The End of the Line

With the coming of the Summer Solstice, the seasons have officially pivoted and we've attained the longest day of the year. It's summer time up and down the golden beaches facing the world's grandest ocean, where bikinis, surf boards and marijuana all mix and drift together on the incoming salty air. 

The nation's richest state is basically free of the restrictions of the Covid-19 era and its citizens can take stock of what our surroundings look like in the wake of the worst pandemic of modern times.

The Golden State is home, of course, to the biggest economy, the largest agricultural sector, the most billionaires (189), five Major League Baseball teams, seemingly countless NBA, NFL and NHL and soccer franchises, many great universities and corporations and much, much more, not to mention Hollywood, Silicon Valley,  and 15 of the most populous cities in North America.

Silicon Valley alone has one of the greatest concentrations of wealth the world has ever known, so much so that people all over the world yearn to either get here or emulate its success. 

Technically speaking it lies in Santa Clara County and the greater San Jose metropolitan area, but in recent decades this regional technology sector and its celebrated startup culture has stretched throughout the nine-county Bay Area to the point where now the entire expanse is sometimes loosely referred to as Silicon Valley.

But a drive through the many diverse neighborhoods of the region reveals plenty of corners where nary a millionaire is to be found. And while there are all kinds of tourist guides for visitors, starting with the Scenic 49-Mile Drive in San Francisco, there is no guide to our  homeless encampments that I'm aware of.

 So allow me to help fill that void.

For starters, you can try out The Jungle, a tent city that winds endlessly along the sweltering Coyote Creek Trail in greater San Jose.

Or the cluster of tents and piles of trash along I-80 at University Avenue in Berkeley, or in the shadow of the Oakland's shipyards and the Eastern Span of the mighty Bay Bridge.

Or underneath the freeways in all of our cities where there are more groups of tents and heaping piles of trash. Or over on the waterfront in Alameda and certain other spots along the inner side of the lovely San Francisco Bay.

There are even itinerant camps sprouted up in wealthy Marin County, in Sausalito, San Rafael and Novato. 

Or back in San Francisco itself you can visit the Tenderloin, plus tiny clusters perched throughout the Mission District. Some of them resemble the actual location long known as Skid Row, which is eight hours south in downtown L.A.

(Incidentally, my first work for Rolling Stone was not as a writer but a photographer on a report about a serial killer known as the Skid Row Slasher back in 1974.)

These days, there are incessant policy initiatives, outreach efforts, government programs and non-profit services meant to deal with the homelessness problem, but it persists as if it is a perfectly logical extension of all the more celebrated symbols of technology -- the skyscrapers, the sprawling wealthy campuses, the golden hills where billionaires reside and the fanciest cars race each other to and from swimming pools, expensive restaurants and exclusive private clubs.

Saturday night, as I was riding in a Zipcar with my buddy, I got to see the Candlestick Point homeless community up close for the first time. Nestled away like a terraced development overlooking the Bay it looks more than anything like the final resting place where Detroit's 20th century fantasy of giant, gas-guzzling RVs went to die just outside of an actual gated RV facility.

For many this is literally the end of the road.

But as my whimsical friend pointed out, "At least the weather is pretty great and you can't get free Bay views like that just anywhere."

That's life here in Paradise, where folks with everything and folks with nothing live in close proximity as if by chance they vectored in on two giant separate but equal spaceships that took off from opposite points in the endlessness of the universe way out there where there is no space and there is no time.

But in reality they are home-grown and intimately related, two facing sides of the same golden coin. And if you listen hard enough to the voices in the wind, you can almost hear Bob, George, Jeff, Roy and Tom singing that this is where they all ended up on the flip side of end of the line.

