Tobago the gorgeous looking out on a wintry nightfall.
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
Friday, February 26, 2021
Dog Whistle Politics
Dog Whistle Politics
Adult nonfiction
Many people think we're in a post racial society. We aren't
running around in robes burning crosses. We've elected a Black
president. Isn't it about time to stay playing the race card? Ian
Haney Lopez begs to disagree.
"Dog Whistle Politics [Lopez's book] explains how politicians
backed by concentrated wealth manipulate racial appeals to win
elections and also to win support for regressive policies that help
corporations and the super-rich, and in the process wreck the middle
class. The book lays out the details. For now, though, the bottom
line is that Professor Bell was correct: racism is not disappearing;
it's adapting..."
In the 1920s the KKK, bouyed by the popularity of Birth Of A
Nation (movie), was enjoying a resurgence and going mainstream.
Appealing to racial fears was a winning strategy for candidates
running for office. A few decades later things were not so simple.
Candidates wishing to appeal to the fears of a large segment of the
population to glean their votes had to add the element of plausible
racism denial to avoid alienating another large segment.
The solution to this dilemma was what Lopez calls dog whistle
politics. For example, rather than acknowledge resistance to school
bussing because Black and White children might be in class together, a
politician might phrase opposition in terms of states' rights or
taxes. Those who also didn't want their White children that close to
Black peers would hear the intended undertone. But the stated reasons
would sound totally race free.
Ronald Reagan was a master of dog whistle politics. He made
much political mileage out of his depiction of the Welfare Queen,
fraudulently collecting enough benefits to maintain a life of luxury.
"...Beyond propagating the stereotypical image of a lazy, larcenous
black woman ripping off society's generosity without remorse, Reagan
also implied another stereotype, this one about whites: they are the
workers, the tax payers, the persons playing by the rules and
struggling to make ends meet while brazen minorities partied with
their hard-earned tax dollars. More directly placing the white voter
in the story, Reagan frequently elicited supportive outrage by
criticizing the food stamp program as helping 'some young fellow ahead
of you to buy a T-bone steak' while 'you were waiting in line to buy
hamburger.'"
Although Republicans were the first to adopt this technique of
subtly playing on racial fears to win elections, Democrats are not
innocent. Bill Clinton was one of the most skilled practitioners of
this nefarious skill. He campaigned on promises to end welfare and be
tough on crime (preying on fears of violent Black males.) "...Clinton
bit down on that whistle and blew. At root the 'racism' in dog
whistle racism is the 'strategy' in the Southern strategy: the racism
lies in provoking racial animosities in order to gain votes and
power. Under this definition, Bill Clinton was as deft a dog whistle
racist as Wallace, Nixon, or Reagan before him."
Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented
Racism & Wrecked The Middle Class is a must read for anyone who seeks
to understand how politics these days are anything but post racial.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope your work week was good. Mine was
routine except for Adam stopping by. My Katie turned 28. When I
called she said she was having a good birthday. Otherwise:
statistics, blogging, writing, binge reading, cooking, cleaning,
crafting, playing with Tobago. (Jules)
I saw Adam. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our beautiful birthday girl, Katie.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
Many people think we're in a post racial society. We aren't
running around in robes burning crosses. We've elected a Black
president. Isn't it about time to stay playing the race card? Ian
Haney Lopez begs to disagree.
"Dog Whistle Politics [Lopez's book] explains how politicians
backed by concentrated wealth manipulate racial appeals to win
elections and also to win support for regressive policies that help
corporations and the super-rich, and in the process wreck the middle
class. The book lays out the details. For now, though, the bottom
line is that Professor Bell was correct: racism is not disappearing;
it's adapting..."
In the 1920s the KKK, bouyed by the popularity of Birth Of A
Nation (movie), was enjoying a resurgence and going mainstream.
Appealing to racial fears was a winning strategy for candidates
running for office. A few decades later things were not so simple.
Candidates wishing to appeal to the fears of a large segment of the
population to glean their votes had to add the element of plausible
racism denial to avoid alienating another large segment.
The solution to this dilemma was what Lopez calls dog whistle
politics. For example, rather than acknowledge resistance to school
bussing because Black and White children might be in class together, a
politician might phrase opposition in terms of states' rights or
taxes. Those who also didn't want their White children that close to
Black peers would hear the intended undertone. But the stated reasons
would sound totally race free.
Ronald Reagan was a master of dog whistle politics. He made
much political mileage out of his depiction of the Welfare Queen,
fraudulently collecting enough benefits to maintain a life of luxury.
"...Beyond propagating the stereotypical image of a lazy, larcenous
black woman ripping off society's generosity without remorse, Reagan
also implied another stereotype, this one about whites: they are the
workers, the tax payers, the persons playing by the rules and
struggling to make ends meet while brazen minorities partied with
their hard-earned tax dollars. More directly placing the white voter
in the story, Reagan frequently elicited supportive outrage by
criticizing the food stamp program as helping 'some young fellow ahead
of you to buy a T-bone steak' while 'you were waiting in line to buy
hamburger.'"
Although Republicans were the first to adopt this technique of
subtly playing on racial fears to win elections, Democrats are not
innocent. Bill Clinton was one of the most skilled practitioners of
this nefarious skill. He campaigned on promises to end welfare and be
tough on crime (preying on fears of violent Black males.) "...Clinton
bit down on that whistle and blew. At root the 'racism' in dog
whistle racism is the 'strategy' in the Southern strategy: the racism
lies in provoking racial animosities in order to gain votes and
power. Under this definition, Bill Clinton was as deft a dog whistle
racist as Wallace, Nixon, or Reagan before him."
Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented
Racism & Wrecked The Middle Class is a must read for anyone who seeks
to understand how politics these days are anything but post racial.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope your work week was good. Mine was
routine except for Adam stopping by. My Katie turned 28. When I
called she said she was having a good birthday. Otherwise:
statistics, blogging, writing, binge reading, cooking, cleaning,
crafting, playing with Tobago. (Jules)
I saw Adam. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our beautiful birthday girl, Katie.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
This aviator teddy bear symbolizes my love of flight. I especially love low altitude flight where it's like soaring over a Polly Pocket world. If I wasn't blind in one eye I'd not only drive a truck, but ride a motorcycle and fly. Luckily one apple didn't fall far from the tree. Adam has his pilot's license. I've ridden with him.
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
Black Enough
Black Enough
YA short story collection
"What are the cultural threads that connect Black people all
over the world to Africa? How have we tried to maintain certain
traditions as part of our identity question and, as teenagers, do we
even care? These are the questions I had in mind when inviting
sixteen other Black authors to write about teens examining, rebelling
against, or simply existing within their own ideas of blackness."
When Ibi Zoboi, editor of and contributer to Black Enough:
Stories of Being Young & Black in America, immigrated as a child from
Haiti to the United States her new peers didn't consider her to be
black enough. She dressed differently. Her accent set her apart.
She lacked certain skills like jumping double Dutch. Now in this
intersectional collection of short stories she and her fellow writers
show that there are a multitude of ways to be Black.
In Renee Watson's Half A Moon teen camp counselor Raven gets to
know her half sister, Brooke, a camper and the reason her father left
her mother. One night Brooke goes missing.
"I am seventeen and my father's daughter is out wandering in the
rain. I am seventeen and I should have taken responsibility for
watching her, should have stood up for her, made her feel like she
belonged so she wouldn't think she had to prove anything by taking a
silly dare."
In Brandy Colbert's Oreo Joni reluctantly takes a family trip to
her grandmother's home.
"...I remember the last time we went to Missouri, though I wish
I could forget. I was twelve and Ellis was seven, and our cousins
teased us mercilessly--about the way our voices sounded and the music
we didn't know and, it seemed, every single word that came out of our
mouths..."
In Jay Coles' Wild Horses, Wild Hearts Tank comes into a
realization of his gayness. His first love is mutual. While Tank is
the son of the only Black family in town, Skylar comes from a white
clan that decorates their home with Make America Great Again posters.
Also both guys are slated to compete in a horse race while both sets
of parents have their hearts set on a win.
"...it's like I'm two halves of something. Part A of me wants
to win this, get my parents the trophy, so they can stop bugging me
about it for the next few years. Part B of me, though, wants to do
everything I can to have Skylar win, and then I can finally stand up
to my parents and also to his."
