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Posts published in “from the archives…”

The Garbage Wars: A New Front

Right after the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Republic under the Sky-God for which it stands, County Administrator Mike Scannell introduced Roger Wong, the new head of the county’s personnel department, who…

The Night of the Long Knives (July 29, 1998)

“Well,” I heard a male voice behind me say, “looks like the passive-aggressives are out in force tonight,” as we arrived at the Philo headquarters of KZYX, Mendocino County’s more or less public radio station…

Kid Killers

Once again a disturbed child has taken weapons to school in order to kill. The Oregon media is now filled with commentators airing analyses and theories on why it happened and how to prevent further…

Beyond the Garden Gate

One of my first memories is of a huge Victorian on McAllister Street near Fillmore in San Francisco where my family lived in 1944. The rambling old house had been hurriedly partitioned off into apartments…

Pesticides in Anderson Valley

In Mendocino County’s plethora of overpriced restaurants, hardly a night goes by when there isn’t some gourmand taking a sip of chardonnay and then rhapsodizing… going on… and on… and on about the delights this…

Why Barry Melton Hates Norm Vroman

Ukiah public defender Barry “The Fish” Melton sent press releases to all Mendo County news media this week misrepresenting District Attorney candidate Norm Vroman’s past troubles with the IRS. KZYX Program manager Teresa Simon read…

Hearts

1968 Zen was in. I tried without success to master ‘living in the now.’ 1998 Now, of course, it is simple. Living in the now obviously was a concept conceived by old men. I am…

Watch This

You've spent so much time watching television that sometimes you feel like Chauncey the Gardener. You watched Kennedy get shot, Jack Ruby blast Oswald, Viet Nam go up in napalm, astronauts land on the moon,…

Leaving Boonville

For Las Vegas, last Thursday, on United out of San Francisco International. I’ve never been there, but a good friend’s wedding gave me and the missus the pretext, you might say, because it wouldn’t have…

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