Clare Consultation, LLCPosted on July 29, 2012 by Mary Clare
Mary Says, Mitt Says
My 19-year-old niece Mary is in Israel. So is Mitt Romney. Mary arrived almost 4 weeks ago to assist with rebuilding homes of Palestinian people that have been destroyed in the areas of the country historically populated by Palestinians now being displaced. Many of those lands are occupied by Jewish settlers. These are complicated issues from the standpoint of local, national and international politics. They are less complicated but more urgent and… Read More
Posted on July 22, 2012 by Mary Clare
A Love Like that Lights Up the Whole Sky
There is a man I’ve been watching over the past five years or more. He walks in Laurelhurst Park where I walk. He is around 6 feet tall. His hair is full and dark. His skin is olive. Maybe his ancestors were from the Mediterranean. He is handsome. I see this man often, especially in milder weather. With maybe one exception, he has been holding hands with a quite elderly woman. As… Read More
Posted on July 15, 2012 by Mary Clare
Four Blackberries Freshly Picked
This morning’s air was filled with water – the marine air that sometimes makes summer visits to Portland from the Oregon coast. I was up early to meet up with friends and underestimated what turned out to be enough moisture to soak almost through my rain coat over the course of my walk. Time with the people I had ventured out to meet was cozy and kind – like brown sugar on… Read More
Posted on July 10, 2012 by Mary Clare
An Hour of What’s Right with the World
Ben Merens (host of WPR’s At Issue) was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when we talked last week. I was on my friend’s landline; the landline a necessity for hooking into the WPR technology if you’re too far away to be sitting across the table from Ben. She lives a few blocks away and was out of town visiting family in New York, but said “Yes. Use the phone. That will be great!” So I… Read More
Posted on July 6, 2012 by Mary Clare
On the Radio TODAY — Listen in!
So, I got another call from Ben Merens, the host of AT ISSUE on Wisconsin Public Radio. He was inviting me to be his guest again. I said yes and it’s today — Friday, July 6. We’ll be on the air for call-in at 3:00 Central Time (WI-time), 4:00 for all you east coasters, and 1:00 here on the Pacific side. LISTEN! Call and chat. This is the url for the stream:… Read More
Posted on June 28, 2012 by Mary Clare
Independence Shared
On the day the only living Pinta Island Giant Tortoise was found dead, fires raged in the foothills of the Colorado front range and the Supreme Court of the U.S. decided the state of Montana could not assert its 100+ year old legislative policy stating the corporations are not people. It was raining in Portland, OR where today the sun peeks regularly between clouds making for dappled shadows instead of monochrome. That… Read More
Posted on June 15, 2012 by Mary Clare
Listening to “Madness”
I could be referring to life in the U.S.A. this week what with the celebrated obstruction of voting rights in Florida, a spate of sensationalized cannibalism and, from our president and senior legislators astonishing bipartisan horror about leaks with not even a mention of concern for human life (aka, collateral damage) or the existence of a “kill list” in the first place. This, my friends, is surely madness whether we are privy… Read More
Posted on May 31, 2012 by Mary Clare
AIDS Lifecycle – “I’m doing this for all of us.”
“I am leaving on Saturday to join a team of medical professionals to support AIDS LifeCycle – a 7 day, 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to LA.” These were the first words of an email I received this week from Calliope Crane (Voice 99 in 100 Voices – Americans Talk about Change). Calliope and her cycling companions are pictured here. In the way people in this country do with pretty… Read More
Posted on May 24, 2012 by Mary Clare
“We have to talk about these things”
I am back in Portland. Three weeks, now. Shortly after my return I receive email with the subject line: yes-youmadeit/Dr. Dapo! My dear and long-time friend, Dr. Dapo Sobomehin (voice 90 in 100 Voices – Americans Talk about Change), wanted to get together for coffee. This morning we finally made it to the corner of Hawthorne and SE 37th for a few hours of catching up. Every time we meet, I am compelled… Read More
Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mary Clare
Turn Around — Another Take on 99%
Last night I got to have a long phone conversation with my friend Barbara Gutkin. Barbara and Terry have known me more than half my life. They also happen to be two of the Americans in 100 Voices – Americans Talk about Change. Barbara and Terry are experimenting with retirement. Barbara retired for a while, then decided to go back to work a few days a week because she missed being active… Read More