Saving Lou, by Linda Loegel, (Linda Loegel, Columbia, SC, 2017, 242 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

May 27, 2019 (San Diego) - Linda Loegel, a born New Englander, and former East County resident of San Diego (El Cajon), now living in Garner, North Carolina, has written a poignant and heartwarming story; Saving Lou.

Having written two earlier reviews of Loegel’s books, Bumps Along the Way and If you Don’t Like Worms, Keep Your Mouth Shut, I can attest to the author being a master story teller. Saving Lou follows suit. She tells this story from beginning to end in her own inimitable and folksy manner, which is characteristic and expected of her from readers such as myself and others that have read her book(s).

December 19, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Mass shooting at Connecticut elementary school:

• Fear of being committed may have caused Connecticut gunman to snap (Fox)
• After a 1996 mass shooting, Australia enacted strict gun laws. It hasn’t had a similar massacre since. (Slate)
• Feinstein says bills to ban assault weapons will be a priority (La Mesa Patch)
• Newtown tragedy could put mental health in spotlight (USA Today)
• 'I Am Adam Lanza's Mother'  (Huffington Post)
• How many more Mondays? Changing a culture of glorified violence (San Diego Free Press)
• Sandy Hook: Police say shooter forced his way into school (Christian Science Monitor)
• School adviser: Gunman a loner who felt no pain (U-T San Diego)

Other national news:

• Kerry favorite to become Secretary of State (CBS)
• Deficit deal offers chance for salvation for 112th Congress (The Hill)
• Boehmer offers debt ceiling increase in cliff compromise (Washington Post)
• Obama’s new offer on fiscal cliff could lead to deal (New York Times)
• Flight of hypocrisy: Feds fine oil companies, give pass to wind farms killing birds (Fox)
• Cyberattacks on US banks resume, aiming to block their websites-tied to Hamas (Christian Science Monitor)
• Good Tidings Of Great Joy: Google Maps App Released For iPhone (NPR)
• Turn that down: FCC orders TV ads to lower volume (RawStory)
• Government PR surges amid media cuts (UT-San Diego)
• Illegal immigration drops after decade-long rise (U-T San Diego)
• 'We've Got Bigger Fish To Fry' Than Going After Pot Smokers, Obama Says (NPR)
• Mormon Women Dare To Wear Pants To Church (NPR)

WORLD

• Death toll from Typhoon tops 1,000 in Philippines (CNN)
• 'Syrian jets bomb Palestinian camp in Damascus' (Jerusalem Post)
• Codex committee: you can’t tell people that nutrients prevent disease! (Alliance for Natural Health)
• U.S. Officials: Syria Has Prepared Several Dozen Chemical Bombs (NPR)
• Police in Facebook global arrests (BBC)
• Egyptian women claim judge barred them from voting (U-T San Diego)
• Why Africa's lions are rapidly disappearing (Christian Science Monitor)
• Lack of food stunts Chad children, damages minds (U-T San Diego)
• New Palestinian group declares 3rd Intifada (Jerusalem Post)
• Russia raids activists in 'revolution' probe (Jewish World Review)
• Egypt court gives Christian 3 years for blasphemy (U-T San Diego)
• The Israeli Periphery (Jewish World Review)
• Israeli expansion threatens West Bank Bedouin (Al Jazeera)
• E.U. Votes To Have A Single Regulator For Its Banks (NPR)
• Japan’s ABE sees difficult road ahead (Al Jazeera)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

September 15, 2012 --  (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Obstacles may delay drones access to U.S. skies (UT San Diego)
• State court ruling deals blow to U.S. mortgage system (Reuters)
• FBI warns of U.S. violence over anti-Islamic movie (ABC)
• Republicans split on Mitt Romney remarks (Politico)
• Debunking Romney’s attack on Americans who don’t pay income taxes (L.A. Times) 
• New Romney ad rips Obama on coal energy (The Hill)

