Morphology, the study and comparison of form, is one method used by scientists and naturalists to classify plants and animals into Genus and Species. By determining physical structures as unique to a particular organism, one species of organism can be differentiated from other members of... Continue
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Much is being made of the angry white men of America, men who have lost jobs, lost wives, and have lost hope. That lost hope has been replaced with anger - anger at women, at minorities, at immigrants and politicians. It's a troubling and complicated... Continue
A colleague recently told me that last year he had made a donation to a local nonprofit organization for a specific purpose. He has since learned that the leadership of the nonprofit has now determined that the project for which his donation was given is... Continue
“Oma, there’s dead people under those rocks, you know.” I glance over to see what Satchel is talking about. My four-year-old grandson is commenting from his car seat about the small cemetery to our left on East Napa Street. “I know, that’s where they put our... Continue
The Trump campaign unleashed a torrent of news stories about sexual harassment and abuse of women by men. As Rebecca Solnit points out in her book of essays on the topic, "Men Explain Things to Me," male aggression against women is a long-standing feature of... Continue
I walk into the store looking for a purse, determined to find just the right one -- the one that holds everything, yet reflects who I am! Why is this subject so important? Could purses tell us about ourselves? Why am I either squeezed into... Continue
I recently went back east to attend my 50th high school reunion. I've attended other reunions; the 20th and the 40th, so I've had contact with some classmates over the years. This time, however, quite a few former students showed up who have never attended... Continue
I’ve been told that when I was a baby, I had large, luminous eyes that garnered admiration from family, friends, even strangers. People would look intently and comment. Then one day my eyes became watery, exuding a pus-like discharge. My alarmed mother made plans to... Continue
Can we get insight about people by noticing their hair? Maybe I’m having a wild hair day here, but you can’t help wondering: why does Donald Trump wears his hair that way? Can you imagine running your fingers through that sticky jungle? And why is... Continue
The 2016 Presidential election has been like a giant national MRI, which has exposed the decayed structure of American democracy like a flash exposure going off in a dimly lit basement room. It has been deeply demoralizing to witness the abysmal level of civic consciousness... Continue