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Mendocino County Today: Sunday, Apr 10, 2016

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SANDERS STREAK CONTINUES! Bernie makes it eight wins out of the last nine as he comfortably beats Clinton in Wyoming caucus 56% to 44% ahead of crunch New York Showdown. "We are closing very fast, and now that Wyoming is behind us, we are here in New York state," Sanders said. "And I've been pleased to sense a great deal of momentum. We have had a number of rallies in Brooklyn, in Queens where we are now. In Manhattan, in the Bronx. We'll be going to be Staten Island, we'll be heading upstate. No question in my mind that we have the momentum, some of the polls out there are reflecting that momentum. We expect and intend to do very well in New York."

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FLOTSAM from a failing mind.

(1) DRIZZLY MORNING, ball game delayed, how about a movie? I liked Richard Linklater's "Boyhood," so, despite the Chron's reviewer Mick LaSalle description of "Everybody Wants Some" as, "It captures a free-spirited moment of 1980" and "loose and hilarious," I paid my $7 and walked on in out of the rain.

I LASTED FORTY minutes. If you remember 1980, or any year, or even a moment of any year, as a bunch of witless college baseball players (there are no other kind) on a campus where all the women are not only beautiful but wear nothing but short-shorts and halter tops, hurrah for you and your unreality. This movie is beyond bad. Think "Animal House" without the crude laughs. "Everybody Wants Some" is unrelievedly stupid and painfully unfunny. Which accounts for the glowing reviews from people like Lasalle.

WHAT IS GOOD, very good, is "The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story." John Travolta is wonderful as OJ's sleazeball of a lead lawyer, Robert Shapiro, as the tv production takes us on a total look-back at the spectacular OJ event, from the murders, the nationally televised chase, the trial, the acquittal, and all the side stories and personalities in between. The acting is very good and this re-creation is as fascinating as the events themselves.

I'D FORGOTTEN most of the OJ details, but I thought at the time that the jury made a rational decision based on the case against OJ that the jury heard. Everyone else had the benefit of all the coverage, and it was entirely predictable, given the history of black people and police departments, especially the LAPD, that the black majority on OJ's jury would be for acquittal, not matter how obviously the facts mitigated against his innocence.

PARTICULARLY AFFECTING are the portrayals of prosecutors Marcia Clark (perfectly played by Sarah Paulson) and Christopher Darden (perfectly played by Sterling Brown). Both of them took huge abuse inside and outside the courtroom, and this version of the story makes it clear how strong they were to endure it all.

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(2) Floyd Mayweather, the great fighter, paid $170,000 for those one-time courtside seats he and two friends enjoyed at the Warrior's game a couple of Friday nights ago. How would I know? I know the guy who occupies the adjacent courtside seats. Why am I telling you this? I don't know. The shock that ball games bring that kind of money these last days, that this kind of excess is emblematic but routine of how crazy our time is.

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(3) AVA READERS are muy sophistico, so they will know that Gay Talese, the famous writer, got in trouble last week because he said off the top of his 84-year-old head he couldn't think of any female writers he liked. I tested myself and instantly came up with my faves — Annie Proulx, Laurie Moore and ol' whatsherface. Talese, natch, was roundly denounced by a horde of academic females, none of whom can write, which is why they're holed up in universities with life-time jobs.

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(4) NOT QUITE in the same vein, Trump, who's managed to bring down the entire world on his fraught head, brought down the female half of the world on his amazing comb-across when he confidently barked out several illiberal off the cuff remarks about abortion. One would think that by now Trump would have a whole arsenal of vague platitudes handy for all occasions. I'm suspicious of male libs who can be depended on to smugly announce, "I believe in a woman's right to choose." I don't believe lib authenticity on any of the big issues. Look at the record.

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(5) NPR seems twice as annoying on weekends because we get mega-nuzzlebum Scott Simon's simpering interviews and cloying remarks, but we also get these preciously correct opinion essays from children that they obviously didn't write. They're the audio equivalent of science fairs you see in the local schools where all the projects are so obviously the work of parents.

