Quote:

"It's a heated field." —Otto Pippenger

About:

A two-part story about a campaign trying to unseat Speaker Nancy Pelosi from her congressional seat leads to a much larger reckoning for the left.

Show Notes:

1. [00:30] “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [01:10] “Coulis Coulis” by The Blue Dot Sessions
3. [03:45] On Senator Amy Klobuchar, sporks combs and salads 
4. [04:00] “Grizzlies” by Mary Riddle
5. [04:30] “The second most important race” to watch
6. [06:30] Full results of San Francisco’s 2020 Primary elections
   1. Respect to Craig Sager 
7. [06:45] h/t Dorris Burke
8. [07:30] Follow Jasper Wilde
9. [08:50] Read Jasper’s 4,300-word essay here
10. [09:20] “Vik Fenceta” by The Blue Dot Sessions
11. [10:30] Recent progressive wave in San Francisco
    1. San Francisco’s problem with needles
    2. Light reading on San Francisco’s homeless problem
    3. More on the Bay Area housing crisis
12. [11:30] Light reading on:
13. [12:35] “Dusting” by The Blue Dot Sessions
14. [13:00] Related: AOC’s shoes and sneakers
15. [17:05] Follow Otto Pippenger
    1. And a recent interview on the split within the Democratic party
16. [19:20] A past read on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
    1. Shahid’s reply
17. [22:10] Liz Croydon’s sexual harrasment allegations against Shahid Buttar
    1. from The Intercept
    2. from Mission Local
    3. from The San Francisco Chronicle and it’s earlier reporting
    4. from The Humanist Report
    5. from Rolling Stone’s Useful Idiots Podcast
    6. a counter-narrative to Elizabeth Croydon’s Medium essay
    7. a response from the Shahid campaign
18. [23:10] Coverage of the allegation:
19. [23:45] More from The Intercept’s Akela Lacy on the allegations and its impact on the Shahid Buttar campaign
20. [36:45] “Tarte Tarin” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
21. [37:15] Gloria Berry’s defense of Shahid Buttar
22. [42:00] Follow Akela Lacy for more political coverage
23. [44:30] Amy Klobuchar didn’t eat a salad with a spork, it was actually a comb
24. [54:20] “Swing That Horn” by Mary Riddle
25. more at thisissomenoise.com/ep-31

Quote:

"I'm a progressive, yeah." —U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

About:

A two-part story about a campaign trying to unseat Speaker Nancy Pelosi from her congressional seat leads to a much larger reckoning for the left.

Show Notes:

1. [00:30] “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [01:00] Light reading on Agatha Bacelar
3. [01:05] “Coulis Coulis” by The Blue Dot Sessions
4. [01:45] Light reading on the progressive movement
5. [01:50] Light reading on Tom Gallagher
6. [02:00] Light reading on Medicare for All, The Green New Deal and US Militarism
7. [02:50] “Swing That Horn” by Mary Riddle
8. [04:15] A profile of Shahid Buttar (@shahidforchange / @Sheeyahshee)
   1. And the results
9. [04:45] That time Shahid Buttar ran against Nancy Pelosi in 2018
10. [05:20] “Exquisite Motion” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
    1. His EFF background
    2. A rapper and singer
    3. A poet
    4. A music producer and DJ
    5. His 2016 Buring Man DJ set
    6. His appearance on Russia Today’s “Breaking the Set”
11. [05:25] Light reading on Shahid’s background
12. [06:15] Related: Burning Man sucks Reason #1029492
13. [06:20] Related: “Freedom Music” by Irfan Rainy & Baba Israel
    1. And when it ended
14. [08:45] Remember the Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign 
    1. Mission Local
    2. His early coverage of Shahid’s campaign and here
    3. Spoiler alert: his later coverage of the campaign
    4. And a reminder to go back and listen to the Frisco series, Part I here
15. [09:20] More on Joe Eskenazi
16. [10:55] “Setting Pace” by The Blue Dot Sessions  
    1. The tearing up of speeches
    2. The #resistance movement
    3. The performative criticism
    4. What Shahid tweeted
17. [11:00] More on the clapback
    1. Related reading and viewing
    2. Her wheeling and dealing on Obamacare
18. [11:20] More on Nancy Pelosi’s history in politics
    1. More on her vote on Iraq War
    2. Related: Her handling of Bush impeachment
    3. Her votes on national security
    4. Her stance against progressive movement
    5. Her 2019 interview on 60 Minutes
19. [12:50] Her votes on Iraq Wars
    1. More on Green New Deal
20. [13:10] More on Medicare for All
21. [13:20] “The Cornice” by The Blue Dot Sessions
    1. Related Instagram trends
22. [16:45] h/t @doorsoftunisia
23. [18:20] Follow Otto Pippenger
24. [18:30] Light reading on SF Supervisor Dean Preston 
25. [18:45] Related: Rise of the DSA  
26. [21:00] Related: The recent drug overdose epidemic in the San Francisco Bay Area
27. [23:20] Light reading on San Francisco City College accreditation fight
28. [26:40] Follow Jasper Wilde 
29. [29:15] Light reading on Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign and feminism
30. [29:50] “Setting Pace” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
31. [30:00] For more on the specialty coffee scene, listen to “Bougie Coffee”
    1. Bay Area coffee roaster’s sexual assault and harassment scandal
32. [30:25] Related: SCAA’s expo in Dubai
33. [34:00] More on Shahid’s backstory
34. [34:30] Related: Pelosi’s support of government surveillance
35. more at thisissomenoise.com/ep-30
36. [38:15] Listen to Part II here

Quote:

“Where do you want to start?” —Farhad Azad

About:

Afghanistan has far too often been referred to as a place where countries go to die, it is a graveyard of empires.

This moniker has been cited so many times and for so long that it’s unclear who first said it. Even the Afghan community will recite this pride. But what a title like this fails to convey is that while this might be a country responsible for the many tombstones of others, it very well is also a moratorium of progress for itself, a state in perpetual arrested development.

This is also a cemetery for countless Afghans who, in more modern times, failed to see any empire rise.

Why do some countries get to debate their histories while others have their legacy determined by outsiders? And what gets lost along the way?

This is Part II of a multi-part story on how history, current events, and culture all complicate the Afghan identity. 

Show Notes:

