Category: Culture

Goodbye, Jane

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Goodbye, Jane Goodall

Goodbye, Jane Goodall

4/3/1934-10/1/2025

By D.S. Mitchell

The world has lost a guiding light. Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall has died at the age of 91. Ms Goodall was still speaking, touring, and offering hope for not only the animals of the world, but humanity when she died of natural causes, October 1st, 2025, while in Los Angeles, CA, on a speaking tour.

Her discoveries while living with the chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania transformed how the world perceived not only human’s closest living biological relatives, but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling Ms. Goodall into the public consciousness.

Goodall was an English primatologist and anthropologist. She was a recognized pioneer in primate research. She was best known for more than six decades of field research on the social and family life of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. Jane Goodall documented her observations, describing their use of tools and their distinct personalities. Goodall observed and reported them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans.

Goodall was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of the natural world. The soft spoken intellectual and conservationist transcended generations  with her appearances beginning in the 1960’s in documentaries, books, magazines, and public appearances before packed auditoriums until the day she died.

***A few books by Jane Goodall available on Amazon:
Through a Window, The Book of Hope, Hope for Animals and Their World, My Life with the Chimpanzees, 50 Years at Gombe

Put Zing In Your Step

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Put Zing In Your Step

Put Zing In Your Step

 

By D.S. Mitchell                                                                       

Hamster on a Wheel

I know somedays are harder than others, but if you’re feeling like that hamster on a wheel and your energy has gotten up and gone-here are a few strategies to put a smile back on your face and the zing in your step.

Start Laughing

In case you didn’t know, laughing increases your body’s intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles. Laughing also triggers the release of endorphins, which boost your energy level and mood. A University of Nebraska at Lincoln study, found that people who watched a funny 10 minute long video, such as a cat riding a rumba vacuum around the living room felt energized by the experience. So, look for funny, and laugh loud, and hard.

Small Talk

Brief, pleasant exchanges with people you don’t know or barely know can enhance happiness, mood, energy, and overall satisfaction with life.  A willingness to meet new people (no matter how briefly) and engage in some small conversation is guaranteed to improve both your physical and mental health. So, go ahead, I give you permission to initiate a conversation in the check out line at Walmart. As an older adult female I suggest that you initiate conversations with women with small dogs or small children. I’m not suggesting anything other than you don’t want to give a strange guy the wrong idea. Other than that grandmotherly caution; socialize away.

Get Moving

Exercise fires up the autonomic nervous system. Exercise gets your heart pumping and raises your blood pressure all the while improving blood flow through the brain. You don’t need to hit the gym; a brisk walk around the neighborhood, 20 minutes of light exercise in your living room; a couple sets of wall push ups, a few jumping jacks, some standing crunches. I know when you are tired and feeling fatigued all the time, exercise may be the last thing you think you need, but as is frequently the case, exercise is probably just what you need.

Change It Up

The nucleus accumbens is the part of your brain that is associated with motivation and pleasure, but if it is not stimulated it likes to go to sleep. So, if you’re feeling bored, you are probably feeling tired. Alice Boyes, PhD., author of The Healthy Mind Toolkit, suggests to stimulate the nucleus accumbens, we need to mix things up, rearrange the furniture, buy a new comforter for your bed, pour the milk into the bowl before the cereal. Get the idea?

How About Karaoke?

There is a study for everyone they say; according to one such study at Sam Houston State University, singing and tapping your foot to the music causes an endorphin rush. So if you want to enhance music’s energizing effect start singing and dancing. Sing in the shower, sing in your car, join the local bar crowd for some Karaoke fun, and keep tapping that foot.

Use Imagination

Numerous studies indicate that being out in nature makes us feel more alive and energetic. Getting on that forest trail may be too hard for many of us city dwellers, however some of those same studies indicate that just imagining that you are out in nature delivers a similar effect. You can add a poster of a mountain, a river, or a creek to your office wall. How about a gorgeous photo of the outdoors as your screensaver on your PC? Or, install a beautiful forest scene as your phone’s home screen. Studies have proven this is a great technique to release energy boosting endorphins.

