September 2015

Editor’s Page By Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez For more editorials, visit:http://thedarksideofthedream.com The Best Time to Have Come of Age!   It all depends, I suppose, on our nationality and those fellow citizens one has most admired. A Frenchman might choose the tumultuous years of the French Revolution, while a Brit might select a time during which “the […]

The Soldier Nun By Herbert W. Piekow   In 1589 Catalina de Erauso’s wealthy Basque family sent their four- year-old daughter to a Dominican Convent, where her aunt was the prioress. When Catalina was fifteen she escaped the convent when her aunt sent the novitiate to fetch a prayer book. Catalina spied the keys to

The Enemy Is Not Russia Or Putin: It’s Hypocrisy By Marcel Woland   Re: “Dictator Disease” (July Ojo), iconic of  Ms. Harwood’s piece is a photo-shopped image of her target, Putin. It has appeared in Gessen’s hatchet-job The Man without a Face; Harding’s narcissistic Mafia State: How One reporter became an Enemy of the Brutal

Imprints By Antonio Ramblés antonio.rambles@yahoo.com Lush Luxembourg Garden   There is something in most city dwellers which demands occasional respite from urban life, as if something in our genes reminds us that we are all descended from hunter-gatherers and farmers, and that cities are not our natural habitat. The Jardin du Luxembourg – the Luxembourg

Uncommon Common Sense By Bill Frayer billfrayer@gmail.com The Elephants Are in Control   My daughter recently loaned me a copy of Jonathan Haidt’s 2012 book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.It’s an interesting study about why intelligent people can view the world so differently.  It’s an interesting subject he’s

Thoughts About Getting Older…     • The biggest lie I tell myself is …”I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.” • Wouldn’t it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes; come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller! • Last year I joined a support group

ALL OUR WORDS NEEDED SAYING: An Anthology of Women’s Writing Edited by Patricia Hemingway, Zofia Barisas & Carol D. Bradley Reviewed by Dr. Amelia Stevens   Eight Lakeside women writers have created a striking, heartfelt and provocative collection. The twenty-one works of fiction, creative nonfiction and memoir, each followed by a poem, reflect a woman’s authentic

KEN CLARKE —A Man for all Seasons By Zofia Barisas   Ken Clarke (1938 – 2012) was born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The family moved to Bodmin, Cornwall when he was three. His love of Cornwall remained with him all his life. At 16 he went to the School of Navigation in Plymouth from which

DEFIANCE: A Chronicle Of Courage By Chance DeWitt(AKA Tom Eck)Amazon.comKindle $4.99Review by Mikel Miller   This true story of Zahra chronicles her struggles to escape oppression in Iran and build a new life in the USA. As the Foreword says: “It is the story of one woman’s courage, perseverance and honor, both inborn and acquired.

Ramblings From The Ranch By Syd Sullins   Two years ago a body shop in San Antonio went out of business and double padlocked their gate – with three dogs left inside. It’s difficult to see through the gate and two of these dogs starved to death before anyone noticed. One day, a carpenter who