Category Archives: writing

Return to tradition

We arrived just in time for the last few songs at a November gathering in Gray Horse under the scaffold of the newly built roundhouse. Drummers kept a beat while dancers circled under the arbor as a cool breeze invited … Continue reading

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Roadkill

Dog. Opossum. Raccoon. Armadillo. We counted roadkill on the Oklahoma roads. An armadillo lay belly-up, with only the curve of its shell terra-bound. As we passed the armadillo a bald eagle circled ahead, making slow moons above the armored animal … Continue reading

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Write

I welcome the chance to beef up my blog in November. Native American Heritage Month beckons me, and, starting last year, I wrote a blog a day in November. The idea of “once a day” comes from Suzan-Lori Parks: a … Continue reading

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Anderson Cooper: 29 across

Combing the web earlier this week I was looking for squibs on Anderson Cooper. Cooper enlivened crowds in Portland, talking shop on news and reporting. My job was to introduce him to students and faculty for an informal question-and-answer session.

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Massaging the facts

I am awed and distressed at propaganda that envelopes us. Sure we recognize the obvious sales pitches: • The clerk pops your prescription pills into a paper bag festooned with an ad for a new medicine • The tennis champ’s … Continue reading

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Writing, discovery, meaning

A comedian wrote that, while she was writing her book, her house was at its cleanest. Pounding away at the keyboard, I try to avoid distraction from the dirty dishes and dusty floors. I stew and fret over my book, … Continue reading

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Have a doughnut

You know the routine. Homer Simpson is barely paying attention to his wife, Marge, and the cartoon bubble alerts us to his thoughts: Blah, blah, blah, blah. Homer perks up when he hears something that grabs his attention: Blah, blah, … Continue reading

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Rifle Report

I took a break from writing on the culture of science and American Indians with a retreat to a zen monastery in the Oregon countryside. Purpose was to clear my head and spend time with my beloved for an unplugged … Continue reading

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McGillycuddy and Crazy Horse

Today—September 5—marks the day Crazy Horse was killed at Ft. Robinson by William Gentles in 1877. Writer Larry McMurtry says that a scuffle broke out while Crazy Horse was being led through the fort, with Little Big Man restraining Crazy … Continue reading

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Real Science. Really.

The mummy exhibit is billed as Real Science. Calling the Mummies of the World display Real Science legitimizes the practice of stuffing dead people under glass and taking them on the road for show-and-tell. Never occurred to me it would … Continue reading

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