Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 441

Pitching struggles continue for Giants in road loss to Cardinals

Starting pitching remained an issue for the San Francisco Giants on Saturday as Jordan Hicks was roughed up in his return to Busch Stadium.

Hicks gave up five earned runs on six hits in four innings in what became a 9-4 Giants loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, marking San Francisco’s fourth straight defeat.

The Giants allowed four home runs, including two to Cardinals right fielder Alec Burleson, who went 3 for 4 with five RBI. Rookie shortstop Mason Winn was 3 for 5 and drove in a run in the Cardinals’ win. 

Giants starters are now 2-7 this month. Entering Saturday, the Giants’ starting staff, beset by injuries to Blake Snell and, more recently, Kyle Harrison, had a 4.82 ERA in June with opposing batters hitting .280.

Hicks, who spent the first four-plus seasons of his big league career with the Cardinals, has now gone six starts without a win and has not lasted more than 5 1/3 innings in any of them.

“It was a good experience being back out there at Busch,” Hicks told reporters. “Overall, I just didn’t have my best stuff today, and I’m just looking to move on after this one.”

Michael Conforto was the Giants’ lone bright spot, going 2 for 4 and scoring three runs. 

“We scored three runs in the first, and we felt pretty good about where we are,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters. “All of a sudden, they hit a two-run homer, and they had a couple more big swings which could change the game in a hurry.”

Jorge Soler got the Giants on the board as his two-out RBI single in the top of the first inning brought home Brett Wisely. Two batters later, Conforto knocked in Soler and Matt Chapman to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.

The Cardinals responded in their half of the inning when Paul Goldschmidt smashed Hicks’ pitch to left-center field, scoring Burleson to cut San Francisco’s lead to 3-2. It was the five-time Silver Slugger’s 350th career homer.

Conforto drove in his third run of the game after he doubled to right field, bringing home Chapman and giving the Giants a 4-2 cushion in the top of the third. 

“He’s made an adjustment, and he looks like he’s much shorter to the ball right now,” Melvin said about Conforto’s plate approach. “Today was a big day for him to feel like he was earlier this season when he came back from the IL.”

Hicks’ struggled in the fourth inning as the Cardinals shifted the momentum in their favor. 

With two outs and no one on, Dylan Carlson singled, and Mason Wynn doubled to put runners on second and third. Burleson hit a three-run bomb off of Hicks’ 94 mph sinker, giving the Cardinals a 5-4 lead. 

In St. Louis on Saturday, it was 94 degrees with 41% humidity. Hicks said the conditions took a toll on him as he labored through his start.

“I would say my legs got pretty dead after the third, to be honest,” Hicks said. “I could always see when I was on the Cardinals that other pitchers looked pretty dead out there. When you get them up to 20-30 pitches, that’s when we usually do our damage.”

Burleson found more success at the plate in the sixth after Hicks came out of the game. He hit a two-run homer to center field, this time off relief pitcher Sean Hjelle, giving St. Louis a three-run cushion. 

Saturday’s game was Burleson’s first multi-homer performance of his career. 

Brendan Donovan’s solo home run iced the game for the Cardinals in the seventh inning as St. Louis took a commanding 8-4 lead. 

In his return from Triple-A, outfielder Luis Matos went 1 for 4 as the ninth hitter in the lineup. With Mike Yastrzemski on the IL with a left oblique strain, Matos will likely get more chances to prove he could stay on the big league roster. 

The Giants finish the series against St. Louis on Sunday. San Francisco ace Logan Webb is expected to get the start.

Grand Prix of Monterey: Indy 500 repeat champion returns to Laguna Seca

LAGUNA SECA >> Winning the Indianapolis 500 is important for team owners, carmakers, tire companies and the remaining sponsors whose logos decorate race cars and drivers’ attire. It was also important for Josef Newgarden’s psyche.

The yearly IndyCar series has 17 races, including Sunday’s Grand Prix of Monterey, but the Indy 500 remains its pinnacle as one of the sport’s most iconic one-day events.

Newgarden joined five other drivers last month when he won the race for the second straight year. The double hadn’t been done in 22 years, with Newgarden now lauded with racers with legacies dating 85 years.

Josef Newgarden won the IndyCar 2019 series title with an eighth-place finish at the Monterey Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Wilbur Shaw, a former president of Indianapolis Speedway who built his own race car, was the first to win the Indy 500 in consecutive years beginning in 1939. Mauri Rose (1947, 1948) was followed by Bill Vukovich (1953, 1954), Al Unser Sr. (1970, 1971) and Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002).

The Indy 500 was still 500 miles eight decades ago. But the race cars, track conditions and drivers were far different. Who among the six drivers had a more difficult task of winning two straight years is subjective, at least according to Newgarden.

“I mean you could argue both ways is what I would say,” the driver said Friday following a practice session at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. “You could argue it was easier back then because you typically had bigger advantages on race cars.

“If you go back to the ’60s or ’70s, there’s people that would win that race by a lap at times. If you had a really good car, you were fast on a particular year, it was really about reliability then. Let’s make it 500 miles, if we can repeat that the next year, we bring the same thing, we should be able to do this.”

Newgarden, 33, has competed 12 times in the Indy 500 and has participated in 205 career IndyCar events since 2012.

Technology advancements, improved track surfaces, corporate financing and global television contracts have prompted increased competition.

“Nowadays, because it is so close and so competitive, it seems harder to get it right year over year, right?” he said. “But you could also argue that the cars are more reliable, the racing style maybe lends itself to being able to go back to back.

“That’s a really hard question to answer. I mean, now thinking about it and going through the thought process for you, I think it’s difficult throughout the entire history. I really do.”

Josef Newgarden (2) and his team celebrate in his pit after winning the IndyCar championship at the end of an auto race at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/David Royal)

Newgarden, who drives for Team Penske, didn’t envision winning the race again this year. Two years ago, he passed Marcus Ericsson on a frantic restart with half a lap left. Last month, he passed Pato O’Ward on the last lap to win after inclement weather postponed the race for four hours.

