Chapter 37: 1947 • Minnesota ~ Dad’s first trip back to the family farm was for his mother’s funeral ten years prior. He and Mom took the long train trip to the Midwest, bringing Larry who was almost four and Carleen who was a year younger.... Continue
Columnist
The bloodless and tepid response of the Democratic Party leadership to the existential crisis of the Trump-packed Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe has forced us to confront the fact that the hollowed-out institutional core of the party will not protect us from the gathering storm... Continue
Let’s be honest, there’s lots to think about these days. We’re bombarded with boisterous politicians throwing food at walls, abortion threats, fire season, constant troubling news, and the high cost of everything. It’s more than enough to chew on, maybe that’s why I chipped a... Continue
At the beginning of 20th century, coincident with the rise of high technology and the advancement of science - the telegraph, radio, personal automobiles, and the shift from agrarian to industrial culture - the way people related to each other and themselves began a major... Continue
I am my mind and my body, and they are me. So it is that my self-consciousness imagines itself. My inner thoughts, unspoken but constructed of words nonetheless, convert my embodied experience of being to the symbolic and then back to embodied again. I feel... Continue
Years ago my coworker and friend said a couple of things that have come back to haunt me in light of where Republicans and the Supreme Court are taking us today. Although she was a staunch Republican and we disagreed on much, she was my... Continue
Even if the Supreme Court does not nullify the 13th Amendment next year to again legalize slavery and involuntary servitude, Americans will still be able to volunteer to work for nothing. Which is essentially what candidates for a seat on Sonoma City Council agree to... Continue
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has approved a $2.26 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2022/2023, which began July 1. To give a broad overview, though this is certainly not comprehensive, among the funding allocated: $5.5 million to increase General Fund reserves; $2.8 million to... Continue
There is a certain type of veggie burger I love. For a while Whole Foods, Sonoma Market, and Safeway carried it. Now only Sonoma Market carries it. It is a good thing we have four supermarkets in Sonoma. I hit them all to get all... Continue
I met Valeriya Rudyaka at the Plaza in March at an event in support of the people of Kaniv, our Sister City in Ukraine. When I saw her recent post on NextDoor, I asked her if she’d like to get together to share her story.... Continue