Joe's Book Cafe Door 6

Art by Irma Gruenholz

Welcome back to the cafe!

January, 2018

1. Artemis by Andy Weir
2. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham
3. Loose Woman by Sandra Cisneros
4. God Stalk by P.C. Hodgell
5. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
6. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie
7. The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
8. Bizarre Space A Kid's Guide by Jenn Dlugos and Charlie Hatton
9. Lessons on Expulsion by Erika L. Sanchez
10. Binti The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor
11. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
12. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
13. Warcross by Marie Lu
14. Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
15. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

February 2018

16. The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
17. Neogenesis by Sharon Lee
18. The Pyramid of Mud by Andrea Camilleri
19. Girl in a Plain Brown Wrapper by John D. MacDonald
20. A Tan and Sandy Silence by John D. MacDonald
21. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
22. Shock by Shock by Dean Young
23. A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
24. Lightning Blade by D.N. Erikson
25. Absolutely on Music by Haruki Murakami
26. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
27. The Power by Naomi Alderman
28. Light Boxes by Shane Jones

Illustrated Books 2018

1. Saga Volume 8 by Fiona Staples
2. Black Panther Avengers of the New World by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3. Black Panther Book Two by Ta-Nehisi Coates
4. Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire
5. Henchgirl by Rita Stradling
6. The Adventures of Dieter Lumpen by Jorge Zentner
7. Death The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman
8. Going into Town by Roz Chast
9. Black Panther Book Three by Ta-Nehisi Coates
10. Black Panther World of Wakanda by Roxanne Gay
11. After the Rain by Andre Julliard
12. Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say
13. Leave it to Chance by James Robinson
14. Thornhill by Pam Smy
15. Lumberjanes Vol. 4 by Noelle Stevenson
16. The Green Hand and Other Stories by Nicole Claveloux
17. Orphan Black Helsinki by Graeme Manson
18. Nemi by Lise Myrhe
19. Jane by Aline McKenna
20. Eye of the World Volume 5 by Robert Jordan

2017 Favorites

Fiction

News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Poetry

Olio by Tyehimba Jess
Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

Nonfiction

Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright
The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Young Adult

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Science Fiction

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemison (conclusion of a trilogy)
Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor

Mystery

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Lightning Men by Thomas Mullen (is this a "mystery"?)

Graphic Novels

My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris
One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg
The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan (not really a GN, but amazing - featuring his sculptures)

This effect is created with body paint

Also by Irma Gruenholz

To continue the discussion from the last thread.

Don’t just think about legislatures when talking about gun laws. There are already laws on the books that would help if they were enforced, but thanks to refusal, or outright recedance of those laws by our current U.S. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions (far right wing former Republican senator from Alabama and recipient of large sums of money from the NRA) they are now toothless tigers.

The rate at which this current administration has stopped interpretation and reset laws and executive orders is appalling. Remember, this is an administration that recended the protection of land set aside as National Monuments just a few weeks after taking office. They are gutting things done for the national good every day because there is no basic respect for the law and tradition.

Happy new thread, Joe! Somehow I completely missed Door 5. For that, I am sorry. :0(
>4 jnwelch: very cool!
>5 jnwelch: wow! Stunning poem
Hope you're having a delightful Sunday!

Oh my, all these doors! Love the artwork behind this door, too.

>5 jnwelch: This reminds me a little of The Ones That Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Happy new thread! What a powerful starting poem.

Happy new thread Joe, hope you and Debbi are having a good weekend mate.

>7 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. I know, the absurdity of drumpf rescinding the prohibition on mentally ill people buying guns, and then saying we need to address this mental health problem of shooters, is staggering. And there are lots of other examples, and failures to enforce, as you say. I don't feel that enforcement of current laws would help much. An assault weapon ban would immediately help, as would prohibiting the mentally ill from buying weapons. More extensive background checks, making it harder (or impossible) for teens to buy guns, and much more could (should) be done.

This President and this Congress (the Republican majority) are a disgrace. They are gutting things done for the national good every day because there is no basic respect for the law and tradition. Yup. And because they like that NRA money, or the money of some other donor, or the gutting will help their investments and business in some way, or it will help keep their party in power in some way. There is no genuine interest in the national good among those running the show right now. None.

Nothing to add here, apart from that I like that poem up there, and the content of >12 jnwelch: :)
It is shocking reading the 'arguments' from the right about guns, really shocking. Warped reasoning to say the least.

