Re: Don’t get the outrage

Re: Shauna Shanks’ “I don’t get the outrage following Trump’s lewd comments and here’s why”

I completely agree that Trump is the symptom of our media culture that obsesses over (potentially nonconsensual) hyper sexuality. There is a point in Shauna’s blog article that says she’s “probably overreacting” to her boys having “[gotten] their first dose of stripper-dancing, explicit lyrics, and their first view of lingerie” from the Super Bowl. She’s right to point out that watching sports or award shows, or nearly anything on tv is a gamble with kids. It’s sad. And, no, I don’t think she is overreacting. I like looking ahead. In the future, I do not want to repeat the mistakes from our past. Donald Trump is a symptom of a very large problem. So, why vote for maintaining this problem? It is up to us to be a part of the change driving the future we give our children. And, yes, this means not listening to songs that degrade women, not quoting movies that disrespect women. It means talking about these issues with our fathers, brothers, sons, husbands, mothers, sisters, and daughters. Yes to Shauna’s line: “It starts with each of us.” And, I hope we can end the nonsense. “Society is endangered not by the great profligacy of a few, but by the laxity of morals amongst all.” -Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1831).

Piano concert

At Rodrigo Vasco’s piano concert at Catholic University.

Foresight Frontiers: THE UNESCO Future Lecture Series

[Repost] New Research On Stroke Rehabilitation And Recovery | The Diane Rehm Show from WAMU and NPR

[REPOST] Strokes kill an estimated 130,000 Americans a year, but fast access to medical treatment can and does save lives. Guest host Susan Page and stroke rehabilitation experts talk about the recovery process. (Read more)

Africa in Transition » ‘HeroRATs’ Corner Landmines and Tuberculosis in Africa

During the 1990s, Bart Weetjens, a Belgian engineer, discovered that the giant pouched rat could be trained to detect explosives in a laboratory. Subsequently deployed in the field, the trained rodents have proven to be highly successful light-weight land mine detectors. The rats can detect explosives made of plastic as well as metal, and they are so light that they do not detonate them. By 2010, APOPO (an acronym in Dutch for ‘Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development’) cleared close to eight hundred thousand square meters of land, mostly in Mozambique, at the nominal cost of $1.50 per square meter. (Read more)

Hero Spotlight: Andra Tamburro

Andra Tamburro Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.

Born on December 12, 1967 in Toronto, Ontario, Andra moved to Houston, Texas when she was eight and spent her formative years there.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Southern Methodist University, and her masters degree in environmental studies from York University in Toronto. 

Adventurous and fearless, Andra traveled the world, immersed herself in local cultures and made friends everywhere.  She lived and worked in Japan and India.  She met her husband, Peter Cashion, while they were working in Bangladesh and India.  They lived in Cote d’Ivoire, then in Washington, DC.  With their sons, Garrett and Luke, they moved to Turkey, where they spent three years. Andra was just settling back into life in Washington and looking forward to renovating their house, when she received her cancer diagnosis. (Read more)

Syria and NASA

The talks continue on Syria. Democrats and comedian Jon Stewart are in awe of John Boehner backing the president. Panelists on the News Hour and others continue to ridicule the President for the red line comment and seem weary of the Congress’ involvement in the decision. Their track record with backing the President has not been good. Though the talks have been stalled, even Cantor has an editorial in his local Richmond paper explaining why he supports military action.
Reports keep coming in stating that the public is not with the President on this, but with more circulation of the disclosure could sway the favor of The People.

Something you may have missed:

Viewable in West Virginia but not as much in Washington last night was a NASA-sent unmanned rocket to the moon at 11:27 at the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island.

I’ve been painting

Cheers to a new year starting off very well.  My boyfriend’s brother finally proposed to his, now, fiance, and have been asked to be a bridesmaid; I’ve helped manage one of my friend’s campaigns for a local office in Virginia; and, I had the most wonderful birthday dinner at the beautiful La Ferme, a french restaurant just outside of my hometown, Washington DC.

Since I’ve gotten back home from Virginia, I have started painting again.  And, this time I’ve been given such great and consistent encouragement that I have decided to be more serious about creating a career out of my art.  Here’s the first layer of a portrait of Doris.

Summertime

Summertime (accapella)

Last year NPR published a an article with a quaint pun on flip-flopps and flip-floppers.  Summertime politics are far more robust in nature than the average voter realizes, unless they live in a state like Virginia where political season is status quo.  I know because I’ve lived and worked there twice now and will return time and time again.  But until then, I enjoy the company of my piano and artistic capabilities as I wind down before jumping in another campaign.  Please enjoy the rough draft version of a folk version of Summertime I recorded in twenty minutes.