At the end of the introduction Zoboi tells readers:
"Like my revolutionary ancestors who wanted Haiti to be a safe
space for Africans all over the globe, my hope is that Black Enough
will encourage all Black teens to be their free, uninhibited self
without the constraints of being Black, too Black, or not Black
enough. They will simply be enough just as they are."
On a purrrsonal note, well I intended to post this Monday. But here
it is Tuesday. The past weekend was a bit unexpectedly hectic. My
good news I promised is the same day I posted my review of Childfree
by Choice I got an email from the author thanking me for my wonderful
review. That may not seem so exciting to you. But I'm achieving so
little compared to before the pandemic it made my month. Adam may be
stopping by this afternoon. That would be great. (Jules)
We keep getting more white stuff. I am so not impressed. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene who has to plow with his left
hand in a cast.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA short story collection
"What are the cultural threads that connect Black people all
over the world to Africa? How have we tried to maintain certain
traditions as part of our identity question and, as teenagers, do we
even care? These are the questions I had in mind when inviting
sixteen other Black authors to write about teens examining, rebelling
against, or simply existing within their own ideas of blackness."
When Ibi Zoboi, editor of and contributer to Black Enough:
Stories of Being Young & Black in America, immigrated as a child from
Haiti to the United States her new peers didn't consider her to be
black enough. She dressed differently. Her accent set her apart.
She lacked certain skills like jumping double Dutch. Now in this
intersectional collection of short stories she and her fellow writers
show that there are a multitude of ways to be Black.
In Renee Watson's Half A Moon teen camp counselor Raven gets to
know her half sister, Brooke, a camper and the reason her father left
her mother. One night Brooke goes missing.
"I am seventeen and my father's daughter is out wandering in the
rain. I am seventeen and I should have taken responsibility for
watching her, should have stood up for her, made her feel like she
belonged so she wouldn't think she had to prove anything by taking a
silly dare."
In Brandy Colbert's Oreo Joni reluctantly takes a family trip to
her grandmother's home.
"...I remember the last time we went to Missouri, though I wish
I could forget. I was twelve and Ellis was seven, and our cousins
teased us mercilessly--about the way our voices sounded and the music
we didn't know and, it seemed, every single word that came out of our
mouths..."
In Jay Coles' Wild Horses, Wild Hearts Tank comes into a
realization of his gayness. His first love is mutual. While Tank is
the son of the only Black family in town, Skylar comes from a white
clan that decorates their home with Make America Great Again posters.
Also both guys are slated to compete in a horse race while both sets
of parents have their hearts set on a win.
"...it's like I'm two halves of something. Part A of me wants
to win this, get my parents the trophy, so they can stop bugging me
about it for the next few years. Part B of me, though, wants to do
everything I can to have Skylar win, and then I can finally stand up
to my parents and also to his."
At the end of the introduction Zoboi tells readers:
"Like my revolutionary ancestors who wanted Haiti to be a safe
space for Africans all over the globe, my hope is that Black Enough
will encourage all Black teens to be their free, uninhibited self
without the constraints of being Black, too Black, or not Black
enough. They will simply be enough just as they are."
On a purrrsonal note, well I intended to post this Monday. But here
it is Tuesday. The past weekend was a bit unexpectedly hectic. My
good news I promised is the same day I posted my review of Childfree
by Choice I got an email from the author thanking me for my wonderful
review. That may not seem so exciting to you. But I'm achieving so
little compared to before the pandemic it made my month. Adam may be
stopping by this afternoon. That would be great. (Jules)
We keep getting more white stuff. I am so not impressed. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene who has to plow with his left
hand in a cast.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, February 19, 2021
All Eyes On Her
All Eyes On Her
YA mystery/thriller
"You heard the story on the news. A girl and a boy went into
the woods. The girl carried a picnic basket. The boy wore bright
yellow running shoes. They weren't planning to be out past dark, but
the sky was pitch black when the girl found her way back, without the
picnic basket and without the boy..."
I'm sure you can guess why the boy isn't with her. His body is
discovered the next day. There are intimations of homicide.
Have you ever experienced a local tragedy or scandal unfolding
over time? News media people dig for exclusive angles to capture the
public's attention. Social media explodes with opinions. People
close and semi close to the main actors share their nuggets of
information and have a wide range of reasons for divulging what they do.
Reading L. E. Flynn's All Eyes On Her is the literary equivalent
of that experience. Although you're given access to excerpts from her
diary and texts, you never, til the end, get to hear from Tabby, the
girl who went into the woods with the boy, Mark, her Princeton
swimming team standout beau. Some of the people you do hear plenty
from are:
*Bridget, her little sister, a competitive runner
"Don't take that the wrong way--I'm not a psychopath. I didn't
fantasize about Mark falling off a cliff and ending up dead. But it's
really no secret that I imagined him just going away. He didn't bring
out the best in my sister."
*Tabby's best friend, Elle
"...There's a horrible, twisted irony to Mark the Shark, felled
by a shallow, muddy creek.
But it's not the article that plucks at my skin, making goose
bumps rise up. It's the comments under it, the ones about Tabby."
*Lou, who is not a big fan of Tabby. Her boyfriend is Tabby's ex who
may not be totally over her.
"I know, it's ridiculous, and it doesn't even make sense. Beck
is with me, and I'm sure he wasn't the one in the poolhouse that
night. But someone was, and I just have this feeling Tabitha wasn't
working alone. A girl like that always gets someone else to do the
dirty work."
And there are others, not to mention the news and social media
stories. You get to weigh the evidence and the credibility of each
perspective. If you're someone who enjoys active engagement in
solving mysteries you'll find All Eyes On Her to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note,
On a purrrsonal note, well I thought I was having a pretty average
week, going about my pandemic usual, studying statistics, blogging,
writing, binge reading, tending to the needs of family and home,
crafting... In fact the most semi exciting news I thought I had was
that I'm reorganizing food in my kitchen. I was just going to check
the dates and toss out anything expired. But I noticed two areas I
really wanted to change.
1) My canned vegetable cabinet space was crammed. Not only did this
make it impossible to really see what I have, it facililated using new
cans first. So I have stashed the newer cans in an undisclosed
location with only the older ones in the cabinet.
The freezer was even more problematic. It's a top of the fridge one.
Given my unimposing height and my dislike of being conked on the head
by frozen foods, I almost always use new stuff. Now I am making a
major effort to use up the old stuff before it becomes unappetizingly
freezer burned.
In a pandemic with all that can go unexpectedly wrong, usual can be a
very good state of affairs. But I just got a very exciting surprise.
And...
...check out my Monday post if you want to know what it is!!!
(Jules)
We continues to have cold weather and white stuff. That groundhog was
right about six more weeks of winter. Wonder what groundhog tastes
like. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to you, our readers, with best wishes
for a great weekend.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA mystery/thriller
"You heard the story on the news. A girl and a boy went into
the woods. The girl carried a picnic basket. The boy wore bright
yellow running shoes. They weren't planning to be out past dark, but
the sky was pitch black when the girl found her way back, without the
picnic basket and without the boy..."
I'm sure you can guess why the boy isn't with her. His body is
discovered the next day. There are intimations of homicide.
Have you ever experienced a local tragedy or scandal unfolding
over time? News media people dig for exclusive angles to capture the
public's attention. Social media explodes with opinions. People
close and semi close to the main actors share their nuggets of
information and have a wide range of reasons for divulging what they do.
Reading L. E. Flynn's All Eyes On Her is the literary equivalent
of that experience. Although you're given access to excerpts from her
diary and texts, you never, til the end, get to hear from Tabby, the
girl who went into the woods with the boy, Mark, her Princeton
swimming team standout beau. Some of the people you do hear plenty
from are:
*Bridget, her little sister, a competitive runner
"Don't take that the wrong way--I'm not a psychopath. I didn't
fantasize about Mark falling off a cliff and ending up dead. But it's
really no secret that I imagined him just going away. He didn't bring
out the best in my sister."
*Tabby's best friend, Elle
"...There's a horrible, twisted irony to Mark the Shark, felled
by a shallow, muddy creek.
But it's not the article that plucks at my skin, making goose
bumps rise up. It's the comments under it, the ones about Tabby."
*Lou, who is not a big fan of Tabby. Her boyfriend is Tabby's ex who
may not be totally over her.
"I know, it's ridiculous, and it doesn't even make sense. Beck
is with me, and I'm sure he wasn't the one in the poolhouse that
night. But someone was, and I just have this feeling Tabitha wasn't
working alone. A girl like that always gets someone else to do the
dirty work."
