WHAT NOW? GOOD NEWS! (GOOD NEWS?)

Presidio Sentinel San Diego, December 2015

By Laura Walcher

I’m a little challenged this month, having been determined to report some good news and raise a few laughs, but it just ain’t easy.

Dreadful Donald has scooped up most of the available ink and air; seeking safety, seeking grounding, migrants rush desperately from country to country – and now, as I write, their plight is being made more difficult by fears of terrorists amongst ‘em.    The Southern Poverty Law Center counts 784 “active hate groups in the U. S.”  (the “winners” are Neo-Nazi  and anti-LGBT organizations);  ISIS, Boko Harom (or whatever they’re called) reign mysteriously and shockingly unabated, seemingly unstoppable; a world spokesperson calls Pres. Obama an “anti-semite, and says John Kerry “ … has the intellect of a pre-teenager.”  OK, so this commentator is

Israel’s Chief of Public Diplomacy.   You got a problem with that?  The innocents don’t even win lately, per half

the antelopes dead from a bacteria that used to be harmless and has now turned deadly. 

and … whoops!!! Have I cheered you up, yet?

Fortunately for our spirits and psyche, we can find corresponding good news.  We liked it when ex-presidents, George W. Bush (Bush 43) and Bill Clinton appear on a TIME cover as compatriots, warmly reminiscing about their illustrious (and semi-illustrious) pasts.  Separately and together, they now contribute their time and energy to benefit the less lucky of us (i.e. earthquake victims in Haiti).  George is a respectable artist;  Bill’s got his Hillary to support.

And amends are being made: Volkswagon,  per its sins, had been  such a disappointment, its decades-long superb reputation eroding by the day’s news’ deadlines. But, they seem determined to save themselves.  Their recent full-page NY Times ad headline reads, “We’re working to make things right. “ Dealers breathe a sigh of relief, and affected VW owners get gifts, a “goodwill package,” says Michael Horn (VW Group of America).

Sincere apologies with gifts … that works.

Around here, I’ve been  the last senior standing. 

We won’t mention names, but count the family in, for

recovering from  a stroke, a deep-vein thrombosis,   a fractured wrist.

So don’t go reading any newspapers (save this one), and pay scant attention to the world’s ills.  We forget, they’ve always been ‘round;  for better or for worse,  our fabulous modern technology helps us know all about them, all the time.

If all else fails, remember Winston Churchill, that reasonably good guy:    “If you’re going through hell, “ he said, “keep going!”   xxx

What Now? ROWE ON BEER

Presidio Sentinel San Diego,

November,  2015

By Laura Walcher

  

Despite the adult males in my own family devoted to beer, the brew leaves me cold.  Yet, beer got my attention when Peter Rowe, our town’s beat columnist, got himself a perfect perk of trip to Berlin in the interests of the industry. Maybe, I thought  I’d underestimated its importance in life – in our town.    We talked:

LW:  How lucky can a journalist get?  Did you originate this beat, volunteer for it,

Agree to it, kicking & screaming? J

PR:. I stumbled into beer 20 years ago, when my brother-in-law gave me 40 beers. So I made notes on these beers, just to amuse myself –then had enough notes for a story. I pitched the food editor. She welcomed my $100 bribe.

This got me thinking. Why not turn this into a monthly column? And away we went.

LW:   How responsible are you for the current rage for beer?   How long has it been such a significant San Diego industry!

PR: My timing was superb, but that’s about it.

The people at Karl Strauss, Pizza Port, AleSmith, Stone and Ballast Point began to build craft beer by the mid-1990s. They were responsible for San Diego’s incredible growth.

 

LW:   Where do we fall now in national beer expertise, production?

PR: For American craft beer, San Diego is one of the top three places in the U.S. The others are Portland and Denver. Other cities have great beer – I recently spent a week in Brooklyn, where the beer was outstanding – but no one else has the range as San Diego, Portland and Denver.

LW:   Do you have to personally test all the beers you write about?

PR:  Yes, I drink every beer that I write about.

LW:   For the brew/bobos:  what’s the difference between “craft” beer and … beer?

Karl Strauss says it is S. D. “s “first ‘micro-brewery.’ “ I presume that’s a “small” brewery?  What constitutes “small” - ?

