It's 1986, and am in California, studying towards a graduate degree in cultural anthropology, but am considering medicine with my background in biology, being beyond curious about neuroscience. In my mind, I'm also thinking about veterinary school at UC Davis, having done research on, and cared for, so many birds. I so love those avian dinosaurs that managed to survive the mass extinction crisis prior to the one we're in right now. I have to work. Unlike Denmark, higher education in the USA is unattainably expensive for so many, and is a major cause for America's degeneration towards a religion-justified,...

TWO TALESI was in the checkout line at the supermarket when the man in front of me got my attention. He was older, very thin almost frail looking. His basket of stuff was inching toward the cashier on the conveyor. Excuse me sir, “Do you think you could help me pay for my groceries. I don’t have any money and I need to feed my grandkids”. Sure enough there were two small boys with him and a woman hovering in the background. The selections on the conveyor reflected the eating preferences of children. “I just started a new job and...

Unlike the uneducated boor on Pennsylvania Avenue most Americans are familiar with Juneteenth. At this poignant, harrowing, chaotic time I hope that my simple words can help in the push for equality that should have been given to Black people in 1619. Here are few women, much braver than I, who worked towards the freeing of humans from slavery in the US. The recent movie, Harriet, has brought one women’s story to our current generation. Another Black woman, Sojurner Truth, many are familiar with for her famous speech at the 1851 Women's Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, ‘And ain’t...

China's Forest City plan Articlke in progress.  Do not yet approvehttps://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-economy-life-society-analysis-covid-135579 (bring in expert discussion on the world after vovid) Most who will read this have varying degrees of economic security, such that pretty near all the comforts we have taken for granted in our lives haven't yet been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I say, “not yet,” because... well, to be honest, what we now are experiencing with this virus describes only the tip of the iceberg to what the future holds. And that’s due to a huge set of issues directly related to the inertia of centuries of...

Recently I was watching my 14 year old grandson play a video game, it was a story that took place in the Wild West and a player could pick the character they wanted to be. I asked him if there were any female characters. He said, “No Memaw, there aren’t famous women in the Wild West.” Oh really?! I asked him if he had ever heard of Calamity Jane. Not surprisingly, he hadn’t. Challenge accepted. I was going to prove to him that there many women who helped settle and/or pillage the West. It wasn’t hard to find women who...

Laura Cornelius Kellogg When we think of heroic people we tend to assume they were flawless and we are often let down when we read about their flaws. People who do heroic things are just like you and I, they have idiosyncrasies and flaws just like other humans. Frequently they are the victim of someone else’s wrath. Sometimes a person who is a hero to one generation may not be to another, for example, Thomas Jefferson. While he is the writer of a beautiful document espousing freedom he was also a slave owner, quite a moral conflict. Or, envy, jealousy...

Dear Mr President, is that you touching me? I have no eyes except in the minds of people, and I've changed over the years as states came onto my banner; so I know history better than anyone in this house.  For I was but a dream of liberty, taxed without representation by predatory rule, but for so much blood, sweat and tears to declare forever, We the People. And the old kingdom, in trying to take back Turtle Island, the colonies, now America, set a poet into custody on that ship by the dawn's early light who saw me still...

Who invented the computer? Most of us immediately think of Steve jobs and Steve Woznick. Or perhaps even, Alan Turing, Charles Babbage, Konrad Zuse, or the IBM team of Bill Lowe, and Don Estridge in Boca Raton, Florida who, with a group of 12 strategists, worked around the clock to manufacture and promote of a computer Or perhaps you might think of the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient hand powered Greek analogue computer which has also been described as the first example of such a device, but we do not know who created it. You may even think of William Oughtred...

Who knows how many social and culture advances have been lost to the biased and inaccurate recording of women’s accomplishments throughout history? How many ideas have been lost, destroyed or simply overlooked by male historians? I suspect a great many. Have you heard of Emilie Du Chatelet, Sophie Germain, Mary Somerville, Ada Lovelace or Hypatia? Just a few female mathematicians who precede the women of Hidden Figures. I do not suggest that the women of Hidden Figures are not critical to our history in any way, I am merely pointing out that the struggle to value women has been going...

https://www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/articles/womens-voices-in-the-medieval-period Since I love writing on a plethora of different topics; sometimes for my own perusal, sometimes to help other people with their writing, sometimes just reading and hearing about authors, I thought I would look for a female writer in my favorite historical era- Medieval History. After searching and ‘googling’ I discovered the first known female writer in France, Christine de Pizan (1364 – c. 1430), a poet and author at the court of King Charles VI of France. In fact, she was a feminist writer! Why have I never heard of her before? Oh, yeah, because men have dominated...

I don’t know about you but I have become tired of the ‘just the way things are’ miasma surrounding our culture. In particular, I’m tired of the avarice of the ‘old white Christian male’ that has dominated our society for so long. This is not to say that ALL old white men are bad, or that Christianity, itself is bad. I am talking about the dogma of ‘old white Christian men’, one can be female and have this outlook, one can be of another race and have the attitude that they are dominant, of wealth at all cost, and of...

Sometimes it takes a long time to get a message through, even to myself. Like maybe 50 years. However late, I finally received it. My parents started the message, my college professors endorsed it, a tiny fraction of the media kept pushing it, I sort of believed it but never fully embraced it, life experience forced me to live it and finally after reading the November issue of National Geographic I fully absorbed the message.  Women are equal to men. Period. Women are equal to men. Women can and have proven they can do what men can do....

And now for something completely different... So, this is America in the 21st Century. Call me old-fashioned, but when I was growing up back in the day, this country was a major source of pride for most of its citizens. Sure we had problems. Things like wealth inequality, racism, gender supresion, international threats and nukes were just the tip of the iceberg. And regardless of which side you landed on these problems, we could all at least come together around the holidays and have some fun. Whether it was the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day or whatever, the people...

We say the cause if opioids. –Or anabolic steroids. We blame the guns with rapid fire,Assuming they translate our ire. We blame the mothers, fathers, kin –We blame the shooter with thin skin. There was a time we blamed the terrorist.Soon, he was among there rarest. His place is now coveredBy the progeny of Ma Hubbard. The home-grown and homespunAre now the masters of the gun. They pop up without warning,With ammo fast aborning. The schools are favorite venues –And, oh, yes, then, there are the Jews p— And mosques and churches,As fast as a gunner lurches – Blood everywhere...

