Today‘s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “dict.” Find a word that contains “dict” and use it in your post. Have fun!
Dictionary… Dictation…Dictator…vindictive… Going in a negative direction here. I try not to be vindictive or to write too much political stuff here. It’s obvious to me that a recent former president desperately wanted (wants?) to be a dictator. Yuck. I don’t want to write about that. What are some other words… Sigh.
Dictionary. Who still has one on a shelf? I do! Diction. I took a class in college called, Voice and Diction. That class, along with acting class, helped me get over some natural shyness and allowed me to speak clearly in front of people. Not that I want to do that now, but if there’s a good reason, it comes in handy. I’ve always had pretty good diction, but the college class gave me the ability to speak “Standard American English” if it was appropriate. Of course, it’s also good to have something relevant and true to say. Speaking from the heart is more important that diction.
It’s a good skill, speaking clearly, but not that necessary, like speaking to scammers is not necessary. It’s best not to speak to scammers at all. I made the stupid mistake of calling a number in an email that said it was from Paypal. As soon as the speaker mentioned that I had invested in bitcoin, I knew it was a mistake. I said the words “No” and “Never” very clearly. I’m not entirely sure what bitcoin is and, no, I don’t want to know.
Now I feel a bit paranoid. Sigh.
Getting back to topic of college, the first years at the community college were fun – being a big fish in a little pond and all that. Then I transferred to the university and got serious about finishing. I’ve never taken dictation, but I was good at taking notes. That was so long ago. Now, I’m retired. Yay!!! I only take notes if I feel like it or really want to remember something. If I start asking the same questions over and over again, say like 10 or 20 years from now, I’ve asked my husband to encourage me to write stuff in a notebook and carry it with me. But we’re not there yet.
Exercise is good for the brain as well as the body. After the scammer incident, I went to the Y where I recently started back with a personal trainer on Fridays, just for 30 minutes. It felt good and helped with the paranoia. Maybe exercise will help my memory and save on notebooks.
Note to self: DON’T CALL THAT NUMBER!
Sometimes we get to learn the same lessons over and over again. I will forgive myself for the mistakes and remember the lessons:
DONT CALL THAT NUMBER!
Now, move on! Find a pretty picture.
Here’s just one of my favorite Christmas ornaments from a musical friend:
David made the smaller one on the lower right from wood
It’s ridiculous how grown people argue (or worse) with abandon over political entrenchments, seeing the one who disagrees as an enemy. God, help me not do that, because it can be a slippery slope.
It’s okay to disagree as long as it’s done with respect. It’s okay to present a different perspective, as long as we are willing to listen to different perspectives. There is always some kind of common ground where we can meet each other. It might be hard to find, but it’s there. When we find our common ground, whether it’s children, music, dogs, caring, or just being human, we can begin to work together.
Thanks to Lauren for today’s #JusJoJan prompt: “ridiculous.” Just jot it January is brought to us by our host, Linda Hill. For more info, visit Linda’s post HERE.
Here’s today’s interesting stream of consciousness prompt: “least-favorite word.” Use your least-favorite word in your post. If you can’t decide on one, use a word that just really bugs you. Enjoy!
Just one word?
There are plenty of words I don’t like. Maybe I’ll figure out my least favorite if I start rambling them off.
“Unbelievable!” is one my ex boyfriend used a lot. It got on my nerves, because I could believe things that were really cool. Unbelievable would be something like the pigs flying when they are not in heaven, because pigs go to heaven just like dogs. So if you see a pig flying, I mean really flying, you might be in heaven.
Impossible. No surprises there since my blog title is “Anything is possible.” My dad told me “Nothing is impossible,” when I was 12 and it stuck.
Tirelessly. I might have written about this before. Back when I worked in a stressful job with way too much paperwork, the boss gave a big speech at a banquet and talked about how we staff had been working “tirelessly.” But I was damn tired. If someone works tirelessly, they either haven’t worked very long, or they are on too much caffeine and will eventually burn out. Or at least need a rest. We’re human. We get tired. There’s a backlash going around about glamorizing overwork. Maybe I can find the meme. Be right back….
