Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Coastal Stratus | Burroughs Bracelets | Covid Advice | Mendo Mill | AVUSD News | Berry Quiz | FERC Suit | Escola Sailboat | Pelosi Pleads | King Larry | BS Detector | Jim Porter | Brother Clayton | Boonville Hills | Pots Desired | Director Wanted | Cabin Sought | Hollyhock Fence | Watershed Cleanups | Lauren Dennen | Ed Notes | Org Chart | Walmart Scanned | Yesterday's Catch | Serious Schwartz | Harold Hansen | Ukraine | Fiddle Phone | Drone On | Bundle Plan | 8 Billion | Becoming Sissy | Assassination Genie | Ape Man | Karl Norberg | AIDS Protest | Stalin's Gulag | Thunderbird Lodge

DRY WEATHER with above normal interior temperatures are forecast to prevail through the end of the week. Stratus with patches of fog will cover coastal areas, mostly night and morning hours. A dry cold front will bring some interior cooling and perhaps less persistent coastal stratus this weekend. (NWS)

AV HEALTH CENTER: Please remember that COVID-19 is unfortunately still active currently in our communities. I encourage everyone to get their vaccines and boosters, INCLUDING children 6 months and up. Testing is still important to help curb the spread of this very contagious virus which can still be very serious for some. We have tests you can take home, please come by and pick them up. We highly encourage anyone with symptoms or recent travel and exposure to test for 2-3 CONSECUTIVE days, which will more accurately pick up a positive. Vaccines, masking, and frequent diligent testing are still our best ways to keep each other safe and case numbers down. Please come to the clinic Tuesday or Thursday for vaccines, give us a call if you have ANY questions. The reformulated vaccine will be coming soon, likely September. 895-3477, ext 261

AVUSD, A GOOD BET

Dear AVUSD Community,

The District took the first $7 million of Measure M Series A Bonds to the muni market today and they sold in a two hour period! Someone mentioned I looked a little tired today, and I had to say that anytime you sell bonds on the municipal market it is a nerve-wracking and stressful day, as world events can affect pricing for the day. But, today was a good day! We appreciate our Financial Advisor, Mark Farrell of Dale Scott and Associates, and the District's Business Manager, Leigh Kreienhop, for the extensive time and effort she devoted to get this lengthy and exciting process completed!

The sale today included steady participation and the fact that the world daily news was relatively stable was good. We were not over or under subscribed within any of the bond columns which was great. Institutional investors included Franklin and DCM Advisors and a considerable number of smaller investors as well. The CTE class watched a live screen for a couple of minutes of the bond transactions and two students asked extensive questions afterward about the sale in my office. Future stockbrokers of America!

The funds should be in hand by mid-September. Once again, we are grateful to our community for supporting Measure M. Priorities, plans, and timelines are under development!

* * *

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL IS BACK. We had a wonderful match in the gym this evening. Congratulations to the teams for a hard-fought and respectful effort. I was proud of them.

As we are just returning to school, I want to review some policies related to game attendance. Junior high students need to stay in the gym. I know it is hot and uncomfortable. I also know that high school students are out on the grounds, and a few of them are less than desirable influences on our middle-schoolers. I do not want your Junior High students socializing with high school students unsupervised. We simply don't have the capacity to supervise the grounds. I would recommend, if your Junior High student is attending the game that you also attend. I have related to your Junior High students that they must remain in the gym. If they do not stay in the gym, we will contact you and relate that they can not attend future games. This is for their own development and success…

It is not a good practice to have Junior High students hanging out with high school students, especially unsupervised. We do not have the capacity to supervise these outdoor areas. The gym is fully supervised.

I do not want there to be any surprises if I make a call relating to your student’s participation in the activity. Please discuss these requirements with your student.

Sincerely yours,

Louise Simson, Superintendent, Anderson Valley Unified School District, Cell: 707-684-1017

WHAT KINDA BERRY?

FRIENDS OF EEL SUES FERC

by Friends of the Eel River

You may have already seen the big news this month, that Friends of the Eel River and our allies at California Trout, Trout Unlimited, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Alliances, and the Institute for Fisheries Resources all filed suit against FERC for violating the Endangered Species Act. FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is responsible for, among other things, regulating hydropower across the nation. This litigation is just the first step in holding both FERC and PG&E accountable for limiting harms to endangered species pending dam removal. We are asking the court to modify the annual license FERC issued to PG&E in April 2022 to include protective measures and comply with the Endangered Species Act.

Our episode from August 6 covers the latest news on the Potter Valley Project license surrender, as well as the demise of the coal train threat and a watchful note about Mendocino Railway's real intentions in expanding rail development.

Speaking of Mendocino Railway, it's worth noting that state agencies have been taking aim at this shifty entity recently. The California Coastal Commission issued this letter citing Mendocino Railway for unpermitted development in the coastal zone. The California Public Utilities Commission also chimed in just last week to clarify that Mendocino Railway is not a public utility, and that the CPUC has authority to access the Skunk Train property in order to conduct safety assessments. We share the concerns of activists in Fort Bragg and state regulators, and continue to keep a watchful eye on Mendocino Railway.

Potter Valley Project Updates

Action from FERC and PG&E seems to come in quick bursts — a lot has happened over the past two months. Before diving into that, I wanted to share the exciting news that this week FOER and our allies filed suit against FERC for violating the Endangered Species Act. When the federal agency issued an annual license to PG&E to continue operations of the Potter Valley Project pending its decommissioning, FERC failed to add new license conditions necessary to protect Eel River steelhead and Chinook salmon listed under the ESA. Our simple request is that FERC listen to the fisheries experts at the National Marine Fisheries Service and require PG&E to protect Eel River fish.

License Surrender Update

PG&E has announced their proposed schedule for license surrender. This 30-month “plan to make a plan” is another example of PG&E choosing to prolong the status quo rather than moving urgently to cease harms to Eel River fisheries. FOER, along with a wide variety of allies, submitted comments to FERC suggesting a shortened surrender process and requesting clarity on stakeholder outreach plans.

