It is winter and I am drawn to a large map, designed in 1869 by French civil engineer and statistician Charles Minard. It is a graphic of the 1812 march of Napoleon and his imperial Grande Armee, [...] Continue Reading
Columns
Targeted Again!
A few years ago, I wrote an article about a “shake-down” (search) that took place at Solano State Prison (CSP-Solano) in Vacaville. During that search, some of the guards desecrated prisoners’ [...] Continue Reading
The Stalking Continues
The harassment of Fresno State Student Body President Pedro Ramirez by a Tea Party activist continues unabated. The latest move of so-called citizens’ advocate Neil O’Brien was the launching of an [...] Continue Reading
2011 Rogue Festival
The Rogue Performance Festival is turning 10! We can hardly believe it has already been 10 years, but we are excited to celebrate 10 years of independent performance and art in Fresno. We have added [...] Continue Reading
Progressives Organize in the Central Valley
Enthusiastic progressives in the Central Valley gathered on January 26 to form the local chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), which will be called the Central Valley–Sierra [...] Continue Reading
From the Grassroots: Profiles of Local Activists
When Lance Canales walked in for our interview, I hardly recognized him. He had shed a bunch of pounds and his trademark long hair was shorn into a handsome short-and-wavy style. As we talked, though, [...] Continue Reading
Be the Media! Public Access TV Comes to Fresno
Jerry Lee, the new executive director of the Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC), says that we are in for some big changes in 2011. Lee is now working on a plan to build the public access [...] Continue Reading
The Out-of-State Transfer Scam
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is again making a mad dash over the borders with large numbers of prisoners in an expensive attempt to reduce overcrowding within its [...] Continue Reading
Credo: Profiles of Activist Elders
When people ask me how the Fresno Center for Nonviolence has kept its doors open so long—now going on 18 years—I often give a one-word answer: “Angela.” Which is shorthand for saying that my esteemed [...] Continue Reading
Grass Roots Profile: Meet Steve Malm
These profiles are intended to give recognition to some of the individuals who make important contributions to our progressive community and to illustrate the numerous forms their service can take. [...] Continue Reading
Staying Busy Inside
Recently, a friend (on the outside) asked how someone in prison keeps from “going crazy” after spending a significant amount of time behind bars. “What do you do to help pass the time?” he asked. That [...] Continue Reading
Maria Telesco Spends a Lot of Time in Prison These Days
Dear Everybody: I heard through the grapevine that someone mistakenly thought I was incarcerated and wanted to do something to help me get out. When I learned of this, I did not take offense. [...] Continue Reading