Daily Blues & Views

It's another example of the myth of the eternal return.  Another form of the circle of life.  Yes, another example of what comes around goes around.  As such, it fits neatly into the mythology of the tribe trying valiantly return an orca to it's original home...it's indigenous waters. Have you heard about an orca named Lolita?  She was taken from Washington to Florida over 50 years ago.  In a round-up of orcas in 1970, Lolita ended up at the Miami Seaquarium, where she has performed for decades to the delight of children of all ages on the other side of the country.  The Lummi tribe of the Pacific Northwest see the orca as a spiritual entity.  The name translates to "people who live under the water." They want this "person" back.  This is a heartfelt belief that seems almost impossible, but the move is gaining strength and financial support.  Of course to transport this elderly animal back across the country would be very risky. ...

It's a small Northern California town.  Charming, still in many ays, but like many towns this size, it has changed and is changing rapidly in this increasingly technological society.  Some would place it square in the heart of wine country.  Easy to do since one passes miles of grape vines on the path that leads here.  But no, it's really not in Napa county.  Not in Mendocino county either.  That leaves Sonoma county and that would be accurate. I used to come here with regularity 30 years ago.  The glimpse of what it was then with its little downtown area of banks, curio shops and restaurants is still possible.  The tavern I played music in with some friends is long gone.  The little market has been replaces with a Whole Foods, and a couple of coffeehouses and a decent bookstore struggle along. I could live here.  It's far enough away from deep urban problems, but it lack the diversity I'd crave.  It's close enough to major ame...

I hear it all the time.  Depends on the holiday or the anniversary.  Well meaning, intelligent people say that our kids don't know history.  They tell their interviewers that students today don't know anything about the Civil War, World War II, or even the Holocaust. That's hard to believe.  I say this not because as a former history teacher, I've taught these topics, or because I know firsthand that every one of them featured prominently in the curriculum that my department developed and used.  I say this because I'm dumbfounded how any student with a U.S. or World History course could avoid such huge content areas. So, maybe the subjects came up in some classrooms but there was no retention of knowledge.  That's still hard to believe, given this culture's fascination with war, action films, and historical dramas. In my Forty plus years in and out of classrooms I've seen many lessons focused on the history of the Holocaust.  The graphic novel Maus ...