Well, the Cubs are officially for sale. The rumor I've heard of for months is now a fact. I've heard several prices tossed about. You know, more money than I can imagine. More money than I could win in the Wisconsin Super Duper Lottery (if I even did lotteries.............which I don't). I know the people who have read my blog and my whinings about the Cubs are feeling a sense of horror. If I owned the Cubs I could blog FROM EVERY GAME! Aw, don't worry sports fans, I can't afford the billion dollar price tag, but I know some one who can: me and my friends.
How this came about was a couple of weeks ago my friend Ed Ether (a rabid Green Bay Packer football fan, sorry about the loss last night, by the way) was talking about how he liked that the Packers are owned by a group of people, like a trust, instead of one egomaniacal billionaire. So it came to me tonight, what if myself, Ed and several of our millionaire friends pooled our resources. Then the Cubs could be ours! We could sit in the bleachers! Enjoy the agony and the ecstasy! Eat Frosty Malts! For me, it's a dream come true. Ed, whaddya say?
Monday, October 8, 2007
Outrunning My Guide
Lately I've been pondering the notion of "outrunning one's guide". I'm thinking of it as a Quaker phrase, but I think this idea exists in many different spiritualities.
But I've been feeling tired, like I have not been listening to that internal guide, which for me is the Spirit (which I also call God). People have different guides, but that's there business, not mine. I'm only saying what's true for me.
I'm thinking that for the last four weeks I've been working with the Young Friends, which I like very much. I always find it fun, hunbling and inspirational. But I haven't been to Meeting for Worship for that time. I have actively made time to listen for the Spirit's voice. And that has worked.
But missing Meeting, a group experience of listening for God is different than sitting by the lake watching the sun set. One is not better than the other, the individual and corporate experiences I have as a Quaker are different. Connected, but different.
So, this next First Day I will be in Meeting for Worship, listening.
But I've been feeling tired, like I have not been listening to that internal guide, which for me is the Spirit (which I also call God). People have different guides, but that's there business, not mine. I'm only saying what's true for me.
I'm thinking that for the last four weeks I've been working with the Young Friends, which I like very much. I always find it fun, hunbling and inspirational. But I haven't been to Meeting for Worship for that time. I have actively made time to listen for the Spirit's voice. And that has worked.
But missing Meeting, a group experience of listening for God is different than sitting by the lake watching the sun set. One is not better than the other, the individual and corporate experiences I have as a Quaker are different. Connected, but different.
So, this next First Day I will be in Meeting for Worship, listening.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Meme on Books
Garten passed on this meme on books, so I'll do my best
Total number of books?
I'm not sure. I have a serious book addiction and even though I "recycle" my old books at the used bookstore, the library keeps growing.........and growing. 250?
Last book read?
The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution by Sean Carroll. Excellent explanation of how evolution works at the level of genes. Closes all those "gaps in the fossil record". Evolution is no longer a theory.
Last book bought?
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Five meaningful books?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
1984 by George Orwell
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky (sorry about the spelling)
The Great War for Civilization, by Robert Fisk
When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron
Some others that I found meaningful and or just plain enjoyed!:
Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck (I own a Black Standard Poodle so this was a must read)
Maus One and Maus Two by Art Spiegelman
All the Harry Potter books
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Any poetry by Sharon Olds or Mary Oliver
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
The Power of Myth, Bill Moyers interviews Joseph Campbell
Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin, by John D'Milio
Going After Cacciato, by Tim O'Brien (a soldier decides to leave Vietnam and walk to Paris, his platoon goes after him. Fiction or non-fiction?)
The Things They Carried, also by Tim O'Brien based on his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam.Very poetic book that blends reality with fantasy with some unforgettable images and characters. Creates a story that speaks against war in a way I've never experienced as does Cacciato.
The Pat Barker Trilogy; The Ghost Road, The Eye in the Door, and Regeneration
She's writing historical fiction about World War One so uses real people and events. Includes World War One poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. Raises many issues and extremely well-written. Again, these books speak against war in unique ways and I've learned some lessons from them.