THE LAST PART https://amazingmemovement.com/ It has taken a long time to write part 3 of my Alzheimer's journey because it was the hardest part and I keep waiting for a day when I can say the word, Alzheimer's, without my eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears. Apparently, that day isn't coming or maybe it's just so much further in the future that I can’t imagine it. Maybe I just need to write it out and hope that by doing so the last tear will fall when the writing is complete. This is what happened to me at the...

Image is © Infected Blood Comics - do not reproduce without consent But instead, you had to go to the Dominican Republic, eh? As if that country didn't have enough problems, already. I'll get back to this. Over a month ago, my wife and I decided to go on vacation. We'd been through a very tough year, which included one major surgery each, my changing jobs three times, and both of us moving out of our apartment, due to Airbnb doom that had turned our once happy building into hooker central station. Being so exhausted and needing to relax, we did...

Just because you move away from alcohol, just because you divorce yourself from a spouse who is drinking or an alcoholic relative dies and you think you are free, you are not. Alcoholism has far reaching tentacles that follow you around and tap you on the shoulder, “Hi, it’s me again. I never went away, I just got a new body.” Alcoholism will always find you- you cannot run away from it. You may be sitting placidly in a restaurant with friends and there it will be at the next table, a woman arguing loudly with her husband, not caring...

When I turned fifty, my warranty ran out. I felt like a car that slowly, inextricably, begins to wear out from driving too hard, driving to many miles, and driving for too long. 50,000 miles and 50 years. First, the hubcaps fall off, then the mysteries of the engine – which have eluded me for years – begin to do whatever engines do when they slowly fall apart. Then brakes go bad, timing goes off (I assume cars still have rotors which haven’t been replaced by electronic devises), thermostats get stuck, lights go dim, and my car becomes fitted...

On October 7, 2018, "the United Nations released a damning report. The short version: We have about 12 years to actually do something to prevent the worst aspects of climate change. That is, not to prevent climate change—we're well past that point—but to prevent the worst, most catastrophic elements of it from wreaking havoc on the world's population. To do that, the governments of Earth need to look seriously at the forces driving it. And an honest assessment of how we got here lays the blame squarely at the feet of the 1 percent. "Contrary to a lot of guilt-tripping...

I don’t agree with the use of the term “Latinx" for a multitude of reasons. I’ve taken the time to analyze the arguments people have made to justify the use of the term, but I find it easy to debunk every one of them and then some. And that’s what I’ll do in this article. Pro-Latinx argument #1: It is inclusive of people who don’t identify as male or female. Counter-argument: Listen, you do you. But why invent a gender-neutral term when one already exists? Has no one heard the term “Latin” before? As in “Latin America”? Why...

I thought this year would be another one like the previous years, with a decreasing strength to fight for freedom here. But we got surprising news from inside when the new president of the congress or national assembly was chosen for that role. What’s different this time? Well, this man, Juan Guaidó, 36-year-old, belongs to one of the new political parties, the one founded by Leopoldo Lopez, the political leader who got imprisoned 5 years ago. And the right of this party was respected by the other and older parties. The interesting thing with Guaidó is that he does not...

One morning my son dismissively looked at me — as many of the adult children of old guys do — and said, “You have your Old Guy summer uniform on.” “Old Guy summer uniform?” “Yea, you know, cargo shorts, flowered shirts, Birkenstocks.” He thought I was wearing Birkenstocks. I was wearing Costco-stocks. I didn’t know what Birkenstocks were, so I snuck off. (Before you criticize, I have never decided if “snuck” is a real word. Sneaked sounds pretentious. But you probably understood what I meant when I wrote “I snuck off.” Therefore, in some sense it...

Before you proceed: I believe the first amendment is critical to a healthy democracy. I do not advocate or wish to eliminate free speech. For the past 3 years I have asked a person, Beth Light, in my community to stop sending me emails due to their content; typically ranting about how awful the president and Republicans are, calling out people in politics and even people in our community, their actions and words that Beth does not like. She insults individuals and groups alike, calls them names and even threatens them with legal action. After a while I noticed her...

About women swearing..... for what it's worth I think we should not put a lot of importance on if a woman says the “F” word. I know that some find swear words offensive and they think it shows a lack of intellect. It seems they find it particularly offensive if a woman swears. I wonder, why? I swear quite freely because I'm an adult and I can do what I want. They are words just like any other word. They have meaning and they have a message and just like any other word, context matters. According to the MacMillan Dictionary...

https://www.kartoen.be/wp/contact/ It’s a bit complicated….. Peace sure isn’t easy, some people say we need to fight for peace and that is a dilemma in itself. Fight? For peace? Sounds like a contradiction. Finding a path to peaceful connections is something that has been ongoing for me for a long time, probably since my Religious Studies class at SJSU. In turtle like fashion I have stuck my head out and then pulled it back in regularly over my adult life. In college, at work, in family discussions I would practice peace, and sometimes I have fallen off the path into ‘bitchiness’....

Texas-born Peter Ruiz is a friend who lives in Oakland, California. He is six feet four and – with a thumb in the eye to his receding hairline – he is purposely and fashionably billiard-ball bald. Peter’s birth name is, “Pedro,” redounding to his Mexican mother. His Spanish with her is as comfortable as the English of his African American father. Peter Ruiz is a self-contracting events coordinator, under the slogan, “Leave it to Peter” (my contribution). His clients are Silicon Valley-scale and similar. They keep him continually hopping all over the country. I first met the pate-hirsute Peter a...

The Loss of Things Many years ago I heard that Fannie Flagg  was inspired to write a book because she found a shoe box of memorabilia her aunt had left behind, just a shoe box, after a life of living all that was left was a shoe box of miscellaneous things. That thought has resonated with me for many years. I also think about what imprint people make after their death when I saw a picture of the Chapel of Bones in Evora in Milan, Italy. All of those people had lived and died and no would ever know...