Cold Showers and Big Drinks

Change your usual hot morning shower to a cold shower and you will increase your circulation, heart rate, and oxygen intake, and you will feel more alert and energetic. To keep that refreshed feeling throughout the day all you have to do is head into the bathroom for a cold water face splash. The second part of the water story is a reminder to stay hydrated. When our body is low on fluids one of the first signs of the deficit is fatigue. For the average healthy adult 64 oz or 8 cups of water is a reasonable starting point, but it’s not enough for everyone. Fluid needs vary based on age, sex, activity level, climate, and health status. Official guidelines from the National Academy of Medicine suggest higher daily fluid intakes, including fluid from all sources like food and other beverages. To know if 64 ounces is enough, monitor your body’s signals, such as thirst and urine color (pale yellow indicates good hydration). 

Keep It Up

Hope these tips help to keep you active and engaged in life. Don’t let fatigue and lack of energy rob you of fun filled days.

OPINION: Time For The 25th Amendment

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OPINION:

Time For The 25th Amendment

 

OPINION:

Time For The 25th Amendment

By D.S.  Mitchell

Back Then

In my younger years, way back in college, my first year, for a term or two, I was a Psychology/Sociology major. I’ve always been interested in what makes people behave the way they do. I later switched to nursing and it was a lot of the same, trying to figure out what made people tick.  As an RN I worked 1NW OHSU Crisis Psychiatry Unit, Portland, OR,  for many years before retraining for Cardiac ICU about 20 years into my 45 year long nursing career. I ‘ve left that life behind, and I am now retired from nursing and currently writing and editing full time. So, as a writer I’m still interested in what makes people behave the way they do.

36%

Right now Trump has a 37% approval rating in the national polls. I get that 1% of that 37% are billionaires, and are happy as hell, but what about the remaining 36%? Do these Trump supporters really feel good about 15 million people losing health care, hundreds of hospitals and clinics closing across the country, health care premiums going through the roof, the end of science in this country, the end of cancer research, DOGE plowing through all our private information, the destruction of “due process,” the rise of the oligarchs, the federal government shut down, or the firing of 100’s of 1,000’s of government workers?

Be Happy…Until

Well, all I can say to the Trumper crowd, is, be happy….until it’s your grandma’s nursing home closes and she has nowhere to go except home with a family member, or till your dad’s social security check is held up because DOGE decided he was really dead, or my God, your daughter’s new husband who spent a weekend in the sun doing yard work and was now suspiciously dark, and aroused the interest of prowling ICE agents, who arrested him, and sent him someplace-they can’t remember, or refuse to tell the judge.

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Suicide Crisis Lineline: Dial 988

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Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988

Editor: I missed 9/10/2025 Suicide Prevention Day, but I think this is important information and we don’t need a designated date to inform people about suicide.

D. S. Mitchell

Statistics 

If you are between 15-35, suicide is the second leading cause of death for your age group.  For all age groups, suicide is responsible for more deaths than murder and natural disasters, combined.  Men take their own lives four times as often as women. Many men sadly would rather be dead than appear ‘weak.’

Left Behind

As you can see, suicide is not a rare, or isolated event. It is very real and definitely permanent, and it leaves those who are left behind, in utter despair. For them the suicide event is plagued by stigma, guilt and self-recrimination. The most common question from those left behind is, “what could I have done differently?”

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Trump’s Travesties

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Trump’s Travesties

Trump’s Travesties

By Cate Rees-Hessel with D.S. Mitchell

Since taking office less than a year ago, “The Donald” has made quite the mess of our nation…. again. I feel like sending him right along with his policies to the nearest dump site. Here are just a few of his deliberate faux pas:

  1. The Epstein cover up – resist! Too many “secrets,” that Donnie wants hidden.
  2. Tariffs – he needs to be impeached now…take back the House & take back the Senate!
  3. Racist ICE raids – resist! Take off the masks!
  4. Said the day after the Perry High school shootings, “We have to get over it” – he needs to be impeached now…he’ll “get over it”!
  5. Said at the Bedminster Gala that smart people don’t like him; stop the presses – he finally said something truthful…resist! That’s because smart people see past culture wars and listen to policy.
  6. Seeking to silence the progressive left regarding the shooting death of Charlie Kirk – he needs to be impeached now…well, of course he needs to be impeached.
  7. Cozying up to Elon Musk – resist! Such a short and damaging love affair for our country.
  8. Denying climate change – he needs to be impeached now…I guess we’re gonna find out just how hot it can get. *Iran July 2025; 127 degrees F.
  9. Cozying up to the gun lobby – resist! As of 9/25/25 there have been 317 mass shootings in the US-!
  10. Project 2025 – he needs to be impeached now…right along with this corrupt and rogue Supreme Court.
  11. Claiming he is king – resist! No crowns for clowns is my motto.
  12. Denying COVID-19’s severity, restricting vaccines, and inciting the anti-vax fringe – he needs to be impeached now…and Bobby Jr. and allies should be sent off planet.
  13. Attacking Social Security – resist! Social Security has been paying Americans faithfully for 90 years I’d say it should be strengthened not ‘effed up.
  14. Attacking SNAP so children go hungry – he needs to be impeached now…SNAP helps the farmer as well as the hungry. 60% of Americans are barely scraping by; protect SNAP.
  15. Tax breaks for billionaires – resist! Spreading the wealth makes for healthier and happier citizens.
  16. Brown nosing other dictators – he needs to be impeached now…and the ass-kissing goes on…and on….and on.
  17. His undermining the post office causing major mail delivery problems, which is occurring because of his first term installation of Louis DeJoy – resist! They’re getting ready to auction off our constitutionally guaranteed post office to buyers like Fed-Ex and UPS-resist.
  18. His constant attacks on freedom of the press – he needs to be impeached now…Americans are about to lose their freedom of speech, we’ll all be listening to one channel, no need for the remote control.
  19. Just being a multiple convicted felon – resist! When you’ve got the thugs in charge, expect to find a lot of dead bodies and jailed enemies.
  20. He incited the January 6th 2021 insurrection – he needs to be impeached now…and now he’s pardoned his co-conspirators.
  21. He threatened officials to rig the 2020 election and his victory in 2024 is in severe question – resist! This is a story hiding in plain sight, we should be saying, “Madam President.”
  22. Being an accused and convicted rapist – he needs to be impeached now…I certainly think we need  better, but when are we going to demand better?
  23. Calling President Biden and VP Harris vicious names and lies – resist! Small minds produce a lot of four letter words.
  24. Trying to force out of office a federal reserve governor that he does not like – he needs to be impeached now…he seems to enjoy accusing people of crimes he has committed, in this case mortgage fraud.
  25. Threatening our democracy and anyone that disagrees with him-resist! Ask Miles Taylor, Chris Krebs, James Comey, or how about Rosie O’Donnell how it feels when the president starts publicly accusing you of wrongdoing and threatens Justice Department charges.

Mark 10/18/2025 on your Protest Calendar and hit the streets and tell Trump we’ll have ‘No Kings Here.’

Perfection, Imperfected

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Perfection, Imperfected

 

Perfection, Imperfected

 

By John Curran

Well, let me tell ya. It’s hard being a radical leftist bloodthirsty murderous lunatic who hates America, God, and even apple pie. I’m telling ya, as Rodney Dangerfield would say, “I get no respect.” So, once they tarred and feathered me for too much space taken up by my tent in a designated enclosure, I just said enough is enough. All my friends, some of them homeless people, that’s right I admit it, anyway they all said….Phoenix, Arizona? Why would I want to go there? Well the answer was I just threw a dart at my USA wall map ‘n that’s where it stuck. So that was it.

When I hit Phoenix, I looked for a job at this organization that I must keep secret as my good reputation is on the line. I applied for the job of janitor. I was invited up to Personnel. There was a group of them when I walked in, a dozen or so, all sitting in a circle. There was an empty chair in the middle of the circle, that was for me. “Sit yourself down right here ‘ol timer,” says the one guy, standing tall. The others, all dudes, were seated. They were all young.