1. [00:30] “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [00:45] The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
3. [00:50] The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
4. [01:15] Re: Is it hard to have fun when you have a library card?
5. [01:20] More on Jamil Jan Kochai (@jamiljankochai)
   1. Read his book, 99 Nights in Logar
   2. Read his New Yorker story
6. [01:35] The renovation project on the West Sacramento Public Library
7. [02:35] Listen to Part 1 here
8. [02:50] A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
   1. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini 
9. [03:10] Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini 
10. [03:15] “Mirrored Seduction” by Walt Adams
11. [04:40] SparkNotes for The Kite Runner 
12. [05:05] The Kite Runner movie trailer
13. [07:50] “Attan-Khatme Zanzeri”
    1. s/o to the original “afghan-music.com” 
14. [09:50]  Books here:
    1. Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics by Martin Ewans
    2. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Lemmon
    3. Killing the Cranes: A Reporter's Journey through Three Decades of War in Afghanistan by Edward Girardet
    4. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid
    5. Zinky Boys: Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War by Svetlana Alexievichy
    6. Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Cole
    7. Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by Doug Stanton
15. [11:55] “Walk Like an Egyptian” cover by The Cleverlys
16. [12:20] Light reading on Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt
    1. Related reading here
17. [12:35] French Suite No. 2 in C Minor
18. [13:20] Light reading on the late Edward Said
19. [13:30] A recent review of Orientalism by Edward Said
20. [13:45] “Choose Your Outfit” by Colors of Illusion
21. [14:10] Edward Said with the Media Education Foundation in 1998
22. [15:20] More on Farhad Azad and afghanmagazine.com
23. [16:10] “Over the Dunes” by Jon Sumner
24. [16:55] Light reading on Nader Shah
25. [17:10] Light reading on the Pashtuns
    1. More on Pashtunwali
    2. Light reading on Ahmad Shah Durrani
26. [20:05] “Portobello Road” by David Celeste
27. [20:30] More on Dr. Nivi Manchanda (@ManchandaNivi)
    1. Her blog on the disorder of things
    2. Her book, Imagining Afghanistan: the History and Politics of Imperial Knowledge 
    3. A Q&A on her book
28. [21:00] Light reading on the British East India Company
29. [21:10] Light reading on the geopolitical context of the 1800s
30. [21:50] An Account of the Kingdom of Caubul, and its Dependencies in Persia, Tartary, and India
31. [22:30] Some of Dr. Manchanda’s other writings
    1. “The Imperial Sociology of the ‘Tribe’ in Afghanistan”
    2. “Queering the Pashtun: Afghansexuality in the homo-nationalist imaginary”
32. [23:45] “Fairy’s Fear” by Deskant 
33. [26:30] “Leavy Quickly” by Alan Carlson-Green
34. [26:35] Light reading on the US-Afghan war
35. [26:50] Light reading on the Great Game
36. [27:00] “Oh Motherland” by Sight of Wonders 
37. [27:25] “Devil’s Disgrace” by Deskant
38. [27:35] Light reading on the British Intelligence officer who coined the term “The Great Game”   
    1. Related: A 1901 review of Rudyard Kipling’s Kim
39. [29:05] See 'Remnants of An Army’
    1. Read some backstory of the painting here
40. [29:30] Light reading on William Brydon
41. [29:45] Technically, it was the winter of 1841-42, but more reading on that retreat here.
42. [31:20] Light reading of that first occupation in 1842
43. [31:25] ”Alive Without Breathing” by Deskant
44. [32:30] Light reading on Dost Muhammad Khan’s reflections on the British empire
    1. More on First Anglo Afghan War (1839-42)
45. [32:50] Light reading on Sher Ali Khan 
    1. More on the Second Anglo Afghan War (1878-80)
46. [33:50] Light reading on Abdur-Rahman Khan (aka The Iron Emir)
    1. Light reading on the state of the Hazara population
    2. Light reading on the Hazara genocide of the 1890s
    3. More reading on the Hazara genocide
    4. More reading on the Hazaras
    5. His rationale of his brutal reign
47. [33:55] “Pepper Seeds” by Rune Dale
48. [35:40] News of Afghanistan’s latest railroad here and here
49. [36:05] Light reading on the assassination of Habibullah Khan
50. [37:20] “Crusade” by Max Anson
51. [37:50] Light reading on the Third Anglo Afghan War (1919)
    1. Light reading on Ammanullah Khan
    2. Light reading on the bombings of Kabul
    3. Light reading on Afghan Independence Day
    4. Related: Independence movements in Egypt, Ireland and Malta
    5. Light reading on the Durand Line
52. [39:35] More on Wazhmah Osman
    1. And her book: Television and the Afghan Culture Wars
    2. And her film: Postcards from Tora Bora
53. [41:40] Light reading on Khushal Khan Khattak
54. [44:00] “Nothing in This World” by Telmo Telmo

"You've got boys flying kites again..." —George W. Bush

About:

Oh, the privilege. 

And what a privilege it is to publish a story about the broader theme of culture and identity, specifically for Afghanistan’s diaspora living in the States, like those on that third-culture-wave, when Afghans from the home country are left dealing with far harsher realities.

The diaspora’s dilemma pales in comparison (if you’re that foolish to try and compare the two) to their dilemma. No less, it is still a dilemma.

With that in mind, Part I of this multi-part story dives into that nebulous question...what does it really mean to be Afghan? Really, what does it mean to be from anywhere?

This is a tricky one.

Show Notes

1. [00:45] “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [02:15] “I Know A Way Through” by Phillip Ayers
3. [03:30] “Afghan National Anthem”
4. [06:05] 2010 Census data on the number of Afghans in America 
   1. Related: Some of the other largest ethnic groups in America
   2. Related: Light reading on Dearborn, Mich.
   3. Related: Light reading on Egyptians in Jersey City (h/t @Saressaa)
   4. Related: Light reading on Iranians in Glendale / Tehrangeles
5. [07:10] More on the Kalacha
   1. On the real estate
   2. The surrounding area
   3. And some other stats
6. [07:50] “Don’t Say No” by Mike Franklin
7. [08:40] Light reading on Flushing
8. [08:50] Light reading on the local soccer club scene
9. [12:05] “Burnin’ Things” by Mike Franklin
10. [14:35] Light reading on Rumi
    1. Related:“I am not of India, nor of China, nor of Bulgaria, nor of Saqsín; / I am not of the kingdom of Irãqain, nor of the country of Khorãsãn.”
    2. And the debate over where Rumi is from 
11. [16:55] More reading on consumerism and American culture
    1. Here
    2. Here
    3. Here
    4. Here
    5. Here
12. [19:05] More on Jamil Jan Kochai (@jamiljankochai)
    1. Read his book, 99 Nights in Logar
    2. 2020 Pen Award finalist for debut novel
13. [19:20] Light reading on Logar, Afghanistan
14. [19:45] “Khaista Logar De” 
15. [20:05] Afghanistan by Mohammad Hassan Kakar
16. [21:45] “Antidote X” by Van Sandano
17. [21:45] George W. Bush announcement of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan on Oct 7, 2001
18. [21:50] President George W. Bush’s comments in December 2008
19. [22:25] President Barack Obama’s comments on drone strikes in 2013
20. [23:00] President Donald Trump comments on US Afghan war in 2019
21. [23:45] Rory Stewart’s two-part documentary series: Afghanistan: The Great Game 
22. [24:30] John Rambo’s history lesson of Afghanistan in Rambo III
    1. Related: this was propaganda
    2. Related: the Rambo musical score
23. [28:30] “Desert Hideout” by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
24. [31:00] “Wandering Soul” by Gabriel Lewis
25. [31:10] Light reading on the rise of the median home price vs the median household income
26. [31:20] Light reading on the increase of the cost of education
27. [31:30] Light reading on the rising cost of healthcare over the past few decades
28. [32:19]  “Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” by Jamil Jan Kochai
29. [32:25] Light reading on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
    1. “Afghanistan is a big place”
30. [33:10] “The Early Eagle” by Jon Sumner
31. [35:25] Shout out to the prologue
32. [38:10] Light reading on Dari vs Farsi
33. [38:15] Light reading on the attan
34. [39:45] “Nysnö” by Sandra Marteleur
35. [40:00] Light reading on the history of slavery in the U.S.
    1. Related: Seeing White 
36. [41:15] Light reading on 
    1. Modern-day redlining
    2. The state of U.S. law enforcement
    3. The socioeconomic wealth gap
37. [43:25] “Mountain Solitude” by Moorland Songs
38. [44:00] The second-coming of the Bamiyan Buddhas 
39. [44:15] “Good words, good thoughts and good deeds.”
40. [45:10] John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction

This is a prologue to a multi-part series about the Afghan diaspora in America reclaiming their past and trying to grow from the present. It’s a story about culture, identity and authenticity.