Dear Michelle, I am writing to ask you, how do we go high? Your powerful speech on July 26, 2016 continues to surface in my mind, especially when I hear and see bullying, hate speech, insults and fighting. Because I am not doing a very good job of it. When you first said these words it seemed so easy, ‘just go higher, don’t stoop to the level of a bully, just do be better, act better...’ But it’s really, really, frickin’ hard! And make no mistake about it, this November when we go to...

In the midst of the entire BS that is our political reality, life goes on. People have to go to work; have to navigate through traffic jams; have to feed their families; have to play with their children and help them with homework; have to deal with illness and mounting medical bills; have to bury loved ones and cope with their absence; have to struggle with debt and stress.  There was a time you could depend on friends to help you get through the tough times, no matter what.  But since the advent of social media (and especially since...

For just short of a century, The Braille Institute of America has been a beacon and shelter for adults and children born without sight, or later deprived thereof in a variety of ways and degrees. Apart from inducing geniality among those of similar experience, the Braille Institute also offers instruction in a plethora of useful skills and knowledge. The teaching of Braille reading and writing remains its basic raison d’etre. A free, now-digital library system, in conjunction with the National Library Service, is a veritable treasure for those deprived of the ability of reading the written word. Both Tom Hughes...

Sadly, this follow up to my initial reports on working in my local Democratic Central Committee will not be an optimistic or hopeful story because I feel like Floki, one of the main characters in the TV Series Vikings  who is also an historical person and the first Norseman to deliberately sail to Iceland.  Floki has a dream of creating a new world but his dream quickly fades as strife among the new settlers’ causes a death- Floki is devastated. He blames himself, that he was not effective as a leader. While I am certainly not equal to Floki in...

My big brother Marc enlisted me one year in a project to fix Christmas, one that was proving to be the worst of our lives. He was the kid who knew how to get things, how to build things, to catch things and to fix things, while I usually served as his assistant in his various projects. I would chum the hole, while he caught the fish. I passed the boards and nails, while he built the forts and tree houses. I was the dreamer, the drawer of spaceships, the looker-outer of windows. He figured things out and fixed...

We’ve been busy recently talking with a group of people we hoped we wouldn’t have to: Tree Removal Contractors. Sadly we have about 15 trees that need to be removed from our property, all of them over 200 year’s old and over 100 feet tall. To quote one contractor, “Your trees aren’t dying- they’re DEAD!” It happened so quickly, at least in our eyes it did. In the spring they were green but 3 months later they are completely brown. We have been bombarded with the infamous Pine Bark Beetle. It turns out there was not much we, as a...

In Puerto Rican parlance, and a derivative of the indigenous language and Spanish, the island is known as, “Borinquen” or “Borinquén.” Puerto Ricans, in turn, call themselves, “Borinqueños,” “Borincanos” or “Borícuas.” “Lamento Borincano” is a plaintive song that describes how Puerto Rico fared in the economically depressive state into which it was thrust after it became a ward of the U.S., as a result of the Spanish-American War. One of Puerto Rico’s most popular songs, it was penned by the island’s prolific composer Rafael Hernández (1892-1965). Hernández, a Puerto Rican with obvious African roots, was a longtime resident of...

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Black and White is a beautiful thing. Here we are again, fighting among ourselves about race. Black people are angry. White people are angry. The president who is supposed to LEAD has exposed himself as clearly in favor of White Supremacy. We had a half Black, half White president and some people lost their minds because he wasn't all White. Aren't we tired of fighting among ourselves? I certainly am. It wasn't bad enough that we fought a civil war about Slavery (and yes the Civil War was about Slavery).  How long are we going to label each other...

Recently during one of our regular morning conversations before we get up and start our day, my sweetheart and I talked fondly about our childhood memories, we both feel blessed to have experienced a somewhat idyllic childhood. We’re Baby Boomers  to give you a reference on when we grew up, and we’re white so that certainly played into the equation, but this isn’t going to be about race, it’s going to be about the safety and security of our parents and why I wasn’t able to provide that to my children. As a kid during summer vacation in Quebec my...

Despite all of our effort, our best intentions, the effort we make to rise above, the self-help books we read or the advice we get from those whom we respect we still come to a place when we have to do something we don’t want to, when we have to open our mouth and speak from deep inside ourselves and make the choice to use our voice to have a difficult and painful conversation. Sometimes we have to accept that we cannot love our neighbor. We have to accept that no matter how hard we have tried we will not...

As a kid, living in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, I heard the term “niggersandspics” so often I thought it was a single word. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but because of the way people (whites, Jews, Italians, Irish, Poles, etc) used it, I knew it was not complimentary. I also grew up with blacks using half that word in a friendly, cajoling and casual way. Ricans also used spic as a self-identifier in a way that made clear they had owned the word. As I grew up and heard many other racial, sexual and LGBT epithets...

France has completed voting in the first round, where an inordinate number of presidential candidates vied for the privilege of proceeding to the next round of voting. The two survivors are extreme right-winger Marine Le Pen and fulcrum-sitter Emmanuel Macron, who bested Le Pen by 2.5 points. They will meet in a decisive second-round shootout on May 7. Marine Le Pen heads the National Front Party, which was established by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen in 1957. What distinguishes the Le Pens and their party is the unbearable stench of racism, anti-Semitism and jingoism. When, decades ago, I began...

There was a hit song built around an upper-class neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. No one ever mentions the nuclear physicist elephant or elephants living in “Gangnam style” in Pyongyang, North Korea. No one doubts the abilities of the North Koreans; nevertheless, joining the world’s “Nuclear Club” certainly would require technical and material support from individuals or nations already in the club. Why is it that, in all of the angst over Kim Jong Un’s madness and The Bomb, no one ever addresses the pachyderms m-m? Could it be: • Pakistan’s A. Q. Khan. Once a nuclear proliferation outlaw,...

Those amazingly pinpoint-accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles fired at a Syrian airbase carried with them the disgust of the civilized world. The DNA of that revulsion has long roots; they extend over time and space. In these modern times, there was Nanking; Kristallnacht/the camps; Cambodia; Bosnia; Rwanda... These were episodes of utmost political outrage against humanity that exceeded established perimeters, and wherein organized nation states could not or would not intervene. In these cases, the world tends to flagellate itself for some time afterwards. The last straw for the otherwise callous and isolationist Donald Trump was the suffering of, “Those beautiful...

Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen meets with Trump in the Oval Office on March 30, 2017March 31, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the Danish sale of the former Danish Virgin Islands to the US. And various groups representing the interests of the descendents of African-Danish slaves are currently in Denmark to again officially ask the Danish government for an apology. By virtue of that sale they experienced on their bodies and minds their own resale to a foreign power as objects to be traded and violently forced into corporate slave labor conditions on sugar and other plantations, even...

We’ve been lied to.... time to call out the liars. Approximately 30 years ago, about 3 something in the AM I was putting my baby daughter back to sleep and I heard someone yelling and banging on walls, we lived in a condominium at the time, so I carefully peeked out the window to see what was going on and witnessed a young man pounding his fists on the garage doors in the complex and yelling at the top of his lungs, moving down the alley, garage door by garage door. Yelling and pounding walls. This image has stuck in...

Princess Roxy Since I was 10 I have had the privilege of living with dogs and I do mean privilege, their unconditional love, and it is love based on our interpretation, as the wonder of science has now shown us,  their energy, their antics and their loyalty are unlike any other relationship we have. The human/dog relationship has been around for centuries and there is no other interspecies relationship quite like it. We also know that dogs are good for therapy and happily accept the role of being the eyes of the blind and other helpful associations. For me it...

Watching adults argue, insult each other, and be mean to each other is difficult, especially for the empathetic heart. Watching children be mean is doubly painful. It is painful because we know that the child learned his/her behavior at home and the parents and family are not able or willing to be an example of openness and understanding. We know that children are sponges of their environment and when we witness cruelty and bigotry we know that an adult showed them how to be that way. And now..... now, we have an adult in the highest leadership role our country...

After the election I wrote about a local group forming in my neighborhood. I thought I would give an update on our local assembly and how we are progressing. Last night’s Farewell Address was more inspiring than I thought it would be, I had expected that I would cry (which I did, of course) but I did not think that I would be happy at the end of it, yet I was. Once again the man spoke with such passion that I felt how the Patriots at the Battles of Lexington and Concord may have felt. My thoughts were, “YES!...

O Israel! Thy fight is not with the static, impoverished Palestinian. Why struggle with that wretched, thin strip of desert from which thou departed inancient times? Left behind, buried there, is the sandy hue of thy discarded hide.. Thou spreadest thyself among European nations, which became more and more transfixedby thy rejected son. Even whilst thou became integral amongst those people, the incompatibility of theCrucifix and the Menorah formed a wedge which drove thee from border to shore. Ultimately, the vitriol terminated in an unconscionable attempt to eradicate thy earthlypresence. This was not a Palestinian doing. Thy just ire is...

(The inevitable conclusion) " 'TWAS THE FRIDAY BEFORE X-MAS " 'Twas the Friday before X-Mas, and stuck in my brain.Was my plan to kill Santa, with a gun or by train.The list of my options I hung up with care,My vengeance was real and soon would be clear. I lured him to my place in southern CaliforniaSaid I'd quit my harassment, "It won't work" my friends warned me.This feud ends tonight, one way or another.Either I'd be victorious, or running for cover. My alibi established; "'Twas home in my bed",Dreams of sniper attacks or bombing his sled;I waited in...

(This is just too much! If I'm ever going to get my monkey I need to take matters into my own hands but I'm just too pissed off to think straight. What to do....) TO: The Law Offices of Rush, Phibbs & DeLayC/O: Dick DeLay FROM: Mr. Kristopher KringleNorth Pole Toy Mfg, LTDYada, yada, yada... FIRST CLASS MAIL - SIGNATURE REQUIRED RE: Reply to Your Notice of Intent to File Legal Action Dear Sir, Bite me! Regards,Santa (To Be Continued)

(I had no choice. I decided to sue the fat bastard and let the courts decide. After all, what's the worst that can happen?) TO: Mr. Kristopher KringleNorth Pole Toy Mfg, LTD VIA INTERNATIONAL PROCESS SERVERFROM: The Law Offices of Rush, Phibbs & DeLayRichard (Dick) DeLay RE: Notice of Intent to File Legal Action Dear Sir, I have been informed that you are the appropriate point of contact for all matters pertaining to the Christmas Holiday and, more specifically, the actions taken by your organization against my client; MR. ERIC J. KISER. This letter is to inform you that MR....

(This was the response I recieved from that old fat Elf. You would think he had better things to do than wasting his time writing such a long letter. But that's OK. I called my lawyer...) To: Mr. Eric J. KiserSan Diego, CA From: Santa ClausNorth Pole Toy Manufacturing, LTD.1 Cold PlaceSuite #1North American Continent Polar Region 10095 RE: Response to your letter Mr. Kiser, Ho, Ho, Ho! This letter is to inform you that we are in receipt of your correspondence dated 12/17/2016. After a comprehensive review, my staff and I felt it necessary to respond formally, and...

(Photo submitted as evidence at trial. Re-printed courtesy San Diego District Attorneys Office) Here are the details of my ongoing battle with Santa. Please do not judge too harshly. It all began with a letter... To: Mr. Kristopher Kringle(A.K.A. Santa Clause, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, et al)C/O North Pole Toy Manufacturing, LTD.1 Cold Place. Suite #1North American Continent Polar Region, 10095 From: Eric J. KiserSan Diego, CA 92037 RE; Service Issues Dear Sir, I have been a regular client for many years and, for the most part, have been satisfied with the services you provide. This year however I...

Cuba’s history began when Christopher Columbus, after partially sailing around its endless coastline, pronounced it to be the mainland of Cathay (China). He never set foot on mainland North America. As a late-late comer, British/USA North America’s history in some ways parallels and intersects with that of Cuba’s. Both nations exploited human beings and immersed the importance of that exploitation in telling the story of their evolution. Both tales are black, white and grey in substance; those involved are also Black, White and other people of varied combinations of ethnicity. The jubilant scenes in Miami’s Little Havana, celebrating the...

