Friday, November 8, 2019

Library Loot ~ five more books

1.  Just Ask! : Be Different, Be Brave, Be You ~ by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Rafael Lopez, 2019, children's picture book
Feeling different, especially as a child, can be tough.  But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.  Justice Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities children (and people of all ages) have.  Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges — and looks at the special powers they have as well.  As the children work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same.  When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.
2.  Color Matters: Skin Tone Bias and the Myth of a Post-Racial America ~ edited by Kimberly Jade Norwood, 2014, sociology
In the United States, as in many parts of the world, people are discriminated against based on the color of their skin.  This type of skin tone bias, or colorism, is related to and distinct from discrimination on the basis of race, with which it is often conflated.  Preferential treatment of lighter skin tones over darker occurs within racial and ethnic groups, as well as between them.  While America has made progress in issues of race over the past decades, discrimination on the basis of color continues to be a constant and often unremarked part of life.

Norwood has collected the most up-to-date research on this insidious form of discrimination, including perspectives from the disciplines of history, law, sociology, and psychology.  Anchored with historical chapters that show how the influence and legacy of slavery have shaped the treatment of skin color in American society, the contributors to this volume bring to light the ways in which colorism affects us all — influencing what we wear, who we see on television, and even which child we might pick to adopt.
3.  Ferguson's Fault Lines: The Racial Quake That Rocked a Nation ~ edited by Kimberly Jade Norwood, 2016,
In almost every highly publicized case of police using deadly force and killing unarmed individuals, the person killed was an African American male.  These incidents have caused dramatic erosion in public confidence in the justice system and America's promise of equal treatment under the law.  Minority communities lack confidence in our judicial system.  To begin with, we must recognize our own biases.  We all have them.  No one is exempt.  The biggest challenge, however, is to figure out what we do once we recognize them.  For those working in the justice system — from police to prosecutors, judges, and public defenders — the consequences have broad, far-reaching, and sometimes even fatal consequences.
4.  God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America ~ by Lyz Lenz, 2019, memoir
In the wake of the 2016 election, Lyz Lenz watched as her country and her marriage were torn apart by the competing forces of faith and politics.  A mother of two, a Christian, and a lifelong resident of middle America, Lenz was bewildered by the pain and loss around her — the empty churches and the broken hearts.  From drugstores in Sydney, Iowa, to skeet shooting in rural Illinois, to mega churches of Minneapolis, Lenz set out to discover the changing forces of faith and tradition in God's country.  She visits places of worship across the heartland and speaks to the everyday people who often struggle to keep their churches afloat and to cope in a land of instability.
5.  Michigan vs. the Boys ~ by Carrie Sue Allen, 2019, YA fiction
When a determined girl is confronted with the culture of toxic masculinity, it's time to even the score.  Michigan Manning lives for hockey, and this is her year to shine.  That is, until she gets some crushing news:  budget cuts will keep the girls' hockey team off the ice this year. 

If she wants colleges to notice her, she has to find a way to play.  Luckily, there's still one team left in town.  The boys' team isn't exactly welcoming, but she is prepared to prove herself.  Michigan plays some of the best hockey of her life, in fact, all while putting up with changing in the broom closet, constant trash talk, and pranks that always seem to target her.  But once hazing crosses the line into assault, Michigan must weigh the consequences of speaking up — even if it means putting her future on the line.
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.  To see what others are reading, click this link.
____________________________

As I run across interesting titles, I put them on reserve at my library.  Sometimes all the requested books come in at the same time.  Like yesterday.  I have three not yet read from the last home delivery three weeks ago, and another five books arrived yesterday.  Can I read that many books before the next delivery?  Not likely, even though one, as you can see, is a children's book.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Tomoko's new jacket

Sharon and I were sitting in the chairs at the elevator on our floor last night when Tomoko got off the elevator.  She was wearing a beautiful turquoise blouse.  Sharon jumped up and, telling Tomoko to stay put for a minute, hurried to her apartment and brought back a jacket that matched perfectly.  When Tomoko tried it on, Sharon insisted she keep it because it fits her and looks so good with that blouse.  That's when I decided to take a picture.  Doesn't she look great?

WHY am I telling this story?  Because it's amazing how many people who live here at the Crown Center share and care for each other.  Maybe this should be the first in a series I could call "caught sharing."

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Once in a while

I recently received a note from someone telling me about something she did "every once and awhile."  That's a new one for me, so I looked it up just to be sure I'm not the one who was misunderstanding that idiom.  Now that I think of it, I'm not sure I've ever written the words before today.  Usually, it's a phrase I have said to someone or they have said to me.  (Yes, I know "someone" is singular, and "they" is plural.)  The best summary I found was here.  (I've edited the layout for emphasis.)
This idiom is up there with
  • “for all intents and purposes” (NOT “intensive purposes”),
  • “hunger pangs” (NOT “pains”), and
  • “exacting revenge” (NOT “extracting” it)
for how often it is confused by writers and speakers alike.
Reminder:  "Every once in a while” is the proper form of this expression —
  • NOT "every once and a while,” and
  • NOT “every once in awhile.”

Monday, November 4, 2019

Grant us peace ~ and a climate we can live with

It's been a decade since I blogged for peace in 2009.  Yesterday Mimi Lenox tracked me down to tell me it's time to do it again.  Thanks, Mimi, for the nudge and for a link to the official site of Blog4Peace.  Ten years ago, I wrote:
Bloggers from all across the globe are blogging for peace.
We speak with one voice.
One subject.
One day.

"Dona Nobis Pacem" is Latin for "Grant Us Peace."
This year, we are specifically blogging about climate, a subject that is dear to my heart.  For those who aren't convinced we are experiencing any problems with the climate, here's a link to evidence from NASA, which includes:
1.  Global Temperature Rise
2.  Warming Oceans
3.  Shrinking Ice Sheets
4.  Glacial Retreat
5.  Decreased Snow Cover
6.  Sea Level Rise
7.  Declining Arctic Sea Ice
8.  Extreme Events
9.  Ocean Acidification
There is no other planet, folks, so we need to take care of the one we have.  It's the only one the birds and the beasts have, too, and that's why I chose the illustration at the top.  They need us to be aware and to fix the mess we've made.

Clawdia
UPDATE:  It seems Clawdia discovered I was posting this.  (You know my cat also blogs here, right?)  She apparently saw I had set this to post at one minute past midnight, as usual, so she deliberately set her own post at exactly midnight.  Okay, go check out my cat's blog post.  She wants everyone to see more cats.  I say, if Snoopy can write about "a dark and stormy night," Clawdia can blog about climate change all she likes.  She's also an earthling, and she's purring for peace.

I'm purring for peace

All I'm meowing is give peace a chance.
And fix our climate.
Clawdia, 'til next time   >^..^<

Friday, November 1, 2019

New Things November 2019

Click on the calendar to enlarge it.
I found this month's calendar on the Action for Happiness web site.  Here's what they suggest we do for the first days of November.

November 1
~ Make a list of new things you want to try out this month.
November 2
~ Broaden your perspective: read a different paper, magazine, or site.
November 3
~ Enjoy new music today.  Play, sing, dance, or listen.
November 4
~ Today meet someone new and learn something about them.
November 5
~ Choose a different route and see what you notice on the way.
November 6
~ Make a meal using a recipe or ingredient you've not tried before.
November 7
~ When you feel you can't do something, add the word "yet."
November 8
~ Today connect with someone from a different generation.
November 9
~ Teach yourself a new skill.  Origami?  First aid?  Meditation?
November 10
~ Get out into nature and observe the changing season.

"You never know what you can do
until you try." ~ C. S. Lewis