Kids with iPads… what could go wrong?

By Bob Edwards | Sonoma Valley Sun Local parents and school administrators were recently shocked to discover that elementary school students, using school-provided iPads, were accessing serious pornography. The kids were only second-graders but seemed to be first-rate when it came to finding stuff on... Continue

Falling in love with unavailable men

Relationships, love and belonging. We all want them, especially now that spring has sprung. But sometimes our patterns in relating don’t work for us. We’re creatures of habit so we go along not knowing how we affect people. Frank and I stumbled along. We went... Continue

Your real-life 3D movie

You're the director, the camera operator and play the lead. You're the scriptwriter, too, and the costume designer, art director, gopher, finance director and critic. Everything about your movie is under your control, except the stuff that isn't, which actually is quite a lot. What's... Continue

Putting pen to paper

Why write? It’s complicated. I had no intention of becoming a writer, to externalize my life and expose it on paper. But I found that every story matters, and if I can find meaning for myself, perhaps it will help others find a shaft of... Continue

The limits of freedom

The word "freedom" implies "no limits," the presumption that free will alone constrains human action; but of course, we all know that with freedom comes limitations. Though English philosopher Thomas Hobbes built an entire belief system on the premise of the autonomous individual, he acknowledged... Continue

Seven reasons why your tax refund is so small

By Bonnie Lee For 2018 a complicated tax reform bill, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” took effect, promising to help the middle and lower classes enjoy bigger take-home pay and lower tax liabilities. Tax rates dropped, and the standard deduction doubled. This was major... Continue

Now is not the time for cowards and slackers

The launch of the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign has exhilarated the regional Our Revolution activist cadre. This is the chance of a lifetime. This project makes sense in a world in which a clearly mentally deteriorating morally-deficient, Donald J. Trump, is seeking a second term... Continue

Rolling out the Springs MAC

By Supervisor Susan Gorin After discussing the formation of the Springs Municipal Advisory Council (SMAC) with the community for more than two years, the SMAC will officially have its new members appointed by the County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 19. We... Continue

Exercising religiously

Older readers will recall that our Founders, worried that the Constitution wouldn’t be approved unless they sweetened the deal, amended the first draft. They added Ten Amendments known as the Bill of Rights, not to be confused with the Ten Commandments, seen by many... Continue

The ups and downs and all-arounds

There’s a lot of pressure to keep everything up – chin, butt and all the other parts. We’re supposed to be happy and hopping all the time. I’ll admit, it’s pretty easy to be jolly if you’re in love, wealthy, healthy, or an optimist, but... Continue

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