"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Sunday Salon, Black Lives Matter Edition



Weather: Cool with sun breaks and light showers throughout the day (light showers with the five-minute exception for a downpour of rain and hail earlier this afternoon).

Black Lives Matter: With the events of this week I want to deviate from my typical Sunday Salon and post items I have found that I think advance the conversations we need to be having about social justice and Black Lives Matter. I have a lot of links which, if you follow them all, will probably lead you down a lot of rabbit-holes. I hope you take the time to at least follow a few of them and then find a friend or family member with whom you can talk about what you read.

It is okay to grow and change as we learn new information. Here is a good place to start:
All four living former Presidents speak out about the actions taken by Trump in the wake of the George Floyd protests: Carter, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. It couldn't be clearer that the current President is on the wrong path. New York Intelligencer, June 3rd, 2020.

In his video (on the linked page referenced above) Obama mentions a 12-year-old boy singing about how hard it is to be a black boy. Here is that video:


In a surprising twist of events, the NFL and other sports teams are doing an about-face on the issue of Black Lives Matter:


My own way of fighting for equality---with literature. This week I created the beginnings of a list of books to advance the discussion about social justice and equality in our country. I hope you will click this link and visit my list and give me suggested book titles if you know of others. Otherwise, just make a comment to let me know that you saw it. Also, feel free to share this list widely. I know that reading helps us expand our minds. We can change as we learn new information.


White supremacists attempted to get a hashtag #whitelivesmatter trending on Twitter. But K-Pop fans were way ahead of them. Every time that hashtags was clicked it would take the viewer to a message like the one below making fun of white supremacists, calling them clowns and racists. It was the most fun thing on Twitter this week. Clever K-Pop fans beat the system!


We can do better, we can be better:

It feels like things are different this time. Maybe we are on the precipice of a new day? I hope so. Take a musical break here. "What's Going On"/Playing for Change.


And now for a little bit about politics:

This sign has become popular in a community in Florida. People are abandoning Trump left and right.

This week's polls have been devastating to Trump with a disapproval rating of 54%, the highest of any President.

And anti-Trump groups are creating ads which are devastating to Trump and his re-election campaign. It isn't just Democrats who want him out. Will other Republicans start to jump ship soon?

George Will, a conservative columnist, says "Trump must be removed. So must his congressional enablers." (Washington Post, June 1, 2020) We must not only remove the President by voting him out of office, but also retake the Senate.



Remember coronavirus? It is still out there and I still have a few funny/thought-provoking memes to share:

Books and reading:
  • Currently reading
    • Silkworm by Robert Galbriath. I can't "attend" to heavy books right now so I started this second book in the Cormoran Strike series just last night. E-book. 1%.
  • Recently abandoned
    • The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming. This book is getting book reviews but I cannot make myself care about what happened to this man so many years ago. I am setting it aside for now but maybe forever. 15% complete. E-book.
    • Children of Virtue and Vengeance by  Tomi Adeyemi. The second book in the Legacy of Orisha series. I liked the first book a lot. It was based on Nigerian folktales and myths. It has just been too long since I read the first book and I cannot remember anything to help me get started on this second book. I am removing this one from my TBR pile and will be done with it. 10% completed. Audio.
  • Finished this week
    • The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. A timely reading selection about slavery and the underground railroad. Excellent. Audiobook.
    • Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight fro Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh. Another timely read. This is a children's book and I got it free from Kindle. See if you can, too. E-book.
    • So Big by Edna Ferber. I read this for the Classic Club spin. It was written in 1924 and won the Pulitzer. I liked it for the fact I got to see a slice of life from the beginning of the last century, otherwise I wasn't that impressed. E-book.
Required cat photo? This week I was only inspired by one of my daughter's shots of her boys, Fred and George. In it you see Fred not quite relaxing on his cat play structure. What a goofball cat.


We did get away from all the craziness for a lovely hike this past Wednesday: We hiked the Greenwater Lakes Trail which is located on the Western slope of the Cascades about an hour from here. It was a lovely day--not too warm or buggy.


I close this week with a collage of flowers blooming in my garden right now. The yard is lovely this time of year and so peaceful. All these photos were taken on one day, June 4th.


-Anne

28 comments:

  1. I'm enjoying the Coates' book, but also have some mysteries to read. (brain vacation) ONLY 54% disapprove of Trump? It seems like it should be 70 or 80%. I'm glad that all those retired generals(most of them Republicans) are speaking out. I'm hoping that we MIGHT make things better this time.

