tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42050279171896432062024-03-19T10:04:56.609-07:00Notes From the LampJenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-4443461991162617232020-10-12T09:23:00.007-07:002020-10-12T09:23:45.499-07:00I Want You (Yes, Even You) to VoteI've had more than one friend lately ask me about voting. Here are my thoughts. <div><br /></div><div>One thing you should know: I want you to vote. Yes, you. <b>Even if you don't vote the way I wish you would, I still want you to vote.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do I feel like my vote counts? </b></div><div><b>Not really</b>. My state is heavily gerrymandered. I would feel more motivated if I thought it was a closer race. And I think a lot more people would vote if it were. "Hey, that elected official who's been pissing you off for three years? He won by 200 votes. You have more Facebook friends than that. You go to church with more people than that."</div><div><br /></div><div>But.</div><div><br /></div><div>I keep thinking about the news when brexit was first a thing. The morning after was filled with people being quoted saying, "I never thought it would pass, so I voted for it," and, "I thought it was a joke, so I voted for it." And then it passed and it's been chaos since. <b>Even if MY vote doesn't count, OUR votes definitely count. And that means all of us.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I hate being told what to do. (And yes, it's kind of meta that I'm telling you to vote.) <b>I don't want someone making decisions for me without consulting me first.</b> The "consultation phase" is the part where you vote.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am also a big proponent of <b>"speak up now or shut up later."</b> I love to complain. I am justified in complaining when I <i>did</i> make my voice heard during the consultation phase. A decision was made that you didn't like? Huh. Did you have a chance to influence that decision? You did. Did you take that chance? No? Then siddown.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's not just a right, it's a privilege.</b> Plenty of people never get the chance to help choose their laws and leaders. Voting is like enjoying the sun on your skin while keeping your shut-in neighbor in mind. <b>It's dancing for the joy of having a body to move.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lastly, it's our duty. </b>We get the gift of this beautiful thing that is America. And she's still beautiful, even today. <b>But she's not a free gift.</b> You have to opt-in every couple of years, or she will go away. And reader, I tell you, she is slipping away.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So, vote. Vote for your values. Vote for your kid who can't yet. Vote for yourself. Vote for America.</b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></b></div>Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-33362959452776601092019-05-11T13:32:00.000-07:002019-05-11T13:32:06.117-07:00If I Die While BikingAnother of us was lost a few weeks ago. <a href="https://wtop.com/dc/2019/04/at-vigil-for-fallen-dc-bicyclist-activists-call-safer-streets-for-bikers/slide/1/" target="_blank">Another ghost bike placed</a>. Another voice silenced. And it got me to thinking. I'll try not to let this get too depressing. As <a href="http://valleymist.blogspot.com/2018/12/2018-bicycle-fatalities-in-review.html" target="_blank">bleak as the statistics are</a>, it's an unlikely scenario.<br />
<br />
I don't even know if I'll ever bike again. I'm having some pretty significant health challenges. I'm just not sure it's in my future, but I remain hopeful.<br />
<br />
I don't want some gaudy floral display beside the road. I don't want a modest wooden cross to mark the spot. If I die while biking, get a <a href="http://ghostbikes.org/" target="_blank">ghost bike</a> and chain it near the spot. It better be a pretty, girly thing, not a nondescript road bike. Stick a basket on the front and put a couple colorful fake flowers in it. I want everyone who sees it to know not just "some cyclist died here," but "<i>lady </i>cyclist died here." I want them to think, "that could've been my sister, my wife, my mother, my friend."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something like This. Girlier, if Possible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To my loved ones: Attend whatever shindig the cycling community puts together. Let them support you, and support them in return. When one of us dies, we all think of our mortality, even if we didn't know the person. We're all thinking, "<a href="https://qz.com/1554951/the-rise-of-cycling-and-pedestrian-traffic-deaths-in-us-cities/" target="_blank">that could be me</a>."<br />
<br />
It may be hard, but do what you can to encourage <i>more</i> cycling. The more of us there are, the safer we <i>all</i> are. Remember that cycling didn't kill me; poor infrastructure, poor driving, or both probably did. Yes, serious crashes can happen without a person driving being involved. But if I'm actually dead, it's probably because I collided with a person driving (only <a href="https://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/cyclists/cycling-accidents-factsheet.pdf" target="_blank">16% of fatal or serious crashes</a> reported to the police in England don't involve a collision with a person driving).<br />
<br />
Support <a href="https://peopleforbikes.org/green-lane-project/protected-bike-lanes-101/" target="_blank">efforts</a> to <a href="https://visionzeronetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/VZN-9-Components.pdf" target="_blank">create infrastructure</a> that prioritizes safety for vulnerable road users, even if you think it could add minutes to your commute or <a href="https://kinder.rice.edu/2015/09/10/what-are-road-diets-and-why-are-they-controversial" target="_blank">inconvenience others who drive</a>. (Actually, most measures <a href="https://www.citylab.com/design/2014/09/so-what-exactly-is-a-road-diet/379975/" target="_blank">don't add significant vehicle delays</a>). Isn't my life worth your inconvenience?<br />
<br />
There'll almost certainly be <a href="https://cycliq.com/videos/" target="_blank">video evidence</a>. Use it. Sue the everliving <i>fuck </i>out of whatever jackass killed me. Or work to change the thing that led to my demise.<br />
<br />
Lastly, no matter how I go, throw yourselves a bitchin' party. Get the good food. Get the good booze. Hire a good band. Party like it's my last day on earth. I'd be there if I could.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-10607556761738124422018-04-29T08:48:00.001-07:002018-04-29T08:50:33.722-07:00Trip Report: Joe's Ride - Olney, MD<h2>
Bottom Line</h2>
Fun, inexpensive party ride. Not a race - all riders expected to start together. I'll add this to my list of annual rides - it's a great way to start the season - but there are some things I hope will change.<br />
<h2>
The Five Ws</h2>
<ul>
<li>Joe Sanford died of brain cancer at 10 years old. </li>
<li>Rides (45K, 30K, 10K) and a stride (5K). The 45K and 30K were $25, the 10K ride and 5K walk were $10, and there was a free kids' bike rodeo.</li>
<li>2018 date was April 28 (reportedly earlier than in previous years). </li>
<li>Start and End at Oakdale Emory Church - 3425 Emory Church Rd, Olney, MD.</li>
<li>The event is in memory of and benefits children in the Olney community who have died. Proceeds go to the Joseph Patrick Sanford Foundation.</li>
<li>Here's <a href="http://joesanford.com/general/index.cfm" target="_blank">a link</a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2>
What to Expect</h2>
The longer rides (30K and 45K) started at 0700. Seemed like fewer than 50 riders, maybe 35 or so. The scene is a party scene - there was a DJ, a couple of vendor booths, and a light breakfast. Check-in was super-smooth. I gave my name and they handed me my swag (a t-shirt, a tote bag, and a water bottle among other things), though the organizers had encouraged riders to have registration info - a QR code - ready.<br />
<br />
We all set out after a brief prayer. The majority of the route in the beginning was roads that had been closed for the ride. After the 30K riders split off, roads were mostly lightly trafficked. The route was very well marked with the kind of signs you stick in the ground.<br />
<br />
There were a LOT of farms, some woods, and some residential areas on the route. One house early on the route had people on the porch cheering us on. It was rolling hills throughout, with beautiful scenery. The day was really foggy, but that added to the beauty. There was one support stop, where the 30K and 45K diverged. Most of the roads were a little chewed up and in need of a fresh coat of asphalt, but that's to be expected this early in the season and on a rural route.<br />
<br />
I got to see a beautiful woodpecker, wings out-stretched, fly in front of me. He was big - I had never seen one that close. The colors were unreal, like God went a little overboard with the Instagram filters. I wish I had a picture to share. Warning, though, farms in spring smell like, well, about like you'd expect. If you can abide the occasional smell of a freshly-fertilized farm, maybe stick to the trails around DC?<br />
<br />
After the ride (it took me about 2 hours do do the 28 mile/45K) it was a party scene. Line dancing, talking, eating. I kind of wanted to do the Wiggle and the Macarena, but that part wrapped up by the time I got my bike shoes off and my slides on.<br />
<br />
It seems like this is really a <i>community</i> event. I saw a lot of riders riding back home after their ride, and there was a lot of surprise when I said I was from Odenton, about a 40-minute drive away. One person said, "Oh, I've heard of Odenton..." Sometimes, I felt a little out of place - not from there, don't have a kid with cancer, didn't suffer the loss of a child, don't know Joe Sanford. I wanted to ask, "Am I the only one here who's just here for the ride?" but it seemed a callous thing to say.<br />
<h2>
Some Drawbacks</h2>
From most significant to least significant:<br />
<br />
<b>No cue sheet.</b> Organizers assured me that I wouldn't get lost, as the route was well marked (it was, mostly) and that others on the ride would help me find my way, if I got lost (so, a group of four of us all ended up lost together, but not badly. There was either a sign missing, or a confusing sign, or one we <i>all </i>missed near the end of the ride. We ended up biking along a busy highway for a short distance, and then turning left off of said busy highway. It was dangerous and scary, but we all made it).<br />
<br />
<b>There was SAG, but no one gave out the SAG number.</b> "If you need SAG, just wait, the car will be driving around on the route."<br />
<br />
<b>Balloon release. </b>I know - this isn't really ride related. I'd love to see the organizers ditch the balloon release. Cuz, you know, wrecking the environment in loving memory of those who aren't around to see it wrecked... not cool. Plant a tree or release butterflies or something. Grief is real, losing a child is tragic, but there are better ways to honor that memory.<br />
<br />
<b>Registration. </b>Registration wasn't through Active.com, but through SignMeUp. The technical process - navigating SignMeUp and PayPal and such - was kind of a pain. The other option was a snail-mailed registration sheet and a check.<br />
<br />
<b>No Gatorade or EnerGels</b> - okay, this isn't even really a draw-back; I just thought I should warn you. There were delicious bagels and coffee at the start, and, c'mon, 28 miles. Do you really <i>need </i>Gatorade or EnerGels for 28 miles? No. Just fill the two water bottles you have on your bike, you'll be fine.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-20116479551857625372018-01-20T20:13:00.000-08:002018-01-20T20:13:34.896-08:00NICA and Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League Information NightI attended the <a href="http://www.nationalmtb.org/" target="_blank">National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA)</a> information night on 20 January 2018 at <a href="https://croftonbikedoctor.com/" target="_blank">Crofton Bike Doctor</a>. Here are my notes.<br />
<h3>
NICA and its Maryland League</h3>
NICA focuses on making mountain biking fun for children in grades 6-12. Their values emphasize inclusiveness and positive support for physical, mental, and emotional health. Their program places a high value on safety and risk management.<br />
<br />
NICA is a huge organization, and it is growing, as is the sport of mountain biking. They have 22 leagues across 21 states. 10,826 student athletes, and 4,389 volunteers. Leagues typically double in size between the first and second years.<br />
<br />
The league being launched in Maryland, the <a href="http://www.marylandmtb.org/" target="_blank">Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League</a>, will need adult volunteers as well as student athletes. A leadership commission has already been established, and includes cycling leaders from around the state. There is also an aggressive fundraising campaign. While most of the revenue will come from race registration, race registration will com after the need for funds to start. The Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League is a brand new 501(C), so donations are tax-deductible.<br />
<h3>
Practices and Competitions</h3>
<div>
Each student athlete who wants to compete can. There is no "bench," no try-outs, no cuts. All are welcome. Each competitor who finishes the course earns points for their team, even the slowest competitor.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Competitions are on single-track courses. Passing is done safely, and the focus on risk management means there are no overly technical courses - no biking along cliffs, no jumps, no drop-offs. The goal is to make competing fun for everyone, even brand-new cyclists. The challenge is often in how fast an athlete can complete the course.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Practice venues are determined by a team's coach or coaches. Not every practice will be a ride through the woods. There are lots of skills that can be honed in a field. Requirements focus on inclusiveness. There is no minimum number of practices per week and no maximum, but coaches are trained in risk management and are therefore wary of over-working student athletes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Competitions are huge events. Often, 1,000 people arrive to compete, volunteer, or observe. Some competitions have to be in locations that not only offer a course without too many technical challenges, but that also have parking for hundreds of vehicles and nearby camping available. Competitions aim to be weekend-long events, with set-up on Friday night, non-competitive rides and further preparation on Saturday, and competitive events on Sunday.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All events are optional. Being on a team does not mean you have to go to every competition or every practice. Going to a competition does not mean you have to arrive on Friday night - if you can only make the competition on Sunday, you would be welcome.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Venues being examined for the 2018 season in Maryland are <a href="https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8013905/fair-hill" target="_blank">Fair Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/rosaryville-state-park.html" target="_blank">Rosaryville State Park</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Schaeffer-Farms-Mountain-Bike-Park-151323896314/" target="_blank">Schaeffer Farm</a> and Button Farm, and <a href="http://www.more-mtb.org/product/brunswick/" target="_blank">Brunswick</a>. Dates of competitions will be finalized by the end of February.</div>
