Posts:
By Jan Dynes I was asked to write a short piece by a very reputable magazine about how anyone can find happiness in today’s world -- the one of pandemics, war, starvation, ‘dog eat dog’ politics and ‘man’s inhumanity to man’. I couldn’t write that article. I had to...
As we gradually reopen businesses and the curfew is relaxed, it is not a time to relax our vigilance and safety measures that have allowed us to reduce the infection and death rate from Covid-19 — in Cuenca — and in those parts of the world that have taken measures to...
By Ricki Lewis Dividing groups of people into “us” and “them” isn’t usually a good idea, but in the scary new world of COVID-19, it makes a certain sense. Issuing “immunity licenses” – aka passports or certificates – to people whose blood contains neutralizing...
By Giovanni Cambizaca After last week’s article about natural wines, I heard from a reader who had sampled an orange wine while on a trip to Argentina. She thought the wine had a lovely bouquet, but no one in her group actually liked the taste of it. So this week,...
By Robert Bradley The GoFundMe campaign to raise money for my medical needs reached its goal in a mere three days and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to all those who came to my assistance, dear friends as well as dear strangers. I am truly astonished at the kindness...
Author’s note: This is the third in a multi-part series on fats — In Part I, I wrote about trans fats, or hydrogenated fats — they transformed the processed foods industry and are linked to the rise in the incidence of coronary artery disease. Part II showed how...
I have always been a reader, taught to read by my mother before I started school in 1935, and have continued to read, although not as ardently as some. So, in these times of quarantine at home, I offer some of the books I have read over the past couple of years, that...
By Laura Andromalos I first met Myra on a Saturday afternoon just this past April. It’s likely we had crossed paths before but I had never recognized her. Initially, her presence was slightly unpleasant but subtle. Within a few hours, she was hard to ignore and full...
By David Morrill A mainstay of the Cuenca expat community since he moved here from the U.S. Pacific Northwest in 2016, Robert Bradley has suffered a series of devastating medical crises since late last year. In October, he had a bad fall, breaking four ribs and his...
By Kristen Rogers Despite the wealth of knowledge regarding the transatlantic slave trade, the history of enslaved Africans forcibly brought to Latin America has yet to be fully explored. In a study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, scientists tell...
By Ed Konderla What do you see? I used to carry a copy of this picture in my wallet and pull it out whenever I felt put upon by life. It functioned as a graphic reminder of how tough life is for many and that I had an obligation to be grateful for how good I had it...
By Giovanni Cambizaca Sometime last year I wrote about orange wine, the product of the misbegotten idea that if you treat green grapes the same as red grapes and ferment them in contact with their skin, something wonderful will result. In fact, the results are highly...
By John Keeble Do you think you can turn the clock back? Or even make it stand still? Stupid questions. Of course, you can't. But then, why are big businesses, political leaders and some nations intent on doing it? This is a big issue in the Covid-19 recovery. Do we...
Author's note: This is the second in a multi-part series on fats (updated) — in a recent column about trans fats, we see that in many, but not all countries, trans fats have been eliminated, due to their known health hazards — read Part I here. In Part III I'll...
By Henry Fountain The drop in airline travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic has sharply reduced the amount of atmospheric data routinely gathered by commercial airliners, the World Meteorological Organization said Thursday, adding that it was “concerned about the...
By Jeff Van Pelt Common sense is not so common, to borrow a quote from Voltaire. Critical thinking, to use a more technical term, seems to be on the wane in the world. From Donald Trump’s lack of concern about, and failed response to, the coronavirus, to other...
Editor's note: Although the new U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Nutrition Facts Label changes were passed in 2016, implementation was delayed until January 1, 2020, for manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales. Manufacturers with less than $10...
By Julie Steenhuysen Concerns over leaks compelled the top U.S. infectious disease official to reveal data on Gilead Sciences Inc's experimental drug remdesivir, the first in a scientifically rigorous clinical trial to show benefit in treating COVID-19. The dramatic...
By Jeremiah Reardon Dedicated to Cary Riggs (pen name Jay Cardam). Former CWC Member. Died May 2, 2020 in New Orleans. You may have wondered what was going on in that back room of the Sunrise Café as you passed by to the bathroom or took a table in the light-filled...
By Giovanni Cambizaca Something I’ve noticed recently is that I’m hearing a lot more birdsong. I don't know if that’s because my world is suddenly a lot quieter, or if that same stillness is encouraging the birds to lift up their voices. Whatever the reason, it’s a...
