Ezekiel's Daughter

Pox Romana

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 15:26:40 GMT

I throughly enjoyed this book with a few quibbles. The author is upfront about the fact that historians don’t know what type of disease cause the Antonine plague. He reviews all of the current theories. I found the idea that it was a primitive form of smallpox intriguing. The shadow of COVID lies over this book, of course. At times, I did wonder how COVID influenced the side topics that the author decided to focus on. Quibbles: He gives Edward Jenner credit for solving the problem of smallpox. A memory made me go back to wikipedia to find “Onesimus (late 1600s–1700s[1]) was an African (likely Akan) man who was instrumental in the mitigation of smallpox in Boston, Massachusetts.” Jenner get the credit for replacing the inoculation method of Onesimus with a vaccination method. The author only mentions Jenner. The author is keen to explain that true capitalism might have solved some of the problems that Rome faced. They had no idea how periodic fluctuations in the Nile affected grain yield. They allowed taxes to be paid in grain or in cash. Which meant if grain was worth more, farmers paid in cash and promptly took the grain to market and sold it for much more. I was listening to an audiobook, so I don’t have the quote in front of me, but he mentions how the Romans could not envision a world where a citizen could find food in any market close at hand. And I wondered if the author was unfamiliar with food deserts in our current capitalistic system. Imagery The description of what a Roman bath was really like was striking. Not the spa-like image given in sword and sandal movies. The descriptions of people living in the streets and gutters reminded me of a trip to north Africa where people were living and begging in the streets immediately outside posh hotels. The author mentions an aqueduct built to “nowhere” which reminded me of the bridge to nowhere scandal in my youth. Governments will spend profligately in every time period. History Rhymes? I found it interesting that Christians were blamed for the plague because they did not participate in the universal sacrifices to the gods. As described by the author, it sounds like the anger that some of us had at citizens who would not vaccinate against COVID. The sacrifices were a sort of herd immunity. He describes a historical document that everyone had to carry indicating that they had completed their sacrifice to the gods done to ameliorate the plague. The plague killed during the reign of Marcus Aurelius who was followed by his son Commodus. A summary online indicates “Economically, Commodus's reign was characterized by financial irresponsibility…..His rule saw an increase in the use of imperial edicts, often issued to settle personal scores or reward loyalty, undermining the legal traditions and stability of the Roman state. The emperor's arbitrary use of power extended to the Senate, where he marginalized and intimidated senators, further eroding the traditional checks on imperial authority. His foreign policy was typified by a preference for diplomacy and appeasement over military engagement.” Sound familiar? The author does print the celebratory rant published by the Roman Senate after Commodus was killed. I can see someone pulling that out again one day.

comments

25 august 2024

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 19:01:12 GMT

8/25/24 1:38:00 PM

The weather report on my phone promised rain at 10:45 so I went out to cut more Virginia creeper of the fence. 30 minutes later I was soaked in sweat and there was still no rain. In fact, now no rain is currently forecast. I did get a bag full of vines in a trash bag, however. There is still lots of virginia creeper on the fence. And of course, there are branches from the two trees that are growing between the fences.

How did I end up with two fences? I could check back in my diary to see if I mentioned this, but I can mention it again. After Hurricane Ida, the fence was in pieces. Let me see if I can import a picture.

The roof was damaged, and I got that fixed first. I was seeking someone to fix the fence when my neighbor on the right got someone to rebuild the fence on her line. Which left the damaged fence on my property line. When I did find someone to fix the fence, he rebuilt the entire fence line on all three sides. So, I have one fence in the back (pictured above), but two fences on one side --the side of the hasty neighbor. There is her fence and my rebuilt fence and unfortunately, two trees that have grown up in-between. The guy who cuts the grass has been quick to ask for jobs to paint. He has never suggested that he cut the vines off the fence. It is hot work. And since most of the roots are on the other side, it is like housework. It will never be finished. Even after all of that work, I feel like a tub of lard, so I will make my way back to the Algiers fitness center today. It has to be “early”, because they close at 8 pm today. Today’s lunch was the last of the stewed chicken over rice. I do have food to work off. I need to drink some water!!

comments

Psalm 137

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 21:18:33 GMT

PSALM 137

https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IWZlye6Hao

On the willows, there
We hung up our lyres
For our captors there
Require
Of us songs
And our tormentor's mirth

Years after I converted to Judaism, I bought a cassette to hear one song: Godspell's "On the Willows".

Despite being stuck in a 1971 passion play about Jesus the song is the first four lines of Psalm 137

I am considering how this song is braided with memories of my father.

He took me to the production of Godspell in Shreveport at the Strand.

I don't recall, but it may have still been rare for Blacks to sit in the orchestra level of the theatre. One of the African-American actors saw us during intermission and waved to us from the stage. My father sat silently beside me, commenting in the car later that the crucifixion scene wasn't as realistic as the ones that he saw as a student at Southern. You can imagine a teenage me figuratively rolling my eyes at that.

The lyricist of Godspell uses only the first four lines of the psalm. By the end, the psalmist is longing to see the heads of Babylonian babies dashed against the rocks. Godspell's Jesus would not sing those words, but you can bet that the real one living during Roman occupation knew them. Galilee was a hotbed of the revolution that eventually led to the razing of the second Temple.

Later, much later I became Jewish, and I wondered at the irony of a song that sings -- I am so sad that I will never sing again. I can imagine the arguments among Levites who sang and those who condemned the singing. The Talmud wouldn't exist for generations. But after 500 years, another Temple razing and another exile, you won't hear a tambourine or lyre in a traditional synagogue service.

But there will be singing.

Later, much later I remember my father's stories of how difficult it was for Southern to obtain funding. Southern was partially the result of the Morrill Act of 1890 that required former Confederate states to establish separate land-grant institutions for Black students or admit them to the established white land-grant schools. The state wouldn't get federal money unless Black students were educated. Immediately, the division of funds was an issue. LSU proposed 64/36 split. The Commissioner of Education pointed out that the colored population was almost 52 percent larger than the white population. The split was changed to 60/40. Money is an issue to this day.

