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Posts published in “Features”

Mendocino County Today: December 18, 2013

EXCUSE ME, but is it any secret that the economy of Anderson Valley runs on dual intoxicants called marijuana and wine? Why, then, would the local school board and its feckless (and wildly overpaid) attorneys…

Irrevocable Momentum

Tony Serra was a fascinating individual and I liked him right away. He was highly principled and his repu­tation as a fierce opponent in the courtroom was widely held. He was eager to defend the underdog and those subject to racial injustice.

The Amazon Paradox

My books are for sale on Amazon. New and used. So are my music CDs. My books and music are download­able from Amazon, and that includes audio books of my work narrated by yours truly. Do I feel like a rat and an enemy of local bookstores and local music stores? No, because with the exception of a few extremely local bookstores where I am personally known to the proprie­tors, my books are not available in any local bookstores in America or even in the few remaining chain book­stores, and that is also true of my music.

River Views

It has been a cold, cold December by California stan­dards, though by the time this is read nighttime tem­peratures should return to seasonal norms. What is abnormal is the lack of autumn rainfall. Walking upstream…

Caruso’s Cigarettes

Listening now to Enrico Caruso’s last recording made in September of 1920, you would never suspect that you are hearing the voice of a heavy smoker. Caruso favored strong Egyptian cigarettes, even enjoying them between…

Letter To Japan

Dear Hiroshi, I’ll see you soon in Kochi on Shi­koku, southern Japanese main island; most beautiful, least populated, mostly agrarian, putatively “lightly” bombed during WW II. Shikoku, the birthplace of revered 9th Century Shingon Buddhist…

Mendocino County Today: December 17, 2013

HOPLAND FIRE CHIEF JOHN BARTLETT has an interesting sense of humor. Last week he briefly had a plastic Santa peeing off his roof all modeled in tiny Christmas lights. That one's gone, but in its…

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