Today on the show, we hear the latest on the Dodgers TV drama. Then, the legal battle between Donald Sterling and the Clippers. Plus, three Big Sur lodging options big in beauty and small in price, UC Davos students hope to shave a year off medical school, study finds fist bumping is more hygienic than shaking hands, Veterans Affairs gets a revamp, Gaza tunnels and much more.
Donald Sterling loses case to prevent the sale of Clippers
Now for a recap on some big sports business stories of late.
It's deep into the baseball season and, still, most of L.A. can't watch the Dodgers from the comfort of their living rooms. Only Time Warner Cable holds the rights to air local games. But a little hope may be on the horizon.
On the latest Donald Sterling/Clippers saga, Judge Michael Levanas ruled in favor of Shelly Sterling, and cleared the path for Steve Ballmer's $2-billion purchase.
Levanas ruled that Shelly acted correctly when two doctors declared the former Clippers owner mentally incapacitated and also ruled that she had the authority to sell the team. KPCC's Ben Bergman brings us more details.
We also speak to Matt Mitten, Director of Sports Law Institute at Marquette University, to get an insight into how this will unravel legally in the coming months.
'Terror tunnels' of Gaza have ancient precedent
The stated objective of Israel's campaign in Gaza has been to destroy a network of underground tunnels that Hamas uses to stage incursions into Israel.
Militants have attacked six times through tunnels during the course of recent fighting and the Israeli military says they have uncovered at least two dozen tunnels with more than 60 entry points.
Beyond the tactical utility of the tunnels, they have had a powerful psychological grip on the Israeli public. And in fact, tunnels have been a staple of asymmetrical warfare for thousands of years.
Professor Wayne Lee, author of "Barbarians and Brothers" and professor of history at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said some of the earliest examples of tunneling can be found as far back as the Assyrian civilization in the 7th and 8th centuries, B.C.
According to Lee, the tunnels began as a response to large walls and fortresses, where any ground attack could be easily seen and prevented by armed guards on top. There is art depicting Assyrian troops attacking the foundations of walls from underneath.
There is also archaeological evidence from the late Roman Empire of tunnels used by the Persians to take the city of Dura-Europos in present-day Syria. Lee said the Persians were digging a tunnel to penetrate the city. The Romans dug a counter-mine to meet them but the Persians became aware of their enemy's mine and released sulphur dioxide gas to kill them. Remains of Roman soldiers were excavated in these tunnels.
Tunnels were also famously used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War to gain advantage over better-resourced enemy, the U.S. While the U.S. had air power to surveil for troops, the Viet Cong guerillas would hide soldiers and equipment in tunnels to avoid detection before ambush.
In the current conflict in Gaza, Lee said the network of tunnels began as an economic lifeline to bring in supplies barred by the blockade of Gaza. The tunnels can easily be converted to military use, but they don't pose a serious threat to the overall security of Israel due to the limited number of people and weapons that can fit through them.
"These are sites of pinprick level attacks," said Lee. "But they have this psychological consequence because they violate our norms of what a nation is supposed to provide, that is a border security."
US cleans up global warming pollution at home, but sends it abroad
President Obama has made tackling global climate change a big priority.
Recently he told the League of Conservation Voters that the U.S. has been able to hold our carbon emissions to levels not seen in about 20 years, which sounds great, until you look at the bigger global picture.
Associated Press environment and energy reporter Dina Cappiello joins Take Two with more.
Drought means low water levels and fewer visitors to California lakes
The ongoing drought here in California is taking a toll on lakes across the state this summer. Low water levels mean exposed rocks, deserted boat docks and fewer visitors.
At Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County, swimming has been cancelled and one boat launch has been closed because of record-low water levels.
Matt Fullove, assistant manager at Castaic Lake Marina and Boat Rentals, joins Take Two to talk about how the drought is impacting business.
