With the passing of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a significant guardian of San Francisco's post-war bloom has left us. For me, like so many others, his City Lights bookstore was on my list in 1971 as one of *the* places to visit. I saw him there on several occasions. He even rang me up once.
Over the years, I'd meet up with writers whose pieces I was editing at City Lights and we would migrate to one of the nearby cafes -- Vesuvio or Trieste -- to work over coffee. It made us feel cool. The spirit of the Beats from the 50s permeated everything we did as our version of an alternative culture made up of the hippies of the Haight and the radicals of Berkeley went seriously viral.
In 2001, I edited an interview of Ferlinghetti conducted by my friend, the journalist Ken Kelley. The poet was in a nostalgic, unhappy mood, as he watched gentrification drive high rents that made the lifestyles of poets, artists, freelance journalists and the rest of us so much more difficult than it had been in his younger years.
His spirit was generous -- he wanted us to have the experiences that had inspired him.
By 2015, I was at KQED when we interviewed him again, and he expressed his ongoing disappointment with how the city had seemingly abandoned its old spirit to become an elite playground for rich people.
But change is inevitable and the good old days were never quite as good as our memories suggest. There was a lot of poverty in San Francisco, especially among minorities back then and there still is, and I'm afraid that all of us who identified with the beatniks, hippies and radicals haven't collectively been able to change that in any lasting way.
None of that is to disparage the spirit of Ferlinghetti. He probably accomplished more than he realized by remaining a symbol of an alternative way to live life and also by simply living so long. Until Monday he was still among us, although most current residents of his city probably didn't know that. Now he is gone, everybody knows that.
Death is funny that way. You don't know what you had until it is gone.
***
Among the obscure but extremely important stories moving today is a report on the continuing loss of fertile topsoil in the part of the country where I grew up -- the upper Midwest. Scientists have long since established that this devastating loss is due to modern industrial farming methods.
The use of chemicals, both fertilizers and pesticides, is largely to blame. These kill off beneficial creatures that keep the soil healthy, including earthworms that aerate the soil -- keeping it moist and oxygenated. Before petrochemicals, multiple microorganisms also contributed to this vital process.
Mono-cropping plays a deleterious role, as does the use of heavy machinery, which compacts the soil. These various factors increase the runoff that causes rainfalls to carry soil away -- permanently.
Of course, these mechanical and chemical techniques also boost overall food production, helping to feed the world.
By contrast, organic farming methods rely on time-tested techniques like crop rotation, composting, mulching, biological pest and weed control, and diversity to preserve and renew topsoil during the farming process.
Organic farming is time- and labor-intensive. It yields food that is more local and seasonal in nature, healthier and often much tastier than the industrial produce available in your typical supermarket. But the overall output is lower.
Also, the fruits and vegetables grown this way may have some scarring and not be as pretty as their industrial counterparts; they also are more expensive, but we as consumers have to be willing to shoulder these tradeoffs for a healthier, sustainable food system that will last into the future.
Again, the headline is that we are losing the topsoil that enables this alternative lifestyle. Death isn't funny that way. You don't know what you had until it is gone.
***
The news:
* With New Grand Jury, Justice Department Revives Investigation Into Death of George Floyd (NYT)
* “We properly planned for a mass demonstration with possible violence,” said former Capitol Police chief Steven A. Sund. “What we got was a military-style, coordinated assault on my officers and a violent takeover of the Capitol Building.” (WashPo)
* Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico, President Biden’s pick to head the Interior Department, was questioned on past remarks as an activist opposing the fossil fuel industry. (Reuters)
* Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would back the nomination of Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. attorney general, even though he refused to allow a hearing on his nomination to the Supreme Court five years ago. [HuffPost]
* One third of the cropland in the upper Midwest has entirely lost its fertile topsoil, according to a new study. Other scientists doubt that figure, but agree that soil loss is a big problem.(NPR)
* Net neutrality law to take effect in California after judge deals blow to telecom industry (WashPo)
* Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed a sweeping, $7.6 billion state relief package that will send $600 payments to millions of low-income and undocumented Californians. [CapRadio]
* Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine offers strong protection against severe COVID-19, according to an analysis released Wednesday by U.S. regulators that sets the stage for a final decision on a new and easier-to-use shot to help tame the pandemic. (AP)
* Biden administration to deliver 25 million free cloth masks to low-income Americans (WashPo)
* Studies Examine Variant Surging in California, and the News Isn’t Good (NYT)
* The agency that controls much of California’s water supply released numbers that reinforced fears the state is falling into another drought. [The Sacramento Bee]
* For children learning English, speaking the language can be a way to fit in. But teachers worry that remote learning means some students aren't hearing even casual English outside their classes. (NPR)
* LGBT Identification Rises to 5.6% in Latest U.S. Estimate (Gallup)
* Facebook to invest $1 billion in news industry after Australia row (Reuters)
* Congress could prevent 19 million unsafe abortions around the world every year if it rescinded the Helms Amendment, a 1973 law that prevents American foreign aid from being used to pay for abortions, according to a new report. The report found that the overall number of maternal deaths due to unsafe abortions would decline by 98% in the 33 countries that the Helms Amendment affects. [HuffPost]
* Biden administration readies sanctions on Russia for SolarWinds hack, Navalny poisoning (WashPo)
* The government dropped drunken driving and reckless driving charges against Bruce Springsteenon Wednesday stemming from an incident in November, admitting that the rocker’s blood-alcohol level was so low that it didn’t warrant the charges. Springsteen pleaded guilty to a third charge, consuming alcohol in a closed area, the Gateway National Recreation Area. Better known as Sandy Hook, it is an Atlantic Ocean peninsula with views of the New York City skyline. (AP)
* Japan Appoints Minister Of Loneliness (The Onion)
***
If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair
-- Scott McKenzie
-30-
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