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klk
Trad climber
cali
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this is like a lot of hanson's journalism-- occasional pithy and even insightful asides, punctuated by great barren sweeps of demagogic rambling.
there's lots of great non-fiction writing on the central valley. if you need to read someone with conservative politics, the young joan didion's work is still really powerful. slouching toward bethlehem and white album have bits. her modesto/merced piece is a bit shallow, but it's still fun. ("water, wealth, contentment, health.)
i really like gerry haslam's essays on bakersfield and the delta, especially his little bits on weightlifting in the fifties and other weird bits of valley americana in voices of a place.
hanson was a fun story, a local redneck who got just enough training in greek to claw his way into some of the less competitive circles of his trade, and i still like to read some of his stuff on agrarianism in antiquity.
but at some point he decided he wanted to be a rock star so he started doing this sort of stuff.
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aguacaliente
climber
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Quote from Hanson:
We may speak of the richness of “diversity,” but those who cherish that ideal simply have no idea that there are now countless inland communities that have become near-apartheid societies,
That's just ridiculous. Apartheid was vile. It was a nation depriving the majority of its citizens of the most basic civil rights by law and by force. Comparing that to Central Valley towns/neighborhoods that are majority Hispanic is hysteria.
I know I'm picking on just one sentence, but you know, language is important. If you use a sharp tool indiscriminately it becomes blunt and useless.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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Apr 23, 2012 - 09:17am PT
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"I don't care what graphs exist nor what anyone says..
-WBraun
I am sleepless in Merced. You people have ripped us just because some journalists got together and compared notes? Where is the love? But then I'm not supposed to care...
Merced, where my family's been since 1961, followed Sacto and Redding as our home. We all graduated from good schools. We were raised in a good place to raise kids. Tijuana natives envy us in that we have no hos, or is it "hoes" roaming the streets like in lower Berkeley. The air in the summer used to smell like tomatoes, Gene, until they closed down a plant (l24 regular jobs, 228 seasonal jobs lost in December of 2005) that had been making paste for Ragu and Bertoli. I did seasonal work next door making the steel drums to keep the paste. It took years to be given full-time work there, and I stayed ten. Until I started my run of late attendance. I did meth like many other fools. I lost the habit. I'm not proud. I straightened myself out. I made Liz proud when I got a piece of paper that said I ought to know more history than others. I do and I was a good seller of books after that. Merced will be heaven when pigs fly. Speaking of pigs, Ron Jeremy? That one was below the belt, man.
Yosemite is not next door. It's a good two hour drive for most. My personal best was one hour 36 minutes in DORF. Up hill. To Merced, chop ten off that. I am much more attuned to the sad state of the air in the valley than I was even twenty years ago. I have ridden bicycles since I was in the East Bay . My carbon footprint has been fading ever since. It is a place, like all the valley towns, congenial to biking. Saroyan did it in Fresno, famously. I am slowing down considerably at nearly 63. I can take buses anyplace. I prefer the air in the foothills, but live here, not there. Morris the Bruce, I hope you remember this, dreaming of regular drives between Mariposa and Merced, and I remember it being painted on embankments leading into Berkeley from the Caldecott:
COMMUTERS SUCK
I could rave on, but the dawn is here, air is full of atmosphere and it looks like a nice time to take a cup o joe to the fifth floor fire escape to watch the old boy rise over the Clark Range. That's right. The Obelisk. My talisman. Where I beg my mourners to scatter my ashes. But not on the peak. I like the beach of alpine sand lying at the base. If you have been there you know how beautiful it is.
Where we all would like to live is someplace where we are relatively happy.
Werner, it's not a life sentence, man. I'll be up to see you next month, say the 5th. Orders from the DA. I'm so looking forward to seeing Positively Fourth Street again and the Nutty Buddy.
Graphs? Ratings? Age? Just numbers.
Really, Ron Jeremy? You are sure?
Then I will see that and f*#king raise you: Janet Leigh and Glen Denny.
Okay, he lived in Delhi. But Mark Tuttle is our boy, too. Hi Tailor-Boy...
visit his shop and support OUR local climbers!
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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May 10, 2012 - 10:20am PT
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What's new in Merced?
After diligent research on Willie-pedia, the claim that Ron Jeremy is from Merced is patently false, Wiki-wise.
However, today's Merced Sun-Stroke, reporting on UC Merced students and their projects, mentions that they "were judged by a six-member panel that included former rapper MC Hammer, who sits on the university's Board of Trustees....Hammer said the ideas from the students would either have an entrepreneurial or consumer benefit. 'It's a fundamental part of moving from creating a product to a company'," Hammer said, adding that all the teams were "winning" teams.
Charlie Sheen had no comment, could not be located, in fact. When asked if he perhaps had an idea where Mr. Sheen might be, Hammer just said, "I am not touching that." No more comments were recorded.
The BIG Annual DEALIE, and the first I have heard of it, Mercy Med. Center is holding a 5k Stroke Awareness Run and Family Festival.
The date is May 12. Saturday.
The location is Mercy Avenue and G Street, Merced (across from Mercy).
Event schedule:
Family Festival 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
5k Race starts at 8;30 a.m.
