If you rage with frustration during a marital spat, watch your blood pressure. If you keep a stiff upper lip, watch your back.

New research from the University of California, Berkeley, and Northwestern University, based on how couples behave during conflicts, suggests outbursts of anger predict cardiovascular problems later in life.

Conversely, shutting down emotionally or “stonewalling” during conflict raises the risk of musculoskeletal ailments such as a bad back or stiff muscles.

“Our findings reveal a new level of precision in how emotions are linked to health, and how our behaviors over time can predict the development of negative health outcomes,” said UC Berkeley psychologist Robert Levenson, senior author of the study.

Link stronger for husbands

The study, published today in the journal Emotion, is based on 20 years of data. It controlled for such factors as age, education, exercise, smoking, alcohol use and caffeine consumption.

Overall, the link between emotions and health outcomes was most pronounced for husbands, but some of the key correlations were also found in wives. It did not take the researchers long to guess which spouses would develop ailments down the road based on how they reacted to disagreements.

“We looked at marital-conflict conversations that lasted just 15 minutes and could predict the development of health problems over 20 years for husbands based on the emotional behaviors that they showed during these 15 minutes,” said study lead author Claudia Haase, an assistant professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University.

The findings could spur hotheaded people to consider such interventions as anger management, while people who withdraw during conflict might benefit from resisting the impulse to bottle up their emotions, the researchers said.

“Conflict happens in every marriage, but people deal with it in different ways. Some of us explode with anger; some of us shut down,” Haase said. “Our study shows that these different emotional behaviors can predict the development of different health problems in the long run.”

Studying longtime couples

The study is one of several led by Levenson, who looks at the inner workings of long-term marriages. Participants are part of a cohort of 156 middle-aged and older heterosexual couples in the San Francisco Bay Area whose relationships Levenson and fellow researchers have tracked since 1989.

The surviving spouses who participated in the study are now in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s.

Each five years, the couples were videotaped in a laboratory setting as they discussed events in their lives and areas of disagreement and enjoyment. Their interactions were rated by expert behavioral coders for a wide range of emotions and behaviors based on facial expressions, body language and tone of voice.

In addition, the spouses completed a battery of questionnaires that included a detailed assessment of specific health problems.

In this latest study, the researchers focused on the health consequences of anger and an emotion-suppressing behavior they refer to as “stonewalling.” The study also looked at sadness and fear as predictors of these health outcomes, but did not find any significant associations.

“Our findings suggest particular emotions expressed in a relationship predict vulnerability to particular health problems, and those emotions are anger and stonewalling,” Levenson said.

Raised voices, knitted brows

To track displays of anger, the researchers monitored the videotaped conversations for such behaviors as lips pressed together, knitted brows, voices raised or lowered beyond their normal tone and tight jaws.

To identify stonewalling behavior, they looked for what researchers refer to as “away” behavior, which includes facial stiffness, rigid neck muscles, and little or no eye contact. That data was then linked to health symptoms, measured every five years over a 20-year span.

The spouses who were observed during their conversations to fly off the handle more easily were at greater risk of developing chest pain, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems over time.

Alternately, those who stonewalled by barely speaking and avoiding eye contact were more likely to develop backaches, stiff necks or joints and general muscle tension.

“For years, we’ve known that negative emotions are associated with negative health outcomes, but this study dug deeper to find that specific emotions are linked to specific health problems,” Levenson said. “This is one of the many ways that our emotions provide a window for glimpsing important qualities of our future lives.”

In addition to Levenson and Haase, co-authors and researchers on the study are Sarah Holley at San Francisco State University, Lian Bloch at Stanford University and Alice Verstaen at UC Berkeley. The study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the German Research Foundation.

Yasmin Anwar writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.

When it comes to “gun legislation,” not all politicians are liars; it’s just that about 90 percent of them give the other 10 percent a bad name!

It never ceases to amaze me how many “gun control” bills are written and passed merely on the basis of what our senators “think they know” or are told by other “anti-gun” politicians or the media. Many of them are deliberately lying for the purpose of their own personal agenda.

Responsible gun owners are tired of hearing comments like:

– “Ninety-nine percent of Americans want stricter gun laws.”
– “The AR-15 rifle is a 'military style assault weapon that sprays bullets'.”
– “The AR-15 stands for 'assault rifle'.”
– “The 'bullet button' on an AR-15 makes magazine changes in the blink of an eye.”
– “These new 'plastic pistols' can’t be detected at airport security and can be produced on a cheap 3-D printer.”
– and, the popular “high capacity magazines for handguns.”

It’s sickening that so many politicians are repeating this garbage when they truly have no real knowledge of firearms and/or how to even handle a firearm.

Most of them want stricter gun laws for the working class Americans, yet they (and their entire families) are protected 24 hours a day … with guns.

I am wise enough to know that people who are definitely “pro-gun” or “anti-gun” will most likely not change their point of view. I am directing this to address the “neutral” population and those who fall into the category of “ignorance” regarding gun ownership.