Flow Variance Update In other PVP news, way back in May PG&E requested yet another flow variance at the Potter Valley Project. Variances are exceptions granted by FERC from the license-mandated flow schedule for the PVP, which allow PG&E to reduce the amount of Eel River water diverted out of basin to the Russian River. While some are granted for construction or similar issues, FERC has granted PG&E variances nearly every year in the last decade because there has not been enough water in the Eel River to meet all of the flows required by the FERC schedule. The project is not operating sustainably.

However, this May’s variance request was different. PG&E asked FERC that it be allowed to reduce diversions from the Eel to the Russian Rivers to maintain at least 30,000 acre feet through mid-September in the Lake Pillsbury reservoir behind Scott Dam. This is a key change in PVP operations that National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) biologists have sought in order to maintain a cold water pool that can be used to keep river temperatures below the dams lower for the benefit of Eel River salmonids.

We were happy to see this shift in priority and submitted comments urging FERC to authorize this variance as soon as possible. Acting swiftly was necessary, as NMFS experts at emphasized, because the longer PG&E continued diverting 75 cfs out of the basin, the less likely they’d be able to maintain that cold water pool. Unfortunately, it took FERC over 2 months to approve the variance. Depending on the weather over the next month, we may barely have the water necessary to keep temperatures below 19 degrees Celsius (roughly the point at which other species like pikeminnow begin outcompeting salmonids).

As part of consulting with stakeholders on variances, PG&E holds “Drought Working Group” meetings where they present modeling information and gather feedback from stakeholders including state and federal wildlife agencies, the Round Valley Indian Tribes, and Russian River water users. In their latest meeting, we were disappointed to hear PG&E staff seeking an immediate increase in diversions through the PVP, which had just been reduced to 5 cfs after two months of unreasonably high diversions. As NMFS staff pointed out, the variance is working to keep Eel River temperatures hovering just below a dangerous threshold. Why immediately risk that benefit?

Responding to National Marine Fisheries Service And finally last month we told you all about PG&E’s response to the March letter from NMFS which outlines how the company is committing unauthorized “take” of legally protected salmon and steelhead and suggests eight measures to enhance protection. This month FERC took their turn responding to the fisheries experts. Notably the Commission said they are evaluating whether to reopen PG&E’s license to add amendments suggested by NMFS, and requested clarity from the agency on a number of the proposed amendments within 60 days. Stay tuned folks!

Sifting Through the Studies: Eel River Dams and Fish Passage

Cape Horn Dam and Van Arsdale Reservoir contribute to the take of threatened and endangered salmonids. The Cape Horn Dam fish ladder is the highest and longest in the state and is a well-known site of fish mortality, which migrating salmonids struggle to navigate for several reasons. First, the fish ladder and fish hotel, a structure at the base of the fish ladder that aims to help fish find and climb the ladder with proper attraction flows, often fill up with gravel and debris after high water events. This obstruction eliminates all the benefits the fish ladder provides for upstream migration, making it much harder for fish to travel past the dam.

More at: www.eelriver.org.

MR. PELOSI PLEADS GUILTY

The husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in Napa County and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation.

Paul Pelosi already served two days in jail and received conduct credit for two other days, Napa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Solga said. Paul Pelosi, 82, will work eight hours in the court's work program in lieu of the remaining day, Solga said during Paul Pelosi's sentencing, which he did not attend.

State law allows for DUI misdemeanor defendants to appear through their attorney unless ordered otherwise by the court.

As part of his probation, Paul Pelosi will also be required to attend a three-month drinking driver class, and install an ignition interlock device, where the driver has to provide a breath sample before the engine will start. He will also have to pay nearly $7,000 in fines, the judge said.

Paul Pelosi was arrested following a May 28 crash in Napa County, north of San Francisco, after a DUI test showed he had a blood alcohol content of .082%, just over the legal limit.

Officers responding to the crash after 10 p.m. near the wine country town of Yountville said they found Pelosi in the driver’s seat of a 2021 Porsche Carrera and the other driver standing outside a sport utility vehicle, according to the complaint.

California Highway Patrol officers reported that Pelosi was “unsteady on his feet, his speech was slurred, and he had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage.”

Pelosi offered to officers his driver’s license along with an “11-99 Foundation” card when asked for identification, the complaint says. The 11-99 Foundation supports CHP employees and their families.

Prosecutors filed the case as a misdemeanor because of injuries to the 48-year-old driver of the SUV. They have declined to identify the driver, saying the person has requested privacy.

In an interview with investigators from the district attorney’s office, the driver reported pain in his upper right arm, right shoulder and neck the day after the crash. He said he also had headaches.

Pelosi was released on $5,000 bail after his arrest. Speaker Pelosi was in Rhode Island to deliver the commencement address at Brown University at the time. Her office has declined to comment. 

— Olga R. Rodriguez (AP)

NEEDS NEW BATTERIES

To the Editor: 

I think your bullshit detector is broken.

Reading about the black guy in the rental car getting pulled over and arrested for the crime of having $100,000 in cash on him, money he claims he was carrying just in case he found a good land deal, sounds like total bullshit. First of all, there is no law against carrying any amount of cash. Second, every land deal including cash sales goes through escrows, which can be opened with a deposit. Anyone can speculate why the gentleman was pulled over, why he was arrested, and why he was carrying such a huge amount of money, but what happened to your usually reliable bullshit detector? 

L.C. Lewis

Willits

MY BROTHER, CLAYTON

Dear Editor,

My brother, Clayton was born in 1983 in Southern Indiana. His life ended in 2021 in a small town in Kentucky. He was 38 years old. According to the CDC, he was one of 71,238 fentanyl deaths in the US last year, and one of 2,250 overdose deaths in Kentucky. Seventy percent of those deaths were due to fentanyl. If 2021 is any indication of what’s to come, many more of our loved ones will have perished at the end of this year from synthetic opioid use. Government officials refer to the fentanyl massacre as part of the battle against opioid addiction. They call it a nation-wide pandemic. There seem to be so many pandemics lately.

I spend a lot of my nights alone, thinking about my brother and what his life meant. If I’m being honest, almost all of my nights are spent like this. I try to make sense of the events that led to him turning to heroin. I make lists of the events that happened immediately after he died so I’ll never forget.

