When a group of Sufis wanted to build a large sanctuary in the California hills, locals pushed back and the town grew divided.
California
Posted inCurrent Events, Nonfiction, Uncategorized
California’s Housing Crisis Is About Jobs, Not Houses
It’s not the pace of housing construction. It’s that the world’s most successful companies are gathered in a small number of cities.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Our Contemporary Notion of Self-Esteem Was Born — Surprise! — in 1980s California
Apparently, feeling great about yourself does not improve your chances at success.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Great Self-Esteem Con
By now, the idea that positive self-esteem is necessary for success is more or less taken for granted. But what if it’s all based on very shaky, smartly packaged science?
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
The Great, Ongoing California Nut Caper
At Outside, Peter Vigneron reports on a spree of nut heists thought to be linked to a Russian organized-crime ring.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Curious Case of the Disappearing Nuts
In California, massive nut heists were underway for two years before the industry figured out they were the target of a well-organized theft ring. “Nut theft has exploded into a statewide problem. More than 35 loads, worth at least $10 million, have gone missing since 2013.” At Outside, Peter Vigneron reports on these daring nut […]
Posted inBooks, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Chasing the Harvest: ‘It Used to Be Only Men That Did This Job’
In this oral history, a produce truck driver and former lettuce worker recounts the sexual harassment she faced while working in the fields of Salinas Valley, California.
Posted inBooks, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Chasing the Harvest: ‘If You Want to Die, Stay at the Ranch’
In this oral history, a former sheepherder describes the loneliness and medical hardship he experienced while tending sheep in California’s Central Valley.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Accidental Get Away Driver
How one man drove right into the center of a daring and dangerous crime, and came out the other side with a renewed faith in life and a new son.
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘The Ocean Is Boiling’: The Complete Oral History of the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill
On January 28th, 1969, crude oil erupted from a rig off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, triggering a worldwide alarm that energized the nascent environmental movement.