KQED's Perspectives

Les Bloch says a better future can only be built if it can be imagined. Imagine.  Just imagine.  It’s something that envelopes and rewards us, something that has gotten us humans to the moon, something that stretches our brains like hamstrings in yoga class.  It started with language 40,000 years ago.  Before the written word, … Continue reading Les Bloch: Imagine →

Fostering an animal awaiting adoption is a great service but Colleen Patrick-Goudreau learned its not without its challenges. Several years ago, I was volunteering at an underfunded county animal shelter socializing cats, cleaning their cages, and providing some enrichment to their little lives. Adoption days were few and far between, and one day I impulsively … Continue reading Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: Failed Cat Foster →

Tracy Cote outlines the right way to discuss politics in the workplace.

Larry Murphy cherishes fishing trips in the back country as reminders of the common origin of all things.

Sometimes, no one finds fault with choosing the easier road to success. But for Jim McClellan’s summer camp director that wasn’t going to happen. They say fortune favors the brave. I think there’s some truth to that, as I was reminded in a recent discussion about childhood memories. I spent a few summers at a … Continue reading Jim McClellan: Willie’s Bold Stroke →

Many people put on extra pounds during the pandemic and Dr. Baldeep Singh wishes there was more he could do for his vulnerable patients. When Javier came to see me, he had gained 10 pounds. It was a surprise but since staying at home during COVID, he had stopped exercising and had started eating more. … Continue reading Baldeep Singh: The Quarantine 15 →

Simi Monheit's recent trip to the Sierra brings fond memories and dread for the future.

Mediator Richard Friedlander says the words he hears the least are the words most likely to encourage conflict resolution.

While human lives are upended, life is normal for the plants and creatures of Peggy Hansen's farm.

The pandemic has taken 9-year-old foodie Shreya Pai from fine dining to food trucks. I am a foodie and dining out with my family is one of my favorite activities. I enjoy everything about it — deciding where to go, getting dressed, watching my mom put on make-up, eagerly waiting to be seated, and feeling … Continue reading Shreya Pai: Fine Dining to Food Trucks →

For 13 years, Genevieve Schweitzer took piano lessons in person. But the pandemic forced them online, and it’s not the same. YR Media brings her Perspective. At six years old, I sat in front of a piano for the first time. With my Crocs-clad feet dangling several inches off the floor, I allowed my teacher, … Continue reading Genevieve Schweitzer: Pandemic Piano Lessons →

At every stage of life, someone wants a piece of Luke Pease's wallet.

In her garden, Christine Schoefer finds truth in the old saying ‘What you see depends on where you sit.’ Before I started gardening, I loved visiting my friends’ floral sanctuaries. Sitting in a lounge chair, I’d let colors and scents wash over me. I saw only the blooms, the blossoms, the delightfully shaped vegetables. I’m … Continue reading Christine Schoefer: Sitting in the Garden →

Michael Ellis has this Perspective on a Bay Area tree with an ancient history. Millions of years ago a tropical forest flourished throughout California. Rainfall exceeded 80 inches per year and both temperature and humidity were high. Large broad-leaved evergreen trees dominated a landscape interspersed with conifers. Slowly the climate became drier and cooler and … Continue reading Michael Ellis: Ancient Trees →

Bhaskar Sompalli, and small children, are fascinated by a giant pendulum that knocks over small pins like clockwork.