Higher, Steeper, Faster
YA/adult nonfiction
"Today, we have airplanes that can fly hundreds of people
thousands of miles while offering them food, movies, television, and
even Internet service. Major airports may track hundreds of flights
on their radar at any one time. Air travel has become so common that
most Americans, and many people around the world, have been passangers
on an airplane, often while still children."
It wasn't always this easy to fly. Although a long held dream
for human kind, aviation only took off in quite recent history. It's
first decades are fascinating. Yet most of us know no more than Kitty
Hawk and the Wright brothers.
Lawrence Goldstein's Higher, Steeper, Faster attempts to bridge
this knowledge gap. Through text and period photos we learn of the
pioneers and daredevils who amazed the public with their death defying
stunts. Despite many promising careers being cut short by crashes,
the cutting edge aviators never tired of attempting to outdo one
another and the public was always there to cheer them on.
Anyone who has an interest in the early days of flying or just
enjoys an exciting true story will find Higher, Steeper, Faster to be
a must read.
On a personal note, I'm now rested up from Higher Education HELLO and
working on figuring out financing my upcoming masters program. A
GAship would allow me to go full time. Otherwise it will be a regular
job and part time. I'm fine with taking linger to complete the
program, but not knowing is anxiety provoking. Luckily I have a
therapy cat and family and friends.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow accepted grad students in
similar situations.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Once And For All
Once And For All
YA fiction
"According to my mother, this was Rule One in dealing with this
kind of situation: don't project a problem. As in, don't ask if
anything is wrong unless you are certain something is, and as of right
now, I was not. Although a bride locking herself in the anteroom of
the church five minutes after the wedding was supposed to begin did
not exactly bode well."
Louna, protagonist of Sarah Dessen's Once And All, has seen
every kind of snag and near disaster that can threaten to defeat
matrimony. After all she's been a worker at her mother's wedding
planning business for quite awhile. So when her mom takes on an
unreliable, impulsive, and very flirty young man to keep him from
aggravating his (client) sister, she sees impending disaster. A
dognapping on his first day of work doesn't exactly reassure her.
Louna may be an expert on other people's romances. But she's
given up on one of her own. Her one and only love was killed
violently and unexpectedly. How can anyone else ever come close...
...it couldn't possibly be the disaster her mother's hired...
...you gotta read the book to find out. If you're a fan of
Sarah Dessen you will be quite pleased with her latest offering. If
you aren't yet...
...what are you waiting for?
On a personal note, the past two days of my life could be seen as sort
of a non romantic courtship. Higher Education HELLO was two days in
which accepted students could visit UMaine, learn more about the
program and school, interview for GAships, and see if this is our best
fit school. It is for me. I was so impressed with the faculty and
really loved the mock class and group exercise. On the second day
four interviews and my audition for the drag show which happened to be
that evening made for a sorta long day. It was a very worthwhile
experience.
A great big shout out goes out to the many people who made Higher Ed
HELLO such a success: faculty, admin, interviewers, current students,
and my fellow accepted cohort. I'd especially like to mention
Caroline, the GA who shepherded us through the whole process from
giving us lots of specific information and answering questions by
email to making sure we were all getting where we needed to and still
answering questions during the two days. I found her not only
informative, but highly reassuring and encouraging and the others I
talked to did also.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"According to my mother, this was Rule One in dealing with this
kind of situation: don't project a problem. As in, don't ask if
anything is wrong unless you are certain something is, and as of right
now, I was not. Although a bride locking herself in the anteroom of
the church five minutes after the wedding was supposed to begin did
not exactly bode well."
Louna, protagonist of Sarah Dessen's Once And All, has seen
every kind of snag and near disaster that can threaten to defeat
matrimony. After all she's been a worker at her mother's wedding
planning business for quite awhile. So when her mom takes on an
unreliable, impulsive, and very flirty young man to keep him from
aggravating his (client) sister, she sees impending disaster. A
dognapping on his first day of work doesn't exactly reassure her.
Louna may be an expert on other people's romances. But she's
given up on one of her own. Her one and only love was killed
violently and unexpectedly. How can anyone else ever come close...
...it couldn't possibly be the disaster her mother's hired...
...you gotta read the book to find out. If you're a fan of
Sarah Dessen you will be quite pleased with her latest offering. If
you aren't yet...
...what are you waiting for?
On a personal note, the past two days of my life could be seen as sort
of a non romantic courtship. Higher Education HELLO was two days in
which accepted students could visit UMaine, learn more about the
program and school, interview for GAships, and see if this is our best
fit school. It is for me. I was so impressed with the faculty and
really loved the mock class and group exercise. On the second day
four interviews and my audition for the drag show which happened to be
that evening made for a sorta long day. It was a very worthwhile
experience.
A great big shout out goes out to the many people who made Higher Ed
HELLO such a success: faculty, admin, interviewers, current students,
and my fellow accepted cohort. I'd especially like to mention
Caroline, the GA who shepherded us through the whole process from
giving us lots of specific information and answering questions by
email to making sure we were all getting where we needed to and still
answering questions during the two days. I found her not only
informative, but highly reassuring and encouraging and the others I
talked to did also.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Every Falling Star
Every Falling Star
YA/adult nonfiction
"It was a school day in January 1997, about ten months before my
tenth birthday. I was returning from the tae kwan do sojo, walking
home on a sidewalk layered with an icing of powdered snow. As I
approached my apartment building, two things happened that were omens
that my life was about to take a drastic turn--for the worse."
Sungju Lee, author of the memoir Every Falling Star, has that
right. Previously he and his parents had lived a life of relative
privilege in Pyongyang (North Korea). At home they tell him that they
are going on a long vacation. He must leave behind his beloved dog,
Bo-Cho.
Their vacation place turns out to be a hovel with an outhouse
for a toilet. Sunju's school turns out to be poorly equipped and
taught in comparison to his old one. But his family has enough food.
So it's hard for him to believe his classmates' warnings of poverty
and extreme hunger.
Eventually Sunju drops out of school to help his father forage
for food--squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters. Right before his
eleventh birthday his father decides to go to China to sell his
military medals and begin to smuggle goods. He doesn't return. Then
his mother leaves to try to get food from a relative.
Alone and starving, Sungju joins up with other boys to survive
as well as they can on the streets.
This is not a book for more sensitive kids. I think it's one
that needs to be read by folks well above its target demographics. We
are told so little about North Korea other than that it poses and
imminent threat to us. Books like Every Falling Star can help us see
a bigger picture.
On a personal note, when I was ten a refugee from North Korea named
Alla Lee arrived in Massachusetts with her teen age son, Boris. My
mother hired her to take care of Harriet and me when she was teaching
college. In Korea Alla had been a college professor. I was not told
specifics of why she fled her native land--only that because of
politics she and Boris might be killed if they returned. Even though
this story is set decades later, it gave me an understanding of the
danger she had escaped from. The Episcopal church mom was director of
religious education in condemned that act. Julia Seibert was
entrusting her daughters to a heathen Chink. Alla was as Episcopalian
as Mom and they didn't even get the country right. They also
predicted that Boris, who was too shy to ask a girl to dance, would
molest us or sell us into white slavery. Another reason not to get
confirmed the next year.