“Indy is so tough to get right; I never went to this year’s 500 expecting to win it again,” Newgarden said. “I just don’t think you ever can. You go there with a tremendous amount of respect for the place. If it works out, it’s very gratifying and very special.

“That’s why you don’t see it happen very often back to back because it’s so difficult to get that day right. It’s the pressure everybody is under pressure in May to get it right on the one day. You’re there a long time working on the car, trying to get it right. It comes down to one moment. Everyone feels the pressure in that moment to really execute. I think that’s why it’s hard to nail it every year.”

Newgarden’s second win also further dissipated the early season disqualification after he won the March season-opener in Florida. The incident occurred when IndyCar announced Penske cars’ push-to-pass software was active during starts and restarts. The system provides a short duration of extra horsepower. IndyCar controls the system from race control, but it’s illegal during starts and restarts and is deactivated.

Team Penske installed the system on its cars while testing hybrid engines last summer and it was not deactivated on the cars before the season opener.

IndyCar inadvertently discovered the infraction during the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. The push-to-pass system remained active on the Penske cars.

Newgarden accepted responsibility for the situation but said he was unaware the system was illegal when he used it. He spoke emotionally for a while after the penalties were assessed and then stopped discussing it.

“You guys can call me every name in the book, you can call me incompetent, call me an idiot, call me stupid,” Newgarden said at a press conference in April in Birmingham, Alabama “Call me whatever you want to call me, but I’m not a liar. The story that I know, which is the truth, is almost too convenient to be believable. So to answer your question, no, I didn’t leave St. Pete thinking we pulled something over on somebody. I didn’t know that we did something wrong until this week.”

Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin was also disqualified after finishing third in the season opener. Will Power, another teammate, was fined $25,000 as were Newgarden and McLaughlin.

Newgarden has competed in all four years of the Grand Prix of Monterey since the series returned to the Monterey Peninsula in 2019 after a 17-year absence. His best finish is second after starting in the 25th position in 2022.

Since his second Indy title, Newgarden finished 26th in the Grand Prix of Detroit on June 2 and second two weeks ago in Road America in Wisconsin.

“I think I’ve had to get to a point where no one asked for this deal,” he said. “No one wanted this, and no one asked for it, but we were given the opportunity to deal with it.

“And we’re all humans. I don’t know how you don’t react to it in a tough way. For me, it was a very difficult thing to have happen, especially when you know the reality of the situation. They can say what they want, I don’t even care anymore.”

Giants place Mike Yastrzemski and Keaton Winn on IL, recall Luis Matos from Triple-A

Giants’ outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and pitcher Keaton Winn were placed on the injured list, the team announced on Saturday. 

In corresponding moves, San Francisco recalled outfielder Luis Matos and third baseman David Villar. Tyler Fitzgerald was optioned to Triple-A. 

Yastrzemski left Thursday’s Rickwood Field game in the fourth inning, and the team has diagnosed the 33-year-old with an oblique strain. He has been placed on the 10-day IL. 

Winn pitched 2⅔ innings and gave up five earned runs on Thursday. The Giants placed Winn on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. 

The Giants could have some arms back in the clubhouse soon. Pitchers Robbie Ray and Blake Snell are scheduled to play in a rehab game with the Sacramento River Cats tomorrow. 

Ray hasn’t played yet this season since arriving in a trade with Seattle in January. He made one start in 2023 with the Mariners but had to undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season. 

Snell suffered a left groin strain earlier this month. He has struggled in his first season with the Giants, going 0-3 and recording a 9.51 ERA. 

LaMonte Wade Jr. will also play in a rehab game tomorrow in Sacramento. He strained his left hamstring in May.

 

Wade and the Giants made a special request for the first baseman to come off the injured list early to play in Thursday’s Rickwood Field game, but MLB denied the team’s request. 

Both Villar and Matos will get the start in today’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Matos won National League Player of the Week in mid-May but struggled afterward, hitting .224 when he was optioned back to Triple-A in early June. 

In five games with the River Cats, Matos hit .321 and had five home runs.

Liza Horvath, Senior Advocate: Paying for your attorney’s education

Question: I had an attorney complete some legal work for me and was surprised to see that he charged me 2.5 hours for legal research. At over $600 per hour, this hurts. Why should I be paying for my attorney to do research? At that fee point, shouldn’t he already have the knowledge needed to do the work he said he could do for me? Why should I have to pay for him to educate himself?

Answer: The practice of law is complex and rapidly changes due to evolving laws and new decisions made on cases before the courts. This is particularly true in the estate planning and tax field. When an attorney agrees to take on your case, they owe you a duty of competence to address your legal issue. Model Rules of Professional Conduct provide that a “lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.” The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel further comments on this rule: “Lack of skill or knowledge may be overcome through additional research and study or involving another lawyer who possesses the expertise to assist.” If an attorney cannot provide competent representation, they must decline to represent you or refer you to an attorney who can help.

Unless your situation is very routine, it is not uncommon for an attorney to need to do further research to be sure there are no new cases or laws that would affect their advice. Also, if your case involves real estate, it is imperative that research be done to determine the condition of title so they can best advise you. It truly is their obligation and they can and are routinely held accountable if they give you incorrect advice. Lawyers get sued all the time for providing bad advice or otherwise causing damage to a client so we can expect to see some costs for research or review on our legal bills if we expect the best work.

Here are some tips to consider when hiring a lawyer to ensure you are hiring the right one for your needs: Start by asking friends or colleagues for a recommendation. If you would prefer to keep your legal needs confidential, you can research the California State Bar website which will provide information on specialists in certain fields of law and information on any disciplinary actions. Also, check www.martindale.com, which provides a reliable rating system for attorneys.

