with cats and caregivers the world over.

Community Cats Now Protected Under Ohio Law

We won! In a unanimous decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Ohio’s companion animal cruelty law (R.C. 959.131) protects ALL cats and dogs as “companion animals.” Alley Cat Allies filed an amicus brief in this case, which helped inform the Court’s decision.

This is a huge step forward! In the simplest terms, we helped the Ohio Supreme Court decide that the law protects both owned and unowned cats equally, and that animal cruelty against community cats is not lesser than cruelty against an owned cat. This will affect the outcome of cruelty cases across Ohio and ensure justice is truly served.

Our amicus brief was related to the case of Igor, a kitten who may be a community cat and was subjected to a cruel and damaging act. In Igor’s case, there was an attempt to interpret the cruelty law and the definition of “companion animal” as only applying to cats or dogs who are “kept” in a way that would exclude virtually all community cats.

The Ohio Supreme Court rejected that interpretation and decided all cats and dogs, no matter what, are companion animals and protected by the law. Our amicus brief explained why this was the correct decision, and the Ohio Supreme Court agreed!

Justice for Mr. Meow: Killer Sentenced to 14 Years

In September 2024, Colton Fontes was sentenced to 14 years in prison for felony animal cruelty related to killing tabby cat Mr. Meow in 2022 and several other highly disturbing charges including rape and sexual battery.

According to the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation into the shooting and killing of Mr. Meow helped make Fontes’ arrest for the other charges possible. “Sheriff’s Detectives note that the investigation into Fontes’ pending alleged animal cruelty case provided important investigative leads and assistance to Investigators in this joint investigation,” the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Alley Cat Allies has been involved in Mr. Meow’s case since March 2022, when the beloved cat was viciously shot to death in his neighborhood in Copperopolis, California. We have stayed engaged with every court date and with key individuals, including Mr. Meow’s family. Throughout the case, we have called for the maximum possible sentence and prison time for Mr. Meow’s killer and all perpetrators of animal cruelty.

We applaud Calaveras County for taking Mr. Meow’s case seriously and are glad that justice has been served. We will continue to pursue justice in other cases of animal cruelty. Learn how you can join our fight.

Content source: https://www.alleycat.org/victory-critical-wins-for-cats-in-court/

[newstfionline]

Thursday, June 20, 2024

National debt will exceed $50 trillion by 2034, budget watchdog estimates (Washington Post) As lawmakers grapple with increasing defense demands and spending on social safety net programs, the Congressional Budget Office projected Tuesday that the federal debt will equal 122 percent of the United States’ annual economic output by 2034, far surpassing the high set in the aftermath of World War II. The deficit will swell to $1.9 trillion this fiscal year and keep growing until the overall national debt hits $50.7 trillion a decade from now, Congress’s nonpartisan bookkeeper said in its latest report. And Medicare and Social Security are running low on funds, which could force a benefit cut for tens of millions of Americans just as the national debt crescendos.

New wildfires grow in Northern California as firefighters gain ground against big blaze in the south (AP) Big new wildfires challenged California firefighters Tuesday even as they increased containment of earlier blazes that erupted as dry north winds arrived over the weekend. Evacuations were ordered after the Aero Fire erupted Monday and spread over more than 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) near Copperopolis, a small community in Calaveras County, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of San Francisco in the state’s historic Gold Country region. The Aero Fire is among the latest blazes to erupt in California in a matter of days as a quiet start to fire season suddenly became active, with flames consuming drying grasses and brush encouraged by back-to-back wet winters. Most of the fires have been kept small, but a handful have charred thousands of acres.

Deaths, drownings and destruction as heavy rains move through Central America. 3 killed in Guatemala (AP) Three men drowned in Guatemala when two of them tried to help another who had tried to cross an overflowing river, as heavy rains caused death and destruction across Central America, authorities said Tuesday. The three fatalities on Monday were the latest in a series of deaths caused by heavy rains in the region in recent days. In neighboring El Salvador, 11 people have died over the past week. Both countries have canceled school, and El Salvador has opened shelters for the displaced. Two weather systems—one along Guatemala’s Pacific coast and the other in the Gulf of Mexico—have brought saturating rains to southern Mexico and Central America.

