Book Review: TRUE PLACES by Sonia Yoerg
For starters: that cover! It spoke to me immediately. But what is beneath the beautiful artwork is equally delightful. While I have enjoyed all of Sonja Yoerg’s novels, TRUE PLACES has to be my favorite, with its juxtaposition of nature … Read more...
Get Ready For BBQ Season — Low Sugar BBQ Sauce
BBQ season has arrived here in the south where I live and it will be in your area very soon. While you are waiting, you can make homemade BBQ sauce that will keep you in stock for the coming season. … Read more...
Words: ” No Wealth In The World Can Help Humanity Forward …”
How do we help humanity forward? When we value the wrong things, then we focus on the wrong things. And, of course, we create the wrong things.
Not the things that we most need…
As Albert Einstein explained in THE … Read more...
Book Review: HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi
Wow. What an ambitious accomplishment for a debut author (any author, really) – a story following the lives of one family over 300 years, and written in only 320 pages.
I don’t think many readers are familiar with the origins … Read more...
Book Review: THE SPORT OF KINGS by C.E. Morgan
What I’ve come to learn about myself as a reader is that I am patient enough (who knew?) to enjoy epic novels that span generations (This one was 545 pages). And I’m nerdy enough to enjoy puzzling out long, beautiful … Read more...
Lost & Found News: Galaxies, Whale Dung, Unicorns, & Wild Horses
Lost: Carl Sagan’s Billions; Earth’s Little Blue Orb
Found: The Universe Has Two Trillion Galaxies
Back in the 1980’s, Carl Sagan captured the publics imagination with his talk of the Universe’s Billions. Now, based on images collected over 20 years … Read more...
Book: FALLEN LAND by Taylor Brown
"big-in-heart debut novel... poetic and evocative"
If you appreciate a sense of place and lush descriptions of the natural world (and, in this case, its devastating destruction by men in battle), FALLEN LAND by Taylor Brown is for you. I … Read more...
The Joy of Animals: A Not So Mud Loving Rhino
It’s hard to imagine anyone can watch Ringo, a Southern White Rhinoceros calf who oozes personality from the top of his expressive Shrek-like ears and adorably plaintive whine down to his non-conformist Rhino attitude towards mud — and still claim … Read more...
Words: “The Greatest Lessons You Teach Us…”
“Education” has almost become a byword for all that is wrong in the U.S. While most people agree our education system is broken, we can’t seem to agree on the “real” problems or what to do to fix them. So … Read more...
President Lincoln, Inventor and Proponent of Wind Power
In 1849, Abraham Lincoln conceived of and successfully patented a system of air chambers and bellows to lift boats over shoals and obstructions in a river. As a U.S. Congressman (House of Representatives 1847-1849), Lincoln was a frequent boat traveler … Read more...
In The Flint Water Debacle – A Story of Successful Activism
We tell a story with everything we do.
- A story of our priorities — by what we give our attention to and spend our time on.
- A story of our fears — by what we lie about and with whom
For The Love Of Pets
Recently, the Examiner reported the heartbreaking story of a ten year old pet lab that a family surrendered to a shelter. Thankfully, the press he got meant that a rescue organization took him for placement in a forever home. … Read more...
Words To Live By: “It’s A Beautiful Glass”
Wanting to understand “What is it that makes us human?” filmmaker and artist Yann Arthus-Bertrand collected images and stories from 2,000 women and men in 60 countries about love, work, poverty, death, war… for his film HUMAN. In this … Read more...
The World War II Women Knew
The stories of World War II have been told many times through a multitude of male perspectives and usually with only enough women included to companionably pad the edges. Rarely has an effort been made to focus entirely on presenting … Read more...
Women Are Fundraising Their Way To The Big Political Table
Hillary Clinton’s first quarter fundraising total of $45 million revealed that women comprised more than 60% of her donor base. Regardless of Party, this kind of financial participation is essential if women want to be treated as more than one … Read more...
Working Too Hard May Be Hurting the Economy
The long-term dangers of over-demanding jobs aren’t just to employees. Working too hard maybe hurting the employers too.
Americans are working longer hours with fewer vacations and greater stress, but employees are not the only ones who may suffer from … Read more...
Some College Professors Among the Working Poor
It was horrifying to learn some college professors among the working poor — approximately 25% of part-time college faculty receives one or more types of public assistance (Medicaid/CHIP, TANF, EITC, and/or SNAP) programs.
I have long had a stereotyped view … Read more...
Join NGN Day – A Many Faceted Network Is A Girl’s Best Friend!
Do you have people in your life, personally and professionally, who are willing to step forward to listen, lend a hand, shoulder or idea, share information and experiences, find others who could and would help you when needed? You should. … Read more...
What Purpose Do Fraternities Serve?
DARE WE SAY hosts Shawna Vercher and Anita Finlay look at the role and cost of fraternities in the wake of the latest outrage and ask — What purpose do fraternities serve? Is it time to put an end to … Read more...
Even The FDA Doesn’t Know What’s In Our Food
Eating and drinking is about as basic to our survival as it gets.
While we might debate whether various manufactured foods are the healthiest choices we can make in a day, we assume the FDA has approved their ingredients before … Read more...
The Joyful Side of Animal Rescue
Would you be surprised to know there is a joyful side of animal rescue?
So much of what we see and hear about animal rescue is focused on the pain, sadness, and fear of abandoned and abused animals. These have … Read more...
Patricia Arquette: “It’s Our Time” For Equality
Patricia Arquette’s “it’s our time” appeal on behalf of women’s equality brought excitement to an otherwise lackluster Oscar telecast. Upon accepting the award for Best Supporting Actress, she stood before a worldwide audience of 1 billion and declared:
… Read more...“To every
How Long Do You Give a Leader To Succeed?
How long do you give a leader to succeed when it comes to national, state or local government? Is four years in office enough?
California’s tax rates are high. When Governor Brown re-took office in the midst of a fiscal … Read more...
Women in Charge At Golden Globes
Women in charge Tina Fey and Amy Poehler skewered power players and stereotypes alike in their swan song as Golden Globe hosts Sunday evening. They killed in their opening monologue, a biting soufflé that was as droll as it was … Read more...