PR: “Craft” beer comes from a.) independent breweries that b.) use traditional ingredients and c.) make fewer than 6 million barrels of beer. “Micro-brewery” is an old term, no longer used by local breweries.    

LW:   What are the benefits of beer in one’s diet. -  In one’s life? J

PR: Doctors say that one to two beers a day can help men maintain good heart health. For women, it’s one beer a day. Of course, drinking excessive beer can damage your heart, liver and other organs.

LW:    In your recent feature from Berlin, you quoted an industry analyst saying that “San Diego beer is too extreme for German palates,” and a quote from a teacher at the Berlin Beer Academy, who says her students “ … think American beer is that fizzy yellow thing.” Now, what’s your expert opinion of those two quotes?  Is American beer in trouble?

PR:  I think U.S. beers are becoming popular with younger German beer fans. American craft beers, though, are routinely considered too bitter, too strong, too “extreme” by fans of mild lagers.

LW:  How important is Germany to the American beer industry, anyway?

PR: Germany – and Europe in general – could become a good market for American craft beer. But the future of U.S. craft beer really belongs here, where craft beer only accounts for 11 percent of beer sales.

LW:  Stone Brew’s Berlin project.  Will they succeed there?  Are they facing cultural challenges?

PR: This is a fun experiment and should succeed. But it will be a modest venture for Stone – its new brewery in Richmond, Va., will be five times larger than its Berlin operation.

 

LW: Your loyal readers wish to know:  What and how much beer to you drink?  What’s your tolerance?  Really, you’re the media: which beers do you actually buy?

Are your kids drinking beer?

PR: Beer has been a great pleasure in my life, but I’m clear that this is an optional – people can have a good, satisfying life and enjoy a wide range of food without drinking beer. I average one beer a night, with the occasional festival where I will try 10-12 three-ounce samples. My wife drinks wine, not beer. Two of my sons drink beer;  a third is a teetotaler. All three are happy and healthy.

LW:  Now that I know so much about beer, should I try – yet again – to develop a taste?

PR: Greg Koch, Stone’s co-founder, argues that people who say they hate beer are wrong – they just haven’t found the beer they like.

LW:  What’s the worst reason to drink beer?

PR:  On the few times I’ve been truly sad, I avoid alcohol – especially beer. Why associate such a great beverage with such unfortunate occasions?

       

LW:  Your own favorite brew? Your meal of choice that beer compliments?

PR: That’s like asking which is my favorite child – it can’t be done! I recently drank Alpine’s Pure Hoppiness, a double IPA, with a spicy chicken tortilla stew. It was terrific.  That’s a cult beer, yet, one of my life’s favorite meals was salad, corn on the cob, grilled trout and Coors. I’m not a fan of Coors, yet the food and drink were both fresh, and the setting – a small diner perched above a river outside Lake Tahoe -- was incredibly romantic. I was overjoyed.

Peter Rowe’s column runs weekly in the S. D. Union-Tribune’ “Night & Day” section.  ###

What Now? I’M TOO YOUNG …

September 2015, Presidio Sentinel San Diego

.

By Laura Walcher

Yeow.  There’s something about August. Are more babies born in August than any other month?  Someone’s probably done some useless study.  I attribute its possibility – if not probability – to the cold, early sunset months of December.

But I already digress.  My August birthday was kind’ve shocking.  I was much too young for it, tho’  I accepted, if not embraced it - with steely grace and not much whining.

I shared the family celebration with one other of us, who became 51.  Now that’s a tuning-into-seniority number. He put a bold face on the occasion, but I could tell he was hiding a little chagrin.  I wouldn’t reach my next birthday if I gave you his name.  This is very sensitive stuff.

These days, playing my flute constitutes great pleasure with serious remorse, idiotically having given it up for decades in the wake of career and family fostering. Did I recover my former expertise?  I only recovered not embarrassing myself, and by now, I’ve discovered Aleve for my fingers, my best new friend. (thanks, Mom).

Good news in August happened when, in the park with Fen, we met a tall, good-looking fellow dog-walker, who remembered me - by my hair. He pulled out his I-phone to show me how he’d copied it for dressing up as a woman for Comic-Con. But, he said, he’d had one problem. “How,” he pleaded, “ did you get the white part so white?”

Well, that cheered me up.

 “Just wait, “ I said.

