Because we lack reliable indicators of the effectiveness of municipal stormwater programs, permit renewals are essentially social policy, not water quality policy. In other words, permit writers can invent or select new requirements at will; the requirements may arise from convention, or consensus, or even individual beliefs, and can’t be challenged on the basis of… Continue reading Municipal Stormwater Permit
The Beauty of Anachronism
A month ago, I suffered a serious setback in my personal life, as a year-long relationship came to an abrupt and unexpected end. Today, on a morning walk, my heart still heavy with grief, I passed this lovely anachronism, and it set me to thinking more broadly about defeat, and loss. This was the 1984… Continue reading The Beauty of Anachronism
People v. Hansen
I served on a jury 35 years ago, in New York City. The defendants were white cops, and a Black man had died in their custody. The cops were charged with evidence tampering and official misconduct, and we voted unanimously to convict each of them for both felonies. Many years later, I searched for the… Continue reading People v. Hansen
Painful, Part 3
On Thursday, 26 days after the surgery, I went to Kaiser Oakland to get the cast removed. I drove the F-150–it’s got an automatic transmission, so I can drive with just my right hand. And who uses turn signals anyway. I parked on a nearby residential street and walked under the freeway and past the… Continue reading Painful, Part 3
Painful, Part 2
Kyle explained it to me. As I lay face up, my back pressing against the pavement, waiting for the ambulance to come, my left arm began to curl into itself, bending at the place where the bones were snapped. In a few minutes, the bend came to 90 degrees, as if I had a second… Continue reading Painful, Part 2
Painful, Part 1
Now two weeks into recovery, I am, for the first time, attempting to keyboard and feeling ready to tell the story. I’d estimate that, since taking up road biking in 2008, I’ve rolled at least 40,000 miles. The only mishaps have been encounters with drivers who chose to pull across the double yellow line directly… Continue reading Painful, Part 1
I come to praise 2020
as well as to bury it. 2019 was exceptionally tough for me, personally. My household broke up, and my mom committed suicide, and my main work client succumbed to chaos for a time. I had flood cleanup and repairs to do at the river house, and an evacuation during fire season. It seemed like one… Continue reading I come to praise 2020
A brief for a troll
Has there ever been a time when one’s facility for dividing truth from BS has been more needed–and yet more difficult to do? My daily sorting through spam exercises it; my news aggregator and Facebook challenge it even more. The deliberate lying and misleading–in the service of taking your money or infecting your computer, or… Continue reading A brief for a troll
Andy Gill
My 7th grade band teacher, Mr. Preble, was a slim and elegant man. In retrospect, I can see that he was enormously patient, and we tested that patience considerably. I liked him right up until the time he made a comparison–a comparison I found insufferably arrogant–between the pop music we liked and the classical music… Continue reading Andy Gill
Zuckerman asks for regulation
This news less surprising than it looks. “Regulatory capture” isn’t just about avoiding regulation entirely; more often, it is a way that industry leaders (and occasionally, savvy upstarts) tailor entry requirements to give their own business an advantage over their competitors. This can go either way, and the same business may find it to their… Continue reading Zuckerman asks for regulation