I’ve chosen trailblazers in literature, music, painting, political activism and medicine. Many communities lost their own notable...
Proudly Standing with Youth for Climate Justice
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL “You are not mature enough to tell it like it is. Even that burden you leave to us children.” – Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist In all my years of activism, I had never heard anything like it. A shiver of nervous excitement ran through me. The high, piercing voice of a girl on a megaphone demanded: [...]
Pat Taub
Native American Films, Student Climate Strike, “The Wife” & More!
Native American Films Last weekend I attended the Palm Springs Native American Film Fest, which opened with a documentary about the Native American Pulitzer Prize winning author and poet, Scott Momaday. Next I watched several short documentaries about life on the reservation, punctuated by poverty and deep familial bonds. I loved the film [...]
Pat Taub
Is Your Relationship to Food Driving You Crazy?
Book Review: The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt in America by Virginia Sole-Smith GUEST POST BY JANE DOUGALL “For many of us food feels dangerous. We fear it. We regret it. And we categorize everything we eat as good or bad, with the ‘bad’ list always growing longer. No meat, no diary, no gluten—and, [...]
Pat Taub
International Women’s Day, Omar, Native American Films & More!
International Women’s Day Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, a day that takes me back to the summer of 1995 when I was fortunate enough to attend the UN Women’s Conference in Beijing. I went as an NGO (Non Government Organization), attending eye-opening seminars and panels, where Third World women challenged their privileged [...]
Pat Taub
Dusting Off Your Dreams
I have a friend who’s been telling me for years that she’s going to take Italian lessons. Another friend has a long-standing dream to visit Japan. For just as long every time I pass an art supply store I revisit my dream of taking up watercolors. We’re all members of the late-in-life dream club whose engine is stalled. But it doesn’t [...]
Pat Taub
A Street Poet, Cohen, A Great Documentary & More!
Palm Springs Street Poet I love it when my walks land upon a bit of whimsy and creative fun. A week or so ago while wandering in downtown Palm Springs I spotted the “typewriter troubadour,” offering to type an original poem for $10. I was intrigued but not willing to spend that much money. The poet told me that this is his only job. [...]
Pat Taub
Lessons On How to Die
When I mentioned to a friend that I was reading Katy Butler’s new book, The Art of Dying Well, her response was: “That sounds grim.” Another friend was similarly put-off, saying, “I try not to think about death. It’s too depressing.” After finishing Butler’s book I felt anything but depressed. I felt empowered [...]
Pat Taub
National Emergency Action, Hope & Despair, Oscars & More!
“National Emergency” Action While vacationing in Palm Springs I’m trying to keep my activist spirit alive. Last Monday I joined in the national action to protest Trump’s “national emergency” where cities across the country mobilized to protest Trump’s manufactured emergency. In Palm Springs several hundred turned out with signs [...]
Pat Taub
Videos With Kick-Ass Female Leads
If you’re like me, evenings set aside for video watching frequently spiral into frustration. You make a selection but three minutes in, you know it’s not for you, so you try another film followed by another and another until after multiple failed attempts, you throw the remote across the room, give up on the video hunt and/or re-watch [...]
Pat Taub
My Funny Valentine’s Day Strategy
Several years ago when I grew weary of my unpartnered Valentine’s Days limited to red construction paper hearts from my grandchildren or Internet offers of bargain chocolates, I decided to make a ritual of doing something special for myself on Valentine’s Day so I wouldn’t feel left out. That first year I indulged in a longtime [...]
Pat Taub