American politics has historically proceeded in 40-year cycles in which one political and ideological movement dominates the policy agenda and frames the terms of political discourse. We are now coming to the end of the dominance of the conservative movement, which in turn supplanted the... Continue
Columnist
“I want the big half,” said Isabelle, flashing her joyful five-year-old grin. I was dividing an ice-cream sandwich to share. “Well,” I said, “both halves are the same size, but you can choose the one you want. Do you like to having the bigger piece?” “Yes,”... Continue
I’ve been upside down with housing and reluctant to write about it, but friends insisted. So, here is my side of the story. It all started in 2010 when I phoned the bank. “I’ve paid my mortgage for 20 years but I ‘m going through... Continue
Popular culture seems to be satisfying a substantial public demand for violent, bloodthirsty immortals with large fangs seeking human victims. Strangely, it’s not like real life isn’t providing us with enough demons: the daily paper recounts shootings, stabbings, photos of suicide bombings, missile strikes and... Continue
Desire being the root of most human experience, finding ourselves attracted to things we see around us is entirely normal. Given widespread religious doctrines and legal prohibitions against theft, it would appear powerful temptations to satisfy desire are rather normal as well; those of us... Continue
What is self, and how will you know if you know it? are unanswered questions that have been the subject of endless discussion, from esoteric religious thought to reductionist scientific rationalism. Who is looking, and who is found? Even asking such paradoxical questions seems to... Continue
Why would anyone hunt for fun? Hunting is often cruel. Sometimes creatures don’t die immediately; sometimes they bleed to death or starve, half hunted, leaving their young to fend for themselves. Are we still primitive? Do we really need to kill? Is it because there... Continue
Dear Bonnie, My kid is going to college next year. Can you tell me something about the tax credits for higher education? I’m kind of confused. There’s the Hope Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit. Thanks. Bernie, Sonoma Hi Bernie, The American Opportunity Tax Credit,... Continue
If you’re wondering why modern life seems dominated by discussion of fiscal cliffs, taxes and money, look no further than the origins of Western civilization. For roughly 10,000 years, civilization has been obsessed with accumulating and accounting for material things, and our obsession with stuff... Continue
As we begin another year, many nonprofit leaders are looking at their 2013 budgets and wondering what they can do to reduce operational costs that seem to be increasing each year. Fortunately, there are many online resources available that provide discounted and no-cost options for... Continue