THE FABLE of the Sirens is truly applied to the pernicious allurements of pleasure; but in a very poor and vulgar sense. For I find the wisdom of the ancients to be like grapes ill-trodden: something…
Posts published in May 2018
Paula & David;
Ed Notes;
KZYX Audit;
Rural Skills;
Little Dog;
Quiz Night;
Big Band;
Jhanna Wanted;
Suspicious Van;
California Solar;
Yesterday's Catch;
Pacific Secession;
MCBG Weekend;
Blackbird Closing;
Writing Class;
Putin's Army;
Predatory Capitalism;
Beware Malware;
Me Best;
NCO Reunion;
City Harasser
The Time: Autumn, 1958. The place: the playground of the Washington Consolidated School, Washington, Connecticut. A big crowd of kids are in a circle around two fighting boys. Jimmy Tompkins has his arm hooked around…
One clear attack on American democracy has been the removal of our polling places coupled with mandatory mail-in balloting for those wishing to vote. What has this achieved? Not greater voter turnout, not a reduced department budget, and not greater vote counting efficiency. Just the opposite. Voter turnout is down. Election costs are up. And election night Americana in Mendo has been stolen.
"The Lottery" is a famous short story by Shirley Jackson about an annual small town drawing whose winner is stoned to death. The story makes the point that small towns can be mean places. Lately,…
This Sunday, May 13, is Mother’s Day, and while Hallmark and other merchants of crass commercialism have done their best to spoil such a wonderful celebration, they have failed, and it continues to give us…
I've taken my share of beatings in my life; more, really, given that the average beating occurrence among Americans is probably not much more than zero, beatings being pretty finely distributed among very specific demographics…
A majority of Humboldt County’s Board of Supervisors supports a ballot initiative to limit early prison releases but capacity issues could interfere with the initiative’s goals. The backlash against propositions 47 and 57 and AB…
“Life is cheap up here on the Canadian,” is a line from Lonesome Dove that has stuck with me. When something goes even moderately wrong at the ranch I sometimes say, “Life sure is rough…