Since Trump lost the election, I’ve been more or less successful in quelling the ire and disgust he provokes. I can feel how unhealthy it is and want to re-enter the field of positive energy in 2021. But his parade of pardons, although expected, is making it difficult. Presidential pardons give too much unchecked power to one individual. A holdover from the British monarchy, Article Two of the Constitution must be amended. There have already been too many self-serving pardons from previous

We came seeking the star.

We came seeking the star. Just a few of us showing up on the open prairie, our silhouettes backlit by a ruby-rimmed horizon and the deepening hues of a lavender twilight. This was our last chance to see the Christmas Star, so named because this great conjuncture of Saturn and Jupiter might have been similar to what astronomers say the wisemen witnessed over 2,000 years ago. As I got out of my car, I glanced over to the family in the van next to me where a grandmother’s faded blue eyes peered out

The ecologist Aldo Leopold once said that the months from January to June are a progression of distractions. The start of 2020 was the beginning of a deadly, pervasive distraction which took the lives of 300,000 Americans.

The ecologist Aldo Leopold once said that the months from January to June are a progression of distractions. The start of 2020 was the beginning of a deadly, pervasive distraction which took the lives of 300,000 Americans. So I look forward, in hope, to the new year we begin today. The promise of widespread vaccination should, by summer, put the pandemic behind us. Having just turned 70, my goal is to return to Colorado for one final hike to the summit of Mt. Elbert, my "happy place" and the

2020 was a year of loss. But as we look back on the year that was, we can also use this moment as an opportunity to identify what is valuable and what we will need to do to ensure its future. We obviously do not have the time to provide a full inventory, so let me focus on one thing that might escape attention—music.

2020 was a year of loss. But as we look back on the year that was, we can also use this moment as an opportunity to identify what is valuable and what we will need to do to ensure its future. We obviously do not have the time to provide a full inventory, so let me focus on one thing that might escape attention—music. When the world went into COVID lockdown in March of 2020, live music was over. The great opera companies of the world canceled entire seasons. Symphonies, orchestras, and ensembles

Every holiday season, there is usually the dreaded tradition of political debates. Even with this year’s holidays being different because of COVID, one still might be afraid of political talk over a family ZOOM.

Every holiday season, there is usually the dreaded tradition of political debates. Even with this year’s holidays being different because of COVID, one still might be afraid of political talk over a family ZOOM. However, I believe that these are valuable conversations and debates during the holidays -- or any family gathering -- as long as it is done politely and done in a way where it is a discussion where everyone can have input. I know talking about these hot-button issues can get heated, and

Since her divorce from the richest man in the world, MacKenzie Scott has done something unusual. She pledged to give “the majority of her fortune back to the society that helped generate it.” She promised to get started soon, then delivered more than 6 BILLION DOLLARS in the past year.