Sacramento's Gold Rush Days fest cancelled due to drought
Now to another victim of the drought: A festival in Sacramento called the Gold Rush Days.
Every Labor Day weekend in California's capital, they turn back the clock and transform Sacramento's historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. But not this year.
Mike Testa of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau joins Take Two with more.
Many immigrants eligible for Deferred Action struggle to apply
It has been two years since President Barack Obama approved a temporary reprieve from deportation for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
More than half a million young people have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, and 71,000 of them are in California.
Many more of those eligible have yet to apply. For The California Report, Alice Daniel has the story.
Tuesday Reviewsday: The Psycho Sisters, Quetzal, Nightmare & the Cat and Chiquis
It's time for Tuesday Reviewsday, our weekly new music segment. This week we're joined by music critic Steve Hochman and
, Associate Editor of Latin at Billboard Magazine.
Steve Hochman's Picks
Artist: Nightmare & the Cat
Album: Simple
Songs: “Simple,” “Sarah Beth”
Django and Sam Stewart are brothers. Real brothers born to perform — their parents are Dave Stewarts of Eurythmics and Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama. Together, Django the singer and Sam the guitarist, aged 26 and 23 respectively, front the Los Angeles-based band Nightmare & the Cat, with the debut album "Simple" just released.
They cite Jeff Buckley and the Pixies as prime role models, with Queens of the Stone Age among more recent favorites, and you can hear some of that in the title song and elsewhere. The real key, though, is their mutual love for David Bowie. That’s more prominent live than on this album, where the combination of catchy melodies, guitar crunch, pounding beats and an exuberant presence carry the joyous, aspirational spirit of early Bowie and his glam compatriots — T. Rex some, Mott the Hoople a bit. Django, the singer and frontman, is gifted with the natural charisma needed to pull that off.
In such highlights as the smittenly churning “Sarah Beth,” that’s mixed with the pop sense of glam’s ‘80s descendants, no surprise given their parents’ place in that decade’s music. Dad Dave, in particular, still stands as architect of some of the most distinctive, ambitious hits of the era. Nightmare & the Cat doesn’t quite have that multi-dimensional dynamic. Yet. But the promise is there.
They do have another dynamic at work, thanks to a friendship with L.A. artist Gary Baseman, creator of a world of mythically innocent creatures facing a dark world with a light spirit. Baseman’s created the band’s visuals including the album art and a mascot’s cat-head playing off the name (which came from a song by an obscure artist the brothers like). And at the Roxy concert celebrating the album’s release, Baseman worked on a big canvas on stage as the band played, painting — and dancing — as moved by the sounds.
Artist: The Psycho Sisters
Album: Up On the Chair, Beatrice
Songs: “Never Never Boys,” “Wish You”
First, to be clear about the name: The Psycho Sisters are not really sisters. They’re sisters-in-law. Though they weren’t when they started singing together a good 25 years ago. Susan Cowsill (yes, of those Cowsills — she was the moppet who interjected “and spaghettied!” in the hit version of “Hair”) didn’t have sisters. Rather she gained childhood fame alongside her brothers and their mom in the group on which the Partridge Family was modeled.
She and Vicki Peterson (who is in a band with her real sister Debbi — you know, the Bangles) hit it off around the L.A. scene, then together joined the band the Continental Drifters and, moving with the group to New Orleans, kept developing their own side-project duo. It didn’t hurt that along the way Vicki married one of those Cowsill brothers, John. But for a variety of reasons, it took this long for the two women to make a Psycho Sisters album.
It was, as they say, well worth the wait. The mix of power-pop, Americana and a fine sense of character-driven storytelling in the words — something Cowsill has developed in her own solo career — carries the bubbly vigor associated with each of their “name” acts, but deepened by mature confidence. The former tone is strong in “Never Never Boys” (co-written by Peterson and Bob Cowsill) and the Psycho’s co-write “Fun to Lie,” the closest this gets to sounding Bangles-y (Bangles-ish?).