“So, you want to take out the trash and stuff like that, huh? says the tall guy. “Well tell me this then, do you believe in Jesus? Well, they all turned to me intently, as if everything, everything, depended on my answer to this, and so I told them, Yes, I do. He’s a good neighbor. His last name is Garcia, Jesus Garcia, a very good next door neighbor. Of course this was all just made up. I was just lying to see how far all this would take me. The circle seemed to find all this amusing. Tall guy then asks me, “Would you die for this Jesus Garcia?” Well, I said, I would, “of course,” and that my cat would too, and has in fact,  only recently come back from the dead. “The dead, the dead, yeah I like that,” says Tall guy and proceeds to get a chant going, “The dead, the dead, yes we do, we love the dead, the dead, the dead, the dead, the dead….”

And boy I tell ya they got going with that one, sure did. This spontaneous levity in fact took a few moments to die back down, before calm was finally restored. Tall tells me, “you can empty trash buckets but first the Queen must give final approval,” and then in walks this gorgeous blonde who walks right up to me and tells me that first I better get a haircut, the ‘company cut’ it was called. The idea being complete similarity to all the rest.

And then I woke up. Wow, wicked dream. Hey, no more late night Fox News for me, brother. And so I got up, got dressed, ‘n saw the sun was shining. I knew I was late but I did not want to miss the Sunday service, where I wash the feet of the homeless.

The Quirk in the Kirk Memorial

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The Quirk in the Kirk Memorial

The Quirk in the Kirk Memorial

By Vajra Ma  (Author of From a Hidden Stream)

Charlie Kirk was lauded in his memorial as an exemplary Christian. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles summed the three pillars of his work: Love God, your family, and your country. Just like Jesus said, love God. Just like Jesus said–oh, wait…

Jesus never said love your family. He never said love your country. Jesus said “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  (Matthew 22:40) Make no mistake, it was Ericka Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, who evoked the actual spirit and teachings of Jesus when she called for forgiveness of the assassin, and with sincerity did herself forgive him.

Since when does following Jesus mean less than that? When did our neighbor get replaced with family and country? Who does that serve? Today’s Christian National politics most likely, certainly not a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-skin toned country.

Who was the centerpiece of Charlie Kirk’s memorial? Who had the long, grand, sparkler dazzling, culminating musical entrance? Who had talk time four times longer than any other speaker? It was Donald Trump.

“Love your neighbor as yourself”. It seems that does not include Trump’s immigrants, or the Democrats he attacks as the “enemy within,” whose “rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out”?  Does it include “The rhetoric, lies, as exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris [which have…] taken politics in our Country to a whole new level of Hatred, Abuse, and Distrust”?​ Should it include Democrats who are “…Marxists and communists and fascists, and they’re sick. We have China, we have Russia, we have all these countries. If you have a smart president, they can all be handled. The more difficult are, you know, the Pelosis’ these people, they’re so sick and they’re so evil.”

Donald Trump, the man who spouts this heated rhetoric got top billing and speech time at Charlie Kirk’s memorial. Trump literally said in his euology that unlike Kirk, “I hate my opponents!” His open, unvarnished hatred was well received by the crowd. Trump is adored by Kirk’s followers. Those who praise Kirk praise Trump.

So much for love your neighbor.

 

OPINION: What About Charlie?

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OPINION: What About Charlie?

OPINION: What About Charlie?

** “Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized SAINT specifically, the official act of public veneration.”

**The White House announced that Charlie Kirk will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

By Kelli Mathison

 

Charlie? Charlie? Hmmm….Charlie. Charlie Kirk? Mmmm, Charlie Kirk. Who? I don’t know who this guy was but apparently his death beat out Jesus Christ for the top political murder in history.  On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was shot and killed while making a  speech at the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah.

So-o-o-o this guy, Charlie Kirk, that more than three quarters of the country never heard of, is getting more fevered press than the crucifixion of  Jesus Christ. Certainly more histrionics than we got when then Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi’s 82 year old husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked in their home and nearly beaten to death with a hammer by a pissed off MAGA guy. Or on Jun 14, 2025 — House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D) Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot in their home by a right wing extremist with little more than a ripple on the political airwaves.