My father said that funding was secured when the university president showed up at the Louisiana Board of Education with a gospel choir. I can't find that in any book although there is plenty in "A Centennial history of Southern University and A&M College" about budget cuts that were reversed after negotiations. There is recorded history of the Fisk university choir touring and saving their school in 1871. They could not hang up their lyres even if their former captors were in the audience.

Fisk is still there. Southern is still there.

We are all still singing.

Despite our tormentors mirth.

comments

Letters in the mail

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 20:20:30 GMT

I am wondering if this is a new scammer re-discovering old tropes?

comments

Worldcon 2022 - Programming

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 22:25:25 GMT

Worldcon 2022 - Programming

Some friends were probably wondering when I would get to programming. Well, here we are. Programming is hard to describe. Programming started on Thursday, even though the biggest events are on Saturday (the Masquerade) and Sunday (the Hugo Awards). When I look at the online schedule, the first real hour of programming had 7 panels. The next hour of programming had 15! Go look — https://guide.chicon.org/

I was silly enough to plan to attend some panels during those initial hours. However, after travel by train and sleeping in the clothes that I left in (because I was COLD), I spent time in the hotel room to shower and try to recover my equilibrium. Literally. After train travel in the sleeper, I felt like the earth was still moving beneath me. Imagine stepping into a shower when you are certain the entire hotel is vibrating.

The program divides the type of programming into

auction

autographing

ceremony

concert

dance

demonstration

dialog

discussion

filk circle

game

game show

interview

meeting

meetup

other

panel

performance

presentation

reading

reception

table talk

workshop

To give you a flavor of what a worldcon is like, these are two panels that I attended before the opening ceremonies at 8 pm. While the media sees SF as Marvel and Spielberg extravaganzas, this convention is centered around literary SF. (Not that I didn’t attend two panels on Black Panther)

20th Century SFF, History, and Influence

Michigan 2 / Airmeet 7,

Duration: 60 mins

· Jason Aukerman

· Gideon Marcus (moderator)

· Mary Anne Mohanraj

· Phoebe Wagner

Academic,In Person,Recorded, Streamed,Panel,

Thursday,

In this roundtable, our panelists discuss the influence of history on 20th century science fiction and fantasy. How did major events (wars, social movements, economic developments, etc.) influence what was (and, perhaps, how it was) written? What do we learn from these genre developments?

Time Travel and Historical Fiction

Grand Hall MN,

Duration: 60 mins

· Alan Smale

· Jo Walton

· Mark Painter

· Sandy Manning

· Steven H Silver (moderator)

Literature,In Person,Panel,

Thursday,

If you could travel back in time, where would you go? Historical fiction brings the reader to the time and place to observe; time travel adds a whole slew of cultural complications for the characters and readers—think of the difference between A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Kindred. This panel discusses the most iconic time travel x historical fiction stories and what makes them so intriguing.

I know that I went to the opening ceremony at 8 pm.

There are some virtual sessions that were held on Thursday that I have since gone back to listen to. I have never participated in everything. Gaming is not my thing. I can’t dance. Hey — I just realized that Party is not on this list. Parties are a big item and there are dozens each night. They are fan-driven so they aren’t on the official schedule. When you check into the hotel, you have to indicate whether you want to be on the party floor or not. As a wall flower, I almost never go. But they can be fun when they are large and almost no one knows everyone anyway. Plenty of alcohol if that’s your thing. The largest parties are probably those hosted by committees from cities that want to host the next Worldcon. I still have swag from a Japan party.

Let’s just say that part of my Thursday was spent wandering. I was also watching facebook to see if the editor of “Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora” would be able to convince the officials in Nigeria to allow him to attend. He was up for two Hugos — one for editing Dominion and one for a novella. He had been rejected at the embassy once and the SF community started writing letters to the American embassy asking to let him in. He had a second trip to the embassy right before the convention. I was overjoyed to see that he got his visa and disturbed to see that his travel started out with a missed air connection.

I won’t list all the events that I attended. I do want to mention some that I attended because they sounded fun or challenging.

Black and African Diaspora Fan Gathering

Wrigley,

Duration: 60 mins

· L. D. Lewis

· LP Kindred

· Micaiah Johnson

· Steven Barnes

Meetups,In Person,Meetup,

Friday,

Gather with other fans from the Black and African disapora during this meetup. (To create a safer space, allies are asked not to attend.)

I was amazed at how many people showed up for this. And some possible attendees were leading panels. There could have been more. Do I have to tell you that at least one ally showed up despite the parenthetical note?

My one annoyance is that the Black fan and Jewish fan gatherings were often at the same time.

Mining Our Biblical Matriarchs

Addams,

Duration: 60 mins

· Sally Wiener Grotta (moderator)

Workshops,In Person,Workshop,

Friday,

The women of the Bible (Eve, Esther, Miriam, etc.) have been amongst the West's most enduring female archetypes. As lush and varied as any mythology, their stories have been reinterpreted by every generation's artists, clerics, and political leaders, according to how they expected women to be. However, these archetypes have been largely overlooked by modern spec fic authors. In this workshop, we'll have fun challenging and toppling common preconceptions about various women of the Bible, as we mine this rich mother lode for SF&F story ideas.

This item is limited to 18 participants. To sign up for this workshop, visit https://chicon.org/workshops All sign ups are available starting Wednesday, August 31st at Noon central, and you will be notified at least 12 hours before the workshop time if you were chosen for a spot. More details available at https://chicon.org/workshops

This was an interesting writing workshop that asked us to put the biblical matriarchs into a speculative fiction story

Fabric Collage

Addams,

Duration: 60 mins

· Theresa Halbert (moderator)

Workshops,In Person,Workshop,

Monday,

Ever been curious how textile artists, quilters, and costumers add detailed images that look like paintings and then on closer inspection, you find the image was created with fabric? If you have ever wanted to learn this technique, then this workshop is for you. We will cover the basics of fabric collage, and at the end you will have a fabric postcard you can quilt and actually mail. Kits are provided. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

This item is limited to 20 participants. To sign up for this workshop, visit https://chicon.org/workshops All sign ups are available starting Wednesday, August 31st at Noon central, and you will be notified at least 12 hours before the workshop time if you were chosen for a spot. More details available at https://chicon.org/workshops. A (non-mandatory) donation of $5 (or more) will be happily accepted (to cover materials).

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Crystal Ballroom A / Airmeet 8,

Duration: 60 mins

· Chris M. Barkley (moderator)

· Danian Darrell Jerry

· LP Kindred

· Sheree Renée Thomas

· Tananarive Due

Media,In Person,Recorded,Streamed,Panel,

Friday,

The incredible success of Black Panther changed so much about Hollywood's sense of superhero films, and of the box office appeal of superhero films with diverse leads. The sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, came out in July 2022. How has the industry changed (or not) with a focus on the Panther films regarding anti-racism, color inclusion, and color consciousness? What does it mean to have Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America? How much of this is system shift, and how much is still tokenism?

Autographing - Tananarive Due

Autographing,

Duration: 60 mins

· Tananarive Due

Autographing,In Person,Autographing,

Sunday,

Autographing - Tananarive Due Note: Autographing allows a maximum of 3 items per trip through the signing line.

Autographing - Steven Barnes

Autographing,

Duration: 60 mins

· Steven Barnes

I purchased the graphical novel that they wrote and recently published together. I looked at the books already on my shelf at home and found that they had already been signed.

I did not get a chance to participate in a Table Talk with an author that I know. Those, like the workshops, were limited to less than 20 people.

The two big ceremonies at Worldcon are the Masquerade in which novice, journeyman, and master costumers display their work and the Hugo Awards where the fans award the best novel, novella, novelette, short story, art work (pro and fan), fanzine, podcast, non-fiction related work, graphic novel, and new writer. I will link pictures from both of those.

This link also contains the earlier train pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/kzdZaemb4o9jjz2G8
Click on (i) to see descriptions

The daily convention newsletter can be found at https://chicon.org/star-chart/

I signed up as a voting and non-attending member of next year’s convention in China http://www.worldconinchina.com/kh/memberShipE.html. As you can imagine, a convention in China is now controversial

When the convention is outside of North America, there is always a smaller one in North America. 2023 will be in Winnipeg. https://main.winnipegin2023.ca/

I haven’t decided about https://glasgow2024.org/ even though I voted for them.

comments

Worldcon 2022 - the Hotel and Health

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 00:09:00 GMT

This should be brief but necessary.

Hotel
The Hyatt Regency on Wacker Drive is ginormous. I am not certain how many people were actually AT the convention because there was a virtual component. There has been some virtual presentation since COVID began and this was the third pandemic Worldcon according to one t-shirt I saw. I saw one membership count of around 4300 people but one of the newsletters says that there were only 2000 people onsite. In any event, except for meal times, this hotel convention center could have held another convention of a similar size at the same time with no problem. The only issue would have been the dining areas at meal time.

There were three dining areas, one of which I never ventured into. There was a large open air American style dining area with a two level bar which took up most of the lobby. There was a (I assume) ritzy steak and sushi restaurant and there was a market area that may have started as a coffee bar but sold everything from fruit cups, yogurt cups, to soup/salad/sandwich. There were a myriad of places in the neighborhood also but I only ventured outside on my own on one day. A lunch at Chipotle (more affordable) and a dinner at the Billy Goat (most affordable).

I spent a lot of the first few days just trying to find out where everything was. And finding it disorienting to descend two levels to the ballroom only to find that the dealer’s room was even lower. I’ve lived in New Orleans for over 30 years—depth surprises me.

The staff of the hotel was amazing considering the number of strange folk in costume (or merely strange folk) that wandered their halls at all hours of the night.

Health-wise
This was indeed another pandemic convention. Masks were required in convention space and encouraged everywhere else. Even though there were water stations in the hall, we were encouraged to sip our water and immediately put our mask back on. People who removed their mask to ask a question where immediately told to put the mask back on. I was impressed.

Consequently, I didn’t take many pictures of panels and authors. A picture of a person wearing a mask?! I have some—but not the dozens that I usually take when I get a chance to see people that I’ve read but never seen.

With all the precautions, there were exposures. As the convention neared its end, we started to receive emails about exposures. For example:
--------------------
Case 34
Reported 9/7
Tested positive 9/6
Masked when in all convention spaces. Occasionally spent some time in the Discworld Exhibit. Went as a spectator to the karaoke night but did not attend any program sessions, events, or meetings. Quarantined at the hotel as soon as they tested positive, and checked out of the hotel on Tuesday.
--------------------

I was nervous when I saw one
--------------------------------
Case 9
Jewish Fan Gathering on 9/2
Friday Night Services on 9/2
--------------------------------

So I tested and I am negative so far. I was wearing a mask but I also received a COVID-19 exposure alert on my phone for Sept 4-5. I don’t know if this was from the convention or from travel. I kept my mask on except when eating, but I had to eat.

I do wonder if COVID reporting will be a convention standard from now on. Also—I realize that these are reports from people who were responsible enough to tell the convention leads that they were sick. In all of these cases, the people left the convention or isolated in their room when they realized they were sick. Human nature being what it is, I suspect that there were another set of people who (a) realized they were sick and still attended with a mask, (b) realized that they were sick and left without telling anyone, (c) never realized that they were sick and attended, and any other number of permutations.

comments

Worldcon 2022 - Travel

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 00:20:09 GMT

I had to look back at https://www.worldcon.org/worldcon-history/ to discover when I last wrote worldcon blog. 2016! It has been awhile. And like Mary Ann Mohanraj. I’ve missed my SF people.

I have to break this up into topics.

Travel:

I took the train to Chicago! It has been years since I took the City of New Orleans to Chicago. The last time was for another SF convention, much smaller. I stayed in a college dorm if I remember correctly. There was a family reunion in Chicago that I remember and I think this was my third trip to the city.