Technology and entertainment constitute my greatest contemporary challenges.  Even tho’ I have Mr. W., the techo-genius, in house, what am I to do if he’s walking the dog?  My computer declares, “NOT CONNECTED TO THE NETWORK.”  “TRY AGAIN.” 

Yeah, right.  When I “Try Again,” it says, “Try Again.”  If he tries again, the computer falls to its knees in obeisance.

(Fortunately, per making my Presidio Sentinel deadlines.)

Here’s a test:  Who are OMI, The Hills, The Weekend, Silento, Major Lazer and DJ Snake? This list of Billboard’s Music Awards’ star performers will only drop into my conciousness via social media – thereby combining the contemporary frustrations of technology and entertainment. 

Every now and then, my sister in Columbus sends me a list of her ordinary schedule for the day, the week, sometimes for just one evening.  Here’s a tiny excerpt:  “…yesterday. You would’ve loved it.  10:30 a.m., annual dance concert, it was FANTASTIC. i grabbed a little lunch and  raced to Duxberry school - across city - for their annual Arts day and I was their 'guest artist' so i had a few big workshops with kids (through the day , not just me, but mine were mucho fun and wow- those kids full of beyond belief energy. Home around 5, (BF) made good supper- i brushed my teeth, met my friend Sarni at annual African dance concert - may go see it again Sunday afternoon. Wish you could have been there. It was unreal.”  Etc.

I had to edit this, of course, to spare you the exuberance of her chaotic punctuation. Not that she’s illiterate. Just excited.

Wish I had been there.  She’s a model of her favorite line, which, tho’ being the struggling, imitative “little” sister, I yearn to live:  ‘I’m too young, to be this old!”  xxx

What Now? The Humane Society’s Top Dog

Presidio Sentinel, San Diego, August, 2015

By Laura Walcher

Gary Weitzman may be the best thing – since Noah - to happen to animals. The CEO of the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) has broadened the Society’s outreach, to partner or cooperate with numerous like-missioned organizations and we, the public – all intended, he says, to “put ourselves out of business,” via the care and concern for every animal in the county.

Dr. Weitzman is a licensed veterinarian; he’s been in the animal welfare game for over two decades. Animated, articulate and passionate, he walks the talk. In his comfortable offices in Old Town, we were accompanied by Jake, his rescue, three-legged German Shepherd, who had plenty to “say” about our meeting, and Betty, his pit bull. (“We shower together every week,” he says.)  (Oh, my!):

LW:  Let’s begin with,  “Getting to Zero.”  I admire this “no kill” program - but pragmatists will ask:  what’s the alternative for perennially unwanted pets?   What should we do with pets too aggressive, say, to place? Is the shelter in danger of being overwhelmed?

GW: As of July 1, there were zero euthanasia of healthy or treatable animals in S. D. Animal Welfare Coalition shelters. Here, several programs address these concerns. In our Behavior Center, for example, aggressive or overly fearful animals receive personal attention from our trainers to work through those behaviors. We’ve seen a 90% success rate with rehabilitating – vs. euthanizing.

Also, just in the last year, the number of animals we’ve taken in grew by over 60%, and we expect that growth to continue. The key to reach ‘Getting to Zero’ is to increase our network of volunteers. Every animal we can place in a foster home opens up space in our shelters, and enables the animal to live in a home environment while awaiting a more permanent family. We’re relying on the community to open their hearts and homes to an animal more now than ever.

And, we hope to decrease the numbers of unwanted animals via our vigorous spay/neuter program - at low cost or even free surgeries.  To date, we've spayed or neutered more than 13,000 animals.

‘Utopia’ for animal sheltering would be that we no longer need to take in homeless animals, but instead, help people keep their pets in their homes when they fall onto hard times, exactly why we merged with  HYPERLINK "http://pawssandiego.org/" PAWS San Diego last year.

Yet, no one organization can accomplish this alone! The entire Coalition* unites for the benefit of the animals. Annually, 45,000 animals enter our shelters, and together, we are dedicated to care for every single one.

LW:  Are we making any progress on changing the public’s attitude towards Pit Bulls and Chihuahuas?  Except for over-licking and over-loving, our family’s pit could not be smarter, sweeter!

GW: The sad reality is, about 30% of our animals are pit bulls. People do  want to adopt the breed,  but the problems are, particularly, rental  restrictions that make it almost impossible to find a place that accepts pits. Then, many insurance companies won’t write policies for those with a pit bull, because of the liability issue. In the face of these dilemmas, the owner may have to relinquish to a shelter. We’re working to get these restrictions eliminated.

