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A Mystery Unfolds in Panama   There were nine of us in Bocas del Toro, a small group of tiny islands off the northeastern shore of Panama. With us were my son Harrison, daughter Gabby and five of their friends, none older than 24.   My GF Kim Bowen and I were there to...

No one wants Laguna to become like Corona del Mar. CdM has been ruined by McMansionization. This never will happen in Laguna. Our Design Review Board (DRB) makes sure of that. The DRB has complete authority over the size, design, colors, height and exterior look of all new...

The Hot Blond It was a Wednesday night about 9 p.m. and I was at my favorite joint, The Lumberyard, at the big U-shaped bar, only a few regulars there. I don’t cook, so I eat out a lot and The Lumberyard is my favorite place. I had just ordered my usual martini: Hendricks gin,...

Shark Attack!   By now, you’ve read, seen videos of and heard about great white sharks in the local waters. The papers and TV stations are going nuts. Surely you saw the video of the sheriff’s helicopter looking down at 15 great whites directly off Capo beach. The funniest thing...

A Look Behind the Sheet Music Classical music isn’t for everyone. To some, it seems impenetrable and a bit boring. Others really like it a lot, and this column is dedicated to them. A subsection of the classical genre, chamber music, annually is performed right here in Laguna...

Addict Nation We have become a nation of addicts. And you can see it all over Laguna Beach. It comes in three forms: illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin, legal opiates like vicodin, and social media addiction. Just in case you do not know it, social media is chemically...

The Big Snake This happened about two months ago. I was doing yoga in my master bedroom overlooking Diver’s Cove. I could hear the waves.   It was at night, cold and dark. The yoga teacher had had me doing major stomach crunching poses and exercises. At the end, she put me into...

Dear Mr. Olds, Please re-read my column (“Visiting Buenos Aires,” Jan. 5 edition.) I accurately restated the fears of virtually all the Argentinian businessman I met: they are afraid now-President Trump will act with the casual brutality he displayed during his campaign.  They...

Visiting Buenos Aires I went on a last minute visit to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, because Trump won. Let me explain. My longtime friend and fellow (much more) active Democrat is the current U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Noah Mamet. Ambassador Mamet had long invited...

Spectacular Creatures in Our Midst As loyal readers of this column know, I am a Laguna Beach waterman.   I venture to my local (secret) cove almost every day the weather allows, kayak, snorkel, hang out with the other locals, and enjoy this wonderland we call home. The best thing...

  Slavery in the Modern World I’ve been reading a lot of ancient and middle-age history lately. I wanted to know how it was to be alive then. What could one expect? Here it is: It was tribal. It was all about your tribe surviving the next onslaught. Those onslaughts never...

Drifting to Dysfunction We all know the national election is a disgrace. In hindsight, I guess it was inevitable and I am hardly the first to state it. Angry talk radio, Fox News, internet hate sites, and ultimately Trump ripping away the gentlemanly façade of the Republican...

Late In the Evening The scene: Art Walk Laguna, August, 2016. My mood: tired and cranky. I had been working on a giant apartment deal and was drained. I wanted only to stay home, stare at TV and go to bed early. But my daughter, Gabby, 23, would not let me. She said I had to go...

My Tribe   I never fit in anywhere. In high school, I was in student politics, “smart” classes, many clubs, and an early surfer. Yet I was not of any of them. I did not feel comfortable around any particular group. I felt alone, isolated.   This is not unusual for a teenager, but...

Considering China We’re afraid of China. It is taking over the world. Trump uses it as a theme. China takes unfair advantage of trade. They cheat. They are more than a billion strong and it is only a matter of time before they overwhelm us.   China’s economic miracle is our...