Health Fair 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Register online at www.supportmercymerced.org
Telephone 209-564-4200
The Merced County Courthouse Museum will be open Sat. and Sun. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It is free and docent tours are provided.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 10, 2012 - 10:53am PT
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Whooee..the Golden State is 8 for 20, any baseball player would be happy with that average.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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May 10, 2012 - 11:41am PT
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We have learned to take what we get and turn it to our advantage. Like when they sent the Americans. Then the Okies. Then the Mexicans. We even learned how to use the left-handed bats they sent us from Colorado because they mis-understood the rules about switch-hitting. Had nothing to do with gay marriage. And 8 for twenty, better known as .400, has a certain shine, I admit.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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May 10, 2012 - 12:04pm PT
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"Forbes 20 most miserable cities:
1. Stockton
3. Merced
4. Modesto
5. Sacramento
9. Vallejo
17. Fresno
18. Salinas
20. Bakersfield
Those places may suck compared to other nice places in the state but I can't help but thing how much more suckage there is in many of the heartland (maybe better gutland) states where there's no ocean or mountains nearby and it gets below zero in the winter
peace
Karl
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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May 10, 2012 - 02:53pm PT
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"So Merced and Atw#ter in particular have had a lower income strata even when compared to other similar central valley ag towns."
Yes, those second gen military families have kids, which makes Merced and Atw#ter ideal recruiting grounds for pimps, who need to find blue-eyed blond 18 year olds to bring to LA and the Bay Area to sell to white businessmen. Since there is no economic future for them in the Central Valley, it's easy to lure them with promises of big money and an easy, lazy, party life-style.
Viva Merced! "Hi Honey! Leroy's the name. Pimpin's my game! You'll never need anything as long as you stick with me: Nice clothes, fancy cars, jewelry, good drugs!"
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bergbryce
Mountain climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
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May 10, 2012 - 02:59pm PT
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I'd take any of those California cities over anything between the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay, the Front Range of the Rockies and west of Vermont.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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May 10, 2012 - 03:08pm PT
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Stockton #1
Modesto #4
Sacramento #5
Fresno's all the way down at #17
Think land rush and mortgage bust along with a good dose of Republican lawmakers in those towns.
Actually, High Traverse, most of them have a lot of Blue Dog Democrats and way too few Republicans. Those areas represented by Republicans do quite well, although I suspect the correlation is in the reverse direction.
The criticisms some far given to Davis Hanson (the family has always used both last names) don't jive for me. As someone whose spent 47 of his sixty years living in the Valley, that de facto apartheid is all too real.
Finally, the criticisms of UC Merced really belong with the legislature. The San Joaquin Valley has been particularly ill-served by the UC system (except for their excellent agricultural field offices), and a UC campus in an area with millions of residents was long overdue. Unfortunately, our legislature and governor are busy pursuing pipe dreams like high speed rail, without any concept of opportunity cost.
John
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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May 10, 2012 - 03:20pm PT
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So Bruce, or is it leRoy,
I can't hellp it if you gotta be mean, but try pulling my other leg with your troll or rant. My goat is not that gullible. He was raised by an old Basque whose momma was a whore. His name is Billy disbeliever. He will make your day the third most miserable on record if you don't fall back in the Cleveland gutter (RIGHT ON KARL)and think up some more lies about Merced, prosties and Irish Setters (I can hear your wheels turning, bigot.)
edit--
for the sake of LilaBiene, it sometimes occurs that the brotherhood erupts in violence. Ignore it. It is not totally harmless, but far less blood is spilt here than ever there was at Stoneman Meadow or Chicago. The Romans could tell you.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 10, 2012 - 03:22pm PT
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Buck up Merced! I did a road trip a couple of months ago and I have to say the towns around the Salton Sea have you beat to hell in the miserable category.
Please don't take this wrong, I'm not saying you don't deserve a high position in the poll.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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May 10, 2012 - 03:29pm PT
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You don't know how much better I feel now you remind me there is not a whiff of rotting fish, is there? But I think they are gonna close down the garlic shed. (It's actually a robust, healthy smell, which you allll are gonna lose out on by living in Cleveland and Coloradososo.
Buncha looser curmudgeons....
[Aside] What would Dolt do, Mouse, or Dobrynin, or Mick Dolenz. Doh, stupid Doninini, he's as gullible as Flanders, yet right about Merced. But it's obvious he has a lot to learn. It's not cool to tear his entire state apart, therein is the challenge. Maybe, since I've never been there, I oughta just forget the little schtick and say I wanna visit the Rockies but nobody's ever invited me since Millis harangued me about that. Best way to get to know something or someone, I dunno, but visiting is a start. Maybe Merced won't seem so worth defending just cuz I happened to fall here from the tree. It coulda been TJ. Eh, manana...
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Enty
Trad climber
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May 10, 2012 - 03:32pm PT
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How can a town with Maria's Mexican Kitchen be ranked as 3rd most "miserable" city in US?????
Confused.
E
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 10, 2012 - 03:32pm PT
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Just trying to brighten your day. Hop out to the Creek, my wife and I are headed there tonight.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
merced, california
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May 10, 2012 - 03:49pm PT
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Thanks. I was planning on going to the Mission for a free meal and if my luck held I thought I could get that beagle to lick my sores some more.
Eloi, eloi, labacthana.
edit: Enty, I ate at Cruz n Willies place at the end of the road in or near Mariposa. Maria couldn't find a match to light that candle of comparison. And that's 40 years of Mexican food talking, since. Lotta beans, like Donini.
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