Count me among the countless fans and admirers of Diane Keaton who were shocked and saddened by her sudden death on October 11th. Her wide-ranging movie roles—from Woody Allen’s comedic sidekick to the tormented protagonist of “Mr. Goodbar” to the fiery journalist, Louise Bryant in “Reds”–along with her off screen life [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by ABBY FULLER Never underestimate the power of spending three days with 4,500 principled, smart, and tireless people trying to stop a genocide. I was privileged to be among this steadfast group when I attended the Second People’s Conference for Palestine in Detroit last month. The theme of the conference was “Gaza is our compass.” [...]
Pat Taub
Almost two years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, 60,000 have died, not counting all those buried under the rubble. Among the causalities: 1,000 men, women and children gunned down while racing to grab meager boxes of food, along with the deliberate murders of 1,000 doctors and nurses and 232 journalists. Now things have cruelly escalated. [...]
Pat Taub
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
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 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, 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 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
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 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