***

The news:

* How Republican States Are Expanding Their Power Over Elections -- In Georgia, Republicans are removing Democrats of color from local boards. In Arkansas, they have stripped election control from county authorities. And they are expanding their election power in many other states. (NYT) 

* ‘I’m Getting Ready’: Football Star’s Cryptic Video Could Upend Georgia Senate Race -- If the Georgia college football legend Herschel Walker declares his candidacy it could put former President Donald J. Trump’s power as a kingmaker to the test. (NYT)

* Los Angeles Just Elected a Liberal D.A. He’s Already Facing a Recall Effort. -- George Gascón is facing an intense backlash for enacting the sorts of policies demanded by protesters after the killing of George Floyd. (NYT)

* Israel, Hamas revert to routine of provocation and reprisal -- Nearly a month after a cease-fire ended 11 days of intense fighting, neither side is eager for a return to a full air war, according to military and political analysts, although the situation remains volatile. But neither side has been able to break out of the dynamic that has defined their confrontation since the early 2000s. (WP)

* New leaders, new era: US-Israel relations reach crossroads (AP)

* For Biden, Iranian Hard-liner May Be Best Path to Restoring Nuclear Deal -- The next six weeks before a new government takes office in Tehran may be a unique window for clinching an agreement that Iran’s leadership has been delaying. (NYT)

* Iran’s next president could be the most repressive figure to ever hold the position (WP)

* Europeans, U.S. warn Iran nuclear talks won't be open-ended (Reuters)

* ‘It’s my life’: French Muslim women push back on the politics of the hijab (WP)

* It is not just U.S. troops who are withdrawing from Afghanistan. Thousands of private contractors — who help keep the Afghan Air Force flying, among other tasks — are leaving as well. (NYT)

* Death of Afghan commander in Taliban massacre highlights country’s struggles and fears (WP)

* Biden to meet with Afghan President Ghani as violence surges (Reuters)

* Former president says U.S. failed in Afghanistan (AP)

* Brazil, Besieged by Covid, Now Faces a Severe Drought (NYT)

* Delta variant behind spike of cases in Portugal (AP)

* The economy isn’t going back to February 2020. Fundamental shifts have occurred. (WP) 

* Big Tech Stocks Diverge: Facebook, Alphabet Outpace Peers (WSJ)

* The U.S. economy is never going back to 'normal' (CNN)

* U.S. coronavirus infections could surge if vaccination rates lag, ex-FDA chief says (WP)

* Enthusiastic Amateurs Advance Science As They Hunt For Exotic Mushrooms (NPR)

* Southwest U.S. states bake, wildfire threatens Arizona towns (AP)

* Genetic testing is changing our understanding of who fathers are (WP)

* Cool Dad Raising Daughter On Media That Will Put Her Entirely Out Of Touch With Her Generation (The Onion)

***

End of the Line

Traveling Wilburys

Songwriters: Robert Dylan / George Harrison / Jeffrey Lynne / Roy Kelton Orbison / Thomas Earl Petty

Well, it's alright, ridin' around in the breeze
Well, it's alright, if you live the life you please
Well, it's alright, doin' the best you can
Well, it's alright, as long as you lend a hand

You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring (at the end of the line)
Waiting for someone to tell you everything (at the end of the line)
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring (at the end of the line)
Maybe a diamond ring

Well, it's alright, even if they say you're wrong
Well, it's alright, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well, it's alright, as long as you got somewhere to lay
Well, it's alright, everyday is judgment day

Maybe somewhere down the road a ways (at the end of the line)
You'll think of me and wonder where I am these days (at the end of the line)
Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (at the end of the line)
Purple Haze

Well, it's alright, even when push comes to shove
Well, it's alright, if you got someone to love
Well, it's alright, everything'll work out fine
Well, it's alright, we're going to the end of the line

Don't have to be ashamed of the car I drive (at the end of the line)
I'm just glad to be here, happy to be alive (at the end of the line)
And it don't matter if you're by my side (at the end of the line)
I'm satisfied

Well, it's alright, even if you're old and grey
Well, it's alright, you still got something to say
Well, it's alright, remember to live and let live
Well, it's alright, the best you can do is forgive

Well, it's alright (alright), riding around on the breeze
Well, it's alright (alright), if you live the life you please
Well, it's alright, even if the sun don't shine
Well, it's alright (alright), we're going to the end of the line

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