At the height of the HIV epidemic, singles learned how to have a “safer sex talk” with a potential partner. If precautions were taken, we were basically in the clear for sexually-transmitted infections. What to do, though, if a deadly, super contagious virus lives not only in our coughs and sneezes but in our very conversations, our intimate whisperings?
Continue reading →Even before the flood of “Save the Postal Service” petitions started to arrive in my email, the importance of this service had been on my mind. A friend who works as a mail carrier clued me in to the fact that the postal service was not supported by taxpayers, but by stamps and mailing services. Yet it is the most trusted of federal agencies, especially by rural residents.
Continue reading →The question was “Are creatures in captivity benefiting from the lack of animal tourism during the Cofid-19 crisis?” I enjoyed interviewing the women associated with Safari West and the Oakland Zoo and wanted to give them a bit of a shout-out, with the hope that folks will support these institutions that really do care about research, conservation, and the well-being of the enormous diversity of our non-human neighbors.
Continue reading →Since I started this post, I’ve Zoomed and Facebook Live-d through two and a half dance classes, and tonight I’m tuning in to Left Edge Theater’s online play, “A Steady Rain.” I plan to sip some Balletto Pinot Noir and maybe discuss the performance with a friend afterward. I wish you similar beneficial engagements on this Passover/Easter weekend. Bravo to all the creatives (the “second responders”) who are currently enriching our lives.
Continue reading →OK, so there’s another month to get through. In the midst of anxiety, financial and physical suffering, stress and boredom all around, can I look for what might buoy and inspire me?
Continue reading →“Is this something I want to see right now?” I asked myself. Nevertheless, I tuned in. The DVD of “Influenza 1918” came out in 2006 and I’m sure it played a big part in inspiring my fellow citizens to get their flu shots each season. The programmers at KQED were right, I think, to air this American Experience episode. (It is available to watch online until April 30).
Continue reading →But what I miss right now is ranting and raving to someone else about the lies, misinformation, and inhumanity exhibited by the occupant of the oval office—day in and day out, making a scary situation so very much worse.
Continue reading →Maybe I write my review blogs more easily because movies hold still, while the news cycle continues relentlessly. For the past three years, the daily barrage of avoidable atrocities perpetrated by the grifter-in-chief has been both infuriating and numbing. Even … Continue reading →
With a birthday in July and a love of tropical beaches, I am feeling the loss of solar-powered personal energy today, although I know we here in wine country need the rain. It’s just that in higher elevations this water … Continue reading →
This is a review of Tel Aviv on Fire, directed by Sameh Zoabi; it came out in limited release in the summer of 2019, although I just saw it on NetFlix DVD. Sly and well-written, the film is part satire, … Continue reading →