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Posts published in “Essays”

Wanda Tinasky And Related Matters

Correspondence With Kipen On Nov. 29, 2000 S.F. Chronicle book editor David Kipen wrote a rave review of Donald Foster’s book “Author Unknown.” Kipen especially liked the chapter in which Foster identified Tom Hawkins —not…

Never Enough Money

Is it possible to spend enough money to solve the homeless crisis, now in its Elevendy Seventh decade and showing no signs of getting better? Is there enough money to fix it? No. A research…

The Lake Pillsbury Dilemma

A couple of weeks ago, Fred Gardner asked what my thoughts are about the Lake Pillsbury dilemma are, and here is my reply: I have followed the Lake Pillsbury dilemma since 2006, and during the…

Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart

Youth is lousy preparation for old age. Everything boys learn from ages 5 to 30 is likely to result in scores of accidents, dozens of injuries, multiple trips to the emergency room and death by…

Assignment: Ukiah – Any Problem Can Be Made Worse

There are small but growing problems besetting the county’s Planning and Building Services (PBS) department, an agency that enforces rules and regulations around the county. What’s wrong? An (anonymous) troublemaker has been wallpapering the PBS…

Hearth & Home

I wish I hadn’t been so young when my mother died. Like many Baby Boomers, I was so wrapped up in outside things, the day-to-dayness of working fulltime, trying (and often failing) to keep up…

The Agile And The Aged: Paris Comes To Berlin Musikfest

Midway through its near non-stop, culture-packed calendar running from August 30th to September 24th, the Berlin Musikfest last weekend brought two French symphony orchestras to the German capital’s famed concert hall, the Philharmonie. On Friday,…

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