Happy new thread, Joe!

I may have missed the last door, but I am here for this one!

>8 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! I'm glad you found Door No. 6. :-)

Isn't that body paint piece cool?

Isn't that poem a stunner? Our friend Mark found Laura Kasischke, and am I glad he did. As he says, she has a great voice.

We are having a delightful Sunday, thanks. Right now Madame MBH's writing/storytelling group is meeting, and (after spending some time with them), yours truly is in our sunny upstairs room reading about classical music courtesy of Messrs. Murakami and Ozawa.

>9 humouress: I know, this a lot of doors for this early in the year, Nina. It's bound to slow down at some point. I'm glad you like the art. I think what she does is so cool.

I'll have to check out that LeGuin poem later. This one is a knockout, isn't it.

>10 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda. It is a powerful poem, isn't it. I'm reading her collection right now (Where Now) thanks to a tip from brother Mark.

>11 johnsimpson: Thanks, John. We are. I hope you and Karen are having a great weekend, too, mate.

>17 jnwelch:, We are Joe, thank you.

>13 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you like the poem, and >12 jnwelch:. What a period of time we're in here. So many challenges.

>14 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I hope all is well at the Pecan Paradisio.

>15 Berly: Those are lovely doors, Kim. :-) Am I right that you're feeling better, and the med regime is starting to work?

I missed lots of doors. Happy new one, Joe and big waves from Davos.

Happy new thread, Joe. That body paint, in >4 jnwelch:, is a bit unsettling, in the way that a Escher drawing can be. Especially in the bottom of the handrail and how it seems to cross her thigh.

>20 Ameise1: Oh, I'm glad you're up and about, Barbara. Good to see you. Thanks, and enjoy Davos. Big waves back.

>21 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. I know, >4 jnwelch: throws you off, doesn't it - I like that comparison to the unsettling feeling an Escher drawing gives you. The handrail continuity works well, doesn't it, as does the support underneath as it is continued on her leg.

I'll be in the Charles Rennie Mackintosh room if anyone's looking for me:

Happy New Thread, Joe. Like the Gruenholz toppers.

I have been preoccupied for most of the afternoon, with birds and books. Did I mention, I saw an owl? Grins...

I hope you had a great afternoon too.

>23 richardderus: Oh man, we love Rennie Mackintosh, Richard. We were able to go to the Mackintosh house in Glasgow; what a treat.

>24 msf59: Thanks, Mark.

Ha! Somehow I heard through the grapevine that you'd seen an owl. Way to go!

Filling your afternoon with birds and books - sounds perfect.

We did have a great afternoon. A little entertaining of Debbi's writing group (Friends with Words), and I made a lot of headway in that Murakami classical music book.

Hi Joe,

I'm reading about the bubonic plague. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. The lady who owned the book before me lightly underlined in pencil all the olde words I need to look up; quite helpful. If I don't succumb to it, I may follow up by reading Daniel Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year, which I understand is not really a journal kept during the year, but a novel created after the fact.

We had snow here yesterday; all afternoon and well into the night. Today it was in the mid-40s, and by Wednesday as high as 70F. Celebrating Prexy Day by getting haircuts and doing a little book shopping at my hometown library.

ETA: the place looks good. Like the new art at the top.

Happy new one, Buddy.

Connie Willis's novel Doomsday Book is good on the plague too as she imagines someone travelling back in time to Oxford as the Black Death comes calling.

>27 weird_O: Hiya, Bill.

Oh, I hope you do succumb to Year of Wonders. I was transported by that book.

I've never read the Defoe book, but my understanding is the same - and you're right, as I remember, it was written after, not during.

Thanks re the place. I think that new art is so cool. She makes the figures with plasticine and clay.

>28 PaulCranswick: Thanks, mate. I agree - I liked Doomsday Book a lot. I have to admit, though, it was one of my few failures with our sci-fi reading son. He thought it got too slow in the middle. I haven't spoken to him since (kidding).

BTW, Mark and I are enthused about the poet Laura Kasischke, see >5 jnwelch: up there. You might want to check out some of her poems online and see whether she suits you at all.

Happy new thread! Really interesting artwork topping this one. Especially the second image in the first message - had to stop and study it for a minute!

>30 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

Isn't that interesting artwork? She makes the figures you see, from plasticine and clay. So in the second image you see her hand with one of them. So cool.

Here's the sculpture used in the third image:

Happy new thread, Joe. Love >4 jnwelch: - amazing!

