Though I moved to California in 1968 when I was nineteen and made it my home, in no small part I’m still a “New Yawkah.” Even so, I’m slowly losing New York. I remember the unseasonably frigid October night when I decided to move to... Continue
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Dear Bonnie: I just opened a business selling products over the web. I work from my home, which I really enjoy. But I’m a little afraid to take a home office deduction on my tax return. I heard that it’s a red flag and I... Continue
The defining character of the modern age is its relationship to acquiring knowledge: the idea that knowledge is power, specifically power over nature and others. This orientation distinguishes modernity from antiquity’s belief in knowledge as its own reward and wisdom ultimately found “in here” not... Continue
What societal trends will have the greatest impact on nonprofits in 2012? Convio, a firm that tracks nonprofit donor trends and provides software to help nonprofits manage their constituent relationships, predicted the following trends in a recently released report: (1) the maturation of social media,... Continue
In a previous column about money I wrote about symbolic and imaginary mind, and its place in human experience and psychology. The symbolic is related to language. Through language we form thoughts about our perceptions of reality and convey them to others. Our direct experience... Continue
The downside of poor is fairly obvious; no money - no food comes to mind. But in America being poor seems to have fallen on particularly hard times of late; the end of welfare, denigration of food stamps, no health insurance, and a safety net... Continue
There is no shortage of disagreement in the world. On topics petty to profound, human beings exhibit an infinite range of opinions in opposition to each other. The glass is half-full or half empty, the weather is too cool or too warm, a pierced nose... Continue
Death often arrives unannounced, of course, and at my age more frequently. This past year has brought the passing of family and most recently my dearest friend of 41 years, Kurt von Meier. Kurt was unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. Even as he grew... Continue
“I need to hear it, need to sense it, need to know that I am loved. Open your mouth for once Dad.” From “Making Sense of Suffering” J. Konrad Stettbacher, Swiss Psychotherapist It is my contention that conversation can change the world. In these trying... Continue
So here’s my prediction: during the next decade there will be a huge crackdown on marijuana users. Evolving technology for drug testing, criminal law and political opportunism will converge, creating the perfect conditions for a crack-down more severe than any before. Now you may think... Continue