There is something avatar-like about an Automotive Service Technician as beloved as Jim White. In the swirling transactional storm of an auto repair shop, a guy like Jim is a calming still-point of trust and familiarity, a beckoning porch light in a blizzard. Until recently, these very qualities made Jim a sought-after fixture at Village […]

We are back from two weeks travel back East. Mostly wonderful. But the return involved air travel. On a flight that was clearly canceled, but American Airlines refused to say it was canceled. FlightAware showed the plane had arrived at 7 pm the night before. But it was “delayed” for unspecified reasons. There were no […]

Crises have become partisan, notably the debt and the climate crisis. The US national debt just hit $40 trillion. Does that mean we are bankrupt? No. But it means something is wrong and needs fixing. Republicans ring debt alarm bells when Democrats are in control. But now they are silent. See my 2023 article “Two […]

“Mother Earth provides and we are blessed to receive her bounty as nourishment. But watch out! That which grows from soil tastes like soil.” – Starfire Dickinson The above quote is wholly invented, but Starfire Dickinson is a real person. In other words Starfire Dickinson is also completely made up. But you’ll agree the opening […]

Hullo. I’m the local columnist whose carefully crafted words are the last thing your drowsy cockatiel sees every evening as he nods off on his little trapeze or whatever. My name is Jeff Wing, but since around third grade people have mis-addressed me as Jack Wayne, so feel free. Now, I don’t want to sound […]

You walk into the enormous, bleakly lit mega-dome that is Costco, and you’re reminded of one thing; Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He was the controversial Jesuit priest whose ideas about the Omega Point earned him a robust slapping around by the religious authorities of his day. A paleontologist and geologist by training, de Chardin fully […]

Much was written for America’s 250th birthday. But some points bear viewing from a new angle. First, the U.S. was the first country that established a secular government, not tied to any religion or supernatural-adjacent authority. Past monarchs claimed their power derived from a sky god. The Founders were a product of the Enlightenment. They […]

We took the table in the corner looking out. It’s not because I’m worried about East Coast Mafioso figures coming to rub me out, or DEA agents wondering why I smell like a hemp field on fire (those days are but a mere pipe dream now), it’s just that I like to observe the everyday […]

Over six years ago (March 26, 2020), I published an article “Voting Paradoxes?” that showed how a candidate disliked by most voters can win an election. After I wrote that, it happened in Santa Barbara. Randy Rowse became mayor while winning just 38.6% of the vote. Because two opponents split the opposition vote. Nearly two-thirds […]