Most of us have at least one person in our family who has served in the military during wartime. These men and women live amongst us, some suffering more than others, some not suffering at all. As they age their sense of self worth comes into focus, and they struggle to explain themselves to younger family members. Talking about traumatic events experienced during war is stressful and exhausting. So the question is “Should we dredge up old painful memories? Are our grandfathers and fathers too old to heal?” Apparently Frazier Sheppard and Laverne Shimanek feel you are never too old to heal. Sheppard (US Army, Vietnam) and Shimanek (US Marine, Korea) are both veterans of war and now they r

A solo exhibit featuring the work of Malaquías Montoya, “Voice for the Voiceless,” opened September 20 at the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento and will continue through November 18. A cultural reception will be held this Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., opening with “a Mexica blessing to be performed by Kalpulli Maquili Tonatiuh (a local Aztec dance circle),” said Xico González, curator of the exhibit. “In the Chicana/o tradition, we pay homage to those that came before us, to the people that Malaquías pays homage to in his artwork,” said González. Montoya, one of the founders of the social serigraphy movement, will speak about himself and his art, which includes “Undocumented,” from 1

Looking through the eyes of Anne Frank was truly an extraordinary experience at B Street Theatre. “Extraordinary Things: Through the Eyes of Anne Frank” captivates its audience with diverse characters and realistic props. Playwright Dana Friedman brings to life on stage the extreme conditions that millions of Jews had to face in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. Directed by Buck Busfield, the play is set in Amsterdam-present-day-Netherlands-where Anne Frank, her family and four others lived in her father’s office building for two years to ensure the safety of Anne’s older sister Margot from the German authorities, who would have taken her to the a Nazi concentration camp. The

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced a care package will be sent to American troops stationed in Afghanistan Tuesday at his press conference. The care package was put together by the mayor’s office, public safety organizations and the community. The contents include American flags, letters from Congresswoman Doris Matsui and Gov. Jerry Brown, and various snacks, candy, and sporting equipment. U.S. Marine Sgt. Anthony Silva, currently deployed in Afghanistan, sent Johnson an e-mail requesting a care package. “(Silva) said, ‘We are out here fighting for our country, and if the mayor’s office could help facilitate a few things for us troops out here, it would be very meaningful,” Johnson said. Th

The Messenger Directed by Oren Moverman By Tony Sheppard Capitol Weekly Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson are an Army Casualty Notification Detail, tasked with informing the N.O.K. (next of kin) when their loved ones have been killed in action. It’s a soul-destroying assignment and, as explained by the older man (Harrelson) to his younger colleague (Foster), it’s not one that can be made easier by staged shows of understanding. But it’s a necessary function in a time of webcams and cable news shows. They race to get to the N.O.K. before they hear the news from anybody else. Foster has been on the edge of stardom for a decade and may be best recognized recently as Angel in “X-Men: The Last

Sacramento City College psychology professor Tom Bruce delivered an insightful speech to students defining what war is and the psychological reasoning behind it Oct. 13 in Rodda Hall North 228.                  The event brought to light that the term war has been diluted and disfigured to such an extreme that it is inappropriately used on a frequent basis.                       “We have watered down the definition of war to the fact that so we now have a war on obesity and so soon enough we are going to have drive-by shootings by Weight Watchers,” said Bruce, while demonstrating how the term would sound if used appropriately. “Back in the  ’60s they had a war on poverty and one of the j

According to acfnewsource.org, "ninteen million war veterans, including about 2,000 who served in WWI, live in the United States, but approximately 1,500 veterans die every day."  The Library of Congress' American Folk Life Center is working with the public to collect and preserve audio and video oral histories, along with veteran's letters, diaries, maps and photographs. All Americans, including students and grandchildren, can participate in documenting the lives of veterans from World War I, WWII, the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars. The United States Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000. The authorizing legislation (Public Law 106-380), sponsored by Representati