I don’t know about you, but these days, I’m numb. Numb to the rising tide of this unending pandemic. Numb to the suffering of people in Afghanistan. Numb to the wildfires ravaging communities across the West. Numb to the tearing of country’s social fabric and the partisan screaming all around. I don’t know if it’sContinue reading “Reclaiming Empathy In the Age of Indifference”
Tag Archives: politics
The Once and Future Climate Crisis
This week, temperatures in Tacoma were upward of 105 degrees—34 degrees above the average high for June—and stayed in the triple digits for three consecutive days. In a region where less than half the population lives in air conditioned homes, people suffered and as many as 100 people in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia haveContinue reading “The Once and Future Climate Crisis”
Publishing News: Two Stories for a World on Fire
Writing is a strange craft. You spend months or years with an idea rolling around in the dark recesses of your mind, weeks or months or years coaxing that idea out of the shadows, and months more chipping away at the rough edges before its time to shop a story around to find it aContinue reading “Publishing News: Two Stories for a World on Fire”
Why We Must Protect Funding for the Arts
“I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.” – John F. Kennedy The National Endowment for the Arts (along with its sibling agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities) was established by Congress 1965 as the fulfillment of aContinue reading “Why We Must Protect Funding for the Arts”
Write Like Hell
The last few weeks have been tumultuous in this country, in my circle of friends, in my own life. After a major political upset on Election Night, many are worried about the direction we’re headed in — and rightly so. We’ve elected a man with disturbing authoritarian leanings; who believes dissent should be punished andContinue reading “Write Like Hell”
Extremism, Compassion and Books
We live in a time of extremism. We are divided along fault lines of who we vote for, who we pray to (or don’t), what language we speak, who we are and who we love. In the news each day, I see people building walls and pulling triggers. We don’t even want to know theContinue reading “Extremism, Compassion and Books”
Is the NSA Spying on Me?
I was just starting to write freelance articles on foreign affairs and conflict areas when the full scope of the NSA’s domestic spying program came to light. We learned that the government is tapping into smartphone data, breaking online encryption and gathering data from emails, phone calls and financial transactions. The NSA effectively has allContinue reading “Is the NSA Spying on Me?”
Taking a Stand
It was almost a year ago that I got my “This is what a feminist looks like” button. It got it from my friend and carsick buddy Olivia when we were traveling through the Western Highlands of Guatemala. We were in the town of Xela on a brisk spring morning, waiting to meet with NeuvosContinue reading “Taking a Stand”
Through the (Indepedent) Looking Glass
Every four years, we make a decision. We spend months fighting over it, talking about it, posting about it on Facebook. Some weigh the pros and cons of this decision seriously; some follow the crowd. Everyone must take a side. And then there are those pesky few of us who struggle to get excited forContinue reading “Through the (Indepedent) Looking Glass”
