Daily word games boost my brain and spirits — As I’ve written previously, I suffer from clinical depression and anxiety. These have worsened in recent years with the growing realization of the extent of hate and violence against marginalized people like myself. As I also haven’t had a day job for some time, I sometimes need motivation just to…

Even if it is truly too late to avoid climate catastrophe, I believe there are things individuals can do to make life on Earth better now that also help slow the destruction of the planet. I'm vegan, for example, because I want to reduce the unnecessary suffering and death of…

Today, a civil jury found that former president Donald Trump sexually abused advice columnist E Jean Carroll. They deliberated for less than three hours before delivering their verdict, making Trump the first former U.S. president to be legally declared a sexual predator. The court awarded Carroll five million dollars in…

Legislation is not enough to stem the tide of gun violence in the U.S. — In the wake of yet another mass shooting in the U.S., Texas lawmakers voted today to advance a bill raising to 21 the minimum age for buying a semi-automatic weapon. Family members of the victims of last year’s elementary school massacre in Uvalde cheered and wept tears of joy. With…

Irrational fear of brown skin rationalizes our oppression — Do you remember Bernhard Goetz? On December 22, 1984, Bernhard Goetz shot four Black teenagers on a New York City subway train in response to one of them asking him for five dollars. Goetz had been robbed previously, and told the police “My intention was to murder them, to hurt…

We need to proselytize peace. — Today I read an article about a man who shot and killed his neighbor because he was using a leaf blower. The writer described the incident as part of “a string of shootings in which people have been harmed or killed over trivial matters.” Now I, like many people, hate…

Reflections on the shooting of Ralph Yarl — The recent shooting of Black teen Ralph Yarl for the crime of ringing a white man’s doorbell has captured a large amount of media attention in the U.S. Yarl, who was seriously injured, has received over three million dollars in contributions to a fundraiser for his recovery, and got a…

This week, news emerged of a large number of blatantly racist text messages exchanged by police officers in Antioch, California, during a stakeout of suspects. Further investigation revealed that nearly half of Antioch’s police department participated in these racist and homophobic text threads. Messages in Alleged Racist Texts Case Involving Antioch Police 'Renders One Speechless' Defense Attorney Carmela Caramagno said she is shocked, saddened and outraged at the text messages 17 Antioch police…www.nbcbayarea.com

Seriously, elected officials, don’t you have better uses of your time than this? — Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States declined an emergency request from the state of West Virginia to prohibit a trans girl from competing in sports alongside her middle school classmates. While I am grateful for the ruling in her favor, what does it say about the values and…