I’m falling from the observation deck of the Empire State Building. I can’t remember if I fell, was pushed, or jumped, but I hit the asphalt headfirst and go through it, like diving into a gritty, oily pool of darkness. The thickness is filling my eyes and nose and mouth while I am wondering if [...]
Some years back my father bought at carambola tree, commonly known as starfruit. He liked having it quite a bit. I think the fact that is grew easily in South Florida appealed to him, and he liked the way they taste, too, a kind of citrus flavor with an apple texture. The tree had grown [...]
Today is StoryCorp’s National Day of Listening. As a reminder, here’s the concept: This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be [...]
A few weeks back I was privileged to hear Dave Isay speak at Books and Books. He is the founder of StoryCorps, a marvelous oral history project featured regularly on NPR. The gist of StoryCorps is simple. Mobile recording studios are sent around the country, and ordinary people are given the chance to interview someone [...]
I don’t often participate in these blogging meme-ish things, but it has been a while, and Devyl asked so nicely that I decided to make an exception. I never promised to be prompt, though. So now I’m supposed to tell you all five interesting and/or fun facts about myself. This becomes difficult when you’ve been [...]
If you are a South Florida local who is pissed off about the passage of the hate-fueled Amendment 2, please consider attending SAVE‘s Uniting for Equality rally/meeting today. It is the beginning of the creation of a grassroots movement to build popular support for overturning the amendment, and for the creation and preservation of rights [...]
To start, congratulations to Laura Kathryn for completing the Phoenix Komen for the Cure 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk. This is the second such walk in six weeks, meaning she’s walked well over 120 miles in that time (given her practice walks, and day-to-day running around). It’s a commendable effort for a worthy cause from an [...]
I know that everyone is feeling the pinch of our collapsing economy these days, but I would like to ask for your support for a good cause, and for someone very special to me. Komen for the Cure is an organization dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. They conduct a very large number [...]
Please forgive this, another scattershot catch-up entry while I continue sorting out other matters. I am honored to report that Climbing to the moon is a finalist for the South Florida Daily Blog September/October Post of the Month. If you are so inclined, your vote for my modest effort would be appreciated. However, if you [...]
After the elation and bitterness comprising Election Day 2008 — elation that Obama won; bitterness that Florida, Arizona, and California voters feel that not everyone deserves civil rights — it’s taken me a while to get back up to speed. So, given that the atomic turbines are not yet up to power, here are some [...]
I’ll be spending today at a Miami Shores precinct, encouraging people to Vote No on Amendment 2. And I mean “the day” as in the entire day, from before the polls open until the I’ve spoken to last person allowed in line at night. This issue is important enough to me that I am using [...]
If you have not yet voted but plan to, please vote no on amendment two. In spite of the distortions you may have heard, this proposed amendment doesn’t “protect” marriage at all; it simply removes rights from all unmarried couples, gay or straight. When is it ever a good thing to remove someone’s human rights? [...]