The latter aspect is as much about the performance as anything — the songs here go back the duo’s original repertoire of more than 20 years ago. But the recordings are new, and it’s hard not to hear some of what’s happened in those intervening years in the tracks.
Each has suffered since they started this, including three of Cowsill’s brothers, one dying in Hurricane Katrina, another passing away from cancer just a few weeks ago, and that seems present in the big, bold “Wish You,” Peterson leading the way in a compelling lament of separation. And tying it all together, there’s a bittersweet coda of “Cuddly Toy,” the Harry Nillson-penned popper that was a hit for the Monkees, as sung by Davy Jones, a childhood crush of Cowsill’s who died shortly after work on this album started.
Throughout, it’s perky guitar-pop, with some fine drumming by both of the principals’ husbands — John Cowsill and Russ Broussard. But the instrumental MVPs may be brothers Sam and Jack Craft, regulars in Cowsill’s band, whose violin and cello, respectively, bring multiple colors to the tracks, not least the powerful “Numb.”
The main attraction, though, is the leaders’ harmonies, dancing around and with each other to great delight. Yeah, they do sound like sisters! Psycho? Well…. that’s for others to determine.
The Psycho Sisters will play McCabe’s in Santa Monica on Aug. 2.
Justino Aguila's Picks
Artist: Chiquis
Songs: “Esa No Soy Yo,” “Paloma Blanca”
Chiquis Rivera recently debuted her single “Esa No Soy Yo” on national television. It was a moment that many Latinos across the country wanted to see as the daughter of the late regional Mexican singer Jenni Rivera showed what she could do on stage.
The debut of the song she co-wrote was well-received. Undoubtedly, it will continue to receive comparisons to Rivera’s mother who in a 20-year arc succeeded in the genre and was crowned the Diva of Banda music.
While not everyone may be on board with Chiquis’ move into music, it should be noted that she’s working hard behind the scenes in a career that's included reality shows, a web series and other projects.
Rivera will have to prove (mostly to herself) that she has what it takes to make music by creating her own path. In the current single “Esa No Soy Yo” she takes on a vocally challenging song and delivers it swiftly and with a cool edge. The song, and the video, ultimately empower women.
“Paloma Blanca,” which was released earlier this year, was Rivera’s first single and while there was a lot of reaction to the song, it launched the start of Rivera's move into music. We are likely to see more in a full-length album later this year.
Artist: Quetzal
Album: Quetzanimales
Songs: “Perro Caliente,” “Tecolote”
Grammy-winning band Quetzal returns with their sixth album and this time they pay homage to animals in their new project Quetzanimales.
This year also marks the 20th anniversary for the band that has been influenced by music such as funk, rancheras, cumbias, son jarocho, salsa, R&B and folk, among other genres. A an eclectic mix of music and socially conscious lyrics puts Quetzal in a class all of their own.
In 2013, the band won the Grammy for Latin rock, urban or alternative album for their album Imaginaries (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) and it catapulted them into a bigger spotlight.
The members of Quetzal have made it their mission to use music to help build community and shed light on worthy causes. In the current album, the songs pay homage to animals such as roosters, ants, owls, geese, squirrels and dogs, among others. Each song, as a metaphor, captures the essence of those creatures in relationship to people and their urban surroundings.
Both “Perro Caliente” and “Tecolote” beautifully unfold and glow more with each verse and the rich harmonizing of singer/songwriter Martha González. The band also includes Quetzal Flores (guitar), Tylana Enomoto (violin), Juan Pérez (bass), Peter Jacobson (cello) and Alberto Lopez (percussion).
Former member Gabriel González, who has a thriving career in music as well, recently performed with Quetzal during the band’s 20th anniversary celebration as part of the Grand Performances organization’s annual gala and fundraiser in downtown Los Angeles. Next up, Quetzal performances throughout California and beyond.
