Recommendations

I have been thinking about writing a recommendation for a book I just loved ... and now I have another two things to recommend.

It's been a long time since I felt the strength to do a NRU... honestly, I am still not there. But I read this piece and fell in love. *wink*

We all need a little more inspiration to 1) be ourselves and 2) open to possibilities despite setbacks.

***please note it has been so long since I started this post that I honestly cannot remember the other thing besides the book I was going to recommend.***

The book ... a while back, because I have been moving the publish date on this post for MONTHS, I listened to Hunger by Roxane Gay. I have been listening to books more than reading, but I still call it reading. I hope that is okay.

So, Roxane Gay and her memoir Hunger - wow, WOW, I listened to the author read her memoir. I heard the life in the words. It was amazing.

My takeaway was that every WOMAN should listen to this book. Not read. Listen. There are dark spots, a lot of them, that you need to push through to get to the honey. Because it is sweet when you get past the darkness, when you are deep inside the heart of Roxane Gay, it is all sweetness and reality. And those two things do not always go together as perfectly as they did in this book.

You should listen to it.

You will learn to love your body and hear the story it is telling you every day, at least a little bit you will learn this, by listening to this book. You will, at least, learn that loving your body and listening to its stories is life changing.

Or maybe you won't ... as some reviewers have noted, and Gay herself has as well, this is not a book about transformation. It is not a victory lap. It is not this is how you do it.

But, for me, it was a how to and why to love your body, just as it is, and to listen to your body because it is engaging you in the dialogue every day, even when our too busy minds and emotions are yelling loudly over our bodies attempts at conversation.

You should listen to it.

Read/listen to this book, if you are a woman, or a man, or whatever, and you have not yet committed to loving your body and listening to its stories.

------
This is not the other thing that I was meaning to recommend when I started this post, but I have come upon this realization in the past two weeks: I am not only more productive when I listen to books while I work, I am more peaceful. My emotions to do not get the better of me when I am listening to a book and someone asks me for the work item I delivered three weeks ago, or tries to dump their work in my lap because I am a good worker, or tries to organize my work life to make their lives easier. I just smile and listen to my book and do my work.

My blood pressure appreciates listening to a good book. Maybe your blood pressure loves listening to a book, too.

NRU Education Ed

It's been a while... I have been reading articles, but not as assiduously.

I looked up the other day and noted that there were no less than ten education articles open in my browser.  Only one was already read, and several did not make the cut.

Here are the ones I decided to share for no particular reason other than I didn't HATE these articles.

I guess I am still not ready to write editorially about the articles.

Do you have any comments on any of these?

New all girl schools in LA (middle schools)

UC touting its diversity starting the school year (meh)

Black-focused housing on Cal State campuses... this particular article touted by other readers to be most balanced, not even sure what that means, just passing it along.

**my favorite: a teacher getting help for her students on dealing with trauma...

The Feds on bilingual ed [or ELLs need more help]... something on closing the achievement gap?

From the Op-Ed section:
NYTimes asks "Is School Reform Hopeless?" [it is a whole set of articles, so get your coffee ready]
LA Times gives someone the chance to say why teachers are not the problem (Vergara redux)

NRU in my dreams

still no time to read, but wish I could read these ... these are really old btw
Monica Lewinsky
Guy who created Mad Men talks about being a creative person and pitfalls
provocative title who knows if there is substance: Inside America's Auschwitz
Korean parents taking over their children's Tinder

NRU ed

children teach us
USC president takes to the classroom
John King and second chances
white folks teaching in the hood
unions get a reprieve
what black and latino parents want for their kids in school
six second teacher eval
gates foundation not so great at education 

um... still having a hard time reading through all the ed stuff, but I am still keeping tabs by saving the articles.

Some I have read, but I offer them here without editorial because I just don't have the emotional energy...

NRU sort of education edition, light

You can tell just how chaotic my life is because I can't even get it together to read any articles or to post about anything that I have read.

You can rest assured that I have read a few, that there are million open in my browser and another 17 million that I closed without reading...

Here's one that made it through because teaching and schools are on my mind.  This cold hard reality is slapping me in the face at present. We really do need to do something about housing...

