what i’m reading: four realistic youth novels
Young-adult publishers’ mania for series, with the emphasis on fantasy, has finally ebbed. There are still plenty of fantasy series to go around, but the new crop of youth novels…
laura k
update from the land of the missing white dog
We miss Tala a lot. Of course. Need it even be said. Somehow I have gone from abject grief to poignant acceptance quicker than I expected. I have no idea…
the lost comments of wmtc
I was randomly clicking around, and for absolutely no reason, clicked on Blogger’s spam comment folder. And in that folder, I found a bunch of spam comments — and several…
tala
We must say goodbye to our sweet Tala today. At the vet yesterday, we got the worst possible news, and we know we must do this right away. I’m grateful…
down these mean streets: raymond chandler’s "the simple art of murder"
Netflix has added many older movies to its library, including several classics and modern classics. Among them I noticed “Mean Streets,” the 1973 film that put both Martin Scorsese and…
travel safety in egypt vs anywhere else in the world
When I tell people I’m going to Egypt, they are happy and excited for me. Then, almost everyone asks me if it’s safe there, and says, “Be careful.” The recent…
librarians: celebrate human rights at your library #Write4Rights
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. The date commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the first global human rights document. Every year on…
on a language adventure with mango languages
We are going to Egypt! We’re super excited about it. It’s someplace we’ve always wanted to go. In fact, it’s the only country that Allan has always wanted to see.…
before the flood: good information but ultimately a weak message
Tonight we watched “Before the Flood“, Leonardo DiCaprio’s film about climate change, which I had heard such good things about. It’s well done, and is chock full of appropriately terrifying…
fidel castro, 1926-2016
More than any ruler I can think of, Fidel Castro defies our insistence on seeing leaders as solely either good or evil. As this excellent assessment in Social Worker (UK)…
what i’m reading: welcome to the goddamn ice cube
Canadians might be disappointed to learn that Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North is not about Canada. We sometimes refer…
president trump: what didn’t just happen
Since I’m making an effort to put more of my thoughts here, I’m gathering up a bunch of my Facebook posts and responses. If we know each other on Facebook,…
11.11
Anthem for Doomed Youthby Wilfred OwenWhat passing-bells for these who die as cattle? — Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle Can patter out…
a dark and frightening day
I’ve spent the past several months reassuring my co-workers and baldly stating on Facebook that Donald Trump would not become President of the United States. The lesson for me and…
what i’m reading: the underground railroad by colson whitehead
Colson Whitehead is a literary genius. In The Underground Railroad, he has found a way to tell the story of 400-plus years of African-American oppression without delivering an awkward march…
i look forward to the day when no one wears a fitbit anymore
What did people do before Fitbit? Without their adorable little bracelets, how did they get enough exercise? Never mind that, how did they manage to live?? All those lonely, barren…
what i’m reading: born to run by bruce springsteen
This is a run-don’t-walk review. Fans of Bruce Springsteen: run to find a copy of The Boss’ memoirs, Born to Run. This book was seven years in the making, and…
it is designed to break your heart
In between my infrequent posts, the Red Sox’s postseason came and went. As Basil Fawlty says, blink and you missed it. It was a strange baseball season for Sox fans.…
war resister ryan johnson needs our help
Our friend Ryan Johnson, a war resister, is now in military prison. Ryan and his partner Jenna Johnson lived in Canada for more than 11 years. After running out of…