Congress to take up $17 billion VA bill to reduce wait times, add clinics
This week, Congress is taking up a bill to overhaul the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs and improve health services for veterans.
The $17 billion measure includes funds for more doctors and nurses, and expanded authority for the VA secretary to fire failing staff. It also has money to lease 27 new clinics across the country -- four of which are in California.
We're joined by AP congressional reporter Mathew Daly.
Check out the factsheet on the legislation from Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
California veterans call for emphasis on mental health services
One of the veterans eagerly awaiting word on this bill is Vietnam vet Fred Gusman. He currently heads a veterans group in Napa Valley called The Pathway Home.
He's also the former director of the Veteran Affairs National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in California.
Testifying before the Senate in 2006, Gusman called for effective response to returning veterans suffering from PTSD and other post-war issues, including early intervention.
"Greater implementation of early intervention strategies for service members recently exposed to highly stressful events provides an opportunity to apply primary prevention to offset the psychological trauma of combat operations," Gusman testified.
Eight years later, those needs are still apparent and the problems facing the VA today are not new, Gusman told Take Two. Though more resources will help, there's a broader systemic change that's needed in the agency, he said.
"We need to start looking at how do we come together to support the returnees," he said.
An immigrant leaves America to chase his dreams in Mexico
Yesterday on the program, we introduced you to Jorge Lerma. He came to the U.S. from Mexico as a teen, and recently decided — reluctantly — to return to his native country.
Reporter Liz Jones of public station KUOW in Seattle kept in touch with him as he made his journey..
Should medical school take 3 years instead of 4?
Becoming a doctor is no small feat. Traditionally, physicians-to-be spend four years in medical school followed by three years of residency training.
But this year, a small crop of students at University of California Davis are on a fast-track to shave off an entire year of med school. We'll speak to one of the doctors behind the program, UC Davis' Dr. Tonya Fancher.
Study: Fist bumping is more hygienic than shaking hands
If you're meeting someone for the first time, your natural impulse might be to extend your arm for a traditional handshake. However, if you want to stay germ-free you might want to curl in those fingers and go for a fist-bump instead.
A new study out of the American Journal of Infection Control found that fist bumping is more hygienic than a handshake and it could help stop the spread of illness.
Take Two is joined by Rekha Murthy, Medical Director of the Hospital Epidemiology Department at Cedars Sinai.
Somali refugees in San Diego prep for college, break cultural norms
Young men and women all over the country are beginning to pack up their childhood bedrooms and head off to college. It's an anxious, exciting time for many families. Megan Burks of The California Report tells us about Somali refugees in San Diego whose first children to make it to college are their daughters.
Khadija Osman, 18, shuffles a stack of certificates, one for making the honor roll and several others awarded by teachers. She just graduated from Arroyo Paseo Charter High School in City Heights and is heading to UC Merced in the fall to study biochemistry.
In Somalia, where her family comes from, girls are much less likely to go to school than boys are. Here in the United States, Somali girls attending San Diego city schools are surpassing their male counterparts academically.
Generally, boys are more likely to drop out of school than girls are. Statewide, high school boys were nearly 46 percent more likely to drop out than girls during the 2012-2013 school year. The state doesn't keep dropout rates by refugee status, but leaders in the local Somali community say anecdotally that refugee boys are at even higher risk of dropping out than girls are. They say the boys often are drawn into fights and, like many refugees, lack resources and struggle with language.
The graduation gap is feeding a rapid gender shift for the Somali community — one that's tricky to navigate for young women like Osman.
When Osman learned she was accepted to a university an eight-hour drive away, she got a lot of pushback from her sister. That's because Osman helps with the household and her nieces and nephews. It's customary for Somali girls to help look after siblings and other younger relatives.
"There's girls that would love to go to college but because of all the responsibilities put on us, you know, taking care of the house, and helping parents with translation and appointments, you know, we're not able," Osman said. "It's annoying because a lot of the guys take it for granted.