On the other hand, there’s this thing lately about having trouble finding people to work. We saw that on a sign the other night when we went out to a restaurant and someone didn’t show up for work. The sign said,
Be nice to our servers, we are short staffed. People don’t want to work.
There must be some kind of balance. A need to treat people with respect. Expect responsibility and work, but not 50 hours a week with no overtime.
I guess I got off on a tangent.
There’s still no male component for the word, “bitch,” is there? I mean, it’s a female dog, and that’s okay, but, well you know the issue with a male who exhibits the same behavior being praised, except not by me.
I knew I was forgetting something, so went to ask David what word I don’t like. He thought for a minute, then said, “always.” Yes. How could I forget about “always,” and “never,” and “everybody.” They are rarely true. Can you think of an example where always, never, or everybody is true?
Okay, If you’re telling someone to always look both ways before crossing the street, that’s good. But saying, politicians always lie – there’s no proof of that. I mean, surely they one might tell the truth, sometimes. There are always possibly exceptions.
They say it never rains in California, but it does, sometimes, and I’m praying it rains more. A steady, but moderate rain to quench the dry earth and put out the fires.
Just for the sake of balance, here are some of my favorite words,
Possibilities
Rainbow
Bliss
Peace
Hope
Maybe
May it be……
Today’s SoCS prompt is brought to us by our host, Linda Hill. Find out more at:
Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is:
“…to your left.” When you sit down to write your post, look to your left. What is the thing closest to you? Write about the memories that thing induces. Enjoy!
To my left is my phone, quietly charging, waiting for the next spam call. Or something better. I’ve recently started getting spam texts. Nothing like in the old days, when we only got an unwanted call if we listed our female names in the phone book. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
When I was a teenager in the 70s, we had one phone for the whole family. It hung on the kitchen wall – a yellow phone on a yellow wall. Most of my phone calls with boyfriends, including my first boyfriend who much later became my husband, took place at the kitchen table. It allowed for some privacy if you didn’t talk too loud. I remember my phone number was 347-5359. Before that, when I was a young child, we had a black phone that sat on a table. They all had rotary dials that went, click, click, click. I vaguely remember having a party line which meant sharing a phone line with someone – you had to take turns, not just with your own family members, but with the other party.
“Is this the party to whom I am speaking?”
That’s what Lily Tomlin said as Ernestine on Saturday Night Live, right? Nope. It was Laugh In.
Look what I found when I went looking for Ernestine: It’s so random, just like SoCS.
Some people didn’t even have phones when I was a teenager. But they could use phone booths. In England, don’t they call them call boxes? Has anyone seen a real phone booth lately? Where have all the phone booths gone? They could be dangerous though. Back in the sixties, or fifties, well, in the olden days, there was a thing to see how many people, usually college students, you could squeeze into a phone booth. Then there was The Matrix phone booth scene. Is the Matrix really that old?
In the 70s, we didn’t have an answering machine, voice mail, caller ID, or any of that stuff. We just had to take our chances. If someone was already talking to someone else, we got a busy signal – buzz, buzz, buzz. No personal computers, no remote controls (not in my house anyway) and only three TV channels that went off the air around midnight most nights, at least in the early 70s. But it was better than the two tin cans with a string tied between them. That never worked for me. I found out just now watching this video that it didn’t work because I didn’t have the string tight enough. Finnovation demonstrates what type of “string” works best. Bright kids!
We’re never too old to learn. Just because something doesn’t work the first time, doesn’t mean it won’t work. Sometimes we just have to keep trying different ways.
Oh, and I finally got back in a kayak, making sure not to take my phone just to be safe. The first two photos are my son out on the lake in the mountains. The last one is a photo he took of me in my new kayak which is blue, green, and purple. These days, I take all my photos with my phone. In the 70s I never would’ve imagined taking photos with a phone that you carry in your pocket.