Once you have found one or two that seem like a good fit, meet with them. Ask about their experience in cases like yours, what happened in those cases and, based on their experience, what can be expected. Also, ask them how you will be kept informed on the progress of your case and how quickly you can expect them to respond to phone calls or emails. Finally, ask about fees. Will they bill hourly, flat fee or contingency (a percentage)? If you decide to engage with an attorney, you will enter into an engagement contract with the attorney which should describe the nature of your legal issue, the fees and costs you can expect to pay and any limitations in their representation.

Most attorneys will send a monthly statement for their services and, depending on the engagement agreement, you may need to pay them immediately or you may be able to wait until the completion of the work. If you are dissatisfied with the representation at any time, you can terminate the relationship. They work for you, and it is important that you feel they are doing the work well and as promised.

I hope that despite the research costs that the services you were provided got the job done. Most times, paying some research fees is not only unavoidable, but necessary.

Liza Horvath has more than 30 years of experience in the estate planning and trust fields and is the president of Monterey Trust Management, a financial and trust management company. This is not intended to be legal or tax advice. Questions? Email liza@montereytrust.com or call (831)646-5262

Monterey County teens help craft study of their peers’ mental health

A group of Monterey County high school students have helped develop and administer a survey to their peers regarding the biggest challenges impacting their mental health. The AIM Ideas Lab Youth Survey showed academic stress as the biggest negative impact and reports that nearly 50% of students have experienced depression.

AIM, founded in 2020, is a research and solutions-based organization based in Monterey County that seeks to implement “evidence-based treatments” to combat mental health challenges amongst youth, according to its website.

The Ideas Lab is an opportunity for high school students to participate in a research project focused on uncovering mental health patterns within their peers. The program follows a Youth Participatory Action Research design, which empowered 28 students to develop survey questions based on the issues that affect them directly. Nine of the students come from Monterey Peninsula high schools and 19 attend school in the Salinas Valley.

This type of research is “more efficient since it’s based on the means and interests of the communities it’s about,” said Program Manager Mariana Jimenez. “They would know what they need better than I would as an adult.”

After brainstorming a list of questions they felt were most relevant for them and their peers, the group created a sample survey that was then evaluated by Jimenez and five research mentors. When the survey was finalized, they sent it out to their peers. The researchers are now taking their findings and making recommendations to school districts, faculty and parents regarding how to create long-term solutions that address growing mental health concerns, according to Jimenez.

The 472 students who took the Ideas Lab survey reported the various mental health challenges they have encountered. The most common was anxiety (69.3%) and the least common challenge reported was substance misuse/addiction (22.7%). (Chart courtesy of AIM Ideas Lab)

“The AIM Ideas Lab has given me the opportunity to step into my community and research about the mental health crisis in Monterey County while allowing my voice to be heard through recommendations,” said Yaretzi Guerrero-Verduzco, a sophomore at Everett Alvarez High School and participant in this year’s Ideas Lab.

A 19-question survey was sent out to teens in Monterey County via social media, word-of-mouth and text message from Feb. 18-29 and was taken by 472 students.

According to the report, the biggest factors affecting Monterey County teens’ mental health are:

• Academic stress (68.4%)

• Lack of sleep (63.3%)

• Lack of motivation (62.4%)

• Overwhelming schoolwork (62.2%)

• Beauty standards/body image (62%)

The survey received information from students at Everett Alvarez, North Monterey County, Salinas, Stevenson, Carmel and North Salinas high schools. The majority of respondents came from Everett Alvarez (34%) and North Monterey County (34%).

The majority of students (63%) said they would not feel comfortable reaching out for help in a mental health crisis and are reluctant to seek school-based resources such as counselors, according to the report.

Nearly 70% of respondents reported experiencing anxiety, with around half saying they’ve experienced depression. Other prominent mental health challenges include burnout (60%), low self-esteem (58%) and eating disorders (38%).

According to the report, these responses indicate an “urgent need for supportive environments and open dialogues to address these issues effectively.”

These challenges, specifically the levels of stress and burnout, seemingly correlate with the factors worsening mental health (academic stress, overwhelming schoolwork, lack of sleep, etc.) The report recommended workshops offered through schools, extracurricular activities and wellness centers that teach teens how to prioritize their emotional well-being as well as stress management techniques. Parents and staff should also undergo training to “educate and support all stakeholders in promoting teen well-being and mental health,” according to the report.

Salinas Union High School District, where a majority of survey respondents attend school, currently has wellness centers at each of its 13 sites. The centers are modeled around three tiers: District Wide Resources (anti-bullying curriculum, site counselor support, etc.), Group Supports and Interventions (anxiety support, attendance recovery, stress management, etc.) and District Wide Individualized Support Options such as crisis response and threat assessments.

Last year’s survey showed that 74% of respondents knew peers struggling with depression. This year, that percentage dropped to 48.3%. According to the researchers, this decrease could be attributed to more mental health resources being provided and more open discussions regarding mental health.

The survey showed that overall, female students are more likely to struggle with various external sources of pressure such as family expectations, exams and trying to fit in socially. (Chart courtesy of AIM Ideas Lab)

The survey also showed stark differences between males and females feelings regarding external and internal pressures. Males showed higher levels of self-imposed expectations, lack of sleep and pressure from social media. On the other hand, females were more likely to struggle balancing academics, social life and well-being.

The survey asked if students felt their schools provide “effective and useful mental health resources,” to which 17% of students said they somewhat or strongly disagree.

The survey analyzed how teens felt about the mental health resources offered by Everett Alvarez, North Monterey County, Salinas, Stevenson, Carmel and North Salinas high schools. (Chart courtesy of AIM Ideas Lab)

Around 31% of students said they neither agree nor disagree with the statement. According to the researchers, these results could indicate “that many students don’t know what resources are available at their school or if they can reach out to adults at school for mental health support.”

