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Posts published in “Essays”

How Crazy is He? The Mind Of Jared Lee Loughner

What a bunch of garbage; liberal, Democrat, conservative, Republican. It's all there to control you! … I'm sick of it.” – from Jared Lee Loughner's reportedly favorite movie, ‘Waking Life,’ about a man trapped in…

HumCo Planners Mull Pot Money

Humboldt County’s economy is more diverse than most people realize, the HumCo Planning Commission has been told, but assessing one of its most significant contributors remains elusive. At their Jan. 20 meeting, commissioners noted that…

Two Thumbs Up for Clint Mansell: Black Swan, Dark Power

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, which will doubt-less figure prominently in the Academy Awards nominations to be issued next week, is a horror flick en pointe: terrifyingly claustrophobic, often painful, massively melodramatic, and ultimately self-destructive. In…

Nice Try

My son is talking like an 80-year-old man. He thinks it’s funny and, except for feeling a little sluggish, is otherwise fine – at least I hope he is. His teacher mentioned that strep throat…

Collateral Damage

It’s too soon to say of course, but it really does look as though the Tucson shooter has done Sarah Palin serious damage. A Gallup poll run at the end of last week gives her…

Anderson Valley, Tentacle Of The Wine Grape Octopus

Big Wine's transformation of the Anderson Valley reflects larger patterns of economic mis-development, as well as ecological and cultural exploitation, that have been taking place across Mendocino County, the entire state — the entire globe.

Lives & Times of Valley Folks: Muriel Ellis

I met with Muriel at the Redwood Drive-In a week or so ago and we sat and drank coffee as she shared her story with me. For those who don’t know, she is Terry Ryder’s…

Bird’s Eye View

Greetings one and all — if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin. Let’s get straight into the PSAs as I have plenty to tell you about this week. Get your calendars out, pens…

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