In the 12th century, the peasants of England grazed their animals on common land — fields held collectively, managed by custom, open to all who belonged to the community.

The majestic old pine near our house that I first thought was being trimmed was being cut down. Sad to see its life ending while it was still so vibrant and enjoying life. I’ve been reading about how much we never knew about the plant world, that trees and other growing things are connected through their root...

It’s America’s birthday, and although it is quite old, my friends and I have been around for about one-third of its entire existence! Which makes us older in human years than the country is in nation-state years. Born at the conclusion of World War II, we experienced the best that America had to offer in her ...

I want to thank Dr. Keith Flamer for convening the New Vision for Humboldt Health Care Task Force (see “A Call to Action,” May Senior News, page 1). This effort of local community and business leaders deserves our full attention and support.

We all too often forget and cannot neglect life’s demons. They cannot be eradicated without seriously believing that they are real. Femicide is such a demon. The term “femicide” is rarely used in official U.S. statistics, as murders of women are normally categorized as homicides.

Is it money? Inertia? Lack of political will? Is it corporate domination? All of these are impediments to changing our degraded, torturous healthcare system, but the underlying dysfunction has more to do with our national perception of who should have health care and why. Until we see a fundamental change tha...

Last July 4, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R. 1) into law. This bill creates a difficult new environment for California’s working families, hospitals and health systems, and state and local governments. More than one-third of Californians (and 44% of Humboldt residents) rely on Medi-C...

Most Senior News readers will recall the Big Three networks on the family B& W TV. Back then, journalists often reported uncomfortable facts about U.S. military aggression, top U.S. administration corruption, labor strikes, police violence, etc., asking difficult and persistent questions holding public offici...

I’m so proud of our seniors, so many of whom showed up in the streets in front of the courthouse and elsewhere to participate in No Kings protests in 2025. We weren’t alone, but many of us were gray-haired and carried wonderful signs protesting the current political trends and violations of the rule of law. I...

“The old world is dying and the New World struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.” — Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), Italian communist imprisoned by Mussolini.

Too much global thinking without local knowledge, leadership and adjustment is failing us at home. It is way past time to expand our reliance on local community knowledge and action, particularly to improve local health care. One of the best examples of how local activism makes things happen is the 2024 reope...