I'm sorry I didn't say hello back to you when you said hi to me in the parking lot today. I heard you mumble, "Rude.", under your breath as you walked away. Yes, I know it seemed that I was being rude and unfriendly and, whether you believe me or not, I felt bad about being unfriendly. I didn't even raise my eyes from the ground. I may not be able to know if you will actually read this but maybe other men will and understand why some women aren't friendly when men we don't know are friendly to us....

View of the Adirondacks from Dannemora Mountain This is a true storyAll images are the real places the boy experiences For Part One follow this link He crawls out of the ditch and into the trees, getting all scratched. The pain is no big deal. Once behind a big pine tree, he starts running, slipping a hand into his right pocket. Yes! The rubber band is still there. But suddenly he stops, and looks down at his black leather shoes. No longer polished, they’ve gotten all scratched up and dirty. His heart pounds in fear, and his stomach...

The story of my addiction is exactly like that of every addict, meaning it is completely different from that of every other addict. So I will tell it in order to let those still suffering know that there is hope... I was a little hippie kid in the late ‘60’s. As such I had experimented with all the drugs typical of the era. I drank beer and liquor, smoked pot, tried uppers and downers and the full range of psychedelics. There was no lasting harm from any of them as alcohol made me stupid and I never was with that....

Dannemora Village to left, state prison to right This is a true storythe images below are the real places the boy experiences High up in the Adirondack village of Dannemora, a little boy of 11 edges nervously towards the forest encircling a grassy field. Children, under the watchful eyes of stern black-robed women, play with their marbles, noisily chase each other, or a few, like himself, are off to the side to avoid the bullies. It is late October, the year after JFK had been shot, which he remembers so vividly because a nun in tears had abruptly...

“Bridges not walls..” That was a post today by a friend of mine. There has been a great deal of discussion about walls this past year, some believing that walls solve problems. Robert Frost suggested “Good fences make good neighbors” in his poem Mending Wall (1914). I started reflecting on historically significant walls in history. The Great Wall of China is one that most people are familiar with and one famous wall that no longer exists is the Berlin Wall. Do walls help or hinder peace among people? Could we live peacefully without walls and fences? In his poem, Frost...

Love the United States? Thank an immigrant. If it wasn’t for an immigrant- you probably wouldn’t be here. Except, if you are Native American. The rest of us, though, our roots go back to other continents, some earlier than others. In the United States I am the first generation of immigrants and in Canada I can trace my roots back to 1642. I am born of immigrants in both countries and I am an immigrant to the United States. Recently, my mother had her DNA analyzed and there were some surprises, we had always thought we were from France because...

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Last week, the Colombian government announced it had reached a “permanent and bilateral” cease fire with the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrilla group, celebrating a major milestone in the resolution of the country’s 50-plus years of armed conflict. It is an unprecedented, historic effort that many Colombians welcome. However, the cease fire was borne of a negotiation between the government and FARC alone, and there are many other players fanning the flames of Colombia’s national armed conflict. The cease fire, while undoubtedly a step in the right direction, will do little to put an end to the...

A Lesson From Dad I'm not sure I actually remember breaking the window but I certainly do remember learning how to fix it. It was one of those incidents of childhood, retold so often that it becomes part of the family legend obscuring the dim line between memory of the story and the memory itself. I was about six years old. For Christmas, I received a cowboy outfit complete with hat, vest and holster belt containing two toy six-shooters. Like every other boy in those thrilling days of yesteryear, whose Dad was a devoted fan of Marshall Dillon, I knew...

(This is based upon a flurry of unattributed and unsubstantiated reports about the Orlando, Florida shooter, with regard to his possible social, religious and psychological conflicts – in conjunction with his reported, intimate familiarity with gay social media and clubs.) The initial, aftermath reports of the Orlando shooting have the seemingly unaffected father of the revealed shooter supposedly supplying a clue to what had prompted the slaughter. Supposedly, the father, son and grandson, on a visit to Miami, had witnessed a public interaction among men that had enraged his son, Omar Mateen. Subsequent reports seem to reveal that the...

“Mom, is that you? Am I in a hospital?” her daughter asked. “Yes, you are in the hospital, sweetie, but you are going to be ok, everything is going to get better now.” “My arm hurts, what happened? I don’t even remember........” her daughter said in a slow, quiet voice. She drew a large breath and steeled herself to respond as calmly and softly as she could, “You were shot in the arm. You have a serious wound. The doctor says you will still have full function but there will be a big scar.” She gently patted her daughter's IV...

Muhammad Ali (ne Cassius Clay), after a surprisingly long life, finally has succumbed to the results of the rigors of his trade in the boxing ring. For the past decades, he was a pitifully impotent shell of his former, robust self. As an adult, I have had no interest in boxing. However, living in South Carolina in the last part of the 1930s, the most exciting times I recall were listening to the radio broadcasts of the great Joe Louis boxing bouts. Along with other pre-pubescents and folks of all ages, we would gather around a radio, hoisted high,...

ROAD TRIP It's a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses. Elwood Blues A friend recently posted a meme about meeting a Face Book friend in person, it reminded me of a fantasy I have had for about a year- a Face Book Road Trip. Now that I am retired I have been working on my Empty Nest List of things to do. I enjoy social media despite some of the annoying features, like trolls, and work to ‘friend’ people that are...

Needy_________________________ I couldn't breatheand I asked for a drinkHe obliged becausehe loves me, I think.But it turns outso in this lifehe did not wanta lover or wife.He wanted whateveryone else didand one day soonI will go again for bid.I have always been thereno matter whatto help him grow..even humored his slut.I have loved himin everyway a woman can,yet he cannot give back,that is no man.He is the one who shouldfeel shameful and greedybut yet he complainsthat I'm the one who is needy.

To my children on Mother’s Day. You are all adults now and you are living independently in your own homes with your own families and I am incredibly proud of the adults you have become. Mother’s Day is here again this year and I have been thinking about what I would like as a gift and what I would like: is to apologize to you. Yes, I want to apologize to YOU. If you want to buy me something or make me a gift that’s fine- I will appreciate it but I think I would like you to know...

Today I had the extreme pleasure of making a customer service call to a worldwide electronics manufacturer, it’s not important which company because that will distract from the point of my article. I know many have enjoyed this stroll through Wonderland, Press 1 for...., Press 2 for....... you know the drill. When you finally make it through, you cling to that human voice for dear life, “please don’t let me get cut off, please don’t let me get cut off” playing over and over in your mind. They have to run through all your information, model, serial number, item,...

