Book Reviews New York Times: 3 Picks

      The NYT Sunday Book Review is always worth the effort whether one prefers fiction, or nonfiction,etc.  This edition reviewed three titles that caught the eye of the Mayor:
1)The Second World War by Antony Beevor.  It seems as though the topic is inexhaustible as the coverage seems to go on and on, no matter the topic.  Of course, much material remains to be uncovered, and some new material invariably alters certain perceptions and "truths". But the outcome will not change.  Insights and opinions may change, but not much of the known facts.  The author is a well respected writer.
      2)Little America-The war Within the war for Afghanistan, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran.  The book was reviewed by Linda Robinson, adjunct senior fellow at the Council  on Foreign Relations.  She recently wrote a book about Gen. Petraeus and Iraq.  The book focuses on the American effort to date, the problems with money, local government, Afghani leadership, and the American military effort.  It's a subject that despite its headline grabbing topics, few know much more than cursory information.
      3). Perhaps the most interesting of the three is "Embers of war", by Fredrik Logevall.  Logevall is a professor of history at Cornell and has drawn on many years of his own scholarship.  To quote the reviewer,"He has produced a powerful portrait of the terrible and futile French war from which Americans learned little as they moved toward their own engagement in Vietnam".   A friend of the Mayor has a collection running to over 1 thousand titles concerned with Vietnam.  It is by no means complete.  Very little has found its way into English from the official or unofficial Vietnamese experience.  Until that happens, our effort will always be incomplete when writing that history.  The reviewer, Alan Brinkley, is the Allan Nevins professor of history at Columbia U.  The usual names are there: John Foster Dulles, Pres. Eisenhower, Ho Chi Mihn, Ngo Dinh Diem, and  Gen.Vo Giap.      
       The effort to open the French files is of great interest for Americans so that we can see the unfolding of the political trap we eventually fell into in the lowland rice paddies, upland forests, and the coastal plains along the South China Sea.  Are we learning anything?  Look above.

More Dirty gardening

  The olive trees are in the ground!  Of course, it took longer, involved more effort, and there were some issues.  The deer fence had to be moved, as expected.  That took awhile.  The # of fence posts req'd was greater than the # on hand, and the ground was harder than anticipated, even after liberal amounts of water were applied.  Oh, well.
   A second round of effort was necessary to get a drip line installed for the trees.  Of course, I needed a new bag of drippers, so off to Friedman's, my chief source of all materials for the ranch.  They went in w/o too much hassle, and the hanging wire was easily adjusted for tension and height.  The last step will be the placement of milk cartons, like the grape vines, to protect against wind, frost, and excessive heat.
    They look good and should do well in their new environment.
The grape crop is taking a beating from the birds.  These voracious feeders are demonstrating their effectiveness at harvesting weight: stripping complete clusters in no time.  Next season-Nets!  Like everybody else around the neighborhood.
    The pruning and setting of cordons will have to wait until after the season is over.  Gophers continue to make their presence known: tunnels exposed, mounds extended, and lots of them.  A few traps were placed, but the effort is hardly systematic.  More work in this endeavor is required.

SF Bay Races

Sail boats of all types peppered the Bay today as America's Cup host, Golden Gate Yacht Club hosted another event off Crissy Field.  Winds were clocked in excess of 25 knots as the boats rounded the marker near the old pier east of Fort Point.
   The afternoon winds did not deter locals and out of towners from enjoying this late summer saturday.  Picnickers were clustered about tables in sheltered sites as bikers, runners, skaters, strollers, and ramblers took advantage of great weather.  The Mayor chatted with visitors from Healdsburg, CA, in town for a change of scenery.  They took photos and watched as wind surfers challenged the Bay tides.  Crab fishermen were casting their traps off the pier, and a few casters were looking for stripers.
   A stroll past the Sports Basement store yielded two pairs of walking shoes, both will perform soon as a delegation heads to the Continent to discuss the Euro and business in general as it affects Tahoma.
    A visit to the Farmers' Market at the Ferry Building was in order because the Minister of Horticulture wanted to lok at some of the flowers being offered by vendors.  The Minister of Agriculture was also on scene, volunteering with Green Gulch Organic Farms from Marin County.  The foot traffic was tremendous, the foodies were out in force, and there was little evidence of recessionary hesitation.  Street musicians were scattered among the visitors, all with big hearts if not great voices.  One gentleman played a Japanese stringed instrument with great gusto; another folk singer/guitar player did a fair Bob Dylan rendition(or was it Arlo Guthrie?).  The variety of offerings is staggering; but this is summer and stone fruit, orchard crops, etc. are readily available across California.  A great lunch was had at Gott's- timing is important here and ours was perfect: only a 10 minute wait for the order!
   Traffic going north across the Bridge was moving well, and it was a great day, except the Giants dropped one to the Dodgers.

