Written almost a quarter century ago, Occidental writer Chester Aaron’s novelized account of the Warsaw uprising during World War II is enjoying a second wave of recognition.

Chester Aaron says that when he wrote Gideon, in 1985, as a book for younger readers, he was motivated by a desire in part to overcome their lack of knowledge and understanding of some darker aspects of history that had played out within their parent’s lifetimes,

Even though he has come to terms with the horrors of the war, Aaron says that when he relates his experiences to young students now, they often react angrily.

Are ghosts real? The Sonoma County Paranormal Institute hasn’t been able to prove that…yet…but they have encounterd some strange things that defy explanation.

  While not a trained physicist, Craig Appel of the Sonoma County Paranormal Institute, takes a rigorous scientific approach to his ghostly investigations.

The goal of the SCPI’s investigations is not necessarily to find ghosts or other unnatural beings, but to seek out explanations for strange and mysterious phenomena. A successful investigation, says Appel, is one that ends with clear answers.

The Sonoma County Paranormal Institute is a non-profit investigative organization, whose inquiries are neither amatuer or expert. They do not change for their services, and invite anyone who suspects they have encountered something ghostly to fill out this form to request an investigation.

Ishi, the so-called “Last Yahi” may be the most famous Indian in California history ( in the photo at left, he is seen as he appeared when "discovered" near Oroville in 1911).  But much of what has been taught about him over the past century has turned out to be wrong.

Ishi in Two Worlds, the best-known story of Ishi’s life was written by Theodora Krober, the wife of the University of California anthropologist who worked with Ishi most extensively, and published in 1961, well after both men had died. It’s a romanticized, not particularly factual account, but Nicole Lum of the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center in Santa Rosa says that even during Ishi’s lifetime, his personal history was subject to revisionist displays.

Ishi:  A Story of Dignity, Hope and Courage is the first permanent exhibit at the museum, near Larkfield. But Lum explains they have detailed plans to fill the rest of their spacious facility, as they are able to secure the necessary funding.

From the Museum's text introducting the exhibit:  "Among California Indians, none have figured more prominently in the public eye than Ishi. When Ishi arrived out of the foothills of Northern California into the town of Oroville in 1911, he was mistakenly characterized as a “wild” and “primitive” Indian, the “last of a Stone Age tribe”.  These assumptions caused him to be brought to the University of California, Museum of Anthropology in San Francisco as a research subject by anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber.  Ishi remained at the museum and shared cultural and historical information with scientists and the public during his five-year residence.  He passed away in 1916 after having contracted tuberculosis while in San Francisco.  Despite his close friendship with Kroeber and other University luminaries, at death, his remains were subjected to the indignity of an autopsy.  His brain was removed in the interests of science.  It disappeared for 83 years and resurfaced in a glass jar on a Smithsonian Institute shelf in 1999 after Ishi’s tribal relations mounted a successful effort to repatriate his remains under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act."

Click here to read more about the Ishi exhibit at the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center in Santa Rosa.

This set of tools is a replic a of those used by Ishi to demonstrate his technique for making arrowheads and other blades from obsidan and pieces of glass.

What we don’t know about insects could—and just about does—fill an entire planet. But what we do know makes for an interesting event tomorrow on the  Sonoma State University campus.

Insecta-palooza is a catchy name for the event, but Frederique Laviopierre (right)  confides that it wasn’t the one they started with.

When she came to KRCB to talk about this event, Laviopierre brought along a six-legged companion she introduced as her favorite bug, at least for right now.

The images below are examples of the Australian stick bug, isloated to give you a good look at left, and a young one in its natural environment at the right.

These images of the Australian stick bug are taken from the webpage of  another fan of the insects, which has more pictures and additional information here.