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Deja View

On August 9, I drove down to the Berkeley Marina to visit the Chavez-Huerta Solar Calendar, which sits atop a prominent hill on the north end of the Cesar Chavez Park. As a "Sundial Steward," my assignment was to conduct a monthly check of the site to see if any of the stone markers, signs, or surroundings required maintenance. Stewards also look for signs of vandalism—ranging from stones picked up and tossed about to the recurring mischief of a pro-Trump vandal who likes to scratch the acronym "MAGA" onto the stone dedicated to Tolerance.

But there was a bigger act of vandalism on view that morning. Directly to the north, the Richmond refineries were ablaze and the burning oil was sending up huge black clouds that were spread over miles of local neighborhoods. I took a photo.

On October 4, I visited the site for my monthly inspection and—to my surprise—once again discovered a large black cloud of smoke spread across the skies over Richmond. I took a photo.

When I compared the photos, I was startled by how similar the dark clouds were. But when I went online looking for the details behind the latest firestorm, the Internet's vast slate was blank.

The two photos—side-by-side and two months apart—look almost identical. What are the odds? Does this mean that major industrial fires in Richmond are becoming commonplace? 

The Day Greenpeace Sailed to Richmond 

Those smoke-smeared skies reminded me of the day I joined the crew the Rainbow Warrior —the Greenpeace flagship—to sail from a berth in San Francisco across the Bay to the waters off Richmond. 

The ship dropped anchor near Castro Slough and proceeded to stage a protest at a leaking oil-company storage pond. The Greenpeacers rowed a rubber raft to the middle of the oil-soaked waters, grabbed hold of a large metal wheel on a massive pipe, and wrenched it backwards until it shut off the flow of polluted water. 

We braced ourselves for the sound of distant sirens and the screech of approaching security vans—but there was no response. Growing increasingly impatient at the lack of "emergency response," the Greenpeace monkey-wrenchers finally had to resort to phoning the oil barons, to notify them that a critical safety valve on their refinery's property had been twisted shut. 

Eventually, two indignant Big Oil reps arrived to confront the activists. But when they saw a Greenpeace crewmember shouldering a professional-looking video camera, their demeanor softened. Instead of denouncing acts of "eco-vandalism," they started boasting about the plant's safety record. 

What they failed to notice was that, over their shoulders, one of the refinery stacks had just burst into flames. The activist with the video camera slowly moved to the side, repositioning himself to show the refinery's Dirty Duo blathering while, behind their backs, massive flames continued licking up the sides of a metal tower. The unexpected "special effects" provided a perfect backdrop for the oil-reps' flippant fibbing. 

Eventually the oil-meisters began to wonder why everyone was looking at them with increasingly larger grins that were starting to turn into guffaws. They finally turned around, saw the flames, high-tailed it to their cars, and headed back to their offices. 

And Greenpeace captured it all on videotape. 

A Discomfiting Enigma 

Have you ever had a creepy premonition? Have you ever seen something so odd that it made you want to say something? Several weeks ago, while walking down a North Berkeley neighborhood sidewalk, I found my path obstructed by two red ribbons stretched across the pathway. They resembled yellow crime-scene tape, only thinner. They were tied to some large bushes on the house-side of the sidewalk; the other ends were tethered to a white RoadTrek van parked on the street. The ribbons effectively blocked any approach to the van's doors. 

Stepping into the street to circumvent the obstruction, I noticed the back of the camper truck sported an ominous decal that showed an assault rifle above the words "Defend Hawaii." 

Gazing toward the house, I noticed a sign in the window that read: "Yellow Peril/Black Lives Matter"—an odd conjunction that seemed racially charged. 

I was wondering if I should share my sense of alarm with the Berkeley Police but, a couple of days ago, I spotted a couple on the sidewalk untying the "keep out" ribbons. Both were wearing what looked like white hazmat suits. Their faces were hidden behind wide-brimmed hats fitted with full-face "bee-keeper" masks. A few days later, the ribbons were gone and so was the mysterious camper. 

I'm still haunted by the memory. 

Ads Nauseam 

Under the category of "TV Ads for Products the World Doesn't Need," I'd like to nominate the adverts for Feliway calming capsules for cats. (I first noticed these TV ads popping up last week. Does this portend a flood of new "pet-meds" that Americans will be urged to buy? What next? Anti-itch pills for poodles? Mood-enhancers for pit bulls?) 

Is your cat hyperactive? Super-sensitive? Easily spooked? Emotionally unbalanced? Self-destructive? Prone to claw the furniture? Anxious and hiding? If so, the new TV spot argues, Feliway's Optimum Enhanced Classic Cat Calming Pheromone Spray Diffuser Kit is just what your feline craves. Plug a capsule into a wall outlet and waft your cats in a soothing fog of pheromones that will leave your furry pals "less stressed in their environment"—for "up to 4 weeks." 

Really! But isn't Standard Cat Behavior already largely defined by long bouts of lounging and slumber? If you need to engulf your pet in a 24/7 cloud of sedative perfume, the problem may be that you've adopted a ferret or a chipmunk by mistake—that's not a cat. 