Through daily announcements, Salinas Union places a heavy emphasis on “making students aware of the services and knowing the wellness centers are there,” according to district spokesman Marcos Cabrera.

“As they present these results and ask their schools for what they need, I would hope that they listen to what they’re saying,” said Jimenez. “I think it’s time that (schools) listen.”

The full report can be found at https://aimymh.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Monterey-County-Ideas-Lab-Report-2024.pdf.

Housing for Kids hosts rare estate sale to mitigate housing insecurity

Monterey County is richly blessed with a wealth of abundance. We witness it in a most generous landscape, in endless rows of produce, thriving in a dark, rich soil. We see it in the extravagant beauty of wildflower meadows, and mountain ranges, which Steinbeck described as either light, gay, full of sun and loveliness, or dark and brooding. We discover it in a craggy coastline holding a restless cerulean sea at bay. We notice it in stately mansions rising within gated communities, in verdant courses carpeting the landscape, in the untamed coastal forest flanking the “Big Sur.”

And yet according to local nonprofit organization the Housing for Kids Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, in the 2022-2023 school year, more than 11,734 school-aged students in Monterey County qualified as homeless.

“In a broader definition, these are kids whose families are living in hotels and motels, in shelters, in vehicles not designed for habitation, on the street, or doubled and tripled up under one roof,” said Sandra Leader, a founding member of Housing for Kids. “We have learned that homelessness is the number one cause of students’ failure to graduate, and those without a high school diploma are 3.5 times more likely to experience homelessness in the future. We knew we needed to do something.”

An estate sale benefiting support the Housing for Kids rental assistance program runs through the end of the month. (Courtesy photo)

Once another founding member, Karen Osborne, posted the homeless students’ statistic on neighborhood social networking platform “Nextdoor,” she received a spontaneous outpouring from the community — an architect, a builder, teachers, families, and other practitioners and community members wanting to help make a difference.

“It took us a year and a half to come together, to do our research, and find our niche, which is rental assistance,” Leader said. “Our initial impulse was to work toward building affordable housing, since that’s the main issue here. There is not enough. When people are working two and three jobs to put food on the table, if there is an increase in rent or an interruption in income, they’re out on the street. People need help now.”

To help fund their efforts, this weekend and through the end of June, Housing for Kids, in partnership with the Center for Spiritual Awakening — several of whose members have offered support — is hosting a charity estate sale on behalf of both organizations, adjacent The Crossroads Carmel at 2611 Carmel Center Place, the “blue roof office buildings” behind Wells Fargo. Funds will support the Housing for Kids rental assistance program.

While the charity estate sale has been supported by a range of local donors, the majority of the wide offering of items for sale was donated by Glenn and Cheryl Hickerson who, after selling their home in Sonoma and moving to Carmel in February, donated their estate to the sale.

“Among a huge amount of mementos, artifacts, and other items of value, we know there are people in this community who would know the provenance of this collection,” Cheryl Hickerson said. “To have moved from a larger home into a smaller home and then used our estate as the centerpiece of this sale to help provide housing for members of this community really is the crux of it. We are thrilled to be able to help in this way.”

Having previously been a resident of this community for 25 years, it means a lot to Hickerson to have an opportunity to benefit local organizations, particularly on behalf of the needs of children. “This is goodwill in action,” she said.

In addition to the largesse of the Hickerson estate, Housing for Kids received more than a dozen artisanal teapots from the extensive collection of the late Susie Franklin, founder of the Franklin Legacy Fund. Established to focus financial support and efforts on mitigating child and youth homelessness, the Fund continues under the direction of Executive Director Sandra Leader.

Charly Franklin has contributed select collectible teapots to an estate sale support the Housing for Kids rental assistance program. (Courtesy photo)

Susie Franklin’s husband, Charly Franklin, has contributed select collectible teapots to the estate sale, said Leader, some of which were handcrafted and signed by Paul Cardew, the British artist world renowned for his rare, limited-edition teapots, as well as “Husby Pottery,” collectible handcrafted salt-fired porcelain pieces by Cheryl and Bob Husby out of Minnesota, and teapots by renowned Van Briggle pottery, first released in 1901.

“The mission of the Franklin Fund aligns with the goals of Housing for Kids,” said Leader, “to find and implement sustainable solutions to housing insecurity, by lowering the number of students without homes in Monterey County public schools, and raising public awareness about the root causes of this crisis, and support those in the field already serving this population.”

175 athletes to watch over 50 days

Hallie Crabbe, Carmel: Brought up as a freshman last season, Crabbe averaged over 12 digs a match the Padres, shoring up a defense that sweep their last six Gabilan Division opponents.

Born into a volleyball family, Crabbe is arguably one of the better defenders in the back row in the county, with the ability to set and come up and hit at the net.

Dominic Chavez, Hartnell: After spending a season at Cabrillo, the former Soledad multi-sport athlete will provide the Panthers with depth on both sides of the football.

Chavez had two picks and five pass breakups in eight games at Cabrillo, including a pick six. He will also be used as a receiver and back-up quarterback, holding the single-game passing record at Soledad.

Jameer Flores, Trinity: The senior will provide stability on both sides of the line for Trinity as a tackle on offense and defensive end.

The 195-pound Flores will come off the edge on defense, or cut off opponents trying to get to the edge. Offensively, he will help protect the blind side of the quarterback.

From globe trotting to globe tripping: Why psychedelic vacations are on trend

By Ksenia Prints, Food Drink Life

More people are opting to leave 5-star resorts and cruises behind and take a different kind of vacation, one that comes with a side of mind-altering drugs. But the legal and physical implications of this sort of travel can be murky.

For a moment, consider taking a slightly different kind of trip on your next vacation. You and your fellow travelers will explore unimaginable distances without moving much at all. You can’t take any luggage with you – unless your emotional baggage counts – or bring back souvenirs. In fact, you may not even be able to describe the journey to the folks at home.

