Sierrabear

Michael Moore's  propagandistic film Capitalism: A Love Story disparages capitalism by unearthing real stories about Americans who have been mistreated, abused and ripped off by our system. Though Mr. Moore's films are obviously biased toward the left, they do often contain nuggets of truth that are sometimes surprising. Such is the case with Capitalism. The following images are generated from a leaked Citigroup document Mr. Moore used to illustrate his point that the rich are out to get the poor. The document claims to have coined the phrase "plutonomy" which in the leaked memo is summed up as follows:

"Our thesis is that the rich are the dominant drivers of demand in many economies around the world (the US, UK, Canada and Australia). These economies have seen the rich take an increasing share of income and wealth over the last 20 years, to the extent that the rich now dominate income, wealth and spending in these countries"

" ... A backlash against plutonomy is not imminent....so long as electorates feel they are getting rich in absolute terms, even if they are less well off in relative terms, there is little threat..."

Sonora, CA -- When most people think of art in Tuolumne County, images like  the Red Church come to mind, simple, wholesome images, views of our area that reflect our cultural past and our scenic beauty. Much of our local music is also reminiscent of days gone by, often reflecting an aesthetic that, though enduring, is hardly pushing the boundaries. These views seem mostly geared toward tourists. What about our current stories? This year local videographer Jessica Valentine produced a video for home town musicians The Nightshade Family, with both subject matter and images that reflect a more current side, perhaps a darker side, of Tuolumne County life. See video below.

Sonora, CA – In January 2009, in the throws of the great recession, a head-shop quietly opened it's doors at 420 S. Washington Street here in Sonora. Offering bongs, pipes, scales and other drug paraphernalia, it quickly filled the niche held long ago by Benjamin Fig's, a little shop whos only links to drug paraphernalia these days are stash boxes. Who would open a smoke shop right in the middle of  socially conservative Sonora? Well, that was easy enough to find out.

This fake ad spoofs the iPhone and the GOP. Created by the Waking Up Now blog, this satirical video relies on real statements made by Republican members of congress, advocating killing homosexuals and encouraging the subservience of women.  Take a look. If you want to see the orignal clips upon which this spoof was based, click the link above.

Sonora, CA -- The Veterans to Veterans Outreach ’09, A Stand Down in the Foothills, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 391 on September 10-12 proved to be an even bigger success than the first one according to Frank Smart, event chair. The Stand Down was held at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds and aimed at helping homeless veterans. There were 27 homeless veterans attending the Stand Down. The youngest was 26 and the oldest was 65. One of those attending was the wife of a deceased veteran. The 50 volunteers put in over 600 hours.

Washington D.C -- Leaders of the world’s largest economies will gather next week in Pittsburgh for the second time this year. The first meeting of the G-20 nations in April came at the height of the global financial crisis – a crisis that required unprecedented international cooperation to jumpstart the world’s economies and help break the downward spiral that enveloped all our nations.

Columbia, CA -- For now, the Community Education Program at Columbia College will be put on-hold. All Com Ed classes, bus trips and vacations are canceled while the college develops plans for better implementation and more community utilization of this fee-funded program. Staffing, instructor costs, facility rentals and instructional supplies are all funded through student fees. 

Sonora, Ca -- As the only media outlet in Tuolumne County to have been actually following the restaurant's slow crawl toward viability, Sierrabear is pleased to see that the real reporters at the Union Democrat are finally paying attention to what may be the end of a long and mysterious process, reporting in the July 17th edition, "You read it here first: The long-dormant Sonora restaurant is going to open, and soon."

On May 26, 2009, Yosemite National Park Ranger Dan Abbe was flagged down by park visitors on his way to work in Yosemite Valley. Abbe was traveling on the Wawona Road and entered the pullout about 2.5 miles south of the Wawona Tunnel. He was informed that there was a vehicle over the side of the road and it was on fire.