"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 14, 2020

Sunday Salon, Good New Edition

Weather:
rainy and cool. Lucky it is still Spring or I'd say this is a lousy summer.

This week: my sister and Mom came up for a visit. My mother had a chance to see her sister who is currently on hospice, for two short visits. It was a blessing that they had a chance to see each other in this time of coronavirus lock-downs. It was so good to be with members of my family again!

"Get your knee off our neck" Rev. Al Sharpton at George Floyd's memorial service in Minneapolis:


This week---lots of good news!

1. Some good things are happening here and abroad since the George Floyd protests began.
  • Several cities and states are redefining policing and instituting police reforms. Minneapolis, Colorado, New York, and Louisville, KY are a few places making changes.
  • The NFL Commissioner apologizes for not getting it right on Black Lives Matter, though he did not apologize to Colin Kaepernick personally. (WaPo)
  • NASCAR has banned the use of the Confederate Flag at any of their events or on any of their sanctioned materials. (ESPN)
  • Confederate statues are finally coming down, most with little fuss. (CNN)
  • The 10 military bases named for Confederate "heroes" may be renamed. (NYT)
  • The Marines ban depictions of the confederate flag, including on bumper stickers and mugs. (CNN)


3. In a world full of hate, be a light...
 

4. #StrikeforBlackLives: Scientists went on strike this week, speaking up about anti-Black racism.


5. This isn't good news, but it is kind of funny when viewed from this angle:

6. Mt. Everest: The reduction of vehicular emission due to the #COVID19 lockdown has cleaned the air over Nepal and northern India. So much so that for the first time in many years, Mt. Everest can be seen again from Kathmandu Valley even though it is 200km away. (Photo taken about a month ago.) Photo taken by Abhushan Gautam.


7. Sesame Street hosts a town hall on racism with CNN: We can do better. We can be better.
On the hour-long special, which you can watch in its entirety for free on CNN's website, Sesame Street characters Big Bird, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Rosita, along with CNN's Van Jones and Erica Hill, joined experts to answer questions submitted by families and address the complex topic of racism in America. The start of the town hall featured Elmo's dad Louie explaining to his son why people are protesting.
8. Fact check: The Lincoln Memorial was not defaced. Images of it were manipulated and doctored for the 'Michael Knowles Show.' Don't just pass everything along, folks! Fact check first!

9. Netflix beat out the US Government to trademark the name Space Force. Ha ha! Read all about it and the hilarious tweets by fans of the show here.

10. Speaking of tweets: Isn't this one the truth? This year sure does seem like a bunch of headlines one would only expect to see in a satire source.---

11. Best protest sign I've seen. Memorize it! Live it.


“The last several months have been extraordinarily difficult, but through our individual sacrifices, people everywhere have each contributed to one of humanity’s greatest collective achievements,” Hsiang said. “I don’t think any human endeavor has ever saved so many lives in such a short period of time. There have been huge personal costs to staying home and canceling events, but the data show that each day made a profound difference. By using science and cooperating, we changed the course of history.”
13. Extraordinary ocean creatures use mucous to clear carbons and microplastics. In the weird, wonderful world God created there are even mucous monsters! See the picture of these guys below.
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A few laughs for the week:
First this...

Now this...

You know ANTIFA isn't really a group, right? Or they are a group as much as 'People who hate Raisin Bran' are a group, which proves my point. But what if... ?
We should all be worried. Very worried.


Just think what future history books will say about 2020.

Whose driving all the protests? According to one news station it is Yiddish-speaking Anarchists. What?

(Chyron editors: It's a Molotov cocktail, not Mazel Tov cocktails)

Book finished this week:
    • The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. The #2 book in the Cormoran Strike series. I really enjoyed it. Print and Audio, I would go back and forth.
  • Currently reading:
    • Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurrard. A Christian allegory. Audio.
    • The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. Considered to be book 0 of the Hunger games series. Print.
What have Fred and George been doing this week? Playing in forts (George) and with shoes (Fred), of course.

-Anne

23 comments:

  1. Love that poem at the top of your post. I'm putting that one on my mirror. :)

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    1. Me, too. I should have given credit but it has been obscured by so many shares.

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  2. I very much enjoy the Cormoran Strike series. Mazel Tov cocktail? That is crazy. No one noticed that it was wrong? It looks like this week will be better weather. My back lawn really needs mowing!

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    1. I'm ready for the third book in the series already but will finish what I'm reading now before I buy it.

