Marty Diamond sent me the most fascinating book. "High Crimes" is the story of the 2004 Connecticut Everest Expedition.  But it’s much more than that.  It’s an expose of the exploits of lying, cheating scumbags atop the world’s highest mountain.  If someone steals your oxygen bottle in the death zone, you might be residing upon […]

WHOLE PAYCHECK I had lunch at Whole Foods yesterday. Don’t know if you’ve been following the story on this market.  It’s in trouble.  One of its main suppliers of meat was sold, switched processors and the chain’s customers became very ill.  Bad press if you’re perching yourself at the top of the market, as the […]

We’re in Santa Rosa for John and Cristie’s wedding. A few years back I would have declined. Now I know life is solely about these moments. Getting together and marking occasions. After landing in Oakland, we drove through Petaluma. In case you don’t know it, that was the name of a Norman Greenbaum album. Northern […]

Once upon a time the musicians were the stars. And the goal of those of us who couldn’t play was to get as close to them as possible. In an era prior to Facebook and YouTube, where the lowliest punter has access to the inner workings of the government, never mind record companies, our desire […]