I loved GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT by Lily Brooks-Dalton – which surprised me, since this novel was billed as a post-apocalyptic story. I have read only a handful of such stories and warmed only slightly to them (The Age of Miracles, The Dog Stars, and Station Eleven). Why did I fall for this one, then? Because, at its heart, GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT … [Read more...]
Fast Facts on Hurricanes
The month of September is peak hurricane season. The Atlantic Hurricane season is June 1st through November 30th. So as Florence makes her way slowly down the Atlantic coast, it seemed a good time to compile some fast facts on hurricanes. A hurricane is a cyclonic tropical system that draws energy from the warm moist ocean air and expels … [Read more...]
Then The Giant Wasps Came
The odds were running high against the young Kohlrabi plants from the start. They were an impulse buy spurred on by my childhood memories of eating them raw and fresh peeled from my grandmother’s garden. I love Kohlrabi's sweet cabbagey flavor. I'd never seen Kohlrabi for sale in our local garden center before. Nor had I seen them locally … [Read more...]
Forget Their Shoes — Ask and Listen!
The often quoted standard procedure for gaining empathy and understanding is to imagine ourselves in another person’s shoes. But recent research by Tal Eyal, Mary Steffel, & Nicholas Epley (2018) suggests that stepping into another’s shoes and taking their perspective isn’t enough. As psychologist Tal Eyal explained in a Quartz … [Read more...]
Book Review: THE REMOVES by Tatjana Soli
Wow. I could probably stop there, honestly, because that’s about all you need to know. But… I can’t do that because I loved this book too much not to talk about it. THE REMOVES by Tatjana Soli is an intense portrayal of yet another of America’s darkest periods of history. And it is told through the perspectives of three fascinating characters: … [Read more...]
Would Your Ideal Americans be — Honest, Kind, Strong, and Responsible?
These days, it is kind of hard not to believe the great American divide is all around us. As proof we are bombarded daily with endless examples of a society divided by class, race, gender, politics, finances… And not to dispute the many deep divisions that do exist, but -- could it not also be true that we tend to see what we focus on? Could all … [Read more...]
Here’s To Your Liberty And Mine
While your liberty and mine can take many different forms, may we ever embrace and strive towards an ideal of liberty where all people have the right, the power, and the ability to choose... "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others." ~~Thomas Jefferson to I. … [Read more...]
FDR’s Words: ” Forests Are The Lungs Of Our Land “
The Dust Bowl was the worst drought in U.S. history, covering more than 75 percent of the country and affecting 27 states severely. The drought lasted nearly a decade, from 1930-1939. It's impacts lasted decades longer. Topsoil from the drought lands were swept as far east as the Atlantic Ocean more than 2,000 mile away. Approximately, 2.5 … [Read more...]
Words To Live By: “Nature Brings Solace In All Troubles”
Within her diary, first published as THE SECRET ANNEX and later published as THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, Anne Frank expresses her belief in the healing power of nature -- "amidst the simple beauty of nature...will always be comfort for every sorrow... nature brings solace in all troubles": “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or … [Read more...]
Pondering The Possibilities: Repeal of Whopper Neutrality
Have you heard of "Net Neutrality"? What about "Whopper Neutrality"? Back in December of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to overturn regulations mandating net neutrality. Net Neutrality was one of those things that too many of us took for granted or never gave much thought about its function in our daily lives. So of … [Read more...]
Book Review: THE FIRE BY NIGHT by Teresa Messineo
There is something about THE FIRE BY NIGHT by Teresa Messineo that packs a big punch. Perhaps it’s the reality of nurses who volunteered to serve during the war and who were put into the same horrific, life-threatening predicaments as soldiers, but who were never fully recognized for it? Perhaps it was learning of their mettle, their … [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...]
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...]
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...]
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