Another slam on Common Core... here is the problem, they never actually state what the actual issue is.  Even worse, they don't even present one or two or three or any solutions.  I will say *again* until we decide collectively just what it is that we think public education is actually supposed to accomplish, we cannot begin to *solve* the problem.  This is a particularly big problem because we spend way too much time in fantasy history when it comes to education.  There is no silver bullet but there are many lead bullets.

Though, I have to say that reading about education just makes me want to run screaming in the opposite direction.  There are more still open in my browser, maybe I will make another NRU before the week ends, or maybe I will just quietly close them (and my eyes).


***not about education***
Ok... just going to put this in here because I have no where else to report this.  Many years ago, something like 23 or so I worked for a non-profit housing corporation in Trenton.  One of our projects was to help a community group get two or three families into homes that were to be rehabbed.  These families lived in conditions I didn't think were possible in the United States.  The first time I visited them, the first thing that struck me was that their homes had no floors, only dirt.  One family who had *won* the lottery so-to-speak, was a mom and her daughter.  Mom was really too old to be getting  mortgage, so the daughter decided to take it on.  Her name was Pearlie.  I am pretty sure she just won the lottery for real with her children.  She is a lucky lady.  And this couldn't have happened to a lovelier family.  Many congratulations and best wishes!

NRU education edition

NRU light

I take seriously the authors' discussion of the need for better "education" on the subject of free speech, but even their analysis of the problem ignores what underlies the problem.  Free speech, and regulations of it, is an extremely nuanced idea that requires the ability to be able to communicate  what is offensive about speech as well as to listen to the intent of the speech.  Understanding nuance and effective communication are skills we should work on with students as well as the ability to critically think about issues.  Blanket statements like free speech do not really capture the nuances necessary to further discussion or debate...ugh, all this said, I don't know how to feel about this article.  I am tired of "older" people assuming "students" are just under-educated whenever their responses or beliefs do not match those of the older society.  Maybe there are things we can learn from each other.


these are not editorialized because I am covering my eyes and/or too busy ruining children's lives to read (ugh):
New Dept of Ed Secretary
Where will Spanish, the language, go with all the English being infused?
New LA County Sup

NRU not April Fool's

The way chocolate cake should be enjoyed

Sometimes life collides with intentions.  I started a new gig and spent a good part of the last few weeks seriously job hunting.  As a result, my news reading is lagging.  And there is just not very much *good* news, so I am less inclined to spend my precious little free time reading sad/frustrating/outrageous stories.  So instead of a real round up, here are the links to the articles I would be reading if I only had 3 more hours in each day.  Though, truthfully, if I really had an extra three hours, I would be seriously torn between reading these articles and SLEEPING!

This is a hodge podge of the stories I thought might be fun, interesting, potentially uplifting -- and the some political news I can't seem to look away from.

Parrots -- more than a pretty face

Dog not actually lost at sea finds a way home.

How the train wreck was happening right in front of them, and no one did a thing ... and now they are court martialling him.  Ugh

The story of a burger joint in Compton -- women's history month alert ;)

Puerto Ricans and the vote

NRU Education

So, putting these here, not sure I can stand to read them... some I have read, and cringed.  Uyyy...

New LA superintendent is calling for a truce with charter schools... obviously this plea is aimed at the teachers' union ... I guess it doesn't matter if I show my bias because ya'll know how I feel already, but, really?!  In my opinion, and no it ain't humble, the charter schools in LA are like Netanyahu and can not be trusted not to blow up a school during a so-called truce.  Glad I am not in that negotiation meeting.

Harvard's bold plan to reform K-12 (yawn and eye roll), no, I have not read it.

A principal's meeting with a former student in the elevator, also have not read it yet, but I am considering it.

short but sweet but hoping to have a *real* post tomorrow or Wednesday ;)

NRU super mish mash

Too many of these have been open on my desk top, so some will make it here with minimal to no commentary -- but you will get the sense of what has caught my eye, at least...

This story, hard as it is to get through, is a fascinating look at the inside of an investigation -- both from the perspective of the detectives as well as the victims (though less so here).  It is also the companion piece to This American Life's episode (I haven't listened to it yet).

