A few years ago, my son and I walked along the American River at Sailor Bar, throwing rocks into the green water. He was still small enough to need my hand walking over uneven ground.

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The fall of the Berlin Wall was the moon landing of my generation. A rare, seminal event crystallizing the notion that anything is possible. This is why it was so important for the world to revel last week in the 20th anniversary celebrations marking the wall's welcome demise.
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On Nov. 4, the Legislature passed the most important water reform legislation in a quarter century. California has never been more in need of this historic change of direction.
MANNY CRISOSTOMO Bee file, 2008
Legislative supporters and some environmental groups hail the controversial package of Delta water policy bills and budget-busting $11 billion bond as "ambitious water reform" and a "huge winner for the environment." Other environmental groups and those who opposed the complex water policy legislation challenge the reforms as being too weak to be effective and say that the bills are rife with environmental loopholes and pork-barrel funding.
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A lion of California's environmental movement died Thursday. Tom Graff, who helped lead the 1980s fight against the peripheral canal and blocked the East Bay from diverting water from the American River, finally succumbed to the cancer that snuck up on him two years ago.
Our story on the Susanville Symphony a couple of weeks ago wasn't one of The Bee's most important in conventional terms, but I found it among our most memorable.
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Have your kids used "LOL," "BRB" or "TTYL" in everyday speech? Are you wondering what these and the tens of thousands of other abbreviations mean? These days, it seems like kids take more interest in figuring out ways to shorten or create new words than in learning how to spell or use grammar correctly.
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State worker furloughs, new sports complex

Look back before going forward at Capitol Mall


Before going forward with a new redevelopment scheme for Capitol Mall, Sacramento City Council members should look to the past, commentator Ginger Rutland says.
Posted: Friday, November 13, 2009
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On Nov. 4, the Legislature passed the most important water reform legislation in a quarter century. California has never been more in need of this historic change of direction.

The Conversation Forum

After nine years at The Bee, this is my final column as a regular feature on this page. But while I will be leaving the paper's payroll, I hope to be a frequent contributor to the ongoing discussion here about politics and public policy in this troubled state.

Our story on the Susanville Symphony a couple of weeks ago wasn't one of The Bee's most important in conventional terms, but I found it among our most memorable.

7FO15RIVEROP.JPG

A lion of California's environmental movement died Thursday. Tom Graff, who helped lead the 1980s fight against the peripheral canal and blocked the East Bay from diverting water from the American River, finally succumbed to the cancer that snuck up on him two years ago.

NorCal Voices blog

What are the region's residents talking about on the streets, over the backyard fence and at the water cooler? Our line-up of local residents shares the buzz from their neighborhoods, communities, cities and region. Here's what's on their minds.

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