<h3>
Volunteering</h3>
There is a lot of support through NICA for adults who would like to help out with a team or with the league. While there are requirements for coaches, there is an opportunity for those who would like to try it out once without going through the qualification process. There are also opportunities to volunteer that do not involve getting on a bike. There is a leadership summit which will provide everything needed to become a coach. The cost of the summit is $90.<br />
<br />
Coaching will require, among other things, a background check, a brief course in risk management (provided by NICA), and concussion training. There are levels of coaching, but for the first year, the teams can only be level one teams, so the coaches need only be level one coaches.<br />
<h3>
Teams</h3>
Teams are encouraged to be associated with a school, but there are also composite teams that include student athletes based on their geographic location or on other bases.<br />
<br />
The required ratio of students to qualified coaches is 6:1.<br />
<br />
Team dues are optional and there are very soft rules on how a team can function. The one hard and fast rule is that teams must have a team uniform. But even this is flexible - the uniform can be as simple as matching tee-shirts. NICA is negotiating with <a href="https://hillkiller.com/" target="_blank">Hill Killer Apparel</a> for helping teams design and produce uniforms.<br />
<h3>
Key Dates</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>March 17-18: Leaders' Summit</li>
<li>April 1: Registration and beginning of pre-season - teams meet informally</li>
<li>July 1: In-Season - teams meet regularly for practice and conditioning</li>
<li>September-October: Race Season - there will be 4 races in Maryland during the 2018 season. Typically there are 4-6 races in a season.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
More Information</h3>
<div>
Visit <a href="http://www.marylandmtb.org/">www.marylandmtb.org</a> to sign up for the <i>Single Track Times</i>.</div>
<div>
Follow Maryland Mountain Bike on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarylandMTB/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/marylandmtb" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/marylandmtb/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> @marylandmtb</div>
Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-44217966988488059692017-09-30T18:22:00.000-07:002017-09-30T18:22:25.189-07:00Changing My Definition of Femininity - An Ode to My BikeWhen I first met her, I thought she was beautiful. I didn't know what kind of bicyclist I would be. Roads? Trails? Three miles a week, or more than that? I didn't know. But this bike... She was purple, with a step-though frame, and flowery vines painted on. Anyone who saw this bike would know it was a woman's bike, no question.<br />
<br />
Few things give me as much joy as dismounting. I slow way down, pull one leg through the frame to sit side-saddle, then hop off and start walking. I imagine that I'm a slip of a girl - light and lithe, like a fairy princess - gently tripping along the ground. I always stick the landing, but... Well, at 5'9" and almost 200 lbs, I am nothing like a fairy princess.<br />
<br />
I started taking longer and longer rides, working from "Whew! <i>Three whole miles!!</i>" to a 7-mile commute, then a 10-mile weekend ride, then 20 miles, then 30, and then I did a metric century (100km, or 62 miles). I started biking to work, and got panniers to put on her rack so I could carry my work clothes and towel - yes, my commute is far enough that I have to shower when I get there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZexXxsoNtNt9OVbOAJi-xM1IdCWNmCQVFFSDR9lrJCY3V1MQ0yFA9If7Kyelltw-rkbRrpmN-kUsUxVQGZkpoduJB9R0F57-jG2PDMQEydwQEFhqCxds_M9tpdhgU7DeNV_6z08o0BoI/s1600/IMG_20161023_114937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZexXxsoNtNt9OVbOAJi-xM1IdCWNmCQVFFSDR9lrJCY3V1MQ0yFA9If7Kyelltw-rkbRrpmN-kUsUxVQGZkpoduJB9R0F57-jG2PDMQEydwQEFhqCxds_M9tpdhgU7DeNV_6z08o0BoI/s320/IMG_20161023_114937.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Gradually, I came to realize this was the wrong bike for most of what I do. She's heavy and bulky. And while her geometry allowed me to bike in a dress and maintain some modesty, it's not even <i>slightly</i> aerodynamic. I knew I needed a road bike - something faster, with more room at the top of the gears. But I <i>loved </i>my step-through frame. No road bike would have that, and I was bummed that I'd have to give it up.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My marvelous local bike store (<a href="http://www.croftonbikedoctor.com/" target="_blank">Crofton Bike Doctor</a>) set me up with a bike someone had traded in - a Specialized Ruby. A carbon frame with a nearly horizontal crossbar, pedals you have to clip into, and drop-down handlebars like a ram's horns. She's not a very girly color. But she is slender, and light, and nimble. And she's fast and strong. This bike <i>wants </i>to go uphill. She <i>wants </i>to beat the motorized vehicles on the downhill... and she gets much closer than my hybrid ever did.<br />
<br />
With my hot pink helmet, my hot pink-trimmed biking shoes, and all the flowery, girly-colored spandex I can find, I think we're still feminine enough.</div>
Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-35490013743752683082017-07-19T21:18:00.000-07:002017-07-19T21:18:41.203-07:00Why I'm Not Excited About a Female Doctor WhoI wasn't shocked when I got the news that the next Doctor would be a woman, <i><a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows/broadchurch" target="_blank">Broadchurch</a></i>'s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2092886/" target="_blank">Jodie Whittaker</a>. People have been calling for it ever since River Song kicked so much butt, and there were announcements that no, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/next-doctor-who-woman-bbc-letter-fan-kris-marshal-a7692241.html" target="_blank">the next Doctor would not be a female</a>. So, having convinced eager fans it wasn't to be, the time was ripe. I wasn't shocked, but I was pleased. It really is about time.<br />
<br />
You know what else didn't shock me? <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/doctor-who-backlash-exposed-the-irony-of-men-who-dont-want-women-in-fandom_us_596f642ce4b0000eb1978720" target="_blank">All the backlash</a>.<br />
<br />
So, here's why I'm not excited about a female Doctor Who:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Because I'm a bicyclist, and I know that the world is full of bastards who oppose progress. Bike lanes have been proven, <a href="http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/07/19/atlanta-erases-protected-bike-lane-replaces-it-with-parking/" target="_blank">like this one in Atlanta</a>, to increase safety on the roads, but sometimes the bastards complain loud enough, and progress is undone, <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/politics/bs-md-ci-potomac-cycletrack-20170608-story.html" target="_blank">like in Baltimore</a>.</li>
<li>Because even the people who claim they aren't bastards sometimes end up being bastards. We were very ready for a female President of the United States. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/9/27/1574903/-I-Want-a-Female-President-Just-Not-Her" target="_blank">Just not <i>that </i>one</a>, said the bastards.* And in the end, it didn't happen. As if, as the linked article points out, we're holding out for the perfect woman president, <a href="https://qz.com/925821/how-rare-are-female-ceos-only-4-2-of-fortune-500-companies-are-run-by-women/" target="_blank">perfect woman CEO</a>, perfect woman actor, etc.</li>
<li>Because the world is not kind to women. <strike>The internet is</strike> Bastards on the internet are often <a href="https://psmag.com/social-justice/women-arent-welcome-internet-72170" target="_blank">openly hostile to women</a>. No, really, it's not like that for men. <a href="http://time.com/3305466/male-female-harassment-online/" target="_blank">It's just because they're women</a>.</li>
<li>Because even Peter Capaldi drew <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jan/31/peter-capaldi-doctor-who-bbc-your-verdict" target="_blank">a lot of criticism</a> from DW fans, enjoyed a <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/tv-radio/doctor-who-critics-split-over-peter-capaldi-1-3519348" target="_blank">lukewarm reception</a>, and look how long he lasted. Spoiler alert: <a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2017/01/peter-capaldi-announces-his-last-season-of-doctor-who" target="_blank">it's three seasons</a>. I'm not saying that the fans who didn't like him got him fired. Surely there are other reasons, right? I'm just saying, they didn't like him and he didn't last long.</li>
</ol>
<br />
How long could she last? Even if the number of fans who oppose her is small, even if she is the perfect woman actor, even if - relatively speaking - she isn't opposed <i>much </i>more than any man would be? Those hopes for little opposition <a href="https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/thirteenth-doctor-in-doctor-who-is-a-lady-2017-7" target="_blank">aren't looking good</a>, by the way. And she hasn't even gotten on the set, yet.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong: The world needs her. Women need her. I need her. I hope like hell she outlasts the bastards.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">TL;DR</span></b> - the world is full of joy-stealing bastards who win all too often, and I'm old and jaded. I love that a talented female actress has been chosen for the part. It is <i>about damn time</i>. I just can't let my hopes get too high, yet. But I'll be the first to throw a fancy, themed party when she's three seasons and one episode in.<br />
<br />
* Before you freak out, I'm not saying people who didn't vote for Hillary are bastards. I'm saying that when you say, "I want a woman _____, just not <i>this </i>woman, let's get another guy this time, maybe we'll try this little experiment again in a few years" you're a lying bastard. If you want a woman doctor/lawyer/president/actor/CEO, you have to go ahead and hire one, or else admit you don't really want one in the first place.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-24785315306575377772017-05-22T03:38:00.000-07:002017-05-22T03:42:42.876-07:00It's Different When They're Yours"How was your day?" I asked my 14-year-old, as I settled into my chair.<br />
"Meh." She shrugged and I sighed. Right. Open-ended questions.<br />
"How was your commute?" We both ride our bikes to get where we're going. I do so when the weather's nice and it's not too much of an inconvenience. She does it <i>every day</i>, unless we offer her a ride in the car. That doesn't happen often. For her, biking means freedom and speed.<br />
"Oh, my God! I was coming up to this crosswalk, so I slowed down, and this guy in his car on his phone almost..." I had opened the floodgate.<br />
<br />
I pasted what I hoped was a mildly concerned look on my face as I listened to her talk about her near-miss. Some one wasn't paying attention and got way too close, drawing the ire of the crossing-guards and a lecture. I reviewed traffic patterns with her - people biking are safest when they behave in traffic like people driving, but that can be difficult to do if you've never driven. She was where she should have been, doing what she should have been doing. It was like any other near-miss, only it wasn't, because it was my daughter.<br />
<br />
I knew a few things immediately. 1) No, I couldn't go kill someone. 2) Of course she would ride tomorrow (I reminded myself that this was a good thing). 3) We couldn't tell my husband.<br />
<br />
When I started biking more, I would come home after a ride, still hopped-up on adrenaline. My husband would ask how my ride was, and I would recount all the details of whatever incident could have put me in the hospital, but didn't.<br />
<br />
I should tell you, my husband is an avid runner. He's had his own near-misses. He's supportive of my biking to a fault; he knows how important his running is to him. He also knows about drivers and attention and infrastructure for anything other than cars.<br />
<br />
I would watch his face as I vented my anger at the person driving. The carefully controlled, mildly concerned expression, the shrug, and the "Yeah - drivers. You'll have that" comment. I could tell, though, that he didn't like it. I had put him in a tough spot. He couldn't tell me not to ride; he knew riding on the sidewalk wasn't an option for me (it's not legal here and is rarely a safer, much less a more enjoyable option); and yet...<br />
<br />
Eventually I stopped sharing my stories. If pressed, I'd say something like, "I just need to review some footage from my ride." I ride with a Fly6 - it captures video of things going on behind you while also acting as one of the best tail-lights I've ever seen. Sometimes, the close-call isn't as bad on video as it was when you were riding. Or that's what you can tell yourself.<br />
<br />
How can you protect the people you love and allow them their freedom? Where's the balance point?<br />
<br />
When my daughter turned 15, she started a new job about three miles away. She could ride her bike, though, unlike her route to school, her route to work would take her along some of the busier streets. I upgraded her lights. We talked about the importance of paying attention and route options.<br />
<br />
Her dad said we'd drive her home at the end of her day. I insisted her lights were good enough. He insisted we'd pick her up. As the days got longer, I insisted that it wouldn't even be dark when her shift ended. He insisted we'd give her a ride.<br />
<br />
Her birthday isn't until the winter. But maybe, for <i>my </i>birthday, I can get her her own Fly6. Maybe the newer, more expensive, front-facing Fly12 to go with it.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-195842429591975212017-01-30T20:22:00.000-08:002017-01-30T20:22:44.635-08:00The Meaning of TravelWhen I think about the Muslim ban, I think about the vacation we almost didn't take in 2007 or 2008.<br />
<br />
We didn't have much money, but I was able to put four round-trip tickets onto a credit card for us to go visit my parents on the West Coast. I had bought the tickets using one of those bargain sites and when we got to the airport, the confirmation number I had wouldn't pull up any flight information. I found out from the attendant behind the counter that my flight was actually not leaving from Charlotte, but from a smaller airport about an hour and a half's drive away. Our plane was to leave in an hour and a half. We weren't going to make it.<br />
<br />
With no money to buy new tickets and no refund available, I knew I was defeated. I would have to explain to my kids that our week-long vacation wouldn't happen. That despite weeks of careful planning, they wouldn't see their grandparents for another year or more. That all my careful shopping still meant $1,650 went down the drain, and there were sooo many places it could have gone. That I wouldn't see my mother.<br />
<br />
We would have to just go back home. What would we do for that week? How could I entertain us with almost no money? What hope did I have of rescuing that vacation without feeling the constant pain of missing my parents? What would I tell them?<br />
<br />
I did the only thing I could: I started weeping. Nasty-crying in the middle of the arrivals gate. My kids were embarrassed and confused. My husband was embarrassed and powerless. The attendants wouldn't make eye-contact. It was awful.<br />
<br />
My story has a happy ending. After a few minutes of sobbing, an attendant hurried over to us. Didn't I get the phone call? They had left messages on our home phone. We had been driving. The flight that was supposed to leave from the smaller airport was cancelled. We would have to re-book at no additional charge. They had a flight that would leave in two hours. There were seats available for us.<br />
<br />
So, imagine that it hadn't been a year or two, but several. A decade. Two decades. Imagine that it wasn't a 6-hour flight, but a 12-hour flight. Imagine that it wasn't a careless oversight on the part of the traveler, but a revoked promise on the part of the government. Imagine getting all the way there, and being told you'd have to start over in a few months. And imagine that "just going back home" wasn't an option.<br />
<br />
I can't. I can't imagine that.<br />
<br />
That's why we need to work to ensure those who were told they could get here can do so. I hope they get their happily ever after, too.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-70768468188197465682016-09-02T16:02:00.000-07:002016-09-02T16:02:59.321-07:00A Lesson in Control and ReleaseI found myself praising my daughter for learning a lesson in <a href="http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/animations/lane-control/" target="_blank">lane control</a> and release, but it was really that she taught me the lesson. (Spoiler alert; no daughters were harmed in the making of this blog post.)<br />
<br />
Most sites seem to call this "lane control" rather than "control and release," but what often happens over the course of a ride is both control <i>and </i>release. A person on a bicycle takes the middle of the right lane - rather than riding on the very outside edge - in order to control traffic behind them. When the lane widens, or a shoulder or bike lane are added to the lane, the person on a bicycle can move over to allow traffic behind them to pass safely.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nuqxkz_eo8Y" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
In Anne Arundel County, bike lanes, shoulders, choke-points, and narrowing occur at random. The bad news is that people on bicycles sometimes have to take an aggressive stance to prevent people in automobiles from trying to "squeeze by." The good news is, it probably won't be long before the bike lane or shoulder magically reappears. (This is all bad news for people on bikes, who don't appreciate disappearing bike lanes or random choke points like the one below.)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wwsn-QIAL2Q" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">An example of an AA County choke point. It's supposed to "calm traffic," but doesn't actually impede automobile traffic in any way, and is the opposite of "calming" for people on bicycles.</span><br />
<br />
One road in particular tends to suffer from narrowing and widening lanes, as well as drivers in a hurry. In places, the shoulder can be measured in millimeters, while in other places there's a shoulder wide enough that it might be another lane (though it isn't marked as such). In much of the road, the lane is too narrow to safely be shared, but just wide enough to be tempting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80cyNx5Ete87v3yfFQxlDa7p5xAfOJ6AeGy0lLevZDHkdVAYXoWeiyEgdXosSCkdeH7CWlkl197fxO8bCQ8rGZr2Y1LEMNZgPmOKFh4b21J5WR_V7BfE7ROLVhHZ2SiRts-3VMk6Od4I/s1600/Lane+Control.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80cyNx5Ete87v3yfFQxlDa7p5xAfOJ6AeGy0lLevZDHkdVAYXoWeiyEgdXosSCkdeH7CWlkl197fxO8bCQ8rGZr2Y1LEMNZgPmOKFh4b21J5WR_V7BfE7ROLVhHZ2SiRts-3VMk6Od4I/s400/Lane+Control.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It was in this section that my daughter tried - unsuccessfully - to control the lane. She was passed by people in cars trying not to cross the double-yellow, because there was oncoming traffic.<br />
<br />When I bike this road, I always remind myself to put on my big-girl pants, steel myself, and take that lane. People in cars on this road will <i>always</i> try to share the lane with me if I don't take all of it, and that's a pretty bad situation for a person on a bike to be in. (Check out that first link in this post. No, really. It won't take long, I promise. <a href="http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/animations/lane-control/" target="_blank">Here it is again</a>.)<br />
<br />
My daughter's experience is one I've had. While I was busy clucking my tongue that she had to learn that lesson the hard (thankfully, not the <i>hardest</i>) way, I forgot that I was still learning it, too. Sometimes it's helpful to hear someone you love talk about a shared experience. It's a reminder to do what you need to do to stay safe, and validation that you need to do it. Thanks, Daughter.<br />
<br />Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-35217410817897014892016-07-24T14:54:00.002-07:002016-07-24T14:59:24.781-07:00If You're Pissed Off About the ElectionYou're in good company.<br />
<br />
<h2>
It's Time to <u>Do Something</u> About it!</h2>
<br />
I'm also pissed off at being forced to choose between Hillary and Trump, and I view the system as being partial and rigged. This presidential election is an embarrassment.<br />
<br />
If you feel passionately about having more than two parties, the time for action is now. The country is as ripe for a third-party candidate to sweep the polls as it ever was.<br />
<h2>
<br /></h2>
<h2>
A Look at the Comparables*</h2>
<br />
Kind of like how <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Perot_presidential_campaign,_1992#Analysis" target="_blank">Ross Perot did</a> in 1992. Note that he started back in February of his year, though he did pull out and then re-enter. He <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CMAfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UtgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1250,404315&dq=ross-perot+polls&hl=en" target="_blank">ended up with 15%</a> of the vote.<br />
<br />
Well, there was also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Anderson#Run_as_independent" target="_blank">John B. Anderson</a>, who had 13%-15% in August, and finished with 7%. He started early and worked hard throughout the season.<br />
<br />
Even the most successful third-party presidential candidate ever, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt" target="_blank">Theodore Roosevelt</a>, who was already the incumbent (<a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/the-five-incumbent-presidents-who-lost/article/143176" target="_blank">running incumbents have lost only 5 of the 14 elections in which they ran</a>), only <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1912#Results" target="_blank">came in second, and still lost the election</a>.<br />
<br />
For reference, the guy most likely to come in third this year, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Johnson#2016_presidential_campaign" target="_blank">Gary Johnson</a>, has started early (announced his candidacy in January), but <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/06/27/2016-third-parties/" target="_blank">still only has about 10% of the vote</a> - less than even John B. Anderson had at roughly this time during his race.<br />
<h2>
<br /></h2>
<h2>
I Want a Third-Party Candidate, NOW!</h2>
<br />
Bad news: You'll have to wait.<br />
<br />
If you feel passionately about the detrimental effects of a two-party system, <a href="http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/" target="_blank">talk to your representative</a> and <a href="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?Name=Capito&nState=WV" target="_blank">talk to your senator</a> about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_party_(United_States)#Barriers_to_third_party_success" target="_blank">the rules</a> that <a href="http://www.uvm.edu/~dguber/POLS125/articles/nader.htm" target="_blank">prevent a third party candidate</a> from being successful. Do it early, do it often. Ask your friends to do it. When the rules are fairer for third-party candidates, we can hash out which one it'll be.**<br />
<br />
Pick the third-party candidate you think has the best chance <b><u>as early as possible</u></b>, and throw every ounce you have behind them. Be willing to support that candidate, even if you don't agree with them on a lot of issues, because you are passionate about having a third option.<br />
<br />
This election is close. If you want a third-party option, figure out which candidate (Republican or Democrat) is most likely to help change the laws that prevent a third-party president, and vote for them. Don't <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/third-party-candidate-2016-465342" target="_blank">throw your vote away</a> on a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoiler_effect" target="_blank">spoiler effect candidate</a> this time.<br />
<h2>
<br /></h2>
<h2>
One More Thing</h2>
<br />
<br />
News flash: the meme you post may have value due to its humor, but you aren't changing anyone's mind with a meme, and you might offend people you're "friends" with. And you're wasting everyone else's "wall" space.<br />
<br />
Since I mentioned that your third-party candidate isn't going to win, I should also mention that as far as I can tell, everyone has pretty much already decided who they're voting for. Whether it's "Dems-All-The-Way-Go-Hillary," "Reps-All-the-Way-Go-Trump," "Not-Trump-So-Hillary-I-Guess" or "Not-Hillary-So-Trump-I-Guess," we all pretty much know what we're doing by now.***<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Despite what spell-check says, "comparables" is a real word. It's a real estate term.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">**Maybe it's my cynicism speaking, but you really don't expect to ever have a ballot with more than three names on it, do you?<br /><br />***Except for those stubborn folk who just don't learn and are voting for a third-party candidate, anyway.</span>Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-3529252464607197032016-02-27T15:23:00.000-08:002016-02-27T15:23:40.605-08:00On Accidental SaintsLast year (2015, for those keeping track) at Lent, my church picked two books for the Lenten book group. One was <i>Accidental Saints,</i> by Nadia Bolz-Weber, and the other was Desmond Tutu's <i>Made for Goodness.</i> Well, I was in college up to my eyebrows, and the book group ended up not having its last meeting, and I got severely behind in my reading. I didn't pick up either book again. Here are my <a href="http://djinn-notes.blogspot.com/2015/10/on-accidental-saints-and-made-for.html" target="_blank">first </a>and <a href="http://djinn-notes.blogspot.com/2015/11/on-accidental-saints-and-made-for.html" target="_blank">last </a>posts on the books.<br />
<br />
The rest of this has spoilers, so, if you're not into spoilers for <i>Accidental Saints, </i>you should stop reading here.<br />
<br />
So, now that college is all but over and I have more spare time, I went ahead and finished <i>Accidental Saints.</i> You can check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1558527166?type=review#rating_68265565" target="_blank">my review</a> on GoodReads, but I wanted to add something that really struck me about the last 3/4 of this book. It was the chapter that dealt with Nadia's friend Bruce's drunk driving accident.<br />
<br />
Nadia had befriended Bruce, a Bishop in the Lutheran church, whose wife was dying of cancer. Some years later, something bad happens. Nadia writes,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In a brief exchange on instant message, I learned that, two nights earlier, Bruce got behind the wheel of his car with what tests would later show to be a higher than legal blood-alcohol level, lost control, and hit and killed a fifty-two-year-old mother of three. And by the time I found out, from my luxurious room in a resort in Mexico, Bruce was sitting alone in jail."</blockquote>
This chapter so spoke to me. I still often think of my bishop, who also got behind the wheel of her car with what tests would later show to be a far higher than legal blood-alcohol-level, wasn't paying attention, and struck and killed a <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-heather-cook-sentencing-20151027-story.html" target="_blank">41-year-old father of father of two</a>.<br />
<br />
It was hard to know what to pray for - Tom Palermo, his family, and cyclists everywhere, or my suffragan Bishop Heather Cook, her family, and prisoners everywhere. Of course I prayed for all of the above. I wrestled with anger at the bishop, I wrestled with disappointment in a church leader, I worried about the divide this might drive between often liberal-atheist-cyclists and drivers and the church.<br />
<br />
Nadia talks in this chapter about the need for mercy and the remorse Peter must have felt as he swam up to Jesus and proclaimed three times that he loved him. She writes, "We simply have to cling tightly to the truth that God can redeem it." I'm still struggling with that one.<br />
<br />
I know Jesus being resurrected is supposed to make it all okay - that the resurrection makes everything okay. It washes away all our sins - as Nadia might say, mine, yours, Heather's, Peter's. But that's hard to swallow. It's hard to not still feel a little angry and a little lost and a little heartbroken.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-38014815717694563572016-01-30T14:05:00.001-08:002016-01-30T14:05:22.211-08:00On the Narrow-Highway Exception to Maryland's 3-Foot Law<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the letter I just wrote to Senator Jim Rosapepe and delegates Barbara Frush, Ben Barnes, and Josaline Pena-Melnyk about the need to get rid of the narrow highway exception to Maryland's 3-foot law. <a href="https://www.bikemaryland.org/three-feet-on-every-road/" target="_blank">BikeMaryland's article</a> outlines it pretty well, but it's important for individuals to speak out, in addition to the wonderful work being done by <a href="https://www.bikemaryland.org/" target="_blank">BikeMaryland</a> and <a href="http://bikeaaa.org/" target="_blank">BikeAAA</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear Senator Rosapepe,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting rid of the narrow-highway exception to the 3-foot
law will protect bicyclists in the short and long term, and help to defuse the
tension between the bicycling community and the driving community.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My route to almost everywhere requires me to ride on
Annapolis Rd between Arundel High and the traffic circle, then on Odenton Rd
between the traffic circle and the MARC station.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both of these roads fall under the "narrow
highway" exception for bicyclists. Vehicles aren't obligated to give me a
safe passing distance, and usually don't. Both the high school and the MARC
station are destinations one would expect for bicyclists traveling to school or
work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a motorist, I am aware of the inconvenience to motorists
by the presence of a bicyclist. As a result, I prefer to ride to the right of
the lane, so that motorists can pass when it is safe. When motorists pass too
close - as the current law allows - I ride in the middle or left portion of the
lane. Preventing motorists from passing too close is safer in the short-term,
but I worry about the ill-will it engenders. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a cyclist, I need the protection of the 3-foot law. I
need to know that motorists will respect my need for safety by waiting until
they can leave a safe passing margin, and that I don't have to take actions
which would seem aimed at angering drivers in order to achieve my short-term
safety.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting rid of the narrow-highway exception to the 3-foot
law will protect bicyclists in the short-term and in the long-term, as
motorists learn that leaving a safe passing margin is not the
"polite" thing to do, but the legal thing to do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When motorists understand that laws prioritize bicyclists'
safety, they will be less likely to take cyclists' presence on the roads as a
personal affront. They will be less likely - I think - to succumb to rage
against an individual cyclist. Getting rid of the narrow-highway exception will
be good for motorists and cyclists.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In peace,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jennifer A. Carson<o:p></o:p></div>
Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-32996862225337600832016-01-04T18:42:00.000-08:002016-01-04T18:42:11.519-08:00Terrorists vs. AssholesTerrorists are total assholes, but not all assholes are terrorists. While this may seem obvious, it's clear that we could all use a refresher.<br />
<h3>
Let's start with definitions.</h3>
<a href="https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/terrorism-definition" target="_blank">The FBI states that domestic terrorism</a> must contain the following three characteristics. It must:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Happen within U.S. territory.</li>
<li>Include acts dangerous to human life that violate state or federal law.</li>
<li>Appear to be intended to 1) intimidate or coerce a civilian population, 2) influence government policy through intimidation or coercion, or 3) affect government actions through mass destruction, kidnapping, or assassination. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yr9dw6f85Pu7WtLclC6VcUGUz8pHjtR8iuB4m_OHIy3mFLo85wGChsNqNzVpoB2hkcIMARjZS3C8fYi7jiA2kGDp_ucSaV37Kj2hInlhT5kWKs5KrV1Xo6sVhi9mx4jgM5fcWwbdt2M/s1600/0%252C%252C17726733_303%252C00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yr9dw6f85Pu7WtLclC6VcUGUz8pHjtR8iuB4m_OHIy3mFLo85wGChsNqNzVpoB2hkcIMARjZS3C8fYi7jiA2kGDp_ucSaV37Kj2hInlhT5kWKs5KrV1Xo6sVhi9mx4jgM5fcWwbdt2M/s320/0%252C%252C17726733_303%252C00.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are terrorists</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
Let's apply this checklist to the situation in rural Oregon:</h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Happened in the U.S. - <span style="background-color: lime;">Check!</span> (Last I checked, Oregon was in the U.S.)</li>
<li>Includes acts dangerous to human life - <span style="background-color: red;">Nope!</span></li>
<li>Appears intended to 1) intimidate or coerce a civilian population - <span style="background-color: red;">Nope!</span> 2) influence government policy - <span style="background-color: orange;">Not really</span>. 3) Affect government actions through mass destruction, kidnapping, or assassination - <span style="background-color: red;">Nope!</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
Now, admittedly, that third point on the checklist gets a little murky. I could see an argument that their actions appear intended to influence government policy - that would be, the government's policy of continuing to maintain and administer federal land. However, the <a href="http://bundyranch.blogspot.com/2015/12/notice-redress-of-grievance-action.html" target="_blank">Bundy's redress of grievances</a> focuses not on government policy, but on specific actions of the government. The armed militia is not trying to affect government actions through mass destruction, kidnapping, or assassination. So, that third point still gets a "not really."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdsG9i83ohbVCZs5ajZTVd4VJgFXvhKFigj14V5dLhhX5DE3Tag5knRvwTATHw_D6ne9o3WsvRhHyFWbRByWUTXbep5Iv_BsX8DUIqUQ1UHojjscc_uDwaG6f15umxUS4w0FRXEpli7I/s1600/cjones01042015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdsG9i83ohbVCZs5ajZTVd4VJgFXvhKFigj14V5dLhhX5DE3Tag5knRvwTATHw_D6ne9o3WsvRhHyFWbRByWUTXbep5Iv_BsX8DUIqUQ1UHojjscc_uDwaG6f15umxUS4w0FRXEpli7I/s320/cjones01042015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are not terrorists</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While I can get behind the sentiment that had this militia been composed of anyone other than white people, the reaction would have been different, the reality is that no one was threatened or harmed in this, with the exception of the <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/protesters-vow-hold-oregon-refuge-until-feds-give-n489606" target="_blank">threat of violence as a response to government attempts to clear the building</a>. It's not white-washing - they just aren't terrorists.<br />
<br />
We don't need to apply the terrorist moniker to them to even the scoreboard - we should stop applying it where it doesn't belong. That's how you even the scoreboard <i>and maintain perspective</i>.<br />
<br />
We should be taking action. We shouldn't take action because we'd take action if they were Muslims or if they were African American. That's not why. We need to make it clear that taking over a federal building - occupied or not, remote or not - will not be tolerated. Not by terrorists, not by assholes.<br />
<br />
As funny as the terms #Y'allQaeda, #VanillaISIS, #TaliBundy, and #YeeHawd are, this isn't terrorism. They aren't terrorists - they're just assholes.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Review:</h3>
<br />
<h4>
Terrorists:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Da'ish/ISIL/ISIS/Whatever</li>
<li>Al-Qa'ida/Al Qaeda/Al Kayda/However</li>
<li>Boko Haram</li>
<li>Those Paris-hating assholes</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Not Terrorists:</h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>The man at work who wears a turban</li>
<li>The kid with a Super-Soaker</li>
<li>The asshole who pulls into the parking spot you sharked for hours to get</li>
<li>Those assholes occupying an empty rural federal building</li>
</ul>
Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-32513211064930804452015-12-27T10:16:00.000-08:002015-12-27T10:16:52.090-08:00Powerful Editing ToolIn a creative writing class, we were taught to avoid adverbs if at all possible. I had spent this other class (a class on writing a novella) wishing for a "highlight adverbs" feature in Microsoft Word, or in <a href="https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php" target="_blank">Scrivener</a>.<br />
<br />
I hit Scrivener's <a href="https://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4" target="_blank">feature request forum</a> and did a search on "adverbs." Who'd have guessed I wasn't the first person to have the idea. The request was denied, but one of the comments referenced The Hemingway Editor.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hemingwayapp.com/" target="_blank">The Hemingway Editor</a> is a web-based app, but there is a downloadable desktop app. I only used the web-based one. It allows you to paste text into the editor, or compose within it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpw3w94_VfkRE5qdP_E_Le2xe9LsyBcAdhHSW6hK1Zm-zz6CzquDXrvrYBoWj43gZ4hNUHsRqxvZKr4dueVgJVURX6ISwiDHhC_q_iGWUfkCGohChYQS6EXe0jViTDvduoab51lE1-7I/s1600/Hemingway.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpw3w94_VfkRE5qdP_E_Le2xe9LsyBcAdhHSW6hK1Zm-zz6CzquDXrvrYBoWj43gZ4hNUHsRqxvZKr4dueVgJVURX6ISwiDHhC_q_iGWUfkCGohChYQS6EXe0jViTDvduoab51lE1-7I/s320/Hemingway.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The app highlights adverbs, passive voice, difficult-to-read sentences, and overly-complex usages.<br />
<br />
It grades your writing based on the number of sentences and words. The lower the grade, the better the writing. The grade may be commiserate with school grade levels - i.e., if it's rated a grade 4, a 4th grader could read it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2p-Q0_j9CQb9hJVN_6gliXT_I8Ui8fhkF1_lCNPjSTiSapkJ5Wwh6cEq2DdI5eaxlfLv1v6-36c_MPfDdZiMWky49qXhdn2-xLQOIHWBGZkeCDONeT0xR1qyn7S9H8D-pw738u7ZMuQ/s1600/Hemingway4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2p-Q0_j9CQb9hJVN_6gliXT_I8Ui8fhkF1_lCNPjSTiSapkJ5Wwh6cEq2DdI5eaxlfLv1v6-36c_MPfDdZiMWky49qXhdn2-xLQOIHWBGZkeCDONeT0xR1qyn7S9H8D-pw738u7ZMuQ/s320/Hemingway4.png" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
Pros:</h3>
You can paste a surprising amount of text into that window and it doesn't crash. Like, more than 5,500 words.<br />
<br />
The mechanism to find difficult-to-read sentences is nuanced enough that it has two levels of difficulty, "hard" and "very hard."<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1c0F3bwyUva4BqawCW0cQSOPx8DmwqRcL-ZR9wrW16ajyEG-F5ryOeUvt4dFDJl3bmkQ-4mMQk636zikUIxKzEGtQvI6WkQgMRxlmal3WKe-tmSvSJq1MI5eJvGePYeRiJ08P-5osurQ/s1600/Hemingway2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1c0F3bwyUva4BqawCW0cQSOPx8DmwqRcL-ZR9wrW16ajyEG-F5ryOeUvt4dFDJl3bmkQ-4mMQk636zikUIxKzEGtQvI6WkQgMRxlmal3WKe-tmSvSJq1MI5eJvGePYeRiJ08P-5osurQ/s320/Hemingway2.png" width="147" /></a></div>
It highlights "wordiness." It found all the times I said "in order to" when "to" would have worked, and all the times I said "all of" instead of just "all." It also found fancy-shmancy words like "consolidate" and "portion." When you hover over a wordy word, it recommends a simpler word or phrase.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2P2cyPqGsKBCd6JrNW4XCs0agpdqEfjN-oMzCXYNdehEPcVqEEaK0ML-SWaUN1GiKNyqnGKq_u828CID79_WhyShtfuV9qISPD05QVcJM_H_DKJV-LUL5M1VzWrlfgL81YmVOOheDps/s1600/Hemingway3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2P2cyPqGsKBCd6JrNW4XCs0agpdqEfjN-oMzCXYNdehEPcVqEEaK0ML-SWaUN1GiKNyqnGKq_u828CID79_WhyShtfuV9qISPD05QVcJM_H_DKJV-LUL5M1VzWrlfgL81YmVOOheDps/s320/Hemingway3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
You can format the text in the editor. There are options to make lists, use bold and italics, and the normal rich-text options.<br />
<h3>
Cons:</h3>
It doesn't find <a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/adverbs.shtml" target="_blank"><i>all</i> the adverbs</a>. It finds the ones with an "ly" ending, but misses "only," "even," "never," and some others.<br />
<br />
If you paste a <i>lot</i> of words into the app, it can get confused. Switching the toggle from Edit to Write, pasting the text, and toggling back to Edit fixes this.<br />
<br />
Pasting from Scrivener really confused Hemingway. The hard returns didn't transfer over, and this had an impact on the grading and on which sentences it thought were "very difficult." Often, adding a hard return where there should have been one downgraded the difficulty level and upped my grade.<br />
<br />
It really wants you to write short sentences. Sentences without clauses. Simple sentences, with only one comma. That's great sometimes, but gets old after a while. I blame Hemingway himself for that one.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-31677958410579273642015-12-26T12:59:00.000-08:002015-12-26T12:59:03.069-08:00A Merry Christmas - Mary Consoles Eve III've written about this picture <a href="http://djinn-notes.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-search-for-art.html" target="_blank">before</a>.<br />
<br />
I thought maybe it was a common theme in the Catholic tradition. I thought, if I Googled, I would find <i>all kinds</i> of stained glass windows, and paintings, and sculptures. They aren't there. There's just this, and <a href="https://rainforroots.bandcamp.com/track/mary-consoles-eve" target="_blank">a song by Rain For Roots</a>. Rain for Roots doesn't acknowledge this picture as an inspiration for the song, but I have my suspicions.<br />
<br />
This picture is so powerful. Eve stands, covered by her locks of hair. Eve, who catches the blame for all sin, ever.* In this picture, she's still clutching the apple. The serpent is still wound around her leg, dragging her back into sin. Pregnant Mary stands opposite her. Mary, herself deserving of some consolation. Mary cups Eve's face in one hand, and holds Eve's hand to her belly with the other. The serpent's head is crushed under her foot. Eve's head is still bent in shame. Mary bends her head as if inviting Eve to raise her eyes.<br />
<br />
Even Eve, the representative of all that is wrong with the world, is not beyond Christ's redemption. He was born and he died for <i>all </i>sin. Even that one. Even mine. Even yours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr1GK69Nnh4SncKMYLmWunQtiD_crKS1aJaiIrWd4hK_IKniIbsm521uzXq347oTy4NzX0ZjFs-6S3ExAPmBAe05w2GkP92Pg1Braoh4XYyZ2cBfDGU2P5HRbTgf8TedUcEDMme1KcFw/s1600/Mary+Consoles+Eve.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr1GK69Nnh4SncKMYLmWunQtiD_crKS1aJaiIrWd4hK_IKniIbsm521uzXq347oTy4NzX0ZjFs-6S3ExAPmBAe05w2GkP92Pg1Braoh4XYyZ2cBfDGU2P5HRbTgf8TedUcEDMme1KcFw/s320/Mary+Consoles+Eve.jpeg" width="255" /></a></div>
I wanted to know more about how this picture happened. Fortunately, there's <a href="http://amongwomenpodcast.com/guest/sr-grace-remington-ocso/" target="_blank">a podcast with an interview of Sister Grace Remmington by Pat Gohn</a>. Sister Grace comes on at about 23:00. She starts talking about the picture at about 30:52.<br />
<br />
Sister Grace says she doesn't consider herself an artist. She just doodles, usually when she's thinking. She was thinking about the difference between Mary and Eve when she doodled this. She says, "Perhaps it was the experience of living in a fallen world that made Mary realize... our need for God."<br />
<br />
She says that Eve, still within sin's reach, unable to let go of the apple, spoke to the human condition, too, about our "inability to let go" of our sinful habits.<br />
<br />
The sister also notes that Mary "brings the gift of Christ, the gift of mercy, the gift of compassion." Merry Christmas.<br />
<br />
* I fervently believe that Eve does not deserve all the blame for all the sin. She had a lot of help falling from Grace, and even if she does deserve all that blame, perhaps she should also get some credit for developing humanity's free will. But that's another blog post.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-23244631501936982082015-12-12T22:53:00.000-08:002015-12-12T23:53:20.597-08:00Please Stop Clicking That Link (Or, The Very Public Face of... You pt. 2)Several years ago, I had a bad week. I had joined a charitable organization, found myself overwhelmed and unable to contribute, and tried to make a graceful exit. And things went sideways. After a lot of thought, I blogged about it.<br />
<br />
I was angry. I received some bad treatment at the hands of some one I had trusted. So, I outed that person. I shared - in anger - the things that person said, and the things I had said. That person had made some racist comments, and I called that person out. In anger. Because poor treatment and racism make me angry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Qpwv2RukJFH4a_CJok8tRFOt8EEJRbv65IffjyQKOVfZUNeNhtosQIqKy2yDOKQwAUCuNIAzivokSYjd6x-L4cfDn_3bdQlSXygSuzZCyqfcd8mmajHSHXcX3aVuel3iMUjDdORywbo/s1600/angry-girl-illustration-blue-background-35790105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Qpwv2RukJFH4a_CJok8tRFOt8EEJRbv65IffjyQKOVfZUNeNhtosQIqKy2yDOKQwAUCuNIAzivokSYjd6x-L4cfDn_3bdQlSXygSuzZCyqfcd8mmajHSHXcX3aVuel3iMUjDdORywbo/s320/angry-girl-illustration-blue-background-35790105.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Funny/sad thing is, it's one of my most popular posts. I keep hoping that it'll fall into obscurity, like my other posts. But the stupid thing is in my top-ten for any given month, and it's been my second-most-seen post of all time for <i>years, </i>beaten only by a knitting pattern.<br />
<br />
So, when I was playing with my blog layout, I took that into consideration. Should I use a side-bar with my top-five? Should I just go delete that post? Is there anything in it I should be ashamed of?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdczrXvyOQERchEAnzVEQQ9UYwgsb_Y1QSE4QXrMYx6s3L9_Vq0CzE8HLwgLALg68sR0VtL7sFvspAldzhRjwU2pMbcQktxWJZVUpQtDik0-RxrYn79xkzizFg1ad6EjcmB4dyEFX80g/s1600/THINK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdczrXvyOQERchEAnzVEQQ9UYwgsb_Y1QSE4QXrMYx6s3L9_Vq0CzE8HLwgLALg68sR0VtL7sFvspAldzhRjwU2pMbcQktxWJZVUpQtDik0-RxrYn79xkzizFg1ad6EjcmB4dyEFX80g/s320/THINK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I keep thinking about it, though. I T.H.I.N.K. Was the post True? Yes. Was it Helpful? Maybe, as a cautionary tale. Was it Illegal? Certainly not. Was it Necessary? So much of the internet isn't necessary. It was necessary for me to vent at the time that I wrote it. Was it Kind? No, but being a Dr. Who fan, I aim for "<a href="http://m.imdb.com/title/tt2779318/quotes?qt=qt2089967" target="_blank">never cruel nor cowardly</a>." I'm not sure I even want to aim for "always kind."<br />
<br />
I could delete it... but nothing you put on the internet is ever truly gone. It would exist <i>somewhere.</i> Besides, it <i>is</i> a part of me. I really did that. It was me. Not my finest moment, but also not my worst (I don't put those on the internet).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtvFFpwvCf3FOSPJ73GLZYUbxrtT6WVR-hd-jdRj5mvaQjLVo-ri751Cts77ouKin5sFg2G6ua046P1LnetNtV3uHU2rydqBvXb_c6bCRXWs4H7uHezjmlDB1nmZsnb1rGi6zU51eqiA/s1600/PEN.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtvFFpwvCf3FOSPJ73GLZYUbxrtT6WVR-hd-jdRj5mvaQjLVo-ri751Cts77ouKin5sFg2G6ua046P1LnetNtV3uHU2rydqBvXb_c6bCRXWs4H7uHezjmlDB1nmZsnb1rGi6zU51eqiA/s1600/PEN.png" /></a></div>
I decided to put the top-five posts this month on the blog and hope that puppy stays down around 7 or 8. I won't hide from a years-old moment of questionable judgement. If I'm ever a presidential candidate, I'm sure some one will bring that up (unless they can dig up my really good dirt). Until then, please stop clicking that link.<br />
<br />
Edit: Part 1 of <a href="http://djinn-notes.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-very-public-face-of-you.html" target="_blank">The Very Public Face of... You</a> was about marketing and privacy.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-78448131760753937112015-12-04T22:23:00.000-08:002015-12-04T22:23:25.009-08:004 Things The Wiz - Live! Got RightI watched <a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-wiz-live" target="_blank">NBC's <i>The Wiz - Live!</i></a> last night (most of it - I missed the first hour). I had never seen any version of the play. If you missed it, you should go see it - it's still available on NBC's website.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjnY3fEAEPS79ZpfWcUoHIF2LMznWOl_GoeMXdEK0b2dWnUpOD9WoFeDKehgAcSOncCbKWxHfHcB3xaII-uOxJKSRPMMr9HBXP12NKzfpUNnTp_cxfCJJYiVlXSAg1HXErHr2x6iGqe0/s1600/NUP_171101_7500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjnY3fEAEPS79ZpfWcUoHIF2LMznWOl_GoeMXdEK0b2dWnUpOD9WoFeDKehgAcSOncCbKWxHfHcB3xaII-uOxJKSRPMMr9HBXP12NKzfpUNnTp_cxfCJJYiVlXSAg1HXErHr2x6iGqe0/s320/NUP_171101_7500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Here are four places this version really nailed it.<br />
<br />
<h3>
1. It Boosted New Stars</h3>
The lead was played by Shanice Williams. Don't feel bad if you don't recognize her name. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7068863/?ref_=tt_cl_t3" target="_blank">According to IMDB</a>, she's best known for her role in <i>The National Dog Show Presented by Purina</i>. Yeah, I didn't see that, either. She got the role that was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiz#Cast" target="_blank">previously played by</a> Ashanti and Diana Ross in other versions, and she killed it.<br />
<br />
Other talented, but little-known actors include <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3232025/?ref_=tt_cl_t7" target="_blank">Amber Riley</a> (Glee and a made-for-TV movie), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0445903/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Elijah Kelley</a> (The Butler and a few other movies), and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2499064/?ref_=tt_cl_t2" target="_blank">Uzo Aduba</a> (OITNB, mostly).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmrgPRSu8cIdBC7CFOZsVVbhPew6H6wW2fZEj5FJOAVyxOpNLt5jDJoDjUdQ6zQ_Nt6yiiS5T9q3QhIouyfOjP5SZs4NB5W6rtFf_FGLyK3GMjVOrTDDVrnj8TVvWQIE5wMdu7eUaWCM/s1600/NUP_171101_3558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmrgPRSu8cIdBC7CFOZsVVbhPew6H6wW2fZEj5FJOAVyxOpNLt5jDJoDjUdQ6zQ_Nt6yiiS5T9q3QhIouyfOjP5SZs4NB5W6rtFf_FGLyK3GMjVOrTDDVrnj8TVvWQIE5wMdu7eUaWCM/s320/NUP_171101_3558.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amber Riley as Addapearle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4718770/" target="_blank">She was framed by some major names, too</a> - Ne-Yo, Queen Latifah, Common, David Allen Grier, and Mary J. Blige. They provided draw, boosting viewership, and lending exposure to Williams and her fellow actors.<br />
<br />
Hollywood needs this. <b>Hollywood needs more African American actors earning money, making great films, and supporting each other.</b> <a href="http://www.bunchecenter.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2015-Hollywood-Diversity-Report-2-25-15.pdf" target="_blank">Those awards shows are still awfully predictable.</a> That can change. This is part of that change.<br />
<br />
<h3>
2. It Portrayed Successful African Americans</h3>
Take a deep breath and stick with me through this point, okay?<br />
<br />
While movies are more likely now to star African Americans, the actors often don't speak or dress any differently than their white counterparts (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823664/?ref_=nv_sr_2" target="_blank"><i>Annie</i></a>, I'm looking at you). Aside from the color of their skin, they may as well be white.<br />
<br />
<i>The Wiz - Live!</i> might engender criticism for having the characters speak in slang, but these characters are African American. They aren't African Americans striving to conform to the dominant culture in order to achieve success - by dressing like successful white people, or by talking like successful white people, for example.<b> They find success not despite their identity, not because of their identity, but within their identity. And it's glorious.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ-WMYfFpYChCJeXw403r3uVt3kdfpWZjjoPYEBn0v1fhSVs5cDcmcSRB0tjN7xO_aw6s_vKuPWcmto_1vHAnlPG6R_MFPV4ni6zRwonXOek9HZJDOz9mhb6vEpCQr9eC3vpZ3j3sMfE/s1600/NUP_171101_2625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQ-WMYfFpYChCJeXw403r3uVt3kdfpWZjjoPYEBn0v1fhSVs5cDcmcSRB0tjN7xO_aw6s_vKuPWcmto_1vHAnlPG6R_MFPV4ni6zRwonXOek9HZJDOz9mhb6vEpCQr9eC3vpZ3j3sMfE/s320/NUP_171101_2625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ne-Yo as Tin Man</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Queen Latifah is the successful ruler of the Emerald City as the Wizard. Aduba and Riley (as Glinda and Addaperle) are successful Good Witches. Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow face challenges and rise above them. They don't conform to the (non-existent, in this film) dominant white culture in order to do so. They do it slang, clothing, and stereotypes included. They do it as they are.<br />
<br />
<b>This is what acceptance looks like.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<h3>
3. Positive Body Image</h3>
Shanice Williams was adorable in her little plaid skirt. Mary J. Blige looked amazing in her costumes, and Uzo Aduba and Amber Riley looked beautiful in their dresses. None of these women are exactly tiny. And I loved seeing that.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_6cy7JoHVV5nY1E1o0X6oLdTXO0gk3-Fjc769U777zndiXpuT2eqzEGsFr3Mq4WDAZM4MWyAlDvZ4B11Vjn4H2LZ7eTlc4wIyWHcbwg7yX84-zS5RbwzwJvWY2dQFdjXFY2KkVzly7Y/s1600/53_NUP_171910_1826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_6cy7JoHVV5nY1E1o0X6oLdTXO0gk3-Fjc769U777zndiXpuT2eqzEGsFr3Mq4WDAZM4MWyAlDvZ4B11Vjn4H2LZ7eTlc4wIyWHcbwg7yX84-zS5RbwzwJvWY2dQFdjXFY2KkVzly7Y/s320/53_NUP_171910_1826.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanice Williams as Dorothy, Uzo Aduba as Glinda the Good</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I love it that the show's producers didn't choose super-skinny women to play these characters - they chose women who could act and sing and dance to play these characters.<br />
<br />
The women appeared comfortable in their appearances. Williams never tugged her skirt down in an attempt to hide her thighs. Aduba and Riley never tugged at their costumes in an attempt to hide their lovely curves. No one commented about diets or exercise regimens.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaZoIHCZD6A07NR0eTHC6ql_ZkRzkF5OLC2_YTBrcgpnzkMLJIq08MiYepjrWdwTiXUswsYbrorUo_qi9VMsx_uUJ6eKEpRf3GjpKRo-iF5-l-VYImQO3dNPfDQdTy9oF9zeKI0DakTk/s1600/23_17_The-wiz-56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaZoIHCZD6A07NR0eTHC6ql_ZkRzkF5OLC2_YTBrcgpnzkMLJIq08MiYepjrWdwTiXUswsYbrorUo_qi9VMsx_uUJ6eKEpRf3GjpKRo-iF5-l-VYImQO3dNPfDQdTy9oF9zeKI0DakTk/s320/23_17_The-wiz-56.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Williams, giving a pep-talk to David Allen Grier as the Cowardly Lion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I know - that stuff wouldn't have fit in that play. It was written about characters who wouldn't have worried about those things. But gosh. <b>It was so refreshing to see stars on stage who, I felt, sort of looked like me.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<h3>
4. It Passed the Bechdel Test</h3>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test" target="_blank">The Bechdel test</a> presents a series of wickets for a movie (or book, or video game, etc.) to hit: it has to have at least <b>two female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man</b>.<br />
<br />
With Queen Latifah playing a definitely feminine Wizard (though she doesn't necessarily look very feminine at first), and Aduba and Riley as the good witches, there were a few scenes where the women spoke to Dorothy.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdnmzkJmAcvJTCYVNtb57LI4AemVdYDHLNMs2QefjdhwOXRdIBdvH8UnyK_czqAr9ViuPLl_6mLu6EFvEZXyAs7C-UqIMnS-MPY9l1rQonUJgqxPj6_w9PiMpKxRm9lL5y5OqsUrz-3o/s1600/50_NUP_171910_1644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdnmzkJmAcvJTCYVNtb57LI4AemVdYDHLNMs2QefjdhwOXRdIBdvH8UnyK_czqAr9ViuPLl_6mLu6EFvEZXyAs7C-UqIMnS-MPY9l1rQonUJgqxPj6_w9PiMpKxRm9lL5y5OqsUrz-3o/s320/50_NUP_171910_1644.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorothy (and cast) discuss the meaning of success <br />with Queen Latifah as the Wizard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
They didn't even discuss hair, or nails, or clothes, much less diet plans and exercise routines. They talked about big stuff - identity. They talked about the meaning of success and the meaning of family.<br />
<br />
It was women acting like women. (Mostly) supporting each other. It passed the test with flying colors.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Bonus Point: Excellent Conflict</h3>
That scene when Dorothy confronted Evillene was one of the best scenes I saw. Dorothy starts hurling insults about Evillene, and Evillene responds with, "If I'm wicked, what does that make you?"<br />
<br />
She launches into a list of Dorothy's offences. She killed the other witch and then stole her shoes before the body was even cold. Dorothy didn't have a good comeback for that.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15FeBwTQQIw8ATKRytIX1ByH4Ka-kleDiyN2GJ9ONffGpetVAPgBZ0PklAnle97HEpv95CnRAI_08mkKTxXP6mtHbl78k_wJmg0lMby3VeiaiDTr4AflJbbFd9H7H6WLAGVIXvRyVeVI/s1600/45_NUP_171910_1469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15FeBwTQQIw8ATKRytIX1ByH4Ka-kleDiyN2GJ9ONffGpetVAPgBZ0PklAnle97HEpv95CnRAI_08mkKTxXP6mtHbl78k_wJmg0lMby3VeiaiDTr4AflJbbFd9H7H6WLAGVIXvRyVeVI/s320/45_NUP_171910_1469.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary J. Blige as Evillene, not taking Dorothy's hypocrisy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I wish the moment had been more powerful. There was potential for Dorothy to have self-doubt or defensiveness... but she kind of glossed over it.<br />
<br />
The other point was made by the Wizard. The Wizard explained that things in Oz worked before Dorothy came. There was balance. Everyone knew their place. Then Dorothy went witch-killing and upset everything. Again, Dorothy never addressed that accusation, or even seemed to acknowledge it.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-54905962316913422692015-11-29T11:17:00.000-08:002015-12-27T09:16:01.102-08:00Plotting Help<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
Now that NaNoWriMo is almost at a close, you probably don't need this tool - unless you write during the "off-season," or are a struggling college student, like me.</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
I'm in the middle of a two-month class aimed at teaching students to write a novella - a ~100 page story, which we'll self-publish at the end of class.</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
I found myself in an existential plot crisis. Even though I had a strong start, I couldn't figure out where this novella was going. I needed some serious plot help. I Googled "plot diagram" and landed on <a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/plot-diagram/" target="_blank">this interactive tool</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxiY8oJXVSBfmwPguWGdDhh6_Kiom0MmQVTstQg-Fp4VslPNnc-iBqbTfrOOquusM3rgt31DAEr1EpqK5pyOjxpC2PAojRkl_dYLpm9TZ1ipYqUqgIGkr8p6bpPcUqW_MWgMoFadY0pY/s1600/Plot1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxiY8oJXVSBfmwPguWGdDhh6_Kiom0MmQVTstQg-Fp4VslPNnc-iBqbTfrOOquusM3rgt31DAEr1EpqK5pyOjxpC2PAojRkl_dYLpm9TZ1ipYqUqgIGkr8p6bpPcUqW_MWgMoFadY0pY/s320/Plot1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
Once you enter in your name and title, it presents a "mountain." You can use the slider bar at the bottom to change where the peak is (allowing for more or less rising and falling action). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTQDBWsoup2VugQBmfPXWxrLrPrtv0bJu5g-aM3qf46EEbzjKv8FBKpD1ZDXroCjXXwh7IRzWBd2jxZhB8ro93N0_KVAmLwI3E7KMXltsANz1Awur4bPf2ihjVzHQH1xZSroKFigwosk/s1600/Plot2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTQDBWsoup2VugQBmfPXWxrLrPrtv0bJu5g-aM3qf46EEbzjKv8FBKpD1ZDXroCjXXwh7IRzWBd2jxZhB8ro93N0_KVAmLwI3E7KMXltsANz1Awur4bPf2ihjVzHQH1xZSroKFigwosk/s320/Plot2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
You enter in an event and a description, and drag and drop it to where you want it on the "mountain." Downside: once you drag that event, the only part that will be visible is the event title. You can't get back to see or edit your event description.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9a5sxXmqHVP1NWSEx-7E86q-F14F2lnzrlAXNUn3jqMe8ceJJ1byXUM1a-E-5Wfq0vOoPKzHSCn8SLZa06f0BWhmbA-MF-c24bXzWvzAQxwV8_exBl6Ut7Naz4wlYpID7EyB9k8xLcY/s1600/Plot3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9a5sxXmqHVP1NWSEx-7E86q-F14F2lnzrlAXNUn3jqMe8ceJJ1byXUM1a-E-5Wfq0vOoPKzHSCn8SLZa06f0BWhmbA-MF-c24bXzWvzAQxwV8_exBl6Ut7Naz4wlYpID7EyB9k8xLcY/s320/Plot3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
Hitting print will allow you to print or save the final version, but you can add events after you "print." Once you start over or navigate off the page, your work will be lost, so if you want to keep it, print it. This is what it'll look like:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7Y4hNq2wk_doBNhH4U5rqBdAzNydFiCdYATvDsVNS_xPTMHZGVvrnx-EKhZY9P5NPBmmWFnbus9kf8BkKrQBA4T2vbudfNUWHfZQMItOishhKCiiBXeYSFdHyqxkiH9rvqW8Pqabyus/s1600/Plot4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7Y4hNq2wk_doBNhH4U5rqBdAzNydFiCdYATvDsVNS_xPTMHZGVvrnx-EKhZY9P5NPBmmWFnbus9kf8BkKrQBA4T2vbudfNUWHfZQMItOishhKCiiBXeYSFdHyqxkiH9rvqW8Pqabyus/s320/Plot4.png" width="315" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
Happy writing!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Edit:</u></b> I found another interesting downside to this working aid: The events are numbered on the printed page as you entered them. So, using the example above, if you entered in Problem 1, then the Major Crisis, and then went back and entered in Problem 2, the bottom of your printout will list them as:<br />
1. Character Intro<br />
2. Problem 1<br />
3. Major Crisis<br />
4. Problem 2<br />
5. Resolution 1</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
It's still a useful working aid... it's just not perfect.</div>
Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-37182566418143809982015-11-20T12:28:00.000-08:002015-11-20T12:29:23.265-08:00Excuse Me, But You've Got a Thread...Your clothing is sewn shut! I've seen it a lot lately, and commented about it to friends. Several of them didn't know you're supposed to cut those stitches.<br />
<br />
Here's where to find the ones to cut:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The bottom hem of a new jacket or coat</li>
<li>The bottom hem of a new skirt</li>
<li>Pockets* (more on this in a bit)</li>
<li>The shoulders of a new jacket</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Vents</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
The vent is the split in the back of a skirt or in a jacket or coat.<br />
<h4>
Here's What They Look Like:</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7aIeOsnzoAHkPOM4KNxD73DDBDRY4yP0v__h4eIuWtS3-JnXNYPqjrb7cs434biEkknVRgYSD9eH5z8rj35lCwH2ZzLofYwhEhcB3LXa8Ucl_aPU9Q7ZOQdPWNYiyINFamtOAB95WRc/s1600/basting-stitches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7aIeOsnzoAHkPOM4KNxD73DDBDRY4yP0v__h4eIuWtS3-JnXNYPqjrb7cs434biEkknVRgYSD9eH5z8rj35lCwH2ZzLofYwhEhcB3LXa8Ucl_aPU9Q7ZOQdPWNYiyINFamtOAB95WRc/s320/basting-stitches.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The thread used to baste the vent shut is usually doubled, and is often a contrasting color. The stitches are big, and thread is knotted someplace visible (but usually on the inside of the garment). The accessible knot makes it easier to remove.<br />
<h4>
Why Are They Sewn Shut?</h4>
The stitches are there for a couple of reasons. One, to keep the garment from bunching up during shipping and handling. Two, to keep the vent protected while you try it on. If the garment is a little small, you could tug the vent too far open and stretch or tear the fabric.<br />
<h4>
Why Should I Remove Them?</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9wv11d76-ETfYh-6nOCdjE3Jnaq_Uj6gT-2TjbpjwJUERg29o5cF9dOX4MreFm3u9qPu50T8_u6r5vhIC0fi_RmC5KJ2zejNd3fZLzJK6Qq9hsZQ9iaAE9DwxZwOMyu3PoaAtsKL6Hg/s1600/white+string+on+suit+jacket2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9wv11d76-ETfYh-6nOCdjE3Jnaq_Uj6gT-2TjbpjwJUERg29o5cF9dOX4MreFm3u9qPu50T8_u6r5vhIC0fi_RmC5KJ2zejNd3fZLzJK6Qq9hsZQ9iaAE9DwxZwOMyu3PoaAtsKL6Hg/s320/white+string+on+suit+jacket2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
All the other stitching in your garment is meant to <i>not</i> be noticed. Not those basting stitches. They should go. Keeping them in means the garment moves awkwardly, or bunches up as you wear it.<br />
<br />
If you don't like the split in the jacket, skirt, or coat, buy clothing without a vent (there's lots out there).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Pockets</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
Pockets are often also sewn shut. Opinions on opening pockets vary, and keeping them shut isn't obvious, unlike keeping vents shut.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5J6tyJX473uoEMen1-UYyKnmQZ7Ee4EWJKeh5Mr5uXA7Jtc1-C_Y2gEH6z5EPChH_7eQQwJQnyFV4bEC8-lpLu20IE-VexcYq4SnAWDVsERrUv6ZaJP0RmWODublWbUjod4NpqRDGsc/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5J6tyJX473uoEMen1-UYyKnmQZ7Ee4EWJKeh5Mr5uXA7Jtc1-C_Y2gEH6z5EPChH_7eQQwJQnyFV4bEC8-lpLu20IE-VexcYq4SnAWDVsERrUv6ZaJP0RmWODublWbUjod4NpqRDGsc/s320/photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h4>
Why Are They Sewn Shut?</h4>
To keep you from stretching out the garment by putting large items or your hands in the pockets. This is important before you purchase the garment. After the garment is yours, well... They're your pockets. But stretched-out jacket pockets make the garment hang awkwardly. Smoother lines create a more elegant appearance.<br />
<h4>
What About Pants Pockets?</h4>
If the pocket openings are horizontal, opening them is probably fine (but watch out for stretching them by sticking your hands in them).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq12t3nD5Pl1CdTQMV3KY80slbnptddHBPykaWRO6Y0XQGqmBTWMk7wS7Bt2eBjlXjRbjNvGmQuaLRurwHgLMZJrnigX84ZqHFmxyTY83lVm4q_YaFaxM4b3LCwGS3LaZFLh0f7TXPPs/s1600/prod_1532356012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwq12t3nD5Pl1CdTQMV3KY80slbnptddHBPykaWRO6Y0XQGqmBTWMk7wS7Bt2eBjlXjRbjNvGmQuaLRurwHgLMZJrnigX84ZqHFmxyTY83lVm4q_YaFaxM4b3LCwGS3LaZFLh0f7TXPPs/s320/prod_1532356012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If the pockets are slanted (close to the side-seams of your pants), they can have a tendency to gap open. Keeping them sewn shut helps them lie flat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcshK3slviuG_adwHvbFgKM9iRNCv9pKdRcbsNLDXnS__azuDoFmPjWRdIEq70olCt4lSBLYjJMauBKc5lxJQO5-uP9vic4cQDLoSnXfN0kDkEU0IH09C_w3tFdtVBltleaKBQqJRD8o/s1600/Burberry-London-stretch-cotton-tapered-trousers-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcshK3slviuG_adwHvbFgKM9iRNCv9pKdRcbsNLDXnS__azuDoFmPjWRdIEq70olCt4lSBLYjJMauBKc5lxJQO5-uP9vic4cQDLoSnXfN0kDkEU0IH09C_w3tFdtVBltleaKBQqJRD8o/s320/Burberry-London-stretch-cotton-tapered-trousers-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those pockets are definitely going to be stretched out. :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-4563277028563490692015-11-08T16:57:00.000-08:002015-11-08T16:57:11.481-08:00On Accidental Saints and Made For Goodness - Week 2<h3>
On Perfection</h3>
I have to say, Nadia's chapter where she talked about the expectations of others really spoke to me. She said, "Maybe it's not only the leaders who think they should be perfect; maybe it's also their followers who expect them to have it all together."<br />
<br />
I am totally guilty of this. Like, all-the-time guilty. I have high expectations of myself, and high expectations of others. I tend to know my friends well enough to love them <i>and</i> their imperfections. I love their snarky-ness, their sarcasm, their occasional falling-apart. I identify with all those things, and I do them myself. I know we're not perfect.<br />
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But I expect my leaders - in family, in church, at work - to be always forgiving, never snarky, never falling-apart. At least, not when I'm around. I have some amends to make, and I'll make them in person.<br />
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Desmond Tutu again echoes her: "As human beings, we hear in the command to be perfect a demand for flawlessness. <i>But flawlessness is not the goal of God's invitation</i>. ... Godly perfection is not flawlessness. Godly perfection is wholeness." I love him for saying this. I guess I have some work to do.<br />
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Desmond Tutu talks about practicing being good. He talks about how God gave us choice, but the choice really is ours, and it does take practice. I have to admit, this really confused me. Last week, he was saying that being good is something we <i>are,</i> not something we <i>do,</i> and now he's saying that we have to practice being good.<br />
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<h3>
Not the Blessing</h3>
The other thing Nadia said that really struck me, was when she talked about how we are not the blessing that is bestowed upon others. I'm guilty of this one, too. Thinking that I will magnanimously step down from my ivory tower and bless people with my presence or my works. She points out that we are all both needy and needs-meeters. It was a difficult concept to wrap my head around. I think she's also saying that experiencing the need and the meeting of that need is to experience Jesus. It's not in the being needy or in the generosity - it's in the communion.<br />
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<h3>
The Discussion Questions</h3>
<br />
<ol>
<li>1. What is your Nineveh? <b>Has God ever moved you to confront that thing, person, or event that you would rather avoid?</b> What happened, and how did it feel?<br /><br />Not so much, on this one. I would say that the closest it comes is at work. As a team-lead, I was a great coach, mentor, cheer-leader. But I wasn't good at giving negative feedback or conducting sessions where I had to counsel someone on poor performance. I had to do it, and it felt awful. I'm still much better at "A for effort!" than I am at "these are the expectations. Let's find a way for you to start meeting them."<br /><br /></li>
<li><b>Have you ever felt like you were someone's "project" - as if they were trying to "minister" to you, yet somehow were serving themselves?</b> How did it feel? Why is it so difficult for us to give to others without becoming self-important?<br /><br />Again, not so much. I've definitely been on the other side of that - believing that I could lead a youth group (I don't even like kids!) because I was young and energetic (I was) and I understood teenagers (nope. Not even when I was one). It was a gift I didn't and don't possess, and I failed miserably. I think we do better at ministration when it's in a way that comes more naturally.<br /><br /></li>
<li>(Summarizing) <b>When you were young, did you believe that Godliness meant following a list of prohibitions?</b> ...Has that rules-based messaging affected how you live and feel as an adult? Is there such a thing as "Godly living"? Is the lifestyle and personality of the Christian the primary focus of faith?<br /><br />Oh, yes. Christians don't smoke, drink, smoke pot, swear, have pre-marital sex. I know now those things aren't true, but when I was a teenager, I vacillated between believing that we are saved by faith and that we are saved by works. When I thought we are saved by works, I was super-puritan. When I thought we are saved by faith, I took it as a free pass - I'm already saved, I can do whatever the hell I want. Now, I think it's both. I do still believe that we should aim for a lifestyle that treats ourselves and those around us well. I know that as sinners, we'll fall short. But I do believe we should be trying.</li>
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Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-16729585151497183802015-11-08T15:55:00.000-08:002015-11-08T15:55:00.833-08:00Adventures in Translation - FamilyDemaryius Thomas has a tattoo that said "Family." He said, "Family - I love 'em all." And then there was ESPN's slogan, Football is family. Whatevs.<br />
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I thought, what if I got that tattoo in Arabic? I'm not into tattoos of words - even in a foreign language, even in a beautifully written one, like Arabic - but if I were into that, the tattoo would say <span style="font-size: large;">الاهل </span>- al-Ahal. The folks. Family.<br />
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Like<span style="font-size: large;"> اهل الكتاب</span> - ahal al-Kitab - people of the Book. Believers. Jews, Christians, Muslims. Family.<br />
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Like <span style="font-size: large;">اهلي </span>- Ahali - my family.<br />
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Like <span style="font-size: large;">اهوال الدنيا</span> - Ahwal al-Dunya - Peoples of the world. Family.<br />
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Yes, there are other words for family. I think <span style="font-size: large;">أسرة</span> - usrah - is more "proper."<br />
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Greetings in Arabic can be extensive. "How are you? How's your health? How are your affairs? How's your family?" all rapid-fire, while the other person says, "Good, thank God, thank God, good."<br />
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The word used - at least in my experience - isn't the proper usrah, but the more general <span style="font-size: large;">اهل</span>. How are your people? Your family?Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-81362488559431409162015-11-06T22:41:00.000-08:002015-11-08T13:31:36.500-08:00Stop Using That Hashtag<h3>
Victim Equaling</h3>
You probably already know what a "topper" is. Whatever you say, they've done it better, gotten a bigger one, done it more, or had it worse.<br />
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Victim-topping is this thing I see on the internet lately, and it's not so much topping, as it is "equaling." If you were at a party, it'd go like this: You say, "Thank God someone brought a veggie platter. I'm deathly allergic to peanuts, and they are in <i>everything!</i>" And they say, "Yeah, I'm a vegan. We should <i>all</i> demand more choices from our grocer."<br />
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The way it plays out in the internet, is there's some movement and a counter-movement. The thing is, we have movements for a reason: The status quo isn't getting it for some people. In order to change the status quo, a movement is born.<br />
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The <a href="http://blacklivesmatter.com/guiding-principles/" target="_blank">#BlackLivesMatter movement</a> is a good example of a movement with a counter-movement. This movement draws attention to "<a href="http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/" target="_blank">the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state</a>."<br />
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<h3>
That Other Hashtag is a Straw Man Argument</h3>
The counter-movement, All Lives Matter, is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man" target="_blank">straw man argument</a> that seeks to reinforce the status quo. In this day and age, we can pretty much agree that all lives matter. Hence the straw man part. No one is going to disagree with you on that one.<i> No one was even making that argument</i>.<br />
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<b>By saying "all lives matter," you're seeking to diminish the power of the request for change by changing the focus of the argument. You're working to halt the change others depend on by reinforcing the status quo.</b><br />
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<h3>
A Constructionist Reading</h3>
When you use that <i>other</i> hashtag, you're using the same well-recognized format as #blacklivesmatter, which draws a comparison between the two.<b> "All lives matter" would have no meaning without the association to Black Lives Matter. By saying "all lives matter," you aren't drawing attention to a specific problem, you're just muddying the water.</b> Because of this association, you're drawing a comparison which brushes aside the problem Black Lives Matter tries to address; you're making room at the party for a lesser problem.<br />
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Let me just clarify here. You're probably enraged, so let me clarify. When I say "lesser problem," I'm talking about the size of the problem in terms of number of victims and the rate of victims. When compared to white people, African Americans have it much worse in the justice system. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/sunday-review/how-prisoners-make-data-look-good.html?_r=0" target="_blank">They suffer more</a> at the hands of the state and within the system in which we all live. I'm not interested in arguing statistics. That's not what this post is about.<br />
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Lastly, I'd like to remind you that Black Lives Matter is not a zero-sum game. A system that treats black people fairly won't suddenly turn on white people. More fair treatment does not necessitate the displacement of injustice from one group onto another group.<br />
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<b>So, stop using that hash-tag. You're not helping anyone, and you're hurting some.</b><br />
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20151108 Update: edited to fix a typo.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-16637244346666236282015-10-27T09:09:00.001-07:002015-10-27T09:19:29.432-07:00On Accidental Saints and Made For Goodness - Week 1I can't always make it to church, and that means missing book group. So I'm participating via blog, at least on the weeks I can't make it.<br />
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<h3>
Overall Impressions</h3>
The choice to read these two books together was <i>brilliant.</i> They echo each other using different voices for much the same message, and it's a good and powerful message. So far, I'd say the message is, "You are worthy - it'll be okay."<br />
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Nadia Bolz-Weber's voice in <i>Accidental Saints - Finding God in All the Wrong People</i> is humorous, at times irreverent. She uses swear words! She sounds like someone I'd like to have coffee with. It's refreshing to "hear" someone speak on Godly matters without the lofty speech that often makes books on the subject inaccessible to the average Joe.<br />
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Desmond Tutu's voice in <i>Made for Goodness and Why This Makes All the Difference</i> is grandfatherly. Kind, approachable, instructive. His text is a little denser than Nadia's, which is why I think it's a good thing that we typically read three chapters of her book to two of his. He has a much different outlook than Nadia (for some obvious reasons), but still manages to relate to the American experience.<br />
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<h3>
What Spoke to Me</h3>
One of the best quotes from <i>Accidental Saints</i> is: "There is nothing we have done that God cannot redeem." It's really hard to internalize this one. Tutu helps a bit: "God already loves us perfectly; God cannot love us one iota more. Equally, there is nothing we can do that will make God love us one iota less." This, too, is difficult to internalize, but remembering God's love is perfect is helpful.<br />
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The next quote from <i>Accidental Saints </i>captures the idea that <b>we are all complicated.</b> I think this speaks to the idea that we're all marred by sin in some way, but also reflects the idea that <b>we're all saints, too</b>: "On All Saints' Sunday, I am faced with sticky ambiguities around saints who were bad and sinners who were good." This pairs nicely with one from <i>Made for Goodness, </i>which reminds us that even though we are all complicated, we're also all good: "There is not a single person that God gives up on, because God knows that we are made to be like God, who is goodness itself."<br />
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Nadia talks about her struggles with racism, and that resonated with me. She says that for all her anti-racism talk and liberal leanings, she can't get around the fact that she reacts differently to (for example) young black men she sees on the street. She also references white privilege and her empty outrage at the inherent racism in our society. She says she feels that if she could just "show the right level of outrage, it'll make up for the fact that every single day of my life I have benefited from the very same system that acquitted George Zimmerman." Tutu has a slightly different take on it: "If wrong was the norm, it wouldn't be news... Murder and mayhem are not the norm. The norm is goodness." This brought me hope. It's easy to feel discouraged watching the news. Whether it's local stories or international news, there are atrocities everywhere, and there's so much of it I can't do a thing about. I like this reminder that <b>while it may seem that stuff is everywhere, there's also goodness everywhere</b>. It's almost like he's speaking to her outrage, here.<br />
<br />
Desmond Tutu devotes a lot of time to explaining that our efforts to "be good" get in the way of our recognition that we "<i>are </i>good." One of the things he says is, "Attached to that notion of "being good" are all the "oughts" and "shoulds" that we think will win us... God's love and divine favor." I've been in therapy a few times. One of the more recent was because of the stress I was facing with accepting a decision that meant our family was geographically spread out, and I was (temporarily) a single mom. I had stopped sleeping. I had almost stopped eating. I was consumed by anger and stress. The therapist worked with me using <b>cognitive behavioral therapy - changing your thinking in order to better control your thinking</b>. He talked about <a href="http://markwestman.blogspot.com/2009/08/stop-awfulizing-musturbating-and.html" target="_blank">"musterbating"</a> - allowing too many toxic thoughts into your head. "It must be fair" (no, it isn't always fair), "I must do the dishes" (no, you don't have to do the dishes, but maybe there's a way to remind yourself that you want to), "I must be understood" (nope, that doesn't always happen, either). Focusing on that stuff will drive you certifiably crazy. Tutu also said, "We cannot choose how we feel. We can choose what we do, how we act." I'm not sure I agree with this. I think you can make choices about how you feel. I think my therapy did just that. I think <b>when we are angry, that's as much a choice we make as when we decide to move forward from a set-back</b>.<br />
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One of the first things I highlighted from <i>Accidental Saints </i>was a quote about the saints in our lives: "Saint Paul describes the saints as "a great cloud of witnesses," so when they have passed, we still hold them up, hoping perhaps that their virtues... might become our own virtue, our own strength." I had never considered our (Episcopal) view of the saints in this light, but I like the idea. It was an "aha!" moment.<br />
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<br /></div>
There's this, on leadership, from <i>Accidental Saints</i>: "I'm a leader, but only by saying, 'Oh, screw it. I'll go first.'" I wonder how much of corporate leadership is this "Fine - I'll go first" kind of attitude and how much is "We (meaning you) need to go this way." Is one way better in the corporate world? More effective? <b>Is there room for high-level corporate leaders to "go first"?</b> I'd like to say that going first is the best leadership... But honestly, I'm not sure the guys at the top can do that. Not in any "corporate vision" kind of way. Maybe they can sometimes. I don't know.<br />
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<h3>
The Discussion Questions</h3>
<div>
1. I rarely think of myself as a saint. Mostly, I realize how broken I am - I'm so mean, sometimes. Often, even. I've said before that if my mom, my aunt, and my husband are praying for you, you're going to be okay. While each of these people is merely human - they each have their flaws - I also know that they can be my strongest supporters. I've always felt their spiritual health was really high, even when they were in crisis or questioning their faith.</div>
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2. I think I'm often in places where I say the wrong thing, or I react the wrong way. I think loving (in a Christian kind of way) the people around you helps you empathize with them more, and might help you not say the wrong thing, but I think getting it right 100% of the time is impossible for humans. I think Desmond Tutu answers this better, by encouraging us to not try to say the right thing or do the right thing, but to remember that we are good, even when we're not.</div>
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<div>
3. Figuring out just what crap I've had exchanged for Jesus's blessedness is pretty hard. I know I've got a lot of crap. Figuring out which has been more or less directly exchanged is a tall order. I suppose, I could say that there have been a few times when I said exactly the wrong thing to someone... And those people chose to keep talking to me, to be my friends, to forgive me. I guess that's my crap for His blessedness.</div>
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<br />Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-56872368889623559002015-10-24T10:08:00.001-07:002015-10-24T10:27:59.073-07:00The Big Deal About Some Washington, D.C. Bike LanesIf you're following me on Facebook, you've already seen most of this. This post lays out the background information, both sides of the argument, and my stance in it.<br />
<h3>
The Current Situation:</h3>
There are bike lanes all around this piece of Washington, D.C., but few that connect the areas with a lot of bike lanes to the areas with few bike lanes, and fewer continuous north-south bike lanes nearby. The marker is for New York Ave. and 6th street, northwest. Solid lines are bike lanes, dotted lines are "bike-friendly streets" - places where Google has noted there are bicyclists, though I question their equation of large numbers of cyclists to "friendliness." 6th street is like a bike-lane desert.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIa7NjUhHjZk0TW1UO9fK1uP11CiMjZtsEr0ExyRjxDEScFLnUu751EGOStQUWyF21NBv9o4X72hdY67le2KA-ABnC4bYjhJ4fceaY4iKrFzL7p3t49OSRUKIuCV2Ec2GVtsOspg5TP8/s1600/Bike+Lane+Proposal+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIa7NjUhHjZk0TW1UO9fK1uP11CiMjZtsEr0ExyRjxDEScFLnUu751EGOStQUWyF21NBv9o4X72hdY67le2KA-ABnC4bYjhJ4fceaY4iKrFzL7p3t49OSRUKIuCV2Ec2GVtsOspg5TP8/s400/Bike+Lane+Proposal+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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In 2014, 12 bicyclists and 16 pedestrians were hit along the stretch of 6th street under consideration, and 14 bicyclists and 7 pedestrians were struck along the portion of 9th street under consideration, according to FOIA data <a href="http://www.waba.org/blog/2015/10/proposed-bike-lanes-in-shaw-facing-noisy-opposition/" target="_blank">cited by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association</a> (WABA). So, bicyclists and pedestrians <i>do</i> use the street, but not safely.<br />