Despite this strangeness, or perhaps because of it, many of the travelers who have turned to psychedelic vacations consider them to be life-changing experiences that are well worth the money. Others, however, point out that these retreats have an uneasy relationship with Indigenous communities – and they worry about the possible dangers of consuming mind-altering substances without proper guidance.

Why are so many tourists turning to psychedelic tourism, and what are some of the most popular substances offered at these wellness retreats? Should travelers be concerned about the safety, ethics or legality of these experiences? Keep reading to find out.

What does a typical psychedelic vacation involve?

Sia-Luna Estrella, a healer and Shamanic practitioner, knows exactly how she found her way into running psychedelic retreats. “It was a higher calling from the sacred mountain here in Cuzco,” she remembers. She felt called to move to Peru and later invited others to join her on retreats to South America, South Africa and other locations.

Estrella said goodbye to her car, job and ocean-view apartment, and embraced a fresh start. “It brought me back to the truth of who I was and what is my greatest purpose here on Earth.”

Over the years, Estrella has seen over a hundred retreat participants come and go. She doesn’t always weave psychedelics into her retreats – sometimes, she just works with cacao ceremonies and the energy of the land – but she’s quick to note the importance of treating these powerful substances properly.

Plant medicines

“We don’t think of these as psychedelics, we think of them as plant teachers and plant medicine. They have their own consciousness,” explains Estrella. She primarily works with the San Pedro cactus, a plant that contains the psychoactive substance locally known as wachuma, or mescaline.

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Mescaline is just one of several psychedelic substances that can be experienced during retreats. Peyote, another cactus that also contains mescaline, is a popular choice, as is ayahuasca, a psychoactive tea. Medicines gathered from toads can also be used, such as 5-MeO-DMT, which can also be derived from plants, and Kambo, a poisonous toad secretion that is applied to the skin through small burn wounds.

But perhaps the most familiar substance used in psychedelic retreats is psilocybin, also known as ‘shrooms – not to be confused with regular mushrooms. According to Thrillist, psilocybin can be experienced in vacations across the globe, from beachside ceremonies in Jamaica – where psilocybin is unregulated – to collaborative research projects in The Netherlands.

The recent emergence of wellness tourism is a brand-new phenomenon, but psychedelics have been used by Indigenous communities for thousands of years. Robyn Landau, writing for Trippin, noted that the growing demand for psychedelics can quickly become unsustainable, threatening to destroy traditional Indigenous practices.

Landau explains that in Mexico peyote has become scarce due to tourism, agriculture and mining. In light of the fact that the plant takes 15 years to grow, this is cause for concern. Landau suggests that travelers hoping to benefit from Indigenous medicines should take time to learn about the communities that are stewards of these remedies and how to respectfully engage with traditional practices.

Who will your fellow travelers be?

Why might someone be drawn to a psychedelic retreat? Some travelers are simply looking to try new experiences; others attend in hopes of working through bigger problems such as depression, anxiety, trauma or addiction.

In an interview with Travel Weekly, Justin Townsend, CEO and Head Facilitator at MycoMeditations, highlighted the diversity of attendees at their retreats. “A typical retreat normally consists of about 50% female, 50% male, and we get everything from blue-collar workers to white-collar workers from all kinds of professions, people from their mid-30s through to their 60s,” Townsend told Travel Weekly.

Psychedelics and mental health

In recent years, there’s been a growing conversation about the way in which psychedelics can address mental illness, as demonstrated by Michael Pollan’s 2018 book “How to Change Your Mind” exploring the subject. On the other hand, critics have also noted the risks associated with psychedelic use.

The New York Times warned that psychedelics “can cause psychosis or long-term mental health issues, particularly in patients with a predisposition to mental illness.” The same article also discusses the robberies, sexual assaults and even deaths that have occurred at psychedelic retreats.

Estrella is well aware of the dangers of misusing traditional medicines. “You see a lot of people in Western society go to the jungle for three weeks and say they’re a shaman who is qualified to work with the medicine, and that is incredibly dangerous,” she says firmly. But she also believes in the power of psychedelics to help people heal. “The medicine will help you work through trauma, limited beliefs and conditioning. If there are answers, the medicine will help you find those answers within yourself.”

Wait, is any of this legal?

Before grabbing your passport, should you call your lawyer? To give a classic lawyerly answer: well, it depends.

“In some countries, particularly in South America, psychedelic retreats can be legal or legal-ish, per my understanding,” says Marc Z. Goldgrub, a lawyer at Green Economy Law Professional Corporation. The firm focuses on psychedelics, green business and housing. Goldgrub also runs the website PsychedelicLaw.ca. Estrella confirms this answer.

“But in the US and Canada, psychedelic retreats are generally simply illegal,” says Goldrub. In these parts of North America, “there is no such thing as a 100% legal psilocybin, MDMA or ayahuasca retreat that’s totally open to the public. Though some retreats are marketed with an impressive veneer of professionalism which wrongly would suggest otherwise to those who don’t know better.”

On top of how the psychedelic substances themselves are regulated, Goldgrub explains, there may be civil liability concerns to be aware of as well. “If something bad happens to someone, practitioners can be sued under tort law.”

Final thoughts

So, is a psychedelic retreat your next vacation? Some travelers will undoubtedly be eager to experience these medicines for themselves. Others will be content to curl up with a copy of Aldous Huxley’s “The Doors of Perception” and a mug of regular tea.

One thing is for certain: as the demand for wellness continues to grow, it’s likely that psychedelic retreats will become ever more popular. Will this cause them to lose their cool factor, though? Only time will tell.

For her part, despite the sometimes challenging aspects of running psychedelic retreats, Estrella maintains a characteristic sense of calm and optimism about introducing new travelers to medicine ceremonies.

“It’s quite normal for people to feel a sense of excitement and nervousness,” she says. “But as long as they come with an open heart, then it’s an incredible experience.”