One of the many and varied jobs I had involved reading death certificates, and it was fascinating. So not hard to see why I would be interested in an article about what you can find in these.

Justice delayed and/or justice denied ... Guatemala's female war victims getting their day in court finally... what will become of Bill?

Uh oh ... P-22 apparently knows how to get into and out of enclosures at the LA Zoo and made a snack out of a koala... and some stupid councilman is suggesting P-22 be relocated.  I am not really the animal rights take priority person, but in this case, P-22 is not in the wrong.  The zoo officials admit as much but let politicians get their hands on this and it will not be good for our roguish, handsome cougar.  I love that guy so much!

In the ridiculousness corner I will put all the naked selfies (please no more, save it for your significant others, the ones you live with not the ones you tweet with - please), I put the ruckus over a Vanity Fair cover.  Really?! You know Donald Trump is about to become the GOP presidential candidate, and it is large measure because you are paying attention to this shit.

To commemorate her life (?), someone drug up an old piece Harper Lee wrote on love and published in Vogue in the 60s.  Here it is for you with love (of course).  If you need more love, here is something from the NYTimes (that is your beware it will be long message) about what women get from friends that they don't get from significant others...lastly, on the issue of love, a new series set in LA titled LOVE.

The rest still open on my desktop will just have to wait til next week... cover letters and resume edits and and and

NRU the unexplained...

Don't ask where these came from ... I have been opening posts from fb again.  Not always the safest choice, but I enjoyed these.

This pieces is about near death experiences... and claims to relate to the oldest reported event.  Hard to gauge if this is really the earliest in the world, just in this person's experience.  Still interesting... and TNT what happened to that series I was watching?

Witches and women ... what is the deal? This piece tries to explain, if not untangle, the was history weaves women and witches...as it reviews the movie, The Witch.

How Catherine de Medici Made Gloves Laced with Poison Fashionable -- um, does this headline even need commentary??

Ok... my favorite author is doing research on Dorset and stumbled on this, plenty of unexplained goodness going on there.

NRU The Kitchen Sink

The usual suspects
on homelessness and tone deafness:
Los Angeles, like San Francisco now and New York before it, is waging an unneeded and cruel war on the homeless (again).  Here is the latest missive on their tactics.  I can barely stomach to read them, but it is important as citizens to keep an eye on the policies we unleash on the least protected, most vulnerable in our societies.  I was so sad to see that piece after I had opened this one to read and found this other one to read.  In the first short piece, there is not just empathy, and that power of connecting with source energy of others, but hope.  Hope that simple gestures of respect and honor can help people to regain and reclaim their humanity.  What a gift!  And in the second, which I realized after I opened, I had already read and probably shared last month, is another way for people with significant resources and skill to connect with those in need.  Hope, again, all dashed when you see the city taking away the pieces of dignity so lovingly and with empathy bestowed on those without homes.  Ugh.  Utterly heartbreaking.

political corner:
During a contentious political season such as this, it is incumbent on citizens to become knowledgeable about the issues being discussed by candidates. Therefore as the GOP candidates continue to rail against immigrants, particularly those undocumented, these are some facts that need to be investigated and weighed against the policies espoused by these candidates:
"'Undocumented immigrants, like everyone else in the United States, pay sales taxes. And they also pay property taxes—even if they rent. Plus, as ITEP points out, “the best evidence suggests that at least 50 percent of undocumented immigrant households currently file income tax returns using Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITINs), and many who do not file income tax returns still have taxes deducted from their paychecks.' In sum, according to ITEP, 'undocumented immigrants living in the United States pay billions of dollars each year in state and local taxes. Further, these tax contributions would increase significantly if all undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States were granted a pathway to citizenship as part of a comprehensive immigration reform.'"

I searched in vain for "good" news or even "silver lining" news -- maybe it is just me and I am feeling gloomy, or maybe it is all bad news, I don't know.  But in lieu of good or not so bad news, instead, I am going to give you travel porn.  You are welcome.  If you clicked and didn't see the bodies you expected on the beach, sorry, you must not have met me.  You are lucky it wasn't the ten best cemeteries to travel to in the world, that is my ultimate travel porn.

