TODAY is the fourth of July, the day we celebrate America’s Independence. I like to think of it as the day the nation celebrates my birthday with parties, grills and fireworks, a little myth inculcated by my mother alongside Santa and the Great Pumpkin. Admittedly, letting go of the fourth being a celebration of my coming-into-the-world was the hardest of which to let go. Sigh. Still, when I watch the fireworks tonight, I’ll be happily co-celebrating my own birth.

What most American’s ...

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IT all started with lunch. One of my personal favorite lunch recipes is Japanese-Alaskan Potato Salad. Whoa, there! I can hear you saying, so here it is, basically: Yukon potatoes (boiled with skin on), cucumbers (very thinly sliced, the juice squeezed out), mayo (we use veggie mayo for a more adult taste), carrot (again, very thin sliced), white onion broccoli and/or celery (again very thinly sliced), a sprinkling of roasted sesame seeds. The object is to keep it simple. Yum. On the other ha...

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The fourth of July is when everyone American celebrates the birth of the United States of America, right? Maybe. But I've always believed that it's the day when the world celebrates MY birthday, replete with fireworks. Like Yankee Doodle Dandy, I've always been a firecracker, and I guess I will be until I pass from this crazy world. In the meantime, I bring that energy into "thinking outside the box" in everything I do. 


Take education, for instance. A university professor for over 40 years, I...
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