Columnists

THE PUBLIC EYE:What Happens Next?

Bob Burnett
Saturday May 15, 2021 - 05:56:00 PM

Six months have passed since the fateful November 3rd presidential election. Here are the BB predictions for the next six months.

1.Coronavirus Pandemic: There's good news and bad news. The good news is that the CDC just loosened the mask guidelines for those of us who have been vaccinated. By mid-summer the region where I live -- San Francisco Bay area -- will likely have achieved herd immunity; that is, more than 80 percent of the adult population will have been vaccinated. The bad news is that significant parts of the US will not reach these vaccination levels and, most likely, will never reach them. -more-


SMITHEREENS: Reflections on Bits & Pieces

Gar Smith
Saturday May 15, 2021 - 06:11:00 PM

Happy Birthday, Wavy Gravy

It's not every day that Hugh Romney (better known as "Wavy Gravy") turns 85. And that may explain why the celebration is lasting for three whole days—May 14-16.

And what a festival it is! As always, Wavy's fun-raising birthdays are also fund-raising events for two of his signature do-good charities—the Seva Foundation and Camp Winnarainbow.

This time-around-the-sun, the birthday fun features a virtual online fest of "songs, tributes & stories" starring a who's who of beloved Sixties Survivors including: Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle, Michael Franti, Jorma Kaukonen, Maria Muldaur, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Buffy Saint-Marie, and Bob Weir—with Wavy as Master of Merriment. For the complete line-up and all the other delicious details—including a video link to all jinks, high and low—click on https://www.seva.org/.

And what better time to revisit our proposal to the City to consider adding a new plaque to the street sign marking the intersection near Wavy's wood-shingled home on the corner of Henry Street and Berryman. The proposed new sign would dub the short, block-long stretch of road leading to Live Oak Park: "Wavy Gravy Way." -more-


ON MENTAL ILLNESS: About Development

Jack Bragen
Saturday May 15, 2021 - 06:15:00 PM

Psychotic delusion in the early stages could manifest as an extreme system of denial. In my teens, if I think back, I ignored a number of bad problems that I should've faced and addressed. Had I faced these difficult realities, I might have been able to salvage friendships and other situations. Instead, my mind was off on another track and was headed for psychosis, and this only created more complications in my pre-adult life. -more-