Show Notes:

1. [00:30] “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [00:55] Hit rewind. (freesound.org / cognitu perceptu)
3. [01:00] “Our Son the Potter” by The Blue Dot Sessions
4. [01:10] When LeBron James threw up his arms at J.R. Smith
5. [01:20] The hit song of Summer 2017
6. [01:30] Why the Game of Thrones finale was awful
   1. The teaser to Season 7 for old times sakes
7. [01:45] Brigette Gabriel’s call to “protest”
   1. More on Brigette Gabriel
8. [02:10] The Southern Poverty Law Center’s take on ACT for America
9. [02:15] Saturday, June 10, 2017, “anti-sharia protests” take place across the country
10. [03:15] Dispatch from an “anti-sharia protest” in Santa Clara, Calif. (h/t @SarRavani)
11. [06:25] More on the 2017 Portland train incident
    1. Related: The Story of a Hate Crime
12. [06:40] The surge of hate crimes that followed shortly after the 2016 election
    1. See here, here, here and here
13. [09:00] Light reading on no-go-zones.
14. [09:10] Light reading on Dearborn, Mich.
15. [09:40] “Cupcake Marshall” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
16. [12:15] Light reading on “white genocide”
17. [14:40] “Verdigris” by The Blue Dot Sessions
18. [16:20] This is a throwback to the original prologue of this podcast. It’s meta.
19. [16:50] Light reading on that third culture wave.
20. [17:20] Spoiler alert: no.
21. [17:30] Afghan National Anthem performed on TOLO TV

Quote: "We are all from Allah, and to Allah we return" —Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 156

About:

In mere weeks, this country has seen COVID-19-related deaths rise past casualty totals for past wars and surprise attacks, sometimes passing those records daily. It seems like every day is filled with death.

But this isn’t the first time humanity has faced a pandemic. And this isn’t the first time society has reckoned with death. Is this a punishment? Or is God to blame?

In this latest podcast episode, we turn to the past for guidance on how to deal with our present—and it too is a trip.

Show Notes:

1. [00:30] More on “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [00:45] Al-Mulk, verses 1-6
3. [02:00] Al-Baqarah, verses 155-56
4. [02:20] Light reading on the term nafs 
   1. As described by Oxford Islamic Studies Online
   2. More light reading
   3. A short talk on the subject
5. [04:10] “Keffel” by The Blue Dot Sessions
6. [04:20] Related: a list of other common arabic phrases
7. [05:10] More on David Sloane | (@dcsloane53)
   1. And his book, Is the Cemetery Dead
8. [05:50] The state of:
   1. Morgues
   2. Refrigerated trucks
   3. Funerals 
   4. And more funerals
   5. Cemeteries in areas like New York
   6. And in other places like Indonesia
   7. And the state of mourning
9. [06:30] Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad related to attendance and funeral prayers
10. [06:55] “Aloscape 2” by The Blue Dot Sessions
11. [07:00] Al-Qaf, verse 19
12. [07:40] More on Imam Zaid Shakir | (@ImamZaidShakir)
    1. More on Zaytuna College
    2. s/o to the Lighthouse Mosque in Oakland
    3. Part of his service at Muhammad Ali’s funeral ceremony
13. [08:25] Light reading on the Archangel Azrael
    1. Light reading on what happens when you die
    2. Light reading on the Angels Munkar and Nakir
    3. Light reading on the rites of the dead
14. [08:25] “Aloscape 1” by The Blue Dot Sessions
15. [10:10] More on Islamic burial laws in times of the coronavirus
16. [12:15] Light reading on the concept of the hereafter in Islam
17. [13:00] Al-Jumu’ah, verse 8
18. [13:15] “Clatl” by The Blue Dot Sessions
19. [13:45] More on AbdulKarim Yahya | (@abdulkarimyahya)
    1. And an old tv segment with a younger AbdulKarim
20. [15:10] Light reading on the timeline of the early Islamic days
21. [15:15] Light reading on what Mecca was like before Islam
22. [15:20] Light video lesson on early Islamic days
23. [15:30] Light context on the those early Islamic days
24. [15:45] Light reading on the Quraysh
25. [16:25] The sayings of the Prophet regarding martyrdom
    1. And another one
26. [16:45] On the history of the “quarantine”
    1. Not mentioned in the podcast: Ibn Sina’s 40-day ban
27. [17:30] On the Prophet Muhammad and times of pandemics 
28. [18:40] Light reading on Plague in Early Islamic History
29. [18:45] Light reading on Umar ibn al-Khattab
30. [18:45] Light reading on Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah
31. [19:05] “ZigZag Heart” by The Blue Dot Sessions
32. [19:25] More detail on the Umar ibn al-Khattab’s meeting in the desert
33. [19:30] Light reading on the Ansar
34. [22:15] More on the Prophet Muhummad’s parable of tying up your camel
35. [22:45] Al-Imran, verse 185
36. [23:00] “Lick Stick” by The Blue Dot Sessions
37. [24:00] More on Dr. Nükhet Varlik
38. [24:30] “Rainday Textile” by The Blue Dot Sessions
39. [24:30] Regarding the Black Death
    1. And how it compares to past pandemics
    2. And in another visual
    3. Its symptoms
    4. Its death toll and the silver lining 
40. [25:20] “Raskt Landsby” by The Blue Dot Sessions
41. [25:20] Trump soundbytes on 
    1. 2.29.20
    2. 3.23.20
    3. 3.25.20
42. [26:55] Light reading on the Venetian Plague Doctor
43. [28:10] “Campanula” by The Blue Dot Sessions
44. [28:30] More on Plagues, Medicine, and the Early Modern Ottoman State
45. [28:35] “Static City Drumline” by The Blue Dot Sessions
46. [28:45] Light reading on Khidr
47. [30:10] Light reading on Evliya Çelebi
48. [33:00] Al-Hadid, verses 22-23
49. [34:45] List of past pandemics revisited
50. [35:15] John Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard
51. [36:30] “Intercept” by The Blue Dot Sessions
52. [37:45] Super quick primer on materialism
53. [38:15] Super quick primer on the Islamic metaphysics
54. [39:15] “Where it All Happened” by The Blue Dot Sessions
55. [39:20] Light reading on…
    1. Transhumanism and a timeline of the movement
    2. The singularity
    3. Ray Kurzweil
    4. Shameless plug for an earlier episode of this podcast touching on technology debate
56. [41:50] Short video on income inequality in America
    1. Report on how billionaires keep on winning amidst the coronavirus
       1. Between January 1, 2020 and April 10, 2020, 34 of the nation’s wealthiest 170 billionaires saw their wealth increase by tens of millions of dollars. 
    2. Report on how 2,153 billionaires have more wealth than 60 percent of the world’s population of more than 4 billion people 
57. [42:40] “Cicle Ariel” by The Blue Dot Sessions
58. [42:50] Related: A Bay Area commute to work
59. [45:30] Related: Light reading on environmental racism
60. [45:50] Related: On the racial demographics of life and death as it pertains to COVID-19
    1. Another one
    2. And another one
    3. And another one
    4. And another one
61. [46:30] Related: On food deserts
    1. And another one
    2. And another one
    3. And another one
62. [46:40] Related: Overview of past tax rates
63. [48:45] Light reading on “death and taxes”
64. [50:42] Sufjan Stevens’ “Fourth of July” Cover by Constellation Men’s Ensemble and arranged by Kevin Vondrak
    1. They are a vocal group based out of Chicago dedicated to empowering the next generation of singers through educational engagement.
65. More on Imam Ali Mukasa
66. PODCAST RECOMMENDATION: American Submitter by Imran Ali Malik
67. More at thisissomenoise.com

Quote:

“Nobody wants to destroy the image of San Francisco.” —James Baldwin

About:

Whereas Part One looks into the origin of San Francisco’s F-word, and Part Two looks at the buildup and fallout of urban renewal in neighborhoods like Bayview-Hunters Point, Part Three looks at a far more sinister force and questions just how liberal and progressive this city really is.

