Monthly Archives: March 2007

House of Pain

“The number of foreclosures and “short sales” of homes equals nearly 10 percent of the total number of homes for sale in San Joaquin County, according to the Central Valley Association of Realtors.” –The Housing Bubble, chronicling the tanking market. Read it and weep.
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Immigration reform: definitely maybe

Will Congress pass serious immigration reform or tap dance around? One expert weighs in here.
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Toxic pet food claims local victim

The press reported recently that an “unknown number of cats and dogs had suffered kidney failure” after eating toxic pet food. James Martin reports at least one local casualty: his cat Hazel. Our condolences. Sincerely.
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More river-sucking

“The public wants the San Joaquin River back. A federal court ruling says it should get its river back. Therefore, every special interest in the land must gather together to promote yet another dam on that river to make absolutely certain the public does not get its river back.” –The Badlands Journal on the governor’s support [...]
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More meteorite marvels

Geoffrey Notkin, quoted in Sunday’s column, was kind enough to send along a photograph of an iron meteorite possibly similar in composition to the one that smashed Victoria Island. “This specimen is known as Sikhote-Alin, after a mountain range in Siberia, where it — and thousands of other pieces — were seen to fall in February [...]
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Where Ghost Ships Groan like Tortured Metaphors

“The California Delta, a 700,000-acre collection of islands and waterways just east of the San Francisco Bay Area, has long suffered as California’s literal and figurative quagmire, where solutions creak and groan like ghost ships stranded in the tenebrous misty sloughs.” –The California Progress [...]
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SJ River study: Chaos!

Restoring the San Joaquin River will put 3,000 people out of work, suck down groundwater, diminish hydroelectric power generation, and set demonic flying monkeys loose on Visalia. Yes, study commissioned by farmers reveals the insanity of restoring the river to life.
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The Valley’s crazy side

“So here we go again, about to spend good billions after bad to clean up the Valley.” — The Huffington Post, on the craziest aspect of Valley farming. Worth a read.
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Cool Hand Luke director dies

Writes retired Arts Commissioner Vince Perrin: “Stuart Rosenberg died yesterday. He’s the Hollywood director who made “Cool Hand Luke” in and around Stockton, and who is credited with coming up with the most famous line in the film, when actor Strother Martin says to Paul Newman, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” One [...]
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Killing downtown to save it

“Once in a while, you come across a city project so misbegotten it takes your breath away. At this rate, by the time City Hall cures Stockton of all that ails it, there will be little more left of the patient than bleached bones.” So writes Anthony Veerkamp, Senior Program Officer with the National Trust for [...]
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