A great big shout out goes out to the immigrants and refugees who flee
unbearable horrors and all who aid them.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/adult nonfiction
"It was a school day in January 1997, about ten months before my
tenth birthday. I was returning from the tae kwan do sojo, walking
home on a sidewalk layered with an icing of powdered snow. As I
approached my apartment building, two things happened that were omens
that my life was about to take a drastic turn--for the worse."
Sungju Lee, author of the memoir Every Falling Star, has that
right. Previously he and his parents had lived a life of relative
privilege in Pyongyang (North Korea). At home they tell him that they
are going on a long vacation. He must leave behind his beloved dog,
Bo-Cho.
Their vacation place turns out to be a hovel with an outhouse
for a toilet. Sunju's school turns out to be poorly equipped and
taught in comparison to his old one. But his family has enough food.
So it's hard for him to believe his classmates' warnings of poverty
and extreme hunger.
Eventually Sunju drops out of school to help his father forage
for food--squirrels, chipmunks, and other critters. Right before his
eleventh birthday his father decides to go to China to sell his
military medals and begin to smuggle goods. He doesn't return. Then
his mother leaves to try to get food from a relative.
Alone and starving, Sungju joins up with other boys to survive
as well as they can on the streets.
This is not a book for more sensitive kids. I think it's one
that needs to be read by folks well above its target demographics. We
are told so little about North Korea other than that it poses and
imminent threat to us. Books like Every Falling Star can help us see
a bigger picture.
On a personal note, when I was ten a refugee from North Korea named
Alla Lee arrived in Massachusetts with her teen age son, Boris. My
mother hired her to take care of Harriet and me when she was teaching
college. In Korea Alla had been a college professor. I was not told
specifics of why she fled her native land--only that because of
politics she and Boris might be killed if they returned. Even though
this story is set decades later, it gave me an understanding of the
danger she had escaped from. The Episcopal church mom was director of
religious education in condemned that act. Julia Seibert was
entrusting her daughters to a heathen Chink. Alla was as Episcopalian
as Mom and they didn't even get the country right. They also
predicted that Boris, who was too shy to ask a girl to dance, would
molest us or sell us into white slavery. Another reason not to get
confirmed the next year.
A great big shout out goes out to the immigrants and refugees who flee
unbearable horrors and all who aid them.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, February 23, 2018
Maya Lin
Maya Lin
Juvenile biography
"The contest rules said the memorial
must blend with a park setting
and include the name of every soldier
who died fighting or was missing.
Almost 58,000 names."
I imagine most of us know at least something about the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial. Many of us have seen pictures of objects left by
veterans' friends and family members and read how much it means to
them to be able to touch a lost loved one's name. But I'm guessing
many of us don't know the story behind this monument. I surely didn't
until I read Jeanne Walker Harvey's Maya Lin.
There was a contest to determine who would design the memorial.
There were 1,421 entries, including some by very famous people in the
art world. The designs filled a whole airplane hangar! A lot of
people were angry when Lin won. Some had trouble wrapping their minds
around the fact that a college senior had beaten the competition.
Some didn't like her design. There was a lot of contrversy...
...but she prevailed.
And now readers can learn about the childhood and youth that
prepared her to take the world (or at least America) by storm. It's a
very worthwhile story, especially for potential engineers and
architects.
On a personal note, I had a wonderful frozen yogurt excursion with my
chum Mazie. That was one of the highlights of my week. The other was
the Mental Health Monologues last night. Active minds put that on. A
bunch of us shared our experiences with psychological challenges. I
talked about my decades long battle with anorexia. I shared some
experiences I'd never before talked about. I think our audience was
really touched.
A great big shout out goes out to Mazie and to everyone who
participated in Mental Health Monologues.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile biography
"The contest rules said the memorial
must blend with a park setting
and include the name of every soldier
who died fighting or was missing.
Almost 58,000 names."
I imagine most of us know at least something about the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial. Many of us have seen pictures of objects left by
veterans' friends and family members and read how much it means to
them to be able to touch a lost loved one's name. But I'm guessing
many of us don't know the story behind this monument. I surely didn't
until I read Jeanne Walker Harvey's Maya Lin.
There was a contest to determine who would design the memorial.
There were 1,421 entries, including some by very famous people in the
art world. The designs filled a whole airplane hangar! A lot of
people were angry when Lin won. Some had trouble wrapping their minds
around the fact that a college senior had beaten the competition.
Some didn't like her design. There was a lot of contrversy...
...but she prevailed.
And now readers can learn about the childhood and youth that
prepared her to take the world (or at least America) by storm. It's a
very worthwhile story, especially for potential engineers and
architects.
On a personal note, I had a wonderful frozen yogurt excursion with my
chum Mazie. That was one of the highlights of my week. The other was
the Mental Health Monologues last night. Active minds put that on. A
bunch of us shared our experiences with psychological challenges. I
talked about my decades long battle with anorexia. I shared some
experiences I'd never before talked about. I think our audience was
really touched.
A great big shout out goes out to Mazie and to everyone who
participated in Mental Health Monologues.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Banana-Leaf Ball
Banana-Leaf Ball
Picture book
"Deo Rukundo didn't know why the war began in his country. But
he knew that one dark night his family was forced to flee their
hillside farm and its terraces of sweet potatoes, beans, and bananas."
Play is the universal language of childhood. When I was ten and
my mother and sibling and I spent much of a summer in Mexico I didn't
know Spanish. But the Mexican children knew I wanted to play. And
when one took my hand I would go wherever he or she intended. I
especially remember running up and down pyramids with a native boy
(much to the amazement of more sedentary tourists) and being given
scrumptious strawberry and coconut ice creams by girls vying to be my
best friend.
(Could this be one reason many adults have trouble making
friendships across nation and culture--that they have forgotten how to
play?)
Anyway children need to play even under the most dire
situations. This point is brought home perfectly in Katie Smith
Milway's Banana-Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World.
When we meet Deo he is fleeing men with torches and machetes who
are burning down homes and attacking people. He becomes separated
from the rest of his family and, after weeks of travel, enters a
refuge camp alone.
Conditions in the camp are harsh. There is not enough food and
water. Gangs steal what little other people have. And there are
bullies.
But soccer and a banana leaf ball begin to change things.
There was a real life Deo. In 1993, when he was ten, fleeing
for his life, he was separated from his family. Alone in a stressful
environment, he joined a Right To Play team and found that soccer was
the bright spot in his life, precious moments he could laugh and have
fun and be a kid.
