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Posts published in “Essays”

Desert Blooms

Due to plentiful winter rains, the desert southwest is planning for a bombastic display of desert flowers sometime in early April. A full desert bloom only happens once every few years. But when it does,…

Howard ‘Howie’ Zinn

Bologna, Italy -- As most who read this will know, Howard Zinn died on January 27. Like all who knew and worked with him, I called him Howie. As I do so now, I cannot…

What They Forgot to Mention About Olympic Skier Julia Mancuso

This winter’s Olympics have seen the usual sentimen­tal media saturation of weepy or aw-shucks back stories on the athletes. Overcoming adversity is often the theme: Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette soldiered on to win the…

Our Fathers

It's still hard for some locals to accept that 150 years ago — five generations, a historical blip — Hum­boldt County was controlled by genocidaires. Our illus­trious forefathers, the settlers of this county, were, in…

Pathological Greed & Electric

Repeat after me. Pacific Gas and Electric is not a public utility. They would like us to think they are a public utility, but they are not. PG&E is a huge amoral corporation owned by…

Annual Report: Headwaters Fund Has More

Millions of dollars of Humboldt County’s Headwa­ters Fund have been spent on community projects but because of loan repayments and interest, the fund’s total amount has grown. Outgoing Headwaters Fund Board Chairman Pat­rick Cleary told…

Schadenfreude for the Masses: ‘I Am SO Sorry’

I’m sorry, so sorry.... Please accept my apology... — Brenda Lee, 1960 It’s apology season. Maybe it's like the Catholic church, you go and con­fess, you are absolved and free to sin again. It's as…

God’s Work Ethic

Protestant guilt-work ethic? A cruel deception prom­ulgated by the rich, the bosses, the early versions of the corporate exec who sits on his ass collecting bonuses while cutting the pay of the poor schmucks who…

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