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Posts published in “Essays”

The Great Flu of 1918, Mendocino County

For fascinating listening there is “The Great Influenza” by John Barry. It’s available from the County Library and provides hours of informative material on a…

Cocoa

Her name was Cocoa. She spelled it like the beverage, not Jane Goodall’s gorilla. She looked Ethiopian with her cafe con leche complexion, high cheekbones, and yellowish brown eyes—most of the women at the party were Ethiopian. However, Cocoa was from Senegal. She had the poise and the figure of a young woman in her early 20s. He was stunned to discover she was seventeen—the same age as the high school seniors to whom he taught biology.

Northward Ho

Good friends Don and Misty are coming up to Bieber for a few April days before we road trip north together. Don is Portuguese and…

Stripes

A friend recently sent me a link to a short movie about a high school art teacher in St. Paul Minnesota whose students are recent arrivals from other countries, refugees from military conflicts. Many of the students barely speak English, so this teacher has devised fun and creative ways to explore color theory without needing much language for the learning.

Gratitude

When we feel gratitude, we give ourselves the gift of concentrating on what's important, and when we share our gratitude, it helps others feel gratitude,…

Giants 3, Surveillance State 2

Bruce Bochy said Joe Panik sat for nine innings and then came up and squared the ball for a run and the win Friday night…

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