Joe, you are reading up a storm this year. Retirement is agreeing with you!

I love Mackintosh's designs too.

I have to say >4 jnwelch: looks more like something of an illusion. It's too precise. Usually, something doesn't line up somewhere.

>31 jnwelch: Still gorgeous. Actually, I thought they were drawings or CGI (I couldn't work out the hand).

ETA: FYI the touchstone in >9 humouress: is relevant but isn't the right one, but it was the only one that showed up to work.

Happy new thread, Joe. That poem says a lot, doesn't it?

Love all the Charles Rennie Mackintosh rooms. I will have to have a look at the Mackintosh house when I go back to Glasgow, if that ever happens. I did have tea at the Willow Tea Room when I was there so I got a small dose of Mackintosh.

Happy new thread Joe! You always have the most fascinating art at the beginning of your new threads.

>27 weird_O: - >29 jnwelch: I, too, loved Year of Wonders, although that is the only book by Brooks that I've liked. It may be because the Black Death has always fascinated me and one of my periodic re-reads is The Black Death by Robert Gottfried.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Morning, Joe! Happy new thread!

Re the plasticene art. Here in Toronto, we have an author/illustrator named Barbara Reid who writes children's books. She began her career mostly as an illustrator but in her later books, she writes the text, as well. All her work is made from plasticene and the details in her illustrations is simply exquisite. I wish I could post pictures here so I could share it. Joe, you'd love them. I have a lot of her books on my shelf, including Have You Seen Birds?, Gifts, The Party, Picture a Tree, and The Subway Mouse. She also did a terrific poster for the public library, that I had in my classroom for years.

edited to add a link to her website: http://barbarareid.ca/

>32 rretzler: Thanks, Robin. Isn't >4 jnwelch: amazing?

>33 ronincats: Macintosh's designs were a happy find for us a few years ago, Roni. I didn't know about him until we traveled to Glasgow. Beautiful house there.

Thanks re the reading. Retirement does agree with me!

>34 humouress: Thanks, Nina. Glad you're enjoying the art. Thanks for the tip on the >9 humouress: link. I can find the LeGuin piece otherwise, I'm hoping.

>35 Familyhistorian: Hiya, Meg. That poem does say a lot, doesn't it. I'm still thinking about it. Part of it for me is the desire to hunker down, to protect our nest, and not let the outside world affect us. But that has its own price.

I'd like to see more Macintosh. Here's a glimpse of the Willow Tea Room:

>36 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen, and I'm glad the art fascinates you. A Year of Wonders is the only one of hers I've liked, too, darn it. But what a one.

I'm also fascinated by the Plague. The Black Death, eh? Good one?

>37 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Thanks!

>38 jessibud2: Plasticene, with an "e". I thought mine might not be quite the right spelling.

You're so nice to check first before posting some Barbara Reid plasticene art here, Shelley. Please do! Sounds great.

Ack. You are right, I just checked and I have been spelling it incorrectly all this time! Horrors! I used to be such a good speller, too. Anyhow, it's PLASTICINE, only *e* at the end. Sigh, live and learn.

And it's not a matter of my being nice, lol (though I am, of course ;-), it's more a matter of being technically unable. I thought initially that I couldn't post pictures to threads because I just couldn't figure it out but last summer, LTer Madeline (SqueakyChu) came to visit from the States, and she is very techie. She knows how to do it and she tried on my computer and was also unable to get it to work. There is something with my computer that doesn't allow one of the steps involved and try as she might, she could not find a way around that. Which is so odd because I have no problems uploading photos to my gallery, but it just will not work in threads. Ah well, as with the squirrels, I know when I'm beat, so I usually just post links or refer to my gallery, when applicable.

>40 jnwelch: No image!

Morning, Joe. Yep, enjoying the holiday off. I like the temps but not the rain. I have a dentist appointment soon and then food shopping. Maybe we will get a dry spell so I can go for a hike. Fingers crossed. And then, plenty of book time this afternoon.

I still want to get down to Montrose Harbor soon. Today would have been a good choice, with lighter commuter traffic but the rain is an impediment.

>30 drneutron: Yeah, that's what I finally figured out. The images themselves look like computer graphics or a very linear piece of drawn artwork. Then I saw the one with the hand and there's a moment where I interpreted it as a mixed draw/photo kind of thing. Then realized it was a photo of physical objects. It was an interesting process!