I think I'll stop here........I love books and reading and reading about other people's books!
Total number of books?
I'm not sure. I have a serious book addiction and even though I "recycle" my old books at the used bookstore, the library keeps growing.........and growing. 250?
Last book read?
The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution by Sean Carroll. Excellent explanation of how evolution works at the level of genes. Closes all those "gaps in the fossil record". Evolution is no longer a theory.
Last book bought?
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Five meaningful books?
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
1984 by George Orwell
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky (sorry about the spelling)
The Great War for Civilization, by Robert Fisk
When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron
Some others that I found meaningful and or just plain enjoyed!:
Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck (I own a Black Standard Poodle so this was a must read)
Maus One and Maus Two by Art Spiegelman
All the Harry Potter books
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Any poetry by Sharon Olds or Mary Oliver
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
The Power of Myth, Bill Moyers interviews Joseph Campbell
Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin, by John D'Milio
Going After Cacciato, by Tim O'Brien (a soldier decides to leave Vietnam and walk to Paris, his platoon goes after him. Fiction or non-fiction?)
The Things They Carried, also by Tim O'Brien based on his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam.Very poetic book that blends reality with fantasy with some unforgettable images and characters. Creates a story that speaks against war in a way I've never experienced as does Cacciato.
The Pat Barker Trilogy; The Ghost Road, The Eye in the Door, and Regeneration
She's writing historical fiction about World War One so uses real people and events. Includes World War One poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. Raises many issues and extremely well-written. Again, these books speak against war in unique ways and I've learned some lessons from them.
I think I'll stop here........I love books and reading and reading about other people's books!
The Phoenix and Baseball
Well, it's a sad day. The Cubs lost yesterday. Their season is over as the Arizona Diamondbacks completed a three game sweep to win the divisional playoff series. I watched most of the game. I have this image of horror where Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs fearsome slugger was at the plate. Two runners on base. The count was three balls and no strikes. I thought 'he's got to have the green light (to swing) here, he's the leading producer of runs batted in on the team'. The next pitch seemed to float in. Belt high. A fastball. Just where I've seen him hit balls into the next state in the past. He let it by. Didn't even swing. the next pitch was a strike. He didn't swing. Then the next pitch was a strike at the knees. He didn't even swing the bat. This was a snapshot of how the Cubs played in the three games with Arizona.
On the way home two things happened. I was listening, briefly, to grown men calling in to the post-game show, showing a variety of emotions. Yes, in fact these men were showing emotion. One comment penetrated deep. A caller asked "Based on what I've seen today, why should I keep watching this team?" A valid question.
Then, my cell phone rang and it was my friend Ed Ether, wondering how I was doing with this new pain in my life. He and his wife, Ms Ether, were wondering if they needed to do some kind of intervention. I thanked Ed, said no, and finished my drive home haunted by the caller's question. Why DO I keep watching this team that has failed to win a World Series since my grandmother was in her late teens (that would be 1908).
Today it came to me. Yes, the Cubs season is over. Soon the Lake Michigan winds will grow colder. Wrigley Field will be covered with snow and ice. But in February, something will happen in Florida. Spring training. The new little Cubs (and the old ones) will leave their den and migrate north to Chicago where they will rise like a phoenix. Resurrection. Happens every year. New hope. My prediction-----and you read it hear first, folks----is that the Cubs WILL win the World Series next year. Let's make it an even century, guys. Hey, anyone can have a bad century now and then. Baseball is not a religion, but it does have resurrection.
On the way home two things happened. I was listening, briefly, to grown men calling in to the post-game show, showing a variety of emotions. Yes, in fact these men were showing emotion. One comment penetrated deep. A caller asked "Based on what I've seen today, why should I keep watching this team?" A valid question.
Then, my cell phone rang and it was my friend Ed Ether, wondering how I was doing with this new pain in my life. He and his wife, Ms Ether, were wondering if they needed to do some kind of intervention. I thanked Ed, said no, and finished my drive home haunted by the caller's question. Why DO I keep watching this team that has failed to win a World Series since my grandmother was in her late teens (that would be 1908).