Non-Mainstream Media
I am not always sure why we need outlets like Medium of TheMighty.  Aren’t there already myriad ways for people to publish their writings? Then, you read something like this.  And the need for an alternative media source that compiles/publishes “the other side” of stories becomes readily apparent. When I wrote I am not always sure why we need Medium it was not meant to imply that what they offer is not of substance, useful and often compelling.  It is just that I am not always sure why these voices are not present in our mainstream media.  This article itself is demonstrative proof of the need for *alternative* outlets.  I cringe when I write that … our media should always contain a variety of voices, viewpoints and opinions.  These are the days I am glad we have the internet.

This is a letter a mother writes to herself on the day she receives the official diagnosis her son is autistic.  I won’t belabor the point.  This kind of *reporting* is not full of references to clinical studies or long treatises on the history of treatments or government regulations or school level interventions.  This is the kind of real deal information that mothers and fathers who are worried about their children need to know.  Thank you to the internet, again, for providing the means to disseminate this info.  Oh, and, of course, thank you to the parents who are willing to share of themselves.  Your ability to be vulnerable and strong, open and fierce, loving and disciplined is greatly appreciated.

NRU Education, again, I can't help myself!

Every day, I say, I won't read pieces on education.  Sometimes I use my online retail therapy approach for poor people: put items in cart, close browser window before buying (sometimes I go all the way through to the cart for fun).  In this instance, open articles I want to read, leave them open in browser until I can stand to close the tab.

These stayed open to long and I read them, oops..

Stumbled upon this piece on resiliency, so interesting ... and deserving of more research.  My research feelers go crazy for this stuff.  I need to figure out how to get my research on without it feeling like phantom limb pain.

I found someone on fb that seems to specialize in occupational therapy aimed at children/youth/adults with developmental disabilities including autism and adhd [I will not go down the rabbit hole of how I feel about adhd diagnoses or diagnoses in general].  I have been gorging on the articles he posts.  Some I will store here for future reference, some I have already closed.  I am brewing, stewing, considering potential new careers (more on this soon or later, why make promises I can't keep, might not keep), and these articles are providing fodder for lingering thought.

Not sure if this is really education, it is in the sense of the word educacion in Spanish it is.  How do we talk to our kids about race? Is there one way to do it?? Here is one fairly facile version.  The reality is that talking about difference, in general, is more complicated ... and changes with the age(s) of your child.  For sure, it is important to engage as often as necessary and appropriate and to "normalize" these kinds of conversations so your kids will know it is alright to come to you with questions, quandaries and uncertainty.

These are the ones that I really wanted to read, but decided it would be too much heart ache ... so, without any editorial remarks:
Teaching not for Introverts (subtitle: why introvert teachers are burning out)
LAUSD's Miracle ... 
Here's one about a lawsuit regarding special ed in Pasadena, I may just read this someday, but right now it hits a little too close to home.
Apparently the charter school miracle is getting exposed.  Even though I predicted this ... I still can't bring myself to read it just now.

Just haven't gotten to these but I will read them, soon:  Washington Posts' What Parents and teachers don't know but need to understand about ADHD, part 1 and part 2.

[It the links don't die, I guess I can come back and read them if I get over my own burnout.]

NRU more mishmash

This one is old, from 2013, but it just popped up, somehow, on fb and I adored it.  So, I am sharing. It is the story of a couple who collected art on their civil servant pay for 40 or so years.  Maybe longer.  I am not sure what part of the story I love more:  that they were frugal but able to spend on what they loved; or that they became so intimate with the art community in part because of their pure love of art.  This is a love story on many levels.

These articles are burning a hole in my browser, but I cannot actually bear to read them.  I keep imagining I will have such a good day that reading sad, disturbing stories won't bother me.  And what counts as sad and disturbing one day can be just fine another day, so don't worry if the stories above and below seem exactly the same sadness and disturbing ...  without editorial remarks I leave them here, you may read and report.  I may get the courage to read if the links don't die:

Why the Deaths of Latinos at the Hands of the Police Haven't Drawn as much Attention ... and what would a day without Latinos look like (redux and WI addition, who knew?!). 