"The Boys Who Said No": Gala Online Film Launch 

The reviews are in and the verdict is unanimous: Berkeley documentarian Judith Ehrlich's long-awaited anti-war film, The Boys Who Said NO!, is “A stand-out film ... Profound and startling" (Showreel) and “an ode to the power of activism” (Chronicle). 

The film, which memorializes the anti-Vietnam-War/draft-resistance movement of the Sixties, has already won numerous film festival awards and has garnered widespread critical acclaim. 

As American University professor Susan Erenrich has written: "There is never a blueprint for social movements—there are templates—and this film is an important one." And Documentary Drive adds: “Some films are too important not to see. The Boys Who Said NO! is one of those films.” Here's a trailer: 

The filmmakers inform The Daily Planet that the film will be available for 48 hours of online viewing begining Friday, October 15-17 at 3 pm. 

In addition, an hour-long livestream event will follow on Sunday, October 17 at 5 pm, featuring an online discussion with film participants Joan Baez, Daniel Ellsberg, David Harris, Mandy Carter and Ehrlich, the Oscar-nominated director of The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. 

The discussion will feature an update on pending legislation that would force young women to register for the draft and the event also will include a special tribute to the film’s founding producer, former draft-resister Christopher "Colorado" Jones, who died from a tragic fall in 2019. 

Tickets are $12 to view both the film and the livestream event. You can click here to order tickets 

Voting Rights? It's Not on Feinstein's List 

If you've ever sent an email message to a Washington politician expressing support for or opposition to a piece of legislation, you're familiar with the pre-selected roll-out of "topics" that you can choose from. Each senator and congressmember has slightly different lists. 

I was recently moved to email my senators in support of the Freedom to Vote Act. Alas, Senator Dianne Feinstein's list of topics failed to include "democracy" or "voting rights." Alex Padilla's list was better: It not only includes "animal rights" but also invited comments involving "Campaign/Election Reforms." 

Given the always-changing nature of modern politics, here's a proposal for our reps in Washington: Include a blank line for "other." 

The Chronicle's Quake-Prep Resources 

On October 10, the Chronicle published a special 20-page supplement with detailed advice on "How to Survive" a major Bay Area earthquake. While large, devastating quakes are rare, "history suggests that the Bay Area is due, if not overdue, for a major quake along the [East Bay's] Hayward Fault." Here are some of the crucial links from the Chronicle's Sunday edition: 

See our Disaster Survival Guide to start getting ready, from apps that offer early shake alerts to tips on protecting pets and safeguarding your home against fire: 

• Interactive California Earthquake Tracker: real-time updates on quakes in the state over the last 30 days
• How to build a DIY emergency kit for your home or car
• The documents you need to get in order before disaster strikes
• Apps and technology that will get you ready for a fire, quake or flood
• Tips on fortifying your home to withstand a quake or fire
• Which Bay Area regions are most at risk from a tsunami
• 11 steps to designing an emergency plan for your family

Karmic Strips 

Sally Forth and Luann are two contiguous comic strips in the Chronicle. On October 6, each had three panels that included 15 images of different characters. Only two of the depictions included People Without Color. 

On the same page, Sherman's Lagoon showed three main characters—a shark, a sea turtle and a crab—recently transformed into human forms by a sea God named Kahuna. Thanks to the diversity of the other two strips, I noticed something odd about the "humanated" lagoon dwellers: while their native colors are shark grey, turtle green, and crab red, whenever they ask Kahuna to turn them into "beach apes," they always reappear looking like three white guys. 

Cosmic Strips 

Speaking of contiguous content, last week's edition of Chron comics contained two different strips—Sherman's Lagoon and the teen-angst strip, Zits—that both featured their lead characters facing off against UFOs. 

In both strips, a UFO appears and emits a green tractor beam that sucks the wide-eyed humans upwards into the hovering spaceship. In Zits, a pack of teenagers helps a pair of green teen aliens recharge the batteries on their joy-riding spacecraft. Meanwhile, Sherman's Lagoon takes a more serious turn when the three newly-minted "white guys" are confronted by a large green alien who confronts them with this question: "Why do you destroy your home planet?" 

Save the Planet: Delete the Meat 

More breaking news about how "going vegan" can help save the planet. 

Friends of the Earth Europe recently published The Meat Atlas, a study by Heinrich-Bóll-Stiftung that reports: "Just five of the world's largest meat and dairy companies—among them, JBS, Tyson and Cargill—are responsible for more emissions than oil giants like Exxon and BP." 

According to the FOE report: "Globally, three-quarters of agricultural land is used to raise animals or the crops to feed them. Livestock farming and soybean cultivation are the biggest contributors to deforestation whose effects include soaring emissions, destruction of Indigenous communities and small farmers' livelihoods, and pandemics." 

Seriously??? 

A radio spot recently addressed the difficulty of holding adult-child conversations and pitched an odd solution—listen to song lyrics. 

According to Sound It Out Together: "Music can help to bridge the gap between you and your kid, making for earnest and constructive conversations about emotional well-being. Learn more about how you can approach conversations surrounding topics like anger, loss, racism and more with your children." 

More, from the company website: "Sound it Out is a new national campaign that uses the power and soul of music to help parents and caregivers better support their middle-schooler's emotional wellness." The program, created by the Ad Council, "delivers exclusive new music and interviews from some of today's brightest stars" designed to help kids "open up about an array of emotions."