I woke up in Laytonville, California on June 6th 2021. I took my phone off of airplane mode, and got a lightning round of texts from my mother saying, “911,” “Call me back,” “Clayton is dead.” I called my mom. She told me she’d found my brother in the back bedroom of her apartment; A room that had once been his childhood bedroom. He was on the floor. He was on his side, curled into himself. He was rigid. He died around one a.m. She’d been asleep, just two walls and some 30 feet from where he’d taken his last breath.

My mother told me when the paramedics came, she’d overheard one of them refer to my brother as “trash.” My mother, usually someone who paints the truth with pastels, was horse, shaken to her bones, and raw with the reality of how she felt she’d failed him throughout his life. I flew to Kentucky from San Francisco two days later. At my mother’s home, I cleaned the bedroom my brother died in. His belongings were everywhere. He was kind of a messy guy. The police said to wear gloves and a mask because trace amounts of fentanyl may still be present in the room and absorbing even a small amount could be deadly.

I tried to sleep in his room that first night because I didn’t want to be afraid. I didn’t want him to think I was afraid of him or who he’d been if his spirit was still around. It felt like an act of love to stay there and be with him, But I couldn’t do it because I was actually afraid. I slept in my mom’s bed with her. I kept repeating in my head, “Where did you go, Clayton?”, over, and over, and over again for weeks.

My brother wanted to be cremated. He’d said so to my mom a few times in his adult life. He often felt like he wouldn’t have as much time on earth as other people. My family and I went to view his body at the crematorium in Louisville. It was a one-story building in an industrial area. There was a bird perched on the roof above the entrance door, looking down at us. He was singing. It seemed that he stayed there singing longer than a normal bird might have.

Inside the crematorium there was a viewing area. Behind a large, glass window was my brother's body, on a gurney, wrapped in a bright, white sheet. Behind his body was a furnace. The only part of him we could see was his head, which was red and swollen. It looked maybe two or three times the size of a normal head. His eyelids seemed to be swollen shut. I sat with my family and stared at him through the glass. I wanted to touch him. He didn't look real. I constantly wonder if he had any idea he was dying, or if it was the instant evaporation of his soul from his body.

Before my brother died, I hadn’t seen him in maybe two or three years. We hadn’t even really spoken except for a few texts about three months prior to his passing. I don’t remember what sparked our text conversation, but I remember telling him I didn’t understand the “heroin thing”. I remember him telling me he had been clean for some months. He also told me he loved me. I wasn’t able to say it back. Not because I didn’t love him. I did and do love him very much. I don’t know what to say for myself, but not being able to say it back haunts me. It’s a feeling wrapped up in darkness, and encased in cement, that sits on my chest and drags me to the floor each night. When people say love is the only answer, I don’t agree while turning around to roll my eyes anymore. I just plain old agree now.

Sincerely,

Annie Evarts

Elk

THAT’S POTS, PLURAL

Plastic pots wanted

Business has been brisk in the Nursery at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and we are starting to run low on pots. We would gladly accept donations of pots. If you bring pots to donate, just ask the admissions desk staff to radio the Nursery and we will help with unloading.

Roxanne Perkins (Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens), <marketing@gardenbythesea.org>

WRITER SEEKS MOLD-FREE QUARTERS

Quiet easy going writer looking for quiet cabin (preferably month to month starting Sept or Oct)

I’m a quiet but easy going writer and filmmaker in my late 30s whose lived in beautiful Mendocino since December. My current cabin I’m renting has black mold and so I have to immediately evacuate for my health.

I am looking for a quiet new place to live with WiFi, indoor plumbing and no mold, ideally in Little River, Mendocino, Fort Bragg or anywhere within a 30 min radius from Mendocino. Somewhere with trees and sun so I can do my writing and I’d love a little space to grow a little garden if possible.

My writing/film website is carlenaltman.com to learn more about me. References and financial documents available.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and let me know if you know of anything :)

Sincerely

Carlen Altman, From: Earth to Carlen <carlen.altman@gmail.com>

VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR CREEK WEEK WATERSHED CLEANUPS in Sonoma, Mendocino counties

by Kylie Lawrence

A series of watershed cleanups is scheduled for next month in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, and the organizers putting them together are looking for volunteers.

The cleanups are scheduled during Creek Week, which is marked by some California cities and environmental organizations during the fourth week of September.

The Russian River Watershed Association announced the series of cleanups set to take place between Sept. 17 to 24, presenting opportunities for eco-conscious volunteers to connect with the community while helping to protect the drought-stricken Russian River watershed.

With the Russian River watershed entering a third consecutive year of below-average rainfall and water supply levels at Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma dropping to historic lows, the effects of drought on our local creeks, rivers, and lakes are hard to miss.

The Sonoma and Mendocino County areas consist of “over 150 creeks that provide water supply, wildlife habitat, flood capacity, and recreation,” according to Russian River Watershed Association. But, these important waterways are often subject to detrimental pollution from humans, impairing water quality.

If you’re looking for ways to help, here’s a list of activities taking place during Creek Week:

Ukiah Valley Russian River cleanup

Saturday, September 17 from 8:30 a.m. to noon

Join neighbors, friends and family for a cleanup event hosted by the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, County of Mendocino and Redwood Waste Solutions. Pick up litter from the Russian River and its tributaries. Meet at Low Gap Park in Ukiah at 8:30 a.m. to sign in and get coffee. Bring a water bottle, sturdy shoes and work gloves. Pre-registration is required.

Pre-register at https://bit.ly/3CkEVdv or email deborah.edelman@mcrcd.org for more information.

City of Healdsburg: Foss Creek cleanup

Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 9-11 a.m.

Help pick up litter around Foss Creek and get two free meals provided by the Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise and the Healdsburg Kiwanis. Meet at the Healdsburg Community Center for check-in and breakfast. After a two hour cleanup session, an awards ceremony will begin around 11:00 a.m., followed by lunch.

For more information or to sign-up, email bkageyama@healdsburg.gov or bkageyama@cityofhealdsburg.

Russian Riverkeeper

Saturday, September 17 from 9-11 a.m.

