Columns

From Where I Sit – Choose Your Focus

Is there anything quite so sweet as biting into dark red cherries just out of the fridge? The juice squirts into your mouth and is proof positive that there is a God. Unfortunately, telltale stains on your fingers make it impossible to lie about the treat you’ve just devoured. Perhaps your pleasure comes in the… Read more »

Write Stuff – Jemima Who?

Jemima Puddle-Duck is disappearing. So is Heidi, and it looks like Pippi Longstocking could soon follow. Are these classic children’s characters the victims of some dastardly plot? No, but they’re rapidly vanishing from the literary landscape as fewer children read the classics. A recent Guardian article highlights the growing trend. The question, of course, is… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Just Holding On

The big event I coordinate is over (except for the post-mortem analysis and final report). The bedding plants are potted and the beds are weeded (until the next big flush). The house was clean (until Grady showed up for the weekend). The new iMac sits invitingly on my desk (yet frustrates me at every turn)…. Read more »

Write Stuff – Books Behind Bars

?Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.? Those words come from Oliver Wendell Holmes, who retired from the Supreme Court of the United States at the age of 90. Not surprisingly, the inmates who form such a large part of that court system are often those who could most… Read more »

The Mindful Bard – Certified Copy

Film: Certified Copy (IFC Films 2010) Writer/Director: Abbas Kiarostami Cast: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell, Jean-Claude Carrière, Agathe Natanson, Gianna Giachetti, Adrian Moore ?Answer the question. Is she or isn’t she? What? A phony. I don’t know. I don’t think so. You don’t, huh? Well, you’re wrong. She is. But on the other hand, You’re right,… Read more »