A few months ago a 68-year old lady from Colorado shocked the world by competing in a cage fight against a woman who was not even half her age. Many thought she was insane for doing that. But even though she did not win that particular fight, what she did win was the respect of many people of all ages who now see her as an inspiration. The lady in question, Ann Perez de Tejada, did not just walk into a cage and pick a fight. She has been training in all the disciplines that make up mixed martial arts...

When I was much younger, I helped make ends meet by singing in a band called “The Rebel Angels”. I was recently divorced, working full-time and raising three children – ages ten, five and four – pretty much on my own, receiving scant financial support from my ex-husband. Thankfully, my parents would watch my children when my band performed. My oldest child, Leon, had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which, at times, would cause him to act out. When he would have one of his ADHD episodes, it could be hard to refocus his attention and calm him down. One Saturday night...

In a historic speech in Havana, Cuba, a president of the United States used no palliative terms to soften his description of the role played by both the government of the U.S. and that of the Republic of Cuba in sustaining the ridiculous Mexican standoff that has spanned the entirety of that same president’s very life! For the moment, that speech, which will shine in the annals of U.S. presidential profiles in courage, could have been delivered only by the likes of Barack Hussain Obama. The travel on that road toward enshrinement will of necessity be delayed, due not only...

One of the satisfying things about social media is stumbling upon an idea or person who shares the same idea as you, it’s a sigh of relief, “Ah, I’m not alone in this thought- there is someone else who sees the world from a similar perspective.” We humans are herd creatures, we like to be around others like ourselves and when we feel alone we are uncomfortable. Previous to the World Wide Web I often found myself surround by humans yet still felt alone in a crowded room because I had to watch what I said out loud, sometimes I...

I am a Jap I am a fag I am a wop I am a spic I am a slut I am a gook I am a kike I am a cunt I am a Mick I am a kraut I am a chink I am a nigger I am a cracker I am a Polack I am a greaser I am a wetback I am hatred, fear, and everything that is WRONG Part two: I am gay. I am Latino. I am Jewish. I am Muslim. I am a woman. I am a veteran. I am...

The most recent news from Missouri on the LGBT (brought on by legal gay marriage) front is that of a 39-hour filibuster held March 9th, 2016. The discussions were regarding the “rights” of business owners to refuse services and/or goods to gay couples simply because of the business owners’ belief systems. In other words, if you are a religious business owner, there are Republicans who are fighting for your right to deny people goods and/or services because of how you feel about their lifestyle choices. That means that when you turn away a LGBT person, you cannot be held liable...

It was Monday morning and I was catching the 6 train to work a little later than I should. The door opened and I jumped in the train. “Hey, would you like to sit here?” an elderly man enthusiastically offered me his seat. “Oh, no thank you, I’m fine,” I replied with a smile. Why would I take his seat? I’ll be sitting at my desk all day anyway. I studied him and guessed that he might be homeless. He was missing a few teeth, but otherwise looked healthy and clean. He had three or four plastic shopping bags packed...

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This. How do we handle this? By ‘this’ I mean, when our friends post something in social media that really disturbs us. How do we have conversations with people and maintain a friendship? And should we? Some say, “We should agree to disagree.” Others say we should not "live in an echo chamber". But isn’t that what our elected officials are doing and it certainly isn’t getting results. Whether you are the person asking the questions in this meme or you are the person responding, it’s a problem for us all. There does not seem to be a compromise in...

It may seem strange to some that while I consider myself an atheist I attempt to follow the teachings of the Buddha. It isn't odd because I don't think of the Buddha as a god or all powerful being, he was a man, he lived and he died. I don't consider his ideas to be the 'only true words' they are simply true to me. I don't need a special building to consider his ideas- I can read about his ideas and think about them anywhere I happen to be. And he had some really good ideas! His ideas are...

CONNECTING WITH COMPASSION This weekend in a tiny little shop, in a large city, I experienced reality face to face. Most of the time we move along in life minding our own business, preoccupied with our family life and our jobs, we just move through the motions and get from waking up to falling asleep and onto the next day when we repeat and do it all over again. Life is filled with special moments  and events that stand out in our memories both positively and negatively, our wedding day or graduating from university are two examples of happy occasions...

    Lone Ranger: Tonto, it's time we leave. OK Kemosabe. Hi Ho Silver...Away! Townsfolks: Who was that masked man? Another townsfolk: I don't know but he left this silver bullet.       Every time I see a bunch of these masked ISIS dudes I think of the Lone Ranger and my other masked heroes...Ironman, Spiderman, Zorro, Batman and Robin, the Green Flash and...and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.   I wonder why ISIL or ISIS, or whatever acronym they use, prefer to have their faces covered. Are they cowards? Do they have an acne problem? Are...

    The quintet of human, physical perceptual experience is well established: seeing; hearing; smelling; tasting; and touching. All sentient life – to varying degrees of efficiency – possesses some or all of these five capabilities. · The eagle, from dizzying heights, can detect camouflaged prey scurrying along the ground. · The shark, from miles away, instantly can detect the fluid of life mixed with brine. · The nocturnal owl can detect the slightest disturbance within the brush at twilight – and reach that spot instantly. · The ant and bee can locate incredibly remote food sources and unerringly...

  Once upon a time, In The Land of Dreams, There evolved a crime, Which for all time seems, To moi-même, at least, One of rare import, Like a devil's feast, Far exceeding sport. Princesses, them all, Ev'ry nation-sent To this one, grand hall. Fortunes there were spent. Nothing in the world More important was The news therefrom hurled – It was all the buzz. Each lass with one thought Midst this swirling sea Wherein they are caught: Queen One shall I be. Yes, I know it's kind To say nice things 'round....

    Imagine if you will a woman who was abused as a child. A woman whose sense of purpose and identity is nonexistent as an 18-year-old adolescent. A woman who is unwed, pregnant, and 70 miles away from home, living in an economy apartment with the man who promised her everything when she was 17. Imagine if you will a situation where she works three jobs to support his drinking because he said she was special. He was not the only one who told her that; her father used to tell her that when she was five, right...