There will be teams across the watershed from Ukiah to Monte Rio with the main hub in Healdsburg at Memorial Beach. The Russian River Watershed Cleanup will feature opportunities for organizational teams and individuals to help shape the future of river parks, future trails and streamside habitats needed for healthy ecosystems. This year’s goal is to beat a previous record of 35,000 pounds of trash, 175 tires, and 452 volunteers.

Select a location and register at www.russianriverkeeper.org/rrwcd.

City of Santa Rosa

Saturday, September 17, from 9-11:30 a.m.

Prince Memorial Greenway Cleanup will take place at the Olive Park Footbridge near 1698 Hazel St. All ages are welcome. This restored section of the Santa Rosa Creek is in the heart of downtown with an active trail system. Large trees and deep pools are home to a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial species including heron, steelhead trout, and river otters. There will be a competition and prizes.

Sunday, September 18, from 10:30 a.m. to noon

Join the City of Santa Rosa’s naturalists for a guided walk along the beautiful upper section of Santa Rosa Creek. You’ll learn about the history of the region, learn about plants, look for birds and wildlife, and observe several different stages of creek restoration that are improving the creek and streamside habitat. Footing is relatively flat but may be uneven along the way. Most appropriate for children ages 6 and up. Meet at Flat Rock Park.

Tuesday, September 20 and Thursday, September 22, from 6-7 p.m.

Take a twilight tour of the huge underground culvert and fish ladder where Santa Rosa Creek runs under Downtown Santa Rosa. This event usually fills up fast. Participants will descend to the creek bed down a slope and over large rocks and walk across the creek (the water may be several inches deep). Wear sturdy, closed-toe, waterproof shoes and bring a flashlight. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Limited availability, and registration is required. Meet at Prince Gateway Park on Santa Rosa Ave.

Saturday, September 24, from 10-11:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to noon.

How much do you know about the epic journey that your used water takes after it leaves your house? What happens to this finite resource and where is its final destination? Go to a tour of the Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant and learn about recycling and beneficially reusing water. Participants must be ages 10 and up. Limited availability and registration is required. Two separate tour times are available. The plant is located at 4300 Llano Rd.

Sign-up for these events at www.srcity.org/creekweek.

If you do participate, the Russian River Watershed Association and the Russian River Watershed Cleanup are asking volunteers to post photos on social media with the hashtag #russianrivercleanup2022.

(Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

ED NOTES

LIT CHAT, A READER NOTES: Bolaño is not a “magic realist.” Cortazar, Borges, García Márquez, yes. Bolaño, no. “Bolaño finally shattered the magic-realist stereotype that has plagued Spanish writers for the past few decades.” https://www.bookforum.com/syllabi/-3803

WHO'S FUNDING disgraced Ukiah Police officer Kevin Murray's expensive defense? His legal team, led by famed Santa Rosa defense attorney Chris Andrian is way beyond the means of ordinary Mendo defendants. We're informed by a person who should know that the California Police Officer's Association is footing their fallen brother's legal bills, and the CPOA has huge resources.

ANDRIAN and Co. did a miraculous job for Murray, getting their client's felonies reduced to misdemeanors unless, by an even more miraculous development, Judge Anne Moorman, sends Murray to the County Jail for a month or so as recommended by the Mendo Probation Department.

HOW DOES a defendant get a jail recommendation from Mendo Probation? No contrition and arrogance will do it every time.

“DO YOU REMEMBER TOM HAWKINS?” began a forlorn letter posted in the window of The Book Store in Fort Bragg. “On Oct. 6, 1988, the body of Thomas Donald Hawkins (b. 1927) was discovered in the ocean at the mouth of Ten Mile River. Police believe that he killed his wife, then killed himself. Despite this tragic end, Tom was a colorful character. An only child, he was born in Pangurn, Arkansas, but grew up in Port Angeles, Washington, where he received local acclaim for his acting skill in high school and college productions. At the University of Washington he majored in English, graduating about 1950. Tom worked for a TV station and hung out in beatnik pubs. He may have been personal friends with a few beat poets of the 50s and early 60s. Tom spent many years working for the U.S. Postal Service. During his last years in Fort Bragg, he made pottery, often visited local bookshops, and frequented the Tip Top Lounge. At the time of his death, Tom had a son, Thomas Victor Hawkins, living in Port Angeles, Washington. The son’s current whereabouts are unknown. I am earnestly seeking more information about Tom Hawkins. If you can help me, please call or write to Prof. Don Foster, Vassar College Maildrop 388, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604. 914-437-5634 (with 24-hour voicemail) 914-471-5256 (after 9 p.m. CA time) Thank you!”

PROFESSOR FOSTER, a renowned documents analyst often involved in headline cases — Jon Benet Ramsey, the Unabomber, etc. — became interested in an attribution matter originating with the Boonville weekly. We thought, errantly as it turned out, and at book length, that the novelist Thomas Pynchon had written a series of very clever, very funny letters to us as a bag lady calling herself Wanda Tinasky. Wanda purportedly lived under various Fort Bragg-area bridges from where she evaluated local culture, of which she didn't think highly. 

THE WANDA LETTERS were meticulously typed and, as we discovered, so strongly resembled the type from samples of Pynchon's typewriter, and the signature seemingly identical to Pynchon's known handwriting, that we assumed the true Wanda was indeed the famous novelist. If she/he wasn't, someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to insinuate him/herself as Pynchon.

FOSTER quickly discovered that Wanda Tinasky was Tom Hawkins of Trillum Lane, Fort Bragg, where he lived with Mrs. Hawkins, a talented sculptress. Hawkins' jolly Wanda letters belied a troubled soul, so troubled that only days after he'd sent us his last Wanda letter he murdered Mrs. Hawkins, mourned over her corpse for a couple of days before he set their house on fire then drove himself off the bluffs near Westport.

HAWKINS, as Foster confirmed, was a brilliant, erudite man, and ground floor literary Frisco beatnik in the beat flowering of the early 1950's where he was a good friend of Gary Snyder, among other beat luminaries.