Ignorance is not a bad thing – it just means you have not been educated on the facts.

If you have been informed of the facts but continue to stick your head in the sand, well, then most likely you are an idiot and I can’t help you there!

The worst offenders are people who have been educated with facts but deliberately lie to the American people because they have their own agenda of how we should live. Continually repeating these lies does not make it true, it just makes you a chronic liar.

Fact No. 1: When you hear a statement like “the polls show 99 percent of Americans want stricter gun laws,” that is a lie. What they mean is, a poll was paid for by billionaire Michael Bloomberg and results were obtained from his “anti-gun” organizations.

Fact No. 2: The AR-15 rifle was never designed for the military. It was designed for the civilian market and does not “spray bullets” like a military weapon.

Fact No. 3: The “AR” does not stand for “assault rifle” and it is not an assault weapon. The “AR” was merely the letter designation of the manufacturer, “Armalite”; the same as Glock designates their pistol models with “G-17” or Sig Sauer designates their models starting with “P-938.”

Fact No. 4: The “Bullet Button” (prior legislation made it mandatory on a AR-15 in California) is extremely hard to manipulate, especially under stress. It cannot be depressed in the “blink of an eye.” I challenge anyone to come out to the range and demonstrate how fast they can manipulate this device to change magazines.

Fact No. 5: These so-called “plastic pistols” most certainly can be detected at airports and security screening facilities and in no way be completely produced with a 3-D printer. If you are anti-gun and believe this, you should “print one” and test fire it yourself. You are more of an idiot than I thought!

Fact No. 6: The “standard capacity” magazines for most handguns today is 12 rounds, 13 rounds, 15 or even 17 rounds. The “high capacity” magazines are the 34-round, 50-round or 100-round. Our California anti-gun politicians gave the term “high capacity” magazines to any magazine that holds more than 10 rounds.

I suggest you get out to your local gun range and get the facts for yourself. Even if you don’t want to own a firearm or participate in the shooting sports, at least get out to the range or talk to one of the range officers of our local law enforcement and get the facts.

Tim Prather lives in Cobb, Calif.

Fishing for salmon and rockfish with mixed tackle?

Question: I fish out of Port San Luis. When fishing for salmon in a private boat, as long as I am trolling with barbless hooks, am I allowed to have barbed hooks in my boat? I am asking because we would like to troll for salmon in the morning and rockfish in the afternoon.

Last year we didn't know what to do so we fished with salmon gear in the morning, then came back in and swapped for our rockfishing gear. That extra trip cost us two hours of travel time and a lot of extra fuel.

When asking around I heard from one guy that I was not allowed to have barbed hooks in the boat while salmon fishing, but then another guy said it was ok to have barbed hooks in the boat as long as I was trolling barbless hooks.

What’s the correct answer? (Carl R.)

Answer: You can have the two types of gear on the boat, but since you’re fishing north of Point Conception, once you begin fishing for salmon or have salmon on board, you can troll using only one line with up to two single-shank, barbless hooks regardless of what you’re fishing for (California Code of Regulations Title14, section 27.80(a)(2)).

You did mention that you’re usually trolling, but if you’re mooching for salmon using bait and not trolling, you’re allowed to use only barbless circle hooks between Point Conception and Horse Mountain.

For complete salmon fishing regulations, please visit our ocean salmon Web site. For a summary of the recreational groundfish (including rockfish) fishing regulations for 2016, please check our regulation summary tables online at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Salmon .

Complete sport fishing regulations are also available online. Regulation booklets are available for download at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Sport-Fishing ; paper copies are also available at your local California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) office and wherever sport fishing licenses are sold.

Rather than casting, a remote control boat to take lure out?

Question: Can I use a remote control boat to drop my lure farther out than casting and then bring the remote control boat back to shore while waiting for a bite?

The lure is connected to a fishing pole through 50 pound test braided line. The remote control boat will not be used to assist in pulling the fish out of the water. The lure and the sinker will be lifted off the water while the boat is moving farther off the shore.

Once the distance is far enough, then the lure and the sinker will be released and the remote control boat will head back to the shore for battery charging. Is this operation legal? (Lawrence C.)

Answer: Yes. There’s nothing in the Fish and Game Code or Title 14 regulations prohibiting the use of a remotely controlled boat to get your terminal gear out to locations beyond where you can cast. Some people also use kites for this purpose.

Selling a Canadian mounted full size bear?

Question: I purchased a full size mounted black bear from a machine shop owner in 1996. The machinist told me he bought the bear from a store in Canada in 1982 and brought it back to California for display in his shop.

He didn’t provide me with any kind of paperwork confirming this. I just bought it by chance when I saw it in his office while having some metal parts fabricated for a job.

I know it’s illegal to kill game in California and sell it for profit, but is it also illegal for me to sell the bear I have that isn’t even from California? I’ve had the bear for about 20 years and now it’s time to pass it to someone else to appreciate.