Osman believes that's why some refugee boys drop out — school is just not a priority for them. But Oliva Espin has a different take on why refugee boys have a harder time than girls do. She's a professor emerita at San Diego State University who studies psychology and immigrant women.
"Women find jobs immediately because women clean, cook, take care of old people — they do the same thing they had always done," Espin said.
Refugee men, on the other hand, often have skills or degrees that don't quite translate to the U.S. job market. Espin's own father worked as a lawyer in Cuba but had to get a job sorting mail when he moved his family to the U.S. in the 1960s. She says boys often see their fathers and older brothers stagnate, while girls see their mothers and sisters rising to meet the challenges of living in a new country.
"The women have to do things that they would not have done back there in terms of supporting the family. And the girls are seeing that," Espin said. "The other thing is, most teachers are women. Boys don't have that many role models."
Isha Aweyso, 17, will start her senior year this fall at Health Sciences High and Middle College, a charter school in City Heights, and is on track to go to a university. Wearing an intricate headscarf and vibrant traditional dress, she said boys get distracted at school because they can wear whatever they want.
"As long as they get their education and make their family proud, (girls are) fine with that," Aweyso said. "Boys, they worry too much about whether or not their clothes look perfect on them and if that specific group is going to want them."
Unlike Osman, Aweyso has the full support of her female relatives when it comes to higher education.
Her mother, Nuriya Abshiro, said she's really happy her daughter can go to school and get a job. It's something she wanted for herself, but by the time her family earned enough money to enroll her, she had to flee to a refugee camp in Kenya.
But here's the difference between Aweyso and Osman. Aweyso wants to stay local and go to San Diego State University. She'll be around to help raise her brothers and sisters, and she'll be a greater support to her family after she has a degree.
Osman said she also knows she'll have to put her degree to work to support her family. And that's OK with her as long as she gets to go to UC Merced, which has the smaller class sizes she believes she'll need to be successful.
"The thought of telling my dad I want to go away to college was kind of terrifying," Osman said. "But then I told him why I want to go and he said, 'You know, at this point, I trust you. You're old enough and you know what's best for you.' So he gave me his blessings."
Both Osman and Aweyso said they hope to become high school teachers, serving as role models for the refugee girls and boys who come after them.
New rules would require multi-lingual prescription drug labels
Reading labels on prescription drug labels can be a challenge for anyone.
For non English speakers it's nearly impossible. Now California State officials might require pharmacists to provide prescription drug labels in languages other than English. New York approved a similar rule last year. It ensures that non-English speakers understand what they're supposed to take and when.
The California Report's April Dembosky reports.
Berkeley garage 'The Buslab' keeps vintage VW buses on the road
If you're road-tripping through California this summer, you might spot the occasional Volkswagen Bus. Back in its heyday in the '60s and 70s, the iconic van was everywhere. Now, devotees of the classic German export invest time and money to keep their VW Buses ticking.
In Berkeley, The California Report's Rachel Myrow says there's a place called the Buslab that specializes in getting them road-ready again.
“Here at the Buslab we're also known as the guys to call you and tell you it’s gonna cost a million dollars to fix your car,” jokes Buslab employee Sean Roberts.
He’s had a passion for VWs for 25 years. “Dude! I have so much fun,” he exclaims. "None of my cars have radios. So I listen to the engine. I listen to the wind. I listen to the road. I kinda go off to my own little world and just be me.”
Fans like Roberts say the Volkswagen Bus isn’t your average car, citing its roundish curves, spacious interior and cool vibe.
The story behind the invention of the VW Bus goes something like this: One day in 1947, a Volkswagen salesman by the name of Ben Pon walked into the Volkswagen factory in Germany. He noticed a customized Bug with the driver’s seat in the back and a flatbed in the front to move parts around the factory. At that moment, a light bulb went off in Pon’s head. He sketched out the Volkswagen Bus.