>39 jnwelch: I was on my tablet last night and spelled the name wrong and couldn't add any images. I first saw a Mackintosh design in a catalog where some pins were made using his rose design. Aren't these glass "folders" neat?


>43 msf59: Agree, no image in >40 jnwelch:

Good morning, Joe! I have not made it to 'Black Panther' yet. Have you? What do you think?

A Journal of the Plague Year is Defoe at his talkiest but it's a good book

I would love to see the assault rifle ban passed again and maybe this time enforced.

But I'm not holding my breath.

I lost it the day that they decided that people on the Terrorist Watch List - who aren't allowed to fly in a commercial airplane - are nevertheless allowed to buy guns - because that right is sacred.

The NRA isn't a club of gun owners it is a lobby group of gun manufacturers and sellers.

And the Republican party lives in terror of them .

>42 jessibud2: Ha! Oh, that's too funny, Shelley, re plasticine. I just assumed you had it right. Not a word we non-artists use in daily life.

Oh, I misunderstood about the posting. I''ll find some. It is a matter of knowing what formulas work how, and then you have the inexplicable computer problem. No worries. Barbara Reid; I'm on it.



Fun art - thanks for mentioning it.

>43 msf59: Right - please let me know when it's a Montrose Harbor day, Mark, and I'll try to join you. Debbi might, too, depending.

Rainy days are always good days for book reading, aren't they. I know you've got some good ones going.

>44 drneutron: Right, Jim. It's a mixed draw/photo of sculptures kind of thing. Clever, and I love the end result.

>45 ronincats: I love those Macintosh-based glass "folders", Roni. Like stained glass. Thanks for posting that.

>46 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie. We did make to Black Panther, and we loved it. So good! They nail it every which way. It's rare to have one that warrants the hype, but it does. I'm pretty sure you'll love it when you get to it.

>47 magicians_nephew: Good to know re Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year, Jim.

I'd like to see an assault ban instituted and enforced instanter. Why is that hard, Republicans? Oh yeah, you're afraid of the NRA, and too many of you are getting lots of money from it.

How embarrassing for them to have a bunch of vocal kids taking the Repubs and drumpf to the woodshed for failure to protect. Kudos to the kids.

>51 jnwelch: Watching those kids take politicians "to the woodshed" over gun control gives me some hope Joe. But then I think about those parents from Sandy Hook showing up at their offices on the Hill and pleading with them with no result. If not them, then who can influence these people?

>48 jnwelch: - Oh, you found some really good ones from Barbara Reid! Thanks, Joe! And you even managed to find one to give a nod to Sherlock! :-)

>48 jnwelch: Oh, I love those - the middle one is my favorite.

Afternoon, Joe!

Well, as usual, the café presents a variety of visual delights, Joe. I just love all the images. And now, thanks to you and Shelley, I know how to spell plasticine.

I think seeing all the Oscar nominated films sounds like a great idea, Joe. I will add that to my what-I'm-going-to-do-when-I-retire list. :-)

It's freezing a** cold her but sunny. Prudence and I spent part of the morning at Seward Park: she walked while I ran. Then we spent an hour at the T-Mobile shop, starting the process of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile. AT&T is not making it easy (like, who remembers their password and, wait for it, their passcode, which is not the same thing, for their mobile phone service????). Anyway, two phone calls and a variety of other steps later, we're at least on the way to saving $40/month on mobile phone service.

Now P is dozing in the sun on the couch with Abby and I'm messing about on LT. Time to do some reading, though.

Oh, it's Presidents' Day, a holiday for us. Yay!
Tomorrow I work, Wednesday I fly to Phoenix, Thursday is the conference/meeting, and then Friday I return. The meeting actually ends late Thursday afternoon and I'm looking forward to wandering around Tempe that evening, finding some good food and a beer or two, and then doing some reading. And I will also do some prep for this Skype interview I have next Tuesday.....

>55 EBT1002: - LOL! Ellen, when I read *T-Mobile* shop, in my head I pronounced it the way I would pronounce the word *Batmobile*. I am just so 20th century!

>52 NarratorLady: Those kids protesting does give me some hope, too, Anne. Who can blame them? Maybe their voices will get through where others haven't. Although, unfortunately, I have zero belief in this Congress's ability to provide any change.

There's a post going around Facebook that says, "Imagine a country that loves its guns so much that it will sacrifice its children to them."

>53 jessibud2: Ha! Right, Shelley? In honor of that furry little guy.

Barbara Reid has a bunch of good ones, doesn't she. Thanks for bringing her up.