Ksenia Prints is a writer, blogger, photographer and recipe developer from Montreal, Canada. She blogs over At the Immigrant’s Table, a food blog showcasing healthy, beautiful international recipes for adventurous home cooks. She loves to highlight ethnic cuisines and immigrant cultures and adapt those recipes to gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, sugar-free and other dietary restrictions.

A draft resister, a judge and the moment that still binds them after 54 years

By Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — The aging draft resister came early to beat the Memorial Day observance at Los Angeles National Cemetery. He angled through rows of white headstones, treading on immaculately tended grass. He stopped at the grave of the judge who had sentenced him.

He had a message for U.S. District Judge Harry Pregerson that has been in his thoughts since that day in 1970.

As an 22-year-old in 1967, Bob Zaugh had found a purpose in his life more important than school, career or even freedom. It was a recognition of the commonality of all humans that meant he could not support the Vietnam War or the system that sent young men to fight in it.

So on Dec. 4, 1967, the second national draft card turn-in day, he joined other resisters at First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles on West 8th Street in symbolically dropping their cards in a goblet.

At the height of the nation’s struggle of conscience over the Vietnam War, that decision had multiple possible consequences for a young man: ostracism by friends and family, loss of employment opportunities, and lifetime stigma as being unpatriotic or worse — a coward. Not to mention prison time.

When Case 5787, United States of America vs. Robert Paul Zaugh, went on trial on Tuesday, May 26, 1970, Zaugh came prepared to admit to the two charges — refusing to report for a preinduction physical and refusing to report for induction. The maximum sentence was five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Pregerson, though remembered as a liberal judge, was also a Marine who was wounded in the Battle of Okinawa in World War II. He didn’t have a track record of leniency, and had already sent three of Zaugh’s roommates — Richard Profumo, Mike Swartz and Jack Whitten — to prison.

After Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold Regardie introduced Zaugh’s Selective Service file as evidence, the judge turned to Zaugh, who had waived a jury trial and was representing himself.

“You may proceed, Mr. Zaugh.”

“I will start by saying that on May 29th I did refuse to cooperate at a physical, and that on August 27th I did refuse to submit to induction,” he began.

Zaugh, at Pregerson’s grave in November, began his ritual visits after the judge, by then a senior member of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, died in 2017. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

His defense, he said, would be “that there is really no alternative way for me to act when I am confronted by the U.S. Military Code.”

Zaugh would later obtain a transcript of the hearing from the National Archives.

In his opening statement, he quoted at length from a Selective Service System pamphlet called “Manpower Channeling,” and argued that the very concept of the draft infringed on his and other young men’s inalienable rights expressed in the Declaration of Independence and, in his view, reserved to the citizens by the 9th Amendment.

The prosecutor could no longer bear it.

“I will object to any further opening statement along these lines on the grounds that it is irrelevant and really not properly part of an opening statement,” he broke in.

And then came the moment when Pregerson inadvertently created a bond that would live beyond him — and lead Zaugh, year after year, to the judge’s grave.

“What you say is technically true, Mr. Regardie,” Pregerson told the prosecutor. “But I will hear Mr. Zaugh.”

Zaugh would — necessarily — be convicted that day and face possible prison time. But he had unexpectedly won the only victory he hoped for — to be heard.

For anyone who didn’t live through the 1960s, it might be impossible to conceive of the moral fissures wrought in America by the Vietnam War and the life-changing and character-defining decisions faced by every man of military age.

Some would follow their sense of duty, or merely do what they were told, and join a war many found they didn’t understand. Those who didn’t die returned to a home that many found didn’t understand them.

Hundreds of thousands would linger in school or marry to obtain deferments, or enlist in the Coast Guard or Air Force to avoid conscription into the Army. Others turned their backs on the U.S. by moving to Canada.

It was later estimated that more than 570,000 sought deferments through deception — the draft dodgers — or openly repudiated the draft — the resisters.

Some declared they wouldn’t fight for reasons of conscience. The standard-bearer of that group was world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who in 1967 was sentenced to prison for refusing induction based on a mix of his Muslim faith and his country’s racial injustice.

“Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?” Ali asked.

The late David Harris, former Stanford student body president and co-founder of a group called the Resistance, emerged as a leader in the growing national civil disobedience movement. He opposed the draft on broad philosophical precepts:

“We are all responsible for what our country does,” Harris wrote. “Under the worst of circumstances, we control our own behavior.”

Zaugh was in graduate school at UCLA when Harris, soon to be tried and sentenced to prison himself, spoke on campus, railing against the draft as an unjust system funneling young men into an unjust war.

The message struck so deeply that Zaugh dropped out of UCLA, joined a commune of fellow draft resisters living in a large house in central L.A., and began volunteering with a ragtag group called the Peace Press that published anti-war literature on a small offset printer.

Among resisters, Zaugh was a special case. Before he took his stand of conscience, he had reported for, and flunked, a preinduction physical due to a congenital condition called rheumatoid spondylitis, a fusing of the spinal vertebrae.

He never would have been sent to Vietnam.

When Zaugh’s day in court arrived, he wanted the Judge to know that he could have taken the easy way out.

“I hope to show that, first of all, I could have cooperated, taken the physical, and I would have flunked and received either a 1-Y or a 4-F,” he said, citing two categories for medical deferment.

But that was not his defense. He brought up his physical condition for only one reason, he said: “I would like you to be convinced of the sincerity of what my defense really is.”

With Pregerson’s license to speak, Zaugh did, for 15 minutes. He read passages from “Channeling Manpower,” which he said “really had a great effect” on him — “so much so that I printed up, myself, about 10,000 copies and distributed them.”

Anyone who read the document, he said, “would clearly see that the young people are dispossessed of their lives in this country, and that as a result we are being deprived of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

“I maintain that I have the right to choose my own happiness; not to have it imposed upon me from the outside.”

