Now THIS is what I’m talkin’ about! Activist Annie Leonard of the Story of Stuff Project uses the long arm teachings of Gandhi and the American Civil Rights Movement to make her point in newly released movie.
Category: The Skinny
Head Off and Split ~ Poems by Nikky Finney
A while back in my Skinny Widget, I posted video of Nikky Finney—born Lynn Carol Finney—accepting the 2011 National Book Award for Poetry, her speech —a poem itself—is already legendary for its power and originality. (Scroll down to see it). Many of you missed that Skinny so I’m back to bring more attention to her… Continue reading Head Off and Split ~ Poems by Nikky Finney
News from Miranda in Kenya!
This made my day… As many of you know, our daughter, Miranda, is near Nairobi, Kenya at Daraja Academy on a service learning trip with a group from her school, Marin Academy. Each student checked a 50 lb personal bag and a 50 lb bag of donations—almost one ton of donated items—including the bean bag… Continue reading News from Miranda in Kenya!
True Olympians 44 Years Later
It instantly became an iconic image: the two young black American athletes, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, standing shoeless on the victory platform for the medal ceremony at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, gloved fists raised in a black power salute as the Star Spangled Banner played, protesting apartheid and the racist practices of the… Continue reading True Olympians 44 Years Later
Golden Gate Bridge is 75!
Sunday, May 24, 1987 ~ Hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Rob and I joined 300,000 + people for “Bridgewalk 1987”, celebrating the Golden Gate Bridge’s 50th Anniversary. One thing’s for sure—you could hardly call what we did a stroll on the bridge…what was everybody thinking?? Who knew if the thing would hold… Continue reading Golden Gate Bridge is 75!
Ajarat Bada
I’m inspired by young folks—I mean in their twenties and younger—who are ALREADY working to literally change the world. While stuck in Friday traffic last Friday [May 25, 2012], listening The California Report on NPR, I heard such a young woman: 20-something Nigerian Muslim, Ajarat Bada, living in the Los Angeles area on a soon-to-expire student visa.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
My time is consumed with rewriting Peach Seed Monkey so I haven’t read a book cover-to-cover in months. But this past week I spent every spare moment reading Rebecca Skloot’s, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The book’s been out since 2010, so I’m late—my copy has been stacked on my bedstand with many other… Continue reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Speaking With Conviction ~ Taylor Mali Poem
We Americans have an epidemic linguistic problem and it DRIVES ME CRAZY!! I’ll write the next section of the post in a way that illustrates my point:
Angela Glover Blackwell: Intelligent passion personified
I love it when a person makes so much sense that you can’t help but understand them. That’s the case with Angela Glover Blackwell who says ~ “America doesn’t want to talk about race,” and also, “America can see its future. And it’s a five-year-old Latina girl. It is a seven-year-old black boy. What happens to them… Continue reading Angela Glover Blackwell: Intelligent passion personified
Adding a NEW Feature ~ The Skinny ~
This is my way of flash-sharing stuff that crosses my path from various corners of life; random, worthy scoops from art, culture, politics, etc.