The evolution of the VW Bus is on full display at the Buslab. Parked outside, waiting to be restored, there’s the classic 1957 split window, and a 1973 model with sliding doors on both sides. There’s also a replica bus from the '80s TV show "Magnum, P.I."
Inside the Lab, a 1991 Vanagon sits on a lift. It’s getting a Subaru engine upgrade.
“We actually do a lot of Subaru engine upgrades,” explains Buslab co-owner Steve Perzan. He bought his first Volkswagen Bus after he left college in 1993, and he's been working on them ever since.
“It just makes traveling, getaways, weekend trips and longer vacations so much more accessible,” says Perzan. “Just the feeling of being on the road and that feeling of having that freedom is what draws me to it, and I think that’s what draws a lot of other people as well.”
There’s a strange, magnetic devotion some people have to Volkswagen culture.
“It’s not like it’s smack or anything,” says Roberts. “But you know, you buy one and then you get another one and then you say, ‘This one is better than the other,’ then you take all the good parts of this one and put them on the other one and then another better one comes along and then you say, ‘I’m gonna grab that one,’ and then 20-plus years later, you got a garage full of parts and a wife who knows who the other woman is. She knows where all the money goes!”
Lance Larsen has brought his 1991 Westfalia Syncro to the Buslab for years. “It’s an addictive lifestyle," Larsen says. “The more I use it, the more I want to use it. I get in that thing and I start heading east or north and the world just slows down a little bit. And you put on a nice playlist and everything is good again and you get out of the rat race a little bit. It’s that escape pod. It’s pretty cool that way."
Larsen says he’s camped along dozens of rivers around the state. His favorite destination: the Eastern Sierra. “There is just a lot of open space, plenty of off-the-grid camping spots if you are adventurous and are willing to beat your van up a little bit to get there.”
Larsen says he and his family camp about 40 nights a year in their VW bus. Larsen says he’ll never sell it. And he hopes the next generation of his family will inherit his devotion to keeping the bus rolling, on the road.
Budget Big Sur: 3 lodging options big in beauty and small in price
When the L.A. Times recently ran a story about traveling Big Sur on a budget, they had some great suggestions, but I didn’t think they went low budget enough.
For instance they mentioned Treebones Resort, suggesting that for $120/night, you bring your own bedding and stay in one of their yurts. But they didn’t mention that for $95/night, you can bring your own tent and commune even more directly with that iconic Big Sur coastline.
"Last night, when we got back to gather some stuff to take a shower, our tent was literally about to be blown off the cliff. The only thing keeping it down was a bag of rocks," said a camper named Stella.
As Stella and her boyfriend Joe now know, budget travel in Big Sur can be an adventure in vulnerability. At Treebones, up above Highway 1 along the southern stretch of the Big Sur coast, you’re basically living inside a cloud, where surprising weather systems are constantly moving through.
Perching lightly on the land is what the owners John Handy, a former toy designer, and his wife Corinne, had in mind when they dreamt up Treebones. Handy and I sit in the resort's circular lodge surrounded by a colony of terraced yurts that look like giant lily pads.
"We bought this property 25 years ago. We didn’t want to tear it all down and flatten it out and build a bunch of concrete foundations," said Handy. "Whatever we wanted to build was more like animal homes where they don’t tear the tree down they build around it."
Rustic Sleeping
Nothing quite says “animal home” like their budget accommodation the “Human Nest”.
British tourist Alana Clark leads me up a ladder, where we disappear into a post apocalyptic-looking sphere of woven twigs. Sinking onto its cushioned floor, we sit talking as large droplets of condensation pelt our heads. It's sort of like we’re in a tunnel of twigs.
"It’s beautiful. We chose the nest because it’s quite romantic," said Clark. "You’re just free listening to birds, listening to elephant seals...you can hear them all night."