Pregerson cut in.

“Don’t you think all of us live under certain restrictions, Mr. Zaugh? Really, are any of us completely free to do what we want to do and to pursue our own happiness in the way we want to pursue it?”

But without waiting for an answer, he changed his tone.

“What are you doing now? Are you in school?”

“No,” Zaugh replied. “I have been working with blind children for four years, and I do printing on a subsistence wage, and I pack eggs for the father of a friend of mine who was sent to jail for refusing induction.”

“Go ahead,” Pregerson said. “I am glad you are doing that kind of work.”

Zaugh described a recent realization: “All the decisions that I have made relate to various social problems, such as ecology, the draft, racism and war.”

Complying with the induction law “means that I am violating the rights of others, because the result of the Selective Service System is really slavery. I think when you are forced to go in the Army because of fear of five years in prison, you are being enslaved.”

His testimony continued in this vein until Pregerson, in effect, mounted the defense that Zaugh was unwilling to make. The judge pressed Zaugh’s advisory counsel to argue that the government had made procedural errors in his case — a defense that worked for more than 100,000 defendants.

Contrary to Zaugh’s wish not to base his defense on technicalities, Pregerson found him not guilty of refusing induction.

Almost apologetically, he said he had to find Zaugh guilty of refusing his physical. He set sentencing for June 17.

American attitudes toward the Vietnam War were changing in 1970, as images of the dead — Vietnamese and American — on nightly television drummed home the brutality of the war; the enemy’s massive Tet Offensive of 1968 had undermined the U.S. government’s assurances of ultimate victory. Ali, initially condemned as unpatriotic by much of America, became a powerful symbol for the growing anti-war movement. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971.

That trend was reflected in the justice system. Prosecutions, convictions and prison sentences for draft resisters declined sharply in the late 1960s and early 1970s, President Ford’s postwar clemency board concluded in an exhaustive study of the Vietnam War era.

In “Chance and Circumstance: The Draft, the War and the Vietnam Generation,” Lawrence M. Baskir and William A. Strauss attributed the change to the successful strategy of resistance leaders to overwhelm the court system, and to growing doubts about the war among prosecutors and judges.

In a chart modeled on a family tree, the authors documented the cases of 209,517 men accused of draft violations: 25,279 indictments, 8,750 convictions and only 3,250 prison terms.

Zaugh might have had reason to think Pregerson too was having a change of heart.

Two other members of the commune earlier sentenced by Pregerson — Swartz and Profumo — had obtained early releases and attended Zaugh’s trial to show their support.

Though he has no proof, Zaugh believes Pregerson was responsible for their release. The judge had learned they were in solitary confinement for continuing their civil disobedience in prison. Pregerson went to the prison to see for himself, and then either filed a habeas corpus petition or persuaded a lawyer to do so, Zaugh said.

At sentencing Pregerson gave no inkling of his motivation, but said simply that Zaugh “does not now need confinement.” He sentenced him to two years of probation on the condition that he “perform civilian work of national importance contributing to the maintenance of the national health, safety and interest.”

U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson, who followed his father to the bench, believes the reasons for his decision were complex.

“I think like so much of the country, my dad had nothing but respect for men and women in uniform, but at the same time he began having doubts about whether this war made sense,” he said.

But he also thought Zaugh’s sincerity had influenced the decision.

“The other thing that is a reflection of my dad’s character is that he appreciated people who were genuine, who lacked guile and were acting on principle,” the son said. “The fact that people like Bob were willing to go to prison rather than do what less principled people would do, which is try to avoid the draft through some other means, is something that spoke to those qualities.”

Zaugh informed the Probation Board that he intended to serve the national interest by continuing to work for the Peace Press.

That could have been a tidy end to the story, but fate was still at play.

Three decades later, the elder Pregerson came back into Zaugh’s life by chance. It happened, of all places, at a UCLA football game where Zaugh, by then a Bruin fan, saw UCLA alum Pregerson honored at halftime.

Zaugh’s sense of destiny was reinforced when he attended a screening of Oscar-winner Terry Sanders’ 1998 documentary “Return with Honor,” about U.S. pilots who’d been prisoners of war. It was a fundraiser for an Inglewood veterans shelter, one of several Pregerson had helped found.

“So, after intending to write you since the 70’s, the signs were clear it was time to do so,” Zaugh said in an undated letter to Pregerson, by then on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

He reminded the judge of the details of his case and concluded:

“What was crucial for me was that though you probably disagreed with my position, you probably set that aside and allowed me to present my defense.”

He mentioned that he had done his work in the national interest at the Peace Press.

“Though it may seem a stretch as work in the national interest, it was respected by many and studied as a model worker-owned business by the [Small Business Administration] and California.

“My conviction has never been a burden in any way and the fact that you chose not to jail me has probably been a blessing.”

By then Pregerson, who famously testified at his 1979 appeals court confirmation hearing that he would follow his conscience if it conflicted with the law, had established himself as an activist, both on and off the bench, on behalf of homeless people and veterans. He stirred the federal bureaucracy to provide land for the Salvation Army’s shelter in Bell, and his oversight of litigation over the Century Freeway led to the construction of close to 1,000 permanent housing units for veterans at Century Villages at Cabrillo.

On Feb. 16, 1999, Pregerson wrote back:

“It meant a lot to receive your letter. … I remember your case well. I also remember Mike Swartz and another young man whose last name name was Whitten. I’ve often wondered what became of you and the others.

“I am happy to know that my disposition of your case turned out so well for you and for our country.”

Zaugh had long wanted to thank Pregerson in person, but couldn’t get court staff to make an appointment. He finally succeeded in 2016, when he offered to introduce the judge to his friend Gary Tyler. A Black man who had served 40 years in an Alabama prison on a murder charge that was widely discredited as racially motivated, Tyler was released that year in a manslaughter plea deal. Zaugh had supported the campaign to free him and facilitated Tyler’s move to Los Angeles.