The last pages are especially valuable. They start with this
premise:
"The problem of kids fearing each other happens in places other
than refugee camps. In fact, in schools around the world even recess
can feel dangerous or unwelcoming, particularly to kids who are being
bullied or left out. But with some coaching, playgrounds can be
wonderful places to play. And through playing, kids learn how to make
friends, lead others, and build trust..."
and include descriptions of six national and international
organizations that foster health, growth, and understanding of others
through play with a typical activity for each--perfect for any kind of
youth group.
So what can we do for those pesky adults who left play far
behind? (Don't say the Olympics. Even if they started in the service
of international friendship (which I kinda doubt) they now fester with
ego and capitalism on steroids.)
Banana-Leaf Ball was published by Kids Can Press and is one in
the CitizenKid series: "A collection of books that inform children
about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens." I plan
to get my hands on and review the rest. :-)
On a personal note, yesterday, in a snow coated Maine, I met with
John, Diane, and Maddie to plan this year's Orono Community and decide
what seeds to order. John brewed tea and Diane had baked delicious
bread. There was a fire in John's fireplace. In the face of all the
evidence that Puxatony Phil predicts quite accurately, it was so much
fun studying the catalogue with its vibrant pictures and thinking
ahead to coaxing lovely veggies from the ground. We even ordered my
favorite little white flowers to attract pollinators. Today I am
going to have frozen yogurt with another really good friend, Mazie.
Good ways to lower the stress generated by Higher Education Hello and
GAship interviews coming up so fast!
A great big shout out goes out to John, Diane, Maddie, and Mazie.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
"Deo Rukundo didn't know why the war began in his country. But
he knew that one dark night his family was forced to flee their
hillside farm and its terraces of sweet potatoes, beans, and bananas."
Play is the universal language of childhood. When I was ten and
my mother and sibling and I spent much of a summer in Mexico I didn't
know Spanish. But the Mexican children knew I wanted to play. And
when one took my hand I would go wherever he or she intended. I
especially remember running up and down pyramids with a native boy
(much to the amazement of more sedentary tourists) and being given
scrumptious strawberry and coconut ice creams by girls vying to be my
best friend.
(Could this be one reason many adults have trouble making
friendships across nation and culture--that they have forgotten how to
play?)
Anyway children need to play even under the most dire
situations. This point is brought home perfectly in Katie Smith
Milway's Banana-Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World.
When we meet Deo he is fleeing men with torches and machetes who
are burning down homes and attacking people. He becomes separated
from the rest of his family and, after weeks of travel, enters a
refuge camp alone.
Conditions in the camp are harsh. There is not enough food and
water. Gangs steal what little other people have. And there are
bullies.
But soccer and a banana leaf ball begin to change things.
There was a real life Deo. In 1993, when he was ten, fleeing
for his life, he was separated from his family. Alone in a stressful
environment, he joined a Right To Play team and found that soccer was
the bright spot in his life, precious moments he could laugh and have
fun and be a kid.
The last pages are especially valuable. They start with this
premise:
"The problem of kids fearing each other happens in places other
than refugee camps. In fact, in schools around the world even recess
can feel dangerous or unwelcoming, particularly to kids who are being
bullied or left out. But with some coaching, playgrounds can be
wonderful places to play. And through playing, kids learn how to make
friends, lead others, and build trust..."
and include descriptions of six national and international
organizations that foster health, growth, and understanding of others
through play with a typical activity for each--perfect for any kind of
youth group.
So what can we do for those pesky adults who left play far
behind? (Don't say the Olympics. Even if they started in the service
of international friendship (which I kinda doubt) they now fester with
ego and capitalism on steroids.)
Banana-Leaf Ball was published by Kids Can Press and is one in
the CitizenKid series: "A collection of books that inform children
about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens." I plan
to get my hands on and review the rest. :-)
On a personal note, yesterday, in a snow coated Maine, I met with
John, Diane, and Maddie to plan this year's Orono Community and decide
what seeds to order. John brewed tea and Diane had baked delicious
bread. There was a fire in John's fireplace. In the face of all the
evidence that Puxatony Phil predicts quite accurately, it was so much
fun studying the catalogue with its vibrant pictures and thinking
ahead to coaxing lovely veggies from the ground. We even ordered my
favorite little white flowers to attract pollinators. Today I am
going to have frozen yogurt with another really good friend, Mazie.
Good ways to lower the stress generated by Higher Education Hello and
GAship interviews coming up so fast!
A great big shout out goes out to John, Diane, Maddie, and Mazie.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, February 19, 2018
See You In The Cosmos
See You In The Cosmos
Juvenile Fiction
"One time Benji asked me do I feel bad about not having a dad,
and I asked him, Do you feel bad about not having a dinosaur? Benji
said he's not sure because he's never had one, and I said I feel the
same way about a dad. Benji said it'd be so cool to have a
triceratops though, you could ride around on it and crash through the
walls at our school and if a hall monitor tries to write you up for
being late, you can say, Take it up with my Triceratopd. I told him
it was a great idea."
Alex, protagonist of Jack Cheng's See You In The Cosmos, can't
remember the father who died when he was really young. His mother
shows all the symptoms of depression, with quiet days during which she
lies in bed staring at the ceiling. Alex has been taking care of
stuff like cooking. His much older brother, Ronnie, lives far off in
California and is obsessed with his career. So Alex has a lot more
freedom and responsibility than most kids his age.
Alex has a very strong interest: communicating with intelligent
life forms that may be out in the universe. He is recording as many
messages and earth sounds as he can on an iPod. In his quest to
launch it into outer space in a rocket of his own devising, he and his
dog, Carl Sagan, experience some pretty incredible adventures on earth.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
On a personal note, I'm on a strange part of my journey, getting ready
for Higher Ed Hello which is a 2 day event for accepted grad
students. After I find out which GAships I'll be interviewing for I
need to send out resumes and cover letters. One complication is I
don't yet know if I'm work study eligible and some require this. It's
in less than a week! Yikes! I'm excited and terrified.
We had an early morning snow storm Sunday. Eugene was called out to
work. Lucky for me church was on. I don't like missing out on choir,
fellowship, and Pastor Lorna's complacency is NOT an option sermons.
A great big shout out goes out to my church family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile Fiction
"One time Benji asked me do I feel bad about not having a dad,
and I asked him, Do you feel bad about not having a dinosaur? Benji
said he's not sure because he's never had one, and I said I feel the
same way about a dad. Benji said it'd be so cool to have a
triceratops though, you could ride around on it and crash through the
walls at our school and if a hall monitor tries to write you up for
being late, you can say, Take it up with my Triceratopd. I told him
it was a great idea."
Alex, protagonist of Jack Cheng's See You In The Cosmos, can't
remember the father who died when he was really young. His mother
shows all the symptoms of depression, with quiet days during which she
lies in bed staring at the ceiling. Alex has been taking care of
stuff like cooking. His much older brother, Ronnie, lives far off in
California and is obsessed with his career. So Alex has a lot more
freedom and responsibility than most kids his age.