Show Notes:

1. [00:30] “The Layers of Heaven” by Jovica
2. [01:00] Allston Night Owl by The Blue Dot Sessions
3. [03:00]    Short bio of Lena Miller
4. [04:00] “Rethinking San Francisco’s War on Drugs” (SF Weekly)
5. [04:10] Some background on 94124
6. [04:15] Health data on Bayview-Hunters Point (San Francisco Department of Health)
7. [05:25] Flashing Runner by The Blue Dot Sessions
8. [06:30] Light reading on Dr. Raymond Tompkins (SF Bayview Newspaper)
9. [10:30] Light reading on Bayview-Hunters Point’s 14-year life expectancy gap (SF Gate)
10. [11:35] Related: A local push for more air monitoring in Bayview-Hunters Point (SF Examiner)
11. [13:05] “Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody” by The Abyssinian Baptist Gospel Choir
12. [13:30] Short except from Take This Hammer, a film by James Baldwin
13. [15:20] Short bio on Dr. Rachel Brahinsky
14. [15:45] “Milkwood” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
15. [16:20] Light reading on Bayview-Hunters Point history
16. [17:30] “Order of Entrance” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
17. [17:45] San Francisco’s 49-square mile myth (SF Gate)
18. [17:50] Size of Bayview-Hunters Point
19. [17:55] Map of San Francisco’s Public Utilities
20. [18:05] Light reading on San Francisco’s Southeast Water Treatment Plant (San Francisco Chronicle)
21. [18:45] “The Snowgarden” by The Blue Dot Sessions
22. [19:20] Light reading on the:
    1. PG&E Power Plant (FoundSF)
    2. Its health impact (Grist)
    3. Its closure (SFGate)
    4. Its environmental impact (EPA / Greenaction)
    5. Its relation to the high asthma rates in the neighborhood (SFGate)
    6. The activists behind its closure (SFGate)
    7. Its demolition (ABC News)
    8. Video here
23. [19:30] List of other sources of pollution in Bayview Hunters Point (Greenaction)
24. [20:10] “Building the Sled” by The Blue Dot Sessions
25. [20:20] Short bio on Marie Harrison (SF Gate)
26. [21:45] Brief history on the Hunters Point shipyard (US Navy)
27. [22:00] Light reading on America’s Great White Fleet (ThoughtCo)
28. [22:05] Light reading on the history of the shipyard according to its current developers (FivePoint)
29. [22:10] General reading on the Hunters Point shipyard
30. [22:20] A much deeper dive on the history of the Hunters Point shipyard and surrounding community
31. [22:35] President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares war on Japan
32. [22:40] Light reading on the Navy’s acquisition of the shipyard 
33. [22:45] Short video on the shipbuilding in the Bay Area during World War II
    1. And a mucher shorter video
34. [23:15] A recap of worker life at at the Hunters Point Shipyard during World War II (FoundSF)
35. [23:35] A deeper dive on the Hunters Point community following the drawdown after World War II
36. [23:40] Footage from Operation Crossroads
37. [24:05] The impact of studying the impact of nuclear weapons on naval warships (Stanford University)
38. [24:10] Light reading on the USS Independence
39. [24:35] Light reading on Operation Crossroads
40. [25:05] Light reading on radiation cleanup at the shipyard
    1. US Navy’s Historical Radiological Assessment of the shipyard
    2. And a recent article on how radiological remnants are still being discovered (San Francisco Chronicle)
41. [25:55] “Vik Sahder” by The Blue Dot Sessions
42. [26:25] A photo of Building 815 (TelstarLogisitcs)
    1. Related work done by the US Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory
    2. First-hand accounts of working on and near the site (SF Gate)
43. [28:10] Meet Ace Washington, who has been on the case
44. [29:35] Light reading on the effects of post-war deindustrialization
45. [29:40] Light reading/listening on the history of red-lining (NPR)
46. [29:45] How home loans are still difficult to get for Blacks and Latinos (KQED)
47. [29:50] Light reading on the segregation of San Francisco (FoundSF)
48. [30:45] Willie Brown Inc. (San Francisco Chronicle)
    1. More reading on Willie Brown (The New York Times)
    2. And about his role as Mayor of San Francisco (The New York Times)
    3. And about him being a power broker (The New York Times)
49. [31:20] Interview clip of Willie Brown on the 70s
50. [31:50] That one time Willie Brown got pied in the face (KTVU)
51. [32:20] Light summary on the Shipyard post-decommissioned days 
52. [32:30] Then San Francisco Mayor, now Senator, Diane Feinstein’s attempt to bring a warship to San Francisco (FoundSF)
53. [33:30] The Hunters Point Redevelopment Plan
    1. More reading on the development plan here and here
    2. And an analysis on redeveloping the area (UC Berkeley)
    3. Related: Why the 49ers left San Francisco (Slate)
54. [34:30] Light reading on the Navy transfer of the shipyard (San Francisco Chronicle)
55. [34:40] Fallout by Lisa Davis (SF Weekly)
    1. And a followup piece (SF Weekly)
56. [35:00] Light reading on Tetra Tech
57. [35:20] Light reading on Lennar
    1. An op-ed on Lennar
    2. A 2018 report of Lennar’s outreach to the Bayview-Hunters Point community 
58. [35:35] Related reading on racial diversity on contract jobs around the shipyard (SF Bayview Newspaper)
59. [35:40] Lennar’s plan for the Shipyard (San Francisco Business Times)
    1. The company’s approach to urban design
60. [36:00] Lennar at the SF Shipyard
61. [36:15] California emcee Cobe Obeah sharing his thoughts
62. [36:40] “True Blue Sky” by The Blue Dot Sessions
63. [37:00] Construction begins at the shipyard (San Francisco Business Times)
    1. And another story about the parcel transfer (San Francisco Chronicle)
    2. Scope of the original project (San Francisco Chronicle)
64. [37:20] Light reading on Minister Christopher Muhammad
    1. A deeper dive here (SF Weekly)
65. [38:00] Backstory behind the Nation of Islam school and the Shipyard construction sites (SFGate)
    1. And another read (SFGate)
66. [38:30] Minister Christopher Muhammad’s public testimony back in 2007 
67. [38:40] Related, not the same, but related findings
68. [39:45] Community complaints of Lennar’s construction sites (San Francisco Chronicle)
    1. A federal response to those complaints (San Francisco Chronicle)
69. [39:50] When Lennar was fined half a million dollars (SF Bay Guardian)
    1. Related protests that followed in following years (SF Public Press)
    2. An op-ed on Lennar by Marie Harrison (San Francisco Examiner)
70. [40:20] Foreshadowing of what’s ahead (NBC Bay Area)
71. [41:15] Don Wadsowrth’s full testimony
    1. Tetra Tech’s response to Wadsworth’s skepticism
72. [41:50] More on the Tetra Tech whistelblowers  (San Francisco Chronicle)
73. [42:15] More on Steve Castelman (SF Gate) and the Golden Gate Law Clinic and the work of his students
74. [43:40] Short bio on Preston Hopson, the General Counsel of Tetra Tech
75. [44:30] Light reading on Tetra Tech being kicked out of the Supervisor’s hearing (NBC Bay Area)
76. [44:40] Light reading on Sam Singer…
    1. Here (San Jose Mercury News)
    2. And here (Oakland Magazine)
77. [45:55] Light reading on the two Tetra Tech employees responsible for the falsification of soil records (KTVU)
78. [45:50] The US Government’s lawsuit that was filed against Tetra Tech
79. [45:50] Light reading on the $27 billion class-action suit filed against Tetra Tech
80. [46:10] Light reading on state report that found no radiological health hazards in key parts of the shipyard (NBC Bay Area)
    1. And the criticism of that report (San Francisco Chronicle)
    2. More recent developments on the shipyard (San Francisco Chronicle)
    3. Related: FOLLOW CurbedSF’s Chris Roberts, NBC Bay Area’s Liz Wagner and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jason Fagone who have been aggressively covering, breaking news and fully reporting out this story and all of its developments
81. [49:20] Marie Harrison’s obituary (Mission Local)
82. [53:00] “Cicle Deserrat” by The Blue Dot Sessions
83. [55:25] “Tumblehome” by The Blue Dot Sessions 
84. [58:55] “A Rush of Clear Water” by The Blue Dot Sessions
85. [60:00] “The Yards” by The Blue Dot Sessions
86. [60:15] More at thisissomenoise.com/ep-25