>54 Crazymamie: Aren't those fun, Mamie? The middle one is a treat, isn't it.

Here's another one of hers.

>55 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen. Ha! Yes, yesterday we learned how to spell plasticine. I'm not sure what the lesson for today will be.

The "seeing-all-the-nominated movies" days are Saturdays, but it's still a heck of a lot easier to decide to do it now that I'm retired. I used to go into work on a lot of Saturdays, for one thing.

Good for you for sticking with the switch phone service process. They never make it easy, do they. Sounds like a nice time with P. I'm glad you got to enjoy the holiday.

Phoenix and Tempe sound good right now. We're gray and drizzly, although it's warm for a change. Good luck with next week's Skype interview, my friend.

>56 jessibud2: Ha! I'm hearing the Batman music as you zip around in your T-Mobile, Shelley.

Hi Joe, I love all the art on your thread.

Love this house, their curator is a Twitter friend. They promised to help me...obtain...the clock on the lower left for my very own!

(*that last bit is still under discussion)

>61 richardderus: Hahaha Richard. I visited the house a few years ago. I think the clock is glued down :-)

I also visited the Glasgow School of Art, prior to the devastating fire. It is one of my all time favourite buildings. Designed by an artist for artists, a rare building that is aesthetically pleasing and totally fit for purpose.

Judy and I go through that "try to see all the nominated movies in a month" frenzy - this year with Judy's foot slowing her down our tally is not looking good.

But Judy did finally see "Frozen" so there is hope

>62 Caroline_McElwee: I am a huge Mackintosh fan and had no idea of 78 Derngate's existence or I'd've been there like a shot last time I was in England, back in the 20th century.

Hello Joe. I hope all is well with you. I don't pretend to know all the answers, but I'm not sure that commiserating in negativity is it. I get commiserating, sharing distress with others that are in the same distress, but when it get to name calling and hyperbole and blanket statements that lack sincere truth, I don't get it.

Attacking politicians because they are in the pocket of the NRA is all well and good, but politicians on both sides are beholden to all manner of lobbying groups. Depends on the issue of the moment who we want to attack.

"Imagine a country that loves its guns so much that it will sacrifice its children to them."

Really? And this only is only one example of pointed rhetoric that is only useful to the people who propagate it.

I don't disagree that some form of weapons ban would be helpful, but I'm also certain it wouldn't keep school shootings from happening. I'm not so foolish as to throw a blanket 'mental health issue' on this, but I think we can agree that a person who DECIDES to shoot up a school is not in his/her right mind. I don't have the answer, but I think there is more the the solution that 'gun control'. More to the solution than 'mental health issue'.

We have to respect life. Where is the breakdown occurring in which the people who perpetrate these heinous crimes feel that the lives of their victims are worthless. How does a young man or old man come to that?

I am sorry to hijack your thread, but you have been gracious enough in the past. Thank you.

>65 brodiew2: - I don't have the answer, but I think there is more the the solution that 'gun control'. More to the solution than 'mental health issue'.

Not being American, maybe I don't have a right to voice an opinion here but I think that gun control - real gun control - has to be the starting point before anything else.

And, in fact, "Imagine a country that loves its guns so much that it will sacrifice its children to them" is EXACTLY hitting the nail on the head. It's truth, not rhetoric. But until that is recognized, the discussion can't even begin.

Crawling back into my cave now....

>66 jessibud2: +1

>60 Ameise1: Hi, Barbara. Thanks re the art. The Barbara Reid part is thanks to Shelley.

>61 richardderus: Ha! Mighty cool, RD. I don't remember anything of his being that gigantic!

Good luck with getting the clock. It may be worth assembling a Richard's (as opposed to Ocean's) Eleven for that one.

>62 Caroline_McElwee: Hi, Caroline. I didn't know about the Glasgow School of Art. Did it survive the fire?

>63 magicians_nephew: But Judy did finally see "Frozen" so there is hope LOL!

Sorry Judy's foot continues to give her problems, Jim. This seeing-all-the-nominated movies thing is new for us, as we realized we hadn't seen any of them. A friend of Debbi's recommended this two weekend marathon at a local theater; he's gone for years and loved it. Three that jump out for me are Get Out, Shape of Water, and Lady Bird, but it'll be great to see all of them.

>64 richardderus: 78 Derngate sounds good to me, Richard. We'll look into it for a day trip.

