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Posts published in “Essays”

The Holiday Spirit?

(Caution: There may be some blasphemy in the following message, although it is certainly unintended.) This past cold Christmas morning I took a traditional dogwalk…

Bird’s Eye View

Greetings! If you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin. Welcome to 2011 and may it be happy and healthy for one and all. Any…

The 1970s

At a New Year's Eve gathering in Phoenix, a twenty-something kid to whom I had just been introduced looked me over and said, "Man, it…

The Court System

Many Americans labor under the mistaken belief that our legal system functions effectively and fairly. They have confidence in and respect for court personnel, including…

Immigrant Raids On The Rise

While the criminalization of undocumented people in Arizona continues to draw headlines, the actual punish­ment of workers because of their immigration status has become an…

The Greatest Pianist Ever

It’s almost impossible to evoke good music in print, especially the dazzling and extraordinary sound of the world’s greatest pianist, Art Tatum. But, that’s not…

Mendo Arts…Living Treasures

“Living Treasures” are those elders in a community recognized as having special knowledge, learned over a lifetime, that they share with others. These folks usually…

Cancer

In December 2005 I was diagnosed with 4th stage squamous cell carcinoma, tongue base, after a young resident at U of Wisconsin medical center noticed…

Honor the Wiki-Leakers

When it comes to journalistic achievements in 2010, the elephant in the room is Wikileaks. I’ve seen many put-downs of the materials as containing “no…

Winter Sunset at Glass Beach

Who needs loot from Santa with treasures like these? We live close enough to get to Glass Beach by bike.  Having spent the remainder of…

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