So many political articles, what with the crazies running for president and the justice from hell dying ... these are not necessarily the two best articles, but they are the ones that were the last open in my browser. 

For some international flare on the political scene, I offer you an article about Bolivia's president and his "love scandal." I guess it's good to know that we are not the only ones talking about what is not important.  It is far more pressing for the Bolivian people to talk about what it would mean to lift restrictions on a fourth term.  I don't know what is right for them, as a people or a country, perhaps pretend democracy is better than real democracy (who has that anyway?!) at this time.  But I am pretty sure that this scandal is not what matters.  And as to whether or not he is handling the "truth" and his affair in a particularly good or bad way, well that has nothing to do with whether or not the people of Bolivia should sanction dictatorship with electoral reforms and elections in general.

NRU more mishy and mashy

Ok, so this will be some "old" news and some more "current" events because it turns out I had more articles I was hording but not ready to write about for the last mishmash.

If you are in LA or its environs during the heat wave, this sounds like a great way to spend the day -- reading and pedaling on the water: a floating library in the middle of a "lake!"

This is the story of the cab driver who unwittingly picked up three fugitives who had just broken out of jail.  It is really stranger than fiction.

Continuing with the theme of "you wouldn't believe it unless it was in a novel" is a story about the death of two prominent citizens in NJ ...I won't tell you more except the cops think one thing and the family doesn't see how it could be possible.

It is so interesting when "friending" someone that you don't really know on fb can lead to stories you want to read and share.  The writer of this piece on having difficult conversations with loved ones about death is the candidate for whom my friend works.  I would never have seen this if I hadn't "liked" his page for my friend's sake of getting the candidate more likes!

NRU education edition

Really, I keep saying I am not going to do this, and then I can't help myself.

These are the articles that stayed open on my browser until I just had to share them.  Hope you enjoy.

Wow ... if you want to be inspired, read about this teacher.  There are many others out there, but we like to focus on the "bad apples."  I love everything about this teacher ... and I hope others are inspired to bring their magic to classrooms everywhere.

Starting strong down the proactive, positive, inspiring work and staying in that lane.  This NY Times article describes a thoughtful program in Oakland to help Black boys achieve greater heights in education.  I sure wish them well -- and lots of strength and staying power because it takes time to build up when you are starting so far behind 0.  These boys deserve this kind of truly thorough, meticulous and empathetic approach to inspiring excellence.

This is the beginning of an interesting series on how to work the Four Agreements with middle school girls.  I love this book and applaud this woman's efforts.  This piece specifically deals with the first agreement: Be impeccable with your word. This one is for the second agreement: Don't take anything personally.  Stay tuned for the last two ... that is check back with Christina's blog for those other two.

This is a beautiful (and succinct) piece on autism from someone who has autism.  His five things you should know could not be expressed in a more open or striking way.  Everyone should read this -- but parents especially should take his words to heart.  Excellent empowerment...

Ok, so you knew this happy happy could not last on a news round up about education, right?  So, this piece is about how young Latinos don't see themselves in books and why that matters.  Short synopsis -- it matters! 

I'm gonna call it here even though I am sure more stuff will pop up ... this is a lot to digest in one take and I am pleased with the upbeat perspective.  Let's try to have a week filled with this approach to life and challenges.

NRU super mish mash

Since it was Mardi Gras today, I had super nachos for lunch.  I know, not on my diet.  But, hey if you can't eat fatty food on fat Tuesday, when can you??  And no, I will not be giving any food products up for Lent.  The Pope said not to...

I sure hope it is true that folks will start to rethink their war on rats.  I know lots of folks think rats are nasty.  There are some good reasons to hate on them.  Though, to be fair, they are not to blame for most of what we find questionable in their living habits.  They are not making lifestyle choices.  Sure, they played a part, unwittingly, in the black plague.  But, our lifestyle choices are killing and maiming so many animals up the food chain.  Refrain from poison - please - find another way. Plus - family link, Dos Vientos was one of my mom's childhood stomping grounds.