I ended up taking the train because the price was half the price of airfare. In fact, I kept checking the price thinking that the difference could not be that great. Roundtrip was around $440 on Southwest. Roundtrip on Amtrak was $220 (both fares are the unrefundable rate)
So I chose Amtrak. A week before departure, Amtrak offered me the chance to bid on a sleeper. The train was not full, so I bid the lowest amount and was awarded a roomette for the trip up there. The train was full coming back so I was stuck in coach on the way back. Two very different experiences.

The roomette is comprised of two benches facing each other. The benches can be pulled out to make the bed. There is also an overhead bunk bed which stores the linen for both beds. The sleeper car has a bathroom at the end of the car and a shower downstairs . (I didn’t investigate the shower). The porter slept at one end of the roomette car and close to the full bedroom car. He told me later that there used to be 8 porters on the train; now there are only 4. He was taking care of at least two cars of people. If you wanted your meal brought to you, he did so. He provided water and coffee in the car. He pulled your bed out if you were a novice like me. By the end of the trip, I was googling to find out if it was okay to tip your porter. I did so; he deserved it.

The train up there and back had an observation car or lounge car—usable by all in most cases. There should have been a dining car because the lounge car was shut down during the period when sleeper car people were using it as a dining car. I miss the true dining car! So did the porters! Especially since the cars still existed. One was at the end of the train, merely there to make certain that they had the requisite number of cars. The conductor said that the kitchen had been pulled out of the car. Apparently the renaissance of train travel that Biden would like to see is not happening. I mentioned the train that was scheduled from New Orleans to Florida to one of the porters. Alabama refuses to allow an amtrak train to return. One of the train officials scoffed that that only a commuter train line, not a true coast-to-coast train like the Southern Crescent, The City of New Orleans, or the Southwest Limited.

When we reached the outskirts of Chicago, I saw two huge fields of solar panels, wind turbines next to an electric distribution plant. I had reached the “free” states! It’s amazing how much money gets spent in Louisiana to make certain that I never see such a sight here.

This article
https://grist.org/transportation/amtrak-train-line-fight-new-orleans-passenger-cargo-rail/
made me wonder about the history of train travel in general. I thought that passenger trail was paramount and freight came later. But maybe freight trains were always the money maker?

Anyway, the trip back was via coach.
I was cold in my sleeper getting to Chicago—even under my Amtrak blanket. It was comfortable on the trip back. Which meant that many of the men were hot. The seat space is wide; the seat reclines without endangering the person behind you. Just like the sleeper car, there are curtains — unneeded on the lower level.

HOWEVER.

Departing from Chicago was confusing unlike arriving. The ticket office had been moved twice and I followed signs all over the place to find out where to check my bag. I never heard a general boarding for my train. The St Louis train was leaving from the same gate. They were still in line when 6:00pm came around….wait…I have to explain that when I booked the return trip, I was leaving at 8:30 pm. Before I left, the departure time was changed to 6:30 pm. So I had less time in Chicago. Now…6:00 pm arrived and I got up because they should have been boarding my train. I heard some commotion as a family tried to help a hispanic woman and her young daughter. Neither spoke English but needed to get on the City of New Orleans also. The train was boarding. We got on a tram to head for the train and the people at the gate yelled wait! There was something wrong with the train. The woman beside me started cursing. This has been the trip from hell, she proclaimed. I asked her what happened. Apparently, on the trip up to Chicago, she got on in Hammond, the train was an hour late. They got to Illinois and the train broke down. They were promised a bus and the bus was an hour late. And now, here we were and the train going back had a problem. 15 minutes later, they said Go! So we loaded the train. We were all in the lower level in a car meant for handicapped people unable to climb the stairs. The bathrooms in coach are all on the lower level. Before we left, we discovered that it was our car that had the problem. The bathroom would not flush. The train operators wanted to swap out the car for another one but the Chicago lead did not allow that. I guess he wanted an on-time train. So we were instructed to use the bathroom in another car. While i use a cane, I could get up those stairs, but many of the car occupants couldn’t. So they decided that that bathroom would be like an outhouse. The closed train door would keep out the stench. (Remember, the train was sold out. They couldn’t move us). Later during the trip, the door malfunctioned and they had to leave it open. As soon as daylight arrived, I abandoned my coach seat and went to the lounge car to read and watch the scenery. As the train emptied, I asked the porter in coach if I could move my seat. There were no more seats on the lower level but I did move upstairs once most of the cars emptied out. Since I didn’t have a sleeper, I had to pay for my breakfast biscuit and coffee. After moving, the trip was fine. I tipped the coach porter also. Retrieving my bag was simple. In fact, I got lost finding my coach seat in all of my walking back and forth. I ran into the baggage car at one point and was able to verity that my bag was in there by looking through the window. I walked to the end of the train to see what that was like.

Amtrak boasted of improving their air filtration system. I wore my mask the entire time in coach. I didn’t wear it in the sleeper car where I was able to close the door and isolate myself. Union Station/Chicago is impressive on the front end and confusing on the back end. It is a nexus of several Amtrak lines and the city Metro line. I didn’t get a chance to ride the El even though some panelists recommended it. I would have needed a guide. Union Station/New Orleans is smaller. We have 3 train lines that go north, east and west. They all come in at different times so, there is little chance of confusion.

As for the train coming back—I would have preferred a car with a working bathroom. Of course. The train was on time at every stop. In fact, we got into New Orleans an hour earlier than planned. I would have gladly given that up for a working bathroom. I do remember the curses from my coach-mate whose train was an hour late in Hammond. I wonder what she would have chosen. It makes a difference if you are not on-time for stops in-between the start and the end. People are left waiting for you.