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For more streamy streams of consciousness, and the rules, visit out host, Linda Hill, here:
We have much deep healing work to do in the United States. The tension that has been building for years has revealed itself at the level that I hope it wakes us up. What might help us heal as a nation and ultimately, as a human society? Here are a few possibilities I want cultivate in my own attitudes and actions:
1. Try to state facts without exaggeration. Don’t twist facts. For example, whole cities weren’t burned down during the 2020 “riots.” Maybe whole city blocks, but not whole cities. State opinions with words like, “I think,” or “I believe….” rather than facts. It’s a fact that Joe Biden was confirmed as the next president of the US. If you believe there was voter fraud, that is an opinion that was not substantiated by the courts.
2. Be respectful. Resist the urge to resort to name calling or write things that will increase division. I can resist the urge to “like” posts on social media that reinforce division. Try to speak and write words of healing and understanding. Part of healing can be to express our feelings and grief which can include denial, fear, and anger. Can we express our feelings without tearing down those that feel and believe differently? Yes. We can. it might be a challenge, but we are writers. We can figure it out.
3. Look for common ground. We can do this as individuals, asking questions for understanding. It might simply start with a love for animals or nature, or a common hobby, but we have to start somewhere. Look for the bipartisan issues.
4. Support media stories about healing and the goodness of humanity. I know they’re hard to find, but good news happens. Encourage media to make healing a priority. Ultimately, it’s up to each individual to make healing a conscious effort, every day.
5. Find the courage to change the things we can, namely, our own attitudes and actions. Ask questions with the goal of understanding rather than debate. We can find the bridges that unite us, places where we can meet each other – sometimes in the middle, sometimes compromising at different points along the way.
For more information on healing division, visitBraver Angels.
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Today’s prompt for Just Jot January was “twisted,” so I included the word “twist.” For more on JusJoJan, visit:
Today’s prompt is “sharp.” It’s a word with many different meanings and many of those have flowed in my stream of consciousness from the time I read the prompt on my phone til the time I sat down at my laptop to write the post. It’s only been 5 minutes!
I’ll work backward, paddle upstream, or just go with the flow which is the way to go.
Sharpies are fun. They come in all different colors and sizes, and the colors are vivid! I’ve used them to draw on shells and rocks, like this:
Fun right?
Sharp usually has to do with something being able to cut well or fast, like a sharp knife. My husband tells me when he’s sharpened the knives, but I still cut my finger sometimes.
Sharp can also refer to a tone of voice. A person can be sharp tongued. Our current president of the US comes to mind. Too often. I don’t write political stuff much, but it has been on my mind a lot. Anxiety, fear, confusion…… Why is there a box around this paragraph? I didn’t put a box around this paragraph. Darn block. I have to be careful now that I don’t let that lead me into name calling. Maybe I should start a new paragraph.
There that’s better. Let’s move on. Sharp witted could be considered smart or quick thinking. 45 thinks he is quick thinking, but quick is not always correct, or accurate, or true. I would prefer someone who thinks things through carefully. You can be honest, but still be diplomatic and kind, most of the time. It might seem witty to some people to call others names, but name calling is a very childish form of communication.
My husband has a sharp mind. I don’t so much. I’m one of those slow, careful thinkers. But not always. I am careful about what I say. Except when I’m not. Then, you never know. Husband has learned to be careful with his words. He is able to be diplomatic. I like that he asks questions for the purpose of learning new things. He’s always watching how-to videos on You-tube.
David looked pretty sharp at our wedding. This December, it will be 8 years. Not a long time, but worth waiting for.
Dec. 1, 2012
I’m going to go play with sharpies, now. The pens. You know.
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For more Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda G. Hill at:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
In Saturday’s stream of consciousness, I mentioned my participation in a local BraverAngelszoom debate. Below is my three minute speech opposed to the following debate “resolution”:
“Removing statues and monuments will erase important parts of our nation’s history.”