And there are others, not to mention the news and social media
stories. You get to weigh the evidence and the credibility of each
perspective. If you're someone who enjoys active engagement in
solving mysteries you'll find All Eyes On Her to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note,
On a purrrsonal note, well I thought I was having a pretty average
week, going about my pandemic usual, studying statistics, blogging,
writing, binge reading, tending to the needs of family and home,
crafting... In fact the most semi exciting news I thought I had was
that I'm reorganizing food in my kitchen. I was just going to check
the dates and toss out anything expired. But I noticed two areas I
really wanted to change.
1) My canned vegetable cabinet space was crammed. Not only did this
make it impossible to really see what I have, it facililated using new
cans first. So I have stashed the newer cans in an undisclosed
location with only the older ones in the cabinet.
The freezer was even more problematic. It's a top of the fridge one.
Given my unimposing height and my dislike of being conked on the head
by frozen foods, I almost always use new stuff. Now I am making a
major effort to use up the old stuff before it becomes unappetizingly
freezer burned.
In a pandemic with all that can go unexpectedly wrong, usual can be a
very good state of affairs. But I just got a very exciting surprise.
And...
...check out my Monday post if you want to know what it is!!!
(Jules)
We continues to have cold weather and white stuff. That groundhog was
right about six more weeks of winter. Wonder what groundhog tastes
like. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to you, our readers, with best wishes
for a great weekend.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Childfree by Choice
Childfree by Choice
Adult nonfiction
Although I adored motherhood and consider my relationships with
my adult children to be one of the greatest joys of my life, I brought
my kids up to see parenthood as an option, one with costs as well as
benefits, only one of a range of good and meaningful lifestyles.
Don't do this to make me a grandmother. Don't do this because society
tries to mandate it. Don't do this unless you and your significant
other want it for yourselves.
UMaine's Dr. Amy Blackstone would have approved. She's the
author of the book I'm giving my kids for Christmas this year:
Childfree by Choice. She knows what she writes about as both a
researcher and a happy childfree by choicer.
Unfortunately not all people are as enlightened as I am. Still
in the 21st century (when we really should know better) people
(including parents) pressure new high school and college graduates and
people just starting out on career paths to have children even if they
have no interest whatsoever in doing so. People who choose childfree
life styles are demonized in person and on social media. Former
friends and even their own parents can feel free to shun them. And
there are all those unsubstantiated toxic myths floating around.
Blackstone calls bullshit--elegantly and eloquently, of course.
In Childfree by Choice she neatly blends a wealth of research with
candid personal experience to craft a highly powerful and cogent
narrative. Among the fallacies she exposes are:
*People who choose not to procreate hate children;
*The childfree are selfish and parents aren't;
*People (especially women) who opt out of parenthood are cold and
incapable of close, intimate relationships;
*As they grow older childfree people will be alone and destitute while
adult children will rush to take care of their parents;
*In those years childfree people will deeply regret missing out because
*childraising is the only way to have a meaningful, fulfilling life,
especially if you're a woman.
Blackstone also suggests that childfree by choice and parenting
people aren't doomed to be advisories. We actually have a lot in
common. There are meaningful changes we can make together that will
benefit us all including children.
So who should read the book?
People who are childless by choice and deserve this affirmation;
People like me who want to be better allies to our childless by
choice friends and family members;
People who suspect that the myths they're being sold might not
be true,
And people who believe the myths and need to see how divisive
and dangerous they are,
Which works out to just about everyone.
The book is also a wonderful Christmas, birthday, or no special
occassion gift for childfree by choice loved ones, a way to show them
that we adore them just the way we are.
On a purrrsonal note,
My amazing children are happy, well adjusted, ethical, productive
humans engaged in meaningful long term relationships. I couldn't
possibly be more proud of them. I love relating to them as friends
and equals. In fact my older daughter who earned her pandemic PhD is
a mentor to me.
Why? Because I'm that oddity--a 69-year-old part time graduate
student in a program I love so much that after I earn my masters I
want to go on for a PhD even though Bangor Daily News will cover my
octogenarian hooding. I'm just soaring--discovering interests and
talents, following a dream. Rather than burdening my children with a
mandate to create little people to add meaning to my post child
raising years, I created what for me is a meaningful life style:
continued education, continued marriage, and cat parenting.
People have given me very unsolicited warnings that unless my
kids procreate I'll be doomed to the tragedy of the "empty nest." Um
really? Nothing empty about my nest with all the undergrads I
otheraunt, especially those rejected by family for being gay or trans.
A great big shout out goes out to my favorite CBC families: Amber and
Brian; Katie, Jacob, and Archie (cat); and Adam, Asia, and Beans and
Delilah (cats) and to Blackstone for teaching me how to be a better
ally and advocate for them. Maybe when this pandemic is over I'll get
to thank her in person. After we are both Black Bears
Jules Hathaway and companion cat Tobago
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
Although I adored motherhood and consider my relationships with
my adult children to be one of the greatest joys of my life, I brought
my kids up to see parenthood as an option, one with costs as well as
benefits, only one of a range of good and meaningful lifestyles.
Don't do this to make me a grandmother. Don't do this because society
tries to mandate it. Don't do this unless you and your significant
other want it for yourselves.
UMaine's Dr. Amy Blackstone would have approved. She's the
author of the book I'm giving my kids for Christmas this year:
Childfree by Choice. She knows what she writes about as both a
researcher and a happy childfree by choicer.
Unfortunately not all people are as enlightened as I am. Still
in the 21st century (when we really should know better) people
(including parents) pressure new high school and college graduates and
people just starting out on career paths to have children even if they
have no interest whatsoever in doing so. People who choose childfree
life styles are demonized in person and on social media. Former
friends and even their own parents can feel free to shun them. And
there are all those unsubstantiated toxic myths floating around.
Blackstone calls bullshit--elegantly and eloquently, of course.
In Childfree by Choice she neatly blends a wealth of research with
candid personal experience to craft a highly powerful and cogent
narrative. Among the fallacies she exposes are:
*People who choose not to procreate hate children;
*The childfree are selfish and parents aren't;
*People (especially women) who opt out of parenthood are cold and
incapable of close, intimate relationships;
*As they grow older childfree people will be alone and destitute while
adult children will rush to take care of their parents;
*In those years childfree people will deeply regret missing out because
*childraising is the only way to have a meaningful, fulfilling life,
especially if you're a woman.
Blackstone also suggests that childfree by choice and parenting
people aren't doomed to be advisories. We actually have a lot in
common. There are meaningful changes we can make together that will
benefit us all including children.
So who should read the book?
People who are childless by choice and deserve this affirmation;
People like me who want to be better allies to our childless by
choice friends and family members;
People who suspect that the myths they're being sold might not
be true,
And people who believe the myths and need to see how divisive
and dangerous they are,
Which works out to just about everyone.
The book is also a wonderful Christmas, birthday, or no special
occassion gift for childfree by choice loved ones, a way to show them
that we adore them just the way we are.
On a purrrsonal note,
My amazing children are happy, well adjusted, ethical, productive
humans engaged in meaningful long term relationships. I couldn't
possibly be more proud of them. I love relating to them as friends
and equals. In fact my older daughter who earned her pandemic PhD is
a mentor to me.
Why? Because I'm that oddity--a 69-year-old part time graduate
student in a program I love so much that after I earn my masters I
want to go on for a PhD even though Bangor Daily News will cover my
octogenarian hooding. I'm just soaring--discovering interests and
talents, following a dream. Rather than burdening my children with a
mandate to create little people to add meaning to my post child
raising years, I created what for me is a meaningful life style:
continued education, continued marriage, and cat parenting.
People have given me very unsolicited warnings that unless my
kids procreate I'll be doomed to the tragedy of the "empty nest." Um
really? Nothing empty about my nest with all the undergrads I
otheraunt, especially those rejected by family for being gay or trans.
A great big shout out goes out to my favorite CBC families: Amber and
Brian; Katie, Jacob, and Archie (cat); and Adam, Asia, and Beans and
Delilah (cats) and to Blackstone for teaching me how to be a better
ally and advocate for them. Maybe when this pandemic is over I'll get
to thank her in person. After we are both Black Bears
Jules Hathaway and companion cat Tobago
Sent from my iPod
Monday, February 15, 2021
The Black Friend: On Being A Better White Person
The Black Friend: On Being A Better White Person
YA/adult antiracism MUST READ
"While many believe there is no way to change the problem
[racism] because they believe there is no way to change white people,
I disagree. Because after sitting with and talking to many white
people throughout my life, I've come to realize that there are white
people who do care and who I do believe want to make change. But
these same white people often don't understand the negative impact
they are having or how to be better, because many of them have never
had the conversations necessary to know this stuff, either in the
classroom or outside of it."
