Archive | Ebisu Publications

We’re all overwhelmed with grim stories from around the globe, so I’ll try to cheer the reader up with local news and old memories. Invasion in Portland First, our house has been invaded. I’ve been looking at the invaders and thinking of Emily Dickinson’s poem that begins, “Hope is the thing with feathers,” only my […]

Today is Purim, a good day to forget the troubles of the world and party down. If you’re Orthodox, all the books of the Bible are a true record of events. But non-Orthodox Jewish scholars, who study archaeological evidence and ancient documents, say that the Book of Esther has no historical basis. It appears to […]

Where Did the Afghans Go? For weeks the news in The New York Times was all about Afghanistan, about the sudden and badly managed (to say the least) pullout of U.S. troops, the sudden victory of the Taliban, and distress of those thousands who were left behind and are being targeted for assassination. Now the […]

Today I’m commenting on some of the lies and distortions that the mainstream media shovel at us. And I’m not talking about Fox News but so-called reputable sources like The New York Times. I’ll start with a couple of juicy murder mysteries since, as they say in the news business, “If it bleeds, it leads.” […]

In this week’s post, I’ll share my perspective on some political and economic developments. If you’d prefer something lighthearted, skip down to the cosmically-inspired poem at the end. It will take you out of this world. The Empire Struck Back When I was in my 20s, crusading against the Vietnam War and for the rights […]

Here’s a report on what’s happening regarding immigrants to the UK and, after that, a lighthearted poem. But first, some personal comments: Some of my fellow citizens in the U.S. oppose immigration, especially of the undocumented, for a variety of reasons. For example, “they’ll take away our jobs.” (You want to work the fields in […]

The Afghan Report My last post included a poem, “Rescue.” Phyllis Chesler had asked me to write it for the women in Afghanistan, particularly those in hiding, and she emailed it  to them on some kind of secure server. I’m a technological moron, so I don’t know how that’s done. Now she asks me to […]

I write this on MLK day. My Israeli friend and ex-lover Ruth, who was born in Poland, told me that during World War II, her grandmother and a number of other Jews were hiding in an attic. They had to be very, very quiet so as not to tip off anyone who came to the […]

When I was 25, I organized the first gay protest march after the Stonewall Riots. Up to the point where we assembled in Washington Square Park I was scared, thinking of MLK’s assassination and of how many people hated gays and would have been willing to shoot us. On that day and on several other […]

You’ve read about the evacuation of Afghans who are likely targets for Taliban assassination. Today I’m sharing a story written by Phyllis Chesler about the heroic efforts to provide food and medical care to  those still living there, who at present have no hope of getting out. Much of the need is prenatal and postnatal […]