Do you have any advice? The last thing I want to do is unknowingly break a state law and get arrested. (Steve H., Long Beach)

Answer: It is unlawful to sell, buy or possess for sale the meat, skin, hide, teeth, claws or other parts of any bear in this state (FGC, section 4758).

Unfortunately, this section applies to all bears, including those lawfully taken out of the state, and this is one of the few violations in the code that may be punished as a felony.

In addition, FGC, section 3039 prohibits selling or purchasing any part of a bird or mammal found in the wild in California, and this includes taxidermy mounts. However, for purposes of passing it to someone else to appreciate, you can give your mount away.

Your best bet might be to contact a museum, school or service club to see if they might want it.

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Upper Lake Mercantile is pleased to present new paintings by well-known Lake County artist, Tamsen Donner. 

The show, entitled “Tamfoolery,” is just that, a charming collection of oil paintings representing silliness, monkey business, nonsense and fun.

Donner will be at the mercantile for a reception from 4 to 7 and Sunday, June 12, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Stop by Upper Lake Mercantile to see the work and meet her.

“Tamfoolery” will be up through July 30.

Upper Lake Mercantile is located at 9490 Main St., Upper Lake, right next to the town clock.

The mercantile is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information call the store at 707-275-9225.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Thanks to many in the community, the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum now has a permanent stage for outdoor performances.

Providing a permanent stage has been a long-term dream of the docents and volunteers at the Stage Stop. This spring, that dream has become a reality.

The Mendocino College Construction Fundamentals Class, taught by Lake County contractor Glenn Mueller, took on the stage-building project giving students experience in working with concrete, building forms and pouring and finishing the cement.

The team of students working on the project comprise the first Construction Fundamentals Class offered at the Lake County Mendocino College Center in Lakeport.

After last year’s wild fires the college responded to the increased need for building skills in the county. Students no longer need to travel out of county to develop safe construction skills and methods. Mueller said the next class is scheduled to begin June 16. Visit www.mendocino.edu for information.

Dennis Woodland, a local contractor with special expertise in concrete, assisted on the project. Clear Lake Redi-Mix gave a discount on the purchase of the concrete used to complete the stage. Dennis Grove Concrete Pumping of Hidden Valley Lake gave a partial donation of services.

Complementing the permanent stage, is a “barn trail” newly constructed between the main house and the red barn on the museum property. The trail construction was undertaken by Kennedy Gaulden, a member of Boy Scout Troop 45, to fulfill his Eagle Scout Project. The Troop Scoutmaster is Austin Mueller, son of Glenn Mueller.

These types of community partnership allow the museum goals to be further realized since the stage and path will remain intact for future events.

The Lake County Historical Society’s Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is located at 9921 State Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clearlake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner.

Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Living History events are held on the fourth Saturday of each month from noon until 2 p.m. Fiddlers’ Jams occur the first Sunday of every month, again, from noon until 2 p.m. Private tours and/or public events can be arranged by appointment.

Visit www.elystagestop.org or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.

Barry C. Durnal Jr.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Barry was born on June 20, 1977, in Los Gatos, Calif., and passed away suddenly on May 22, 2016.

A graveside memorial service will be held on Friday,  June 17, at 10 a.m.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – State Sen. Mike McGuire has given his approval to the budget agreement reached this week.

“This budget is both forward thinking and fiscally responsible,” Sen. McGuire said. “It recognizes that these good financial times will not last forever while at the same time, we are committed to reinvesting in our state’s highest priorities: early childhood education, affordable housing, homeless services, mental health as well as making college more accessible.”

One of the most significant budget investments – that McGuire fought for – was the $2 billion investment in homeless services and housing that will be advanced later this summer.

It’s expected these dollars will build out a minimum of 14,000 units across California over the next several years.

In addition, McGuire worked with his colleagues to increase homeless services funding for shelters.

Early Childhood Education was also a big winner in the budget. Over the next three years, almost 9,000 preschool slots will be added and the state will be focused on child care rate increases, which has been a significant challenge to attracting and retaining qualified education professionals to the field.

Like the Governor, Senator McGuire was also a strong supporter of strengthening our State’s rainy day funds.

“Continuing to build up our state’s reserve is crucial. This past recession was devastating, and I believe we have taken the right steps for our state’s financial future by socking away $2 billion in the rainy-day fund in addition to $1.7 we had already budgeted to invest in reserves,” Senator McGuire said.

One area that Sen. McGuire is not satisfied with is the lack of funding for the state’s crumbling transportation infrastructure.

As one of the legislature’s loudest proponents of striking a deal on transportation infrastructure funding, McGuire is pushing to have a vote on the Senate’s transportation funding plan by the end of the year.

The budget agreement reached Thursday night by the Legislative Conference Committee is expected to be taken up by the Senate early next week, before the June 15 deadline.