Frederick Joseph, author of The Black Friend: On Being A Better
White Person, wears many hats as a marketing professional,
philanthropist, writer and activist. He's also a man who had to
endure the traumas, suspicions, and microaggressions of growing up
Black in America. And he's the loving brother of a little guy he
wants so much better for. He believes any kind of better world has to
involve whites wising up and becoming accomplices (rather than
allies). He also believes that many (although far from all) of us are
capable of doing so. That's why he wrote the book.
The Black Friend is pegged as YA. It is perfect for its target
demographic. But it's also a good read for people well beyond. Many
adults, even well meaning ones, haven't had access to this important
material. It's an excellent introduction to antiracism literature for
people from teens to those who have reached three digits, middle
schoolers to great grandparents of middle schoolers.
Each chapter covers a certain aspect of racism succinctly and in
depth. Joseph's personal experiences are beautifully combined with
background info.
*"We Want You To See Race" shatters the myth of colorblindness and
shows its devastating consequences.
"I've come to realize that a fear of accountability is why white
people say things like 'I don't see color' and 'Why does everything
have to be about race?' Because to see my color, to see my culture, to
see my race, would also mean taking responsibility for how white
people have historically treated people my color, with my culture,
from my race."
*"This Isn't A Fad; This Is My Culture" discusses the total wrongness
of cultural appropriation.
"What makes a culture special is that it's not just yours; it
belongs to a community of people..."
*"In The End" explains why whites need to be accomplices, not just
allies.
"An accomplice is a person who actively participates in some way."
Those are only a few of the candid truths explored in the
volume. In addition to sharing his own thoughts, Joseph interviews
activists and artists like author Angie Thomas (word on the street
says she has a new book coming out. Woo hoo! Can't wait!) and
professor Jessie Daniels. There is also an encyclopedia of important
terms.
This is a good volume for individual reading or book group
discussion. It's a must acquire for school and public libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope you had a good weekend. I certainly
did. Saturday Emily came over. She finally met Eugene. He was the
one who opened the door. She had my cookies from church and books.
It was so nice to see her. Sunday was Valentines Day. I opened
Emily's gift bag and found treasures like candy and dish towels. She
remembered I like dish towels. My sister-in-law had Eugene and me a
box of candy and a card. Eugene gave me beautiful flowers and a card
saying he loves me more than anyone else in the universe. Not just
the world, the universe. I was planning to go to church. But Eugene
wanted to go for a ride. So I played hooky. We got a drive through
Burger King breakfast and subs that worked for lunch and supper. I
didn't have to cook. :) (Jules)
I gave my hoomans love. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our Eugene.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/adult antiracism MUST READ
"While many believe there is no way to change the problem
[racism] because they believe there is no way to change white people,
I disagree. Because after sitting with and talking to many white
people throughout my life, I've come to realize that there are white
people who do care and who I do believe want to make change. But
these same white people often don't understand the negative impact
they are having or how to be better, because many of them have never
had the conversations necessary to know this stuff, either in the
classroom or outside of it."
Frederick Joseph, author of The Black Friend: On Being A Better
White Person, wears many hats as a marketing professional,
philanthropist, writer and activist. He's also a man who had to
endure the traumas, suspicions, and microaggressions of growing up
Black in America. And he's the loving brother of a little guy he
wants so much better for. He believes any kind of better world has to
involve whites wising up and becoming accomplices (rather than
allies). He also believes that many (although far from all) of us are
capable of doing so. That's why he wrote the book.
The Black Friend is pegged as YA. It is perfect for its target
demographic. But it's also a good read for people well beyond. Many
adults, even well meaning ones, haven't had access to this important
material. It's an excellent introduction to antiracism literature for
people from teens to those who have reached three digits, middle
schoolers to great grandparents of middle schoolers.
Each chapter covers a certain aspect of racism succinctly and in
depth. Joseph's personal experiences are beautifully combined with
background info.
*"We Want You To See Race" shatters the myth of colorblindness and
shows its devastating consequences.
"I've come to realize that a fear of accountability is why white
people say things like 'I don't see color' and 'Why does everything
have to be about race?' Because to see my color, to see my culture, to
see my race, would also mean taking responsibility for how white
people have historically treated people my color, with my culture,
from my race."
*"This Isn't A Fad; This Is My Culture" discusses the total wrongness
of cultural appropriation.
"What makes a culture special is that it's not just yours; it
belongs to a community of people..."
*"In The End" explains why whites need to be accomplices, not just
allies.
"An accomplice is a person who actively participates in some way."
Those are only a few of the candid truths explored in the
volume. In addition to sharing his own thoughts, Joseph interviews
activists and artists like author Angie Thomas (word on the street
says she has a new book coming out. Woo hoo! Can't wait!) and
professor Jessie Daniels. There is also an encyclopedia of important
terms.
This is a good volume for individual reading or book group
discussion. It's a must acquire for school and public libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope you had a good weekend. I certainly
did. Saturday Emily came over. She finally met Eugene. He was the
one who opened the door. She had my cookies from church and books.
It was so nice to see her. Sunday was Valentines Day. I opened
Emily's gift bag and found treasures like candy and dish towels. She
remembered I like dish towels. My sister-in-law had Eugene and me a
box of candy and a card. Eugene gave me beautiful flowers and a card
saying he loves me more than anyone else in the universe. Not just
the world, the universe. I was planning to go to church. But Eugene
wanted to go for a ride. So I played hooky. We got a drive through
Burger King breakfast and subs that worked for lunch and supper. I
didn't have to cook. :) (Jules)
I gave my hoomans love. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our Eugene.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, February 12, 2021
Plain Truth
Plain Truth
Adult mystery
"She knew what the baby wanted, needed, but she couldn't do it.
It would make this real.
So she gave the baby her pinkie finger instead. She let the
small, powerful jaws suckle, while she did what she had been taught to
do in times of extreme stress; what she had been doing for months
now. 'Lord', she prayed, 'please make this go away.'"
Katie, an Amish teen, has just given birth in a barn stall. The
baby had not been the result of immaculate conception or rape. And
the father was not her suitably Amish boyfriend. She'd been able to
conceal her pregnancy successfully. Now there is evidence she can't
hide. Her father has cut off all contact with her brother, Jacob, who
is considered an outsider because he chose to go to college. What
will happen to her when her sin is discovered?
Katie falls asleep. When she wakes up the baby and the scissors
she used to cut the umbilical cord are gone. Not long afterward the
barn is crawling with first responders. Levi, a farm hand, has
discovered the baby dead, wrapped in a shirt and hidden under horse
blankets. Katie is charged with murder.
"My nightmares were full of children. Specifically six little
girls--two dark haired, four fair, their knees sticking out beneath
the plaid uniform jumper of St. Ambrose's School, their hands twisted
in their laps. I watched them all grow up in an instant, you see; at
the very moment a jury foreman acquitted my client, the elementary
school principal who had molested them."
After her biggest career success as a defense attorney, one that
has caught the attention and interest of the most prestigious law firm
in Philadelphia, Ellie is in a far from celebratory mood. Winning the
case had involved suppressing evidence. The principal is not the only
sleeze she's gotten off the hook. She asks her lawyer boyfriend,
Stephen, "Do you ever look at the people sitting across the aisle at
the courtroom, the ones whose lives were ruined by a person you know
is guilty as hell?"
Following a very frightening car accident and Stephen's
reaction, Ellie is sure she's leaving. It's not, as he thinks, taking
time off before selecting another high profile case. She isn't sure
she wants to stay in that game, something he'd never understand. She
goes to Paradise, Pennsylvania to spend time with her beloved Aunt Leda.
You know the paths of these two very different women are going
to cross. Katie is related to Leda. Ellie ends up not only signing
on to be Katie's lawyer, but living in her devoutly Amish household.
While she's struggling to prepare her client for the English [non
Amish] court system and the truth twisting an acquittal will require,
she's learning a lot about her more communal life style which is a
sharp contrast to the Happy Bunny It's all about me life style Ellie
was raised in.
I almost read this book years ago. I'm so glad I waited.
