Category Archives: Education

Today is Thursday

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How did it get to be Thursday?

It was just Sunday!

It’s hard to believe five days have passed since I watched Jane Pauley on Sunday Morning and planned to blog about what is happening with Libraries when. . .  there was a knock on our door.

As Amazon promised our new television was delivered. Yes, we fell victim to their Tech Sale and Janine’s power of persuasion. Although I never wanted a TV smarter than me, the price was right.

We luckily were able to slide the very large box inside.

Still committed to writing every day, I was on the way to my office when the phone rang. My brother wanted an update on Bob’s recovery. Victor was pleased to hear Bob was doing well; that he had resumed his morning chore of emptying the dishwasher, but not that he won’t be able to move his arm until an x-ray says so.

Now I’m was at least an hour behind of schedule, so instead of my office, I headed to the kitchen and dinner preparation; cutting up onions and peppers, dicing and marinating the chicken and making a spinach quiche. Things took longer than anticipated because I did a wash and set the table in between while seriously thinking . . I’d write, later.

But everyone arrived early, and before I blinked; Marcela was cooking rice and beans, Marie was sautéing the peppers and onions, Janine was mixing drinks and helping Dominic set up the new television.

Bob? He hid in the guest TV room.

I won’t bore you with how Monday and Tuesday got away; but you need to know I have a legitimate excuse for Wednesday because I baked zucchini bread.

Now, what’s of interest regarding libraries? Well, those library cards with the metal clips and card catalogs are obsolete. Wall murals, tech centers, game rooms and coffee lounges are in.

. . . just saying

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Something More to Think About; Anger

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Are Americans Angrier?

Tony Dokoupil

     On CBS Morning, Tony Dokoupil’s lead question, “Are American’s angrier?” was in sync with conversations I’ve been having with family and friends. Almost all phone calls and table discussions end with rants about people’s misbehavior and world sanity.

     Well, there is a lot to be angry about.

     During my recent flight to Maine, a three- year -old strapped in a car seat, that, had been secured in the airplane window seat, attempted to remove his Covid mask and squirm out of his buckles.

     His mother whispered, “Don’t do that,” and pointed to the glaring red seat belt sign. Her other hand held his face mask in place.

     Once in flight, the struggle continued periodically until he was screaming his protest and when ignored, hit his mother. You can image my distress watching the insanity we now refer to as child safety.

     “I’m angry and I’m not going to take this anymore,” a famous line from “Network” came to mind. My husband and I had watched the movie on TCM the previous evening.

     It is a classic and still relevant today; especially when the terms: social media and fake news, are substituted.

     The film came out two years after television news reporter Christine Chubbuck committed suicide on-screen in Sarasota, Florida. The anchorwoman was suffering from depression and loneliness, often emotionally distant from her co-workers, and shot herself on camera as stunned viewers watched on July 15, 1974.

      This real life event was used in “Network,” in which the final scene shows the anchor killed, not by suicide but by staff because of low ratings. The scene might be responsible for the expression killer ratings.  

      Anyway, I paid close attention when Tony Dokoupil interviewed a parent about his recent outburst at a school board meeting and spoke with Dr. Ling, an expert in the field of anger.

      Tony’s view of anger as an unhealthy changed and they discussed the following.

  • Anger is a natural response that keeps us alive. Anger warns us of danger.
  • Anger and Violence don’t go hand and hand.
  • Anger can be appropriately channeled into good or change.
  • Passion can be perceived as anger.

       Many of us grew up with angry threats, i.e., “Do that again and I’ll kill you.” I believed my mother’s warning and did not do it again.

       What I did, instead, is tidy up closets and scrub bathroom floors.

 

 

. . . just saying

 

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Malala, Girl Up and Girl Rising

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Malala-Yousafzai-03

Aging & Attitude

   “I am Malala,” the title of a book, written by the Pakistani girl shot for championing girls’ right to education, has become a familiar slogan. Malala has addressed the United Nations, been interviewed by Diane Sawyer and John Steward, and visited with the Obama family. She was a 2013 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and runner-up for Time “Person of the Year.” Frida Ghitis, a writer for CNN,  considers her not getting the Nobel Prize a missed opportunity by the committee.

Malala has been a crusader for girls to be educated, since 2009. She published her journal, with the help of her father and teacher, Ziauddin Yousafzai, under the pen name of Corn Flower and become well-known. The Taliban threatened by her beliefs attempted to kill her in October 2012, as she rode the bus to school.

If you have not heard her speak, please listen now on youtube. The grace, poise and maturity that go with her wisdom is extraordinary. She sums up the absurdity of men shooting children because they fear books, paper and pens and defending their behavior as religious.

Malala is like the child in Grimm’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” exclaiming the Emperor is not wearing any. Her father’s response when asked if he put his daughter in danger was, “Where were the others?  Ziauddin said he did not expect to fall in love with his daughter, but did, the first time he looked in her eyes, and named her for the mythological hero who led her people to victory.

Severely injured, Malala was flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England for treatment.  She believes, “God and the prayers of many, many people,” spared her. During her three-month stay, she underwent many surgeries and a cochlear transplant to restore her hearing. When Diane Sawyer asked about her condition and more surgery, Malala explained there is talk about improving her smile and feeling in her face. Then the young girl’s eyes grew softer and she said gently, “Diane, I am recovered.”

During Malala’s United States visit, I received an email about attending “Girl Rising. The film, not a documentary, presents the stories of nine girls from around the world, and emphasizes education as key to their survival. Although the invitation stated that Malala was not in the movie, I went eagerly and assumed she was involved in the educational aspect.

The film is uplifting and depressing, but drives home the necessity of education for girls. In many developing countries girls are not allowed to attend school. Considered a burden by the family, girls are often sold or bonded into labor by their parents. One story is about a five-year old child bonded by her parents for twenty-five hundred dollars. The money bought a used truck for her brother. Others are married at eleven years of age or fall into sex trafficking because of  their lack of skill and knowledge.

When the movie ended, the audience was informed they could go on-line at Rising Girl to make contributions.  I checked out the website, and everything about “Girl Rising” is impressive. Many celebrated writers and actors take part in the project originally called “10×10”. The website clearly states the organization’s mission; “We use powerful storytelling to deliver a simple, critical truth: Educate Girls and you will Change the World.” The money raised goes to that effort.

  • Girl Rising is a grassroots global campaign for education
  • Girl Rising is a film project, not a nonprofit foundation.
  • Girl Rising partners with established nonprofit organizations, Katahdin Foundation and Tides Foundation,to distribute donations to programs that  help girls get in school and stay in school.
  • Girl Rising is a partner with Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation Leadership club for American girls*.

Girl Rising, Girl Up and The Malala Fund are inspiring and encourage young girls to help each other. Although the missions are similar, The Malala Fund is an independent non-profit organization supported by the United Nations Foundation and Girl Up.

   The first Malala Fund Grant awarded this year provides for 40  girls, ages five to 12, who would otherwise be engaged in domestic labor, or at high risk of entering the workforce in Pakistan, to attend school. The organization works with the families to enrolled the girls in school and provide school uniforms, shoes and learning materials. Each family will receive a monthly stipend.

   Malala Yousafzai is not alone with her passion but has a gift of courage, humility and wisdom to speak the words, “They thought the bullets would silence us, but they failed. And then, out of that silence came thousands of voices.”

. . . just saying

*Girl Up is an innovative campaign of the United Nations Foundation. We give American girls the opportunity to become global leaders and channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for United Nations programs that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls

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