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This week, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy outlined a federal policy to deal with another epidemic: loneliness (https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/03/new-surgeon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastating-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html).  Upon reading about this, I had myriad feelings about.  I felt relieved and validated, as I have seen and felt first-hand the effects of loneliness in my work as a therapist.  The pandemic was so arduous, especially … Read moreOn Loneliness

Happy Spring, Jazz Lovers! Today, we celebrate springtime, and another major religious holiday: Ramadan. When I was thinking about what to write about today, Ramadan popped into my mind.  This is the holy period for Muslims wherein they fast from sunup to sundown from March 22-April 20th.  Their fasting is fundamentally meant to deepen their … Read moreHonoring Muslims and Ramadan

Wondering what to write about this week for Jazz Therapy, I came across a few articles reporting that Florida-sized the Thwaites Glacier (known as the “Doomsday Glacier) is melting, faster that previously thought (https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/world/thwaites-doomsday-glacier-sea-level-climate-intl/index.html).  In Antarctica, this glacier is known as the “Doomsday” because of the catastrophic results that will occur when it melts, possibly … Read moreThe Thwaites Glacier is Melting: A Cry from Mother Earth

As you probably know, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Northern Syria and Turkey, resulting in the deaths of at least 7,900 people, with that number growing.  (https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/turkey-syria-earthquake-updates-2-7-23-intl/index.html.  Rescuers are doing their best to look for more survivors; this search is also compounded by cold winter weather.  Survivors are left to grieve their loved ones, … Read moreHonoring Syria and Turkey in the Aftermath of the Earthquake

First reading about this case, I felt sad, disgusted, angry, helpless, and powerless.  I also started to think about how the officers in the case, the suspects, were Black too.  They have internalized violence and inflicted it on to fellow Black people.  I reflected upon the idea of the internalization of the aggressor, the aggressor … Read morePolice Violence Against Black people Must END: Honoring Tyre Nichols

Just two days after that, a shooter in Half Moon Bay opened fired, killing 7 people.  His name is Chunli Zhao and he is of Asian descent.  While motives are not completely known at this time, it seems as if this was a case of workplace violence.  It is another senseless tragedy  (https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/25/us/half-moon-bay-shooting-suspect-chunli-zhao-what-we-know/index.html). I am … Read moreReflections on the shootings in CA: Death, Bloodshed, and still no Gun Control

I have been thinking lately about the National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/), the United States federal agency “”…of the executive branch”,[4] charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents which make up the National Archive (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archives_and_Records_Administration).  The National Archives and Records Administration, or … Read moreHonoring the National Archives

On Sunday, January 8, 2023, President Biden visited the border between the U.S. and Mexico, in El Paso, Texas, his first trip to the region.  There, he visited the wall separating Juarez and El Paso.  Since he became president a few years ago, the amount of immigrants trying to come in to the United States … Read moreReflections on the Immigration Crisis in the U.S.

As I got older, I have more mixed feelings about football.  It is a compelling game, and it can be exciting to watch.  Yet, it is so brutal, gladiator-esque at one level.  There has been so much written about how NFL players suffer so many injuries, that when they leave the game or retire, their … Read moreReflections on Football: Damar Hamlin and the NFL

Over in Europe, The Guardian reported that many major cities are experiencing record heat in January, another piece of global warming.  “The warmest January day ever was recorded in at least eight European countries including Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia,” reported The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/02/extreme-event-warm-january-weather-breaks-records-europe).  One expert in the article … Read moreTuesday Tune-Up: Winter Weather around the World