The 2½-hour meeting in the judge’s chambers provided a link that bore fruit upon Pregerson’s death on Nov. 25, 2017.

Sanders, the filmmaker, wanted to film the judge’s memorial service at the Shrine Auditorium. Zaugh made the introduction to the family through Pregerson’s staff. That footage became the foundation for “9th Circuit Cowboy,” Sanders’ feature-length documentary on the judge.

Zaugh, Sanders and Dean Pregerson have since appeared at colleges and high schools for showings and discussions of the film.

Today Zaugh, 79, a divorced father of three, lives alone in a guesthouse in south Santa Monica. He spent about two decades at the Peace Press, then another 20 years printing for Matt Groening’s Bongo Comics Group. He used his severance from the company to form a nonprofit, Actions Speak Louder Inc.

His nonprofit produces dramatic readings of the play “Our Town” and speaks with law school students at UCLA and Loyola Marymount about the Resistance. Its history is as relevant as ever today, he thinks, as he sees protesters for the Palestinian cause hiding their identities and shunning the news media instead of openly proclaiming their commitment to the cause.

His current project is preparing a yearlong exhibition of talks and artwork on depression for El Camino College in Torrance.

He also prays out loud every day for some 200 people, living and dead.

“I ask that I am able to represent, carry forth, the best trait of their life in my own life to honor their soul.”

After Pregerson’s death, Zaugh began a ritual that is partly spiritual and partly his continued service to the national interest. On Veterans Day and Memorial Day, he visits L.A.’s National Cemetery for veterans.

It’s a simple observance. He walks to Pregerson’s grave site, sits with him and prays.

His message: “Thank you.”

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

As veterinary costs rise, people wrestle with high price of caring for pets

Julie Baxter just faced the most agonizing decision a person with pets can face: whether to euthanize an ailing animal in the face of the overwhelming desire to keep a beloved companion alive.

Baxter’s pain was made all the more acute as she and her partner wrestled with wanting to do all they could for their dog Roscoe, while realizing there was a limit to how much they could spend on tests and hospital stays. The 50-pound mixed breed lived with them for eight years after his rescue off the streets as a puppy.

“My partner and I had a kind of rule that $1,000 is where we’re going to stop on vet bills,” said Baxter, who lives in Broomfield, Colorado. “It was really trying to take that pragmatic approach to how much can we spend. It stinks.”

They ended up paying $2,400 for medications, tests and trips to the emergency room, but decided against further treatment that could have been as much as $8,000. Roscoe, diagnosed with pneumonia, died in early June.

Baxter wonders if she should have bought pet insurance at some point.

“I don’t know that it would have changed the outcome, but it certainly would have saved me at least part of the $2,400 in vet bills,” Baxter said. “It’s something I wish I would’ve looked into because I feel like I wouldn’t have been quite so backed into a corner.”

Rising costs of veterinary care are helping drive an increase in the number of people who are opting for pet insurance, according to the personal finance company NerdWallet. The company reported that more than 5.6 million U.S. dogs and cats were covered by pet insurance in 2023, up 17% from the year before, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association.

However, the number of insured animals is just a small fraction of pets nationwide. The 2023-2024 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey said there are an estimated 65 million households with dogs and nearly 47 million households with cats.

An incentive for buying insurance is increasing pet-care expenses. The cost of veterinarian services rose 7.6% from May 2023 to May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 10% jump in 2022 was the largest dating back two decades, The Associated Press reported.

Higher worker pay and higher costs for medical supplies, lab tests and pharmaceuticals are among the reasons for increases. Some veterinarians also blame the purchase of clinics and hospitals by large corporations for boosting prices.

Nearly half of the respondents to a survey by pet food and supplies online retailer Chewy said the primary reason they have wellness or insurance plans is to be able to take care of their animals if something happens to them. Katy Nelson, senior veterinarian at Chewy, said in an email that the average monthly cost for pet insurance is around $30 for cats and $50 for dogs

“Doing your own research is important. There are many options out there and sometimes selecting the right plan can feel overwhelming,” Nelson said.

A number of online sites provide comparisons of different policies, including NerdWallet and PawLicy Advisor. Pre-existing conditions typically aren’t covered. Some breeds of dogs, such as English and French bulldogs, are more expensive to cover because they are prone to certain health issues.

Cynthia Sweet, a vet at the Belcaro Animal Hospital in Denver, has insurance for her dogs. She said pet owners will marvel that things like dental care costs more for their animals than for them.

Veterinarian Dr. Cynthia Sweet, DVM, left, poses for a portrait after doing a senior wellness check on Maddie, a 14 year old boxer, right, at Belcaro Animal Hospital at 5023 Leetsdale Drive in Denver on June 18, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

“It comes down to insurance. You don’t realize how much medical and dental and medications cost on the human side because the majority of people have insurance. That’s just not the case in the veterinary field,” Sweet said.

Bethany Hsia, a California veterinarian and co-founder of CodaPet, an in-home pet euthanasia service, said the trend of pet insurance has been on the rise in recent years. She recommended that people look at a plan’s exclusions, the premium costs, the percentage of expenses that are reimbursed and an insurer’s reviews and reputation.

Something to keep in mind, Hsia said, is that a majority of pet insurance companies don’t directly contract with vets.

“So the pet parents pay out of pocket at the time of the services to the vet and submit the itemized invoices to the insurer for reimbursement,” Hsia said. “Can I afford to buy groceries next week if I pay for this right now?”

The best time to consider pet insurance is when the animal is young and healthy, Hsia said. In any case, she suggested reviewing different options.

“It’s good to have that peace of mind where you have the ability to do something in an emergency situation and you know that those finances are going to be reimbursed,” Hsia said. “It means the world when you’re sitting there looking into the eyes of your beloved pet.”