I imagine there’s an unwritten law in public radio not to talk about astrology, at least in any serious way, but in these trying times maybe there’s an exception. So I checked in with my favorite stargazer, Rob Brezsny. I have followed his “Freewill Astrology” forecasts, periodically, for many years. His is a whimsical approach, full of anecdotes and mythological references, lighthearted but insightful. Brezsny refers to our crisis as “The Tumultuous Upgrade or The Disruptive Cure” and notes

Stay six feet apart. Don’t leave home except for groceries and essentials. Don’t go to the playground and don’t go visit your neighbors. Spray all the doorknobs with Lysol every hour. This is all excellent advice for keeping your body healthy. It isn’t such a great way to nurture your soul. For many of us, the social distancing mindset has left us feeling alone and anxious. For those living in abusive situations or with abusive partners or families, social distancing might even be dangerous. We

Like many Americans, I recently completed the 2020 Census online. I was prepared to engage in an act of civil disobedience -- refusing to answer any question about citizenship. Thankfully, I didn't need to. But one question did catch my eye. I knew there would be a question about race, but it also asked about my origins. I was tempted to answer, "An American bedroom in an American city in an American state." But then I thought, "What if it wasn't the bedroom?" So, not wishing to tempt the ire of

As I contemplated what to write for this edition of perspectives, my mind kept returning to the recent day when my son returned from his freshman year of college several months early. I came home from work that evening and there he was in the kitchen. Cooking dinner! Lemon pepper baked fish. Now this is a big deal. Unlike my 15-year-old son who readily fries himself bacon in the middle of the night, and cooks hamburgers on the frying pan for a snack, my eldest does not necessarily find himself

Right now, it's impossible to claim ignorance of all the warnings to prevent contagion of coronavirus. We must wash our hands as often as possible. We should keep our distance from other people, stay well hydrated and, finally, not touch our face. Now, most people can follow directions well, but there's always a subset that will do the opposite. It's not deliberate, they just can't help it. I learned that I'm one of them when I realized that I touch my face. A lot. All the time. I'm reading? I

The cardinal comes at dawn. His spiky silhouette backlit against a copper sky, the bare branches of our backyard woods his amphitheatre. He is the first one to sing, heralding the coming of a new day. The moon is still up too, hanging opposite the sunrise, its silver essence shimmering in a sea of pale blue. Rising early after a fretful night of sleep, I am grateful to have found this moment, for I am looking for the light, and I’m sure you are too. As the news darkens our days with the corona

As I record this perspective, it is now day four of our school district’s shut down because of COVID-19, and I’m about stark raving loony for two reasons. First, e-learning is going to be no substitute for the intellectual fervor of a good class discussion. And second, junior high kids are hilarious, so I’m missing the dozens of good laughs I often get in a day. None of us will be getting the “brain food” to which we are accustomed. Then there’s the problem with kids getting actual food.

Due to the corona virus, all schools have suspended face-to-face instruction and are in the process of moving everything to online delivery. At NIU, online classes begin Monday. So today, I simply want to run through a list of helpful hints for making a successful transition. First, consider technological differences. Even though instructor and students will be using the same digital platform, the use and experience of that platform will vary by differences in end-user equipment. Before rolling

Now we find ourselves in a national contagion of fear and loathing. Fear of a deadly invisible virus. Loathing of fellow Americans. Fear because the number of people getting sick will double every six days. We all do the math to calculate the chances of dying for ourselves and loved ones. Everyone will know someone the virus takes. We wonder, who will be the Rock Hudson of Covid19? Democracy is a process of civil disagreement. Yet politicians, celebrities, friends and kin are shunned and

As a participant in a leadership seminar over twenty years ago, a campus police officer at the UW-Madison shared his incredible story. He was doing his rounds at 2 a.m. when he noticed a young man standing on the top floor of a parking garage. Instinct told him that something was wrong, so he approached and engaged the young man in conversation. As suspected, he intended to jump. My colleague persuaded him to come to his office, had a long conversation, and lined up professional care. This