As 2017 opens, I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year and extend my gratitude for your support throughout these past four years. On January 10, I will be sworn in for my second term as your supervisor and for the... Continue
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Why bother? I mean, really. They’re dead. Who cares about the past, and what difference does it make? But you know, there are occasions we do something for its own sake, simply because it’s interesting, or satisfying, or it feels worthwhile. For a number of... Continue
The Industrial Revolution is often mistakenly cited as the cause of the loss of human labor, but to the contrary, the engine of global capitalism fueled by the Industrial Revolution would never have developed without the hands of human labor. Efficient and highly productive machine... Continue
In 1895, Alfred Jarry's play entitled Ubu Roi (The King Ubu) was performed in Paris for its first, and until very much later, its last time. Public reaction to the farce was so extreme that a riot ensued. Jarry, who never wrote another play, had... Continue
I grew up in the glow of TV. It was black and white until I was perhaps ten years old, and color television after that. Color television actually was a big deal, once. My childhood shows were foolish affairs mostly, quite amateurish by today's standards.... Continue
Suddenly it seems everything is artisanal these days. Artisanal beer, biscuits, T-shirts, restaurants . . . the list of products and services touted as “hand crafted” or “artisanal” is almost endless. Rumors still unconfirmed (and which will certainly remain that way) have it that a... Continue
Following the contentious Presidential campaign and stunning election result, family members and former friends may find themselves arguing their conflicting concepts of patriotism. Webster’s Dictionary defines a patriot as one who loves, supports, and defends one’s country. Interestingly, a second definition of Patriot is the... Continue
It’s been a helluva’ year. Both my darling dogs passed away, over the Rainbow Bridge, as they say, and now my brother is gone. Then the elections knocked me on me on my rear end and left my hair looking permanently plugged into an electric... Continue
A great deal of attention has been paid to the workings of mind, that curiously self-conscious and often self-absorbed entity we take to be who we are in the world. The widely-held presumption is that mind is an emergent function of brain, and therefore, mind... Continue
As I drive through Sonoma Valley, I am awestruck by the incredible beauty that flanks the sides of Hwy 12 through Kenwood and Glen Ellen before slowing down to pass through the Springs. It is wonderful to see the hills a vibrant green much earlier... Continue