The state attracts a steady stream of college graduates, especially from the East Coast, even as many less-educated residents move to neighboring states — and to Texas — in search of a lower cost of living.
The current occupant of the White House says California is “out of control.” Something called “Hidden Dominion” posted “50 Reasons Why California Sucks” (Since updated to 72 reasons.) including such well-documented and thoughtful reasons as:
California has the worst healthcare system in the country.
Los Angeles. (Do I really even need to explain?)
San Francisco.
Oakland.
A San Francisco newspaper posted an on-line photo essay illustrating the reasons people say they hate California. As a native Oregonian, I am familiar with blaming Californians for most everything, especially their moving to the Northwest and driving up home prices and otherwise “Californicating” our pristine dominion. It’s almost an article of faith that Californians are eager to get out, relocate to the Northwest or Nevada or Texas. Having recently repatriated to Oregon after twenty-plus years in California, I am here to say it’s not so bad in the Golden State.
During my working life Alaska Airlines has done a couple good
things for me. They began non-stop service between Portland and Phoenix at a
time when I lived in Portland and business required travel to Arizona. Years
later, when I lived in Santa Rosa California, Horizon Air, a subsidiary of
Alaska, initiated flights from the Sonoma County Airport to several
destinations on the West Coast. Again, helpful to me, saving the sixty-mile trip
to San Francisco or Oakland airports. Alaska was always a little bit better
than its competitors, with clean planes, a bit more legroom, helpful staff and
food on most flights. Horizon, later re-branded as Alaska, even served
complimentary wine and beer on its flights.
Airlines over the past few years have striven to make air travel ever more uncomfortable and inconvenient, Alaska has followed that path, with the apparent goal to be just like all the other airlines. They now charge for checked bags, charge for a change of itinerary, charge for food and are squeezing more seats into their aircraft. What’s next, no free beer and wine on Horizon?
Studies have demonstrated that users of paper maps have greater geographical skill than those who don’t.
The prototypical traveling salesman carried among other
necessaries a Thomas Brothers Street Guide for the area he (in those days,
usually a he) was working. A Thomas Guide was usually within easy reach on the front
seat of the car. The guides, with their foldout maps and street indexes were
especially popular in California and other western states. Businesses,
government agencies, law enforcement and emergency responders used Thomas maps,
including the company’s large wall maps.
Cartographer George Coupland Thomas and his two brothers founded
the company in 1915. Early maps were detailed block grids with bird’s-eye
three-dimensional drawings of major buildings. As the business expanded, the
Thomas Company moved its headquarters from Oakland to Los Angeles.
George Thomas died in 1955. The family’s lawyer, and brother of a
former Oakland mayor, purchased the company. Business continued to grow and in
1970 the company moved into a shiny new building in Irvine, south of L.A.
Everybody
loves full-flavored craft beer. (Well, almost everybody; there are still a lot
of Coors Light drinkers.) In the last couple decades, so-called craft beers
have taken an increasing share of the beer market. Their percentage is still
small, but it’s enough so the big guys have taken notice. MolsonCoors/MillerCoors,
Anheuser-Busch InBev and others are marketing their brands as craft, e.g. Blue
Moon, Shock Top. They also are busy buying up small breweries. Boulevard,
Widmer, Lagunitas, Firestone-Walker are among the many dozens who have outside
ownership.
Can you find the name Anheuser-Busch InBev anywhere on this label?
The
craft-beer industry is maturing and entrepreneurial founders of breweries are
looking to retirement or a payday – or may have investors who are – or have
grand visions of expansion. The giant beverage companies are eager to add an
admired brew to their roster of brands. A few, such as New Belgium Brewing (Fat
Tire) have taken a different path: employee ownership. Others, like Full Sail,
have private equity funds as owners. But as Boston Beer founder Jim Koch
recently told a gathering of brewers, PEFs are not content with collecting a
share of profits. They expect a “liquidity event” event within a few years,
i.e. a sale for cash.
Try to find on the label or in advertising, though, who owns a brand. They want their consumers to envision hands-on entrepreneurs working with a tight group of enthusiast-employees. The giant beer companies believe that disclosing a brand’s corporate ownership spoils the craft-brewery cachet. So you won’t find any mention of it.
Small – Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less.
Independent – Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.
Traditional – A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.
The Brewers Association has on its CraftBeer.com web site a tool for finding craft brewers nearby. I tried the CraftBeer.com search tool for breweries near me. Included in the list that came up were Widmer Brothers in Portland and 10Barrel Brewing in Bend. Both had the notation “Greater than 25% ownership by Anheuser-Busch InBev.” (32% of Widmer and 100% of 10 Barrel)
This poster highlighting brewery ownership is from themadfermentationist.com. An ever-changing list is at craftbeerjoe.com.
“Coals to Newcastle” – something brought or sent to a place where it is already plentiful. Newcastle-upon-Tyne in northern England was an abundant coal producer. “Carry coals to Newcastle” has been an expression for an unnecessary activity since the mid 17th century.
“Coals to Newcastle” – something brought or sent to a place where it is already plentiful. Newcastle-upon-Tyne in northern England was an abundant coal producer. “Carry coals to Newcastle” has been an expression for an unnecessary activity since the mid 17th century.
You probably bought your Christmas tree from your local Boy
Scout troop or the people who set up every year on a corner close to your
neighborhood, right? Or maybe from a nearby big-box store? If it’s the latter,
you may have also brought home some elongate
hemlock scale insects.
The
Oregon Department of Forestry alerts that trees imported into Oregon may be
carrying invasive pests, such as the above-mentioned elongate hemlock scale.
Although Oregon is the nation’s largest producer of Christmas trees, retailers
such as Home Depot may bring theirs in from as far away as North Carolina, bugs
and all.
The Department of Forestry warns that trees dumped wherever may result in the hatching of eggs laid on them and the pests escaping into living trees. They urge you to inspect your tree carefully. If you find indications of unwanted bugs, they advise against recycling it or throwing in on the grassy median on Ainsworth Street. Instead, cut up the tree, seal it in a plastic bag and dispose of it in a closed garbage receptacle.
It’s a little late. So now they tell us?
And all those Oregon
trees? Most are exported out of state, half of those to California.
Are you anxious because you do not have enough to worry
about? How about piles of rocks? Stone stacking is the latest thing on
Instagram and Facebook. Posters put up selfies with hashtags #RockStacks and #StoneStacking. (Facebook
owns Instagram.) In your travels you’ve probably seen and marveled at
cleverly-built small stone towers.
Killjoys, though, are not pleased. Zion National Park posted a photo of someone’s artistic
rock piling with the caption “…leave rocks and all
natural objects in place.” The post went on to say, “Stacking up stones
is simply vandalism.” The problem? Moving a lot of stones can result in
erosion, damage to animal ecosystems and disrupt the flow of rivers. Hikers depend
on sanctioned cairns for navigation in places without clear trails. Park
rangers, environmentalists, and hikers have reactions ranging from annoyance to
alarm.
Vikings built stone cairns (worked better than bread crumbs) to find their way back from explorations of Finland in the ninth century and as markers for those who followed. Now tourist guides are pleading for them to be left alone and not mucked up with twenty-first century imitations.