  This cartoon picture is representative of the error in thinking amongst radical right wing extremists. It is understood that a soldier knows the risks he or she takes when signing up for the military – it is in their job description! Should students in America have to sign the same contract a soldier does? Of course not. There is no reasonable expectation of soldiers to be in a "safe place" when they march off to war for our country. Students, on the other hand, are supposed to be in a safe place when they step foot on a...

    Mike Slater, San Diego KFSD Radio host of a talk-show of the same name, announced that he was going to interview Walter Lamb, President and CEO of Alliance for African Assistance, one of 4 refugee organizations in San Diego. Because of previous, personal contact with both Slater and Lamb, this writer took note, as explained below:   [When Mike Slater began his show in San Diego, several years ago, it was revealed that he was a recent graduate of a university in Tennessee, although he is originally from the Northeast. He had come to a station with...

    First they Came For.............. Do you know that poem written by Pastor Martin Niemöller? He wrote it due to his experiences in Nazi Germany. He spent most of WWII as a POW, 1937 thru 1945, confined in Sachsenhausen and Dachau. It is a statement about the dangers of political apathy. The majority of Americans have no idea what it is like to live in conditions of war, we have been pretty lucky as a nation to not have much of a history of war on our soil in current memory and experience. Our returning soldiers do, our...

    It was the BEST of times...     Can you rightfully continue to call your hometown a "city" once you have seen Paris from the top of La Tour Eiffel? How will you refer to the items in that box on your dresser, after you have been dazzled by the Crown Jewels? Is that building, so full of civic pride, still worthy of the title "museum" after you have wondered the halls of Impressionist masters at the Musée d'Orsay? What is art at all, once one has literally had the breath taken from their lungs upon...

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I need to vent... You know, we always hear about the "rules" of relationships - generally from the female side. Well, I think that we guys should state, for the record, the rules from the male side. (And yes, I'm gonna speak for all of us). Here goes: Please note ... these are all numbered '1' ON PURPOSE! #1) Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up. You need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down. #1) If something we said can be...

"I'm a hopeaholic." Said Gloria Steinem. I like that word- hopeaholic. It describes me, no matter how disturbing or depressing the news gets, I don't feel down for long. I can't help myself. I return to my, "Things will get better." mentality quickly. I'm a hopeaholic also and to be in Ms. Steinem's company is pretty good company. During her interview with Oprah recently I realized I admire her as much today as I did 30 plus years ago. She is 81 and feels like she has not accomplished enough- that she still has so much more work to do....

PART 2 The problem with Alzheimer's is the general public thinks of it as 'the memory disease'. I thought the same thing until it touched my family. Alzheimer's is really about the brain shutting the brain down one section at a time, sometimes a small part, other times a large section, randomly with no warning, so that eventually the brain tells the body to stop talking, stop walking, stop eating and finally to stop breathing. In the beginning when you start telling people about your loved one's diagnosis the response is one of sympathy and offers of help and friendship,...

There have been new discoveries in the Alzheimer's world in the past couple of years, encouraging and exciting discoveries, maybe the aging generation of today may not have to suffer the terrible plight of Alzheimer's and dementia. It may not be a part of your life now but at the moment it is projected to be one of the top 5 illnesses of seniors, ahead of heart disease. There are many horrible illnesses that affect humans but this is one of the worst in my mind because you die before your body does. Hopefully, the cure is just on the...

      (This visuallyimpaired writer teaches Spanish at the San Diego Braille Institute for the Blind. One of the group, a lady from Greece, whose mother was Swiss, allowed us to include French in the class. Quite suddenly, she was taken from us. This is a tribute.)   Stacey, we called her – what a gal! Stately was more like it – more like an Old World pal. In Spanish class, shewas Usted, never, tú; Because of herpersona, it was the right thing to do. She lived in an eraof white gloves and hats; When she was a child,dandies...

      There is a perpetual dichotomy between Love and Death – "I could just love him/her to death!" But, who knew they were in competition with each other? The Grim Reaper and Cupid met at a crossroad. Old Grim said, Howdy, while tightening his grip on the scythe. Delicately, Cupid muttered something, as his hand instinctively reached for the quiver. This was uncharted; they knew of each other's existence, but this was a twain that never should have met. Grim Reaper: Well, how are we gonna handle this? Cupid: How the hell should I know? Grim Reaper:...

    Dammit! Jim Crow is supposed to be moribund! He ain't close to dead. He's alive and kickin' in Northern California's wine country. Jim Crow never did reside exclusively in the South. From the decade of the 1930s, throughout the rest of the last century, this writer ran into him all over the United States proper, as well as the extra-continental territories – wherever was flown the Stars and Stripes. Jim Crow is not static; he is very flexible. He could be described as a changeling. Depending upon circumstances, Jim Crow can adapt his sex, personality, attire or...

Aboard a Train à Grande Vitesse, A single gunman lurked. The passengers – no need for stress – All, their own keyboards worked. The train sped briskly down the track, The Euro-scenes whisked by. Three Yanks, unseated in the back, Gave it another try. Eurail seating is all reserved; Much to a Yank's chagrin. We all tend to become perturbed, But, in the end, give in. Voilà, it was with these three Yanks' They knew they had to move. And, with the grace of a Tom Hanks, Nothing had they to prove. From...

JDN 2457258 EDT 17:59. William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Android: Netrunner, Blade Runner, Deus Ex and Shadowrun. Cyberpunk is one of the most venerable subgenres of science fiction, both one of the oldest and one of the most popular. But I'm not so sure it's science fiction anymore. Multinational corporations that are more powerful than national governments? Check. Digital technology integrated into every moment of our lives? Check. Virtually nonexistent privacy, with the intimate details of our lives available to governments, corporations, and the public at large to see? Check. Space elevators? Well, if you count space fountains,...

"I will not hear it." Maya Angelou. What she is referring to is 'hate'. She refused to listen to it. I have thought about her words and they roll around in my head since I first heard her say it in the interview video from Academy of Achievement several years ago; the full quote is below. I am now in my 50's and I will be the first one to tell you I haven't always been kind or thoughtful. I have spread around some poison in my life and I deeply regret it. Regret it, but am not letting it...