Yet,  the root of the problem is that there simply aren’t enough homes for the number of homeless animals, and here, pit bulls, chihuahuas and cats are the most overpopulated. That’s why we have  a spay/neuter clinic offering affordable options.

LW:  Organizationally, what is the difference between a ‘Pound’ and San Diego Humane Society?  And, how is the Humane Society related to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)?

GW: We share a campus with the  HYPERLINK "http://www.sddac.com/" \t "_blank" County of S. D. Dept. of Animal Services (DAS) - the term ‘pound’ is  outdated - and work together to save every adoptable animal in the County. We are, however, independent organizations. DAS is publicly funded; we are privately funded. ‘SPCA’ is simply a part of our legal name since we were founded to protect animals in 1880. Today, animal shelters such as ours are modern, rehabilitation centers.

LW.:  We first encountered you on PBS’  ‘The Animal House.’  Do you think the program made a dent in animal care?  Is there any chance of its revival?

GW: People will always have questions, and need answers,  about their pets! ‘Animal House’ provided a valuable service. But, in that interest, we have here a Behavior Helpline so any owner can seek advice directly from our trainers. I’ve also written three books, published by National Geographic, Everything Dog, How to Speak Dog and How to Speak Cat to help with decoding some common pet language.

We’re looking at opportunities to do a similar program -  fingers crossed!

LW:  When did your interet in animal welfare begin?  Some of my family’s most memorable experiences have been about our pets.  How about yours?

GW:  I think my passion for animals began at birth. Seriously! From my earliest memories, I wanted to be with animals. The luckiest day of my life was  when I was accepted into Vet school and I knew I could devote my life to this work.  But, I actually didn’t get my first dog until I was 16! That was when my campaign to wear down my parents finally succeeded (we did have 20 gerbils, two parakeets, two hamsters, and three guinea pigs, plus all the small animals I could bring home from school during weekends and holidays).  Finally, we went to the shelter and found a shepherd mix named Cocoa. And now, my two dogs, Jake and Betty, keep me grounded in what’s really important—in their opinions, only them!

LW:   Is there any hope of ending animal “mills” - ?

GW: We’re getting there.  ‘Puppy Mills’ are nothing short of commercially sanctioned animal cruelty.  In 2013 we worked with the city to prohibit the sale of puppies, dogs, kittens and cats in pet stores, retail businesses or other commercial establishments. A handful of other local cities have also enacted legislation similar to the San Diego ordinance, and now we’re among more than 80 cities nationwide to ban  such sales in retail stores.  It’s a good step, but there’s still a long way to go. 

LW:  You’ve worked in other cities. Are we more compassionate, enlightened, about our pets? 

GW: I moved here from Washington DC – and found that San Diego deserves its distinction of being among the pet-friendliest cities in the country.   We’re one of the few places in the world with true leadership in animal welfare, and I feel privileged to be a part of our innovative solutions. The passion this community has for animals  gives me hope that we can tackle the tragedy of pet overpopulation and the suffering of homelessness, and make this the best place anywhere to have a pet, or to be one.

LW:  When we talk pets, we’re so focused on dogs and cats, but the Humane Society takes in other residents...?

GW: Animals in all forms come through our doors! Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, and horses.  We’ve even had peacocks and bearded dragons! They all need homes, and we’re dedicated to finding them the right ones. Our adoption counselors are great at making appropriate matches and helping people find the right pet for their home, family and lifestyle.

LW: Your bio says you’d like to able to fly … a new career!?  Are you making any progress on that? 

GW: Well,  I spent some time in the Air Force, so I’m always up for a flight!

LW:   For unwanted animals, let’s help our readers:  whom do we call?

GW: We make every effort to be a resource for owners throughout their pet’s  entire lifespan. So whether it’s adopting, training,  spaying or neutering, or even grieving for your pets after they’re gone – call us! If you find an injured or abandoned wild animal, bring it to us!. We’re here for everyone.

LW:   Volunteers and donations?  You want both!

GW: YES! It takes community support to provide second chances for our animals. Contributions are the only way we can continue to care for animals in need in San Diego.

 HYPERLINK "http://www.sdhumane.org" www.sdhumane.org or phone, 619-299-7012, for donations, Information on all programs, services and events (next up: the August 22^nd  ‘Fur Ball’).

