| Silence is consent | Any reader of this space is free to despise my thoughts, my writing, or even me personally. The difference between my worldview and theirs is that I would never attempt to silence their voice, or demand that they live the way I do.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
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April 16, 2018 21:57
| The Stormy Daniels upper | I didn't watch the Stormy Daniels interview. For one thing I was busy cleaning my AR-15s - which are, in fact, an excellent choice for target shooting, hunting, and home defense - and for another thing I just assume that she is telling the truth and that her skillset really is worth $130k a pop, if not much, much, more.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
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April 9, 2018 16:13
| Which pet is right for you? |
Sharing your life with a pet has great benefits and can bring you great joy. As well as the unconditional love, affection and friendship that pets provide, there are also therapeutic benefits that go along with being a pet parent, such as improved general health and well-being.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
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April 9, 2018 16:14
| The Greenhouse Mouse | I have been at war with rodents for most of my life. I am presently doing battle with a particularly clever mouse in the greenhouse, who has, in full disclosure, managed to outwit my considerable efforts to end his life early and with extreme prejudice.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
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March 19, 2018 17:39
| Taking in a stray or semi-feral cat |
That stray cat showing up in your neighborhood or on your doorstep may be a feral cat.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
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March 5, 2018 17:00
| The Barbary Coast | On February 24 Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, no stranger to the lava beds of Oakland politics, released a message warning illegal immigrants of deportation action by ICE in the City of Oakland, California, and elsewhere around the Bay Area.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
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March 5, 2018 16:30
| Our predator problem | The common denominator underlying school killings isn't what you think it is. It isn't guns, and it isn't mental illness. The only common denominator underlying mass school killings is long-term, dissociative exposure to violent media.
Whether it's violence in films, violent lyrics, violent television shows, violent novels, violence depicted across social media, or the endless flood of violent imagery in first-person-shooter video games, those countless hours steeped in images of interpersonal violence are damaging the minds of our nation's children.
That is particularly true in violent video games, which encourage a child to kill using the same methods employed by the U.S. military to increase lethality on the battlefield.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
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February 26, 2018 17:17
| The eagles are baaaaaak! |
In the entire US of A there is only one golden eagle nest being monitored by web cam at this time, and it's right here in Sisters Country. And thanks to the East Cascades Audubon Society (ECAS) - who is paying to have the images streamed around the world, land-owner Leslie Lawrence, who watches over the camera equipment, and Sisters Astronomy Club technician Jim Hammond, who keeps the equipment going, all you have to do is wiggle your mouse and go to: goldeneaglecam.com and the live image is there for you to see.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
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February 26, 2018 17:14
| Making sense of 'Common Sense' | Not long ago I was reading the late Christopher Hitchens book "Hitch-22," which was a fond look back at the life of a brilliant writer who was suffering from late-stage esophageal cancer.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
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February 26, 2018 16:46
| An unexpected gift |
My artist residency at PLAYA is done. I drove home from Summer Lake, through 100 miles of volcanic vistas and tiny towns. The Oregon Outback is a special place; sparse and rich with beauty. It's still hard to believe what opened up in those two weeks. I stared down fears and visited long-forgotten memories. Now, the first section of my book is complete, and I'm working on a second draft.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
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February 20, 2018 17:07
| The agony of defeat | And just like that, the collusion narrative imploded.
Which doesn't mean there is a political winner in the United States. Far from it.
What emerges from the indictment produced by Mueller et al, in addition to some truly laugh-out-loud funny capers pulled on dimwitted, blinded-by-rage Trump rally stooges, is the picture of a magnificently coordinated, extremely well-financed, and brilliantly conducted psy-op campaign whose principle aim was to discredit the results of an election, sow instability, and thus to destabilize the nation and weaken its ability to act cohesively.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
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February 20, 2018 17:01
| On with the show | When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to wake up on Saturday mornings. Mom and dad were usually still in bed, as was my little sister. But when it was time, I'd quietly get out of bed, head to the kitchen, make my toast and peanut butter, a cold glass of Nestle's Quik, and get ready for another hour of fun and frolic with my pals from Warner Bros. cartoons.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
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February 20, 2018 17:01
| Celebrate Valentine's Day
with your pet |
It's the global day of love: Valentine's Day. Visions of Cupid with his arrow; heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers sent special-delivery. And folks everywhere are pulling out all the stops to plan the perfect day for their Valentine. It's a joyous day to celebrate the love between two people. For others, it is a sad or wistful day, spent wishing for what they once had or for what they have yet to find.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
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February 12, 2018 17:21
| The Vanishing Middle | It's been another great week in the world of hyperbole.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
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February 12, 2018 17:19
| It's more than 'just music' | My wife and I were talking some time ago about technology and our reliance on it.
I remember several years ago, many websites closed down in protest of an impending bill in congress called the Stop Online Privacy Act, or SOPA. I remember reading an article on the economic impact of such closures on commerce and basically how addicted we are to the technology we use. And there have been threats of many other closures and actual closures over the years since.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
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February 12, 2018 17:06
| Cancer and me: It's a family affair |
From the moment we received my diagnosis, this has been about more than just me and the impact it has had on my life. It's about the impact it has had on my family as well - in particular my courageous wife, Katie.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
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February 5, 2018 17:15
| Fear and
loathing in D.C. | The bludgeoning of our Republic continues.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
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February 5, 2018 17:14
| Deep into the Outback | Two weeks in a cabin alone. Just me for a roommate. Facing the past head-on. No cell service or Internet connection. Now that's a recipe for upheaval - or possibly epiphanies. That's where I'm headed and that's what terrifies me.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
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February 5, 2018 17:13
| Our "wild" turkeys are not so wild |
One of those marvelous phone calls came in the other day about "wild turkeys" messing up a Sisters resident's porch - and I mean really messing it up. There was turkey poop at least an inch thick all over the back porch that fell from turkeys spending the night in pines towering over the home. Turkeys eat; turkeys poop. That's just the way it is.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
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February 5, 2018 17:20
| Cat scratch chatter | Scratching is a natural behavior for cats. That's why your feline friend doesn't understand why you get so bent out of shape when he claws that tempting couch arm or carpet. Cats do not scratch furniture with malicious contempt.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
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January 29, 2018 17:31
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