Today it came to me. Yes, the Cubs season is over. Soon the Lake Michigan winds will grow colder. Wrigley Field will be covered with snow and ice. But in February, something will happen in Florida. Spring training. The new little Cubs (and the old ones) will leave their den and migrate north to Chicago where they will rise like a phoenix. Resurrection. Happens every year. New hope. My prediction-----and you read it hear first, folks----is that the Cubs WILL win the World Series next year. Let's make it an even century, guys. Hey, anyone can have a bad century now and then. Baseball is not a religion, but it does have resurrection.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Harry Potter and the Censor's Flames
My friend Luminiferous Ether has an interesting post on banned books from the Ilovelibraries.org site. I plucked this piece from there:
Harry Potter snuck up on me.
In 1999, I'd yet to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when a South Carolina librarian reported that parents were seeking to remove the book from school libraries and classroom. Naturally, I was curious as to what was behind this attempt to censor a popular children's book that, by all reports, was encouraging even reluctant readers to settle in for hours of reading.
Then came the deluge - literally hundreds of challenges to J.K. Rowling's epic fantasy about a young wizard's fight against the ultimate evil. Since the beginning of the millennium, the Harry Potter books have been among the most frequently challenged books in libraries and schools in this country.
The reasons given for keeping the book from young readers generally center around witchcraft - but other complaints focus on the series' theme about challenging adult authority: "the books contain lying and smart-aleck retorts to adults," "the books will lead children to hatred and rebellion," "the books are telling children over and over again that lying, cheating, and stealing are not only acceptable, but that they're cool and cute."
Too often, these challenges were successful in removing the Harry Potter books from school classrooms, libraries, and reading lists. Finally, in 2003, a student in Cedarville, Ark., filed a federal lawsuit challenging her school district's restrictions on the Harry Potter series - and succeeded in winning First Amendment protection for young Harry. Even so, the campaign to keep the Harry Potter series out of the hands of children continues, led most recently by a Gwinnett County, Ga., mother who believes the series is an "evil" attempt to indoctrinate children in the Wicca religion. She wants to replace the books with others that promote a Judeo-Christian world view, like the "Left Behind" series.
I believe, in fact, that what some parents and adults find most threatening about the Potter series is what engages young minds and fires the imagination of young people- Rowling's willingness to deal with the truth that adults in children's lives can sometimes be unthinking, authoritarian, and even evil. The best books always have raised questions about the status quo - and are the most threatening to censors who want to control what young persons read and think about. Like the tyrannical Defense Against Dark Arts Professor Dolores Umbridge, who insisted on providing a "risk-free" education to the young wizards at Hogwarts, they would limit education and information to facts so incontestable that they arouse no controversy at any level, thereby leaving young people unequipped to think about and address larger questions about the nature of our society.
It's been wonderful to see how Harry has brought an entire generation of young people back to reading - back to grappling with allegories, stories, and ideas. So I contemplate the series' conclusion with some sadness, even as I know that we'll be dealing with Harry Potter for a long, long time, due to the books' quality and unstinting popularity. Similar to literature like Of Mice and Men, Catcher in the Rye, Huck Finn, and The Color Purple, Harry will always find a way into the censor's crosshairs. I hope that Harry's popularity will continue to focus a light on censorship. Bringing attention to the workings of censorship, in my opinion, provides the best defense against it.
####
Judith Krug is the director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). The OIF sponsors Banned Books Week, September 29 - October 6, an annual celebration for the Freedom to Read. Observed the last week of September since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take the precious democratic freedom to read for granted.
Harry Potter snuck up on me.
In 1999, I'd yet to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when a South Carolina librarian reported that parents were seeking to remove the book from school libraries and classroom. Naturally, I was curious as to what was behind this attempt to censor a popular children's book that, by all reports, was encouraging even reluctant readers to settle in for hours of reading.
Then came the deluge - literally hundreds of challenges to J.K. Rowling's epic fantasy about a young wizard's fight against the ultimate evil. Since the beginning of the millennium, the Harry Potter books have been among the most frequently challenged books in libraries and schools in this country.
