Civil Rights Remembered in Wisconsin

A year ago, I spoke with Susan Stout (Voice 075), a PhD forester with primary oversight of significant research in the forests of the Allegheny of western Pennsylvania.  Then, yesterday I marched with a small group of people who gathered in the small downtown area of Whitewater, WI.  These things fit together. Almost 9000 miles down the road, I’m taking a break to visit here in Whitewater for the month.  This is… Read More

March 4th has it all over Super Tuesday

I drove into Cincinnati from Manhattan.  How many times will I be able to say that?  Not many. And it was no minor feat.  I’m guessing this is not the least bit surprising to any of you.  Still, we say these things out loud to one another – partly as a request for validation – a “wow” that fits with the relative enormity of the accomplishment.  The vast majority of Americans don’t… Read More

Write Brain Change — guest blog by Dave Jarecki

Back in October I got a call from Dave Jarecki.  He had been assigned to me by the Lewis & Clark College Chronicle — the alumni magazine of the college where I’ve been a professor for well more than 20 years.  I was happy to know my school was pleased with the publication of 100 VOICES – AMERICANS TALK ABOUT CHANGE and wanted to have an article following its release.  Dave and I… Read More

Dayenu: You gave us freedom, and that would have been enough.

“Maybe the most empowered change is to work to be less ignorant. We’re all ignorant and it’s a life long struggle.  If we commit ourselves to do our best to be wrong less frequently, well, that’s about the best we can do.” Peter Frishauf Last night I sat at a table with eight dear friends from two families.  Four of them are teenagers.  The rest of us are parents – you know,… Read More

Hawk Sightings

3-15-2009 PA Rte 6 W Allegheny Mountains Hawks. I have a thing about hawks. It’s part ornithological (I mean, what cool raptors). It’s part romantic/poetic (their metaphorical range is considerable). And it’s no doubt part mystical. The mystical part could be embarrassing from the perspective of ‘woo woo’ attributes since I tend to take their appearance as very good signs. If circumstances are dicey or uncertain in any way, the appearance of a hawk,… Read More