WHAT NOW? SAY WHA’ …..?

July, 2015

Presidio Ssentinel, San Diego

By Laura Walcher

It’s hard enough to communicate with Millennials, even when we speak the same language.  Wait: even when we think we speak the same language. 

But, you’re in luck:  one of us has been paying attention.  In my determined effort to maintain communication in life, this column is here to help.

Try these:

- “Shade.”  This is the new art of the insult.  “Shade” has become the non-fatal “weapon” of choice.  It could be a direct insult:  i.e.  giving someone some “shade” – or at its mildest, a left-handed compliment.  There’s also “throwing shade, “ which one uses to publicly denounce and/or disrespect a person.  In any case, you don’t want to be in the receiving end of shade.

- If some kid with a really bad sense of humor makes an emergency phone call that results in the law’s visit to some innocent “victim’s” home, the game is called “Swatting.”

- “The Derp.” In the N. Y. Times, Paul Krugman says, “ .. we live in an age of derp and cheap cynicism…”

   “Derp, ” from South Park, he said,  “…is useful shorthand for  people who keep saying the same thing no matter how much evidence accumulates that it’s completely wrong.”

   Mr. Krugman’s need to explain the word not only made me feel  better, but provided me a weapon for political

debates with Derps, in which I am always right.

- “Lit.” This word is an adjective used to describe a certain situation, person, place or thing as awesome/crazy. Like what “rad” might (still) mean to those of a certain age. 

- If you show up unexpectedly,  you’d be a “rando” guest.

- “On cleek.” This simply means, “on point.” Why, I can’t begin to  guess, since “on point” is … well: to the point. 

- Luc Sante wrote a multi-page essay about the word “random”… now used, he says, as “…a way of saying who – or what - is in or out.” Simple enough?  So how does “random” merit those thousands of words?  Because no matter how you understand it, it has changed its meaning many, many times since it is believed to have shown up, sometime in the 1600’s.  (That date is not a typo.) Suffice to say that “random” does kind’ve,  sort’ve still might mean, “haphazard.”  Or not. 

- “Gotta Give You Some Snaps, Man. ” This one is how Millennials offer a compliment. 

Millenniels  - those strangers in their 20’s – may pretend that they’re in deep relationship with us, but in fact, they’ve been described as having “quirks and traits that separate them

From past generations.”

Like every generation?  Do we still call some pathetic “shlep” a “dweeb?”  Is he/she also just “square?”  Does anyone understand us?

This is serious stuff. Even Taco Bell offers a “Millennial Word of the Week,” just to make sure they understand their customers.  And their staff. 

(If I were not so pathetically un-hip, I would’ve used “blog” instead of “column.”)   xxx

What Now? MeMeMeMeMe

Presidio Sentinel San Diego, June 2015

By Laura Walcher

Devoted readers, relax already.  While it’s true that I was born in the Bronx,

many, many years ago,  and sooo many of you are interested in stuff like that,

I can promise that I’ll never subject you to my thousand-page autobiography,

as gripping a tale as it may be.

Yet (brace yourselves), the highly-edited story of my life is, indeed, semi-fascinating.

First of all, the Bronx.  Everyone’s grandparents – and some parents - came from somewhere else.  On our street, there were only Jews and Italians.  Escaping anti-Semitism, and in the wake of World War 1, my mother and family trekked by foot from Harlau, Roumania to Bremerhaven, to catch a boat to America.   My father’s parents – like the family in “Fiddler …,”  drew their wagons across Russia,

eventually landing in New York.  This is not romantic. 

Second of all, my parents:  they met.

Well, anyone who could pay some rent moved up to the Bronx.  Hence, us.

By now, I’ve realized that our New York public school education was good–to- great.

I no longer shrink from revealing my hugely limited college days. Maybe, at most, I finished a semester, yet,  I’ve come to realize that my high-school education  equaled or bettered today’s college.  Don’t get me started.

For our first years of marriage,  we lived in Darmstadt, Germany,  Of course I was

a child; that’s what one did, then.  It’s not like I was mature; on the contrary, I just

missed my boyfriend. He was a Security-service radio operator in the Air Force.  It was decades before I knew what he’d been doing. 

My only skills that even came close to being marketable were in writing, although in my    early teens I was a library aide and a summer camp counselor.

