Summer of Trust: The Great American Eclipse

Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: On Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, blocking the Sun and casting a shadow over the Pacific Ocean. As the Moon moves and the Earth turns, the shadow will pass just south of Portland, Oregon, traveling southeast, reaching maximum intensity near … Read more

What Do We Do About These Flesh-Eating Zombies?

Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: What exactly are we supposed to do? That’s the question. It’s a little like The Onion’s fictional lady, Christine Pearson of Topeka, who baked an American flag cake after 9/11, just so she could do anything at all. "I had to do something to force myself away from … Read more

In Search of Pluto

Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: Mercury retrograde is in full effect right now. Each one of these phases, which happen about three times a year, has its unique pattern, its own distinct feeling and its special challenges. Currently, Mercury is retrograde in Capricorn, and on Jan. 4 will track back into Sagittarius, changing … Read more

This is a Test: War of the Worlds

First published Oct. 27,2016 Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: For his weekly program on Halloween eve of 1938, a young Orson Welles tried something new. For some months, his Mercury Theater on the Air had run on Columbia Broadcasting System (the CBS Radio Network) with a small listenership. On the evening of Oct. … Read more

Uranus, Eris and the Riddle of the Internet by Eric Francis

Published June 23, 2016 | Link to original Dear Friend and Reader: Have I mentioned that I’ve been trying to figure out the internet? I was aware that when you click on something, something new appears on the screen. I knew if you post a naked picture to Facebook they kick you out for a … Read more