A week or so ago, a friend sent this link to a shower head with a toggle switch that turns the water on and off — so you can cut off the water in the middle of the shower, when it’s not needed, to reduce the amount of water used. At some point in high […]

More from the New Jewish Front….. Last Friday, I attended a Shabbat potluck organized by Portland’s Urban Jews, a large group mostly in their 20s and 30s. I’d not know anyone going in, but met a lot of friendly people. I’m told there are several hundred members in metro Portland, and we had about twenty-five […]

I’ve spent the past two months reading, researching, and exploring my own Jewishness. Some people in my life have been enthusiastic about this, while others couldn’t care one way or the other. The most interesting reaction has come from my parents. I put off telling my father about my quest until just over a week […]

I watched the day-long series of Live Earth concerts this past Saturday. When I first tuned in, the coverage broke away from the music every so often to talk with an author or innovator about strategies that people could adopt to become part of the solution to the global environmental crisis. Great! This was precisely […]

The global Live Earth concert — aimed at raising awareness about environmental responsibility — is now underway. It feels odd to be watching this inside — the revolution will be televised? — though I am waiting on a phone call from my hiking buddy. I got into a conversation with another media professional about a […]

A neighbor of mine has just let me know that her mother died last night. Liz and Laurie are sisters who live in my community. They’ve been very supportive of me this past year as I’ve lost Nanook and Journey and faced other challenges, and Lakshmi has decided that their dogs, Emma and Gabriel, are […]

Late last night, Lakshmi and I had a close encounter with a rather ornery raccoon. Yes, we co-exist with wildlife in our neighborhoods. Last winter, I even wrote an article about urban wildlife here in Portland. For several months, I’ve been hearing from neighbors about one or more coyotes roaming through our neighborhood. No surprise, […]