>65 brodiew2: You're welcome, Brodie. Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I'm sorry we disagree so much. I think gun control can do a lot - as it has in every other country in the world except our stupid own. I think we are sacrificing our children to our love of guns, and I'd say that anywhere you like. There is no need for civilians to have assault weapons, and they are what is used every time. I think our Congress should be ashamed of itself, and I'm ready to name call any Repubs in the NRA's pocket. It's disgusting, IMO. How can they keep sending out their useless "thoughts and prayers" and do nothing to address the problem? Oh yeah, money, and fear. Thanks, Repubs.

>66 jessibud2: Agreed, Shelley. Thanks for joining us from the cave. :-)

>67 richardderus: Ditto, RD.

>70 jnwelch: - +1.

My personal opinion (is there any other kind of opinion?) is that there is not only one problem here, but that the amount of guns and ease of availability in this country is of the most concern. Absolutely we should be trying to determine what underlying motives and issues are at play with the individuals who perpetrate massacres, but one intent on doing harm is going to do a lot less harm with a knife, a sling shot, or even a handgun. Just because a problem might be big and hairy and complex doesn't mean we shouldn't try to fix the immediate pieces we can get at.

>70 jnwelch: Yup. I make 5calls.org my phone home.

I appreciate you comments, Joe, and believe it or not I appreciate our differences of opinion. Questions keep popping up in my head about frequency of single shooter or multiple shooter mass murders. I'm sure they have happened in the past, but the epidemic started with Columbine. We thought, we hoped it was a one off. It wasn't. In fact, such acts have only risen in frequency. Why? I guess that is where our differences, or perhaps where we should meet, occur. If we have an ongoing issue which is actively getting worse, shouldn't we address the sociological root as well as the mechanism? Does the taking the gun out of the hand of a potential mass murder make him any less a mass murder. Katie mentioned in >72 katiekrug: knives and sling shots. I imagine a determined mass murderer finding a way to make his vision come true. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that an assault weapons ban wouldn't help, but putting a band aid on a gun shot would won't stop the bleeding.

>65 brodiew2: I glanced at the newspaper headlines when I was in getting my car serviced this morning and saw "government targeting gun violence" and had the cheery thought that the US government was going to do something. When I read the headlines more closely it was about the BC government cracking down on guns and gang violence. Our gang violence is a concern but has not cost as many young lives as school shootings.

>40 jnwelch: A the Willow Tea room, the pastries there were amazing. I had this meringue with whipped cream and strawberries. I had to go an hunt through my photos to see if I took one of it. Sadly I didn't.

Great art on your thread, Joe. The plasticine art is really colourful and fun.

The problem I have with the *mental health* issue is, trump and others say it, use it as an excuse, as if mental health issues were the crime. Mental health is a very real problem and definitely needs to be addressed, the earlier, the better. What is the government doing to increase support and help for people suffering from depression, and other mental health issues? THAT should be the starting point. Just a thought. Bandades can't heal an infection. You need to get to the root of it first.

>77 jessibud2: jessibud2. No disagreement there. Mental health issue is the same broad stroke as gun control. it's rhetoric. Not every once with depression or other issues is a shooter, but every shooter has a mental health issue. And, they probably aren't all the same. That is what make the why as maddening as the how.

>77 jessibud2: - The President signed a measure canceling an Obama-era regulation that made it more difficult for people with severe mental illness to acquire guns. And he is proposing slashing funding for Medicare which is how millions of people afford mental health services.

>72 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie.

Agreed. I always start with the assault weapons ban because it's so obvious, with even the military and police forces agreeing with it. And we had it before. And mass shootings did go down.

But as I mentioned elsewhere, more is needed. We need more extensive background checks. The Supreme Court just upheld California's 10 day waiting period for gun buyers, rejecting a 2d Amendment challenge, and we need that everywhere. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-court-guns-20180220-story.html We need guns kept out of the hands of the diagnosed mentally ill, something we had somewhat in place but our idiot President rescinded, and then had the chutzpah to say this is a mental health issue! That's a start that would have an effect.

Another problem I have with calling it a mental health issue is that it's a euphemism, IMO, for "a white guy was the mass shooter". This never gets raised when it's (as it so rarely is) someone non-white. Non-whites are terrorists. These are white guys who just unfortunately have mental health issues. Give me a break. Anyone who commits an heinous act like that in Parkland can be said to have mental health issues. That's not helpful. I think Ellen put her finger on it - the issue is alienation, not mental health. And yes, we need to address it, just like we address issues like bullying and a deprived home life.