Picoult was contrasting the American "justice" system with the Amish
justice process. For quite awhile I've been contrasting restorative
justice and punitive "justice" in terms of the dreadful consequences
of the latter for defendents and their families and communities.
Picoult blindsided me by adding a very important element, that of
intent, to my understanding. Speaking through Katie, she tells us:
"...But the English judged a person so that they'd be justified
in casting her out. The Amish judged a person so that they'd be
justified in welcoming her back. 'Where I'm from, if someone is
accused of sinning, it's not so that others can place blame. It's so
that the person can make amends and move on.'"
Can you imagine what America would be like if for all but the
cases in which the defendent poses real danger to us we focussed on
making amends and moving on rather than locking up and throwing away
the key?
If you want a story with a truly engaging plot and plenty of
food for thought you'll find Plain Truth to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note, this has been an interesting week.
Meteorologically it's been a bit too cold for my taste. I've
completed my first assignment for statistics. Now I have to figure
out how to submit it by computer. I only have til March before it's
due. The high point of my week was Adam's visit on his way home from
campus. He didn't want baked goods (nutrition) so I gave him my
prettiest apples. I am mom after all. I also enjoyed a zoom choir
get together.
With Valentines Day coming up I have mixed feelings. I've already
been getting cards. My friend Emily gave me a bag of goodies which
I'll open Sunday. I know Eugene will go all out. What I'll really
miss is the giving part. Normally I'd have gifts for the kids and
Eugene and hand out a lot of paper valentines. This year my cards
will be email and homemade ones and I won't have treats for family.
At least I baked 2 loaves of banana bread for our swamped with demands
counseling center crew and got peeps to deliver. I just hope next
year I'll be able to shop and spread the love in person. (Jules)
What is this with hoomans and one day to spread love? Cats know every
day iz valentines day. (Tobago)
A great big shout out to you, our readers. May you have a very
special Sunday!
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult mystery
"She knew what the baby wanted, needed, but she couldn't do it.
It would make this real.
So she gave the baby her pinkie finger instead. She let the
small, powerful jaws suckle, while she did what she had been taught to
do in times of extreme stress; what she had been doing for months
now. 'Lord', she prayed, 'please make this go away.'"
Katie, an Amish teen, has just given birth in a barn stall. The
baby had not been the result of immaculate conception or rape. And
the father was not her suitably Amish boyfriend. She'd been able to
conceal her pregnancy successfully. Now there is evidence she can't
hide. Her father has cut off all contact with her brother, Jacob, who
is considered an outsider because he chose to go to college. What
will happen to her when her sin is discovered?
Katie falls asleep. When she wakes up the baby and the scissors
she used to cut the umbilical cord are gone. Not long afterward the
barn is crawling with first responders. Levi, a farm hand, has
discovered the baby dead, wrapped in a shirt and hidden under horse
blankets. Katie is charged with murder.
"My nightmares were full of children. Specifically six little
girls--two dark haired, four fair, their knees sticking out beneath
the plaid uniform jumper of St. Ambrose's School, their hands twisted
in their laps. I watched them all grow up in an instant, you see; at
the very moment a jury foreman acquitted my client, the elementary
school principal who had molested them."
After her biggest career success as a defense attorney, one that
has caught the attention and interest of the most prestigious law firm
in Philadelphia, Ellie is in a far from celebratory mood. Winning the
case had involved suppressing evidence. The principal is not the only
sleeze she's gotten off the hook. She asks her lawyer boyfriend,
Stephen, "Do you ever look at the people sitting across the aisle at
the courtroom, the ones whose lives were ruined by a person you know
is guilty as hell?"
Following a very frightening car accident and Stephen's
reaction, Ellie is sure she's leaving. It's not, as he thinks, taking
time off before selecting another high profile case. She isn't sure
she wants to stay in that game, something he'd never understand. She
goes to Paradise, Pennsylvania to spend time with her beloved Aunt Leda.
You know the paths of these two very different women are going
to cross. Katie is related to Leda. Ellie ends up not only signing
on to be Katie's lawyer, but living in her devoutly Amish household.
While she's struggling to prepare her client for the English [non
Amish] court system and the truth twisting an acquittal will require,
she's learning a lot about her more communal life style which is a
sharp contrast to the Happy Bunny It's all about me life style Ellie
was raised in.
I almost read this book years ago. I'm so glad I waited.
Picoult was contrasting the American "justice" system with the Amish
justice process. For quite awhile I've been contrasting restorative
justice and punitive "justice" in terms of the dreadful consequences
of the latter for defendents and their families and communities.
Picoult blindsided me by adding a very important element, that of
intent, to my understanding. Speaking through Katie, she tells us:
"...But the English judged a person so that they'd be justified
in casting her out. The Amish judged a person so that they'd be
justified in welcoming her back. 'Where I'm from, if someone is
accused of sinning, it's not so that others can place blame. It's so
that the person can make amends and move on.'"
Can you imagine what America would be like if for all but the
cases in which the defendent poses real danger to us we focussed on
making amends and moving on rather than locking up and throwing away
the key?
If you want a story with a truly engaging plot and plenty of
food for thought you'll find Plain Truth to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note, this has been an interesting week.
Meteorologically it's been a bit too cold for my taste. I've
completed my first assignment for statistics. Now I have to figure
out how to submit it by computer. I only have til March before it's
due. The high point of my week was Adam's visit on his way home from
campus. He didn't want baked goods (nutrition) so I gave him my
prettiest apples. I am mom after all. I also enjoyed a zoom choir
get together.
With Valentines Day coming up I have mixed feelings. I've already
been getting cards. My friend Emily gave me a bag of goodies which
I'll open Sunday. I know Eugene will go all out. What I'll really
miss is the giving part. Normally I'd have gifts for the kids and
Eugene and hand out a lot of paper valentines. This year my cards
will be email and homemade ones and I won't have treats for family.
At least I baked 2 loaves of banana bread for our swamped with demands
counseling center crew and got peeps to deliver. I just hope next
year I'll be able to shop and spread the love in person. (Jules)
What is this with hoomans and one day to spread love? Cats know every
day iz valentines day. (Tobago)
A great big shout out to you, our readers. May you have a very
special Sunday!
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, February 8, 2021
This bear is one of my favorites. A couple of years ago my manager at work, Jodi, was moving from dining to facilities management to have more family friendly hours. I asked her to still be my friend and mentor. She agreed. She gave me the bear her last day in dining which was Valentines Day. In the two years since I've been profoundly glad that I took the risk of asking. I would have missed out on so much if I hadn't. The bear reminds me to speak my heart. There's no guarantee of success. But not trying guarantees failure.
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
The Bad Seed
The Bad Seed
Adult mystery
In my formative years I saw more than my share of horror
movies. They were almost all that was shown during the children's
Saturday afternoon matinees at the local movie theater. At least as
far as I recall. Most were pretty forgettable like The Blob and
Werewolf In A Girls Dormitory. I only remember two vividly. One was
The Birds. For a long time after I viewed it my heart would speed up
whenever I saw a flock of pigeons or gulls. The Bad Seed, however,
scared me even more. I felt that its evil child star bore a strong
resemblence to Harriet, the sibling with whom I did not get along well.
I never thought that the movie stemmed from an actual book. One
day, playing on my smart phone, roaming Google in search of thriller
books to borrow from the library, I stumbled on The Bad Seed by
William March. Although it's over half a century old, it's as
suspenseful as many of today's genre mates. It's a dark look at the
nature vs nurture controversy endlessly debated by developmental
psychologists.
Christine knows that her eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda, is
different from other kids. She's a solemn, fastidious child, self
possessed to the point of seeming to not need anyone else. She's
adored by older ladies, but shunned by age mates. She's obsessed with
gaining possessions.
As the narrative begins Rhoda is quite angry. Her school had
their closing exercises. Rhoda had had her heart set on winning a
penmanship medal which instead had gone to a boy, Claude. No effort
on the part of Christine can mollify her.
The next day is the annual school picnic. Claude wears his
medal pinned to his jacket. That afternoon the radio news announces
that a child on that outing has drowned. You can guess who. There
are bruises on his hands and face. The spelling medal is missing.
Guess what's hidden in Rhoda's dresser drawer.
