Join us on Facebook Support the Sun
What's Happening
more>>
Measure J Defeated, Rent Control losing, Sonoma Sales Tax Increase headed for approval
Sun Columnist
more >>
Katy Byrne
What's Up With That?
Katy Byrne

Endless Trick Or Treat

These are the times that try our souls. We’re watching clocks change to early night darkness and elections rocking our boats. This next round of no-light-after-5 p.m. begins soon. Why do they call it daylight savings anyway?  In this spooky season of the trickster, we never know what’s around that next corner. Heading into the elections is like watching Godzilla wave his heavy tail through our towns, creating a tidal wave in history, threatening our rights, security and freedoms.  Changes are constant. Now my healthcare company is shifting gears again, changing names and corporate ownership. Spooky. Just today I spent a laborious hour on the computer trying to find a document in spam and after that fun task, my handyman suddenly looked scared, asking for directions to the hospital to take an MRI. After that I got a lovely note from a friend offering kind compliments that fueled me, soon followed by the news that a relative was in the hospital.  Halloween’s swirling goblins seem to be popping out, shrieking "boo" around each corner. So, how do we thrive in changing times? I decided to do more self-care and cleaning up the house. Remaining resilient requires doing next steps to move forward in life. But then another ghost appeared. I found evacuation bags tucked away in a hidden corner. Was this an apparition? Deciding not to be defeated, I planned a trip to Ashville, North Carolina where, within hours, treacherous floods killed so many in a torrent of unexpected rain and flash floods from Hurricane Helene. The Biltmore Hotel, a few days before so lively, was boarded up.  My cuckoo clock reminds me with a bit of wit, life includes change. So, what helps us get through turbulent times? Generosity of spirit, offering service and doing self-care. Life’s an art. So, my self-soothing includes watching “The Golden Bachelor” on television and yes, she’s an older woman! It’s a favorite way to perk myself up. If you don’t know about it, imagine a woman over 60 trying to decide between 32 fabulous men.  Healthy nourishment cushions us from the slings and arrows of ill-fated fortune, the ups and downs of life. Treats matter. Most of us are on one end of the teeter-totter or the other. With stressors, losses or gains, we need replenishment. But let me not make light of this profoundly serious next few months in our democratic history. We don’t want slimy tricks now, when our governance “of the people, by the people” should be where power originates, as Abraham Lincoln said, “from the citizens and serves the interests of the people as a whole.”  So, we try to keep our souls soothed, maybe by watching fun movies, like “As Good As It Gets” or “Moon Struck,” or revisiting old Jonathon Winters interviews with Johnny Carson. Whether you dress like a lime green bean on Halloween, walk the darling dog, giggle at past Betty Boop cartoons or read the wordsmith of political satire, Maureen Dowd in the New York Times, please stay involved in current conversations about the profound importance of this pivotal year that could steal our freedoms and create terrifying changes if we don’t stay engaged.  Leave the treats long enough to vote, and prevent tricks that could destroy democracy.
Continue Story...
Red Flag Warning Goes Into Effect this Week Red Flag Warning Goes Into Effect this Week

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning that includes the City of Sonoma and the entire... Continue

The Ambulance With Wings Has Landed The Ambulance With Wings Has Landed

Sonoma’s generosity has given an ambulance wings! The donated ambulance arrived in Kaniv, Ukraine... Continue

Jack London 108-Year Memorial At JL Historic Park Jack London 108-Year Memorial At JL Historic Park

A highlight of November events at Jack London State Historic Park will be a memorial celebration of the... Continue

Early In-Person Voting Available This Weekend Early In-Person Voting Available This Weekend

Early in-person voting expands this weekend for November 5 General Election Early in-person voting for... Continue