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On 6th street and M street (jut north of the marker on the above map) is a large church of long-time congregants, the <a href="http://tuhopfap.org/index.cfm" target="_blank">United House of Prayer</a>. The <a href="http://www.nbbc-dc.org/" target="_blank">New Bethel Baptist Church</a> is at 9th and S. Northwest D.C. has seen a lot of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/gentrification-in-northwest-dc-comes-at-too-high-a-cost/2015/08/20/7f3dcc18-450f-11e5-9f53-d1e3ddfd0cda_story.html" target="_blank">gentrification</a>.<br />
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The United House of Prayer enjoys street parking, where about <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/10/23/can-some-big-d-c-churches-fight-off-a-bike-lane-they-are-bringing-large-crowds-to-try/" target="_blank">75 cars can park diagonally on Sundays</a>. The proposed changes to 6th street would allow only parallel parking, meaning the loss of an unknown number of parking places.<br />
<h3>
The Proposals:</h3>
There are <a href="http://dccycletrack.com/preliminary-alternatives.html" target="_blank">four proposals</a> for adding bike lanes to either 6th or 9th streets in northwest Washington, D.C. They all allow for some street parking, at least at "non-peak" times, which would presumably include Sunday mornings.<br />
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Here's my favorite proposal, which provides for protected bike lanes in each direction, two or four lanes of travel (four in peak times), and 2 lanes of parking during non-peak times. The plan for 6th street north of New York Avenue looks the same as this, which shows 6th south of New York Avenue:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXno7_hj8MxKwAIzhe-GoNPOUZ-DtIZAhr2xqP5k6N_DpGLwGewS9JiVPN_ebsBYNJIROmOO4mS8Q09lUPRsJ1hyphenhyphenFeafE4MPVK_2NYh1e8udUd_FY2q3Jdti7pVmlgyIQG1VAZcqiRWw/s1600/Bike+Lane+Proposal+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXno7_hj8MxKwAIzhe-GoNPOUZ-DtIZAhr2xqP5k6N_DpGLwGewS9JiVPN_ebsBYNJIROmOO4mS8Q09lUPRsJ1hyphenhyphenFeafE4MPVK_2NYh1e8udUd_FY2q3Jdti7pVmlgyIQG1VAZcqiRWw/s400/Bike+Lane+Proposal+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<h3>
The Conundrum:</h3>
Gentrification has forced many of the congregants to the suburbs. The churches may see a concerning situation where congregants are far from their church <i>and</i> have trouble parking once they get there. They are arguing that this loss of parking impinges on their freedom of religion.<br />
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The city has adopted <a href="http://www.waba.org/advocacy/campaigns/vision-zero/" target="_blank">Vision Zero</a>, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths. <a href="http://dccycletrack.com/why-protected-bike-lanes.html" target="_blank">Protected bike lanes</a> are a major portion of this vision.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.waba.org/" target="_blank">Washington Area Bicyclist Association</a> (WABA) asserts in <a href="http://www.waba.org/blog/2015/10/proposed-bike-lanes-in-shaw-facing-noisy-opposition/" target="_blank">their post on the recent public meeting</a> that while concerns about gentrification are valid, using the proposed bike lanes as a proxy for this argument is inappropriate.<br />
<h3>
My Stance:</h3>
As Christians, we are told to protect the vulnerable. This extends to vulnerable street users, such as bicyclists and pedestrians. The benefit of being "strong" (in the majority, supported by your environment, and physically secure) is that you can afford to help the weak. As Christians, we are commanded to do so, even at the expense of our comfort.<br />
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As Christians, we are told that <a href="http://wittenburgministries.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66:a-scriptural-call-for-environmental-stewardship&catid=36:theological-discussions&Itemid=69" target="_blank">we are the stewards of our environment</a>. While biking isn't free from environmental harm (tires are a petroleum product), it is more responsible than driving. As Christians, we should be encouraging bicycling and walking as means of transportation.<br />
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As Christians, we are told to love one another, above all else. The importance of community and inclusiveness is reinforced through scripture. Our public policies and behaviors should reflect these values.<br />
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Unfortunately, the behavior of the those representing the churches at the public meeting did not represent Christian values. Besides holding their right to park above others' right of physical safety, they shouted down and cat-called opposing viewpoints.<br />
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I hope that should my church find itself in a similar situation, that we will demonstrate the Christian values we claim as our own.Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4205027917189643206.post-65244637493764523122015-10-12T11:46:00.000-07:002015-10-24T10:28:39.855-07:00Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA - Review & TipsWe went to Busch Gardens theme park over Columbus Day weekend. Here's the review.<br />
<h2>
What if Some Members of My Party Don't Like Roller Coasters?</h2>
Don't worry - there's plenty to keep them busy, too! The lines for the roller coasters (especially the Griffon and Mach Tower) tend to be pretty long. They do a good job of keeping the line moving and there's good stuff to look at, so you don't really realize you've been waiting for an hour to get on the ride. While the scare-lovers are waiting in line, the non-scare-lovers can ride bumper cars or check out the live animal exhibits or play fairway games. Or point and laugh at their roller-coaster-riding companions as they scream their heads off.<br />
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<h2>
Why Should I Go to Busch Gardens Instead of the State Fair?</h2>
Just kidding, you should do both. While Busch Gardens is much more expensive than the state fair, you won't find roller coasters like those at your state fair. You'll eat better at Busch Gardens (they have salads and vegetables, in addition to some more traditional fair foods), though you will pay more to do so. Also, Busch Gardens is <i>really clean, </i>and it's clear that the people who work there actually enjoy their jobs. That makes a huge difference. The people running the various boutiques took ownership and pride in their shops. One commented on the Hallo-Scream shenanigans, with a gentle complaint about the screaming 13-year-olds "running through <i>my</i> store." She wasn't having it.<br />
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<h2>
Basic Logistics - What to Take, What to Leave</h2>
<h3>
<b>The stroller (obviously).</b> </h3>
If you have a kid in a stroller, you'll be fine, though the stroller can't go on the scary roller coasters.<br />
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<h3>
<b>A drawstring shoulder-bag.</b> </h3>
Bags are allowed, and it's really nice to have one place to stash your stuff. Put your cell phone and wallet in there, so you can leave it with someone or in a locker before a ride where it might go flying.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Food and Drinks?</b> </h3>
I don't think you're allowed to bring your own in. Food and drinks are pricey, especially the beer ($8.50 for a metal bottle of Bud Light). You will get hungry and thirsty, but if you plan ahead a bit, you can make good choices at the dining areas. Also, at the gift shops, if you <b>buy a Busch Gardens water bottle for $8, you can refill it anywhere, all day long</b>. I wish I had done that - I could have been drinking a lot more water!<br />
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<h3>
<b>Cigarettes?</b> </h3>
If you're a smoker, don't fear. There are smoking areas spread throughout the park. I mean, it's run by the same guys who make Budweiser. They won't keep you from having a smoke-break... But they also won't let you smoke right by the kiddie rides.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Pay for VIP Parking?</b> </h3>
I wouldn't. For starters, if you're worried about walking too much, Busch Gardens is not the place for you. You will do a <i>lot</i> of walking, all day long. What's a little further to your car? Secondly, when the VIP parking is full, they don't stop taking your money. So, you could end up paying for VIP parking, and still park in the next town over. If you end up parking far away, there'll be a tram to take you to your parking area, so it's not like you'd have to walk for miles. Speaking of your parking area, <b>take a picture of the sign with your country and number with your cell phone</b>, so you don't have to remember it all day.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Pay For a Quick Pass?</b> </h3>
The quick pass lets you hop to the front of the line for rides. There's a one-time option, and an all-day option. They're really expensive, even the one-time option. We didn't get them and I don't feel like we missed out. Besides, like I said, the lines are entertaining, and they keep moving.<br />
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<h2>
The Rides! Oh, the Rides!</h2>
There's lots out there on the rides. Some of them are really pretty terrifying. I loved it, but that Mach Tower was a religious experience. Seriously, I'm not sure I've ever prayed so fervently in my life. I cried at the end. It's an eternity of free-fall from 240 feet high. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse, the tallest in the U.S. is only (<i>only! </i>Ha!) 193 feet tall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/5-W-uP-3oSjMpZ9zXUmErpy6GJgKuPn0lMv-VIxrlmRQN9dDRtzxpRpbuQLz7acLZBReLzrMYw7KzLAQb3EklDgAPR_kBA_UFhtXjv4WNtmog8Bb5IAed_AlpRLwxd2Y44tVyoHZw7NlFc3MQoNgs1BHUGe3USztNV6fgj-VVxNZ_5uzcCrIOr1wF3WraMeGxT-lltmzaqTeUl9fbIL2JGiVFlaBpb4CCrVF_c5bw027R0qts7vEklcNBqE9aVPsZkQFzfEtRx8HEnkW0TPXg-z6IMQl3cc6YeaMfbJ3BFvuqy3N9XmPHiAdzX0WINu2FZkmrdwfolOxM3e7egpozrz-utxqaEOSw2iuVsN8a3P21qy1AU0upjbcxa-dX_mVPRhLAvrABRFRDiHKldrrk_KYJ6EbR-NeuIUkt4SlNrKaU1wOp_3kb4HsOsX103utf9AR31uKHjhLPH1A2pgceSkMX8l2Wi-3T5rX8FpgDXSiqOPQHb5dW2KNCYwwNJ2WPwIZXzbD4Gbn5jrbmVzMk5X-pguCk6aaTHGLLXDNEBh8=w322-h643-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/5-W-uP-3oSjMpZ9zXUmErpy6GJgKuPn0lMv-VIxrlmRQN9dDRtzxpRpbuQLz7acLZBReLzrMYw7KzLAQb3EklDgAPR_kBA_UFhtXjv4WNtmog8Bb5IAed_AlpRLwxd2Y44tVyoHZw7NlFc3MQoNgs1BHUGe3USztNV6fgj-VVxNZ_5uzcCrIOr1wF3WraMeGxT-lltmzaqTeUl9fbIL2JGiVFlaBpb4CCrVF_c5bw027R0qts7vEklcNBqE9aVPsZkQFzfEtRx8HEnkW0TPXg-z6IMQl3cc6YeaMfbJ3BFvuqy3N9XmPHiAdzX0WINu2FZkmrdwfolOxM3e7egpozrz-utxqaEOSw2iuVsN8a3P21qy1AU0upjbcxa-dX_mVPRhLAvrABRFRDiHKldrrk_KYJ6EbR-NeuIUkt4SlNrKaU1wOp_3kb4HsOsX103utf9AR31uKHjhLPH1A2pgceSkMX8l2Wi-3T5rX8FpgDXSiqOPQHb5dW2KNCYwwNJ2WPwIZXzbD4Gbn5jrbmVzMk5X-pguCk6aaTHGLLXDNEBh8=w322-h643-no" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup. We're in free-fall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWJ4ztG1qzOktAYGHJgT6CI6U7wDTTABDhL8xIW0cUNqOdhECyuD5RNI3aqeipDyuUl8ABsh1uOp_ccJAhy2sdHHfbInLJOtOBryOR_F-4XEDmW0Gn4zgc3_QPgbCRt6ZlKQYSv23AM8/s1600/IMG_20151010_161659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWJ4ztG1qzOktAYGHJgT6CI6U7wDTTABDhL8xIW0cUNqOdhECyuD5RNI3aqeipDyuUl8ABsh1uOp_ccJAhy2sdHHfbInLJOtOBryOR_F-4XEDmW0Gn4zgc3_QPgbCRt6ZlKQYSv23AM8/s320/IMG_20151010_161659.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the relieved grin of someone with a new lease on life.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV7aPo1mukHw_3XwS95uSIypTYZitlcQ-QwqVyEPcSKGAWPlS0StRz5U6-yRQxIMQ6c5F0S-HoUFmiuN9lbn483GpZnMU9CI-RzGik95rJxCO3WmjevZNMDQvUOrHYdf538UMSMZmt0Y/s1600/IMG_20151010_165408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV7aPo1mukHw_3XwS95uSIypTYZitlcQ-QwqVyEPcSKGAWPlS0StRz5U6-yRQxIMQ6c5F0S-HoUFmiuN9lbn483GpZnMU9CI-RzGik95rJxCO3WmjevZNMDQvUOrHYdf538UMSMZmt0Y/s320/IMG_20151010_165408.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are people too smart to go on the Mach Tower</td></tr>
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<h2>
Photo Ops!</h2>
There are lots of cool places to take photos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDyRSrQijB96Vx79_AHWGGSKh7_IPOsnGbyOlsra1gZBi3zW_-8s-K3PbuhzJUemX7n2bHGK3pvmvX2qq1fKKbkvsibouBJkUP4vQfTVeVpp8us2I9Gf09i0JTmiw4UnVz5j0qvLEVn8/s1600/IMG_20151010_151847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDyRSrQijB96Vx79_AHWGGSKh7_IPOsnGbyOlsra1gZBi3zW_-8s-K3PbuhzJUemX7n2bHGK3pvmvX2qq1fKKbkvsibouBJkUP4vQfTVeVpp8us2I9Gf09i0JTmiw4UnVz5j0qvLEVn8/s320/IMG_20151010_151847.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very appropriate choices of placement</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNiNKCuek4UcNbuQMq9FjlOW-D18Z54QFZYuonZ1vpmf9SNFjPBBy3rRGk3oktAc1pfIFbUE3h-HhK6wMD6LkHgoVqxO4dYYMsosAooJK_RYzB-B3bPU1quo9I-xz85iaUXxnoUeaB5U/s1600/IMG_20151010_153851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNiNKCuek4UcNbuQMq9FjlOW-D18Z54QFZYuonZ1vpmf9SNFjPBBy3rRGk3oktAc1pfIFbUE3h-HhK6wMD6LkHgoVqxO4dYYMsosAooJK_RYzB-B3bPU1quo9I-xz85iaUXxnoUeaB5U/s320/IMG_20151010_153851.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<h2>
Busch Gardens Does Hallo-Scream in October</h2>
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It's pretty normal during the day - some Halloween decorations, and I think the haunted houses were running, though that's not our shtick, so we didn't go. You can get some pretty amazing body art, too,</div>
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At night, it gets really dark. The lights are dimmed, there's fog everywhere, and people dress up in costumes and scare park-goers. There are warnings during the day that <b>Hallo-Scream may not be appropriate for small children. No, really.</b> <b>I'd recommend this only for kids 10 and older</b>, maybe a brave 8-year-old. It's really dark, with a lot of flashing lights, and a ton of noise (mostly in the form of dub-step). People jump out at you screaming and waving things. It's kind of overwhelming and disorienting, even for the grownups. <b>It would be a pretty cool date for high-school or college students</b>, though. They all seemed to really be enjoying it.</div>
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To the park's credit, some idiot was dragging their terrified first-grader through the park, and a guy with a fake chain-saw jumped out and scared the kid half to death. So, the chain-saw-guy stopped and showed the kid that it was just a toy - no blade - and that he was just a normal guy, and the family got a photo with the still-terrified kid, mom, and chain-saw-guy. Not sure if that was park-provided training, or just really good common sense on the part of chain-saw guy, but good for him.</div>
<br />Jenn Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322576000742062992noreply@blogger.com1