More on the con later. Pictures below

Train map
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BbdMb75TLzaYsWcL9

Bunk bed
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QFrmdkw2PBcEsA7W7

Roomette from door
https://photos.app.goo.gl/f9YLyvB3odWZMAJ29

Travel to Chicago. We left on time but were late at almost every point.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vazok4LLeqJW3Y4N8

Observation car
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eXoBsw3wX38gsf8n9

Roomette bed
https://photos.app.goo.gl/67gHvcGB6WawmCat5

A look out the back door. (I wasn't supposed to be here)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/aBzEiFtrWmdKpetp7

On-time arrival back in New Orleans
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uVozkcuLn5WLDAym6

comments

Book: People Love Dead Jews

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 19:09:25 GMT

People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book from a state of intersectionality—being both Jewish and Black. I found myself constantly questioning her choices of what to mention. When she mentioned the signs saying “No Jews or dogs”, I said “wait! Wasn’t there another group mentioned on those signs?” And yes, all the books that I’ve read on writing say that one should narrow one’s focus. Don’t bring in topics not part of your thesis but that narrowed focus left me extremely perturbed. I can give you may own aside here: I went to the internet looking for an example of the sign. And I found that the top links returned by duckduckgo claim that no such signs existed in the U.S. Do I believe this? No! Unfortunately, the internet contains a rich store of anti-semitic garbage.

My discomfort continued as she cataloged the attacks on Jews in the U.S. recently. Some of them I knew; others were new to me. She has a good point when she points out that the media blamed some of the attacks on gentrification. When other minority groups were attacked, the media does not seek to blame the people killed. (When she searched local media history, the locals were not complaining about the influx of Jewish home buyers. This blaming the victim appears to come from the national media.) I appreciated learning this. But, I also noted that in most cases, the murderers were killed by the police. Meanwhile, people who murder Blacks are taken out to dinner by the police. No—I tell myself she has to focus. The title of the book is “People Love Dead Jews”. And I can’t disagree with the following, even though I can easily change the minority group “…because when Jews get murdered or maimed, it might be an ominous sign that actual people…might later get attacked! I was done with this sort of thing, which amounted to politely persuading people of one’s right to exist.”

There is a section early in the book that I really appreciated as a writer. She describes the difference between the conventions of western literature and yiddish/Jewish literature. Jewish literature, she says, does not often have the redemptive ending that western (and Christian) literature expects. The story just ends. Even the Tevye stories which became “Fiddler on the Roof” do not have the “happy” ending that Broadway has bequeathed us. (Now I have to look them up again.) I read that, saying yes—yes. Because if you know me, you know that I hate stories using the Hero’s Journey plot. I hate pat endings.

She ends with her discovery of Daf Yomi. The joy of study. It is a poetical section which hours later I related to a favorite line from “The Once and Future King’: ″‘The best thing for being sad,’ replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, ‘is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails.’” I love her description of how the Talmud study.

I can say that I’ve learned something from this book, even if I was occasionally frustrated with her focus.

View all my reviews

comments

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 21:12:04 GMT

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I would rate this book around a 3.5 in terms of my reading pleasure. I am largely a SF/fantasy reader but I also absolutely adore John le Carre' novels. I don't care for Ton Clancy styled novels. I am more interested in the moral ambivalence found in le Carre', therefore it is difficult to find new novels in which the spies are not patriotic without interior questioning. That establishes what I am looking for.

This novel satisfied some of that itch. As a Black American, the protagonist Marie is the descendent of an American father who is a policeman in a racist environment, and a mother from the former French colony of Martinique. She knows that America's hands are not clean, yet both she and her sister see government work for the FBI and the CIA as their way out of an oppressed life. As Marie tells her story, we see her realize that neither is truly a way out. The men at the FBI shuttle Marie to paperwork and trivial surveillance. We don't completely know her sister's viewpoint, but we know that her hopes are dashed by a fatal accident. Marie jumps to the CIA in hope of fulfilling their sibling desires only to discover yet another confining box.

My rating is somewhat lower because of several factors, many of which are probably personal to me. (a) I don't understand how Marie was able to turn off her abhorrence of the misogyny and racism that she found within the CIA and FBI. What does she get out of her work? I can understand her father working with the police because he is also protecting his neighborhood. All of the cases that we see Marie involved with are FBI CONINTELPRO or the CIA seeking to undermine a nascent African nation.
I wanted Marie to protest more! Yet, I know that this is illogical. To be a Black employee in America to accept that your employer is sometimes acting against your freedom and your people. Marie's response is believable even if depressing.
(b) the pacing is somewhat slow for a spy novel. Once I realized that this was not an action-oriented novel, I settled down to enjoy the tale of Marie's life. However, I can understand the dismay that I see in other reviews if they expected a typical spy novel.

View all my reviews

comments

Book: "When Women Ruled the World"

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 22:39:45 GMT

When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book sits somewhat uncomfortably between history and social commentary. I loved the history. The author is careful to note that motives can not be discerned after so many thousands of years. None the less, she is able to lay out the methods used by Egyptian royal women to wield power. Most of the time, this power was only granted by the 'illusion' that it was done on behalf of a child king. (I was reminded of stories that President Wilson's wife acted as President after his stroke. Surprisingly, the author never mentions this story.)

I lowered my rating of the book only because of the social commentary. I didn't lower it because she compares/contracts these queens to American female politicians. I think she is spot-on with her criticism on how women are criticized if they enter politics. However, I am unclear on her various stances on female rule. She states that Egyptians realized that women rule differently and thus were needed when the nation was in trouble. Should I assume that she thinks women are only eligible for rule if the nation is in trouble? I am not even certain that I agree that these women ruled differently since none of them had a problem in killing their perceived enemies. Perhaps there is some nuance in her reasoning that I missed because I was listening to an audiobook, difficult to flip back and review.

I think that I agree that women are often socialized to try to seek agreement between opposing parties instead of insisting on dominance. That talent is certainly needed in society. I am leery of the thought that that is something innate to every woman. I am also leery of the notion that a woman can be called up to rescue a failing political system. Perhaps, if they were there at the beginning, the political system would not be in danger. Rescuers should not be needed.