If you're a fan of well crafted, dark suspense novels, you'll
find The Bad Seed to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note, the highlight of my weekend was sledding on the
old school hill. We had the perfect combination of great snow and a
warm, sunny day. I went to zoom church. Third time in a row. I even
sat through the budget meeting after church. I ignored the Super Bowl
while Eugene watched it. I don't have the patience to watch any
sports. But I especially dislike football and hockey because of their
potential for brain damage. I wouldn't let my son play. Growing up
with Harriet I saw too well how brain damage can ruin a life. As I
write this Eugene is out plowing because it started snowing and he got
a middle of the night phone call (Jules).
I iz watching for dad to come home (Tobago).
A great big shout out goes out to blizzard battlers.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult mystery
In my formative years I saw more than my share of horror
movies. They were almost all that was shown during the children's
Saturday afternoon matinees at the local movie theater. At least as
far as I recall. Most were pretty forgettable like The Blob and
Werewolf In A Girls Dormitory. I only remember two vividly. One was
The Birds. For a long time after I viewed it my heart would speed up
whenever I saw a flock of pigeons or gulls. The Bad Seed, however,
scared me even more. I felt that its evil child star bore a strong
resemblence to Harriet, the sibling with whom I did not get along well.
I never thought that the movie stemmed from an actual book. One
day, playing on my smart phone, roaming Google in search of thriller
books to borrow from the library, I stumbled on The Bad Seed by
William March. Although it's over half a century old, it's as
suspenseful as many of today's genre mates. It's a dark look at the
nature vs nurture controversy endlessly debated by developmental
psychologists.
Christine knows that her eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda, is
different from other kids. She's a solemn, fastidious child, self
possessed to the point of seeming to not need anyone else. She's
adored by older ladies, but shunned by age mates. She's obsessed with
gaining possessions.
As the narrative begins Rhoda is quite angry. Her school had
their closing exercises. Rhoda had had her heart set on winning a
penmanship medal which instead had gone to a boy, Claude. No effort
on the part of Christine can mollify her.
The next day is the annual school picnic. Claude wears his
medal pinned to his jacket. That afternoon the radio news announces
that a child on that outing has drowned. You can guess who. There
are bruises on his hands and face. The spelling medal is missing.
Guess what's hidden in Rhoda's dresser drawer.
If you're a fan of well crafted, dark suspense novels, you'll
find The Bad Seed to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note, the highlight of my weekend was sledding on the
old school hill. We had the perfect combination of great snow and a
warm, sunny day. I went to zoom church. Third time in a row. I even
sat through the budget meeting after church. I ignored the Super Bowl
while Eugene watched it. I don't have the patience to watch any
sports. But I especially dislike football and hockey because of their
potential for brain damage. I wouldn't let my son play. Growing up
with Harriet I saw too well how brain damage can ruin a life. As I
write this Eugene is out plowing because it started snowing and he got
a middle of the night phone call (Jules).
I iz watching for dad to come home (Tobago).
A great big shout out goes out to blizzard battlers.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, February 5, 2021
The lovely valentine I got from Emily and her family that totally made my day. You have over a week. Get out your paper, markers, glue, whatever brings out your inner artist (forget Hallmark) and send out some homemade love to the special people in your life. The big day doesn't have to center on commercialism or be limited to romance.
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists
Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists
YA graphic Novel
Recall how impressed I was with Mikki Kendall's Hood Feminism?
When I learned that Kendall had penned a graphic novel (with
illustrations by A. D'Amico) history of feminism I put it on my must
read list.
Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History Of
Women's Fight For Their Rights covers a lot of ground. The tour
readers are led on by a futuristic looking narrator starts out
thousands of years ago and progresses to the present. The breadth of
material is impressive. This is a truly intersectional exploration,
encompassing race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other
identities. Sheroes portrayed come from all over the globe in a
rainbow of ethnicities.
Because of the extensivenes of the material covered, a graphic
novel format is perfect. It avoids the choppiness you'd find in a
text only manuscript with so much content. Plus the art is truly
captivating.
Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists makes for an exciting and
stimulating read through. But it can also be a springboard to in
depth research on an individual. There are so many sheroes, issues,
times, and places covered there is probably at least one interest
spark for each of us.
So I see this book as a must acquire for school and public
libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, well my big excitement today is learning that
people in my age group may get in on the vaccine distribution early in
March. I am so excited for it. Not the shot itself. I'm needle
phobic, even after donating ten gallons of blood. But what it can do
for me. Hopefully it means I can be on campus in September and start
to make more progress toward my degree. MLK advised people to run if
they can't fly, walk if they can't run, and crawl if they can't walk.
Mostly I'm glad to not be standing still.
But sometimes I get so tired of walking and impatient to fly.
I was feeling this impatience today when I heard a knock at my door.
My friend, Emily, had come by to drop off a valentine. Our church is
doing an awesome program of people sending handmade valentines to
other members. My heart jumped right up in my chest and kicked
impatience to the curb.
This morning I wanted to study stastics. I reminded myself I had a
Decolonizing UMaine meeting. I'd missed the last one by getting
caught up in ANOVA and losing track of time. I told myself just a few
minutes with correlations. Yeah, right. The next thing I knew Tobago
was meowing for lunch and I'd forgotten not only the meeting, but
showering, shaving, and breakfast. Oops I did it again! Emily says
other people have days like that. (Jules)
It is always great to see our friend, Emily. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our friend, Emily, and the awesome
church we all belong to.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA graphic Novel
Recall how impressed I was with Mikki Kendall's Hood Feminism?
When I learned that Kendall had penned a graphic novel (with
illustrations by A. D'Amico) history of feminism I put it on my must
read list.
Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History Of
Women's Fight For Their Rights covers a lot of ground. The tour
readers are led on by a futuristic looking narrator starts out
thousands of years ago and progresses to the present. The breadth of
material is impressive. This is a truly intersectional exploration,
encompassing race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other
identities. Sheroes portrayed come from all over the globe in a
rainbow of ethnicities.
Because of the extensivenes of the material covered, a graphic
novel format is perfect. It avoids the choppiness you'd find in a
text only manuscript with so much content. Plus the art is truly
captivating.
Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists makes for an exciting and
stimulating read through. But it can also be a springboard to in
depth research on an individual. There are so many sheroes, issues,
times, and places covered there is probably at least one interest
spark for each of us.
So I see this book as a must acquire for school and public
libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, well my big excitement today is learning that
people in my age group may get in on the vaccine distribution early in
March. I am so excited for it. Not the shot itself. I'm needle
phobic, even after donating ten gallons of blood. But what it can do
for me. Hopefully it means I can be on campus in September and start
to make more progress toward my degree. MLK advised people to run if
they can't fly, walk if they can't run, and crawl if they can't walk.
Mostly I'm glad to not be standing still.
But sometimes I get so tired of walking and impatient to fly.
I was feeling this impatience today when I heard a knock at my door.
My friend, Emily, had come by to drop off a valentine. Our church is
doing an awesome program of people sending handmade valentines to
other members. My heart jumped right up in my chest and kicked
impatience to the curb.
This morning I wanted to study stastics. I reminded myself I had a
Decolonizing UMaine meeting. I'd missed the last one by getting
caught up in ANOVA and losing track of time. I told myself just a few
minutes with correlations. Yeah, right. The next thing I knew Tobago
was meowing for lunch and I'd forgotten not only the meeting, but
showering, shaving, and breakfast. Oops I did it again! Emily says
other people have days like that. (Jules)
It is always great to see our friend, Emily. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our friend, Emily, and the awesome
church we all belong to.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Monday's Not Coming
Monday's Not Coming
YA/adult fiction
"...But that summer was different. Monday never responded to
any of my letters. Without them, the summer had crept by like a
runaway turtle..."
Claudia, protagonist of Tiffany Jackson's Monday's Not Coming,
has been best friends with Monday forever. So when she gets back from
two months in Georgia with her grandmother the first thing she wants
to know is what's up with her chum.
Only Monday's phone isn't working. Monday doesn't show up at
school the first day, the next, the next... Claudia is getting
worried that something is really wrong. The adults at her school
don't know anything. For the most part they don't seem all that
concerned.
Monday's mother makes Claudia even more alarmed.
"Her blackened lips cocked to the side as she snarled, 'Why you
asking so many questions? I said she ain't here. Now go on! You
know your bougie-ass mother don't want you around here.'"
Its highly engaging plot and believable characters alone would
make Monday's Not Coming a must read for its target audience and well
beyond. It also raises issues of race and class throughout the
narrative.
