I’m grateful that renowned legal scholar Laurence Tribe linked on Twitter to the article I discuss below--though now that I've completed this post, I see it's all over the news! The piece is fascinating; its account of the jurors is also a shot in the arm for democracy and the rule of law at a … Continue reading “If Every Person in America Knew What We Knew, This Country Would Not Be Divided As It Is Now”
Category: Inspirational People
MLK’s Radical Message Must Not Be Lost
Photo by Tim Simons on Pexels.com This morning, I read a Dan Rather tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that resonated with me. But when I returned to copy it, the ending seemed different. The passages immediately below, I now realize, were from Rather's column written at this time last year. "I fear that … Continue reading MLK’s Radical Message Must Not Be Lost
Nancy Pelosi’s Final Press Conference–Imbued With History As She Makes Her Own
https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1606019529972322326?s=20&t=cSj4h5Nzb4D8PzU_n4k1Gw From Churchill to Zelensky…from JFK to Biden. Nancy Pelosi’s multiple attributes include both a strong sense of history and the ability to envelop the day’s events with an appropriate, memorable antecedent. I had the pleasure of watching her final weekly press conference as Speaker last Thursday morning. (The complete transcript is here.) The reporters … Continue reading Nancy Pelosi’s Final Press Conference–Imbued With History As She Makes Her Own
Reading My Friend Peter’s SNAFU Letter at Christmas Time: A Reblog Prompted by a Stranger’s Final Twitter Message
’m not terribly fond of Christmas letters, which sometimes resemble those Facebook entries in which people tell you all the details of their day, including every morsel they ingested. But there was one letter I always looked forward to receiving. It was from my friend Peter, my colleague at the continuing medical education company that was my last job before retirement. Technically, I was Peter’s “boss,” a word I loathed, as I really believed in a collaborative work environment. But with Peter, it was irrelevant: he needed no bossing. Though his position was medical editor, he possessed two masters degrees and a PhD. It was our/my great good fortune that he wound up in that office. He was brilliant.
The Giving Season In–and For–Ukraine
https://twitter.com/zelenskyyua/status/1599162627908722688?s=51&t=cTYFiiJPa9YsGqGR8dbAZQ Tweet From President ZelenskyPresident Zelensky's message evoked an emotional reaction from me. Despite the appearance of normality in his tweet, the harsh winter has begun. Its impact has been worsened by the brutal Russian attacks not only on civilians, but also on the sources of heat and electricity. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian freedom fighters are … Continue reading The Giving Season In–and For–Ukraine
Lizzo and the Magic Flute: Why This Story Matters…
Photo from the Library of Congress If you’re one of the handful of pop culture luddites like me who were unfamiliar with Lizzo, I offer a brief introduction. She’s a 34-year-old internationally renowned singer, songwriter, rapper, Grammy winner, and oh-by-the-way, classically trained flutist. She might also be called, and I don’t think she’d mind, a … Continue reading Lizzo and the Magic Flute: Why This Story Matters…
“Bright April” and the Librarian of Congress–and All We Must Protect
This is a story about a young girl who saw herself in a picture book for the first time—and went on to great prominence in our nation. It’s a story of the power of books, libraries, and librarians—and, by extension, the perverse acknowledgment of that power in the attempts to block it by a growing … Continue reading “Bright April” and the Librarian of Congress–and All We Must Protect
The Capitol Police Gave Their All
In Honor of Caroline Edwards, Witness at the January 6th Committee's First Public Hearing, and Her Colleagues
A Great American’s Final Warning to Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtDgkjdJpuI Madeleine Korbel Albright, our nation’s first woman Secretary of State, knew authoritarianism up close and so very personal. Born in Czechoslovakia, she arrived in the US—on the ship SS America—with her diplomat father and family when she was eleven years old. At that young age, she’d already survived the Nazis' blitz of London and … Continue reading A Great American’s Final Warning to Us
A Few Truly Special Jackie Robinson Stories
Whenever I see an essay bearing Doug Glanville's byline, I know I should set aside the time to read and savor it. I've written about Glanville several times and carried one of his pieces here and a video here. A friend of my older daughter's since childhood, he is an extraordinarily gifted person: former baseball … Continue reading A Few Truly Special Jackie Robinson Stories
Fame and Adversity, Love and Grace
I'm not one to look to entertainers for personal heroism. And I'm certainly aware that the made-for-public-consumption exteriors often hide some fairly unpleasant human beings. But I've long found musician Jon Batiste--a jazz pianist best known as the "Stay Human" band leader for Stephen Colbert's program--to be an extremely appealing guy: upbeat and open, seemingly … Continue reading Fame and Adversity, Love and Grace
The Heroic Zelensky in Happier Times
https://twitter.com/VeraMBergen/status/1498814410911006723?s=20&t=Dk0uqy0THzs3KICGmMekuw The Ukraine President when he was just playing one on TV. This is a clip from "Servant of the People," the TV show starring Volodymyr Zelensky in which he portrayed a teacher who was elected President of Ukraine after a video of him as a corruption fighter in the show went viral. His performance … Continue reading The Heroic Zelensky in Happier Times
“We Heed This Old Spirit In A New Day’s Lyric”
Pondering how to approach the New Year with the shadow of January 6th lingering, I derive inspiration from the young poet we met at President Biden's inauguration: Amanda Gorman.
A Lovely Blogging Tradition Continues…
Appreciation and special recognition for a fine blogging tradition: from its originator to the current keeper of the flame.