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(6) OBAMA was in The City Friday. He'd carbon-stomped out here from Washington in Air Force One to raise money for the Democrats, the whole partisan trip paid for by the taxpayers, few of whom are represented by anybody from either party. Whenever the president is in town he causes huge traffic jams wherever he goes, complete with a literal small army of gunmen preceded by about fifty San Francisco motorcycle cops. His destinations this weekend were mansions in Pacific Heights and a mini-mansion somewhere out on Potrero Hill. At each stop he picks up checks for upwards of $30,000. In Pacific Heights, the Secret Service orders everyone away from their windows and all cars off the streets for five square blocks. And there are sharpshooters with big guns on lots of rooftops. The president of Guatemala must be envious. I feel stupid even saying that it's all anti-democratic and corrupt beyond corruption, but looking at the television coverage not a critical word about it.

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(7) REALLY? Is anybody surprised at the revelations contained in the Panama Papers? The rich of all nations hide their money? That Americans, including the Apple Corp, having been stashing money for years to avoid taxes, and the super-rich like Bill Gates and the Clintons stash a lot of their money in "foundations"? That the rich haven't paid anything like a fair rate of taxation since FDR, and even then, at 95% over a hundred thou the rich were barely grazed? Jeez, if we're the 99 percent, what the hell are we waiting for?

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(8) A RETIRED CalTrans trial lawyer named Richard Covert writes: "I can assure you that no state employee can retire at 'full pension' after 20 years. I retired at 80 percent of my final pay only after 40 years service, and paying in many thousands out of my paycheck as my retirement contribution. My state pay was less than 50 percent of what I was offered more than once by private firms. I accepted lower pay because of the state's excellent defined-benefit pension and health care program. I know my experience wasn't unique. If the state goes to a 'nice 401k plan,' which is subject to the tender mercies of the stock and bond market, it will have to pay much higher salaries than it does now. There is no free lunch for anyone."

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(9) FOUR HYDRO-ELECTRIC DAMS on the upper Klamath are going to at last be removed, which will help restore what's left of the great river's depleted salmon runs. The argument over the Klamath began in earnest back in 2001.

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SoftballPoster

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CORRECTION: The County does not collect Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT/bed tax) in Fort Bragg. Each incorporated City and the County are free to adopt their own bed tax rate which applies only to their jurisdiction. In addition to the County’s 10% TOT, there is a 1% Business Improvement District (BID) "assessment" that goes toward the County's promotional effort.

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WELCOME TO MENDOCINO: WE'VE GOT RULES.

Dear Friends,

My latest Mendopia video is

here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcaf3WNoCgI&index=1&list=PLWTKx4OwAkBEZRZB07aPOA237QV8BS-b0

The entire Mendopia series is

herehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWTKx4OwAkBEZRZB07aPOA237QV8BS-b0

Cheers, Scott M. Peterson, Mendocino

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DID YOU KNOW?

John Redding wrote: Did you know that before capitalism and free markets the frequently referenced 99% lived in abject poverty? Throughout most of human history, nearly everyone was poor. It wasn't until the beginning of the 19th century that the masses started to enjoy real and growing prosperity. What was the difference? Capitalism and its offspring, the Industrial Revolution.

John Fremont responds: Did you know that until 1886 workers (including children) worked a 10-12 hour day in unsafe conditions. Socialists and anarchists took to the streets (many dying in the Haymarket riots) and unions like the IWW were formed to combat capitalism's rapacity. To celebrate hard-won reforms, May Day became a day to celebrate workers and spread to more than 75 countries before and after being squelched here. Occupy Mendocino will celebrate May Day with a march and voter registration in Fort Bragg. Details next week.

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CATCH OF THE DAY, April 9, 2016

Arnold, Arriaga, Bagley, Blackwell
Arnold, Arriaga, Bagley, Blackwell

DEWAYNE ARNOLD, Sacramento/Calpella. DUI.

MARIC ARRIAGA, Ukiah. Meth possession for sale.

CHRISTOPHER BAGLEY, San Rafael/Ukiah. Under influence.

ERIN BLACKWELL, Ukiah. Drunk in public. (Frequent flyer.)

Caron, Cisneros, Dean
Caron, Cisneros, Dean

ROBERT CARON, Fort Walton Beach, Florida/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

REINA CISNEROS, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery.