One alarming note raised really quickly is the way authority
figures ranging from school officials to police put little to no
effort into finding Monday, a Black child from the projects. If she
had been White and at least middle class they would have made locating
her a priority.
Then there's the gentrification thing. Monday's family and
their neighbors are getting eviction notices. Their homes will be
torn down to make way for something they'll probably never be able to
move back to.
I see Monday's Not Coming as a really fine read and a clarion
call to action.
On a purrrsonal note, what a difference a day makes! Where yesterday
I felt like I was in a snow globe being shaken by a giant, today is
downright placid. And Eugene is home safe from a lot of plowing.
(Jules)
Yasss! He is home! (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to blizzard battlers and their families.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/adult fiction
"...But that summer was different. Monday never responded to
any of my letters. Without them, the summer had crept by like a
runaway turtle..."
Claudia, protagonist of Tiffany Jackson's Monday's Not Coming,
has been best friends with Monday forever. So when she gets back from
two months in Georgia with her grandmother the first thing she wants
to know is what's up with her chum.
Only Monday's phone isn't working. Monday doesn't show up at
school the first day, the next, the next... Claudia is getting
worried that something is really wrong. The adults at her school
don't know anything. For the most part they don't seem all that
concerned.
Monday's mother makes Claudia even more alarmed.
"Her blackened lips cocked to the side as she snarled, 'Why you
asking so many questions? I said she ain't here. Now go on! You
know your bougie-ass mother don't want you around here.'"
Its highly engaging plot and believable characters alone would
make Monday's Not Coming a must read for its target audience and well
beyond. It also raises issues of race and class throughout the
narrative.
One alarming note raised really quickly is the way authority
figures ranging from school officials to police put little to no
effort into finding Monday, a Black child from the projects. If she
had been White and at least middle class they would have made locating
her a priority.
Then there's the gentrification thing. Monday's family and
their neighbors are getting eviction notices. Their homes will be
torn down to make way for something they'll probably never be able to
move back to.
I see Monday's Not Coming as a really fine read and a clarion
call to action.
On a purrrsonal note, what a difference a day makes! Where yesterday
I felt like I was in a snow globe being shaken by a giant, today is
downright placid. And Eugene is home safe from a lot of plowing.
(Jules)
Yasss! He is home! (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to blizzard battlers and their families.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Paying The Price
Paying The Price
Adult nonfiction
"There is a new economics of college in America. In the past,
students and families who worked hard stood a real chance of attaining
a college degree, a ticket to the good life. But then the world
changed. Today, the promise of a college degree in exchange for hard
work and dedication no longer holds true. Instead, students encounter
a price so high that it has changed what it means to attend college."
One of American meritocracy's most beloved images is that of the
intelligent and dilligent student of humble origins making it through
college on grants, work study, and maybe a small loan which would be
easy to pay off when the diploma paved the way to a respectable
career. The image is so entrenched that we can't shake it out of our
heads. People who earned their degrees in the far more financially
stable 60s are grumbling, "I did it. Why can't or won't they?" A
narrative is being created of a younger generation that goes to school
to party, is unwilling to work hard, and wants everything handed to
them on a silver platter or platinum credit card.
There's a loud and growing chorus of "What's wrong with kids
today?"
Temple University professor, Sara Goldrick-Rab says that,
although students don't always make the best individual choices,
collectively they are not the source of the problem. In Paying The
Price she shows how America has changed drastically and financial aid
has failed to keep up with the costs of higher education. Some of the
facets of this crisis that she shines a light on are:
Financial aid is built around the 60s era family of two still
married parents with stable, well-paying jobs. Where to start? A lot
of students grow up in single parent homes. Parents' jobs are
increasingly precarious and unpredictable. Often not only are they
unable to contribute to their children's education, but they need the
kids to pitch in so they can keep a roof over their heads and food on
the table.
Financial aid offers are often based on gross underestimates of
how much a year of college will actually cost. This is particularly
true for living expenses. This is why you find student food and/or
housing insecurity and actual homelessness at institutions ranging
from Ivy League to community college. They are also based on their
estimation of expected parental contribution which is often much more
than parents can contribute.
Very few students have access to class schedule friendly work
study jobs. Many communities have a dearth of off campus part time
jobs. Often available jobs have students working unpredictable
schedules that really mess up class attendance and academic help
seeking or working night shifts that don't allow for enough sleep. It
can be quite the struggle to balance maintaining satisfactory academic
progress with earning enough to get by.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. In Paying The Price
Goldrick-Rab shows us the whole ugly structure that sends so many
students' hopes and best efforts the way of the Titanic.
"Financial aid today is a pale shadow of what its creators
intended. Rather than support the hopes and dreams of people who seek
to study and get ahead through higher education, it is punitive. It
acts as an enticement to try college but then sets up students to face
prices they cannot meet year after year...it is an invitation to debt."
Fortunately, Goldrick-Rab doesn't see the current sorry state of
affairs as set in stone. She ends the book with a discussion of what
can be done to change the current inequities--a task that she
considers to be nothing less than a moral imperative.
"The new economics of college is undermining the fundamental
connection between education and democracy that has helped our nation
thrive...With economic insecurity on the rise and low-income and
middle class Americans under pressure, this generation must meet the
challenge of making one of the best ways out of poverty and into the
middle class--a college education--affordable for all."
On a purrrsonal note, Penobscot County and actually all of Maine are
in the middle of what National Public Radio (not one for hype) is
calling a monster storm and a powerful nor'easter. Really high winds
are whipping snow. The doors are already blocked. So Lady T and I
are snowed in. I did my studying first thing in the morning for in
case we lose power which is a strong possibility. We're expecting a
foot of the white stuff. Eugene is out plowing. I just hope he gets
a little time between day and night shifts to eat a hot supper and get
a few hours sleep. (Jules)
Who ordered all this white stuff? (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and his colleagues who are
blizzard battling and all essential workers who have to go out into
the mess. If you can and live where the monster storm is going on
please stay home.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"There is a new economics of college in America. In the past,
students and families who worked hard stood a real chance of attaining
a college degree, a ticket to the good life. But then the world
changed. Today, the promise of a college degree in exchange for hard
work and dedication no longer holds true. Instead, students encounter
a price so high that it has changed what it means to attend college."
One of American meritocracy's most beloved images is that of the
intelligent and dilligent student of humble origins making it through
college on grants, work study, and maybe a small loan which would be
easy to pay off when the diploma paved the way to a respectable
career. The image is so entrenched that we can't shake it out of our
heads. People who earned their degrees in the far more financially
stable 60s are grumbling, "I did it. Why can't or won't they?" A
narrative is being created of a younger generation that goes to school
to party, is unwilling to work hard, and wants everything handed to
them on a silver platter or platinum credit card.
There's a loud and growing chorus of "What's wrong with kids
today?"
Temple University professor, Sara Goldrick-Rab says that,
although students don't always make the best individual choices,
collectively they are not the source of the problem. In Paying The
Price she shows how America has changed drastically and financial aid
has failed to keep up with the costs of higher education. Some of the
facets of this crisis that she shines a light on are:
Financial aid is built around the 60s era family of two still
married parents with stable, well-paying jobs. Where to start? A lot
of students grow up in single parent homes. Parents' jobs are
increasingly precarious and unpredictable. Often not only are they
unable to contribute to their children's education, but they need the
kids to pitch in so they can keep a roof over their heads and food on
the table.
Financial aid offers are often based on gross underestimates of
how much a year of college will actually cost. This is particularly
true for living expenses. This is why you find student food and/or
housing insecurity and actual homelessness at institutions ranging
from Ivy League to community college. They are also based on their
estimation of expected parental contribution which is often much more
than parents can contribute.
Very few students have access to class schedule friendly work
study jobs. Many communities have a dearth of off campus part time
jobs. Often available jobs have students working unpredictable
schedules that really mess up class attendance and academic help
seeking or working night shifts that don't allow for enough sleep. It
can be quite the struggle to balance maintaining satisfactory academic
progress with earning enough to get by.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. In Paying The Price
Goldrick-Rab shows us the whole ugly structure that sends so many
students' hopes and best efforts the way of the Titanic.
"Financial aid today is a pale shadow of what its creators
intended. Rather than support the hopes and dreams of people who seek
to study and get ahead through higher education, it is punitive. It
acts as an enticement to try college but then sets up students to face
prices they cannot meet year after year...it is an invitation to debt."