Quote:

“When I die, I’m dead.” —Eloise Westbrook

About:

Three horizontal stripes, red, black and green, add color to the streetlights and poles in and around the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco.

These Pan-African flags are a relatively new addition to the area. They were painted just about a year ago thanks to an initiative spearheaded by the neighborhood's local city supervisor, Malia Cohen.

“This is about branding the Bayview neighborhood to honor and pay respect to the decades of contributions that African-Americans have made to the southeast neighborhood and to the city,” she said in a statement.

But when compared to what’s going on in the neighborhood, these painted flags inadvertently serve as reminders of what this neighborhood once was and what it now isn’t. This used to be a place where you could be Black and thrive. You could find work and own a home. Now, not so much.

In Part II of this story about the term Frisco, we try and find out what happened.

Show Notes:

1. [00:35] More on “Wild Wes” and Wild SF Tours
2. [03:30] “Kid Kodi” by Blue Dot Sessions
3. [06:10] For reference: Map of San Francisco and its neighborhoods (San Francisco Association of Realtors)
4. [06:40] More on Dr. Raymond Tompkins (San Francisco Bay View Newspaper)
5. [07:40] “Allston Night Owl” by Blue Dot Sessions
6. [09:30] “Roundpine” by Blue Dot Sessions
7. [12:00] Light reading on environmental conditions of Bayview-Hunters Point:

1. Health Inequities in the Bay Area
2. San Francisco Community Health Needs Assessment 2016
3. On the 14 year life expectancy gap (San Francisco Chronicle)
4. Pollution Problems in Bayview-Hunters Point (Greenaction)

1. [12:30] “The Yards” by Blue Dot Sessions
2. [13:00] “Why I Love Living in Russian Hill” (The Bold Italic)
3. [13:20] On the naming of Russian Hill (FoundSF)

1. Related: the naming of other San Francisco neighborhoods (Mental Floss)

1. [13:50] Light reading on old history of Bayview-Hunters Point

1. Additional reading on the sale (Bernal History Project)

1. [14:30] On the formation of Butchertown (FoundSF)
2. [15:15] Further reading on history of Hunters Point Shipyard development and community (City of San Francisco)
3. [15:30] Light reading on history of Chinese shrimping industry in San Francisco (FoundSF)
4. [15:55] Light reading on Oscar James (Museum of African Diaspora)
5. [16:40] “D-Day” by Nat King Cole
6. [17:00] Light reading on San Francisco’s shipbuilding and war time history

1. World War II Shipbuilding in the Bay Area (National Parks Service)
2. “A Day’s Work” (FoundSF)

1. [17:20] Newsreel footage
2. [17:30] Light reading on the Great Migration:

1. “Great Migration: The African-American Exodus North” (NPR)
2. The African-American Migration Story (PBS)
3. “Why African Americans Left the South in Droves” (Vox)
4. The Long-Lasting Legacy of the Great Migration (Smithsonian)
5. “The 'Great Migration' Was About Racial Terror, Not Jobs” (City Lab)
6. “The Second Great Migration: A Historical Overview” (University of Chicago Press)
7. United States Census

1. [18:20] Light reading on the War Manpower Commission
2. [18:40] The war effort impact on Bayview-Hunters Point

1. And on the population increases (San Francisco Chronicle)

1. [19:00] Excerpt from The Highest Tradition (1946)
2. [19:30] Light reading on treatment of African Americans in the war effort (PBS)

1. Additional reading on A. Philip Randolph
2. Light reading on Executive Order 8802

1. [21:50] Light reading on how the Japanese internment shaped San Francisco (The Culture Trip)
2. [22:40] Light reading on the history of the Fillmore District (KQED)
3. [23:00] Light reading on Jack’s Tavern (KQED)
4. [23:20] Light reading on Marie Harrison (San Francisco Chronicle)
5. [24:00] “Take Me Back Baby” by Jimmy Rushing
6. [24:30] On San Francisco’s role as the “Harlem of the West” (NPR)

1. Photos from back in the day. Note Bob Scobey’s ‘Don’t Call it Frisco’ jazz band in the gallery. (Timeline)

1. [24:40] “Ghost of Yesterday” by Billie Holiday
2. [25:00] Review of the  Failure and the Harlem Renaissance argument (The Georgia Review)
3. [25:50] “Leave the TV On” by Blue Dot Sessions
4. [28:40] Light reading on Juneteenth
5. [30:00] Related: James Baldwin on Urban Renewal
6. [30:45] The Dynamic American City
7. [31:30] Related reading on Urban Renewal:

1. “The Racist Roots Of “Urban Renewal” And How It Made Cities Less Equal” (Fast Company)
2. “The Wastelands of Urban Renewal” (City Lab)
3. Urban Renewal and Its Aftermath
4. A Study in Contradictions: The Origins and Legacy of the Housing Act of 1949
5. Urban Revitalization in the United States: Policies and Practices

1. [32:00] Audio of construction site (Freesound.org)
2. [32:20] Light reading on the legacy of the  Housing Act of 1949:

1. Legacy of the Housing Act of 1949: The Past, Present, and Future of Federal Housing and Urban Policy
2. Additional reading on the birth of slum removal and urban renewal
3. Timeline of public housing projects in the US

1. [33:30] Light reading on the Housing Act of 1965 and 1968

1. A Rundown of Just How Badly the Fair Housing Act Has Failed (Washington Post)
2. The Legacy of the 1968 Fair Housing Act
3. Residential Segregation after the Fair Housing Act (American Bar Association)

1. [33:45] Renewing Inequality Project (University of Richmond)
2. [35:00] “Our Digital Compass” by Blue Dot Sessions
3. [35:35] Inspired by this song
4. [35:40] Two tales of urban renewal’s impact on San Francisco’s black population:

1. How Urban Renewal Destroyed The Fillmore In Order to Save It (Hoodline)
2. Racism — and politics — in SF Redevelopment history (48 Hills)

1. [35:45] On the population metrics of San Francisco’s black population:

1. The Loneliness of Being Black in San Francisco (The New York Times)
2. San Francisco's Black population is less than 5 percent (KTVU)
3. The Dream vs. Reality: On Being Black in San Francisco (The Bold Italic)

1. [37:10] On black home ownership in San Francisco (City and County of San Francisco)
2. [37:15] Related:

1. On access to bank loans
2. San Francisco State College protests (FoundSF)
3. Job opportunities back in the day (FoundSF)

1. [37:30] The killing of Matthew Peanut Johnson (San Francisco Chronicle)
2. [37:50] Patrolman Alvin Johnson retelling what happened on the day Matthew “Peanut” Johnson was killed (Bay Area Television Archive)
3. [40:15] 1964: Civil Rights Battles (The Atlantic)

1. Additional reading here

1. [40:35] Short excerpt of video from San Francisco’s 1966 riot
2. [41:00] Light reading on the Human Be-In Festival

1. All the Human Be-In Was Saying 50 Years Ago, Was Give Peace a Chance (The Nation)
2. Full program of the Be-In Festival

1. [43:00] “Passing Station 7” by Blue Dot Sessions
2. [43:50] Light reading on the Big Five  

1. Footage of the Big Five supporting S.F. State Student Strike in 1968
2. Public Hearing in Bayview Hunters Point with Robert Kennedy (KQED)

1. [45:25] Light reading on The Big Five’s March on Washington—Redevelopment and the Politics of Place in Bayview-Hunters Point (UC Berkeley)
2. [46:40] Andre Herm Lewis from Part I
3. [48:30] “Hunters Point Health Problems Called an `Epidemic'” (San Francisco Chronicle)

1. San Francisco Department of Health Recommendations (2006)

1. [49:40] 'Appropriation At Its Worst': Supervisor Slams 'Bayview Is The New Mission' Ads (Hoodline)
2. [51:40] Light reading on the toxic state of San Francisco’s Navy Shipyard (San Francisco Magazine)
3. [55:05] More at thisissomenoise.com
4. [56:20] Podcast Recommendation: American Suburb (KQED)

“The fans just want to know who the fuck the artist is.” —Andre "Herm" Lewis

About:

For a place that proudly heralds slogans like #BlackLivesMatter, the homes of San Francisco house very few Black people.

What’s happened to the African-American community in San Francisco is a much more complex tale than just being pushed out by young and transient up-and-comers. Instead, it involves a deeply-rooted history spread across generations with a comet-sized impact that is still being felt today.

And for the sake of this three-part story, it begins with the very polarizing San Francisco nickname: Frisco.

In Part I, we explore why some view this term to be as offensive as the F-word and spend some time with those who simply don’t give a fuck.

Show Notes:

1. [02:15] “Valantis” by The Blue Dot Sessions
2. [03:30] “Lights” by Journey

1. Lyrics via Genius

1. [04:30] “Frisco” by I.M.P.
2. [05:50] “Lakeside Path” by The Blue Dot Sessions
3. [05:45] “49 square miles surrounded by reality.” —Paul Kantner (San Francisco Magazine)
4. [05:50] Light reading on the square mileage of San Francisco (SF Gate)
5. [06:00] Light reading on the 1906 Earthquake
   1. Related: Story on the historic Market Street film (60 Minutes)

1. [06:05] On San Francisco and Its Sourdough Bread (KQED)
2. [06:10] San Francisco and World War II (SF Gate)
3. [06:10] Archival footage of protests against the Vietnam War (KRON)
4. [06:15] The Full House house (Atlas Obscura)
   1. ...was listed at $4.15 million in 2016 (NBC Bay Area)
      1. ...and bought by the show’s creator (The Hollywood Reporter)

1. [06:15] The story behind Mrs. Doubtfire’s House (The Bold Italic)
   1. ...and how it was owned by a plastic surgeon (NBC Bay Area)
   2. ...and then sold for $4.15 million (The Hollywood Reporter)

1. [06:20] Trailer for Vertigo
   1. And tracking where the movie was shot in the city (SF Curbed)

1. [06:20] Trailer for The Rock, which has a 66 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes
2. [06:25] Light reading on San Francisco’s musical history (SF Gate)
3. [06:30] Light reading on Willie Mays
   1. And that time he was denied housing in San Francisco (San Francisco Chronicle)

1. [06:30] Light reading on Barry Bonds
2. [06:35] Light reading on:
   1. Joe Montana
   2. Terrell Owens
   3. Colin Kaepernick (GQ Magazine)

1. [07:00] Light reading on:
   1. ...the Beatniks (San Francisco Chronicle)
   2. ...the Hippies (The Atlantic)
   3. ...the Hells Angels (Hunter S. Thompson)
      1. ...the early tech wave (WIRED)

1. [07:10] Light reading on San Francisco’s different neighborhoods
   1. According to locals (SF Curbed)
   2. In infographics (SF Curbed)
   3. For transplants (The Bold Italic)

1. [07:30] Shout out to @karlthefog
2. [07:40] Unrelated San Francisco driving sequence depicting cars and hills from The Streets of San Francisco
   1. And one more from the movie Bullitt

1. [07:45] Light reading on San Francisco and the Gay Rights movement (The New York Times)
   1. Related: More on Harvey Milk (San Francisco Magazine)

1. [07:55] Light reading on past San Francisco Mayors like:

   1. Willie Brown (San Francisco Magazine)
   2. Dianne Feinstein (Mother Jones)
      1. Sort of related: Her challenger Kevin de León won the California Democratic Party’s official endorsement (Los Angeles Times)
   3. Gavin Newsom (The New Yorker)

1. [08:00] Light reading on Nancy Pelosi (Rolling Stone)
2. [08:45] More on Woody LaBounty
   1. And his Western Neighborhoods Project

1. [08:55] “Shade Ways” by The Blue Dot Sessions
2. [10:20] Some more background on the use and popularity of the term Frisco
   1. Via Mother Jones
   2. Via BuzzFeed
   3. And from old newspapers

1. [10:30] When SF was called…
   1. The Paris of the West (SFist)
   2. And Baghdad By The Bay (San Francisco Chronicle)

1. [10:40] Light readingon the Ohlone tribe (Mother Jones)
   1. Additional reading here (The Bold Italic)

1. [10:40] Founding of San Francisco (SF Museum)
2. [10:45] Light reading on the formation of Spanish colony and Missions in California
3. [10:50] Light reading on Saint Francis of Assisi
4. [11:10] Light reading on Washington Bartlett (SFist)
5. [11:10] “Jog to the Water” by The Blue Dot Sessions
6. [12:00] San Francisco’s official name change (SF Museum)
7. [12:30] Light reading on Mexican migration to the States (National Parks Service)
   1. Related: Treatment of Non-Whites during the Gold Rush
   2. Light reading on the California Gold Rush

1. [12:45] Light reading on Peter Tamony
2. [13:00] On “frithsoken”
3. [13:30] Light reading on Emperor Joshua Abraham Norton (KQED) 
   1. And tracking down the myth over his $25 fine on using the term “Frisco”
   2. Thanks John Lumea!