EDWARD DEAN, Ukiah. Under influence.

Litzin, McKee, Ricci
Litzin, McKee, Ricci

KEVIN LITZIN, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

MARIETTA MCKEE, Fort Bragg. Domestic assault, assault with deadly weapon not a gun, probation revocation.

FALYNN RICCI, Navato/Ukiah. Controlled substance.

Rogers, Smith, Taylor, Yuponce
Rogers, Smith, Taylor, Yuponce

JOSHUA ROGERS, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

COLTON SMITH, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

THERON TAYLOR, Willits. Parole violation.

BRENDON YUPONCE, Thenalito/Redwood Valley. DUI/suspended license.

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ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I’d like to see Sanders win, but barring that, I’ll vote for Trump. The reason is because I want to shake up the powers that be, & hand them a whole new plate full of problems. For too long, we have been like lemmings, lead by people with a secret agenda. It’s time for an uprising. (My guess is that "uprising” is one of the keywords that will trigger an NSA algorithm set to intercept such things). When I went out to vote, just for the hell of it, I wore an old “International Workers of the World” T shirt. (Wobblies, for those of you who don’t understand). Like I said before, I just wanna throw a wrench in the machine that has ground on too long, lining the pockets of the special interests who have controlled things for far too long. It’s now or never, folks, if you know what’s going on, then figure out how to break the machine that has kept us down for far too long. If it becomes Anarchy, then bring it on.

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CRAP "ART" & THE CUTE MOVEMENT TEAM UP

From the NBC story:

Australian artist Amanda Parer, who created the 23-foot-tall glowing bunnies, calls her work "Intrude" and says on her website her art is about "changing usual places." In Parer's native Australia, rabbits have caused a great imbalance in the country's delicate ecosystem since the animals were introduced in 1788.

Rob's comment:

Then why do it here? Do your crap installation in Australia.

WhiteRabbits

Your tax dollars at work:

San Francisco Arts Commission spokeswoman Kate Patterson said the art will be taking over public space in the plaza so all can see the illuminated animals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The artwork loan and installation cost $84,000, Patterson said. The city paid $54,000 through the Arts Commission, $25,000 came through the Public Art Trust, a voluntary donation from private development, and $4,500 came from private donations.

What's with the thing the city has about rabbits?

(Rob Anderson. Courtesy, District5Diary.com)

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RAGE YOGA, FOR PEOPLE WHO FIND REGULAR YOGA TOO EFFETE

RageYoga3

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‘QUILLS’ CLOSES TOMORROW!

This is the final weekend for QUILLS, Doug Wright's Obie Award-winning comedy featuring Mark Friedrich, Mark Marco, Janice Culliford, Steven P. Worthen, Phillip Regan and Rachel Sparks. Tickets are still available for tonight's performance! Purchase your tickets at the box office, 937-4477, or online at mendotheatre.org

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Duret4

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REGGAE FEST PRAISED BY PLANNERS; NEW CONDITIONS ADDED

by Daniel Mintz

Though its management has been generally praised by the county’s Planning Commission, the Reggae on the River music festival has to meet new requirements this year.

Issues related to placement of garbage and recycling bins, a temporary bridge over the South Fork Eel River and building permits led to new conditions for the three-day event, which takes place the first weekend in August at French’s Camp.

The event’s operations plan reflects a “status quo” approach due to “lack of issues” with last year’s event, said County Planner Michael Richardson. Attendance levels are the same as last year’s – 6,500 ticket holders plus 2,500 staffers, volunteers and performers.

A rain catchment pond has been installed on the property to eliminate the need for using a well that the county had flagged due to potential depletion of the South Fork Eel.

But Keith Bowman, the owner of the Grandfather Tree tourist attraction and gift shop, told commissioners that the festival’s garbage/recycling bins and portable toilets were placed 200 feet from his property after last year’s event, creating visual blight and odors.

He said the facilities were kept at the site during a post-event clean-up period and asked that resolution of the issue be added as a permit condition this year.

Commissioner Kevin McKenney noted that Bowman’s concerns were supposed to have been addressed and said there’s a “disconnect” between the county’s planning and building divisions preventing adequate permitting of some of the event’s infrastructure.