Strict asylum rules and poor treatment of migrants are pushing people north to the UK (AP) Europe’s increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants are pushing immigrants north. While the U.K. government has been hostile, too, many migrants have family or friends in the U.K. and a perception they will have more opportunities there. EU rules stipulate that a person must apply for asylum in the first member state they land in. This has overwhelmed countries on the edge of the 27-nation bloc such as Italy, Greece and Spain. Some migrants don’t even try for new lives in the EU anymore. They are flying to France from as far away as Vietnam to attempt the Channel crossing after failing to get permission to enter the U.K., which has stricter visa requirements.

Hungary’s Orbán is going MEGA at the European Union’s helm for six months (AP) Hungary’s populist government announced on Tuesday that its upcoming presidency of the European Union will be held under the motto “Make Europe Great Again,” but played down any parallels with Donald Trump’s MAGA movement in the United States. “This is a reference to an active presidency,” Hungary’s EU Affairs Minister János Bóka said as he outlined Budapest’s program and ambitions for its six months at the helm of the world’s biggest trading bloc, starting on July 1. Asked about the similarities to the former U.S. president’s Make America Great Again slogan, Bóka insisted it was focused on Europe, saying: “I don’t know if Donald Trump ever wanted to make Europe great again.” The EU presidency rotates among its member countries. The post holds little real power but it does allow countries to put national priorities high on Europe’s agenda.

‘Drone sanctions’ burn Russian oil reserves (Guardian) A Ukrainian defence source confirmed a drone attack was used to blow up oil storage tanks near the town of Azov in Rostov, southern Russia. Agence France-Presse said the defence source described it as a “successful” attack and said it caused “powerful fires in the installations”. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) “will continue to impose ‘drone sanctions’ on Russia’s oil refining complex and reduce the enemy’s economic potential, which provides the aggressor with resources to wage war against Ukraine”. Video published by Russia’s emergencies ministry showed thick smoke and flames billowing out of what appeared to be multiple oil storage tanks over a large area. About 200 Russian firefighters and emergency personnel were sent in. The Rostov region sits directly across the border from Ukraine and is home to the operational headquarters overseeing Russia’s invasion.

In Ukraine, Concerns Mount Over Narrowing Press Freedoms (NYT) A Ukrainian reporter who revealed that a state news agency tried to bar interviews with opposition politicians said he received a draft notification the next day. Ukraine’s domestic spy agency spied on staff members of an investigative news outlet through peepholes in their hotel rooms. The public broadcaster has decried what it says is political pressure on its reporting. Journalists and groups monitoring press freedoms are raising alarms over what they say are increasing restrictions and pressures on the media in Ukraine under the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky that go well beyond the country’s wartime needs. “It’s really disturbing,” said Oksana Romanyuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information, a nonprofit that monitors media freedoms. That is particularly true, she said, in a war where Ukraine is “fighting for democracy against the values of dictatorship embodied by Russia.”

Russia and North Korea sign partnership deal (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement Wednesday that pledges mutual aid if either country faces “aggression,” a strategic pact that comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West. Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. Both leaders described it as a major upgrade of their relations, covering security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties. The summit came as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years and the U.S. and its allies expressed growing concerns over a possible arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions for its war in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.

Philippines accuses China of ‘piracy’ after ship boarded, sailor injured (Washington Post) The Chinese coast guard boarded a Philippine navy vessel and damaged and confiscated equipment in a confrontation that left a sailor severely injured earlier this week, the Philippines announced Wednesday in a stark escalation of tensions over the disputed South China Sea. According to Philippine officials, Chinese vessels on Monday rammed Philippine ships to stop them from resupplying a warship, the Sierra Madre, which has long been beached on a half-submerged reef 120 miles away from the Philippine province of Palawan and is at the center of the dispute between the two countries. Chinese coast guard used knives and machetes to puncture Philippine rubber dinghies that were attempting to reach the outpost and confiscated equipment on Philippine navy vessels, officials said. One sailor’s hand was severely injured. Chinese coast guard officials, in turn, said a Philippine supply ship had “deliberately and dangerously” approached a Chinese ship, causing a minor collision.

U.S. Pier for Gaza Aid Is Failing, and Could Be Dismantled Early (NYT) The $230 million temporary pier that the U.S. military built on short notice to rush humanitarian aid to Gaza has largely failed in its mission, aid organizations say, and will probably end operations weeks earlier than originally expected. In the month since it was attached to the shoreline, the pier has been in service only about 10 days. The rest of the time, it was being repaired after rough seas broke it apart, detached to avoid further damage or paused because of security concerns. The pier was never meant to be more than a stopgap measure while the Biden administration pushed Israel to allow more food and other supplies into Gaza through land routes, a far more efficient way to deliver relief. But even the modest goals for the pier are likely to fall short, some American military officials say. Officials now hope to pressure Israel to open more land routes into the territory, which is facing extreme levels of hunger.