I am sad to not be closer to the ocean for daily walks during these summer like winter days ... but glad to not have to meet up with the underweight sea lions.  It is so very sad ... and our complicity in this tragedy makes me feel angry, outraged, helpless and guilty all at the same time.  If you can look in this little one's eyes and not see the reality of global warming, then your connection to reality is much more tenuous than previously believed.  Sending the padded wagon for you now.

If you have never been to the desert (here's a guide) in the spring time, this might be the year to venture out.  I swear everything in the desert is magnified ... and wildflowers are no exception.  Maybe that is why the hummingbirds were so happy in Albuquerque.

Are you an aspiring writer?  Well, if you said, "YES!" here is one for you. Ursula LeGuin, besides being an inspiring human being and incredible writer, is also an awesome community member.  She is offering a free online writing course.  You're welcome!

If writing is not what you need, but the opportunity to "manifest your succulent wild life," SARK (google her for yourself, I can't do it all for you!) is offering another free e-course.  Again, you are welcome... and enjoy!

Black History Month Corner
28 kick ass women you should know about, if you don't already...
The everyday practice of Black girl accountability
Not leaving out the boys, but ugh: Teaching the ongoing murder of Black boys... 
Wow ... Paul Revere Williams, architect.  If you have ever flown in or out of LAX, you have seen his amazing work.

Ok... so it turns out I have been hording a lot of articles. 

NRU education

I am a news junky, and no matter how much I try to tell myself to look away when I see the education posts, I can't.

This one caught my eye, in part because it was unfinished, and in part because these are the conversations more stakeholders need to be in on.  I am glad students' voices are trying to be included, albeit somewhat to very coached.  But we need more teacher, parent and neighbor voices included too.

Apparently there is some good news to come out of the new ESSA .... states *can* choose to evaluate teachers with something other than test scores.  Let's not go crazy celebrating.  It still leaves the decision up to the states.

I offer you a pediatrician's view on ADD and ADHD and why we treat it improperly because we don't truly understand it.

Um... this guy is making a case for why TFA is really a glorified temp agency.  I am giggling and eating popcorn while eating this one.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Here's a little more on the autism spectrum ... and I am still working on this one, so I can't say more than that.

NRU mishy and mashy

This piece will be in the inaugural displays at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.  What a beautiful and heartbreaking piece of a story; that it has remained intact since sometime in the 1850s is a testament to the strength, resilience and heart those slaves passed on to their children.  All legacies have their bitter and their sweet.

It must be the day for sweet stories that break your heart or renew your faith in humanity.  Here's one that speaks to the essence of love ... it is not easy or predictable, but there it is.

If you didn't tune into Obama's last State of the Union, please take a minute to read it.  It was a week for political rhetoric ... I tried to watch the GOP Debate without alcohol and a score board, and it was agonizing.  Two hours in with no visible end in sight, I baled.  Here is the NPR fact check which is actually all you really need to know. 

Ms. Mora's courage to tell her viejitos the "secret" of how she got to their small town in Montana helped them bring their conversation on illegal immigration down to earth. Thank goodness for people talking to each other rather than at each other.

"This isn't to say they've changed their minds about illegal immigration. But it's just not part of the conversation at Los Koritas now. Warner too has moved on from the topic. Yeni is still Yeni to him.

Mora said she just wishes that, when it comes to illegal immigration, "they didn't see me as the exception. There are many like me across the nation. We had to come illegally. There was no other way.'"

Turns out all you need to be a winner in the lottery (at least in your own mind) is some good photoshopping skills. 

So, while I applaud CalTech taking the complaints seriously (but really after UC Berkeley bungling it not too long ago, it would not have been good form for CalTech to follow Cal's lead), I am not sure that one year off without pay while not allowed on campus and "supervised visits" is really the right sanction for sexual harassment.  Sadly, if he was caught this time, he has likely done it many times and will continue to do so.  At what point will his livelihood actually be threatened by his unlawful activity? The people who have come forward to charge him have already put their own livelihoods on the line for the sake of those who might come after them.