(An Ed. note from Amazon, where our odd Wanda book remains a steady seller: More than 120 letters written between 1963 and 1984 by Thomas Pynchon to his then-agent, Candida Donadio, recently surfaced with the suddenness of a breaching whale only to submerge again as quickly, not to be seen again until they are sadly posthumous.) More mysterious (than the Pynchon/Donadio letters), to Pynchon scholars at any rate, are a bushel of letters sent in the mid-1980s to the Anderson Valley Advertiser, a small, hell-raising Northern California newspaper, by a woman named Wanda Tinasky. These cranky and wildly cerebral letters are believed by many to be Pynchon's own work. (He was almost certainly living in Northern California at the same time, laboring on his 1990 novel “Vineland.”) According to Scott McLemee's 1995 piece about the Tinasky letters in Lingua Franca, it wasn't until a selection of these letters was about to go to press that Pynchon, through his agent, finally denied authorship. Many in the Pynchon community, however, continue to believe that the Tinasky letters did indeed bear Pynchon's idiosyncratic stamp.” -- Dwight Garner

By now you've heard the story. A small weekly paper, the Anderson Valley Advertiser of Boonville, California, receives, between 1983 and 1988, dozens of letters from one Wanda Tinasky, bag lady. The letters are intelligent, full of high- and pop-cultural references, sometimes witty, sometimes vulgar, but always funny, suffused with antiauthoritarian politics, and stylistically out of this world… Wildly unstructured in form, they offer Wanda's take on pop culture (shes a big fan of Cagney and Lacey), the literary scene (she claims William Gaddis and Thomas Pynchon are the same person), journalism (she campaigns for Anderson to win a Pulitzer Prize), politics local and national (she has a fondness for the old New Left and attacks all ideologies of control), and all other subjects great and small. Her style combines a stand-up comics delivery with easily handled encyclopedic knowledge. (That’s what makes me think she’s Pynchon: like him, she seems to know everything.) — Robert L. McLaughlin, Review of Contemporary Fiction, Fall 1996

The book not only reprints all the Wanda letters, but accompanies them with a smart and extensive annotated guide to all the arcane literary and local references in them... which makes the book as a whole more than merely an “Is She or Isn't She Pynchon?” debate, but a funny, literate, weirdly touching portrait of an unusual community obsessed by a literary mystery, a shadowy Visitation--in a way, a literary ghost story. But if it's a ghost story, was the specter Thomas Pynchon? Or a remarkably sophisticated but reclusive writer with a Pynchonesque range of allusion and interest, a Pynchonesque feel for the arcana of High and Low culture, a Pynchonesque fondness for ampersands, someone who deployed unmistakably Pynchonesque clues (like “Wanda's” claim to have worked for Boeing Aircraft) who happened to be writing in the Emerald Triangle in the period Mr. Pynchon was living there--but who was not Mr. Pynchon. I find myself unable to make up my mind, but I'm fascinated with Wanda, whoever she or he is. If she isn't Mr. Pynchon, she's still a wonderfully engaging voice whose prose gives, at the very least, some of the surface pleasures of Mr. Pynchon's, and occasionally some of the deeper ones. So I think what I'm going to do is enumerate some of the most Pynchonian passages in Wanda's letters, some of the most Pynchonian clues, for your consideration. Not so much to prove Wanda is Mr. Pynchon, but to explain why I like Wanda, whoever she is. To explore what we talk about when we talk about the “Pynchonesque.” — New York Observer 4/28/97

VISHNU AT UKIAH WALMART?

Summer. Ukiah, California. The 4th Dimension.

Huge spiritual greetings to all, 

Awoke Sunday morning in my bed at Building Bridges homeless shelter in sunny Ukiah, California, and following the voluntary chore of trash & recycling, realized that there was nothing else to do, nowhere to go particularly, and had some money to spend. Walked to WalMart and spent the morning perusing every single aisle. Purchased nothing, and then walked to Applebee's restaurant. Two Sierra Nevadas and a Firestone 805, plus a shot o' Buchanan's Deluxe scotch whiskey, prepped me for the 8 oz. sirloin smothered in shrimp and parmesan sauce (switching out the broccoli for onion rings of course). Throughout, watched baseball, featuring closeups of former American president George W. Bush in the box with the sportscasters. Left Applebee's and got a chocolate covered king size PayDay for the walk back. 

Awoke Monday morning, and following the voluntary chore of trash & recycling, walked to the Plowshares Dining Room for a free meal. Returned to my comfortably cool men's dorm room, and stayed there the entire day and night, mostly in the bed, watching the mind's thoughts. That is correct...you got it...spent the entire day and night on Monday doing nothing but watching the mind's activity, as an alternative to pointlessly walking around Ukiah in the heat. This is called “being mindful”. There are now magazines devoted to the topic at Safeway.

Awoke Tuesday morning, and following the usual morning ablutions, plus the trash & recycling voluntary chore, walked to Plowshares with a trash bag collecting litter along the way. Following another delicious free meal, walked back with the trash bag collecting litter on the other side of South State Street. The City of Ukiah needs to appreciate the fact that the homeless are an asset, not only “not a problem”. Hopefully, this will be understood at the time when budgetary considerations are made, and more money may be allocated to serve the needs of the neediest.

Meanwhile, am reading “Gleanings from Nisargadatta”, containing excerpts of talks from 1976-7, preserved by author Mark West who was at the Jnana Yoga master's place in Mumbai, India. This is the 4th dimension. This is where all of the bullshit stops. You can live there!!

Nota bene: The ACER computer has lived out its life. Technicians at RespechTech checked it out thoroughly and have pronounced it dead. RIP. If anybody in postmodern America wants to do anything amazing with me again, leave a message at (707) 234-3270. Or email me at craiglouisstehr@gmail.com. Otherwise, I will continue identifying with that which is prior to consciousness. Hopefully, you are doing the same. 😁📿🆒

Craig Louis Stehr

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 23, 2022

GEORGIE BRITTON-HOAGLIN, Covelo, Felon-addict with firearm, ammo possession by prohibited person, county parole violation.

WAYNE BROWN, Fort Bragg. Under influence.

JULIO DELCAMPO, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

JOHN IMUS JR., Ukiah. Parole violation.