There were some judgmental statements about events in Egyptian history that shook their static and conservative society. I suspect I found these statements judgmental only because of my American indoctrination in the love of revolution. So, I cringed at her rejection of Akhenaten's experiments.

Also, she describes these African queens as if they were the only ones. Aren't there other queens from south of Egypt who also had long reigns, some peaceful? They aren't the only ancient examples of female rule. I wanted to know how these queens compared to queens like Nzinga, Ranavalona and Idia.

View all my reviews

comments

12 September 2021 - Post Ida

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:29:36 GMT

I’ve put away my suitcases after hurricane Ida, but not without considering the detritus that stays in the suitcases because I considered it necessary at some point. Some things are eventually removed but there are a few constants.

The travel space bags are a relic of a trip to London and Paris with my sister. Someone recommended the bags for packing. Insert clothes, squeeze the air out, and acquire the ability to pack even more! Well maybe. After years they don’t really shrink like they used to. Now I use them for organization. I package outfits together to insure that I have everything needed. And I tell myself that it saves the TSA time when they want to rummage through my things. Everything is in clear plastic bags. The things one tells oneself in a era of surveillance.

One suitcase had a personal size Klennex container. Was that added for a funeral? Lip gloss for a dry climate? These are things I could remove. The overnight bag has a phone charger connection for a car along with a device to hold the phone upright while I drive. That’s the result of flying to the northeast, renting a car, and realizing that I needed to use my phone’s GPS for directions. How was I to drive without looking down at my phone all the time? That stays in, even though I haven’t flown anywhere in two years.

The extension cord and the Polarized Grounding 2-Prong Adapter are artifacts of Katrina and other storms. I had evacuated to Shreveport and my older relatives and family friends lived in homes built in the 40’s and 50’s. I found it difficult to use my laptop in their homes without adapters. Both have remained in my suitcase or overnight bag because hotels don’t always put outlets where they are needed and some hotel outlets are just as antique. The extension cord was used during Ida to plug my personal computer up cater-corner to my work computer.

The latest additions to the overnight bag are a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer and a mask. I look forward to removing those at least. However, it may be some time before they are evicted.

In other “news”, I returned from the storm to find that the chickens are back. There are only two of them wandering my block now where there used to be five. I even found them in my back yard, possibly because the back fence is down. They are as fat as they used to be. I still wonder if chickens are smart enough to realize that their numbers are smaller. Crows can count to eight, I read. But chickens? As food animals, I do hope that they can’t. As it is, I wonder if their owner evacuated and left them. Or if these are the ones that escape nearly every day. I was blaming a negligent owner, but on a bike ride I passed an eight foot fence. As I passed, a chicken flew to the top of the fence and then landed down on the sidewalk. These chickens are truly free range and more than one house in the neighborhood has a flock, based on the sound I hear when biking.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhPZI-_9mdYkhCfhDGz_NjxWMdyZ?e=MoaKyh

comments

Circle by Madeline Miller

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 16:23:20 GMT

Circe by Madeline Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delightful read. I expected something like Le Guin's "Lavinia", but that book in retrospect feels more gritty than this one.

Circe is a fantasy because its central conceit is that the Greek Gods were real personalities. Circe is a minor god-ling. She's the child of one of the original Titans and a nymph. Her family life is as chaotic as you might imagine if you remember the rages, loves, and petty wars of greek mythology. Circe is the child who questions why and she is quickly punished for her temerity. The novel follows her through Greek history. She is exiled to an island but she is occasionally called to interface in the story of the Minotaur, and the story of Odysseus. As she is the hero of this story, we quickly learn exactly why she turns men into pigs and we have sympathy for her. Like many undying literary creations, she yearns for release because every mortal thing she loves dies.

I enjoyed following Circe through her travails. I raged against her caustic and careless relatives. I was pleased to see her reach a peaceful and thoughtful resolution.

View all my reviews

comments

Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 15:13:33 GMT

I am somewhere between 4.5 and 5 stars on this one. I was listening to the audiobook so forgive any vagueness. (And really-- I wouldn't want to give away any major plot points away)

This book has an atypical narrator. High points for that. The protagonist is a "lightly" married woman who was a wrestler and body builder in high school. She wanted to go into detective work but settled for working for some type of security firm as an analyst after she discovered a love for statistics. Therefore, if there ever is a movie please don't cast a petite size 4 dynamo to play her. She is meant to be impressive. I said "lightly" married because she admits to cheating on her husband in the past. She still has a love of flirting in bars, but tells us that she never follows the guy up to his room. She has a daughter that she loves but thinks/knows that she is doing an abysmal job being a parent. She has a definite edge to her and it is difficult to warm up to her--but then who wants to cuddle with Sam Spade either?

She is obsessive. My, is she obsessive! She was handed a puzzle slightly before the beginning of the novel and she pursues it throughout the novel even though it destroys her employer, some of her co-workers, her family life, and many of the people she happens to meet. I was happy to follow her pursuit throughout the novel as she turns her analytic ability on her puzzle and eventually on her own life.

I was concerned when I reached the 90% mark on my audiobook and I realized that I still had no idea what was going on! Why were all of these tortures and murders occurring? Not to fear, an answer to all questions appear by the end of the novel. The author leaves it up to us to decide whether this is a completely dystopian novel. The narrator begins her tale by telling us that she will be dead by the time we read this. The meaning of that chilling statement changes throughout the novel and the ending gives it the possibility of hope.

comments

Book Review: The Last Policeman

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 17:53:42 GMT

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a strange duckling. The tone is like that of an old fashioned police procedural. It was amusing at times to see the detective tropes come hard and fast at the beginning--including the detective's quick glimpse of a mysterious woman in red at the beginning. Despite the existence of cell phones and the occasional vehicle that runs on vegetable oil, it feels like a novel set in the 40's. The difference, of course, being that this is a future in which an asteroid is heading for the earth. There is a strong chance that no one will survive the impact. This makes the novel fit into another sub-genre of impending-world-ending-doom. I am debating whether to continue the series. It was a fast read. But the characters didn't really fascinate me. There are only a few female characters; the book couldn't pass any type of Bechdel test because the female characters never talk to one another at all. That said, if you like this type of bare bones dry narrative, the book can be quite enjoyable. I finished it in two days.