Trinidad and Tobago

The latest conference of OAS members ended today and members returned to their various posts at home and abroad.  The Minister of Latin American Affairs for Tahoma, Senor B.A.D., notified the Mayor's office of his return to Wash.,DC.
    After such an exhausting schedule, his full report will not be delivered until the end of the month.  Preliminary reports indicate much was discussed and much was accomplished.  Topics included the Honduran Air Force's shooting down of two aircraft over their territory this past week.  The American ambassador sent a letter to Honduran officials that intelligence will no longer be shared until a full explanation is received concerning this event.  They did not follow agreed upon procedures for intercepting suspected drug flights.
More to follow when the information becomes available.

Late Summer Blahs

      Well, sports fans, the 'tween season is upon us.  Taking a walk through downtown Tahoma was a lonely, solitary experience.  The air was crisp, the sky azure, and the breeze a silent friend.  Westside Pizza was closed for the day.  The postmistress,too, was gone for the day, her mission accomplished.  The Norfolk Inn just sits there, empty, waiting, and waiting some more for an angel to land on its roof with some news, any news.  Across Highway 89, the old Tahoe Cedars lakefront motel sits abandoned.  It,too, waits for the multi million dollar angel.
      Traffic on Highway 89?   None to be seen.  PDQ Market is clearing out their summer offerings, giving shelf space back to locals everyday needs and wants.  Ski season items will appear in another month or so.
     Local watering holes will start posting NFL schedules and hope the Giants and/or A's make the playoffs: good chances for both here in early September with about 25 games left to play during the regular season.  Locals will be watching former Butte College star Aaron Rodgers lead his Green Bay Packers against the 'Niners.
   If you like the solitude of our serene lake environment, you'll be in heaven for the next month. Enjoy!

Burning Man Update

The Hoffman Brothers Express has returned with the entire party intact!  NO one disappeared nor was anyone left behind.  With a playa dust-encrusted vehicle, they rolled into town on Tuesday: tired, in need of showers, but joyous and exuberant-the feeling of accomplishment after a successful road trip into the unknown(or almost unknown).  There was a report of only one dust storm on the playa and no rain.  An electrical storm event passed over with lots of thunder and lightning, much to the delight of the Burners.

A full report will be made later, after rest and recuperation has been finished for the group.  Well done, Tahoma Burners!!!

Travel time-Up and down the hill
   The Deputy Mayor made a speed run up and down the hill yesterday and proclaimed it good.  Highway 50 was chosen because 80 is just crazy these days with the ongoing construction improvement program.  At least 30 minutes was shaved off the round trip.  At this time of year, pre-winter, Highway 50 seems like a nice, scenic alternative to the Interstate.   Plus, one could always stop at Evans' at the Wye for a nice meal.

Dirty Hands in the Garden

Ah, September! Time for harvest, time for planting. Today, we'll plant olive trees. Yes, finally, those 20 Arbequinas will go into the ground up in Santa Rosa, where they belong. They'll flank the vineyard to take advantage of the on-site irrigation system already in place. The surface at this time, surface soil that is, is rock hard. However, with a little water, it will be just fine. All the amendments have been added, so the soil is ready.
Setting up the drip system extension will take some time, but, no problem. These trees are in for the long haul. Not exactly i tune with the 10,000 year Long Now Clock, but they'll age nicely for many years.
We'll also take some samples of grapes to the lab for the brix analysis of the year. It could prove interesting, depending on the outcome. Always a bit of anxiety now as harvest/picking time is just around the corner.
Results will be posted asap. Standby with baited breathe.

Dems Open Convention in Charlotte,NC

For the next 3 days,the media will be feasting on propaganda spewing forth from the army of pundits covering the Democrats' National love fest. While not quite up to Burning Man proportions, thousands will be running amok trying to shake loose some taxpayer dollars for all their worthy causes.
Since the incumbent, Prez Obama, will be accepting nomination on Thursday, the interim will be filled by speech makers, show-cased personalities(Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Antonio Viilaraigosa(f. LA), and others who have to put the face on). Slick Willie Clinton is probably the most watched man on the list. A surprise speaker will be Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, who most recently spoke at the Republican convention last week. For many, he represents the opposite of Dems inclusion message. However, many believe, obviously, that he can expand the voter base by demonstrating acceptance of current Catholic positions on abortion, gay marraige, and immigration. All issues antagonistic to Republican base positions.
While not as exciting as conventions in the past, these national party spectacles continue to fascinate a sector of society, but marked reduced from those of the past. When the convention is over in 3 days, the gloves will come off the candidates and the real election cycle will begin. Look for the vicious personal attacks against Romney/Ryan and the handling of the Great Recession by Prez Obama. It will be interesting, and many forecasters say Europe holds the key to the election: if the Euro implodes or appears to be imploding, then the US economy will certainly suffer as a result over the next few years as exports dive and job losses continue.
We'll see what happens.