McKenney said the temporary bridge should be inspected by a licensed engineer, with sign-off by the county’s building division. He also noted that the event’s beer barn is unpermitted and said that handicapped accessibility issues may go unchecked without the building division’s involvement.

Richardson said the applicant – the Mateel Community Center – has submitted a permit application for the unpermitted barn building.

Steve Salzman of Greenway Partners, the event’s engineering firm, said he’s been working closely with the building division during the last two years and “I’m not finding a disconnect between planning and building.”

The garbage bins and porta potties have been placed about 400 to 500 feet from the Grandfather Tree’s gift shop, Salzman said, with further distancing limited by the presence of the river. He proposed installing “visual screening.”

The temporary bridge is permitted by federal and state agencies, Salzman continued, and the county’s building division has deemed that to be sufficient.

It was pointed out that a nearby “loop lot” used as a security staff headquarters could accommodate the refuse bins and toilets, as it’s vacant following the event. The relocation was added to McKinney’s motion to approve the event’s plan of operation and to have the temporary bridge be inspected by a professional engineer under the supervision of the building division. The motion also called for a check of the event site by the building division for structure permitting.

The motion was unanimously approved.

Also at the meeting, the Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District gained permit and environmental review approvals for a multi-site water tank replacement project.

The district is replacing seven water tanks on six different sites, primarily to improve tank stability and to eliminate vulnerability to earthquakes.

The capacity of one of the tanks is being expanded from 35,000 gallons to 100,000 gallons to ensure adequate water flow and pressure for firefighting.

A nearby property owner had concerns about the location of one of the new tanks but commissioners were told that the replacement tank has to be in a slightly different location on the same parcel to ensure continued water service during construction.

Commissioners unanimously approved a variety of permits and the environmental review for the district’s project.

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WEANING THE PUBLIC OFF FOOTBALL

Another NFL player quits — he's only 23! — a lucrative profession because of the concussions he's suffered in the past and those he'll surely suffer in the future if he keeps playing football:

...[A.J.] Tarpley’s announcement comes just days after former San Francisco 49er Chris Borland, the 25-year-old who quit after one season for similar concerns, said early retirement would become the new normal in the NFL, as CBS Sports notes.

“Well, I think an old adage is that you play till the wheels fall off,” Borland told the Detroit Free Press. “You play till you can’t anymore. You have to be carried off the field. I think that’ll change.”

Indeed, increasing numbers of players have been quitting the league with health fears. Last month, Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah said he would be leaving the NFL after seven seasons, citing concussions.

Also in March, an NFL official became the league’s first high-ranking officer to acknowledge a link between football-related head trauma and degenerative brain diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Other NFL leaders have been hesitant to endorse that view. The NFL fought back fiercely when The New York Times published an article in March that claimed the league’s concussion research was flawed and resembled the tobacco industry’s denial of the dangers of cigarettes. The league demanded a retraction, which the Times refused.

Rob's comment:

The concussion issue is not just about professional football; it's also about college, high school, and Pop Warner football. As this reality slowly sinks into the popular consciousness, increasingly parents will refuse to let their children play this game.

It may take a few generations to turn football into a fringe sport — like the transformation of boxing from its popularity in the 20th century to its relatively insignificant niche now. In 50 years football will be like arena football is now in popularity.

Parents used to encourage their kids to play soccer as an alternative to American football, but that sport also has a serious concussion problem.

Let's turn to two wonderful sports that have few injury issues: baseball and basketball. Basketball players mostly suffer leg injuries to their hamstrings, ankles, and knees. Those injuries can be painful but are usually short-lived, nothing like the long-term brain damage from playing football that often doesn't show up until late in life.

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StupidTest

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TRIBES, STATE AND FEDS SIGN KLAMATH DAM REMOVAL AGREEMENT

by Dan Bacher

Salmon and steelhead will once again ascend the upper Klamath River and its tributaries, as they did for many hundreds of thousands of years before dams were built, if an agreement reached on April 6 is implemented.

At the mouth of the Klamath River at Requa in Northwest California, representatives of the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce, the States of Oregon and California, the Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe and PacifiCorp signed an agreement clearing the path for dam removal on the river.

