In the age of social media when we are overwhelmed by too much information and too many ultra compelling stories from questionable sources with untold or dubious purposes, it's helpful to remember Cleanth Brooks' warning about the "Bastard Muses " and be wary of "Propaganda, Sentimentality, and Pornography." Excerpt from Literature in the Age of … [Read more...]
About Linda Anselmi
For The Joy Of Animals: Bald Eagle-Hawklet Day
Happy Bald Eagle-Hawklet Day! The Mayor of Sidney, Canada has proclaimed Sunday August 6th, 2017 as Bald Eagle-Hawklet Day in recognition and celebration of the incredible events that took place this summer in an eagles’ nest high above Roberts Bay — a baby red-tailed hawk was raised by bald eagles. Why, you wonder, is this deserving of … [Read more...]
Reclaiming Creativity
Creativity is how we reframe and redefine our world. It is how we express our joys, fears, interests, hates, passions, frustrations… It is how we feed our curiosity, learning, understanding, artistry, craftsmanship, resiliency, social connections… It is a profound part of our conscious and unconscious being. It is an everyday part of our … [Read more...]
Garden Nemesis Or Garden Poser?
I didn’t see him arrive, but suddenly he was there. His back to me, he boldly surveyed the garden. As if, all my hard work was his for the taking. As if, I wasn’t mere inches away. As if, he had all the time in the world. I moved closer. I knew he knew I was there, but still he didn’t budge. What did he see? What was he looking for? What … [Read more...]
Music: FURTHER by Black Lab
The only thing better than finding a song that speaks to a pivotal moment in our lives, is finding a band that continues to reconnect as we journey through life. I didn't know it at the time, but I first became a fan of the alternative pop rock band Black Lab back in 2011 through their brilliantly dark and compelling song - "THIS NIGHT." For … [Read more...]
Pondering The Possibility: A Tease of Orange Blossoms
I'm a sucker for trivia questions that ask what a group of a particular type of animal is called? The fun being when the names are distinctive and not what one would expect. Yeah, a pride of lions, a parliament of owls, a memory of elephants have a certain logic to them, but who would ever guess a nursery of raccoons or a skulk of foxes? A quick … [Read more...]
Pondering The Possibilities: Dinosaur Webs
Dinosaur webs? When we think of what is possible... we tend to be limited — by our knowledge by our perspective by our experiences by our curiosity and by our imagination. So why ponder dinosaur webs? It was something I saw in a web comic... As far as I know, no one has found any dinosaur webs -- yet. But take a look at the fang-like … [Read more...]
So Tell Me Again… Who Is Them?
In the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu: "We are different so that we can know our need of one another." And yet, lately (and particularly as I watch the ever-widening political divide), it feels as if we have forgotten how very much we have in common. So here is a poem I share with love and hope on Valentine's Day ... SO TELL ME … [Read more...]
Words: “… The Doctrine Of The Manyness Of Reality”
We all agree that truth matters, but how do we become honest critics of truth? How do we create meaningful change without a full and honest view of the problem? How do we reach consensus for meaningful action if we are all wrapped up in resenting each other's ignorance? As with the seven blind men describing an elephant, Mahatma Gandhi urged us … [Read more...]
Movie: HIDDEN FIGURES
As soon as I saw the preview for HIDDEN FIGURES I was hooked. As a women, as a history lover, as a child of the sixties who grew up watching the race to the moon, the civil rights movement, and the race riots in my hometown of Chicago, I was anxious to get an expanded, heels on the ground, black southern world view of my memories. I wasn’t … [Read more...]
Words: T.S. Elliot “…When We Do Not Know Enough…”
We can never know everything. But, when we do not know ...when we have moments of doubt or confusion ...or when we simply do not know enough -- Do we ignore the unknown? Or, do we pause to wonder? Do we assume we know? Or, do we take a moment to question? Do we guess the answers? Or, do we stop to ask? And do we recognize -- in that moment … [Read more...]
Lost & Found News: Galaxies, Whale Dung, Unicorns, & Wild Horses
Lost: Carl Sagan's Billions; Earth’s Little Blue Orb Found: The Universe Has Two Trillion Galaxies Back in the 1980's, Carl Sagan captured the publics imagination with his talk of the Universe's Billions. Now, based on images collected over 20 years by the Hubble Space Telescope and the use of 3D imagining, Christopher Conselice of the … [Read more...]
Pondering The Possibilities: The Bat-Candy-Halloween Connection
Have you ever wondered how the bat-candy-halloween connection got started? Well, I think I might have the answer. Okay, it is pure speculation on my part, but the evidence seems pretty convincing me. It is all because of fruit. Does that sound far fetched? Well, would you want to go up against one of these creatures every time you wanted a … [Read more...]
Words: “I Am Not Simply A Story-teller …”
One of my goals in starting BELOW THE SALT NEWS was to explore the power and possibilities of stories and storytellers to create change. Whether the story is based in fact or fantasy; whether it is told through art, invention, music, or words; whether it is couched in persuasion, humor, aggression or demand -- every story is an invitation to … [Read more...]
Primitive Technology — Where Tiny House Meets Survivor Man
As I am neither a millennial nor a survivalist, it might seem kind of strange that I am a fan of both the “tiny house” movement and the survival/wilderness teachings of Les Stroud and Bear Grylls. I could blame it on a childhood with too many fond memories of playing with my cousins in the tiny ice fishing house my grandfather built and the decades … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 22
- Next Page »