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Posts published in “Essays”

The Musical Tastes of Spring

All traces of snow are at last gone from the picturesque nineteenth-century cemetery in Ithaca, New York. Down below in the nearby the Cascadilla Gorge…

Third District Needs Pinches

By the way, for any new readers out there, I’ll disclose the Shields and Pinches families have been friends for about 30 years now. John’s dad, Sully, recently deceased, lived next to me out in the country. John’s brother and sister-in-law, Jimmy and Rhonda, live across the street from my daughter and son-in-law. And his sister, June Sizemore, is another long-time friend and much-loved member of the family.

In Defense of Michelle Hutchins

I have often wondered how I would have fared in the Milgram Experiment. Participants were told to push a button which supposedly would deliver an…

Tractors, A History

“For the tractor, despite its early promise to free mankind from grinding toil, has also brought us to the brink of ruin through carelessness and…

Elders Wandering Ireland

If we’re lucky in our lives we get those few very precious days when Everything. Is. Perfect. You couldn’t ask for more. It could be…

The AVA Recommends

(WARNING: These recommendations assume that both political parties represent an ongoing menace to the health and welfare of the people of the United States.) GOVERNOR:…

Humco Supe Denies ‘Secret Plan’ Allegations

Humboldt County Supervisor Estelle Fennell is calling for unity after denouncing accusations that she’s secretly supporting an alleged plan to skirt Eel River fish protection. …

The Ubiquitous Mr. Desplat

It can be an instructive and amusing exercise to pretend you’re the one who has to write the movie captions for the hearing impaired. Sound…

You Think It’s All About Guns?

Is it possible that we Americans only pretend not to notice the conditions that produce an epidemic of school shootings, or is the public just…

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