View all my reviews

comments

The 99% Invisible City

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 16:58:10 GMT

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design by Roman Mars

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about design. I’ve been a listener or 99 PI for at least year and it was interesting both to revisit stories that I remember listening to and reading stories that I missed from earlier episodes. Having a physical book allowed me time to rethink, explore and consider the small design choices that make up a city.

If I have one complaint, it was with the choice to go with line drawings to illustrate the book. In most cases, the line drawings work fine. In a few cases (i.e. Mansard Roofs, the Bosco Verticale), I found myself jumping online so that I could find an actual picture.

All in all, I enjoyed this examination of where city perennials came from and learning their names. I never knew that those inflatable figures were call Fly Boys. It was interesting to see that New Orleans is not the only city that resists a rectilinear street grid. The chapter on design ideas that bubble up from the populace instead of being enforced by city management was inspiring. The sections on each topic are short and make a quick read over lunch, dinner, or right before bed. (Although, you may find yourself reading just-one-more)

Recommended.

View all my reviews

comments

Hiding in Plain Sight

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 16:56:51 GMT

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I initially picked this book up expecting a sober unemotional account of the Trump presidency. I was acquainted with the existence of The Gaslight podcast, but I had never gotten around to listening to it. (The daily news is depressing enough).

The book has more of a personal bent and the occasional rants jar me. However, the writer does back her accusations up with facts. Her “rants” came to feel justified as she explored the result of the Republican party’s shift to authoritarianism. For instance, I had accepted the canard that Trump was a political newcomer. It was a surprise that he had been exploring running for President since the 1980’s. It was surprising and disturbing to learn how close he has been to the Russian Mafia and how long that association has existed. It was also disturbing to read how complicit the Barr family has been in this entire enterprise.

Despite Biden’s recent win, I think this book is an important read. The Republican party has worked for a generation to supplant the New Deal and a diversifying economy with a system of government that would be led by only a select number of billionaires. A Biden presidency will not solve the problem of Trump. He has been bankrupt before and always returned. And Trump is only a symptom of a type of corruption that American has not explicitly rejected.

View all my reviews

comments

old pictures before my Entergy layoff

Mon, 18 May 2020 20:59:38 GMT

comments

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Sat, 02 May 2020 01:30:24 GMT

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be honest, I read this primarily because it is on the Hugo nomination list this year. I think that I would have loved this book in my youth. The novel is set in the early 1900's in New England, America (for the most part). The language and characterization match the literature of that time. The language is beautiful and occasionally florid. The villains explain their motives, when asked, in exquisite detail. Unlike the novels of that actual time period, this novel does not hide the classism and racism of the upper class of the time period. Unlike "Oliver Twist", the protagonist is a mixed race girl and she is raised by a rich white collector. She is not an orphan raised in a criminal atmosphere. While she occasionally suffers the sneers of her guardian's colleagues, she enjoys all of the perks of being the daughter of a wealthy white man of this era. A set of events sets the story into motion: at age 7, she finds a door that appears to lead to another work; as a young teen, she finds a book that describes the study of doors.

As I said, I would have enjoyed this when I was younger. As I listened to the audio book, I did have to force myself to get through this. At times, I found the protagonist's naivety to be unbelievable. But I am 64 and not 17! I think a younger reader would not have a problem with this aspect at all. At times, I found the various villains to be tiresome in their need to explain everything. But again, I know that I enjoyed this type of story-telling when I was younger.

This is a qualified recommendation. This is not a modern novel patterned after our clipped conversations. It is more like a classical 19th or early 20th century novel filled with gentlemen, gentlewomen--and the occasional vampire.

View all my reviews

comments

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:34:26 GMT

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are some reviews where I might write "once this got going". In true, this book "got going" from the very beginning. I read it in the space of two days, putting it aside on a Saturday night at 2 am and finishing it on 6 pm on Sunday.

The book describes the embodiment of the city of New York in five people and a sixth who represents the entire city. They must band together to protect their city from a Lovecraft-like horror that sometimes represents itself as gentrification. If you live in a city that has threatened culture (New Orleans, Austin) then you will recognize and perhaps grimly smile at the image of a Starbucks attacking our heroes as they race to save Staten Island.

The book is both exciting and satricial, I look forward to reading what comes next.

View all my reviews

comments

Spoonbenders

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 05:54:56 GMT

Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I spent much of this (audiobook) disliking most of the characters, hence the middling rating. The last two chapters brought the novel home for me. I think that I am tired of the lovable scalawag and at least two of the major characters--Frankie and Teddy exemplify that trope. I loved Irene and rooted for her. And Buddy shines, once he was given a voice.

The novel does successfully dispel the notion that a psychically talented family would be rich/famous/well adjusted. The Telemachus family is famous but they are definitely not well adjusted. They are holding onto lower middle class life by their fingernails, injections of investment cash from Teddy, and by the occasional machinations of the mostly silent brother, Buddy.

Unknown to everyone but Buddy, their lives are about to change. But even Buddy can not accurately predict the quantum outcome of a ricocheting bullet. The ending was satisfying and relieved a lot of the impatience that I had some some characters. Although Frankie--smh.

View all my reviews

comments

New Moon's Arms

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 05:32:18 GMT

The New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's daunting to read this novel as a writer. Ms. Hopkinson has given us a protagonist with flaws that endear us to her initially: she is afraid of being considered "old"--she won't permit her grandson to call her grandma. She harrumphs at her daughter's frumpy dresses. At the same time, she embraces life while mourning the loss of her father. Later we find that Calamity has a darker flaw, but by then we are involved in her loves and life. We are pulling for her, even as she brings the support walls of loving friends down around her. This is a more realistic book. Calamity will not magically dissolve that dark seed that culture and upbringing grew within her. But progress will be made. Along the way, there may or may not be mermaids and mer-men.