Photo of the signing ceremony for the Amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement courtesy of the Yurok Tribe.
Photo of the signing ceremony for the Amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement courtesy of the Yurok Tribe.

The Amendment to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), if approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), will initiate the removal of four dams on the Klamath River. It will be “one of the largest river restoration projects in the history of the U.S,” according to Interior Secretary Sally Jewel.

Under the agreement, dam owner PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, will transfer its license to operate the Klamath River dams to a private company. This company, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, will oversee the dam removal in 2020.

PacifiCorp will continue to operate the four dams, including Iron Gate, Copco 1 and Copco 2 in California north of Yreka and J.C. Boyle in Oregon, until they are decommissioned.

“Today is a historic day where the parties who have worked for decades to restore the Klamath Basin are reaffirming their commitment to each other for the shared vision of fisheries restoration and irrigated agriculture co-existing as we move into the future,” said Secretary Jewell. “This agreement is an important initial step as we work toward a comprehensive set of actions to advance long term restoration and sustainability for tribes, fisheries, and agriculture and water users across the Klamath Basin.”

Yurok Tribe Chairman Thomas O’Rourke, NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, California Governor Jerry Brown, PacifiCorp President and CEO Stefan Bird, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), Secretary Jewell, environmental and fishery conservation groups and other Klamath River tribes participated in the signing event on the Yurok Reservation.

“Dam removal is a key element of large-scale fish restoration efforts on the Klamath, and we believe it puts the people of the Klamath Basin back on a path toward lasting prosperity,” said Thomas P. O’Rourke Sr.

The Klamath River was historically the third most productive salmon and steelhead watershed on the West Coast, but the once robust fishery has declined over the decades. The removal of four dams owned by PacifiCorp will open up hundreds of miles of spawning and rearing habitat for fish.

In September 2015, the Yurok Tribe withdrew from the previous KHSA and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) over the Tribe’s concerns that a parallel Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement was finalized in March 2014 without the participation of the Yurok Tribe. (www.dailykos.com/...)

The new dam removal agreement seeks to use existing funding and the same timeline as the original agreement. It is expected to be filed with FERC by July 1, and will be vetted using established, public processes, according to a statement from the Tribe.

“The plans for the actual removal of the hydroelectric facilities will have to comply with all federal and state regulations associated with large, landscape-altering projects,” the Tribe explained.

Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement also signed

The state and federal representatives also signed a second pact, the Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement (KPFA), designed to help upper basin irrigators “properly prepare for the return of salmon to the upper basin by constructing fish screens as well as other measures to protect and restore fish populations,” according to the Tribe.

“We’re are fully committed to developing sustainable solutions that work for both fish and farms,” said Chairman O’Rourke. Reconnecting Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, and lamprey eel with more than 300 miles of historic habitat, and ameliorating the water quality problems caused by the dams, is a “primary first step in a process to heal the Klamath River and create stability in the basin,” he said.

The KPFA acknowledges that “additional actions” are required to restore the Klamath Basin’s fisheries, fulfill trust responsibilities to the Tribes, and sustain the region’s farming and ranching industry, he added.

“Many of these efforts will require federal legislation. The KPFA’s signatories and supporters are committed to working over the coming year with interested Klamath Basin stakeholders to craft complimentary agreements that offer comprehensive solutions to these difficult problems,” he said.

Chairman O’Rourke concluded, “The Klamath River is our lifeline and it is inextricably linked to the health and welfare of the Yurok people. It will be a truly historic day when we see salmon travel from the Klamath’s headwaters to the sea.”

For a good breakdown of the two agreements — what they do and what they don’t do — go to: www.opb.org/...

Karuk Tribe and conservation group leaders back agreement

Leaders of the Karuk Tribe also praised the signing of the agreement.

“We believe that taking care of the Klamath River is the responsibility of everyone who lives in the basin,” explained Karuk Chairman Russell “Buster” Attebery. “We can’t restore our fishery without working with our neighbors in agriculture and they can’t secure water for their farms without working with us. Dam removal is huge leap forward, but we must continue to work with the agriculture community to solve water conflicts as well.”

“This will be the largest salmon restoration project ever in America,” said Karuk Natural Resources Director Leaf Hillman. “It’s been a long time coming. We are more than ready to welcome the salmon home.”