Alex has a very strong interest: communicating with intelligent
life forms that may be out in the universe. He is recording as many
messages and earth sounds as he can on an iPod. In his quest to
launch it into outer space in a rocket of his own devising, he and his
dog, Carl Sagan, experience some pretty incredible adventures on earth.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
On a personal note, I'm on a strange part of my journey, getting ready
for Higher Ed Hello which is a 2 day event for accepted grad
students. After I find out which GAships I'll be interviewing for I
need to send out resumes and cover letters. One complication is I
don't yet know if I'm work study eligible and some require this. It's
in less than a week! Yikes! I'm excited and terrified.
We had an early morning snow storm Sunday. Eugene was called out to
work. Lucky for me church was on. I don't like missing out on choir,
fellowship, and Pastor Lorna's complacency is NOT an option sermons.
A great big shout out goes out to my church family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, February 16, 2018
While I Was Gone
While I Was Gone
"And then I realized with a shock that snapped me wide awake
that what I was feeling was a bitter sorrow with my life, a sharp envy
of Cass...That I wanted to be standing at the center of my life in hot
lights, moving in ecstacy to music that crashed around me, that came
from me, that linked me to others. That I wanted to be driving with
the band through the rain down some nameless country road to a place
where I'd never been before..."
To outsiders it would seem that Jo, protagonist of Sue Miller's
While I Was Gone, has a perfect life. Married to a minister who loves
her and mother of three adult daughters, she has a profession she
enjoys and financial security. But something is missing. In the
first chapter, fishing with her husband, she describes herself as
feeling unattached like an observer. Later that day, remembering the
intensity and vividness of life with young children, she feels like
she floats. She is not at all ready to accept the complacency,
predictibility, and tedious safety that many surrender to as they grow
older. Her descriptions of adult social events are painful.
[If you're anything like me you'll get her. I'm rocking "It's
my life and it's now or never...I just wanna LIVE before I die" not
Old Folks At Home. That's one of the reasons I insist on grad school
and student services as a career path.]
Jo's life hasn't always been so sedate. The defining event of
her younger years was the brutal murder of a close friend. In fact
she was the one who discovered the body. Out of the blue she meets up
with one of the others who had experienced the tragedy. She wants to
get together privately to glean his memories and thoughts...
...but maybe that's not all she has in mind.
Is she about to take a cross a line and irrevocably change her
life?
I'm not gonna tell you. You gotta read the book and see.
On a personal note, I had a wonderful Valentines Day. I helped the
CASE and mind spa people do a table where we gave out carnations to
people who wrote positivity notes and put them in envelopes and took
ones others had written. Then in the evening at Wilson Center we had
ice cream to celebrate my getting into grad school. i won a darling
soft panda in a riddles game. And Joey was very happy with his new
catnip toy. Then yesterday I read two of my poems at Spring into
Poetry, an awesome event put on by UMaine's Caribbean Club. Then I
went to an alternate coffee house where people across the political
spectrum shared thoughts calmly and listened attentively and my friend
Dylan and his band rocked. I love my life. If I wasn't living it I'd
be jealous of whoever was.
A great big shout out goes out to all who organized and participated
in these amazing events.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
"And then I realized with a shock that snapped me wide awake
that what I was feeling was a bitter sorrow with my life, a sharp envy
of Cass...That I wanted to be standing at the center of my life in hot
lights, moving in ecstacy to music that crashed around me, that came
from me, that linked me to others. That I wanted to be driving with
the band through the rain down some nameless country road to a place
where I'd never been before..."
To outsiders it would seem that Jo, protagonist of Sue Miller's
While I Was Gone, has a perfect life. Married to a minister who loves
her and mother of three adult daughters, she has a profession she
enjoys and financial security. But something is missing. In the
first chapter, fishing with her husband, she describes herself as
feeling unattached like an observer. Later that day, remembering the
intensity and vividness of life with young children, she feels like
she floats. She is not at all ready to accept the complacency,
predictibility, and tedious safety that many surrender to as they grow
older. Her descriptions of adult social events are painful.
[If you're anything like me you'll get her. I'm rocking "It's
my life and it's now or never...I just wanna LIVE before I die" not
Old Folks At Home. That's one of the reasons I insist on grad school
and student services as a career path.]
Jo's life hasn't always been so sedate. The defining event of
her younger years was the brutal murder of a close friend. In fact
she was the one who discovered the body. Out of the blue she meets up
with one of the others who had experienced the tragedy. She wants to
get together privately to glean his memories and thoughts...
...but maybe that's not all she has in mind.
Is she about to take a cross a line and irrevocably change her
life?
I'm not gonna tell you. You gotta read the book and see.
On a personal note, I had a wonderful Valentines Day. I helped the
CASE and mind spa people do a table where we gave out carnations to
people who wrote positivity notes and put them in envelopes and took
ones others had written. Then in the evening at Wilson Center we had
ice cream to celebrate my getting into grad school. i won a darling
soft panda in a riddles game. And Joey was very happy with his new
catnip toy. Then yesterday I read two of my poems at Spring into
Poetry, an awesome event put on by UMaine's Caribbean Club. Then I
went to an alternate coffee house where people across the political
spectrum shared thoughts calmly and listened attentively and my friend
Dylan and his band rocked. I love my life. If I wasn't living it I'd
be jealous of whoever was.
A great big shout out goes out to all who organized and participated
in these amazing events.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Two Truths And A Lie
Two Truths And A Lie
Juvenile nonfiction
"Picture this scene: you're a farmer living in rural China, and
you're out digging up medicinal herbs and roots. Most of the roots
you find are skinny and stringy and wispy. But today's discovery is
nothing like that. The plant that's buried deep in the moist ground
in front of you is heavy. You unearth your prize, which is bigger
than both your hands put together, and to your delight you see that
this root is...person-shaped?!"
Ammi-Joan Paquette's Two Truths And A Lie combines a game with
content that makes Ripley's Believe It Or Not seem so twentieth
century. Chapters cover topics ranging from plants through animals to
humans. Each contains two bona fides and one scam.
Telling them apart is not as easy as you'd think. A flower that
smells like day old road kill, a walking moss, or a mind-controlling
parasitic fungus? A prehistoric Bambiraptor, an 82 foot long
megacondor, or a gelatinous curtain of death? Which of these things
do not belong?
Introduce this to the science loving kids in your life. Maybe
test yourself...
...if you dare. Bwa ha ha!
On a personal note, here is a personal two truths and a lie. In the
near future I will be:
A) reading a poem I wrote at an international student poetry event
B) auditioning for the UMaine drag show
C) taking a week off from reading to catch up on must see tv.
Yep, you're right. C. In my mind must see tv is an oxymoron.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers. I hope you have a
great Valentines Day. Don't go over board spending wise. And share
the love. I get the kiddy packs and distribute widely. Email cards
for people I won't see in person. No eye rolls, please. Every year
there are people who tell me it's the only one they'll get.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
"Picture this scene: you're a farmer living in rural China, and
you're out digging up medicinal herbs and roots. Most of the roots
you find are skinny and stringy and wispy. But today's discovery is
nothing like that. The plant that's buried deep in the moist ground
in front of you is heavy. You unearth your prize, which is bigger
than both your hands put together, and to your delight you see that
this root is...person-shaped?!"
