Ex Libris
“The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1847-1932,” by William Manchester. 973 pages, illustrated. Volume I of his detailed biography gives us the years of his early education, the pathos of his neglect by both parents (his American mother an adventuress and courtesan of the Prince of Wales and future King of England, but influential in promoting her son into an ambitious career), and his time as head of the British navy – and as general busybody in preparing all the armed forces for the onslaught of the Great War in Europe. The vast scope of his life includes an informative picture of the social conditions of his time and creates a large canvas of the world in war and peace, leading us to: “The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965,” wherein this leading figure is considered to have saved civilization from the madness of the Teutonic hordes which had again overrun Europe in their quest for lebensraum and Aryan purity. His own search for help as England underwent a blitzkrieg of rocket bombs brought him into constant meetings with Franklin Roosevelt and later Josef Stalin before the final end to the hostilities. In all, the books bring us into contact with a wide cast of world characters equal to any you might find in all the annals of war and peace. Just read it.
Cannabis Country
A long view of the pot prohibition: interview with John Hudak, author of Marijuana: A Short History
Golf review
The beautiful sunshine is back to warm our faces and to dry out our fairways. Like many of you I spent the last two months watching Windsor Golf Club’s 1st, 9th, and 18th fairways get battered and soaked by the winter rainstorms. These holes looked like long deep lakes with a few tiny “dry” grass spots for birds to rest.
A Look Back at Local History
The following snippets of history are drawn from the pages of the Healdsburg Tribune, the Healdsburg Enterprise and the Sotoyome Scimitar. The photos are from the archives of the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society.
Toots
We have many regular and faithful readers of these weekly editorials. We know this because we are told so in the grocery store checkout line, on errands to the hardware store and in impromptu sidewalk critique sessions. We receive lots of encouragement and are gently told sometimes to tone down the sermonizing. These conversations are our best rewards.
Wine Words: Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas, a luminary of our modern day wine business, received the Sonoma County Winegrowers 2017 Nick Frey Community Contribution Award. Presented by President Kevin Barr at the annual January meeting, Kevin offered an historical perspective of Rich’s colorful career in agriculture.
Hold future candidates accountable
In response to President Trump’s unprecedented refusal to share basic information with American public, new bill will require that all presidential candidates release tax returns in order to appear on California ballot
Arts & Entertainment
Yale Whiffenpoofs to land on Raven stage Sunday
The very name “Whiffenpoofs” is whimsical, but followers of the collegiate music space know that the repertoire and reputation of this Yale University a cappella group is anything but laughable. Sure there are old Yale drinking songs, certainly a bit of jazz-era energy, as well as more modern pop. But are they classical? And what exactly is a “whiffenpoof” anyway?
