Category Archives: Non-fiction

Seeds of Evolution — Romantic or Scientific?

Posted on April 4, 2014 by carto

Free books, I like free books and what better place to pick one up than the University of Chicago Press. Just in time for Spring, the free book for April is An Orchard Invisible, which opens with this poem fragment … Continue reading →

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The Robber Barons—High-speed Rail in California

Posted on July 9, 2012 by carto

Where are the poets when you need them? Won’t some poet sing the praises of this beautiful new train? On July 7, 2012 the California Senate approved a bill authorizing construction of a 130-mile stretch of the high-speed rail down … Continue reading →

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Mark Bowden—Worm, New Mutant Activity Registered

Posted on June 1, 2012 by carto

As Mark Bowden’s science thriller Worm: The First Digital World War opens, a computer security expert named Phil is scrolling through a long list of computer threats. There were 137 attacks on that day, not an unusual number for an … Continue reading →

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Homage to Women–International Women’s Day

Posted on March 9, 2012 by carto

Homage to Women by Mico Kaufman stands in a small shaded park on Market St. in  Lowell, MA. The statue is part of the Lowell National Historical Park, which celebrates the textile industry that was founded in the mills along … Continue reading →

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Alabama—Crossing Over, African-Americans, Descendants of Slaves

Posted on February 20, 2012 by carto

The quilt in the photo was one of bed covers featured in the 2006 De Young Museum exhibition The Quilts of Gee’s Bend. All the quilts in the exhibit were hand-made by the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Many of … Continue reading →

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Clinton in Myanmar—Look Out, Hillary!

Posted on December 2, 2011 by carto

The US Secretary of State descends from her jumbo-jet in Nay Pyi Daw, the new capital of Myanmar. She is in Myanmar for meetings with Myanmar President Thein Sein and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Clinton is the … Continue reading →

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Stephen Foster: Darkies, People and Great Music

Posted on October 14, 2011 by carto

An invitation from Stanford University to attend “An Evening with Stephen Foster” had me searching my library for a book I last remember reading 50 years ago. Incredibly, I found it in a stack of music on the bottom shelf … Continue reading →

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Plumbing: Charlie’s Story Part II

Posted on October 10, 2011 by carto

From Charlie’s Story Part I: “… Given my circumstances (prostate cancer), one of the options was ‘watchful waiting’ and that was the course that we all agreed was appropriate. BUT this would mean more biopsies.” —Charlie Plumbing: Robotic Assisted Surgery … Continue reading →

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Plumbing: Charlie’s Story Part I

Posted on October 3, 2011 by carto

Inside Adam and every male lies the walnut sized prostate gland. Woe be it, when that gland swells and disrupts the normal flow of things. Unfortunately, the prostate often becomes a cancer site in men over 50. When that happens, … Continue reading →

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Bojagi: Art by the Women of Korea

Posted on September 14, 2011 by carto

Once upon a time in a far off land the rulers forbad women from many activities that women today enjoy:  visiting with neighbors, leaving the house alone, or speaking their mind… To keep their sanity, the women developed a unique … Continue reading →

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