Ammi-Joan Paquette's Two Truths And A Lie combines a game with
content that makes Ripley's Believe It Or Not seem so twentieth
century. Chapters cover topics ranging from plants through animals to
humans. Each contains two bona fides and one scam.
Telling them apart is not as easy as you'd think. A flower that
smells like day old road kill, a walking moss, or a mind-controlling
parasitic fungus? A prehistoric Bambiraptor, an 82 foot long
megacondor, or a gelatinous curtain of death? Which of these things
do not belong?
Introduce this to the science loving kids in your life. Maybe
test yourself...
...if you dare. Bwa ha ha!
On a personal note, here is a personal two truths and a lie. In the
near future I will be:
A) reading a poem I wrote at an international student poetry event
B) auditioning for the UMaine drag show
C) taking a week off from reading to catch up on must see tv.
Yep, you're right. C. In my mind must see tv is an oxymoron.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers. I hope you have a
great Valentines Day. Don't go over board spending wise. And share
the love. I get the kiddy packs and distribute widely. Email cards
for people I won't see in person. No eye rolls, please. Every year
there are people who tell me it's the only one they'll get.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, February 12, 2018
Two More Amazing Sheroes
Two More Amazing Sheroes
Juvenile herstory
You can never have enough biographies of trailblazing women for
our younger readers. So when I found two new ones while shelf reading
in the juvenile wing of the Orono Public Library I was over the moon.
And speaking of the moon, did you know Apollo 11 almost was
almost done in by an unexpected computer glitch? You can get the
whole suspenseful story in Dean Robbins' Margaret And The Moon: How
Margaret Hamilton Saved The First Lunar Landing.
Margaret was one of those kids who had questions about
everything. She was especially intrigued by math and outer space.
When she discovered computers she set out to discover all those
machines could be used to accomplish...
...including helping to put men on the moon.
This volume could really help steer STEM capable girls in a good
direction.
I donate blood five times a year. I wouldn't be able to do this
if Clara Barton hadn't founded the Red Cross. Needless to say, I'm a
big fan of hers. I was delighted to see that premier picture book
author and illustrator Patricia Polacco had celebrated her life with
Clara and Davie.
As a child Clara struggled with a lisp. Kids and even family
members made fun of her. Fortunately her big brother, Davie was on
her side. He homeschooled her so she wouldn't be peer bullied.
Early on Clara discovered that she had the power of healing big
time. Neighbors began to ask her to cure sick farm animals. Her
older sister's illness inspired her to study medical books.
One day Clara's beloved brother, Davie, had a really bad fall,
breaking both his legs. She believed he would be able to walk again,
but that made one of them. What could she do...
Well you gotta read the book and see.
BTW did you know that the man who discovered blood types died
for lack of a transfusion. He was black. And the hospital was whites
only. Talk about life's bitter ironies.
On a personal note, I had a lovely weekend. The best part was
church. Choir was well attended and we had a good anthem. The bell
choir played. Pastor Lorna preached a powerful and inspiring sermon.
People cheered when I announced my grad school good news. Brittney who
works at UMaine at CASE showed me a picture of the critter we'll get
to stuff during Pride Week. It is something special. The rest of the
time I was filled with joy and appreciation to be in the dear home
where we raised our children with my husband and cat. Everywhere I
look there are precious memories and pretty things like shells and
snow globes and Beanie Babies.
A great big shout out goes out to my church family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile herstory
You can never have enough biographies of trailblazing women for
our younger readers. So when I found two new ones while shelf reading
in the juvenile wing of the Orono Public Library I was over the moon.
And speaking of the moon, did you know Apollo 11 almost was
almost done in by an unexpected computer glitch? You can get the
whole suspenseful story in Dean Robbins' Margaret And The Moon: How
Margaret Hamilton Saved The First Lunar Landing.
Margaret was one of those kids who had questions about
everything. She was especially intrigued by math and outer space.
When she discovered computers she set out to discover all those
machines could be used to accomplish...
...including helping to put men on the moon.
This volume could really help steer STEM capable girls in a good
direction.
I donate blood five times a year. I wouldn't be able to do this
if Clara Barton hadn't founded the Red Cross. Needless to say, I'm a
big fan of hers. I was delighted to see that premier picture book
author and illustrator Patricia Polacco had celebrated her life with
Clara and Davie.
As a child Clara struggled with a lisp. Kids and even family
members made fun of her. Fortunately her big brother, Davie was on
her side. He homeschooled her so she wouldn't be peer bullied.
Early on Clara discovered that she had the power of healing big
time. Neighbors began to ask her to cure sick farm animals. Her
older sister's illness inspired her to study medical books.
One day Clara's beloved brother, Davie, had a really bad fall,
breaking both his legs. She believed he would be able to walk again,
but that made one of them. What could she do...
Well you gotta read the book and see.
BTW did you know that the man who discovered blood types died
for lack of a transfusion. He was black. And the hospital was whites
only. Talk about life's bitter ironies.
On a personal note, I had a lovely weekend. The best part was
church. Choir was well attended and we had a good anthem. The bell
choir played. Pastor Lorna preached a powerful and inspiring sermon.
People cheered when I announced my grad school good news. Brittney who
works at UMaine at CASE showed me a picture of the critter we'll get
to stuff during Pride Week. It is something special. The rest of the
time I was filled with joy and appreciation to be in the dear home
where we raised our children with my husband and cat. Everywhere I
look there are precious memories and pretty things like shells and
snow globes and Beanie Babies.
A great big shout out goes out to my church family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, February 10, 2018
5 To 1
5 To 1
YA dystopia
"Appa didn't try to stop the guards when they came for me yesterday.
He didn't kick up a fuss like some of the parents do, crying and
begging for more time. He didn't offer a bribe--one the guards would
have slipped into their pockets before they proceeded to drag me to
the cart like nothing had happened."
Holly Bodger's 5 To1 offers one of the most unique dystopian
premises I've ever encountered. In Koyangar, a walled country, boys
and men have been declared superfluous, good for only one thing,
impregnating women with girl children. Women past their child bearing
years fill all the professions.
There are five boys for every girl. Teenage boys engage in
brutal competitions. Only three outcomes are permitted. The lucky
winners get wives and futures. If they are able to father girls, they
live in relative luxury. Unchosen boys with sisters and money get
jobs. Poor boys who aren't chosen live relatively short lives in the
military defending Koyangar's walls.
It is Sudasa's turn to choose her husband from the five boys who
will spend days competing for her hand in marriage. She is not a
happy camper. She's convinced the whole process is a scam, the tests
rigged. Her cousin is the most advantaged in her field of
contestants. Her very powerful and influential grandmother seems to
be setting things up to achieve her own agenda.