1. [14:15] All the cool people who used the term Frisco (BuzzFeed)
2. [14:20] “The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
   1. Genius lyrics

1. [14:40] Light reading on Herb Caen (San Francisco Chronicle)
   1. His book, Don’t Call it Frisco
   2. See point number 15 (BuzzFeed)
   3. His about-face years later (San Francisco Chronicle)

1. [15:05] BuzzFeed’s push to call it Frisco
   1. And as covered by a local blog (SFist)

1. [15:15] Again, a very thorough chronology of the term (Mother Jones)
2. [15:30] More on Joe Eskenazi (@EskSF)
3. [15:50] “Don’t Call It ‘Frisco’ If You’re Old and White” (SF Weekly)
4. [16:45] Light reading on San Quinn
5. [17:15] Charles Matthews aka Black C (@RBLPosse)
6. [18:05] Quick background on the RBL Posse (Passion of the Weiss)
7. [18:15] “Bammer” by RBL Posse
   1. Genius lyrics

1. [18:30] Recommended Viewing: Hip-Hop Evolution
2. [18:50] Marvin Gayes’ 1977 Live at the London Palladium Intro
3. [19:30] On San Francisco and its connection to the gay rights movement
   1. And a history on the Castro District (KQED)

1. [20:35] “Frisco” by I.M.P.
   1. Light reading on Cougnut
   2. Light reading on Ingleside a.k.a. Lakeview
   3. History on Ingleside
   4. A tour of Lakeview and some of the other San Francisco neighborhoods

1. [22:10] “Nigga Groove” by Hugh EMC
2. [23:25] “Alustrat” by The Blue Dot Sessions
3. [23:45] The lyrical odes to places like the…
   1. The LBC
   2. Compton
   3. Southside
   4. The Bronx
   5. Marcy Projects
   6. Queensbridge
   7. 8 Mile
   8. The Fifth Ward
   9. The various zones over in the ATL

1. [24:20] More reading on Andre Herm Lewis (Amoeba)
2. [24:50] Too $hort on how he started out in his early days (Vlad TV)
3. [25:00] “I Ain’t Trippin’” by Too $hort
4. [26:50] Light reading on Kyle Matthews aka Mr. Cee (San Francisco Chronicle)
5. [26:55] “Bounce to This” by RBL Posse
6. [28:25] “Cicle Vascule” by The Blue Dot Sessions
7. [28:30] Old news footage on gang violence (CBS)
   1. Old news footage on gang violence in Chicago (CBS)
   2. Related: Old news footage of San Francisco back in the day

1. [29:00] Light reading on the 80s Crack Epidemic
2. [29:10] Light reading on Gary Webb (Esquire)
   1. Dark Alliance Series (San Jose Mercury News)
   2. Reports from The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times
   3. Mea culpa from a Los Angeles Times reporter  (LA Weekly)
   4. A more recent take on the Webb investigation (The Intercept)

1. [29:30] Former CIA Director John Deutch’s speech in the Watts District of Los Angeles (CSPAN)
   1. Report from the event (The New York Times)

1. [30:30] Measuring Crack Cocaine and Its Impact (Harvard University)
   1. On the price of cocaine throughout the 80s (Business Insider)
   2. On the drug’s alternative (The World Bank)
   3. Background on the production side (Slate)

1. [31:00] What taking crack is like according to one New Republic writer back in 1989 (The New Republic)
   1. Rough overview of crack
   2. On pricing and size
   3. Though sold at a cheaper street price, here is an argument that it roughly equates to the same price as powdered cocaine

1. [31:20] Mapping the spread of crack (The New York Times)
2. [31:30] Racial disparity in the ongoing opioid epidemic (NPR)
   1. And the coverage comparison between the aforementioned crisis and the 1980s crack epidemic (Pacific Standard Magazine)
   2. And on the treatment of African Americans during the crack epidemic

1. [31:40] Original 1989 COPS intro
   1. The story of how the show got made (The Marshall Project)

1. [32:00] For more on how the media covered the crack epidemic, read Cracked Coverage: Television News, The Anti-Cocaine Crusade, and the Reagan Legacy (Duke University)
2. [32:00] Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” PSA
   1. A look at the former First Lady’s anti-drug campaign (VICE)

1. [32:10] The death and drug overdose of Len Bias (ESPN)
2. [32:40] “Cicle Vascule” by The Blue Dot Sessions
3. [32:40] Light reading on the political climate around drugs following the death of Bias (The New York Times)
   1. 1986 United States Senate Hearing on the Anti Drug Abuse Act of 1986 (CSPAN)
   2. Audio heard from former U.S. Senator Howell Heflin, a Democrat from Alabama
   3. The time Heflin voted against the nomination of present-day U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the same position back in 1986 (Vox)

1. [33:30] Light reading on the Anti Drug Abuse Act of 1986
2. [33:40] Break down of drug punishment, sentencing and incarceration rates from Cracks in the System (ACLU)
3. [34:00] President Obama’s signing of the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act (CNN)
4. [34:35] “Cicle Deseratt” by The Blue Dot Sessions
5. [34:40] On the freakonomics of dealing crack (TED Talk)
6. [35:00] “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems”
7. [35:20] On the militarization of local law enforcement during the War on Drugs (Mother Jones)
   1. Rap song on the Batter Ram
   2. That time Nancy Reagan was part of a drug raid (Counter Punch)

1. [36:20] Trying to Survive in the Ghetto by Herm Lewis
2. [37:20] “Intro” from the album above
3. [37:50] On the vulnerability genre of recent rap stars like Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Drake (Impose Magazine)
4. [38:05] Steve Fox’s 20/20 report on hip hop from the late 70s (ABC)
   1. Recommended Viewing: Hip-Hop Evolution
   2. Recommended Viewing: Planet Rock The Story Of Hip Hop And The Crack Generation (VH1)

1. [38:40] First verses of gangsta rap…
   1. Via Schooly D — “PSK, What Does It Mean?”
   2. Via Ice T — “6 'N The Mornin'”

1. [39:00] “Fuck the Police” by N.W.A.
2. [39:20] Bay Area artists include:
   1. Too $hort
   2. Mac Dre
   3. Dre Dog aka Andre Nickatina
   4. E-40
   5. Souls of Mischief
   6. Tupac

1. [39:35] Urban legend on the lack of Bloods and Crips in San Francisco (SF Weekly)
2. [41:50] “Cicle Deseratt” by The Blue Dot Sessions
3. [43:00] Light reading on Lonnie Green and Demons of the Mind
4. [43:15] Sort of, but not really, but kind of related: Sucka Free City by Spike Lee
5. [45:25] “Cicle Deseratt” by The Blue Dot Sessions
6. [46:00] RBL Posse’s discography and rankings
7. [46:30] On the death of Mr. Cee (San Francisco Chronicle)
   1. As retold by Black C (Passion of the Weiss)
   2. A deeper read from the local paper (San Francisco Chronicle)

1. [47:05] A tribute to Hitman
2. [47:30] The album cover in question
3. [49:20] On the violence in Hunters Point (San Francisco Chronicle)
   1. Stunning photography by Alex Welsh

1. [56:55] Podcast recommendation: Dissect
2. [58:00] More at thisissomenoise.com

"They always leave when it gets hot in the cafe."

—Man counter-protesting protestors

About:

Since the turn of the millennium, the percentage of U.S.-based specialty coffee drinking folk, like those who have a cup everyday, has quadrupled. Travel to any major or minor city in the country, and you’ll see an offering of coffees that transcends the uniform Starbucks experience that’s on every block.

