For many years I have been thinking about the challenges of Peace & Power, and other forms of participatory democracy, and the “Occupy” movement has intensified my thinking about all of this. I live right next door to a vacant lot in Oakland, California, where last week-end the “Occupy” group tore down a fence last… [Read more…]
November 18, 2011
Ever since the “Occupy” movement started, I have watched, with some amazement, reports of the process that they have developed for the “participatory democracy” that is evolving, and especially their approaches for the General Assemblies! Belief it or not, what is evolving is a version of “Peace and Power” for very large groups, and I… [Read more…]
October 12, 2011
An interesting thing about the English language is how many words sound exactly alike (or almost exactly), but the distinction in meaning is in the spelling. Here is a great example – bridal and bridle. When you think about the distinction in meanings in these two different words and look beneath the surface, the connection… [Read more…]
September 20, 2011
Indeed, at 12:01 a.m. on September 20, the old “don’t ask don’t tell” (DADT) law became officially struck down. Now, finally, LGBT people can serve openly in all branches of the United States military. It is shameful that for years LGBT people in the military were forced to actually violate the truth-telling codes of honor in… [Read more…]
September 14, 2011
Just a short decade or so ago, the phrase “drag and drop” had little if any meaning, and not many would have ever imagined that it would eventually be a phrase associated with using a personal computer. But of course, this is only one among hundreds, probably thousands, of new concepts that have landed with dizzying… [Read more…]
September 7, 2011
Yesterday was the unveiling of the first three sections of the “Remember Them” monument in Oakland. It was a spectacular occasion! Even though Karen and I had watched the actual installation (see my post on August 30), the monuments had been shrouded in tarps shortly after they were installed, awaiting the formal unveiling on September… [Read more…]
August 30, 2011
August 29, 2011 – early in the morning we looked out our apartment window overlooking Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, and saw three parts of the new “Remember Them” sculptures on huge trucks ready to be shifted around the corner and installed in the permanent location next door to our apartment building! I blogged about this… [Read more…]
August 20, 2011
If you have not found the HBO documentary “Gloria: In Her Own Words” check it out (or put it in your queue for the DVD when it is ready)! I highly recommend it for a number of reasons! One is that Gloria is a true inspiration to all who aspire to be vibrant and active well into… [Read more…]
July 30, 2011
This is a photo of my younger sister and me watching the sun go down on the Kona side of the Big Island of Hawaii with our dear doggie Cuddles! The year was about 1950, and it would have been a mid-week “vacation” with our parents, whose obligations with their church kept them close to… [Read more…]
July 12, 2011
Yes indeed – here in our uptown Oakland apartment, we do actually have a side yard – the mostly-empty block between our building and the amazing art-deco Fox Oakland Theater. The back part of the empty lot next door, at the corner of 19th and Rashida Muhammed, is a sweet little park, which I now… [Read more…]
November 27, 2011
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