>80 jnwelch: - Excellent point about the different reactions to different ethnicities of criminals.

OF COURSE there are several issues all wound up in this. Like you, I reject the false premise that one issue can't and shouldn't be addressed unless all are at the same time. Why not get the low-lying fruit first to at least diminish the risk?

>74 brodiew2: But there are so many countries in the world where you can’t just go out and buy a gun and you don’t get mass shootings in those countries. Obviously it is not a single-solution answer, but the biggest part of it, surely, is limiting access to guns.

And saying ‘gun control’ is surely looking at the problem from the wrong end; it implies ‘everyone can have a gun, but it should be controlled’ rather than ‘no-one should have access to guns except in exceptional circumstances’.

For the NRA proponents who say people need guns to protect themselves, what kind of society do they think they’re living in, to need automatics and semi-automatics to protect themselves against? That’s just overkill - for starters (pun intended). Just possibly, it’s the one that politicians have allowed by not creating and implementing gun control.

Does the taking the gun out of the hand of a potential mass murder make him any less a mass murder. Yes. It may not address the intent, but it takes away a means.

>73 richardderus: Yup. It fits the definition of insanity, doesn't it, Richard.

>74 brodiew2: Columbine was a long time ago, wasn't it, Brodie. Alienation again. I'm glad you don't disagree that an assault weapons ban would help. "Sociological" is a better approach than "mental health". How about we let the CDC gather data on gun violence, instead of being forbidden to do so by the Republicans? We study car accidents, but we can't study gun violence. Absurd. Absolutely absurd.

As I've mentioned above, there are other steps that can be taken, and the Supreme Court just upheld one of them. I'm sure there are ones I've missed, too.

I've heard that argument that a determined mass murderer will find a way too many times. As so many surviving victims and their families have said, why are we making it easy for them? Saying that something that will help (a lot, IMO) but that it may not eliminate the problem entirely is just no argument at all as far as I'm concerned.

>75 Familyhistorian: You all can be proud of yourselves for going after the problem in Canada, Meg. I wish we could be.

>76 Familyhistorian: We hope to get back to Scotland, and I'd love to see the Willow Tea Rooms and try those pastries.

>77 jessibud2: A so frustrating part of their current emphasis on mental health being the root problem of gun violence (for white people), Shelley, is that, besides Trump rescinding the regulation that precluded a lot of mentally ill people from buying guns, the Repubs are trying to cut money going to mental health study and care. Their hypocrisy defies belief.

>78 brodiew2: For me, it's more productive, Brodie, to say that every shooter has an alienation issue. (Of course the committer of a heinous act like Parkland has "mental health" issues). Let's gather data - let the CDC do its work. Meanwhile, let's get guns out of would-be mass shooters' hands as much as possible, and stop sacrificing our children to some bizarre zealotry about the 2d amendment. Guns are not sacred, folks. Nowhere else on earth has this problem like we do. The students are rising up in protest across our country because they see no Congressional will to try to prevent shootings or protect students.

>79 katiekrug: Agreed again, Katie. Yup, yup, yup. Oh, we need to get drumpf and the others out of there. Or at least outnumber the others, and hamstring drumpf as much as possible. I hope we can. And I hope no one else dies while they dither and spin, but experience says that's unlikely.

>81 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie.

"Low-lying fruit" - exactly the phrase I was thinking of. It's not really controversial to ban assault weapons; we've done it before. It's not really controversial to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, is it? It's not really controversial to have more extensive background checks - the vast majority of Americans favor that. It's not really controversial to have a 10 day waiting period for a gun purchase. What's the emergency - I need to kill someone right now?

We can do those things while we're digging into deeper causes. And I'm sure there are other things we can do that would make sense. There is simply no will in this Congress to do it, or the majority in Congress, more accurately. There are plenty of Congresspeople who are as disgusted as we are at the hypocrisy and swilling at the NRA trough. But they don't have the numbers.

>82 humouress: Well said, Nina. You can tell I agree. There's a lot to like about our history and Wild West mentality, but we've gone off the deep end with gun-loving zealotry that results in our children getting killed. And the vast majority of Americans know it.

Does the taking the gun out of the hand of a potential mass murder make him any less a mass murder. Yes. It may not address the intent, but it takes away a means. Adding my yes to yours.