I was one of three people speaking the “con” side of the statement. We had fewer speaking in favor of the statement. One interesting point made by an African American woman disagreeing with the statement was that relocating statues to museums would likely give more opportunity for learning and discussion by visiting school groups, etc. She also talked about subliminal messages and healing.
Braver Angels seeks to depolarize America with workshops and debates intended to foster respect and understanding. We are encouraged to say what we believe and to speak from our own experience. After each prepared speech, people can ask questions of the speaker and responses can be up to one minute. If there’s time, we have “flash speeches” and share what we learned.
This first debate by our local group went well. There was concern from some that if we start removing statues, that other statues and monuments, like the Lincoln Memorial, could also be removed. My question to this was to ask if the speaker thought some statues could be more harmful than others, and that seemed to be a point of agreement. All statues are not the same.
Now, for my speech. (Respectful responses from your own experience and feelings are welcome. )
Hello, thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening
If we remove a statue or monument, we are not erasing history. We cannot change what has already happened. History will still be available…in books, films, and on the internet. Many statues and monuments can be re-located to museums where a much of history is saved, or to private historical sites, cemeteries, or to the families of the artists who created aolstatues.
When I first read the debate resolution, I thought of the confederate statues I’ve seen in downtown Wilmington.
I’ve lived in Wilmington since 1980. All that time, I’ve felt very uncomfortable with the confederate statues glorifying men who fought for slavery. One of the things that bothers me most is the prominence of the statues. If you live anywhere near downtown, you’ve seen these statues on a regular basis. What kind of message do they send?
One example is the prominent 8-foot-tall statue of George Davis recently removed from Market Street. George Davis was the last attorney general of the confederacy. The pedestal describes George Davis with glowing words like “stainless integrity, virtue, refinement, and the true heart of chivalry in southern manhood. Is this an accurate portrayal of history? It leaves out the fact that George Davis gave a “… public speech1861 in which he argued that North Carolina should secede from the United States …. to protect (in his words) the economic interest in “chattel slavery.” Chattel slavery in which human beings are bought and sold as property.
I am deeply troubled that this man has been celebrated and honored as a hero for so many years.
When I’ve passed by this statue, and the one on third street honoring the soldiers of the confederacy, my feelings of discomfort and embarrassment linger. I want to cringe at what they represent…..
I can only imagine what black and brown citizens think and feel when they’ve passed these statues.
We need to ask ourselves, what people and ideals do we want to honor? Do we want to promote the ideals of the confederacy? Do we want to honor men who fought for slavery and the oppression of a whole race of human beings?
Or do we want to promote values of equality, equity, community, and inclusivity? ……
The statues representing confederate soldiers and statesmen have stood for many years in prominent positions in our city. But times are changing.
Maya Angelou wrote: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
It’s time now for our city to move forward, and to honor positive and inclusive ideals.
Welcome to Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Here’s the prompt:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “co-” Find a word that uses “co” as a prefix and use it in your post. Have fun!
Okay. Here we go!
Coexist, dammit!
I’m talking to everyone. If I was yelling, I’d write, COEXIST DAMMIT! Yes. I’m feeling that. This goes out to North and South Korea. And America who needs to stay out of it. Mind your own damn business. We have enough to work on right here in the USA. Plenty to clean up in our own back yard. People with different beliefs, different religions, different races, be friends if you want. It’s possible and enriching. Listen to each other without trying to change someone’s mind. Learn something new, or at least try to understand. But if you don’t want to be friends, then mind your own business and leave each other alone.
I know it might not be that simple, but is it really that hard? I don’t think so.
A few days ago, I saw a lot of people on my neighborhood on-line thing? network? whatever, who were upset about a plan to cut down a group of very old live oak trees to put up another car wash in our county. I jumped right in there, ready to do a tree sit, or at least bring my guitar and sing, “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot,” which is really titled “Big Yellow Taxi.” It’s the one song I know by heart and don’t have to look at the chords to play.