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  3. This post is just what I needed today! Thanks for reminding us that there actually is some good news out there.

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    1. It is easy to focus on negative stuff these days. I am so thrilled when I run across some good news like mucous-creating sea monster who are working to clean up the ocean.

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  4. Yes, I love the fact that the earth is better since the quarantine, and that's only 2 months, imagine if we completely changed how this world functioned? You got me curious about The Silkworm. Enjoy your reading week.

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  5. Great poem and lots of good things to ponder!

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  6. I’m glad you got to spend some time with your family! I REALLY hope these protests finally change things. I’m glad that my state is reevaluating its rules about policing. I love the news stories you shared. Also, Mazel Tov cocktails? That’s both awful and hilarious. Have a good week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  7. Thanks for passing along the article on the enzyme that breaks down plastic ... I hope this will help a ton in the years ahead! My sister in SF saw a bumper sticker this week that said: BYEDON 2020 .... Get it? Bye Donald ... Biden ... wahoo! That's a good one. Hope you have a great week ahead.

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    1. I am so happy about the plastic =decaying enzyme. Thank goodness someone is going to save us from plastic.

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  8. I love that you passed along positive news. We need some at this point. I love the pic with the former presidents. Perfect! Hope you have a great week!

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    1. I know. Isn't that photo of the three Presidents great? I bet if Trump saw it he would be jealous.

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  9. I am happy to see all these changes. Nice to see them listed out like this too, since I confess there are times when I'm afraid this will fade over time and there won't be enough real change. It is heartening to see that some concrete things are already happening. And that's amazing about the pollution too!

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  10. And another great Sunday entry! Looking for good news is a smart idea in the midst of this insanity. However, for the first time, I feel we have a real shot at defeating the Trumpster in November and that really is good news.

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    1. Keeping my fingers crossed about Trump being a one-term president. An article in Politico today says the GOP likes their chances and don't think the polls are correct based on what they see in the States. Ugh. Can't let up for a minute the pressure needed to get Biden across the finish line.

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  11. What an uplifting post. I'm glad you were able to be with family a bit. I don't think I realized how much I need to be with other people until I couldn't be with them. Thank you for sharing a list of changes that are happening and for including citations for each. I'm especially glad to read the article that looks at two studies done on the positive impact of the sacrifices of so many people during this pandemic. I so long to hear these sorts of things from our leaders, a modern day "Ask not what your country can do for you" sort of appeal, the appeal of Churchill during the Blitz, appeals to our higher selves instead of our lowest, that of lies, rants, and hatred. Thank you, Anne.

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    1. I know. That researcher that said we saved millions of lives by staying at home and how we changed history. Amazing. Yet, still people think they deserve freedom over helping keep others from getting sick.

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  12. I hadn't heard about some of those changes - thanks for sharing them! Those are a great start.

    I just read the other day that our Governor (MI) saved 75,000 lives with her strict stay at home orders. 7 million people in Michigan would have gotten COVID, according to a study. That terrifies me! She has taken so much flak but I think she did a fantastic job.

    You've got a lot of great info here!

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    1. The President and his minions are sabotaging efforts by Governors to get things under control. To what end? I have no idea.

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  13. I am glad your family was able to visit and your mother got to see her sister. It's such a difficult situation for families right now. I am glad to see good changes coming from the protests, but so sad it had to come to this. And what's sad is it is still happening in the midst of all of this. But I think we all know the problems cannot be fixed overnight. Or in a week. It's going to take a long while. Hopefully the country keeps moving in the right direction.

    Love the memes you shared. I needed a good laugh. :-) I hope you have a great week!

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  14. That opening poem is so powerful, Anne! Your weekly posts lately have just been packed full of information, inspiration, and humor. Much appreciated.

    SO amazing that the air has cleared so much - I'd heard that but to see that photo is incredible!

    OMG - LOVE the PSA from Elmo's Dad! I've never seen him before - really love his hair and soul patch! lol

    Oooh, I just bought The Silkworm for my husband for Father's Day! (shhh...) So glad to hear you enjoyed it. We both liked the first book.

    And I am also reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - listening to it on audio (it's a Big Book!). I'm loving it so far - engrossing story but also, as always with Collins, thought-provoking, too. I love the perspective of Snow as a poor kid struggling.

    Thanks for all the news and entertainment - enjoy your books this week!

    Sue

    2020 Big Book Summer Challenge

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