The Institute for Fisheries Resources, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association, American Rivers, California Trout, the Federation of Fly Fishers, Trout Unlimited and the Klamath Riverkeeper also released statements applauding the signing of the amended KHSA and Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement.

"The four Klamath Dams slated for removal (which have no fish passage) have been disastrous for west coast salmon fisheries -- and salmon-related jobs -- over more than 700 miles of Northern California and Oregon coastline,” said Glen Spain, NW Regional Director, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA).

“Plus, the dams, some more than 100 years old, would cost far more than they would be worth to fix them up to modern standards, and so are functionally and economically obsolete. Although there are many other problems still to address in the Klamath Basin, this landmark Agreement moves the region much further along toward a major river restoration effort that will recapture thousands of lost jobs, bring greater economic stability to the region, and end nearly 100 years of bitter conflict,” Spain stated.

Konrad Fisher, Director, Klamath Riverkeeper, said, “Today we celebrate a milestone for healthy rivers. After a decade-long grassroots campaign led by tribal members from the Klamath River, we overcame the greatest odds and now have an agreement that paves the way for a free flowing Klamath River by 2020.”

“After years of lawsuits, protests, and inaction and inaction by Congress, we can celebrate a new path toward dam removal which means cleaner water and improved conditions for salmon. The agreement marks a victory for communities that depend on the Klamath River for food, jobs, recreation and cultural survival,” concluded Fisher.

Governor Jerry Brown, who has been strongly criticized by Tribes, fishermen and grassroots environmentalists for his California Water Fix to build the Delta Tunnels, his implementation of faux “marine protected areas” under the privately funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, and his support for fracking other controversial environmental policies, said his administration supports Klamath dam removal and river restoration.

“This historic agreement will enable Oregon and California and the interested parties to get these four dams finally removed and the Klamath River restored to its pristine beauty,” said Brown.

After commenting about how Native Americans did “such a good job” of managing natural resources for thousands of years before European settlers arrived, Brown commented, “Europeans screwed up lots of things. Now we’re putting it back together…we’re starting to get it right after 200 years of getting it wrong.”

Hoopa Valley Tribe doesn’t sign agreement over its concerns

The Hoopa Valley Tribe did not sign the agreement because of their concerns over provisions of the agreement, although Ryan Jackson, Chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, and other members of the Tribe attended the event in Requa.

The Tribal leadership opposed the previous agreements because they said the pacts violated tribal water rights, and they advocated pursuing dam removal through the FERC Section 401 certification process.

“We’re now back at the table and we still are concerned over amendments, including section 1.7 that refers to the Trinity River Restoration Program,” said Chairman Jackson at a public meeting regarding the agreement that I attended in Sacramento in March. “This agreement shouldn’t impact the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP).” (www.dailykos.com/...)

He and other Hoopa Valley Tribe representatives in the meeting also asked for the removal of Section 1.9 that refers to the 2016 Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement (KPFA). “The real focus should be dam removal by itself,” he stated.

Jackson and Tribal Self Governance Coordinator Danny Jordan were also concerned about the proposed transfer of ownership of the Trinity River Fish Hatchery, now owned by PacifiCorp and operated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in partnership with Hoopa Valley Tribe in their coho program, to the state of California. He said the hatchery should be transferred instead to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the trustee for the Tribe.

Jackson told KRCR News on Wednesday, “We want to see a comprehensive package that addresses and protects tribal rights, and tribal sovereignty as well.” (www.krcrtv.com/...)

Don Gentry, Chair of the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, said that neither he nor other representatives of the Tribe could sign the agreement until it is approved by a vote of the Tribe’s members.

2016 expected to be tough year for Klamath salmon

The signing of the agreements comes at a critical time for Klamath fisheries. This year NOAA Fisheries scientists estimate that there are only 142,200 Klamath River fall Chinooks in the ocean, based on the returns of two-year-old salmon, called “jacks” and “jills.” The low estimate is largely due to heavy mortality of juvenile salmon due to disease in the low, warm water conditions over the past couple of years.

The severe cuts to fish harvest this year will be disastrous for tribal, recreational and commercial fishermen on the North Coast.