SAMANTHA LESLEY, Willits. Contributing to delinquency of minor, cruelty to child with injury.

MICHAEL PEASE, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

JUAN MEJIA-SANCHEZ, Oakland/Ukiah. DUI.

FORMERLY STEVE SCHWARTZ, NEMESIS OF THE FRISCO LEFT

This is a serious comment about the world, reflecting my life journey and its lessons. I have bcc'd a number of people who requested removal from my list because of the ugly chaos into which i was plunged by the Russ campaign against me. I hope they are open to a fresh start. If not, let me know. You should know how to block and delete.

Let's begin with what matters right now.

I leave it to my correspondents of good will to judge me. Some of the people listed above are very, very bad. They have done very great harm to my family, who they do not know and who do not know them.

I have undergone great pain.

I will never break. I will never surrender. I will never be silenced. I cannot betray the women i love. I cannot betray my ideals. I cannot be what others want me to be.

I have always kept the essentials of my intimate life as private as i could. I have shielded my romantic partners from the world. I could not so shield my son.

I have, obviously, two sides. No bird flies with one wing.

When i listened to this speech, i cried at the description of General Grant: https://youtu.be/4R1Nu23nx2o

I remembered, ironically, that Trotsky, in forming the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, was guided by reading the memoirs of Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan.

This is from my heart: https://youtu.be/T4JXi3FVXqo

But: https://youtu.be/AefhZ9gduug

I know Barre Seid very, very well.

I know some Federalist Society members equally well.

Since 1984 conservatives have assisted and protected me.

Ditto the intelligence agencies of various countries, and the religious leaders of huge communities.

After 2001 I was given a great deal of money.

I used it to publish things like the attached.

I lived very, very well, externally.

But i used the money to further my agenda, and mine alone.

I supported financially, with Barre Seid's dark money, the late Scots anarchist Stuart Christie, a convicted terrorist.

I used CIA cash earmarked for the Cuban internal opposition to support Spanish revolutionaries.

This is their memorial hymn, in its original form: https://youtu.be/4uDp4k0Oo9w

I work even today with all whose acts do not stain my conscience.

Most Americans, including troops in heavy gear, would never go where i have gone.

But a man named Bill Walker did: https://youtu.be/kO4sVJeLawE

I could not continue that way.

I walked away from the phallocracy.

I gave up the money. The perks. The art. The rare books. The access. The credibility. The knowledge that my words counted. The place in libraries, on course lists, in media.

Everything except Rebecca and Claire. And the real me.

I could not endure another second of the terror war waged by my anatomy against my reality.

I was genetically male but endocrinologically female. Anatomically in-between.

The war was waged in extreme cold. Rather like this: https://youtu.be/T5dwbZKd64Y

Inspired by this: https://youtu.be/Ed3Wdt_lEcE I rose in rebellion and conquered the city of my flesh.

I burned to the ground the castle of my oppressor, which was myself.

I died and was reborn.

I never could have imagined the degree and extent and brutality and gross insult and heartlessness and self-righteousness i face from haters in my own city, the Oz of LGBTQ.

I live in a ghetto. It follows me when i try to escape it.

I have better things to write about. Matters of law and lawlessness, always with the example of Barcelona 36-39 before me.

But also, mapping the other universe, that of my body. That cartography has only begun. In this, my inspiration is here: https://youtu.be/AWfCZ4J81dg

Today i will meet with my medical provider, look for a new purse, get my nails done, buy makeup and lingerie, and pick out a dress and shoes for a soirée of sex workers.

Dying well is the best revenge.

¡Sufragio efectivo y no reeleccion!

Lulu, the Lulu, the Schwartz

UKRAINE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 23

The US government is urging Americans in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, warning that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch attacks on civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days. It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow might attempt “something particularly ugly” as the country prepares for its Independence Day on Wednesday, triggering the cancellation of celebrations. A memorial service was held for Darya Dugina, a Russian political commentator and daughter of prominent ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, with Dugin saying she died for “Russian victory.” Russia has blamed the Ukrainian security service for the car bombing that killed Dugina, according to state media, while Ukraine has denied any involvement. The United Nations expressed concerns that Russia and affiliated groups could be planning trials for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Mariupol soon.

Ukraine says UNSC meeting was a waste of time and says Russia filled it with “fictitious soundbites” From CNN’s Richard Roth and Laura Ly Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya called Tuesday’s Security Council meeting a waste of time and said that Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia filled it with “fictitious soundbites.”

“I wish we had been gathered here by Russia to hear the only thing that the entire world wants to hear — and that is a statement that Russia demilitarizes Zaporizhzhia NPP [nuclear power plant], withdraws its troops, and hands it over to the government of Ukraine. Instead, we wasted more than one hour to listen to a slew of fictitious soundbites,” Kyslytsya said.

CNN previously reported that, according to one UN diplomat, Russia had called for Tuesday’s meeting.

“Once again, [Russia] has the audacity to convene a UN Security Council meeting to discuss its own provocations, its own terror, at the Z-NPP [Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant],” Kyslytsya said, calling Russia a “terrorist state.”

Kyslytsya also refuted Nebenzia’s statements that Ukrainian shelling has deteriorated the security situation at the nuclear site at Zaporizhzhia.

“Russian narratives about Ukrainian shelling of the station do not stand up to scrutiny. Nobody who is at least conscious can imagine that Ukraine would target a nuclear power plant at tremendous risk of nuclear catastrophe on its own territory. Such a catastrophe would lead to numerous deaths and pollution for many years to come,” Kyslytsya said.

During the meeting, Russia’s UN Ambassador blamed the car bomb death of the daughter of a leading Putin-ally on Ukrainian intelligence agencies, during a Tuesday Security Council meeting on the in-peril nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

“An explosion of a car took place. Inside the car was Darya Dugina. Our competent authorities are investigating this and preliminary conclusions are that this monstrous crime was organized by the Ukrainian special services,” Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said in translated remarks.

Nebenzia also blamed the West for supporting the pro-Ukrainian groups.

Nebenzia said the life of Dugina was stopped at “its very height.” He also said a Ukrainian female agent connected to Dugina’s death had escaped to Estonia. Ukraine has denied any responsibility for the attack.