I emailed all the county commissioners and left a phone message for the county planning department. I found a lot of comments on the county Facebook page from citizens opposed to cutting down the trees and added my 2 cents.
I’m gonna have to take a picture of them (the trees) for Thursday tree love. Live oaks are the ones whose branches get really low sometimes. They are beautifully reaching out, majestic. Here’s one I took a picture of at Brookgreen Gardens where my husband proposed.
The trees that were on the chopping block for the car wash aren’t this big, but they’re beautiful and over 200 years old.
So a couple of hours after I left the message, I got a call back from the county planning office. One of the staff members said the director was meeting with the owner of the property and they are trying to find a way to save the trees. I thought that was pretty cool that I got a phone call back so soon. By the next day, there was an article in the paper that the property owner does not plan to cut down any trees. He sounded like he got the message loud and clear that a whole lotta people care about trees around here, and he wants to be a good steward. The lesson here is that a small group of committed people CAN make a difference as Margaret Mead said. And we are not such a small group.
Still, at least half of the county commissioners, how shall I say… lean heavily in favor of “developers,” and don’t really care much about trees. But the tree ordinance is going to be reviewed at the next meeting. Maybe I’ll go and wear green. Yeah, maybe I’m just an old hippie tree hugger, but there are plenty more of us, so watch out!
Getting back to, Is it really so hard to co-exist, the property owner is presenting a revised plan which will save the live oaks and still build the car wash. So, why didn’t he do that in the first place? It didn’t take long to figure out how to coexist with the trees. Maybe people who want to build stuff will figure out before it’s too late that trees give us oxygen. We depend on them.
I just realized I wasn’t minding my own business when I went to bat for the trees, except that protecting trees is my business. Protecting. Coexisting. Okay, it can get complicated. I didn’t say it was easy. But it’s not that hard. We can figure this out.
Well, I got a lot of words here so need to rap this up. Watch out for old hippie ladies with guitars and come sing along.
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Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G. Hill. For more info, visit:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
Our instructions for Stream of Consciousness Saturday are as follows:
…”instructions.” Write instructions for anything you know how to do. As detailed or as rambling as you’d like. Enjoy!
There are a lot of things I could write about. None of them are mechanical. I shy away from mechanical things. I will not write about technical things which I have forced myself to learn.
First vacations. Linda said she needs a vacation. While I’ve never taken a glamorous vacation or been on a cruise, I know how to take mini vacations, which in some ways are better because then you don’t need a vacation from your vacation. If you can’t get a week off, take a weekend. Until you can get the long vacation, take a day, or even 4 hours. Three might work, but, nah. 4 is a minimum. That might not seem like a vacation, but when I was a single, working mom, four hours off to do somethingI loved was very important. I wish I’d taken more “mental health days” when I worked in the mental health field.
Anyway, the first step is to schedule it. Well maybe you need to make arrangements for child care or pet care first, then schedule it. Write it on the calendar and put it in your phone. Put stars around it. Don’t let anything get in the way of it. This time is sacred. Plan to do something you really love or enjoy. You could take a nap, but then you might miss your mini vacation. Read a book. Put on some of your favorite music. You deserve this! Pretend you are a tourist in your own town. I read this thing once that if you have three days, pick a direction. Drive the first day, spend the second day exploring and drive home the third day. I’d rather pick a place. Something with a body or water. Be mindful of all the things around you in a beautiful place. A garden maybe would work. Not a garden you have to tend, unless you really love that.
Okay, enough of that. You get the idea.
I know how to be assertive, though sometimes I forget. The steps to assertive communication I used to teach in my groups were:
1. State the facts.
2. State your feelings.
3. Say what you want or need.
Of course you can be assertive with yourself about why you / we deserve a vacation for example:
I’ve been working x number of hours per day for x number of days per week. I feel exhausted/tired/worn out/ (whatever the feeling) and I want/need you to watch (child’s name) for a couple two days. Be specific. If you’re talking to someone who is not a friend or who may be difficult, you can skip the feelings part, maybe even just state #3.