• Diabetes Health Fair Planned for November 9, at La Luz
• The Sonoma Valley Community Health Center is Seeking New Board Members
• History Matters: Nominations Now Open
• Reports Show Lopsided Contributions to Measure J
• Teachers vs. District: Do They or Don’t They Have an Agreement?
• Praxis Peace Institute’s Robust November/December Speaker Series
• Spooktacular Sonoma – Halloween around the Sonoma Plaza
• John “Mac” McQuown, creator of the first index fund and owner of Stone Edge Farm, dies at 90
• Sonoma Planning Commission Modifies SB9 Ordinance
• Controlled Burn Planned in Sonoma Valley October 29th
Letters & Opinion
more >>
SUN Columnist
more >>
Public Citizen - Larry Barnett
Snark Infested Waters - Bob Edwards
Board Walk - Susan Gorin
What's Up With That? - Katy Byrne
Voices of the New Majority - Loretta Carr
Personal/Political - Sonoma Sun
Under the Sun: Interviews - Sonoma Sun
Wild Valley - Teri Shore
Rude Awakenings - Catherine Sevenau
Mental Health Matters - Sonoma Valley Sun
The Creative Spark - Connie Schlelein
The Coyote Road: Journeying Through Musical Terrain - George Thompson
Sonoma Farm Scene - Seth Dolinsky
The Tech Guy - Jim Witous
Letter from the Editor - David Bolling
Cartoons by Hilary - Hilary Campbell
As I See It - Will Shonbrun
Find What You're looking For

Archives

Events & Entertainment
more>>
Sonoma Conservatory of Dance’s first ever gala November 14
Mentoring Alliance Orientation
What We're Following
more>>
Stories of interest from around the Web
Diabetes risk soars for adults who had a sweet tooth as kids
> Nature - November 6th, 2024
The 2024 United States presidential race “is absolutely a climate election where it matters most: in policies, budgets, and basic principles
> Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - November 5th, 2024
A blockbuster weight-loss drug sharply reduces pain from obesity-related knee arthritis and improves a person’s ability to engage in activities such as climbing stairs
> Nature - November 4th, 2024
How does overeating lead to diabetes? Consuming a high-fat diet triggers a surge of neurotransmitters across the body, leading to the rapid breakdown of fatty tissue in the liver 
> Nature - November 3rd, 2024
Viral misquotes evolve and replicate, often the results of honest blunders, such as paraphrases mistaken for direct quotes or confusion between similar names. 
> Big Think - November 1st, 2024
With no safe, natural places to play and no wild areas to escape to, the built environment is damaging children’s connection to nature 
> Resilience - October 31st, 2024
When is a heat wave just a heat wave, and when is it climate change?
> Science Daily - October 30th, 2024
Understanding how ‘hunters’ ‘dancers’ and ‘busybodies’ find information on Wikipedia could help to improve the site and encourage better teamwork
> Nature - October 29th, 2024
Poll shows California’s Prop 36 crime initiative poised to pass by large margin
> Politico - October 28th, 2024
A Purrrrfect Political Storm: Crazy cat ladies have come to dominate this election season. It’s hardly the first time
> Jstor - October 27th, 2024
Human brain can process certain sentences in ‘blink of an eye’, says study
> The Guardian - October 26th, 2024
Social media and excessive screen time are already being blamed for an epidemic of anxiety, depression, suicide, and mental illness among America’s youth. Will AI make us crazy?
> Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - October 25th, 2024
Did psilocybin mushrooms trigger useful worldview shifts in early humans that “went viral” and ultimately reshaped society?
> Big Think - October 24th, 2024
Zero, which was invented late in history, is special among numbers. New studies are uncovering how the brain creates something out of nothing
> Quanta Magazine - October 23rd, 2024
AI + synthetic biology: What could possibly go wrong?
> Resilience - October 22nd, 2024
AccuWeather estimates that Hurricane Milton will be responsible losses of between $160 and $180 billion. The environment is the economy, stupid
> Civil Notion - October 21st, 2024
Researchers have identified three proteins that work together as matchmakers between sperm and egg cells, which creates a place for an egg protein to bind
> Nature Briefing - October 20th, 2024
Current tobacco product use among U.S. middle and high school students has dropped to the lowest recorded level in 25 years 
> Centers for Disease Control - October 19th, 2024
Missing immune cells may explain why COVID-19 vaccine protection quickly wanes
> Science - October 18th, 2024
Claims about food and immunity are everywhere. Now scientists are exploring exactly how nutrition acts on the immune system to boost health and treat disease
> Nature - October 17th, 2024
More Following Stories...
Link to Live Crime Map
Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA