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Posts published in “Essays”

Namaste, Everyone

After reading his messages in the AVA for lo these many years, I finally met Craig Louis Stehr in downtown Ukiah. Having no idea of what he looked like (he emailed me an AVA profile…

A Voice Of Sanity In The Ukraine War

The Monroe Doctrine has been a No-Trespassing sign nailed to the gate of US foreign policy for almost 300 years. Naval exercises are performed by the US in places like the Yellow and South China…

Lip Service in Qatar

From now on when you google the phrase “lip service” you should by rights be taken directly to the video of the members of Iranian national soccer team making the least possible show of singing…

China Tries to Quietly Back Down on Zero-COVID Policy

Since the start of the pandemic, China has attempted to control COVID through widespread testing leading to strict lockdowns whenever the virus is detected in a community.  People that test positive are taken to regional…

Billy Owens, the “Okie/Arkie”: Bill’s Life in Music

Last week’s Billy Owens story began with our first meeting on Friday nights at the Floodgate Store bar down near Navarro.  Time for the rest of that story.  My wife Anna’s providing the instrument for…

I Have A Teacher To Thank For My Proudest Moment As A Kid

I loved P.E. class as a kid, even more than recess. While both meant we could go outside and play, I liked P.E. much more because it required everyone to play together. That was cool.…

Cannabis Paired With Kyiv

Ukraine is still leading in column inches per day, but Cannabis is coming up on the rail in the New York Times coverage derby. Some recent stories: “Weed on the High-End Menu” by Robert Simonson…

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