In 1980 I was on the Walk for Survival, a peace walk tracing the path of the Trident Submarine missiles from Sunnyvale, California to Bangor, Washington, where the submarines were based. Thirty or so of us walked for three and a a half months, talking to people, leafletting, holding rallies, and struggling and celebrating all …
I was very interested to read about the new Pope’s message on inequality. In part he wrote, To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the …
Over the winter and spring I worked with my good friend Sarah Sprague to create a series of songs to support her new curriculum series. It’s an 8 level series for preschool and elementary with a strong focus on the importance of reflecting positive values and concepts and being reflective of Brazilian children. Over those months, …
Charlie Trotter died on Tuesday, November 5. He was a famous chef in Chicago, and one of the most famous in the world. Reservations to his restaurant had to be made months in advance, the menu changed every day, and dinner was not cheap. I went in 1997 as a once in a lifetime experience, …
I keep coming back to the idea of songs as remedies or responses to situations, positive or negative. I recently watched a video interview that Amy Goodman did with Pete Seeger in August of 2013. Pete is aging, but he continues to be a paragon of hopefulness and action in the face of challenges. In …
Today is my youngest daughter Calli’s twentieth birthday. She’s a wonderful young woman, attending Occidental College in LA. What’s not to love about that? Beach. Hollywood. Swimming pools. Movie Stars. I love her deeply, and I’ve loved watching her grow from a sometimes not so happy baby to a confident, active, and smart adult, moving …
Bullying is a big current topic in school and has been for some time. We’ve seen horrific, violent examples of what can happen when we don’t recognize or address behaviors and the cultures that spawn them. I noticed recently that businesses are getting in on the act, using their brand platforms to bring attention or …