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Today’s Big Box of Pure Gobbledygook

Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of Stanford University, reminds the alumni, on the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, that awful things have happened in this country, that these awful things are being studied, that new “clusters” of race-specialist faculty are being hired to combat the awful things, that they have a flashy new acronym (“IDEAL” — Inclusion,..

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Surfboard Triptych

Seen yesterday: at least a dozen spry old guys in their late 70s, at various points on the beach, trotting along in wet suits, with long boards under their arms, flirting with bikini-clad women five decades their junior.  Silver-chested endless summer.  Jimmy Buffett lives. Surf culture, which was once young, cheap and rebel-spirited is now..

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RIP Facebook 2009-2021

I think those of us who fancy discussion, reason, fair play, and even the right to ridicule bad ideas make the mistake of thinking other people do too.  There simply is no reasoning with the implacable Facebook Community Standards people — if they really are people and not bots.  So I’m done with Facebook, both..

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Are we all dead yet, Barb?

An email conversation from August of 2020.. “Barb” (not her real name) is a friend from high school and an ER Doctor.. Jim Riley: Freedom Rally and Protest! FOUR LIVE BANDS!  (Note: at the time, here on the farm, we were pitching a live outdoor event, focused on ending the economic lock-downs) Barb: This is..

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Is This Light Too Bright..

..or is it getting dark around here? People often give me free, bad business advice.  This usually comes from leftist ideologues who can’t brook a difference of opinion on any political issue and would prefer their favorite apple farmer keep quiet.  I say “bad” advice, but the vast majority of young social media consultants would..

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God’s First Command: Have Sex

Am I reading this wrong? So I read and re-read the Bible, slowly, usually over about 18 months at a time.  I like to consider the Word, post the Word on social media, discuss the Word, argue about the Word, read commentaries about the Word– and see if I understood the great Father God Creator..

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California

A Short Story So I guess I have to say I’m happily conventional. Bottom line, I’m not even likely to buy a house without cornice moulding, much less spike my hair, wear pink shorts, chant cross-legged, or apologize for the Fourth of July.  You can do that if you want to, but I got very..

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