Donald Trump, who has demonstrated neither interest in nor aptitude for knowing and understanding world history, has seized on the word “communism” as a favorite pejorative to define many of his most prominent political enemies. He insists in countless email messages that, “Known Communists, like... Continue
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The student of history quickly learns that new technologies do more than support the operation of culture, they transform and replace it. From the wheel to the plow, from the printing press to the iMac computer, society and everyday lives take on the characteristics of... Continue
Hilary Campbell is a New Yorker magazine cartoonist who just happens to have been born and raised in Sonoma. Continue
What to do? In my 50 years as a psychotherapist, this is the first time I remember seeing so many pervasive, glaring divides in relationships. Yup, politics has exacerbated our disagreements. The holes in families, friendships, work relationships and society remind me of Swiss cheese.... Continue
Why there is something instead of nothing continues to be a subject of debate. Although visible matter, the matter we can see and detect with our instruments comprises only 5% of the observable universe, it occupies nearly all of our attention. It appears that most... Continue
Gangs of armed, masked men, in all hours of the night or early morning, loudly knocking on the doors of houses or apartments, demanding entrance and brutally throwing people down – men, women and children no matter how young – and yelling at them to... Continue
Icon: A person or thing widely admired for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere, a symbol representing an idea or object, a sacred image in Eastern Christian churches, or a stylized picture on a computer screen that represents a function. ~ Merriam... Continue
First of Two Parts The challenges facing food production here in the Sonoma Valley have been well documented, including high cost of land and housing, labor recruitment, and competition for farm products from large outside farms and retailers. With land at a premium, alternative public... Continue
Nobody Should Go Hungry Thanksgiving in the United States is certainly different this year. Many Sonoma Valley restaurants are offering special dinners for dining in or to take out, and others are just staying closed to be with families and friends and avoid paying holiday... Continue
Some elements are compatible, others incompatible. If in prolonged close contact with each other, when compatible there is stability; when incompatible, an electro-chemical, alchemical process caused by electron transfer between the two elements alters their structure and produces transformation. So too it is in marriage.... Continue