Kiran is a long shot competitor from a poor family. Although
winning would give him la dolce vida and allow him to help his father,
this is not what they want. His goal is to escape and locate his
mother who left when he was very young.
Their narratives are told in alternating chapters. She speaks
in free verse, he uses prose. After the first few chapters, if you're
anything like me, you'll have a very hard time putting this finely
written book down.
On a personal note, today's snow came down soft and fluffy. This
winter in Penobscot County, Maine we've seen every form winter
precipitation can take. Between that and extreme cold, Joey cat is
nearly a month late on his checkup. He has a cardboard carrier and I
have to walk to the vets and back. Otherwise I'm on cloud 9 from my
grad school acceptance. Higher Education Hello (2 day event for
accepted grad students) is in a couple of weeks. It's still hard to
believe this is really happening.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people who are overjoyed for
me and eager to help me succeed.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA dystopia
"Appa didn't try to stop the guards when they came for me yesterday.
He didn't kick up a fuss like some of the parents do, crying and
begging for more time. He didn't offer a bribe--one the guards would
have slipped into their pockets before they proceeded to drag me to
the cart like nothing had happened."
Holly Bodger's 5 To1 offers one of the most unique dystopian
premises I've ever encountered. In Koyangar, a walled country, boys
and men have been declared superfluous, good for only one thing,
impregnating women with girl children. Women past their child bearing
years fill all the professions.
There are five boys for every girl. Teenage boys engage in
brutal competitions. Only three outcomes are permitted. The lucky
winners get wives and futures. If they are able to father girls, they
live in relative luxury. Unchosen boys with sisters and money get
jobs. Poor boys who aren't chosen live relatively short lives in the
military defending Koyangar's walls.
It is Sudasa's turn to choose her husband from the five boys who
will spend days competing for her hand in marriage. She is not a
happy camper. She's convinced the whole process is a scam, the tests
rigged. Her cousin is the most advantaged in her field of
contestants. Her very powerful and influential grandmother seems to
be setting things up to achieve her own agenda.
Kiran is a long shot competitor from a poor family. Although
winning would give him la dolce vida and allow him to help his father,
this is not what they want. His goal is to escape and locate his
mother who left when he was very young.
Their narratives are told in alternating chapters. She speaks
in free verse, he uses prose. After the first few chapters, if you're
anything like me, you'll have a very hard time putting this finely
written book down.
On a personal note, today's snow came down soft and fluffy. This
winter in Penobscot County, Maine we've seen every form winter
precipitation can take. Between that and extreme cold, Joey cat is
nearly a month late on his checkup. He has a cardboard carrier and I
have to walk to the vets and back. Otherwise I'm on cloud 9 from my
grad school acceptance. Higher Education Hello (2 day event for
accepted grad students) is in a couple of weeks. It's still hard to
believe this is really happening.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people who are overjoyed for
me and eager to help me succeed.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Exit, Pursued By A Bear
Exit, Pursued By A Bear
YA fiction
"'I need you to say it, Polly,' I whisper. It will be real as
soon as she does, but there's no one better at pulling off Band-Aids
than Polly Olivier.
'They found you in the lake,' she says, her shining eyes inches
from mine. 'Amy did, I mean, when you weren't at the cabin when she
got back. She was frantic. You were still in your dress, but your
underwear was gone, and you were up to your waist in water, lying on
the rocks."
Hermione, narrator of E. K. Johnston's Exit, Pursued By A Bear,
is a high school senior who lives for cheerleading. She's co captain
of her squad, and her teammates are her besties.
Hermione's last cheer camp right before school starts will be
her best one. It's living up to her expectations until the night of a
dance where she's handed a drugged drink and wakes up in a hospital:
raped, unable to remember what happened, and possibly pregnant.
Rumors about her fly around the Internet. Not everyone believes it
was nonconsensual. Her parents and friends aren't sure how to treat
her. Pregnancy confirmation requires a difficult decision.
Like Hermione, I lost my virginity to rape when I was much
younger. People who minimize this trauma, as the father of a rapist
who described his son's reprehensible act as "twenty minutes of
action" change public perceptions in a very harmful way. Rape has
been shown to cause more PTSD than military services. It took me
decades to get over the damage. Some people never do.
Sadly we live in a society where too many girls and women are
sexually assaulted. Sensitively and perceptively written, Exit,
Pursued By A Bear is a book that should be widely read.
On a personal note, as of yesterday I have been accepted into the
University of Maine's Higher Education master's program. In my entire
life the only other events that have left me as full of joy and terror
at the same time have involved childbirth.
A great big shout out goes out to the folks who believe in my
potential, who encouraged me not to give up, and who will be with me
every step of the way in the challenging path that has just opened up.
I'm still having a hard time realing that this is actually happening.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"'I need you to say it, Polly,' I whisper. It will be real as
soon as she does, but there's no one better at pulling off Band-Aids
than Polly Olivier.
'They found you in the lake,' she says, her shining eyes inches
from mine. 'Amy did, I mean, when you weren't at the cabin when she
got back. She was frantic. You were still in your dress, but your
underwear was gone, and you were up to your waist in water, lying on
the rocks."
Hermione, narrator of E. K. Johnston's Exit, Pursued By A Bear,
is a high school senior who lives for cheerleading. She's co captain
of her squad, and her teammates are her besties.
Hermione's last cheer camp right before school starts will be
her best one. It's living up to her expectations until the night of a
dance where she's handed a drugged drink and wakes up in a hospital:
raped, unable to remember what happened, and possibly pregnant.
Rumors about her fly around the Internet. Not everyone believes it
was nonconsensual. Her parents and friends aren't sure how to treat
her. Pregnancy confirmation requires a difficult decision.
Like Hermione, I lost my virginity to rape when I was much
younger. People who minimize this trauma, as the father of a rapist
who described his son's reprehensible act as "twenty minutes of
action" change public perceptions in a very harmful way. Rape has
been shown to cause more PTSD than military services. It took me
decades to get over the damage. Some people never do.
Sadly we live in a society where too many girls and women are
sexually assaulted. Sensitively and perceptively written, Exit,
Pursued By A Bear is a book that should be widely read.
On a personal note, as of yesterday I have been accepted into the
University of Maine's Higher Education master's program. In my entire
life the only other events that have left me as full of joy and terror
at the same time have involved childbirth.
A great big shout out goes out to the folks who believe in my
potential, who encouraged me not to give up, and who will be with me
every step of the way in the challenging path that has just opened up.
I'm still having a hard time realing that this is actually happening.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
The Factory Girls
The Factory Girls
YA/adult nonfiction
"The tiny fire that afternoon grew into a raging inferno, an
uncontrollable fire that injured or killed hundreds of people. Those
who survived were haunted for the rest of their lives by the images
they saw, the sounds they heard, and the searing heat they felt. The
Triangle Factory fire of 1911 is unarguably one of the greatest
workplace tragedies in American history, and one that should never be
forgotten."