The screaming, red-faced hysteria over Charlie Kirk’s killing is difficult for me to process, much less comprehend. So before writing this little piece for Calamity Politics I decided to do a bit of research. The most obvious question you probably have is, what did I find out about MAGA’s newly canonized martyr when I looked him up online. Charles James Kirk was 31 years old.  He was born and raised in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. His father Robert Kirk was a recognized local architect who had the distinction of working on Trump Tower. So, Charlie had the benefit of money and great contacts and he used them without hesitation or restraint.

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Hispanic Heritage Month in an ICE Age

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Hispanic Heritage Month in an ICE Age

Hispanic Heritage Month in an ICE Age

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

  1. Enjoy a dessert of flan or rice pudding
  2. Watch a Hispanic themed movie in the comfort of your own living room
  3. Check your local library for Latinx materials – many libraries offer delivery services to card holders
  4. Order Hispanic specialties from a local grocery that delivers groceries
  5. A good old Mexican hat dance or other traditional Latinx movement in the family room can be fun
  6. Teach children about Hispanic culture
  7. Drape the dining room table with newspaper and create a Latinx craft
  8. Decorate your family room with colorful decor
  9. Dress in traditional Hispanic clothes right at home.
  10. Write letters and cards to loved ones elsewhere in the world
  11. Remember loved ones that have passed on with Day of the Dead traditions
  12. Mexican coffee or a traditional hot chocolate on a chilly night is delicious
  13. What the heck – drink a Corona, Dos Equis, or Tecate
  14. Learn about the various Hispanic ethnicities – our differences can bring us together
  15. I am boycotting Goya due to their reputed Trump support, if you care to join in
  16. Join Illinois Governor Pritzker in boycotting WGN and ABC until Jimmy Kimmel returns to the air
  17. Enjoy a refreshing Mexican Coke
  18. Drink a delicious Jarritos flavor drink all natural fruit flavors
  19. An appetizer of chips and salsa is always a great meal starter
  20. Learn to say “I love you” in Spanish, Portuguese, and sign language
  21. Resist the current administration by sharing articles on social media and signing petitions
  22. Remember to pray for one another, stand together with the Hispanic community even if you are not Latinx, and be proud of our common heritage
  23. Keep friends and neighbors updated when you hear about ICE raids in your area
  24. Have a taco Tuesday party at home with favorite south of the border favs
  25. Enjoy Mexican street corn in the slow cooker – recipes can be found online or message me for mine

Our sense of family and our commitment to community are some of the things we can share and be proud of. We must stick together, as Americans; not blacks, whites, or Latino,  as we strive for better days ahead.

Let’s Get Up and Get Moving

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Let’s Get Up and Get Moving

Let’s Get Up and Get Moving

Editor: A version of this article was published on 10/17/2017

D. S. Mitchell

 

No News

It’s no news that our society is becoming more sedentary and overweight. Many of us spend hours behind a desk at our jobs and then go home where we spend more hours watching TV and perusing the internet before falling into bed exhausted.  We drive our cars to the McDonald’s drive thru, order  our food and never even get out of our cars.  We use our computers to shop, without ever leaving the house.  With decreased activity people are increasingly complaining of posture related aches and pains, weight gain, depression, joint pain, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Too Much

Just like we enjoy eating and drinking too much, we enjoy sitting and doing nothing too much. We are surrounded by cars, salty snacks, elevators and escalators, sugary drinks and fast foods. The problem has become serious enough that the World Health Organization has an agenda focused on encouraging physical activity. In other words folks, the world is experiencing a crisis in health, created by being inactive and being too fat for our own good.

Try Vigorous Movement

A “Black Dog Institute” of Australia, in a decades old study, found that 1-2 hours of exercise per week can prevent depression and suicide. In addition to improved mental health multiple world-wide studies have shown that vigorous movement can stave off heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, fatigue, diabetes, and even cancer.

“Sitting Disease”

Our country, and most of the industrialized economies are suffering from chronic “sitting”.  Physical inactivity is one of  the top 10 causes of disease and disability according to a recent UK government study, they in fact have diagnosed 1 in 6 deaths to “sitting disease” which is equal to the number of deaths related to smoking in the UK.

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