The reasons given for keeping the book from young readers generally center around witchcraft - but other complaints focus on the series' theme about challenging adult authority: "the books contain lying and smart-aleck retorts to adults," "the books will lead children to hatred and rebellion," "the books are telling children over and over again that lying, cheating, and stealing are not only acceptable, but that they're cool and cute."
Too often, these challenges were successful in removing the Harry Potter books from school classrooms, libraries, and reading lists. Finally, in 2003, a student in Cedarville, Ark., filed a federal lawsuit challenging her school district's restrictions on the Harry Potter series - and succeeded in winning First Amendment protection for young Harry. Even so, the campaign to keep the Harry Potter series out of the hands of children continues, led most recently by a Gwinnett County, Ga., mother who believes the series is an "evil" attempt to indoctrinate children in the Wicca religion. She wants to replace the books with others that promote a Judeo-Christian world view, like the "Left Behind" series.
I believe, in fact, that what some parents and adults find most threatening about the Potter series is what engages young minds and fires the imagination of young people- Rowling's willingness to deal with the truth that adults in children's lives can sometimes be unthinking, authoritarian, and even evil. The best books always have raised questions about the status quo - and are the most threatening to censors who want to control what young persons read and think about. Like the tyrannical Defense Against Dark Arts Professor Dolores Umbridge, who insisted on providing a "risk-free" education to the young wizards at Hogwarts, they would limit education and information to facts so incontestable that they arouse no controversy at any level, thereby leaving young people unequipped to think about and address larger questions about the nature of our society.
It's been wonderful to see how Harry has brought an entire generation of young people back to reading - back to grappling with allegories, stories, and ideas. So I contemplate the series' conclusion with some sadness, even as I know that we'll be dealing with Harry Potter for a long, long time, due to the books' quality and unstinting popularity. Similar to literature like Of Mice and Men, Catcher in the Rye, Huck Finn, and The Color Purple, Harry will always find a way into the censor's crosshairs. I hope that Harry's popularity will continue to focus a light on censorship. Bringing attention to the workings of censorship, in my opinion, provides the best defense against it.
####
Judith Krug is the director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). The OIF sponsors Banned Books Week, September 29 - October 6, an annual celebration for the Freedom to Read. Observed the last week of September since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take the precious democratic freedom to read for granted.
Friday, October 5, 2007
There is no joy in Wrigleyville
Wow! Cubs on the brink of disaster! Feels like so suddenly the Cubs are down 2 games to none in the National Leage Championship series to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yikes! If the Cubs lose one more game, they are out, finished, it's over. They'll get to watch the World Series on TV like the rest of us. So there is no joy in Wrigleyville (the immediate neighborhood around the sacred ground, the "friendly confines" of Wrigley Field). The mighty Cubs are close to striking out........they play tomorrow night in Chicago. Backs to the ivy-covered walls.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Poodledoc, Jr: The New Teenager
Today is Poodledoc, Jr's 13th birthday! He arrived a month early, via a planned C-section. The first view of him was a little leg being pulled out of his mother's incision by the surgeon at about 9:15 AM. Quckly, the nurses cleaned him up, wrapped him snug as a bug and I got to hold him for the first time and show him to his mom, who was still awake, althought the rest of her body was "asleep". His mom lost a lot of blood which was scary. I was ushered from the recovery room by one of the nurse-midwives to a room, where I called all sorts of people to give them the good news. I couldn't stop holding him until finally the nurses came to take him for some "food". His mom had a tough time due to the blood loss from her placenta previa (that's where the placenta implants over the cervix, "blocking the exit",hebce the C-section. So getting him out was perilous. Luckily, she survived, although it was a close thing. Later, I took Tristan over intensive care to nurse for the first time.
I wondered what he'd be like. Now, he's a lot bigger, can beat me in arm wrestling (well, almost), loves to read, play with dogs, draw and paint, play Dungeons and Dragons, camp and does a lot of laughing. So today we'll celebrate. But I try to remember that every day with him is a celebration. Even the tough days. I love you, Tristan!
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