It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention but what is the mother of necessity? Just as generosity is mother of all blessings, so the mother of all necessity is suffering. To live is to suffer. Is there anyone you know who does not... Continue
Columnist
Nearly two years ago I wrote in this paper that popular fantasies about an increase in consumer spending turning around the economy were a joke. At that time the worst of the housing and credit crisis was becoming manifest, and foreclosures were beginning to soar.... Continue
Roundup (Glyphosate) is a particularly effective herbicide that is widely used in agriculture to control weeds growing among food crops. Monsanto, the developer of Roundup, wedded Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) with Roundup to create a completely integrated system of crops that are genetically altered to... Continue
As nonprofit organizations grow to meet increased community needs, the leadership of these organizations must often decide whether or not to engage in a capital campaign to raise the necessary funds that growth requires. A capital campaign is characterized as a significant fundraising effort to... Continue
It’s said humor is tragedy revisited, like slipping on a banana peel or getting your foot stuck in metal bucket. It’s not very funny while it happens, but gets funnier when retold or remembered. I keep trying to find the humor in everyday tragedy, something... Continue
Phone home! I’ve been living in foreclosure hell – dozens of black printed letters, guts churning into sleeplessness, auction dates, signs on the door, and strange men taking photos, with no notice. And, as I write this, they are still “reviewing my file,” two years... Continue
A recent report in the NY Times listed the 2010 CEO income from 200 of the largest corporations. The amount of compensation was stunning, of course, and ranged from a stratospheric $84 million for Phillip P. Dauman of Viacom, $70 million for Larry Ellison of... Continue
I’m bedeviled by “y’ know.” Everywhere where I go I hear “y’ know.” From a literal standpoint, I don’t know, and I must assume I will be told, that is, what I need to know. Out of politeness, I don’t say “No, I don’t know,”... Continue
Dear Bonnie: I just graduated from UC Berkeley and am starting a job here at a local winery. I haven’t really had a serious job before. I worked part time here and there while I was school. But it’s different now and I’m going to... Continue
I must admit to feeling quite deflated by the recent Supreme Court decisions regarding the first amendment. To see liberal justices Ginsberg, Sotomayor and Kagen recently join Scalia and Roberts in deciding not to protect minors from videos filled with blood-spattering violence, torture and mayhem... Continue