Relatives search for missing in Saudi Arabia as hajj death toll tops 900 (AFP) Relatives scoured hospitals and pleaded online for news, fearing the worst after temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, on Monday. About 1.8 million people from all over the world, many old and infirm, took part in the days-long, mostly outdoor pilgrimage, held this year during the oven-like Saudi summer. An Arab diplomat told AFP that deaths among Egyptians alone had jumped to "at least 600", from more than 300 a day earlier, mostly from the unforgiving heat. That figure brought the total reported dead so far to 922, according to an AFP tally of figures released by various countries.

Ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in fatal assault sinks in Red Sea in their second sinking (AP) A bulk carrier sank days after an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels believed to have killed one mariner on board, authorities said early Wednesday, the second ship sunk in the rebels’ campaign. The sinking of the Tutor in the Red Sea marks what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign targeting shipping through the vital maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The attack comes despite a monthslong U.S.-led campaign in the region that has seen the Navy face its most-intense maritime fighting since World War II, with near-daily attacks targeting commercial vessels and warships.

Can you inherit memories from your ancestors? (Guardian) Scientists working in the emerging field of epigenetics have discovered the mechanism that allows lived experience and acquired knowledge to be passed on within one generation, by altering the shape of a particular gene. This means that an individual’s life experience doesn’t die with them but endures in genetic form. The impact of the starvation your Dutch grandmother suffered during the second world war, for example, or the trauma inflicted on your grandfather when he fled his home as a refugee, might go on to shape your parents’ brains, their behaviours and eventually yours. [This] could support us to do everything we can to be the ancestors our descendants need. Conflict, neglect and trauma induce unpredictable and far-reaching changes. But so do trust, curiosity and compassion. Doing the right thing today could indeed cascade across generations.

‘Boommates’ (Washington Post) Cynthia Holzapfel, 76, knows what it’s like to share a home with someone else—or even 30 others. As one of the early residents of the Farm, a 1970s-era commune in Summertown, Tenn., Holzapfel lived under the same roof with multiple couples and more than a dozen children in a five-bedroom house where everything from the laundry room to meals was shared. The Farm is no longer a commune, although the land is still owned collectively by its residents. Yet one thing never changed for Holzapfel: housemates. Over the last 20 years, she has rented her basement to seven families. Holzapfel is among the growing number of baby boomers, the 76 million people born in the United States from 1946 to 1964, living with intergenerational housemates. And they just may be part of the solution to America’s grinding housing crisis. Several generations living under one roof would help ease the housing crunch and the loneliness epidemic affecting half of U.S. adults. “We’ve had a really delightful time with almost everyone that’s come through here,” says Holzapfel, adding some of their youngest housemates have become like grandchildren.

[donovanmorini271]

Klein Team RE/MAX GOLD

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[lynwooddannard514]

Klein Team RE/MAX GOLD

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[kandicesobenes490]

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[weinstockjtomas]

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[sydneyspoleti781]

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[lawrencecorwing]

Klein Team RE/MAX GOLD

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[robdreherty]

Klein Team RE/MAX GOLD

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[princess-of-the-corner]

After adapting charecters into the new project I've made the 4 cities.

Now the first city, the original. Urbugh. A bustling city home to the Mayor's past self, The Mayor's adopted Daughter Astrid, and the mayor's girlfriend, The Blitz.

Copperopolis is a city on the cutting edge of science, with one of the very best private highschools and many of the best colleges. Home to the genus Birdie, the child super genius Marie, and some rando with alien tech Swandive. (And now that I realize too many bird themed heroes might move Swandive)

Lustera (Loo-stare-a) a Gotham esque city with alot of crime but also quite a bit of magic. Home to vengence incarnate Voidspace, the reformed hitman Arsenal, and the thrillseeker Blackjack.

And finally the city of heroes where everyone wants to make it big. Home to Fasion Icon Wildfire, The legacy of the hero DJ, DJR, and alien princess Bubblegum, of course accompinied by her bodyguard/babysitter The Wanderer.

NICE

[pattiecuriel692]

Klein Team RE/MAX GOLD

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[colemangiffith257]

Klein Team RE/MAX GOLD

Klein Team RE/MAX GOLD 26 Copper Cove Dr, Copperopolis, CA 95228, United States +12095004099