Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

Throughout history, man has invented ways of making life suitably entertaining, or seemingly easier to handle. In the twenty-first century, the average American citizen will all too easily buy the newest, most advanced technologies if it makes life appear easier, or colors it entertaining. The newer, better, nicer, shinier, cheaper, functioning faster, corporate-America cycle consumes [...]

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Aristotle stated that ?all men (humankind) naturally desire to know?. (italics mine) Symbolism is the language of the mysteries, philosophy, and nature; every law and power of the universe is revealed to the limited mind of man through the medium of symbol. By symbol humankind has sought to communicate to each other those thoughts which [...]

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The article “Plant a garden, grow a community” in the column The Potting Shed (L&BH May 17, 2006 issue) got me to thinking. An interesting phenomenon occurs when people come together around a common goal. People often set aside their differences while contributing their unique talents to the creation of something that will benefit the [...]

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[tag]The Nitty Gritty Cookbook[/tag] for cookies, by [tag]Lou Seibert Pappas[/tag]. This small, concise, well illustrated cookbook, will give you tips about how to make a vast amount of traditional cookies. After making a few, get creative and make your own. [tag]Sesame Cookies[/tag]: 3/4 cup Butter (soft) 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed) 1 cup Tahini [...]

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I would like to welcome you to the [tag]month of July[/tag]. On June 21st the Sun moved into the constellation of Cancer. I would like to wish all of those sensitive Cancers out there a happy earthday. The life giving light of the Sun is in your sector of the [tag]Zodiac[/tag], and it’s your time [...]

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Petals 639 First St. Benicia 707-748-5695 Tues- Sat Lunch 11-3 Dinner 5-10 If one of the signs of a good kitchen is the ability to make simple dishes taste exquisite, then [tag]Petals [/tag]at 639 First Street in Benicia has a successful kitchen. My dining partner and I were amazed how each ingredient in each dish [...]

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[tag] Wine [/tag]and [tag]coffee [/tag]have accompanied humanity forever and the two present more than one similarity. Both of their origins share a mix of legend and history. We have all heard the tale of the discovery by Kaldi, a goat herder, of the properties that the red berries from a bush had on his ?dancing? [...]

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Years ago, when I was a little boy growing up in the midwest, whenever I got really ?sick? I was taken to see our family doctor. A very sweet and gentle man, I don?t recall ever receiving any treatment other than an envelop containing mysterious tablets upon which was written (in pencil) ?Acetaminophen- Two tablets [...]

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Sixty two years ago, on a warm July night, James and Minnie Smith were at a dance on Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo when they heard the huge explosion. While the Smiths didn?t know it then, the blast at nearby [tag]Port Chicago[/tag] Naval Magazine killed 320 men, many of them African Americans. ?The windows in the [...]

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About ten years ago I had an idea to put together a band called The Hip Waders and do a series of unannounced gigs at bait shops. All band members would, of course, wear hip waders. I had a lot of free time on my hands back then. Fortunately, the trio who performs as [tag]The [...]

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Maybe, as Gil Scott-Heron once sang, the revolution will not be televised (ah, those pre-CNN days…), but its musical aspects are downloaded from the Internet on a daily basis. As an once-alternative-now-mainstream way to hear, share, and sell music, this revolution has moved from the early days of mp3.com to file-sharing sites like Napster to [...]

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The art of Hawaiian tattooing has not been addressed so comprehensively in modern literature as in [tag]Tricia Allen[/tag]?s [tag]Tattoo Traditions of Hawai?i[/tag] which can turn even a complete novice into a well-versed tattoo aficionado by the end of the book. Allen, a Hawai?i-based cultural anthropologist and long-time tattoo artist, has not only studied Polynesian tattoos [...]

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[tag]Napa Valley Opera House[/tag] offers [tag]Late Nite Catechism[/tag] through 2 July. This show, written by Maripat Donovan with Marc Silvia and Jane Morris, has been honored with [tag]Drama Critics Circle Award[/tag] (Los Angeles) for Best Solo Performance, and an [tag]Outer Critics Circle Award[/tag] nomination (New York) for Outstanding Solo Performances. It?s easy to see why [...]

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We live in an age when blockbuster musicals regularly feature flash and style, often at the expense of any real substance. Without glitzy gimmicks, one wonders if a simple little show like the long-running off-Broadway chestnut [tag]The Fantasticks[/tag] can still hold up after 46 years. The answer brought to us by [tag]The Masquers Playhouse[/tag] is [...]

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David Martin is a man with a vision. He has spent decades as a working musician, fighting with the recording industry over contracts, creative issues, marketing and distribution, and with radio stations for the all-important airplay so necessary to the success of an artist. Now he wants to repay for the success he?s earned (davidmartinmusic.com) [...]

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