Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

John Allen believes that growing a community is much like tending a garden.

To that end, Allen, a project organizer for Vallejo?s Fighting Back Partnership, hopes that a year-old community garden on Westwood Avenue will be the seed that sparks the East Vallejo neighborhood?s revitalization.

Allen, and volunteers from area organizations, including the Bay Area Alumni Group and Church on the Hill, will pitch in Saturday, May 13 to help prepare the neighborhood community garden.

[Read more →]

Skordalia is a Scandavavian sauce that is a great accompaniment to fish. This is a quick, simple and delicious way of preparing a fish dinner for yourself and your family, and/or friends. 6 filets Fish (your choice. I prefer Tilapia or Sole) 1 Bunch Spinach, cleaned 1 Bunch Green Onions, chopped 4 cloves Garlic, minced [...]

[Read more →]

The third and most crucial barrier to study is the ?Misunderstood Word.? Words have meaning, and many have multiple meanings that can be used in different context. It is the understanding of the words that allows one to communicate verbally or in writing. The lack of literacy is as simple as not knowing the meaning [...]

[Read more →]

Welcome to another week of self-discovery and universal understanding. This week’s forecast begins on Wednesday when the Sun, your source of vitality and light at 20? Taurus will square Neptune, the planet of universal love at 20? Aquarius. The energy of this square will make you will make you feel emotionally vulnerable today. Neptune on [...]

[Read more →]

when i wake and I say ?i love you? when I wake and wonder what will work what won?t work (when i wake i love you) rise to meet the challenge rise to face what?s unknown with what i understand rise to move, i hear the wind whisper silent words to my heart. ?it?s time [...]

[Read more →]

Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas is protesting the war in Iraq. As the parishioners stand outside at funerals of U.S. soldiers, they scream loudly of injustice. Trouble is, these protesters aren?t anti-war. What they?re protesting is the defense of a country that allows homosexuals to live relatively free lives. These zealots are of the [...]

[Read more →]

Little kids are fascinated by things in miniature. Maybe it?s the idea of a world where they?re the big people, maybe it?s the idea of seeing everything all at once, or maybe there?s an instinct to see the small and vulnerable as cute. As adults we might seek larger things; owning a house, buying an [...]

[Read more →]

The sunshine has returned, and the clear skies at night give us a chance to observe the splendor of the heavens. Sun and moon symbolism dates back to the Paleolithic age, perhaps before that. In the biblical account of Genesis, Joseph dreams that the sun, moon, and eleven stars bow down to him. The sun [...]

[Read more →]

Holistic health, for many people, has a vague connotation. Like ?alternative medicine?, many people understand that it is referring to something other than mainstream Western medicine, something perhaps that doesn?t include drugs and is ?healthier.? But, beyond that, people?s comprehension can get a little foggy. This is understandable. ?Alternative medicine? and ?holistic health? are really [...]

[Read more →]

Sala Thai 807 First Street, Benicia 707-745-4331 When I walked in to Sala Thai, I had never eaten Thai food before. I was a Thai virgin. And I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised and quickly converted to an instant fan of Thai cuisine. The first thing I found different [...]

[Read more →]

There are father-son stories, and there are stories about love. The theatre Q production of David Stevens? The Sum of Us is both. It just so happens that in this story, the son is gay. In a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, widower Harry (Peter Cieply) lives with his 24-year old son Jeff (Ryan Tasker), and [...]

[Read more →]

Jon Tracy has adapted and directed Chatterbox The Anne Frank Project for the Missouri Street Theatre. The light, set and sound design were also done by Tracy. This show has the potential to be a touching and accessible ?everyman? piece. Obviously, that is Tracy?s intent, because Anne tells us that at the end of the [...]

[Read more →]

On a CD titled Beautiful Mistakes, one would expect a collection of first or second-takes of songs, all benefiting from the immediacy and ?in the moment? aspects of the performances. One might also expect to hear songs containing ironic lyrics, songs about disconnection, songs used to state the culture?s misguided amount of attention on beauty [...]

[Read more →]

To Chuck Carrol and all Snoozers: A Letter to the Editor: We took America from the native americans and screwed them in the process, and then we invented our own laws and put them on reservations. Now we?re upset at the illegal immigrants. Jesus Louise, hunger fuels the truck, desparation drives all of us sooner [...]

[Read more →]