    Big game hunters – those days are over. O-V-E-R. Didn't you get the Memo?   Guess I better make it a little clearer from my point of view.   I apologize as I didn't know one could buy a license to kill a lion.   I apologize as I didn't know one could buy a license to kill an elephant.   I apologize as I didn't know one could buy a license to kill a giraffe.   I apologize as I didn't know one could buy a license to kill a rhino.   I apologize...

King Cecil, Leo, lionized, We bemoan what befell ye. 'Twould best thee be cryogenized – From yon we might consult thee. We knew not of thy royal self Until thy jungle slaughter. The rapid descent in thy health Brought on a new world order. The cruelty employed in thy case Was shocking to our senses. Thus, we reacted with much haste And with such recompenses. Damn the cowards in this drama! To them's our ire directed. Though thy name it be Obama, We'd be no less affected. For, thy departure from this earth, So sudden...

Poor Tommy's quite deflated. He's been depressed so long, Since first some assholes stated, His balls were pressured wrong. This all, to him, was myst'ry; No idea had he – none. He knew not of this sophistry Of wiles with an air-gun. Tom thinks the balls are magic; He takes them as they come. He finds his plight quite tragic, That he be thought so dumb. The trials he's made to suffer; The endless ball-debate. There's never any buffer From this damned deflategate! And, still they don't believe him. So, now he's going to court,...

    On July 23, 2015 on a hot and humid mid-summers night in Lafayette, Louisiana, a 59 year-old drifter from Phenix City, Alabama, named John Houser, calmly enters the Grand Theatre movie complex and buys a single ticket for the romantic comedy, "Train Wreck". Besieged by marital problems and mental illness he waits for the "voice within" to guide him. Pumped and primed with premediated intentions of committing murder, Houser's perverted adrenalin rush directs him to enter the movie's screening room; carefully survey the audience and the room's layout; select a seat and then patiently wait until an...

"Kids today", has often been said by parents. How often do we hear that? Or even say it ourselves? What does it mean when people say that? Usually the suggestion is negative, that they are lazy, that they don't work as hard, that they get into trouble or have bad attitudes. Not very often does it mean that kids today are exceeding our expectations. Some believe even Socrates shared the same sentiment (although it has not been definitively verified as Socrates), "The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love...

In my previous post I discussed how women in mixed martial arts should be noticed for their skills instead of how "hot" they are. Unfortunately, many female fighters have had to pose half naked to get noticed by promotions such as Ultimate Fighting Championship, while women with incredible talent but not much in the looks department go under-marketed. Enter Joanna Jedrzejczyk. A few weeks after I wrote my previous post, Joanna, a somewhat plain-looking Polish girl who is the champion of the strawweight (115 lbs.) division in the UFC, was to defend her title forthe first time.   Joanna...

Recently a young woman, Brittany "Bree" Newsome, climbed a flag pole. She felt inspired to do so because of a series of events that gave her the confidence and the sense of 'the time is right'. Quite an heroic act especially since she was arrested, which is intimidating for most of us. What is it that makes us come out of our shell to do inspirational things? Pitching a baseball for a few million doesn't require the same kind of motivation. It's much easier to practice a profession when one is highly rewarded such as politicians, celebrities and executives are....

  markus prime lives     The racial insensitivities that apparently were the nexus of the Dallas swimming pool fracas leaves one swimming (or not) back in time. The Brown Shirts, after having defeated the Communists and Trade Unionists on the streets of Berlin, finally overcame the weary old Kaiser and manipulated their candidate to a ;position of one-man rule. As the Nazis were preparing to convert the rest of the world into a glorious Fourth Reich, there was a swimming pool in Philadelphia, between The Village and Lehigh Avenue. It was just a few blocks from Shibe Park,...

The ribbons and wrist bands we wear indicate support, awareness and the donation of time, money or effort. It is a proud badge of a charity or cause we believe in. It would be difficult to walk down the street in most major cities and not see a homeless person or someone in extreme poverty. That's what anyone can see. However, there are many others living in poverty that we don't see; many of them children. Some in the community suggest we let churches and charitable organizations help those in need. Lots of places offer food and shelter but most...

Women in mixed martial arts have come a long way since the early 2000s. Men, who have always made up the vast majority of MMA's audience and fan base, have taken their sweet time in welcoming women to the sport and taking them seriously. While men were getting famous fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and other promotions that broadcast their bouts on television, women were relegated mostly to small-time promotions, with measly pay and very little recognition. The excuses? "I don't like seeing women get hurt." "Women can't fight." "I'll only watch if the girls are hot." MMA, also...

This year, 2015, is the 150th anniversary of the end of America’s Civil War, and still we are haunted by the same ghost. There is an ominous specter that has stalked this society from its beginning, through nationhood and the ultimate schism that almost permanently rent in twain a historic union of individual states. That clinging, invisible personage is a mélange of race, pride and avoidance. Since we still are unwilling to recognize the true nature of its being, the specter persists. PBS television had going a very interesting series, wherein the ancestry of prominent individuals was explored through documented...

Well, at first I didn’t plan, as many in this world, to be a Teacher/Professor when I was at the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) getting my Science degree in Math many years ago. One of the primary things to accomplish was to figure out or find out what the purpose of my life was. However, in those undergraduate years I said to myself that if I had to teach, I would like to travel first around the world to collect experiences to give support to whatever I had to teach. Also, since there was no one in my family...

Oppression and abuse exists in the sex industry. It is not just by chance that there are many feminist groups vocally rallying against it. Browsing the internet, it is easy to find anti-porn or anti sex-work feminists bring up cases of sex traffic and violence by or against prostitutes and porn actors to back up their arguments. Those situations they denounce are real. Those evils should be eradicated. But what solutions are these groups proposing? Judging by available literature, the main option being proposed seems to be for women to stay away from everything sex work-related, as it will inevitably...

A brief foray about Structure - When folks think about structure they usually do not think of it in as many different ways as is possible, and even the structure that is language has trouble dealing with that reality. Just as English has only a few ways to describe Snow, the Inuit Language has a great many completely different words. In English only a few adjectives like wet or powdered are the best we can do.  The Japanese go even further. Their concept of a saw as a tool for cutting wood, becomes not only a dozen different names depending...