This was Rodney King’s plea in 1992, when he was physically assaulted by the LA cops during that year’s race riots. Thirty-two...
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Growth Through Vulnerability
Being vulnerable is generally defined as speaking and acting in a way that involves a risk where the outcome is unpredictable. For this reason, many take pains to avoid being vulnerable rather than chance receiving disapproval and rejection. This limited perspective overlooks the enormous benefits of being vulnerable. Abigail Thomas, the [...]
Pat Taub
Thinking About Death
While I’m an elder, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to dying, that is until my brother, who’s 20 months younger, announced in a recent late-night phone call that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. (To preserve my brother’s privacy, I’ll refer to him as “G.”) G calmly described his intentions not to live in an advanced [...]
Pat Taub
Abortion Rights, Buffalo Shootings, A Treasured Novel & More!
Abortion Rights Thanks to a leaked report, it’s now almost certain that the Supreme Court will reverse Roe v. Wade this June. Abortion advocates have been demonstrating across the country, but is this enough? In a recent interview with Chris Hedges, V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, the playwright, author, and political activist, called [...]
Pat Taub
Sister Megan Rice, Writing Challenge, “Sex Education” & More
Sister Megan Rice, Celebrated Peace Activist When I tuned into “Democracy Now,” earlier this week and heard Amy Goodman announce the death of peace activist Sister Megan Rice at 91, I was jolted into remembering that Sr. Megan had stayed with me in my Portland home three years ago when she was in town as a guest speaker for Peace Action [...]
Pat Taub
“I Hate Getting Old”
I recently received an email from a WOW reader, who confessed to being angry about aging: “I hate getting old. I hate the wrinkles, sleep problems and bouts of loneliness . . . I hate having aged out of the dating scene.” The reader’s complaints carry a universal ring in our ageist and sexist culture, which presents a formidable [...]
Pat Taub
When Knowledge Gets in the Way of Finding Love
GUEST POST by MICHAEL STEINMAN We’re trained from kindergarten to know the answer, and our happiness in the classroom depends on it. At work, on a Zoom meeting, say, “I have no idea,” and the cyber-room fills with disapproving silence. Spiritually, we’re told that self-knowledge is the greatest good. Henry James wrote, “Try [...]
Pat Taub
Key West, A Movie Theater Movie, Kids in Cages, Mary Oliver
Key West Images I’m still vacationing in Key West, which is resplendent with memorable images, like the photo looking up at the island’s famous Banyan Trees, or the artful photo of “free” items arranged in front of a shot gun house. Key West is a place where photo-worthy pictures abound. [...]
Pat Taub
Two Amazing Films, A Great Read & More!
A New Wonderful Documentary Last night I watched the Zoom premier of Natasha Mayers: an Un-Still Life, an exhilarating documentary about this beloved Maine artist. For decades Natasha has been creating political satire along with amazing three-dimensional images for local protests and 4th of July parades. She’s been arrested numerous times [...]
Pat Taub
Contemporary Suffragettes to the Rescue!
As inauguration day approaches, many of us are on pins and needles, worried that the Ultra Right that staged the Capital insurrection will create more violence when Biden is inaugurated. Washington resembles a third world country with 20,000 National Guard members everywhere the eye can see, and the White House newly cordoned off with metal [...]
Pat Taub
The Straight Scoop on Witches
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s an appropriate time to reflect on the origin of witches, and to understand how the village wise woman was turned into a representation of evil, becoming a “witch.” We have to travel back to the 1500’s in Western Europe, when women healers and midwives played a central role in village after [...]
Pat Taub