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Trump's Base
Over the last couple of years, it's become common to hear policy discussions about the Trump Administration, which typically include the word base. Speakers will use the phrase "Trump's base" or "he's...
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O Carib Isle
It's one day past Thanksgiving, so done with gratitude, we resume the daily round of getting and spending, buying and selling, eating and drinking.Tropic is almost a separate continent of variations...
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Horse Training in Inner Mongolia 1979
Since the time of Genghis Khan, even as far back as 2000 years, traditional Mongol nomads have been living with their hybrid horses, using them for everything from transportation and racing or as...
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So Much For Sentiment
It was reported this morning that Giants' pitcher Madison Bumgarner has signed a 5-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which keeps him in the same division with his former team. He's reported to...
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Going Material: The Recklessness of Not Being Mistaken [2019]
As 2019 draws to a close, I look back over the year, my 72nd birthday year, and take stock. It was a busy year, mostly devoted to my book business, with this one big project, undertaken at the end of...
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A Boy's Life
A Boy's Life"Just wait 'til you see her in the water." Putting the toy sailboat together was Sunday’s job— The Hardy Boys rolled up their sleeves, saying “Cleora Will really appreciate...
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An Opportune Reflection
The complete text of the "You have meddled with the primal forces of nature" speech from the movie Network [1976]. Was there ever a more pertinent summary of the world economy than this one?"You have...
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Wait Until Next Year
The prospects for the San Francisco Giants in the coming year (2020) appear dismal.General Manager Farhan Zaidi, hired prior to the 2019 season after stints with the Dodgers (4 years) and the Oakland...
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Back in 2013, I wrote about the Boy Scouts of America's decision to allow Gay boys to enter its ranks. As I said then, I was never a Boy Scout, and I have no stake one way or the other about its...
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The Art Dump [2]
Back in April 2014, I wrote a blog piece about abstraction in art, prompted by my finding what seemed to be a stray painter's plywood covered with random spills and can impressions. That got me...
View ArticlePandemics and the Future of Mankind
Yesterday evening I received a link from William Easton to an article in the online science site Nautilus. The article consists primarily of an interview with an epidemiologist named Dennis Carroll,...
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A New Bourbon Concoction
A new recipe, fresh from the stainless counter . . . . 1 3/4 parts Jack Daniels Bourbon3/4 part sweet vermouth1/3 part Becherovka1 teaspoon creme de cacaoBourbon has a fairly distinct flavor, unlike,...
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From the Gallery of Heroes - Goodwin Sammel [1925-2020]
I just discovered that an old friend of many years passed away in January. The Berkeleyside obituary is here. I first met Goodwin in about 1963 or 4. I was just a high school junior then, visiting...
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Expert Advice on Pandemic Life
It seems that only yesterday, people were living their lives in a familiar way, getting and spending, walking and driving and congregating and traveling and hugging and kissing and generally acting...
View ArticleAcademic Standards and Social Engineering
San Francisco Chronicle for Thursday, May 21, 2020: University of California system will no longer require SAT, ACT for admissions. During a teleconference meeting Thursday, the board approved UC...
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The City Desk - Three New Concoctions
Who drinks cocktails anymore?It must be a dying art.Only the straggling ragtag crew of septuagenarians, of which I'm an honorable member, perhaps.Each day affords another opportunity to expand the...
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Announcing our new edition of Larry Eigner's Short Poems
deliberate stillness / in winded birds (Short Poems) Larry EignerAs readers of this blog know, Robert Grenier and I co-edited both the Collected Poems of Larry Eigner [Stanford University Press:...
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The George Floyd Case
It's probably impossible to talk about the George Floyd case without offending someone at this point. It has become so over-hyped and exaggerated on several levels that it's unlikely ever to be...
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Few logos have the instant familiarity of Coca-Cola. It's known the world over as the popular soft-drink whose taste ingredient formula is among the most guarded secrets. Over the years, there have...
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Sierra Club Turns Left
Fair warning here: I have never been a member of the Sierra Club, and I have never spent time supporting any environmental protection organization, though I have occasionally given money to support...
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