About the Author

David Allen, a native of Illinois, has worked in newspapers for three decades, all in California, his adopted home. His career began in 1987 at the Santa Rosa News Herald and continued at the Rohnert Park-Cotati Clarion, Petaluma Argus-Courier and Victor Valley Daily Press, some of which are still in business. In 1997 he joined the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, where he is a columnist. Find his work online at dailybulletin.com, or impress your friends by buying an actual newspaper.