Fortunately, Goldrick-Rab doesn't see the current sorry state of
affairs as set in stone. She ends the book with a discussion of what
can be done to change the current inequities--a task that she
considers to be nothing less than a moral imperative.
"The new economics of college is undermining the fundamental
connection between education and democracy that has helped our nation
thrive...With economic insecurity on the rise and low-income and
middle class Americans under pressure, this generation must meet the
challenge of making one of the best ways out of poverty and into the
middle class--a college education--affordable for all."
On a purrrsonal note, Penobscot County and actually all of Maine are
in the middle of what National Public Radio (not one for hype) is
calling a monster storm and a powerful nor'easter. Really high winds
are whipping snow. The doors are already blocked. So Lady T and I
are snowed in. I did my studying first thing in the morning for in
case we lose power which is a strong possibility. We're expecting a
foot of the white stuff. Eugene is out plowing. I just hope he gets
a little time between day and night shifts to eat a hot supper and get
a few hours sleep. (Jules)
Who ordered all this white stuff? (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and his colleagues who are
blizzard battling and all essential workers who have to go out into
the mess. If you can and live where the monster storm is going on
please stay home.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, February 1, 2021
Good And Mad
Good And Mad
Adult nonfiction
"I first decided to write this book as a means to channel and
make sense of my own rage: how I've suppressed it or cloaked it in
more officially attractive stuff. After the 2016 election, and two
years of being assured everyday by the political press, by popular
culture, by my friends and by those on the right and the left that
there was no reason to be angry...I felt as though I might lose my
mind with the rage I'd not been able to give voice to."
If you've been raised as a woman, you're probably aware of our
nation's centuries old double standard in regard to anger expression.
Guys have to do something way over the line, say homicide, to be
considered in need of anger management training. More acceptable
expressions are considered virile, strong, insightful, and evidence of
leadership ability. The same anger, however, makes women beings to
avoid, not follow. We're ugly hags and crones. We're mentally
deranged. We're humorless. We're out of line even though we have
much more to be angry about in our patriarchal society.
"Here's the validation that I hope it can offer: that those who
are furious right now are not alone, are not crazy, are not
unattractive. That in fact, female rage in America has a long and
righteous history, one that we have, very pointedly, never been taught."
In Good And Mad: The Revolutionary Power Of Women's Anger
Rebecca Traister serves up righteous herstory. We learn about those
incidents that didn't make it into the history books. In 1917, for
example, suffragists were chaining themselves to the fences around the
White House. We learn the varied ways in which the patriarchy has
been delegitimizing and suppressing women's anger.
Traister takes an intersectional view of women's anger, adding
elements such as color and class. In particular she explores the
problematization of Black women's anger and the resistance to it, not
only from men, but from White women.
"'We are told that we are irrational, out-of-touch, entitled,
disruptive, and not team players,' writes Cooper [Rutgers gender
studies professor, Brittney Cooper] in her exploration of black
feminist anger, Eloquent Rage. 'Angry black women are looked upon as
entities to be contained, as inconvenient citizens who keep on talking
about their rights while refusing to do their duty and smile at
everyone.'"
Traister saw a great deal of potential in the wave of rage
evoked by the 2016 election of the Groper In Chief and the Me Too
movement. But she realized that this anger must be sustained over the
long haul in world in which a lot of people will strive to extinguish
it. So she ended the book with this exhortation:
"But I say to all women reading this book and to my future self:
what you're angry about now--injustice--will still exist, even if you
yourself are not experiencing it, or are tempted to stop thinking
about how you experience it, and how you contribute to it...
Being mad is correct; being mad is American; being mad can be
joyful and productive and connective. Don't ever let them talk you
out of being mad again."
If this call to arms resonates with you, you owe it to yourself
to put Good And Mad on your pandemic reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, we weren't sure whether Eugene would be able to
go to camp. If an anticipated storm hadn't fizzled out he would have
been stuck plowing. I chose to stay home. As much as I love nature,
sitting for hours on an iced over pond watching for a flag to pop up
is not my idea of good times. So I spent much of the weekend writing,
reading, playing with Tobago, and cleaning/reorganizing. I made
myself a huge serving of spaghetti. A joy of dining solo. Eugene
hates it. Sunday I did zoom church, more to harness the collective
prayer power for getting Eugene safely home than for learning the
ministerial take on the scripture of the day. (Sorry, Malcolm). As
much as I know he has great wilderness skills, he's out there alone
and accidents do happen. Like all week the meterogolists had been
warning us that not all lakes and ponds are frozen solid enough for
ice fishing. I was over the moon when his white truck pulled into the
driveway.
Now it's another work week. I'm looking forward to getting into new
material in statistics and zoom seeing my counselor. I hope your week
is starting well. (Jules)
He got home! He got home! Both my hoomans was home last night.
[Tobago]
Great big shout outs go out to Eugene who got home safely and you, our
readers, as we start a new month together.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"I first decided to write this book as a means to channel and
make sense of my own rage: how I've suppressed it or cloaked it in
more officially attractive stuff. After the 2016 election, and two
years of being assured everyday by the political press, by popular
culture, by my friends and by those on the right and the left that
there was no reason to be angry...I felt as though I might lose my
mind with the rage I'd not been able to give voice to."
If you've been raised as a woman, you're probably aware of our
nation's centuries old double standard in regard to anger expression.
Guys have to do something way over the line, say homicide, to be
considered in need of anger management training. More acceptable
expressions are considered virile, strong, insightful, and evidence of
leadership ability. The same anger, however, makes women beings to
avoid, not follow. We're ugly hags and crones. We're mentally
deranged. We're humorless. We're out of line even though we have
much more to be angry about in our patriarchal society.
"Here's the validation that I hope it can offer: that those who
are furious right now are not alone, are not crazy, are not
unattractive. That in fact, female rage in America has a long and
righteous history, one that we have, very pointedly, never been taught."
In Good And Mad: The Revolutionary Power Of Women's Anger
Rebecca Traister serves up righteous herstory. We learn about those
incidents that didn't make it into the history books. In 1917, for
example, suffragists were chaining themselves to the fences around the
White House. We learn the varied ways in which the patriarchy has
been delegitimizing and suppressing women's anger.
Traister takes an intersectional view of women's anger, adding
elements such as color and class. In particular she explores the
problematization of Black women's anger and the resistance to it, not
only from men, but from White women.
"'We are told that we are irrational, out-of-touch, entitled,
disruptive, and not team players,' writes Cooper [Rutgers gender
studies professor, Brittney Cooper] in her exploration of black
feminist anger, Eloquent Rage. 'Angry black women are looked upon as
entities to be contained, as inconvenient citizens who keep on talking
about their rights while refusing to do their duty and smile at
everyone.'"
Traister saw a great deal of potential in the wave of rage
evoked by the 2016 election of the Groper In Chief and the Me Too
movement. But she realized that this anger must be sustained over the
long haul in world in which a lot of people will strive to extinguish
it. So she ended the book with this exhortation:
"But I say to all women reading this book and to my future self:
what you're angry about now--injustice--will still exist, even if you
yourself are not experiencing it, or are tempted to stop thinking
about how you experience it, and how you contribute to it...
Being mad is correct; being mad is American; being mad can be
joyful and productive and connective. Don't ever let them talk you
out of being mad again."
If this call to arms resonates with you, you owe it to yourself
to put Good And Mad on your pandemic reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, we weren't sure whether Eugene would be able to
go to camp. If an anticipated storm hadn't fizzled out he would have
been stuck plowing. I chose to stay home. As much as I love nature,
sitting for hours on an iced over pond watching for a flag to pop up
is not my idea of good times. So I spent much of the weekend writing,
reading, playing with Tobago, and cleaning/reorganizing. I made
myself a huge serving of spaghetti. A joy of dining solo. Eugene
hates it. Sunday I did zoom church, more to harness the collective
prayer power for getting Eugene safely home than for learning the
ministerial take on the scripture of the day. (Sorry, Malcolm). As
much as I know he has great wilderness skills, he's out there alone
and accidents do happen. Like all week the meterogolists had been
warning us that not all lakes and ponds are frozen solid enough for
ice fishing. I was over the moon when his white truck pulled into the
driveway.
Now it's another work week. I'm looking forward to getting into new
material in statistics and zoom seeing my counselor. I hope your week
is starting well. (Jules)
He got home! He got home! Both my hoomans was home last night.
[Tobago]
Great big shout outs go out to Eugene who got home safely and you, our
readers, as we start a new month together.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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