But the image that reflects after you place a mirror in front of any craft coffee company or cafe is a bit more clear, albeit unsettling. Stare at it long enough and you’ll come across matters like gentrification, the rise of the millennial-inspired yuppie wave and the old act of global economics, power dynamics and capitalism all at play.

This podcast episode explores the intricacies of coffee and attempts to answer two simple questions about one very complex drink. What makes specialty coffee special and who is it really for?

Show Notes:

1. [00:35] More on Tonya Kuhl
2. [00:45] “Castor Wheel Pivot” by Blue Dot Sessions
3. [01:35] “One Little Triumph” by Blue Dot Sessions
4. [02:15] Light reading on other unconventional courses:

1. The Politics of Beyonce
2. The Physics of Star Trek
3. The Art of Walking

1. [02:45] ECM 01 Syllabus

1. Additional reading here (San Francisco Chronicle)

1. [03:20] “Pain” by HileMele
2. [04:00] Light reading on percentage of global coffee that is considered specialty (The Coffee Guide)
3. [04:10] Light reading on the growth of specialty coffee over the past several years (SCA)
4. [05:15] Shout out to the original Cosmic Calendar
5. [05:25] “Drum Solo” by Turku Nomads of the Silk Road
6. [05:30] The first reference of the term coffee can be found here in the Canon of Medicine (The World of Caffeine)
7. [05:40] More on the tale of coffee being passed down to the Prophet Muhammad (The Literary Digest)
8. [05:45] More on Kaldi and his dancing goats
9. [06:00] On the history of coffee:

1. Light reading on coffee and Islam
2. Light reading on coffee and trade
3. On the mixing of cultures and coffee after the Crusades
4. On coffee and the Enlightenment era
5. On coffee and the American Revolution
6. On coffee and the Great War

1. [06:25] Recommended reading on coffee history: Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast
2. [06:30] Light reading on coffee’s etymology
3. [06:45] “Perky” by Al Hirt

1. That tune was used in Maxwell’s advertising campaign back in the day

1. [07:00] Light reading on the concept of coffee waves

1. Listen to a lecture that breaks down each wave
2. More light reading on the concept of coffee waves

1. [07:30] A short snippet from Mississippi John Hurt’s “Coffee Blues”
2. [07:45] A montage of sexist coffee commercials from the ‘60s
3. [07:55] “Pxl Eventaut” by Blue Dot Sessions
4. [09:50] More on William Ristenpart
5. [11:20] “Pxl Cray” by Blue Dot Sessions
6. [11:25] The new coffee flavor wheel (SCA)
7. [12:00] More on Molly Spencer
8. [13:40] More on Hanna Neuschwander (@hneuschwander)

1. Her book, Left Coast Roast

1. [14:30] An overview of coffee prices over the last 45 years

1. Related reading on coffee’s volatility (Daily Coffee News)
2. Related reading on the markets around coffee (Perfect Daily Grind)

1. [15:40] More on the differences between Arabica and Robusta beans (Coffee Chemistry)

1. Related reading on specialty robusta beans (Barista Magazine)

1. [16:10] More on the different coffee processing methods (Sweet Maria’s)
2. [16:25] “Pxl Htra” by Blue Dot Sessions
3. [16:30] More on the coffee grading rubric (SCAA)
4. [17:00] More on Alejandro Martinez and his farm Finca Argentina

1. A deeper dive on Martinez’s workflow and operational costs

1. [19:10] More on Brett Smith

1. And on Counter Culture
2. And its 2017 transparency report

1. [21:30] “Platax” by Blue Dot Sessions
2. [21:40] A graphic overview of the coffee supply chain
3. [21:55] Related: Light reading on how to purchase coffee (Sweet Maria’s)
4. [22:45] Related: Light reading on starting a roastery (Daily Coffee News)
5. [23:00] Related: Light reading on what goes into roasting (Cafe Culture)
6. [23:25] Related: Light reading on roast profiles
7. [23:50] More on Kyle Glanville (@glanvillain)
8. [24:20] Light reading on Espresso Vivace (Sprudge)
9. [24:45] “Clay Pawn Shop” by Blue Dot Sessions
10. [25:00] Light reading on the economics of running a coffee shop (Investopedia)

1. Related: Deeper dive on coffee shop economics

1. [25:40] SNL’s Michael Che on $18 coffee (NY Post)
2. [25:50] Light reading on Gesha coffees (Daily Coffee News)
3. [26:15] Related reading on the rise of the minimum wage (NPR)
4. [26:20] More on Ritual’s $12 cup of coffee (Barista Magazine)
5. [27:30] “Time Up” by Blue Dot Sessions
6. [27:45] The story behind those blue and white greek coffee cups (Narratively)
7. [28:20] More on Anand Sheth

1. [28:50] “Vulcan Street” by Blue Dot Sessions
2. [29:00] Detailed photos of the Sightglass on 20th Street (Knstrct)
3. [30:00] “Vulcan Street-Dew Morning” by Blue Dot Sessions
4. [32:00] More on Brian Jones (@brianwjones) of DCILY
5. [34:40] “Pushback” by Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
6. [35:15] Light reading on Frank Braconi  
7. [36:30] “Warm Fingers” by Blue Dot Sessions
8. [36:35] Light reading on what is the middle class (CNN)
9. [36:50] More on Braconi’s 2004 study

1. A deeper read on the study (The New Yorker)

1. [37:20] "Burrow Burrow" by Blue Dot Sessions
2. [37:50] Light reading on a follow-up study by both Braconi and Columbia University Prof. Lance Freeman (City Lab)
3. [39:30] Bay Area salaries for computer engineers
4. [40:20] Light reading on economic state of New York City in the 70s
5. [41:30] Related: Light reading on Rev. Billy and his protest against Starbucks
6. [41:50] More on the rate of gentrification (Governing Magazine)
7. [43:20] Related: A Film About Coffee
8. [45:00] More on Charles Babinski

1. Related: He was also in the documentary Barista

1. [47:30] Light reading on the Hasta Muerte Coffee (East Bay Express)

1. Related: Protest at the coffee shop (KTVU)

1. [48:05] “Noe Noe” by Blue Dot Sessions
2. [48:30] Light reading on the coffee industry’s #MeToo movement (San Francisco Chronicle)
3. [48:50] Light reading on SCA’s decision to host its World Coffee Championships in Dubai (Sprudge)
4. [49:30] More on the impact of climate change and coffee (Barista Magazine)

1. Related: Science with a solution to coffee’s climate change problem (The Chicago Tribune)

1. [49:35] More on the percentage of coffee lands that will become unusable (NPR)

1. A specific case study on Ethiopia’s coffee (Science Friday)
2. Related: the increased spread of rust on coffee plants (The Guardian)
3. Related: A visual overview of coffee’s environmental dilemma (BBC)

1. [49:40] More on deforestation, climate change and coffee (Conservation International)
2. [50:00] More on the sale of Stumptown (The New York Times)

1. The sale of Peets (Los Angeles Times)
2. The sale of Intelligentsia (Eater)
3. The sale of Blue Bottle (San Francisco Chronicle)
4. And the portfolio of the JAB Holding Company

1. [50:50] More on Nick Cho (@nickcho) (San Francisco Magazine)
2. [57:20] “Fake Empire” cover by Lotte Kestner
3. [59:30] @thisissomenoise | @thisissomenoise
4. [59:40] Recommended Podcasts To Listen to:

1. Scene on Radio’s Seeing White Series
2. KPCC’S Repeat Podcast
3. Alexis Madrigal’s Container Series

79. More at thisissomenoise.com