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Posts published in “Essays”

The 99 Plant Rule

Mendo's pot rules just got a whole lot more complicated.

Free or Not Free?

We got a message from an angry fan on our Facebook page a month or so back about our biz model here at TheAVA.com. He challenged us to a debate, which we happily accepted. But…

Relax, the Empire’s In Safe Hands

Are they really bumblers? The establishment’s opinion columns quiver with reproofs for maladroit handling of foreign policy by President Obama and his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, those who cherished foolish illusions that Obama’s…

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Gets Eaten Alive (aka SOLD)

The inevitable has happened. Ken Allen, who founded Anderson Valley Brewing Company in 1987 and grew it into one of Northern California's most beloved craft breweries, found a buyer for his little company that could.…

Richard Blum: Godzilla Regent

Current and former campus workers from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC Santa Cruz — joined by several student sup porters — were on hand to challenge Richard Blum on the poverty he promotes in his capacity as a UC Regent. Blum, who fashions himself as a global anti-poverty crusader by way of his Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley, has had a primary hand in shaping the policies that have led to deep pay cuts and widespread employee layoffs at UC campuses. Moreover, as a leading finance capitalist and political influence peddler on a global scale, he and his ilk have played a strong role in causing the ongoing global economic meltdown — and the various financial austerity measures it is leading to.

Perils In Plastics?

Poor Marge Simpson. In a recent episode of “The Simpsons,” the insecure cartoon housewife made the mistake of using nonstick cookware and offering plas­tic cups with No. 7 stamped on them. The other mothers at…

Bird’s Eye View

Greetings one and all. If you are sitting comforta­bly then I shall begin. First may I wish a very happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone — the Irish, the Irish-Americans, the Irish Mexican-Americans, etc. With…

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