BMC Clears out of the Playa

Burning Man 2012 is history. Its in the books until next year. Look for caravans of vehicles of all types, heading down highways 80, 50, 395, 89, and a few others. The exhausted campers can be identified by the layers of playa dust covering their vehicles and everything attached there to. It's sort of a badge of honor: we paid the fee and we played the see(art and spirit of Black Rock).
No disasters were reported. That's a good thing. Apparently, organizers continue to learn and improve their event. Good for them.
Reading their web site about the exiting process is interesting to say the least. It provides answers to all the usual questions that come up regarding the escape from the playa. Just the gasoline alone that is saved by their organizational efforts is amazing: over 50,000 gals of petrol! or $200,000 worth. And that's before they hit the highway. I'm sure next year will be better, but probably not bigger. I think the BLM, the State of Nevada, the City of Reno, and the county Sheriff will keep a lid on numbers. Law of averages comes into play no matter all the planning that goes into the event.
This years festival had good weather: no storms to flood the playa, no long term blowing wind, just normal diurnal breezes. I'm sure all guests had an opportunity to explore their dreams that can only be found at Burning Man.

Seismicity at Tahoe?

It's not unusual for Lake Tahoe to be in the news. Lots of things happen in the basin, it is a well visited site that can accommodate thousands of residents and visitors at once. Monday's Chronicle ran an article on the Bay Area section about a study that's taking place on our doorstep. Yes, Tahoma's doorstep.

The California Geological Survey's Gordon Seitz and his team completed their first exploratory drilling effort on Thursday. They'll return in a month and do it again. Their goal is to take sample cores from the bottom of McKinney Bay to examine material deposited during the earthslide 50,000 years ago that left a debris plain covering a huge underwater section of the lake extending almost to the Nevada shore. They are using a remotely operated submersible, about the size of a large generator, that can penetrate the bottom to about 16' of depth.
The scientists of the survey hope to gather information about the earthquake faults that extend under the lake. The sub, named SIR for Sub Ice Robot, was made in Alameda by the specialized engineering firm called Doer Marine. It's president,Liz Taylor, suggested its use because Tahoe's water is similar to Antarctic water where the sub is expected to spend most of its time.
Not much is known about the McKinney slide event, but perhaps the scientific effort will shed some new information about this ancient geologic event.
The article was written by David Perlman, the Chron's science writer. It included photos of the lakeside effort, the sub, the sub on the surface of the lake, and a location map of the lake.
Rumor has it, the crew stayed at Tahoma Meadows cabins, and spent some time at the Westside Pizza restaurant enjoying the Tahoma ambiance.
We hope they enjoy their stay in our fair town.

The Long Now Clock

Fort Mason Center is now home to another museum: The Long Now Clock Museum. But, it's not really a museum,it's a store/education center featuring a model of a clock being built on the West Coast. What 's so special about a clock? Come on! A clock is nothing new, to be sure. But this clock is different.
The 9-foot prototype of the 10,000-year all mechanical Clock was designed by Danny Hillis and completed in 01999. Driven by helical weight towers, the Clock's rotating pendulum ticks once a minute. A mechanical binary computer calculates what appears on the display face, which includes local sun and moon positions, moon phase, position of visible stars, and the 26,000-precession of equinoxes. A year readout shows the next 10,000 years.
The actual Clock will be installed under a mountain in west Texas, east of El Paso. The position is being excavated at this time. Parts are being made in Seattle, WA, and San Rafael, CA. Materials used include tungsten steel, titanium, and ceramic bearings. It is being funded with $42 millions of dollars, largely from Jeff Bezos, wealthy technocrat from Silicon Valley.
Stewart Brand, philosopher/thinker is involved and sits on the board of directors.
The model occupies a portion of space in the museum, which also houses offices of IT members of the organization.
Another project of the group includes the digitizing of all known languages on earth, which would then be placed on chips and collected in one place.
So, maybe the Mayor will get a close up look at the Long NOw Clock when completed and installed in Texas sometime soon. It is not in a fly-in--fly-out location; more of a walk -in, walk-out mountain.
Is it engineering? Philosophy? Art? or big kids with their toys? Time will tell.