My voyage on the shortwaves, mentioned a couple of posts ago, long ago took me to the peculiar country of North Korea — or more formally the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. DPRK is sort of a bizarre anachronism, a microcosm of … Continue reading
This story could be called a love letter to the Duke Ellington Orchestra. I wrote it around the time I fell head over heels for all things Ellington and started listening to his music 23 out of 24 hours in … Continue reading
With the Republicans taking control of the House, there will be ample examples of ptolemaic logic in the coming days and months. Chief among them will be items pertaining to the budget. They will cut, cut, cut the budget until … Continue reading
I am not a Christian, but I will gladly say Merry Christmas. I am not a Muslim, but I will gladly say Ramadan Mubarak. I am not a Hindu or a Jain or a Sikh, but I will gladly say … Continue reading
Some time in November 1975, I was home from school and in something I think we can call a funk. My older brother Robert and I shared a bedroom. I was 10. On this day he showed me what the … Continue reading
I’m really not happy with the way the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal is being handled. The policy, born in 1993, is pure discrimination, nothing less. It places on a certain segment of the population an unfair burden, that is, … Continue reading
Ptolemy was an Egyptian-born Roman philosopher and scientist who lived around the First and Second centuries AD. He’s best known for the Ptolemaic System of the universe, an expansion of Aristotle’s view that the Earth laid at the center of … Continue reading
KPFA and Pacifica are not new to drama, alas. I remember the last go-round quite well. I was sitting on the floor of the apartment, doing yoga stretches in preparation for my evening workout. I had the KPFA Evening News … Continue reading
I love photographic exhibits. One of my favorites was a retrospective of California based 20th century photographers at the Oakland Museum of California some years ago. It featured the works of Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and other masters of that … Continue reading
1985. UCLA. Sophomore year. I fell into the swell of anti-apartheid protests that engulfed the campus that year and began to live the life of the “activist student.” My mother made a suggestion.
“You should start writing a journal.”
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