By Jonathan Shih Embedded in Chinese culture is the belief in the existence of an intangible force named "e-chi". Simply put, it is a mysterious aura that attracts two opposite things together for a particular purpose. Often inconceivable and obscure to the individual it is acting upon, "e-chi" initially occurs through a variety of bizarre events and experiences before it … [Read more...] about From Tommy Guns to Tommy Trojan
Children of an Indifferent God: The Way of Taoism
By Rachel Marie Mohr In the fifteenth year of my life, a great wall of nothing crashed down on my lungs, and I decided to kill myself. I walked out of my high school, down the hill towards the country town below. It was an Oregon autumn, and cold rain slithered down my shoulder blades. I remember I wore boots that day, but the deep puddles penetrated to my frozen toes … [Read more...] about Children of an Indifferent God: The Way of Taoism
Sending my Son to War
By Pat Halliwell After completing two years at City College, my son Dustin decided to enlist in the U.S. Army for a four-year term. His initial plans were very specific: according to his contract, after completing basic training and airborne school, he was to be stationed in an Airborne Infantry Brigade in Vicenza, Italy. I was very proud of Dustin, not only for the choice … [Read more...] about Sending my Son to War
What happens to a dream deferred?
By Natalie Beglau What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? - Langston Hughes July 11, 1999. The streets were still glossy from a summer storm as we headed … [Read more...] about What happens to a dream deferred?