By Jim Heffernan Today’s episode happened at the Motor Vehicle Department. There were four us waiting our turn — two men and two women. I started out with the man and opened…
Category: Guest Column
BOOK REVIEW: Yes, Chef – A Memoir – Marcus Samuelsson
OIOpublisher By Jim Heffernan I was attracted to this 12 year old book by watching the PBS series, “No Passport Required”. My wife and I enjoy “food porn” cooking shows and his…
I’ve been thinking … I’m Mad as Hell!
By Jim Heffernan I’ve always thought of myself as “too cool” to ever feel kinship with Howard Beale in the iconic 1976 movie, “Network” but I’m there today. This last presidential election…
BOOK REVIEW: Invisible Doctrine – The Secret History of Neoliberalism by George Monbiot & Peter Hutchison
By Jim Heffernan Neoliberalism is a name for the general policy of cutting taxes, cutting regulation, and cutting benefits that has infected us for the last 50 years. It has transferred a…
WORDS OF WISDOM: Searching for Truth
By Neal Lemery I keep learning the important lessons of life, again and again. My guardian angel must think I’m a difficult student–certainly a stubborn one. A recent news story caught my…
I’ve been thinking … about whooping cough, vaccines & family history
By Jim Heffernan I’ve been thinking about whooping cough (pertussis), vaccines and family history a lot lately. I was reminded of whooping cough by a newspaper story about how whooping cough cases…
BOOK REVIEW: The Serviceberry – Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
By Neal Lemery This brand new book is a delightful and fresh look at our relationship with nature and with ourselves. It explores the idea of a gift economy, rather that the…
Heard on the Bench: “America Isn’t Ready for a Woman President.”
By Jim Heffernan I’ve spent most of my “bench time” this summer and fall at the Democrats office in town. Most of the conversations I had were with like-minded people who were…
BOOK REVIEW: The Truth About Immigration by Zeke Hernandez
By Jim Heffernan This is an excellent book written by a man who immigrated here from Uruguay in 2000, riding on a student scholarship and visa. He pursued his education earning a…
BOOK REVIEW: Civil Unity – A Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives and Our World
By Jim Heffernan Laura recommended this book to me and decided to give it a try. I was slow to warm to the book, but I grew to love it. I believe…