Later, except for product demonstration jobs ‘round Southern California as, “Miss Peter Pan Peanut Butter,”  “Miss Wembly Ties,” or,  “The Polaroid Camera Girl,” all others were writing jobs.  That skill found its way to my long career in Public Relations, which finally paid off for me, my family, my clients. I’m still waiting for one boring day, one boring experience. 

Until I began swimming, I was emaciated and unhealthy.  Although I’d always been an exerciser, in the wake of a serious accident, I couldn’t run stairs as was my routine. I decided that walking (albeit gingerly) through water wouldn’t hurt me.   Unexpectedly, that led to swimming, which transformed my entire physical condition.  Yet, to this day, I’ve failed to persuade one single person – even those who have known me pre-and post-swimming - that this activity, this exercise is a key to  - surely physical - and possibly mental - well-being. This has led to a sad reality check regarding my powers of persuasion. 

That college semester of mine, though, it was mostly “creative writing.” I got all “A’s.”  ###

THE MORE YOU KNOW … YOUR LIFE IN LITERACY!

Presidio Sentinel San Diego, May, 2015

By Laura Walcher

Oh, c’mon, columnist Nicholas Kristoff, don’t go using words like “heuristic,” thinking that we who consider ourselves highly literate know what it means. Abbreviated, here’s his sentence:  “A leader of a prominent internet company…told me that the firm regards admission to Harvard as a useful heuristic of talent ….” 

It’s possible that grade-school kids get “heuristic” in spelling bees, but by the time the competition comes along, the winners will surely have studied the dictionary, which declares the word an adjective meaning, ”encouraging the student to discover for himself or herself.”

Is this mystery word – and others - something to consider as the San Diego Council on Literacy’s  (SDCOL) May 13th, “Eat. Drink. Read.” event is nearly upon us?  The fact is, nearly every day we are presented with new challenges to our literate selves.  What - ?  You don’t know what “Mupload,” “Deligious,” or “Cray Cray,” mean?  Sorry, but you are about to be sidelined in conversational America. 

New products constantly test our understanding.  For instance, do not, no, do not go expecting to find your usual bottled water in the market, nor try asking for it in your favorite restaurant.  Water’s gotten complicated. Now, you must be literate enough to read all labels carefully, so that you enjoy their claims of health and happiness.    Artichoke Water.  Cactus Water. Flower Water. Almond Water. Maple Water.  Watermelon Water.  Birch-Tree Water. Rose Water.  And if you have bodily inflammation, you may have to further investigate the claims of “Turmeric Water,” which proposes that “curcumin,” its essential ingredient, helps. 

The Literacy Council, understandably, must be on the lookout for how we comprehend, and how we communicate.  The organization promotes language literacy, for all stages of illiteracy, plus all ESL learners. “The more words you know, the better you comprehend what you read,” says SDCOL’s Jose Cruz.   “The foundation for comprehension is something called ‘oracy’ which is, in simple terms, “language literacy. ”  As our key word person,  Mr. Cruz really, he says, “ … likes when we  develop a new idea and find a name for it that is sufficiently descriptive. For instance, I’ve liked term ‘classic rock.’ It expertly describes the rush of ground-breaking music from the Sixties that became the soundtrack for a great cultural shift.”

(The SDCOL’s Cody Morris, searching for clarity and permanence, might be taking his work…too seriously.  He has memorialized his loves, life, his credos in his highly literate tattoos:  “Live life like the Captain of a Sinking Ship. “  “No matter what, I keep my dreams and never get fed up.” Tats on his various body parts also include his mom, dad, sisters and pet dog. The important people in Cody’s life  - save his dog - must also be avid, and appreciative readers. )

Come to “Eat.Drink.Read. A Culinary Event for Literacy,” armed with new comprehension: MUPLOAD means uploading text or photos to social media with a mobile electronic device.  CRAY CRAY refers to someone whose craziness has gone to a whole new level. DELIGIOUS means food or drink so delicious that in inspires a religious experience.   

 “Eat. Drink. Read.” will celebrate literacy, to be sure, and entice you with pairings of creative delicacies, inspired by a favorite book, from 21 restaurants and more than a dozen drink purveyors. You’ll find the experience absolutely …deligious.   ###

Tickets, information for “EAT.DRINK.READ.” may be had by visiting www.EATDRINKREAD.com.  The event benefits the

San Diego Council on Literacy.

