I was an organizer in the Food Agricultural and Tobacco Workers Union down in North Carolina.

We lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Northwest D.C. I was essentially raised by a Panamanian man and a Jamaican woman. That's why I have such a fascination with Jamaican food.

There's a food revolution going on throughout the country. And it doesn't matter if you're down south up north in Maine if you're out west in Portland or Seattle.

As the earth spins through space a view from above the North Pole would encompass most of the wealth of the world - most of its food productive machines doctors engineers and teachers. A view from the opposite pole would encompass most of the world's poor.

For a good workout I go to At One Fitness in North Hollywood where my trainer Jon Allsop puts me through it all. I like it because it's a small gym and I've known the people for a long time. Jon will have me do cross-training where I'll lift weights jump rope throw around a medicine ball and I never get to stop.

At each of these northern posts there were interesting experiences in store for me as one who had read all the books of northern travel and dreamed for half a lifetime of the north and that was - almost daily meeting with famous men.

Until he lost all his money my father was a successful north London Jewish businessman. He was unusual among his immediate family in that he was enormously cultured and had an incredible library.

As efforts to fix this failure at the Veterans Administration continue I also intend to persist in demanding answers and action on the establishment of a new clinic to serve the veterans in North Central Washington.

It's been quite an experience being conservative and living in the North East.

High school is such a shared experience in North American culture.