The cartoonist, Lynda Barry, contends that most adults suffer from “play amnesia.” Living in these dark times, many overlook play...
Do You Suffer From Play Amnesia?
The cartoonist, Lynda Barry, contends that most adults suffer from “play amnesia.” Living in these dark times, many overlook play as a valuable resource to diffuse stress and lighten one’s mood. For example, when your news [...]
Pat Taub
Activism Post Trump10
Can I Live Without Email?
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL “It is possible that you do not receive many emails at all, in which case I am very jealous…” “A Simpler Guide to Gm@il by Ceri Clark “Could I live without email?” The question popped into my head as I was perusing “how to” computer books in the library. Why would I even think of such a thing? I first [...]
Pat Taub
Post-Election Despair
It’s been just one week since Trump won the Presidential election, catapulting many into despair, terrified of his campaign pledges to deport millions and roll back human rights, like making abortions illegal nationwide. Upon hearing the election results, a few friends reported they were too depressed to find the energy to leave their homes. [...]
Pat Taub
Scary Trump, My Father at 15, An Entertaining Film & More!
Unhinged President Trump is no longer a laughing matter. Everyone I know has gone from making jokes about him to genuine worry that he’s seriously unhinged. Referring to a recent interview with Fox, one pundit called Trump, “as high as a giraffe,” for making ridiculous charges, like saying California’s water shortage is because [...]
Pat Taub
Walking with New Eyes
I was driving myself crazy over the prospect of Trump winning re-election, turning our country into a fully-fledged Fascist nation where hate rules. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t shake my doomsday thinking. I was desperate for a way out, a path to quell my anxiety. An answer presented itself in the form of Alexandra Horowitz’s [...]
Pat Taub
Country Images, Democratic Convention, Mail Mess & More!
Country Snapshots I’ve been spending most of the week this summer at my country retreat in Waldoboro, Maine. Last Sunday, with two old friends, I attended a dinner at a pig farm that hosts monthly meals in their charming meadow. Here’s two photos from the dinner: a mama pig and her piglets and tables ready for guests. It was a little [...]
Pat Taub
John Lewis, “Jaws” in Maine, A Green Burial & More!
John Lewis This week belonged to the memory of John Lewis, who died on July 17th. I watched footage of the 25-year-old Lewis, being beaten within an inch of his life, when crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in a march for voting rights. Lewis made one final crossing of the bridge in a horse-drawn carriage holding his flag-draped [...]
Pat Taub
Female Power, Family Pride, A Sudden Death & More
Female Power Rising This week saw two amazing expressions of female power. Yesterday on the House floor, Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez gave a powerful speech condemning Representative Yoho for calling her a “F—— B—-,” while broadening her speech to rebuke the verbal abuse of women in general. Cornell West [...]
Pat Taub
A Different July 4th, Antiracism, Spiritual Confusion & More!
What 4thof July? I don’t think any of us could have imagined a 4thof July like the one we are celebrating, or not celebrating, this year. No family gatherings, picnics or fireworks except for those who are ignoring social distancing. For Blacks the 4th is not a holiday to be celebrated, since, unlike the early white settlers who rejoiced [...]
Pat Taub
Key West Memories, “The Cave,” Joy in Dark Times
Key West Memories Sharing some photos from my recent trip to Key West. The first is from a women’s art exhibit depicting Rachel Carson, a pioneer in the environmental movement, with the new leadership under Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist. The following image is of a painting I bought by Michael Palmer, a Key West artist. [...]
Pat Taub
Don’t Give Up!
If you care about justice and human dignity, last week was a very bad week. The Senate’s impeachment trial turned into a farce. While we were distracted by the Senate’s circus, Trump was busy adding to his list of egregious crimes: gutting the clean water act and adding six African countries to his travel ban. As our country morphs [...]
Pat Taub