“My Sister’s Voice”

What Now?

Laura Walcher | April 6, 2015    

“My Sister’s Voice”

When one talented facilitator describes another in just those terms, you know we’re the ones who’ll benefit by having that level of conflict resolution service in our community. Yet, noted mediator Barbara Filner can say more about Alexis Dixon: “He always takes (disputants’) personalities, needs and interests into account – in dealing with their business and/or personal conflicts.”

Mr. Dixon now shows another dimension of his sensitivity. In his stunning book, “My Sister’s Voice,” he presents forty inter-generationally diverse women, who share their life’s journey and the wisdom they have gained along the way. Pablo Mason’s photographs accompany a “note” from each, with a life lesson important enough to be passed on to the next generation.

Alexis and I had a talk:

LW: Alexis, you’re an experienced, busy mediator. “My Sister’s Voice,” is inspiring, helpful in many ways – all in the, let’s say, “how to live…better lives” category? What was your motivation for producing this book?

AD: I was profoundly disturbed by the shooting of Malaya Yousafzai in October, 2012. A Taliban gunman shot the 15-year old school girl as she rode home on a bus, after taking an exam in Pakistan. She survived, and has relentlessly spoken out on the importance of education. In 2014,  she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and won, becoming the youngest person to receive the honor.

LW: Each woman in your book – sensitively photographed, gently quoted – is stunning, both in what appears to be her “groundedness,” even her serenity (though that may be my hope and imagination!?) Did you always know these women? How did you choose them for the book?

AD: I initially knew very little about the women. My objective was to present diverse voices – generationally and culturally. Yet, because of Malala’s story, it was critical that the portraits (and stories) embodied, exuded a shared humanity. When we feel and listen from a place of empathy, there’s unity. I’ve learned that it’s only within the sphere of our collective humanity that we can authentically listen to each other. The exhibition is an opportunity to “listen’” to the voices, the wisdom, of women.

LW: Did any of the women surprise you in their opinions?

AD: All of them! They were both compelling and inspiring. Typically when we speak of wisdom we assume it’s acquired over time. Yet, if you closed your eyes and listened to the stories of the women, it would be difficult to discern who is seventy and who is that seventeen.

LW: Did any of their experiences, philosophies change your own?

AD: Yes. It quickly became evident how easy it is to think that  a single story of a person, a community or a nation defines our whole story. The texture of a person or a nation is too complex to be defined by any one person’s or nation’s unique experience.

LW: The women range from a 14-year old, to a woman 94 years old. Can you contrast these two, perhaps define any common source of their wisdom?

AD: Interestingly, from Innocente at 19, to Deborah Szekely, at 94, wisdom seems to come, not from having experienced pain, but, rather, from going beyond pain. Essentially, they’ve identified from lessons learned rather than identifying with the pain itself, and moved to forgiveness, which appeared to be the door to compassion and wisdom. All women, irrespective of age, seemed to navigate beyond their anger.

LW: Why women?

AD: Malala’s story moved me to act and to listen to the wisdom of women, my “sister’s voice.”

LW: Has the experience of choosing these women influenced you in your conflict resolution practices?

AD: Mediation suggests that if we go beyond the conflict, to not identify with the pain, but, rather, “listen to understand, ” that we can heal, forgive, unveil our shared humanity.

LW: What have been readers’ – and the women’s – responses to the book?

AD: At first – Intrigue! Then,  a deep listening. My dream was realized.

LW: “My Sister’s Voice,” is published as a fund-raiser for The Center for Community Solutions here. What about this organization merits this partnership?

AD: There are causes and there are callings. A cause demands a fight. A calling demands inspiration. Once I met Verna Griffin-Tabor,  the executive director of Center for Community Solutions (CCS) I was immediately inspired.

LW: Are you planning your next book project?

AD: Yes; photographing Prime Ministers. My father, the first Prime Minister of Grenada, brought independence to the island forty years ago. Queen Elizabeth eventually knighted him.

LW: Alexis, you have formidable genes, too!  xxx

For “My Sister’s Voice” by Alexis Dixon:

http://notessd.com/portraiture/my-sisters-voice/dee-aker/

www.notessd.com

“Notes to Our Sons and Daughters” project, © 2012 Alexis Dixon