“This season will be devastating for fishermen and people on the river," said Thomas Wilson, a member of the Yurok Tribal Council and owner of Spey-Gee Point Guide Service. “Usually we get around 12,000 fish for subsistence on the river and what’s left goes to the commercial fishery. This year our entire quota is only about 5900 fish.”

I will provide updates on the Klamath agreements as I receive them.

Key Components of Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA)

Important elements of the Amended KHSA include the following, according to the Yurok Tribe:

  • Does not end the FERC process; but changes it from a relicensing procedure to a decommissioning procedure;
  • PacifiCorp agrees to transfer title of the dams to a newly formed entity that will then apply for a surrender and decommissioning process with FERC and also take on any liabilities associated with the removal of the dams;
  • Does not require any new federal funding or Congressional action or authorizations;
  • Adheres to the original KHSA timeline of dam removal in the year 2020;
  • Does not suspend or alter any existing environmental laws including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act or others;
  • Does not waive, alter, or terminate any Tribal water or fishing rights.

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BREAD & PUPPETS

AVA,

Bread and Puppet Theater Wakes Yo Tranced Situation Up! The Bread and Puppet Theater has a new production, written and directed by founder Peter Schumann. Entitled "The Public Access Center for the Obvious Presents: The Situation", more information is obtainable at http://www.breadandpuppet.org. This musical and dark clown-show features cardboard horses, an anti-extinction angel, proletariat broom dancers, a 100 watt lightbulb, a ship of fools, and a swinging brass band: all of whom are urging the Not-Yet-Existing-Upriser-Masses into reality. The situation of sweeping up the debris of this civilization while awakening the postmodern population from its consumer trance, before all hell breaks loose, more or less describes the basic plot; and the performance is artistically fantabulous, which is what we expect from the puppetistas. This proves once again, that the television will not be revolutionized, so revolutionize yourself!

Craig Stehr

craigstehr@inbox.com

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"YOU'RE A GHOST driving a meat-coated skeleton made from stardust, riding a rock hurtling through space. Fear nothing."
—Alan Watts

The recording of last night's (2016-04-08) 107.7fm KNYO (and 105.1 KMEC) Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio show is available to download and listen to via

http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

Also at http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com you'll find plenty of rainy-day or rainy-night links to interesting things to see and do and learn about, such as:

A style of animation I first saw in the opening credits of HBO's

Carnivale. Fascinating.

https://vimeo.com/160024074

Won't you come home, Bill Baily?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPZSJjs9vA

Just a little more about how the DNC has been cheating all along for Hillary and against Bernie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwDJmCD6iDA

The Bobs' White Room recorded live in 2006, with only one original Bob, but they've still got it. They've still got it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNt2eVQvqmc

And Robot Rembrandt. Not just the style and image but texture, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuygOYZ1Ngo

*The spam guard of several addresses on my show-notice subscriber list refused this email because of this link title. Just to let you know.

Marco McClean

memo@mcn.org

http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

12 Comments

  1. Keith Bramstedt April 10, 2016

    Re: Floyd Meriwether paying $170,000 for Warriors courtside seats: I read that Bob Ryan, the longtime Boston Globe sports columnist, has complained that sportswriters can no longer sit near the court for NBA games because teams want those seats for high paying customers like Meriwether who can afford the outrageous prices. Consequently the sportswriters are seated way up in the rafters. Must be very difficult to report on a game from the nose bleed seats.

  2. Lazarus April 10, 2016

    “WEANING THE PUBLIC OFF FOOTBALL”…?
    I recently saw the film “Concussion”.
    I was a 20 year San Francisco 49er season ticket holder.
    I played high school and junior college football.
    Movies rarely influence my opinions on anything.
    Anyone who has a friend, family member or acquaintance playing football or considering playing football should see the movie.
    If half of the issues presented in the movie are true, football is at least as dangerous to the humankind as smoking cigarettes, and the NFL’s leadership should be in prison…
    As Always,
    Laz

  3. Whyte Owen April 10, 2016

    Our favorite writers are female:

    Allende
    Atwood
    Austen
    Erdrich
    Gilchrist
    Goodman
    Kingsolver
    Lahiri

    et al.

    and several pending, including Proulx, which is on my ereader

    • LouisBedrock April 10, 2016

      Mr. Owen:

      An impressive list.

