Sitting in the hot tub watching the afternoon wind whip a flag flying atop a 40-foot bamboo pole in my garden, I thought about waves. Flags wave in the wind, a convergence of weight, length, wind speed, and air turbulence. If the right proportions of... Continue
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Dear Bonnie, I just filed my tax return and found that I owe, but don’t have the money to pay. Are they going to take the money out of my bank account? Anonymous, Sonoma Dear Anonymous, If you are unable to pay your tax liability, your... Continue
Roughly 500 years ago, Johannes Guttenberg introduced moveable type and the modern book was born. Guttenberg hoped that his invention would make the Bible more available and help sustain and enlarge the Catholic faith, but ironically it was reformer Martin Luther who used moveable type... Continue
By now, you have likely seen the banners all around the Plaza and read the announcements in the paper. You may have even received an email or a personal invitation from your favorite nonprofit organization to attend an event to introduce you to philanthropic legacy... Continue
Acre for acre, natural rainforests contain more biological diversity than any other place on earth, both plants and animals. The rainforest is the likely mother of us all. Only a small fraction of the many rainforest species are identified, yet modern civilization is systematically destroying... Continue
I’m a cat and I’ve got hairballs for a reason. I guess you could call them pet peeves. I admit that when I’m stressed, I might drop a hairball, but we all have them, don’t we? Especially these days, there’s congestion in our throats when... Continue
Both Presidential candidates are convinced that getting people back to work is the most essential ingredient in improving the American economy. This is, of course, true; more people working means more money consumption, more taxes to be collected, and more profits to be earned. The... Continue
I recently accompanied my wife as she traveled to Minnesota for her 50th high school reunion. It’s not easy being a reunion “spouse” while a group of 68-year-olds reexamine their senior year neuroses. Being a reunion spouse is a lot like being nobody. I opted out... Continue
Elections are ultimately a decision to empower a vision of society, which in turn is rooted in a frame story that provides a cultural narrative, grounded in the bedrock of shared values. We are electing a social metaphor that animates and orients the policy choices... Continue
Industrialization is grinding the planet to dust, pollution radically changing our climate, population increasing to unsustainable levels, disease and poverty continue to spread and politicians worldwide bicker foolishly over non-issues; we’ve gotten ourselves into a terrible mess, but nonetheless, society is basically good. Looking around... Continue