WORLD

• Libyans see Al Qaeda hand in U.S. embassy attack (Wall Street Journal)
• Anti-American fury sweeps Middle East over film (Reuters)
• Protests sweep Islamic world, fueled by domestic politics and anti-U.S. anger (CS Monitor)
• Prince Harry targeted in Taliban attack in Afghanistan (Telegraph)
• Police clash with Muslims at protest in East Jerusalem (Jerusalem Post)
• Peacekeepers attacked in Egypt’s Sinai Penninsula; foreigners injured (CS Monitor)
• Large anti-austerity protests in Spain, Portugal (UT San Diego)
• India opposition parties protest economic reforms (UT San Diego)
• Anti-Japan protests sweep China on anniversary of invasion (Reuters) 

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

• Feds make first arrest in BP Gulf Coast oil spill (CBS)
• Justices to hear appeal over controversial Arizona immigration law (CNN)
• Obama takes on college costs, eyes young voters (Bloomberg)
• Radioactive particles from Japan detected in California kelp (Los Angeles Times)
• Romney sweeps five northeast primaries (USA Today)
• Mitt Romney: Mothers should be required to work outside home or lose benefits (HuffingtonPost)

• Stirring Mexico volcano closes schools, raises alert (Reuters)
• Afghan girls in school after poison attack (BBC)
• Japan fears nuclear plant sits atop active geological fault (Reuters)
• Hollande and Sarkozy head for runoff in French election (NY Times)

By Miriam Raftery

May 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – Several of our readers have asked for updates on the crisis at the Fukushima, Japan nuclear reactors. I expected that since the story seems to have fallen off the radar of most major media, the situation might have stabilized.

Nothing but the Truth!

April 7, 2011 (San Diego) -- Ecologists have been saying for years that continued buildup of radioactive waste with no safe storage would haunt us. They also reminded us nuclear reactors are vulnerable to earthquakes and terrorist attacks.

Now albacore tuna, the tasty white-meat fish so beloved of afternoon sandwiches and tuna salads, are showing up with high levels off radiation from the Japanese tsunami.

March 18, 2011 (San Diego's East County) -- ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views.

Top global and national news stories include:

• U.N. Security Council authoritizes action against Moammar Kadafi: U.S. and allied forces begin preparing for military operations against Libya despite doubts the outgunned rebels can be saved (Los Angeles Times)

• Libya announces ceasefire; violence reported in Misrata (CNN)
• ‘Chernobyl solution’ could be last resort for Japanese reactors (MSNBC)
• House votes to end money for NPR, and Senate passes spending bill (New York Times)
• Saudi king offers more handouts, security boost (Reuters)
• Japan to move part of high-tech production to Mexico in wake of disaster (Rian)
• Japan races to restore power at reactors (Reuters)
• U.S. reactor pools store more spent fuel than Japan’s (Anchorage Daily News)
• Japan nuclear fears lift solar stocks (CNN Money)
• With U.S. nuclear plants under scrutiny, too, a report raises safety concerns (New York Times)
• AT&T & Verizon offer free calls to Japan (MSNBC)
• World considers nuclear-free future (Russian Times)
• Radiation sickness: who’s most at risk? (CBS)
• Quake sell-off wipes $287 billion off Tokyo stock market (Reuters)
• Volcano in Southern Japan erupts (Los Angeles Times)
• Escalating Yemen violence kills 3, injures hundreds (Reuters)

Rescued dogs now trained to rescue people

March 15, 2011 (San Diego) –Twelve search dog teams, including six from California and six from Virginia, are now on the ground in Japan searching for survivors. “It’s a very warm story. These were all shelter dogs,” Janet Reineck of the National Search Dog Foundation in Ojai, California, told East County Magazine.

Now the rescued dogs help rescue humans following some of the most devastating disasters in history.

March 13, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – A string of catastrophies in Japan, starting with one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history, which triggered a tsunami and multiple nuclear plant failures, is epic in scale.

TOKYO FLOODED BY TSUNAMI

TSUNAMI COULD REACH SAN DIEGO FRIDAY  

AT 8:41 A.M.

TSUNAMI WATCHES/WARNINGS ISSUED FOR HAWAII, ALASKA, CALIFORNIA, OREGON, WASHINGTON, AUSTRALIA, RUSSIA, TAIWAN, GUAM, PHLIPPINES, INDONESIA, MARIANAS ISLANDS, SOUTH AMERICA, ANTARCTICA & MORE