#VIMH: Social Security Was Always A Tax (?)
About 25 years ago, shortly after I moved to Australia, I met an American expat who ranted about the farce of Social Security in America. She insisted it was nothing more than a tax -- or would be, in the end -- and resented being forced to pay it, which is one of the reasons she left the country…
History of Bullying/Unsafe Behavior at DPS Middle Schools
My letter to Durham Public Schools Superintendent and the DPS Board of Education today. in response to a student death by suicide at one of their middle schools.
Short-Changing Babies
… I thought that women and doctors insisting on early births for nonmedical reasons lived only in cynical imaginations and television soap operas. Turns out that, in the last decade, the main stream has effectively reduced ‘full-term’ to 37 weeks…
Why Not Free Choice?
… if the school system is broken, let’s fix it, not undermine it by creating alternatives that compete on an unlevel playing field. If charters receive public funds, they should have the same requirements, for better or for worse, of other publicly funded schools…
If You Give a Mom a Cracker…
This is my first comic strip. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.
Leanne Bernard's Masterful Lady Bracknell Is the Star of Stone Soup Theatre Company's Rendition of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
… Stone Soup Theatre Company's Feb. 21-March 2 presentation of The Importance of Being Earnest is a production worth seeing. Oscar Wilde's sharp critique of Victorian society is as relevant and funny today as it was in 1895. If you've never experienced The Importance of Being Earnest, this is your opportunity to see it in a charming, unconventional setting. The production is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and a few of the play's iconic lines ringing in your ears.
My Place in the Current
… Regardless of any personal definition of ‘The Powers that Be’, it’s hard not to feel that I am being pulled by a current, whether or not I play any part in creating that current and whether or not I choose to ride the current or paddle against it…
The Patience of a Corpse
… “for to know God's will was Martin's heart's desire, and to attain such a state of perfection - a union with God in mystical ecstasy- required the patience of a corpse." -John Irving, A Son Of The Circus
From an Agnostic Christian
… When I sit at an intersection and am approached by a nearly toothless, orange-jacketed beggar with a sign saying “Living In Woods, Please Help. God Bless You,” I ask myself, ‘What would Jesus do?’ …
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at DPAC Is FABULOUS, with Flawless Music and Acoustics
On Tuesday, Jan. 7th, I attended the opening-night performance of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center with my mother-in-law, who experienced Neil Diamond's music as it was released; but I had never been a Neil Diamond fan. Well, I am now…
Mothers and Daughters
My daughter is a lot like her mother.
This frustrates the heck out of me…
Stone Soup Theatre Company's Guys on Ice Is a Fun and Quirky Musical About ... Ice-Fishing
Stone Soup Theatre Company's production of Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical is a fun and quirky performance that brings together humor, catchy tunes, and a sense of community. Directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, with music director Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, the show presents a day in the life of a couple of guys from Wisconsin, combining ice fishing, friendship, and Green Bay Packers fandom in an intimate look at the upper Midwestern United States.
Don’t Worry, Be Bored
… Much of our anxiety ‘stems from our busy, overactive minds always needing entertainment, something to focus on, and always wondering ‘What’s next?’ …
Howard L. Craft and Mike Wiley's The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones Is a Live, Local, Family-Friendly Holiday-Themed Entertainment
The story focuses on Hezekiah Jones, a Chapel Hill toymaker who is losing his joy in Christmas and just about everything else after the recent death of his wife. Hezekiah's daughter Harriet, who is studying at UNC to be an astrophysicist, is worried that her father is going to sell the store, due to rising costs, technology, and declining customers. Dizzle Jollyworth, a North Pole elf who has lost his sense of purpose, has been assigned to revive Hezekiah Jones' Christmas spirit.
The Perils of Christmas
I love the Christmas decorations and songs that permeate offices, stores and homes. I love the legend of Santa Claus, who dedicates his life to the service of others. And I think it is important to remember and teach our kids about Jesus, if not as the Son of God, then as a most significant historical, political and spiritual figure and the cornerstone of the world's largest religion. But each year I have increasingly conflicted feelings about Christmas and the hypocritical way it's celebrated…
Scrap Paper Shakespeare's Dec. 6-15 Production of Claire F. Martin's 2023 Feminist Comedy, Arabella, Is Up Close and Personal at Yours, Durham
Belle Esprit premiered Arabella at Atlanta's Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse in 2023, making Scrap Paper Shakespeare's production only the second time the play has been performed publicly.
The Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens' American Railroad Really Is A Musical Journey of Reclamation
…At two hours long with an additional 20-minute intermission, an evening performance of Silkroad's American Railroad is not for the faint hearted. But you will only benefit from this passionately auditory reflection on those nameless souls who have contributed (and continue to do so) to the freedom and convenience enjoyed in America.
What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck Champions Truly Equal, Inclusive, and Just Governance
…From the legal definition of "penumbra" to positive verses negative rights to the Town of Castle Rock versus Gonzalez and other frightening Supreme Court decisions, every American should experience the lessons contained in What the Constitution Means to Me.
Mail Order Ministers
… As long as exceptional financial benefits and protections exist for churches and religious leaders, a person shouldn’t be eligible for legal ordination simply because (s)he can click a mouse.…