      I love Jane Austen at her most malicious:

      “As far as walking, talking, and contriving reached, she was thoroughly benevolent, and nobody knew better how to dictate liberality to others: but her love of money was equal to her love of directing, and she knew quite as well how to save her own as to spend that of her friends.”

      The Morgan Library had an exhibition of her (handwritten) letters a few years ago and I was pleased that her razor sharp, mean-spirited descriptions of relatives, friends, and acquaintances was abundantly evident in her personal writing.

      For some reason I associate Ursula K. Le Guin with Margaret Atwood. Both are great writers and the two women are friends. (Not with me–with one another.)

      I’d add Flannery O’ Conner to my list.

      I’ve read only one book by Edith Wharton and liked it a lot.

      Jennifer Egan’s books are wonderful. LOOK AT ME and WELCOME TO THE GOON SQUAD are like two volumes of the same book and offer as good a picture of our Facebook culture that I’ve encountered.

      There are three contemporary Spanish writers who I think are excellent:
      Valeria Luiselli (Mexico), Rosa Montero (Spain), and Almudena Grandes (Spain).

      If I were to include woman poets, the list would be ten times as long.

  4. Whyte Owen April 10, 2016

    And to the day’s On Line Commenter: Be very, very careful of what you wish for.

    Today we are free
    Tomorrow we may not be
    Such is revolution

  5. Harvey Reading April 10, 2016

    Re: SANDERS STREAK CONTINUES!

    Streaking is so passe, as is Sanders. It’s a shame that neither wing of the corporate party can field a candidate who is even one-quarter decent. I’ll still be writing in Dr. Stein, and hoping that “both” wings of the corporate party melt down into a puddle of filth.

  6. Mike Kalantarian April 10, 2016

    I would add Arundhati Roy to the list of great contemporary women writers. Especially in the field of non-fiction (which is what the question put to Mr. Talese seemed to be about).

  7. Harvey Reading April 10, 2016

    The whole Simpson business was weird, including the most boring police chase footage ever. Much ado over what was essential nothing in terms of Working Class realities.

  8. Marco McClean April 10, 2016

    Re: The People vs. O.J. Simpson

    Whenever I read of Sarah Paulsen –and apparently she’s a big star now and deservedly so– I recall the tragic hologram beacon scene in /Serenity/ where she frantically tells about the G-23 paxilon hydrochlorate that the Alliance added to the air processors “to make people better” (!), and we see how the experiment turned out when the Reaver gets her in mid-sentence.

    What we know about reavers up to that point is mainly (Firefly pilot episode) Zoe’s answer to Simon’s asking about what would happen if Reavers got in. Zoe says through gritted teeth, “If they take the ship, they’ll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skins into their clothing, and if we’re very lucky they’ll do it in that order.”

    So the whole Reaver scenario, over the series (Firefly, 2002) and the movie (Serenity, 2005) is kind of making fun of chemtrails paranoids.

    Also, I just want to add to my radio show notice that, where I said about spam traps rejecting the email because of the link title– there’s nothing wrong with the link or with any other link I ever provide, to my knowledge, anyway; but the title I put on on that particular link was, “Just a little more about how the DNC has been cheating all along for Hillary and against Bernie.” When the whole email bounced so spectacularly from so many people on my list, I examined it for what could have possibly caused the problem, changed just that title slightly so it wasn’t critical of Hillary and it went through fine. So, nothing to worry about. /Or is there?/ And then when I got home from Juanita’s late last night, I found that a pipe had burst inside the floor of my bathroom and was spraying water like a burst pipe. *eerie violin trill*

    Marco McClean
    memo@mcn.org
    http://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

  9. Whyte Owen April 10, 2016

    Ms. Roy’s fiction also choice; The God of Small Things is a harsh gem.

    • Bruce Anderson April 10, 2016

      Christina Stead, boys. The Man Who Loved Children. And Paula Fox’s Desperate Characters. Two of the best novels you’ll ever read, period.

  10. Whyte Owen April 10, 2016

    Just finished Stead, underwhelmed.

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