NRU splash before crash

In the news roundup, there are far too often gloomy tales.  I am feeling under the weather, but the sun is shining for the first time in days (not complaining, just explaining), so I decided this should be the first article in NRU:
It is a great piece about a blog called Chinatown Pretty and an exhibit of its photos.  This was one of my favorite lines:

“Purple is really big in Chinatown,” Luu says. “Sometimes people wear four shades in one outfit. There’s a lot of cane fashion, too, like floral walking canes. Men usually wear monochromatic outfits. You see lots of baseball caps and sneakers — borderline hip hop fashion.”

A fairly balanced (read they did try to show both sides) read on Emeryville's raise in the minimum wage, but decidedly on the side of the workers.  It is The Nation after all.  But a good read, especially for those who will likely never read it, because it explains the reality of who is a minimum wage earner, and how even $15 is sometimes barely break even. 

Some *other* perspectives on Making of a Murderer -- there are lots of haters out there, and I wonder how much of the hateration is coming from lobbying in the law enforcement/prosecution bunch.  Lobbying is every where ... and this documentary, however flawed you may think it is, provides a view into our *justice* system that we just don't frequently get.  What I found most compelling was not whether Avery was a good guy/guilty/innocent, but rather his family's treatment by law enforcement.  I also fell hard for his parents who stalwartly stand by his side. 

I have had this one open in my browser for a while ... waiting to see if I had the emotional strength to read it. And, after reading it, all I can say is "wow." I think this doc has an interesting way of breaking things down, in a world where we want to be able to claim knowledge we don't have in order to prop up a position we know is simply our own ideas.  I like this line particularly because it reminds us of our ability to control (with our vote) the tiniest piece of this from a rational standpoint.

"People high in healthy narcissism (link is external) inspire without undermining. They lead with conviction not cruelty. They bring out the best (link is external), not the worst, in the people around them. That's who we need leading the nation."

In fact, I think this piece is rather complimentery to the voters, it says, you have what it takes to make reasoned decisions.

NRU -- mish mash and happy new year (RANTING)

I should be posting this somewhere useful (and/or sending it to the people I think need to read this), but instead, I will memorialize it here. Save money for your child's college education (NOW, not later), stop imagining they will live in a world where they will NOT need post secondary education, stop buying toys, SAVE MONEY NOW!  Tuition will not be going down anytime soon or in the foreseeable future.

Okay, stepping down from that particular soapbox, and not making any promises for that which will follow.

I binge-watched the new netflix series, Making a Murderer, and it was truly disturbing, horrifying even.  I could not look away and I had nightmares.  We cherish our justice system without regard to its many, many failings.  When it is used for revenge, which it frequently is, we shrug our shoulders because we imagine those who are accused are guilty, and, therefore, somehow less deserving of the *justice* we think our system allows for the *not* guilty.  However, as I have written before, our system for meting out justice is far from perfect.  Flawed does not begin to cover what is wrong with it ... and race is not our only problem, though it is a glaring pimple on the wart on the tumor that is the underlying bias/power problem inherent in the system.  This piece is the one that finally brought me to write about this (again) even though I have been having nightmares about the series.  Ms. Cummins' description of the troubles and the context give another insight into the issues.  [I wish her family as much peace as possible as they await the twists and turns in their case. Clearly the victims and their families are some of the greatest losers in this system, but that is for another rant.] Lest there be any misunderstanding, the subtext to the netflix series is "white people are not immune to the perils of our justice system."  There, I said it!

And for something not lighter, but different ... this is a series about Latinos converting to Islam.  I am not a fan of finding yourself through religion, but I gotta say that I respect the tenacity with which these folks embrace their faith.  If you are going to base your life on religious teachings, it seems the least you could do is learn about them from the source, as in reading the books... and then practice the teachings.  What a world we would have if all the religious folks, of all stripes, spent more time in their good books and trying to live as their prophets/gods/gurus told them...

There are other ways to improve oneself ... a friend sent me this to help me keep perspective as I navigate the life changes.

Perhaps I should reread Emma in an attempt to find patience with my parents and their aging.  For now, I have chosen to move away, not too far, but far enough that I am not *responsible* for keeping their heads above water.  For the time being, it is the right thing, but I fear this is a temporary respite in what could well be a long ordeal ... so, as I said, perhaps Emma and other Austen novels are in my future.  I did read Emma once, but I haven't read any of the others, perhaps there was a reason I never indulged before.