I know it’s not always easy, but I’m open to questions.
I was going to write about forgiveness, because I know how to be in that process which, for me, might not ever be finished. I’ll cut it short and say first I had to pray for the willingness to forgive. I focused on compassion, kindness, and gratitude for my ex husband and his spouse for about a month before I saw them at my son’s wedding. Then I went right up to my ex husband who I hadn’t seen for many years and shook his hand and introduced him to my husband. I wasn’t trying to be anything. I asked how he was and wished him and his spouse a safe trip home two days later in the parking lot….. I am convince that God was with me during these encounters, prompting me, nudging me, because I asked God to do that.
Lastly, here is how you catch a spider or other bug you don’t want to kill and take it outside.
In advance get a clear or semi clear jar or cup with a mouth about the width of your hand.
In advance get a stiff piece of thin, slick cardboard or thick piece of paper (I usually use junk mail) bigger than the jar or cup mouth.
Put the jar/cup and paper/cardboard in a place you are likely to need it.
When you see the bug you want to catch, try to make sure your back door is unlocked. Quickly place the cup/jar over the bug. (Flies are really hard.) Be careful if it’s on a window. Don’t hurt yourself. Try not to hurt the bug, but you have to be quick with some of them.
Slowly and carefully slide the paper/thin cardboard under the cup and under the bug. Sometimes I move the jar/cup at the same time.
Carefully carry everything to the door. I usually put the bottom of the jar on my stomach if I have to open the door.
Once outside and at least a couple steps away from the door, let the bug go in an appropriate habitat.
An alternative that sometimes works for small lizards is to throw and old towel or sheet on them and carefully gather it up and hope they’re in there when you carry it outside.
Good luck!
Here are some bugs I’ve caught and released:
Glass wing moth on a dusty lamp. The posterior end was moving back and forth like some kind of alien.
Sweet visitor in my bathroom.
Spider on bedroom the ceiling. That was a tough one.
This was on my brand new bathroom wall. No way I was gonna squash it.
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SoCS is hosted by Linda G. Hill who will soon or now be on vacation. For more streams of consciousness and related rules, visit Linda at:
Kevin found the bag of money at the Sumner Food Bank near Seattle. He thought about what to do. It wasn’t easy, but he feels good about his decision to give the money to the first staff person who arrived at the food bank. They turned it into the police, but since no one claimed it, the food bank got to keep it. Kevin got a certificate from the town and gift cards to his favorite store. He’s still proud of his decision and loves being famous as you’ll see in this sweet video from ABC news.
(There might be a commercial, but it’s worth watching for the good news story.)
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Some Things are Getting Better!
When you take a look at overall trends, you can see that some things are getting better. According to the graphs in this article, child mortality, extreme poverty, and the cost of renewable energy are going down. We’re also getting better at preventing diseases like malaria.
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Group Violence Intervention (GVI) makes a difference.
“So far this year, shots fired in New Haven are down by almost 80% from 2011. Chicago experienced a 32% reduction in victims among the gangs represented at call-ins, New Orleans a 32% decrease in gang homicides and Stockton a 55% reduction in homicides.”
The Guardian reports on the success and spread of “Boston’s Miracle.” Read more here.
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Democrats and Republicans can be Good Friends
I love seeing the positive energy and good humor between former first lady Michelle Obama and former president George Bush. They are regularly assigned seats next to each other at official events. Former President Bush was caught on camera giving Ms. Obama a cough drop at Senator McCain’s funeral, and the video went viral. Recently when greeting her at his father’s funeral, Mr. Bush gave her a cough drop showing his sense of humor even in his grief. The friendship between the Obamas and the Bush family gives me hope that we can learn to get along regardless of our differences. Maybe there’s something about sitting side by side that encourages friendship.
Anything is Possible! 