He called on the UN Security Council to condemn the attack, though such condemnation is unlikely.

The Russian representative also said access for international inspectors to the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the largest in Europe, will go forward “in the near future.” Russia and Ukraine have requested the IAEA to go to the power plant site, but so far the UN has said that security is not safe. The Russian Ambassador said the security situation at the nuclear site has deteriorated. He blamed Ukrainian shelling. He denied allegations of Russian abuse of Ukrainian staff at the facility.

A VERY QUIET BOMBING

The Biden Administration Drones On 

by Jesse & Tyrel Ventura

As summer comes to a close, the Biden Administration appears to be turning up the heat in the African country of Somalia after multiple reports of drone strikes have somehow, miraculously, gone unreported in most mainstream U.S. news outlets.

Ah, yes, it seems that while our cable news “journalists” and the highly paid political pundit class have been gnashing their teeth over Russia’s tragic and ugly war on Ukraine, they’ve decided to turn a blind eye to the latest military adventurism the United States is conducting in Africa.

AntiWar.com reports that…

“The US launched an airstrike in Somalia on August 14, the second bombing within a week, signaling that the Biden administration is escalating the US war against al-Shabaab.”

They go on to point out that this escalation of airborne violence has been an ongoing, all summer long affair, stating that…

“The last US airstrike AFRICOM announced in Somalia took place on August 9, and before that was July 17. The escalation comes after President Biden ordered up to 500 troops to be sent to the East African nation, reversing a Trump-era drawdown.”

So, while we’ve been suffering under exorbitant gas prices, rising inflation, and the brutal effects of climate change, the Biden Administration has been quietly spending vast sums of our money raining fire on one of the poorest countries in the world. 

Reminds me of that classic George Carlin bit… 

Dig a little deeper into recent U.S. military operations in Africa and you’ll discover that the Biden administration seems to have grown quite fond of bombing Somalia. Brett Wilkins of CommonDreams.com writes that, according to data from the UK based monitor group Airwars…

“…U.S. forces have bombed Somalia at least 16 times during Biden's tenure, killing between 465 and 545 suspected militants. On March 13, a joint U.S. drone and Somali airstrike killed a staggering 200 alleged militants.”

Now, naturally, if one asks the Pentagon about possible civilian casualties in all this mayhem you’ll get the standard line about how we take great pains to make sure that no innocent people are ever killed in our bombings. The U.S. Government loves to try and convince us that only evil countries, like Russia and Iran kill innocent civilians and that rarely, if ever, do good people happen to accidentally find themselves at the business end of our rockets red glare. If you believe that line of bullshit, then boy do I have one helluva nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

Crunching the data, Brett Wilkins with Common Dreams discovered that, in reality…

“Since 2007, the U.S. military has carried out 260 actions in Somalia. While the Pentagon only admits to killing five civilians and wounding 11 others in a campaign it claims killed as many as 3,010 militants, Airwars estimates that 78-153 civilians, including 20-23 children, have died in U.S. attacks.”

Twenty to Twenty-Three children.

Snuffed out of existence and for what? The U.S. War On Terror. Well, what good is a war on terror if all you're doing is creating more terror? Who do you think the family members who saw their child vaporized by a U.S. bomb are going to blame? Al-Shabaab? Would you? If the F.B.I decided one day to drone bomb your neighborhood in an effort to kill gang members of MS-13 and in the process killed your brother, sister, child, or grandchild, who would you hold accountable?

That is the ugly truth that no one seems to want to talk about anymore. Our so-called War On Terror has been raging on for so long that we barely acknowledge or even remember its existence. An epic vacuum of lives and tax dollars, forever lost to a war that has become so common that twenty some odd children can die on a summer day in August and it barely even registers a headline or a quick blurb before the next commercial break.

I guess the tragic break up of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson is a far more pressing news story.

(jesseventura.substack.com)

THE WORLD IS APPROACHING 8 BILLION PEOPLE. WE’RE NOT READY.

by Howard Hendrix

Last month, the United Nations Population Division issued its World Population Prospects 2022 report, which forecast that the human population will reach and surpass 8 billion on Nov. 15. In a carefully worded statement on the report, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres declared 2022 a “milestone” year.

He had good reason to choose his words carefully. To speak in a global context concerning the interconnections of population, consumption and inequality (as he did) is no easy task. The status quo for nearly 50 years has been that the Global North tells the Global South, “You have too many mouths to feed — you should curb your population growth rates,” and the Global South tells the Global North, “You eat too much — you should curb your consumption rates.” Both sides are correct, but still manage to speak past each other.

Critics love to pour derision on poor old Thomas Malthus, the population economist whose ideas have undeniably been abused by those pushing racist, xenophobic and anti-urban growth agendas. Similarly vilified is Paul R. Ehrlich’s flawed yet visionary book, “The Population Bomb,”the reading of which introduced me to human population growth issues when I was still in high school.

Yet for all their flaws, the analyses of Malthus and Ehrlich cannot be ignored. Feeding more mouths over time does result in still more mouths to feed. Satisfying more consumer demands results in still more consumer demands to satisfy.

To say this out loud is to toss a sacred cow on the third rail. In many political contexts, mention of population control is about as popular as gun control at a National Rifle Association convention.

One of the most successful ways to shut down legitimate discourse on population issues is to lump that discussion with historical eugenics, racism, colonialism and genocide. Discussion quickly descends into a paranoia-fest of “whose population? And who is doing the controlling?” — not improper concerns, but too often improperly used to shut down all discussion.

One result of this deadlock is that the human population has jumped 267% in the roughly six decades I have been alive.

I have seen the changes personally. In the 1970s as a teenager in Ohio, I watched the corn fields down the road get turned under, subdivided and planted with houses. I moved to Southern California in 1980 and soon thereafter lived and worked in the Riverside County agricultural hinterlands of the western Coachella Valley, places like Cherry Valley and Beaumont, now filled cheek-by-jowl with houses.

Exurbia has become suburbia.