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    1. But it is over 50% which should equal to him not getting reelected.

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  2. What a great, inspirational post! I'm so praying for change and for things to get better.

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  3. Oh, I didn't know about Kpop fans beating the system. Thanks for sharing that!
    I'm going to check out your literature list next, it's my way of fighting for equality as well!

    Haha, I like the last meme!

    Stay safe and stay well!

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  4. Lovely hikes and walks always do the trick for me. Have a good week.

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  5. A great inspirational post! I have shared the top cartoon on my FB page, as I'd seen several responses about 'all lives matter' and thought it was a really good, non-aggressive way to explain to those who might be genuinely ignorant of how offensive that stance is in these circumstances. It was heartbreaking to hear that lovely young lad singing of his yearning to be allowed to grow up and live...

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    1. I snagged the first meme off Facebook. I think it is very helpful to the idea of changing the way we think.

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  6. So many messages to ponder. The books look so timely, too. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

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  7. Great post! Thanks for sharing all those messages and links.

    I'm reading through the March graphic memoir and while it was about events, almost 60 years ago, I felt a sense of deja vu throughout. Sometimes, it felt as if it was about events from this decade.

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    1. Yes. We don't seem to make any progress. So sad and frustrating.

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  8. Thanks for your wonderful post, so full of important points AND humor!! Loving it

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  9. Thank you for sharing these. I love that first graphic- it breaks down that whole argument so succinctly and well. So many people need to see that! And honestly I love "Any Functioning Adult". It made me laugh but it's so true as well.

    Lovely pictures!

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    1. I have to memorize the things to say when people say "All Lives Matter". It isn't defensive.

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  10. There is so much going on in the world right now, and so much of it heartbreaking. Thanks for such a thoughtful posts.

    As a non American, I can only hope that those anti-Trump poll numbers do lead to him not being re-elected.

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  11. Lots of good information in this post! Thank you for sharing it. I had no idea the NFL had shifted its position! And the fact that anti-lynching legislation is not just passed through no problem - what the heck! That is insane.

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  12. Such a wonderful, hopeful piece. I especially love the cartoon in which Black Lives Matter is compared to Save the Rainforest. That's a strong and helpful analogy. You have included excellent links, thoughts, ideas. I will be happy to share your excellent post with others.

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  13. Cute cat, looks like a great place to take a hike, beautiful flowers!

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  14. Quite a good version of What's Going On. I also think that 12 year old boy has a singing career ahead of him, wow. We can't get complacent in beating Trump ... I know he's going to "try" something illegal ... we got to keep turning the tide against him ... enjoy your week.

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  15. Great Sunday post with lots to think about. I'm glad you still included positive and humor as there is so much negative and stress right now, we need a balance. For the first time, I have hope that Biden may win the election.

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  16. What a beautiful post Anne. My daughter has 2 girls 6 and 8 and in their town people gathered and too to their knee for 8 min 49 seconds to remember George Floyd. The girls asked what they were doing and when my daughter explained, the 8 year old didn't understand why people would be treated differently based on the color of their skin. The 6 year old asked if he had children and who would take care of the kids since bad people killed him? Such innocence. There are some beautiful books out there to help young children better understand. Children aren't born racist!

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    1. Such a sweet, moving story about your grandkids.You are right. Kids aren't born racists.

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  17. BTW - Loved your flowers and cat photo 9He is a big boy).

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  18. Thanks for visiting me. This a great post, full of informative links.
    Protests here, but peaceful.

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  19. we just had a storm blow through but now the sun is shining. i love your kitty pic. :-) and the beautiful flowers.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  20. This is such an amazing post, Anne. Thank you for sharing. I have clicked on some of your links and plan to visit the others when I have more time. Of course you know I took special interest in your list of books, which I plan to revisit frequently. You have some great books there, a few of which are on my immediate TBR pile. I look at all the people coming together and it is inspiring. It gives me hope that real change can happen. We need some of that. I worry too though. I hope the changes promised and made last. I hope we all stay as invested in fighting this injustice stay the course even as everyone settles back into their lives.

    Love the photos. I am glad you were able to get out and go hiking. Fred is so cute! I love his pose. LOL

    Have a good week, Anne. Stay safe and well.

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