In recent conversations these days, we agree it’s hard hearing of relentless shootings and terrible news. Emotions and opposing opinions pull on us like an undertow. We can’t help but feel overwhelmed sometimes. But, the fact is, no one is born believing they have no... Continue
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Can you separate Sonoma from what is going on in Ukraine? I can’t. That’s why this column, which was originally intended to be about promising solutions to the global crisis, has been about the war. There’s no solution to the war in Ukraine except to... Continue
At my advanced age I’m losing more friends than I’m gaining, so it was nice to spend a little time online chatting with my new buddy ChatGPT, the latest iteration of Artificial Intelligence available to the public. When I was a teen, one of my... Continue
We tend to view our political leaders as figures playing their parts in an ideological drama portrayed on our screens, beautifully attired, their faces polished by make-up made to look real. We forget they are human. Not until we read their biographies after they have... Continue
The primary challenge of progressive politics is to demonstrate to a deeply alienated and often chronically traumatized working class that government can change their lives for the better. That was the theory of change that motivated Bernie Sanders’ epic campaigns in 2016 and 2020. The... Continue
Homo sapiens roughly translates as “wise man”, supposedly distinguishing us from earlier hominids like Neanderthals. I’m not sure about the “wise” part, but we people certainly are thinkers. The precise definition of thinking is not as straightforward as one might, well, think. Thinking, you see,... Continue
Happy New Year! I hope you had a joyful holiday season and that your 2023 is off to a good start, rain included! And what a start we have had. This morning rain poured down on my roof, and I thought it would never... Continue
Chapter 46: 1948 • Sonora Note: my brother did not keep a diary for much of 1948. Many entries were typical posts about Boy Scouts, band, and building bookcases, some days were missed, and some weeks and months were completely blank. 1948 • Larry’s diary... Continue
Natural selection, Darwin’s insight into the workings of evolution, spans multiple generations, thousands of them. Plants and animals have been evolving for billions of years, and 99.99% of all the species that have arisen are extinct. Human-like beings have been around for perhaps a million... Continue
Putin has offered a 36-hour ceasefire in honor of the Russian Orthodox Christmas and Biden and the Ukrainians have rejected it. Russia says it is going to do it anyway. Ukrainians meanwhile heard on KPFA news can only say he doesn’t mean it, whenever he... Continue