I lived in the San Jacinto Mountains in the 1980s and in the southern Sierra Nevada from 2005 to 2020 and have seen those forests made ghosts of their former selves by bark beetles and big burns. The whole landscape, even after regrowth, looks tired and worn down at the heel.

California’s urban cores have not grown that much in population over the last 50 years. Instead, more people have built and moved into the wildland-urban interface.

I was one of them and part of the problem.

Our home burned down in the Creek Fire of 2020. Nothing sensitizes you to the end of the world like having your own world end.

No matter who is winning the debate about growth, we clearly aren’t planning for that growth particularly well.

Experiments like China’s coercive and now-defunct One Child Policy notwithstanding, the only persistent governor on the engine of population growth has been the “invisible hand” of demographic transition: the historic shift from high-birth rates and high-infant death rates (in low-tech, low-female-education, low-economic-development societies) to low-birth rates and low-infant-death rates (in high-tech, high-female-education, high-economic-development societies). Because women with more options generally have fewer children, education and economic opportunities for women are key to both demographic transition and any possibility for reining in population growth.

Yet even this mild constraint is unacceptable for the likes of Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance, who has argued for parents having a more powerful say in American democracy than nonparents. Natalist nationalists like Vance want to roll back the achievements of cosmopolitanism and feminism, view migration as surrender and fear an extremely unlikely “abrupt population collapse” driven somehow by the aforementioned demographic transition.

According to the U.N. report’s forecast, the curve for absolute global population will continue to rise through most of the century before flattening and stabilizing (fingers crossed) at 10 billion or 11 billion.

Vance and his fellow travelers, however, seem little interested in the global situation. They castigate the decision to refrain from having children as “selfish” and lacking “physical commitment to the future.” Yet, beyond the immediate realm of the nuclear family or the demands of church and state for more parishioners and citizens, choosing to be childless is clearly unselfish — even reciprocally altruistic and committed to the future — in the context of the community of all life on this planet.

Choice, not coercion, is key.

The involuntary abortions forced on Chinese women under the One Child Policy are the flip side of American women being forced to carry pregnancies to term against their will in the wake of the Supreme Court Dobbs decision. Is it any wonder that the number of people seeking tubal ligations and vasectomies is way up? More of us seem to be concluding that, because we are pro-creation, we will choose not to engage in procreation.

It’s not impossible for human beings to say, “Enough of us, already!”

(Originally trained as a biologist, Howard V. Hendrix taught literature and writing at Fresno State University for many years. He is the author of six novels.)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Looking at some of these western news sites — specially out of the UK, they’re ecstatic about the assassination of Darya Dugin, “The fascist bitch got what she deserved”, characterizes most of the comments. The main criticism of her, the one that elicits the most hatred, is that she was a Russian nationalist. That they can’t abide. Many commenters hoped she suffered a little before she died. But what the influencers at BBC, or the Telegraph, or the Daily Mail don’t seem to realize, is if assassination becomes the order of the day, it might not end with Darya; the practice might spread, it might work more than one way; public figures other than Russians might get assassinated too — sad to say the genie is out of the bottle now, furies have been released and they’ll be scouring the world for victims.

KARL NORBERG. THE STRONGEST MAN ALONG GOLDEN GATE'S WATERFRONT 

Karl Norberg, born in 1893, in Brecke, Sweden, was part of a family of seven brothers and six sisters. By age 12, he was working in logging camps and sawmills to help support the family.

In 1927, after serving a tour in the Swedish Army, economic necessity drove Norberg to the United States. He worked as a longshoreman/stevedore in San Francisco, during the fall and winter months and as a fisherman in Alaska through the spring and summers. By 1934, the “Big Swede” was known as the strongest man along Golden Gate's waterfront.

One of Norberg's early strength feats was to perform overhead presses with a fellow dockworker weighing up to 250 pounds. Another, included a one-hand deadlift with a piece of dock equipment weighing between 550 and 600 pounds. Additionally proficent at gymnastic exercises, he was able to walk up stairs on his hands, and balance himself on his thumbs. 

At a height of five-feet, ten-inches and weighing 230 pounds, Norbeg began irregular strength training in his mid-40s, by venturing into the San Francisco YMCA. During his first workout, he clean-and-pressed a 250-pound barbell prior to completing a 600-pound deadlift. His massive hands were accompanied by 9-inch wrists; 17-inch forearms; 19 3/4-inch upper arms; a 56-inch chest; and a 19 1/4-inch neck. 

In 1940, John Grimek, the highly ranked national weightlifting champion and AAU Mr. America winner, gave an exhibition at the San Francisco YMCA, where Norberg and several co-workers were part of the audience. As Grimek began to clean-and-press a 240-pound barbell, Norberg's companions commenced to shout that the “Big Swede” could duplicate the feats Grimek was completing. 

Invited on stage, Norberg, without warming up, executed a “palms-up barbell swing curl with the 240-pound barbell before completing a “reverse-grip” overhead press. Surprised as the “King of Bodybuilding” may have appeared, Grimek duplicated Norberg's feat, and the pressing contest was on! 

As the weight increased in ten-pound increments, Norberg reached his limit at 270 pounds. Grimek then loaded the bar to 280 pounds, before swing-curling the weight and completing the press. The appreciative crowd showered both with a resounding ovation. 

Norberg was forced to retire from dock work at at age 65, due to union rules. Having time on his hands, he began to weight train on a more regular basis, which caused his strength to increase even more. 

At age 73, he appeared at the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles, and bench-pressed 460 pounds, with his legs outstretched on a rugged unpadded wooden bench. He also completed a 330-pound seated press and a strict barbell curl with 205 pounds. 

At age 82, Norberg bench-pressed 340 pounds, despite a hampering shoulder injury, prostate cancer and diabetes. At age 86, he performed a 300-pound bench press at a fund-raising event for the benefit of abused children.

Karl Norberg returned to his birth place in Brecke, Sweden, in 1979. He died in 1983, one week after his 90th birthday. John Grimek wrote in Strenght & Health magazine: “Karl Norberg was the most naturally gifted strongman I've had the pleasure of meeting.”

HOOVER INSTITUTION INTERVIEW of Soviet-born anthropologist about Stalin's Gulag

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=638664414347421