Yep, We Need to “Rattle the Windows,” For Sure
This extraordinary woman has become a superb advocate for working poor people. Her message and efforts are important for us all.
So My Anthropomorphism Wasn’t Totally Off Base!
I'm learning "Lessons from Plants" just as we welcome ten new residents from this amazing world into our backyard.
“Space Rocks”–Indeed!
Some people are amazingly good at a great many things. Brian May, founder of the rock group Queen, is also an astrophysicist and inventor. I found an interview with him fascinating.
FROM M*A*S*H TO SCIENCE COMMUNICATION WHISPERER: THE VERSATILE AND HUMANE ALAN ALDA
Alan Alda, invariably remembered as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV show M*A*S*H, has had an extraordinarily diverse career. He recently received a very special award. I link to the award presentation video and tell you some of the highlights of this remarkable man's achievements.
“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things…”
The extraordinary Heather McGhee, author of a new book, The Sum of Us, describes how racism hurts white people as well as Black Americans, and how we can work to change the dynamic for the good of us all.
“Gumbo Diplomacy”
As we near the end of this year’s commemoration of Black History Month, it seems appropriate to pay tribute to a woman whose life story is that of a Black American girl who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to a place of honor and influence in our country. I hope you’ll spend 10 minutes watching this TedTalk video of Linda Thomas-Greenfield, our newly appointed ambassador to the United Nations, as she describes overcoming adversity and being strengthened by it--with compassion, kindness, and a smile.
Who Was Jon Swift?
No—I’m not referring familiarly to the Gulliver’s Travels guy here. This Jon Swift, I’ve learned recently, was a legendary figure in the blogosphere. There’s a connection between the two, of course. But I’m getting ahead of myself. In early December, I received an email from a man name Batocchio, with a lovely invitation. Would I be interested in submitting my favorite post from my blog to The 2020 Jon Swift Roundup: “The Best Posts of the Year, Chosen by the Bloggers Themselves”?
Letter to a Dying Friend
My husband and I lost a decades-long, treasured friend in October, nearly two months after we first learned that he’d been hospitalized with a dire combination of heart, lung, and kidney failure. We’d spoken with him when he’d been moved to a care center, and he said then that he’d had enough—no more procedures, no more indignities....But he wasn’t as ready then as he’d thought. When he came home from the care center, he had some good time with his family. He told us he was spending most of the day out of bed, walking with a walker, and that his arms and legs were getting stronger.
In Recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (With a Big Assist From a Dynamo Fellow Blogger)
My mother had bilateral mastectomies—five years apart. I vividly recall that shortly after she was first diagnosed, she called me into her room to show me the spot on her breast: no discernible lump—just a horizontal line masking the cancerous cells below. She wanted to alert me in case I ever saw something similar on my own body. She/we were lucky: after the distressing surgeries, she needed no follow-up treatment and died at age 83 of heart failure. Many women—and some men—are not so lucky.
In the Presence of John Lewis…
Last night, Georgia Congressman John Lewis, one of my personal heroes, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 80.
It was four years ago that I attended a political rally in a church in a neighboring community. Congressman Lewis had come to town to try to help a younger candidate win a seat to join him in the House of Representatives.
The church was packed with a heartwarmingly diverse crowd: all variations on the color spectrum, differing faiths or no faith, young and old, men and women.
Wherein My Personal Blogosphere Expands Via a Fun Exchange With a Super New Acquaintance
I’ve often said that I’m one happy blogger: I love to write and to research new topics; I’m grateful for your feedback; and—this was one aspect of blogging that I hadn’t anticipated but is becoming one of the most valuable—I feel personally enriched by meeting so many extraordinary, talented people from all over the world.
The most recent is Judy Dykstra-Brown, a poet, writer, artist, and lecturer who blogs at Life Lessons. She’s a prolific blogger, posting something—sometimes several things—every day. That energy alone boggles my once-or-at-most-twice-weekly blogger mind!
Help With A Critical Endeavor: Providing Meaningful Comfort to the Sick and Dying
I have been fortunate to connect with Abigail Johnston, a dynamic woman who has selected a title for her blog that's a perfect description of her and her mission: "No Half Measures: Living Out Loud With Metastatic Breast Cancer."...
...I am pasting her most recent post, "Ring Theory," below because its approach to communicating with seriously ill people--and their loved ones--provides information that I think we all need. And, when we eventually find ourselves in the center of the ring, I believe we will all hope that those around us are similarly well-informed.
Reading My Friend Peter’s SNAFU Letter at Christmas Time
’m not terribly fond of Christmas letters, which sometimes resemble those Facebook entries in which people tell you all the details of their day, including every morsel they ingested.
But there was one letter I always looked forward to receiving. It was from my friend Peter, my colleague at the continuing medical education company that was my last job before retirement. Technically, I was Peter’s “boss,” a word I loathed, as I really believed in a collaborative work environment. But with Peter, it was irrelevant: he needed no bossing.
Though his position was medical editor, he possessed two masters degrees and a PhD. It was our/my great good fortune that he wound up in that office. He was brilliant.
“I Thought of Her as Leonardo da Vinci’s Descendant”
I’ve found, on occasion, that some of the most life-affirming experiences I’ve had have occurred at a funeral or memorial service for someone whose life has been well-lived.
I had that honor today (Sunday), attending a memorial for a 92-year-old woman whose friends’ recollections often included the phrase “Renaissance woman.”
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