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remembrance day . . . for enniskillen, for granda & for me
Remembrance helps us to learn about our shared history, that includes people across faith and ethnic backgrounds. There’s no point in a shared history if we forget about it. ~ Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future An October 2012 YouGov poll commissioned by British Future, a non-partisan Think Tank dedicated to exploring national identity, the very crux of who we are, reveals that less than half of respondents aged 16 to 24 can identify 1914 as the year World War I broke out. More than half are unaware of the contributions of other countries to the British war effort. Australia, Kenya, India, Canada . . . all sent men, money, and munitions. In…
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Guest Post: in sickness & in health …
In this guest post, Cameron St. James writes about caring for his wife, Heather, following her diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma, caused by second-hand exposure to asbestos. Until Cameron contacted me, I knew little of the disease other than that it had killed one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Warren Zevon. Cameron St. James is committed to raising awareness of mesothelioma and exposing the dangers of asbestos exposure. An advocate for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, Cameron hopes his family’s story will help provide support for cancer patients and those who care for them. Dealing with the diagnosis . . . Heather has frequently said she cannot fathom what I went through upon hearing of her mesothelioma diagnosis. Only once…
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the day before Obama won again
In Arizona, the polls closed three hours ago, and the results are coming in. While cable news networks have been pulsating all evening with the preemptive punditry we have grown to expect, CNN is projecting another term for President Obama with 274 electoral votes at 9:45PM Mountain Standard Time, and John King, wizard of the interactive electoral map has just told viewers to “warm up the fat lady.” At the same time, our country remains divided, with Romney currently leading in the popular vote by a couple of hundred votes. It appears Mitt Romney is not yet ready to deliver a concession speech, refusing to concede Ohio. I am not…
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women . . . booby-trapped in October
boo·by trap Meaning: A practical joke. Also a concealed and possibly lethal trap. Noun: A thing designed to catch the unwary, in particular Verb: Place a booby trap in or on (an object or area): “the area was booby-trapped.” Synonyms: snare, trick into doing something “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November . . .” the rhyme reminds me, as it has done countless times before, that October has thirty-one days. Thirty one days to make us all abundantly aware of breast cancer, breasts and being a woman in America in 2012. Just ask any of the white, male, well-fed politicians whose offensive nonsense has taken up entirely too much…