Clark and her husband, who have been traveling by motorbike, spent the night burrowed inside their sleeping bags, occasionally sticking their heads out for gulps of air.
If the ecological aspects of eco-tourism get to be too much, you can always escape to the resort’s lodge where there’s a cozy fireplace, a restaurant that grows its own salads, and a sushi bar. All of it powered by micro generators.
A Great Place To Escape
"There’s no power, there’s no utilities, there’s no government period in Big Sur. Like the old West. We really run it ourselves," said Handy.
Adding to the feeling of being cut off is the fact that there’s pretty much no cell phone or Internet anywhere along the Big Sur coast, part of what makes it such an appealing destination for criminals on the run.
When I checked into the second stop on my itinerary, LimeKiln, a $35/night state campground just up the road from Treebones, there was a rumor was circulating that a felon had just been through days earlier. Campground manager, Bob Eden, a former correctional officer, couldn’t verify, but said it happens.
"We had a guy who started a crime spree up in the Santa Cruz area and he actually made it down here," said Eden. "There were so many sightings, people coming up with, 'oh I think I saw him, he almost got me.' Well he was in the area but he wasn’t in 50 places at one time. That was quite a time for two weeks or so."
For all I knew this possible violent offender had stayed in my very camp site and looked out at this same view. A picture perfect creek suitable for fairies with shafts of religious looking light filtering down from the redwoods. What would be going through a criminal’s mind looking at this?
Much as I tried to get myself worked up, I couldn’t muster up the kind of fear I feel at home watching the news. The only broadcast signals reaching me now seemed to be coming from redwood trees.
Preserving The Wild West
There’s a beach at the front of LimeKiln under one of those tall Big Sur bridges. The teenagers staying in the campsite next to mine are jumping off a big rock into the water.
Ships once pulled into this cove and loaded up heaps of powdered limestone that were taken north and mixed into the cement that built the original San Francisco that crumbled in the 1906 earthquake.
"Back in the late 1800s, someone discovered limestone up here in this canyon, and since there was an abundance of firewood, i.e., the redwood trees, they built a bunch of kilns in front of the cliffs and they basically ran this canyon out of its resources by 1891," said Eden.
These days, Big Sur’s resources are protected. In part, by the some of the spiritual retreat centers that own large swaths of its land. Four times a year they get together to talk about how to protect it. Among them is New Camaldoli, a Benedictine monastery high atop a peak in an area called Lucia, where the monastery sits on 880 acres of land.
Father Cyprian is the pryor.
"First thing we hold in common is the land. And our main thrust is to talk about how to care for the land. If the Israelis and Palestinians could actually start to talk about how to care for their land together that’d be a whole different conversation, instead of talking about the conflict between Judaism and Islam or talking about their different ethnic groups. They might want to talk about what kind of effect are these developments having on the desert land they live on and the lack of water that everyone’s going to suffer from, that would be a very interesting place to start."
If you don’t mind sleeping on a hard twin bed beneath a crucifix and you’re fine with being silent —for a donation of $115 — you can stay in one of New Camaldoli’s hermitage rooms. That price includes a private yard with a spectacular view, meals you may or may not want to eat, and three masses a day.
New Camaldoli has it's roots in a tradition that goes back to the 11th century, when hermits living in the wilderness of Central Italy banded together and formed a community.
Father Cyprian says that without guidance, too much solitude in the wilderness can go the wrong way. I tell him that Charles Manson used to hide out in Lucia.
"Oh, I didn’t know that! Thank you for that information," said Cyprian. "Somehow that’s it, that’s the whole contradiction of the wilderness. It’s supposed to be filled with wild beasts in the sense of demons that you wrestle with. That’s what the early monks did, they were wrestling with demons."
Though I didn’t hear from God while I was at New Camaldoli, this Canadian family of ukulele players singing to me the night before at LimeKiln came pretty close. Those high budget travelers, in their pricey rectangular hotels, have no idea what they’re missing out on.