Christine Seifert first learned of that tragic fire as a
freshperson in college. A couple of paragraphs in a history textbook
so transfixed her that she forgot to eat her sandwich. "...Who were
these girls and how did they end up in that New York City factory on
March 25, 1911? What must life have been like for a factory girl in
the early 1900s in America? And how do we make sure the factory
girls' story is never forgotten?..."
This curiosity must have been very strong because it took a lot
of serious research for her to write The Factory Girls.
The books interweaves several strands seamlessly. There is the
story of the fire itself, centered around the experiences of five of
the workers: Annie, Bessie, Rose, Fannie, and Kate. In the beginning
you get to know them as individuals with families, hopes, and fears.
You don't learn their fates until the very end.
There are also chapters on what it was like to come to America,
to work in factories, and to risk all to go on strike. Families fled
pogroms (systematic brutality), forced military service, poverty, and
natural disasters, only to end up in tenements with every family
member needing to work for mere survival. Conditions even children
labored under were horrific. But striking risked hunger and
homelessness.
The third strand is one that is sadly all too true today. Mass
produced clothing had become popular and stylish. Being in style had
become important to people's self image, a trend facilitated by
suddenly ubiquitous advertising. Low wages and lack of costly safety
programs allowed manufacturers to churn out the cheap fashions the
crowds coveted.
Many of today's fashion must haves are made in third world
nations by people working for pitiful pay under unsafe conditions. In
fact a century after the Triangle fire 111 people died in a Bangladesh
fire under highly similar circumstances...
...which is why we all need to read the book and let it remove
our clothing complacency.
PS It's the next morning and I just read a news story about people who
bought Zara clothes finding notes in garments from the people who made
them saying they aren't being paid.
On a personal note, Black History Month is really bringing people
together to commemorate and celebrate. Yesterday we watched and
discussed a video on black girls growing up with white images of
beauty while we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch catered to Moe's Barbeque.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who are doing all the
work to bring this month together, people who attend and participate,
and the folks at Moe's who know how to do barbeque right.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/adult nonfiction
"The tiny fire that afternoon grew into a raging inferno, an
uncontrollable fire that injured or killed hundreds of people. Those
who survived were haunted for the rest of their lives by the images
they saw, the sounds they heard, and the searing heat they felt. The
Triangle Factory fire of 1911 is unarguably one of the greatest
workplace tragedies in American history, and one that should never be
forgotten."
Christine Seifert first learned of that tragic fire as a
freshperson in college. A couple of paragraphs in a history textbook
so transfixed her that she forgot to eat her sandwich. "...Who were
these girls and how did they end up in that New York City factory on
March 25, 1911? What must life have been like for a factory girl in
the early 1900s in America? And how do we make sure the factory
girls' story is never forgotten?..."
This curiosity must have been very strong because it took a lot
of serious research for her to write The Factory Girls.
The books interweaves several strands seamlessly. There is the
story of the fire itself, centered around the experiences of five of
the workers: Annie, Bessie, Rose, Fannie, and Kate. In the beginning
you get to know them as individuals with families, hopes, and fears.
You don't learn their fates until the very end.
There are also chapters on what it was like to come to America,
to work in factories, and to risk all to go on strike. Families fled
pogroms (systematic brutality), forced military service, poverty, and
natural disasters, only to end up in tenements with every family
member needing to work for mere survival. Conditions even children
labored under were horrific. But striking risked hunger and
homelessness.
The third strand is one that is sadly all too true today. Mass
produced clothing had become popular and stylish. Being in style had
become important to people's self image, a trend facilitated by
suddenly ubiquitous advertising. Low wages and lack of costly safety
programs allowed manufacturers to churn out the cheap fashions the
crowds coveted.
Many of today's fashion must haves are made in third world
nations by people working for pitiful pay under unsafe conditions. In
fact a century after the Triangle fire 111 people died in a Bangladesh
fire under highly similar circumstances...
...which is why we all need to read the book and let it remove
our clothing complacency.
PS It's the next morning and I just read a news story about people who
bought Zara clothes finding notes in garments from the people who made
them saying they aren't being paid.
On a personal note, Black History Month is really bringing people
together to commemorate and celebrate. Yesterday we watched and
discussed a video on black girls growing up with white images of
beauty while we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch catered to Moe's Barbeque.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who are doing all the
work to bring this month together, people who attend and participate,
and the folks at Moe's who know how to do barbeque right.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Trashing The Planet
Trashing The Planet
Juvenile nonfiction
"Americans have a love affair with trash. The United States has
about 5 percent of the world's population but generates 30 percent of
the world's garbage. According to a 2008 study by Columbia University
in New York, the average American throws away about 7.1 pounds (3.2
kg) of waste each day, every day. That adds up to about 102 tons (93
metric tons) of trash over a person's lifetime. Edward Humes, author
of the book Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, says, "Each
of our bodies may occupy only one cemetery plot when we're done with
this world, but a single person's 102-ton trash legacy will require
the equivalent [space] of 1,100 graves. Much of the refuse will
outlast any grave marker, pharoah's pyramid, or modern skyscraper."
YIKES! That sure isn't the legacy I want to leave behind. Yes,
I'm trash talking today. I've just read Stuart A. Kallen's Trashing
The Planet: Examining Our Global Garbage Glut. I think you might
want to.
This deceptively slim volume serves up a lot of important (and
often disconcerting) chapters;
*In chapter 3 we learn exactly how toxic our trash is. Not only the
byproducts of mining, agriculture, and manufacturing, but the cleaning
products and other consumer goods we use every day, contain some
pretty nasty stuff. And how about those nuclear power plants?
*Chapter 4 reminds us that in a world where millions of people are
starving we are wasting about 1/3 of the food we produce.
"Wasted food is connected to the misuse of precious natural
resources. In the United States, agriculture accounts for the use of
10 percent of energy, 50 percent of land, and 80 percent of
freshwater. To grow food farmers use hundreds of millions of pounds
of polluting fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. But 40 percent
of the food won't ever be eaten..."
Chapter 6 deals with the massive amounts of plastic in our
oceans and its effect on marine life. In chapter 7 we learn how even
outer space is becoming a dump.
What I like best about Trashing The Planet is that it takes
readers into the lives of the poorest of the poor. We learn about
Chinese families who live in shanties around dumps and dig through the
garbage to eke out a precarious living and e-waste salvagers in third
world countries who breathe and handle toxic substances without even
the most basic protections.
Perceptive readers will be able to glean ways they can make a
difference. For this reason I believe Trashing The Planet would be a
most excellent family read together.
On a personal note, I'm just back from church. Pastor Lorna preached
a powerful sermon. We (choir) had a fun introit and anthem. I got to
announce UMaine activities. Then after the service we had the annual
church meeting. We were enticed to come down to the basement by the
soup aromas. I had a bowl of fish chowder, 2 bowls of fiesta soup,
and a nice big piece of cherry pie. Oh my! I asked for the fiesta
soup recipe and plan to make it for Eugene. Today I have a ham in the
oven. That should give him leftovers for nights I have activities up
to UMaine.
