Donald Trump has probably done more to recruit converts to the political process than any politician in a long time. While his support base remains fixed, those in opposition to his policies are a rising tide. Many of them, as writer E. J. Graff points out, are new to citizen activism

On a recent Saturday, I escaped from the retirement center with two delightful fellow inmates.  I wanted to learn how to ride a bus, something I hadn’t done in years.  Fortunately my new friends were game to show me the ropes.  One supplied me with a ticket. The other gave me ins

My material grandmother used to warn her daughter that by laughing so much her teeth might freeze — no easy feat in the tropical country like Costa Rica.  Happily the threat didn’t dissuade my mother who loves to laugh to this day.  As she’s passed her 100 birthday, it’s

I recently acquired a Facebook contact who quotes the Bible daily.  As I am an atheist, I’m puzzled by his reason for seeking me out.  Perhaps he hopes to save my soul. More likely, however, he added my name to his list through a mutual friend.  For reasons I find unfathomable, s

When I negotiated for a teachers’ union, years ago, I avoided the trap of arguing with School Board members about where to find money for health care or salary adjustments.  I insisted the district reset its priorities.  That’s why I turn a deaf ear when Republicans say there is

He sat opposite me at a popular restaurant, letting his coffee grow cold.  In the midst of his second divorce, he wanted to talk about a dating service he’d joined, one that matched couples using algorithms.  He hoped  the technology would help him find a new soul mate. I hoped h

Two men stood ahead of me in the cafeteria line at the retirement center.  The first had severe heart problems, I knew.  The second probably did as well for his stomach hung over his belt as if it longed to kiss his thighs.  The first man bought a doughnut fritter glistening with e

When Jennifer Doudna at Berkley and Emmanuelle Charpentier of France collaborated on their CRISPR research, a  gene-editing tool, (Blogs 9/11/15, 6/15/16) they little imagined they’d be starting a war.  But when Feng Zang, of the Broad Institute at Harvard/MIT, tried to patent his

Yesterday, I sat down in the midst of a circle of women at the retirement center.  Mine had been a long day and I was inwardly chortling about an email I’d  received from a young woman. Laughter is best when shared, so I told my companions about my invitation to a writer to appear

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” historian John Dalberg wrote at the end of the 19th century. A truism today, but scientists have begun to wonder if power is to blame for corruption or if people who seek power have aspects of character that are corr