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Posts published in “Essays”

Redwood Bummer

It was on a Thursday in late May, 1990, that a bomb exploded under Judi Bari’s seat as she and her beau, Darryl Cherney, were departing the East Bay. The two Earth First!ers had spent…

Eclectic Indeed

BOOK REVIEW: An Eclectic History of Mendocino County, by Katy M. Tahja. Tahjanjoki Press, Comptche, 2019, 166 pages, $22.00. Katy Tahja, a local retired educator and librarian, defines “eclectic” as “drawn together from a broad range…

Blind Faith

There are certain people society has taught us to trust and respect, like doctors, judges and the police. In my life I have found out the painful truth about these people one catastrophe at a…

Last Of The Mendocino Outlaws

Samuel Carr, who turned state’s evidence against his fellow Mendocino Outlaws, served two years in the state penitentiary then gained his release in May, 1882. Later that year, Doc Standley was elected Sheriff of Mendocino…

Kelp Forests Surging Back

An unexpected darkness has recently fallen over the seafloor of the Northern California coast – the shadows cast by bull kelp. The giant marine alga nearly vanished after a perfect storm of environmental and ecological…

At the Doctor’s Office

My friend drove me up to the doctor in Eureka in the pickup I lent him while his car was being repaired. I had been seeing my PA in Arcata but wanted a second opinion—no…

Evangelical Intellectuals

There’s a new John Mitchell in town. Like Nixon’s attorney general, the lawyer who wrote the Texas anti-abortion bill that took effect Sept. 1 and was promptly upheld  by the US Supreme Court, is said…

The Zenis & The Finocchios

One of my longtime favorite friends is Len Finocchio, who besides being a bigshot health expert with a doctorate in public health is a former chef, father to a young son, jazz aficionado, wandering hiker…

From Clowns to Donuts to Cicero & Back Again

Healthcare is not usually funny. However, there are eighty-seven certified clowns working in hospitals across the Czech Republic. Once in awhile you get an idea for an article or column, but by the time you…

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