A great big shout out goes out to my church family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
"Americans have a love affair with trash. The United States has
about 5 percent of the world's population but generates 30 percent of
the world's garbage. According to a 2008 study by Columbia University
in New York, the average American throws away about 7.1 pounds (3.2
kg) of waste each day, every day. That adds up to about 102 tons (93
metric tons) of trash over a person's lifetime. Edward Humes, author
of the book Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, says, "Each
of our bodies may occupy only one cemetery plot when we're done with
this world, but a single person's 102-ton trash legacy will require
the equivalent [space] of 1,100 graves. Much of the refuse will
outlast any grave marker, pharoah's pyramid, or modern skyscraper."
YIKES! That sure isn't the legacy I want to leave behind. Yes,
I'm trash talking today. I've just read Stuart A. Kallen's Trashing
The Planet: Examining Our Global Garbage Glut. I think you might
want to.
This deceptively slim volume serves up a lot of important (and
often disconcerting) chapters;
*In chapter 3 we learn exactly how toxic our trash is. Not only the
byproducts of mining, agriculture, and manufacturing, but the cleaning
products and other consumer goods we use every day, contain some
pretty nasty stuff. And how about those nuclear power plants?
*Chapter 4 reminds us that in a world where millions of people are
starving we are wasting about 1/3 of the food we produce.
"Wasted food is connected to the misuse of precious natural
resources. In the United States, agriculture accounts for the use of
10 percent of energy, 50 percent of land, and 80 percent of
freshwater. To grow food farmers use hundreds of millions of pounds
of polluting fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. But 40 percent
of the food won't ever be eaten..."
Chapter 6 deals with the massive amounts of plastic in our
oceans and its effect on marine life. In chapter 7 we learn how even
outer space is becoming a dump.
What I like best about Trashing The Planet is that it takes
readers into the lives of the poorest of the poor. We learn about
Chinese families who live in shanties around dumps and dig through the
garbage to eke out a precarious living and e-waste salvagers in third
world countries who breathe and handle toxic substances without even
the most basic protections.
Perceptive readers will be able to glean ways they can make a
difference. For this reason I believe Trashing The Planet would be a
most excellent family read together.
On a personal note, I'm just back from church. Pastor Lorna preached
a powerful sermon. We (choir) had a fun introit and anthem. I got to
announce UMaine activities. Then after the service we had the annual
church meeting. We were enticed to come down to the basement by the
soup aromas. I had a bowl of fish chowder, 2 bowls of fiesta soup,
and a nice big piece of cherry pie. Oh my! I asked for the fiesta
soup recipe and plan to make it for Eugene. Today I have a ham in the
oven. That should give him leftovers for nights I have activities up
to UMaine.
A great big shout out goes out to my church family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, February 2, 2018
Remember
Remember
Juvenile nonfiction
"This book is about you. Even though the main event in the
story happened many years ago, what happened before it and after it is
now part of all our lives. Because remembering is the mind's step
toward understanding, this book is designed to take you on a journey
through a time in American life when there was as much hate as there
was love; as much anger as there was hope; as many heroes as cowards.
A time when people were overwhelmed with emotion and children
discovered new kinds of friendships and a new kind of fear..."
In Remember: The Journey to School Integration, Toni Morrison
took an unusual method of bringing this quest alive for young
readers. Period photographs convey most of the message. Morrison has
tried to imagine the thoughts and feelings of the subjects.
Background text is thankfully minimal.
Some of the pictures are scary. Elizabeth Eckford is stopped by
armed soldiers and screamed at by a crowd. A bunch of white guys
attack a car carrying black passengers. The creepiest, in my mind,
shows a mother and her two very young children sitting in their car.
A sign taped to it says, "SOUTHERN WHITES ARE THE NEGROES'
BEST FRIEND BUT NO INTEGRATION" The little boy is wearing a miniature
KKK outfit complete with pointed hood.
You see the abysmal conditions blacks learned under in seperate
and very unequal schools. In one picture you see benches of students
crowded around a wood burning stove. There are no desks and not all
kids have books. And you see the children, lovingly dressed and
groomed, doing their best.
Integration wasn't always smooth. In one picture you see only
black kids because the white kids have been kept home. But being
open and curious, they began accepting each other and even making
friends. And that's the message of hope the book delivers.
On a personal note, Black History Month kicked off beautifully at
UMaine. Snow moved the event indoors after the flag raising. The
speeches were stirring, inspiring, and well attended. The month is
going to be packed with events. I think it will be the best Black
History Month ever. I know I plan to do plenty of learning.
A great big shout out goes out to the organizers, the speakers, and
UMaine's own Black Student Union.
A reminder to people like me who unfairly benefit from it:
Hey hey!
Ho ho!
White privilege
Has GOT to go!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
"This book is about you. Even though the main event in the
story happened many years ago, what happened before it and after it is
now part of all our lives. Because remembering is the mind's step
toward understanding, this book is designed to take you on a journey
through a time in American life when there was as much hate as there
was love; as much anger as there was hope; as many heroes as cowards.
A time when people were overwhelmed with emotion and children
discovered new kinds of friendships and a new kind of fear..."
In Remember: The Journey to School Integration, Toni Morrison
took an unusual method of bringing this quest alive for young
readers. Period photographs convey most of the message. Morrison has
tried to imagine the thoughts and feelings of the subjects.
Background text is thankfully minimal.
Some of the pictures are scary. Elizabeth Eckford is stopped by
armed soldiers and screamed at by a crowd. A bunch of white guys
attack a car carrying black passengers. The creepiest, in my mind,
shows a mother and her two very young children sitting in their car.
A sign taped to it says, "SOUTHERN WHITES ARE THE NEGROES'
BEST FRIEND BUT NO INTEGRATION" The little boy is wearing a miniature
KKK outfit complete with pointed hood.
You see the abysmal conditions blacks learned under in seperate
and very unequal schools. In one picture you see benches of students
crowded around a wood burning stove. There are no desks and not all
kids have books. And you see the children, lovingly dressed and
groomed, doing their best.
Integration wasn't always smooth. In one picture you see only
black kids because the white kids have been kept home. But being
open and curious, they began accepting each other and even making
friends. And that's the message of hope the book delivers.
On a personal note, Black History Month kicked off beautifully at
UMaine. Snow moved the event indoors after the flag raising. The
speeches were stirring, inspiring, and well attended. The month is
going to be packed with events. I think it will be the best Black
History Month ever. I know I plan to do plenty of learning.
A great big shout out goes out to the organizers, the speakers, and
UMaine's own Black Student Union.
A reminder to people like me who unfairly benefit from it:
Hey hey!
Ho ho!
White privilege
Has GOT to go!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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