I purchased the book when it first came out and it sat on the read later stack for some time. The audiobook was a delight. I will definitely return to the physical book to re-read some of my favorite scenes.

View all my reviews

comments

Recently read

Sun, 12 Aug 2018 02:32:57 GMT

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Walkaway is a novel that may lead me to rethink how i review SF novels. I grew up with Asimov, Heinlein, Pohl, Norton, etc like most people my age. Ran into the stories of Harlan Ellison, Ursula K Le Guin slightly before college and never went back. I was purely into literary science fiction. Fond memories of the earlier stuff but the few times that I tried to go back, I found the novels plot-driven and the characterization rudimentary. There was no personalities in the novel to hang on. Fantasy lasted a bit longer. Tolkien’s characters have individual personalities at least. Eventually, the almost purely male world of Middle Earth bored me there also.

I picked up Walkaway at the library and put it down several times and put it down each time. The characters sounded like whiney teenagers even though a closer reading indicates they are older. The library now has the audio and I decided to try again. I gritted my teeth through the first chapter and finally got into the part of the book where three of the primary characters walkaway from their capitalistic society into a post scarcity Canada. From this point on, we are presented with a flood of arguments and ideas of how a post scarcity world might work. Unlike Star Trek and its replicators, Walkaway is a new future novel. Doctorow sets about to explore what would happen to our society if several existing trends continue.

What if the centralization of wealth continues so that the 1% becomes the 0.1%?
What if 3-d printers become easily available and faster?
What if Canada and America poison much of rural landscape?
What if solar power, windmill power, thermal power become more efficient and available?
What if the elements of society simply walk away from their crushing debt? What type of society would they build? Would the society that they walk away from accept their decision?
How would a walkaway society react to a threat? When do you walk away again and when do you hold your ground? What is your responsibility to the combatants on the other side?
What if human thought could be ported to an electronic simulation? Should that simulation be considered human?
How would a walkaway society handle crime?
Does a walkaway society have any allegiance to the nation state it exists in?

This novel is a throwback to earlier SF in that, at times, the characters feel like props to make the author’s arguments. Since I was listening to an audiobook, I had times when I could distinguish one character from another only by the name tags. If this was literary SF, I would call it a failure. There is little exploration of the interior life of the characters. However, I can’t call if a failure as a SF novel. It is a brilliant examination of the ideas it explores.

They argue and argue. Walkaway society is built by consensus. There are therefore lots of arguments. There is a flood of discussions about how to build a society that acknowledges human greed but is not built to reward it. Anyone who disagrees with the community’s decision can walkaway and form their own society. The oligarchy that controls regular society, called Default, has left lots of empty land—much of it environmentally poisoned. This is where each walkaway group builds, using the environmental garbage as the feed stock for the 3-d printers.

Every chapter brings new marvels and questions. There is an easy acceptance of different fluid sexual pairing. The core set of characters flow from straight pairings to gay to trans without a single tangled moral stumble. Some Walkaways are located in zeppelins and transverse the world constantly. Nevertheless, some of those walkaways are willing to accept national borders if they are the right borders.

This is a qualified recommendation. It would be interesting to discuss this novel in a sociology, philosophy, or political science class. Not so much in an English class.

View all my reviews

comments

Napowrimo - THE CUSTOMER

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 02:27:35 GMT

The Customer

I sent my boy out
because I missed his voice.

I missed his voice
and watched Suzie swat the boy as he stood
outside the open louvers
allowing flies from the street’s filth to
breeze into the parlor.

The flies drifted into the golden plaster rosettes
as the boy listened
as I heard
“I got strawberries”
“I got blueberries”
the cries of the street
vendors of the morning.

The cries of the morning circled me like flies
as I sat at table with my chicory
with my cream kissed oatmeal
and no bread

“No bread today” the boy said
returned now standing at my side.
“The bread boy’s run off”

The bread nigger’s run off and I slap him—
my boy—
less he get similar ideas
to fly away.

Prompt:

3/13/1847: Brown, the enslaved bread seller, made his escape in 1847. pic.twitter.com/PvzuLCvC60
— Freedom On The Move (@fotmproject) April 11, 2018

comments

napowrimo - Emily

Sun, 15 Apr 2018 17:21:01 GMT

Emily

You are frozen there
Emily
one foot on the muddy gate to the American city
one foot raised over brick laced into concrete
between buildings higher than you’ve ever seen
On foggy March mornings, women wearing starched cotton stride  by you into work you would recognize
If I keep you poised there, I don’t have to imagine what happened:
the cotton dealer who misplaced his child’s favorite playmate;
the brothel owner that thought you a charming whimsy for his parlor;
the errand that crushed you beneath a carriage’s wheels;
the race along the levee that ended with a tumble into the river.
You can see that I am kin
I can think of so many horrors.
A gift, I’ll imagine one more: the man that recognized you
hid you beneath his cloak
and took you to live among the maroons in the swamp across the river.
Stay there Emily,  a moment longer
I only live ten miles and two hundred years away
Your father is coming for you.

Prompt:

This one is really heart-wrenching: Here's an ad from The Daily Picayune for a SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl. pic.twitter.com/CnrcicxldQ
— Freedom On The Move (@fotmproject) February 16, 2018

comments

napowrimo - Ned

Sat, 14 Apr 2018 17:37:20 GMT

Ned

Freeport is aflame
Rivulets of blue run from the jailhouse
to the general store
where my hands were bound
for being so Black
that my color swallowed all of their fears.
Steams of red race from the sugarcane
to the brickyards to the steamboats at the docks
limiting my escape
because freedom is a flame
with no respect for fairness.

Prompt:

1/2/1849: Ned set fire to the Freeport jail so that he could make his escape. This ad offers a reward paid by the jail for Ned's capture. pic.twitter.com/gWwkeCgJMW
— Freedom On The Move (@fotmproject) April 12, 2018

comments