By John RC Potter There are people one meets during one’s lifetime who are larger-than-life: the expression, ‘real characters’ comes to mind, the kind who could have sprung from the pages of a delightful book. I had the great fortune to meet an endearing ‘character’ decades ago, when I moved into a charming red-brick building … Continue reading It’s A Great Life If You Don’t Weaken
Community Attic
By Penny Nolte I climb concrete steps gripping the rusty iron railing, smiling when I find Dad’s note pinned to the door. “We’re out on a call now, but come in! Feel free to look around.” His phone number is shared at the bottom just in case other visitors happen to drop by. Pushing the heavy … Continue reading Community Attic
The Nevada Side
By Miranda R. Carter For some time, in an earlier America, the Sierra Nevada Mountains were viewed as the final brutal barrier to the American Dream, the skeleton key to the West. Though today’s modern passes—Carson, Spooner, etc.—are tightly wound, rimming a shale skyline, they are contrastingly travelable trails from the blue corazón of Lake … Continue reading The Nevada Side
Humidity
By Zary Fekete In July the air was thick enough to push back. You and I stood in it, early, before the sun arrived like a loud, brash fire. At dawn the corn leaves were still wet and sharp at the edges. Our shirts soaked through in a quiet, even kind of way…cold at first … Continue reading Humidity
Brighton Beach Daydreams
By Maria Odessky Rosen The usually pure solid tones of Deep Forest are adulterated in this 13th floor apartment of the Trump Village projects in Brighton Beach. The music is polluted, and so are my thoughts. The lyrics of “Martha’s Song” are distorted by the cacophonous clattering of a passing D train. I push in … Continue reading Brighton Beach Daydreams
The Hero Is The Problem
By Mary Murray Bartolomé The stories I read as a child were filled with heroes, but now I’m not so sure. They were tales, ancient and folkloric, of a singular strong man (yes, man) who bravely challenged his antagonisers; a man fearless beyond reason, who either alone or with paltry aid, became victorious; a man … Continue reading The Hero Is The Problem
Sun Tzu and Entertainment: Dennis the Menace’s Garden Party
By Andrew Nickerson In military tactics/strategy, many names have risen to prominence, only to fall later. However, one name has remained prominent for millennia: Sun Tzu, ancient general/tactician/strategist and author of The Art of War. This masterpiece has been venerated by everyone from students to teachers to historians, not just for its commonsense approach to … Continue reading Sun Tzu and Entertainment: Dennis the Menace’s Garden Party
12 Days of the Holidays: “Christmas in Venice” by Benedicte Grima
The sirens began sounding at midnight, and then again at 6AM. I was in Venice, where my aunt Adelaide – aka Tadé - had invited me to spend Christmas with her and her Venetian friends. It had snowed heavily the previous day, so that San Marco’s Square was thickly carpeted, as were the red tile … Continue reading 12 Days of the Holidays: “Christmas in Venice” by Benedicte Grima
Neomedievalism: The Contemporary Era in Medieval Reflections
By Antonio Ambrosino When history repeats itself, the Middle Ages return in 2025 In the silent flow of modern days, a strange echo rises — as if the past, long buried, were whispering through the cracks of our present. Despite scientific and technological advances, our society reveals unsettling similarities with the medieval past. From Berlin’s … Continue reading Neomedievalism: The Contemporary Era in Medieval Reflections
Born to die
By Erni-Szakács Szilárd Life and death are connected. They do not exist alone, only together with the other. Somebody who is born must die. This is the rule of life. But why are we born? And what is life? Life is a gift or a punishment? Why are we born without being asked? What is … Continue reading Born to die
Academy of the Heart And Mind 