Articles 2014

Political Masochism By Fred Mittag   Can you imagine a man saying to his hangman, “Here, let me help you tie the noose”? Or somebody without insurance, who needs heart surgery, but is opposed to Obamacare? It happens. Everybody knows the Republicans oppose labor unions, unemployment insurance, safety regulations, and the minimum wage, but still, […]

Hearts at Work A Column by James Tipton “Every day takes figgering out all over again….”   Mexican poet, writer, diplomat, and Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz writes that “Tomorrow, we shall have to invent, once more, the reality of the world.” Indeed, all of us have to invent, each day, “the reality of the

Smelling Memories By Kathy Koches   My little dog cocks her head to one side, her black nose quivering as she detects a scent. I sit wondering what it might be, as the smell is undetectable to me. Something has caught her attention and her tail begins to wag – is it the delicious aroma

Return Of Cabo San Lucas Fiction by Kathy L. Price   “Ow,” Courtney cringed and lifted the strap over her shoulder. This was the worst sunburn, ever. She always used sunscreen, but had not done so that day. After checking into the hotel, they’d hit the bar. Nothing after that was clear but she must

CAROLINA AYALA—A Force of Nature By I.M. Burnen   Living in the Midwest in the early 60’s I woke from a nap one warm June afternoon to discover the top two floors of my home had disappeared.That force of nature, the tornado, had visited me and I responded by immediately moving to London. Not since

LAKESIDE LIVING   Sandy OlsonPhone: 331-283-8529Email: sandyzihua@hotmail.com   August 2014   PAST EVENTS THE NAKED STAGE The most recent production of Naked Stage was Mass Appeal, directed by Graham Miller. The cast members were Allen McGill and John Jones. IBPA AWARD Alejandro Grattan has won a Benjamin Franklin Digital Book Silver Award from the Independent

Letters To The Editor   Dear Sir: I may be a bit behind my reading, but I’m whole-heartedly behind Lorin Swinehart’s guest editorial in January’s El Ojo:  “Wildlife Crime — A Moral Outrage!”  Swinehart brilliantly connects the dots among wildlife poaching, arms dealers, modern day slave traders and drug dealers, pointing out that the illegal

Sojourner’s Truth By Mark Sconce   By now, most Americans are aware that the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States fathered at least one and probably five other children with a house slave girl by the name of Sally Hemings.* But I wonder how many know, as

Profiling Tepehua By Moonyeen King moonie1935@yahoo.com   “Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain” Drumming on the tin roofs of the habitats of Tepehua, the rain sounds like marbles as the echo bounces off the cement floors and walls of the 10 x12 homes. The walls bead

Child Of The Month By Barb Corol   This beautiful little girl is Mayte, diagnosed shortly after birth with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a broad term used to describe a group of chronic “palsies” – disorders that impair control of movement due to damage to the developing brain. CP usually develops by age 2