>69 jnwelch: the famous Library was gutted Joe. Fortunately it was one of the most photographed Mac rooms, and I think they have been able to replicate it, or are near to doing so - end of this year or early next is the prediction.

The restoration fund included a couple of very famous American donators, Brad Pitt (who is a Trustee of the fund) and George Clooney. Pitt is a qualified architect, if I'm not mistaken.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38842465

>89 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. Sad to hear about the gutting; heartening to hear about the rebuild. Good for Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Reminds me of Sam Wanamaker getting behind the Globe Theater. Thanks for the link.

I've liked Dean Young's poetry for a long time. You can count on being surprised and provoked when you read him. He's often been called a Surrealist, and he embraces it. One poem here is titled, "Why I Haven't 'Outgrown' Surrealism No Matter What That Moron Reviewer Wrote". Ha!

What makes this collection a bit different is that Shock by Shock is his first since he received a heart transplant. Four months in a hospital recovering.

the body
is a vessel of flame-flicker
and even in dreams I say my lover’s
name so picture me for verisimilitude
made entirely of sunflowers but keep
the long scar in the center of my chest,
under it a grim doctrine frolics
on a dissecting table. I who have been
restored by cardiac shocks, dropped
into morning wanton and struck.

“…When / you are waiting for a new heart / you are waiting for someone to die.” (”How I got Through My Last Day on the Transplant List”)

…the god
. . . likes the theater, the gowns and masks
the rib-cage splitter and ceremonial
reaching into the chest
and a stranger, a boy really,
the heart of a reckless, generous boy
lifted from its cooler
and sutured into a carnal afterlife,
rose by rose, ladder by ladder,
shock by shock by shock.

He's a master of great titles and provocative lines. From "Street of Blind Knife Throwers" (ha!), one I took to be about poets:

One thought she was a genius for putting
9 commas in a row. Do not be too quick
to embrace an alternative energy source,
let fracking be your guide. Some things
can only be found when you hide. Sometimes
it's like a fistfight to decide who's
the biggest pacifist.

One of my favorites in this collection, with another great title:

Crash Test Dummies of an Imperfect God

Because we are so stupid,
the prizes in Cracker Jacks are now paper
so they can be swallowed, ladders
spackled with warnings. No getting
within a hundred feet of Stonehenge because
everyone wants to hack off a souvenir
and the way home is clogged to one lane
so whoever wants to can stare into a pothole
until coming up with a grievance. I’d vote
the greatest accomplishment of mankind
is the pickle spear. God created paradise
to tell us Get out! which is why we probably
created God who doesn’t much like being created
by ilk like us. No wonder it’s pediatrics
every morning and toxicology by happy hour.
Is it all in the mind, the dirty, dirty mind?
Maybe God tried to turn you into a garbage can
so you could be lifted by the truck’s hydraulic
arms and banged empty. Maybe a snow cone
so you could be sticky-sweet and dropped.
Maybe a genital-faced bivalve to be dashed
with Tabasco and eaten whole or, to his glory,
produce a pearl.

* * * *

Hard not to be inspired by this guy.

Wow. His poetry is powerful! Thanks for sharing -- I will have to keep an eye out for Dean.

All places with mass school shootings in the past...that led to stringent gun control.

>93 richardderus: Yup. Thanks, Richard.

>92 Berly: Oh good, Kim. I agree! Keep an eye out for that guy. His Bender: New and Selected Poems can be a good starting point.

>91 jnwelch: Like! He may be a bit dense for me but I sure like "Crash Test dummies". Share this on the poetry thread, when you get a chance.

Hi, Joe. It has been a long, frustrating day, so I don't have time to visit many threads, but I thought I would pop in and thank you for the support. I hope to try read some Steinbeck before I begin to fade.

My son and I, were planning to see Black Panther today too, once he got home from work. Hopefully, next week...

I'm really glad you didn't have lots of food pictures on here today. I had a dental procedure done today and can only have stuff like pudding, yogurt, jello, and other soft stuff until Friday. Naturally any other food sounds really good at the moment, but we mustn't endanger the "clot formation." It may also be the first time a dentist has ever told me not to brush my teeth--even if it is only for the remainder of the day.

I just came across this while looking for something else. Eloquent, in its own way, as political cartoons often are:

Hero's Welcome

Scroll down to read the story behind it.

Hi Joe, I am slowly rising up out of my sick bed and shaking off this bug. I don't even know what to say anymore when these mass shootings happen. I can't believe that the government doesn't take any steps to put some kind of gun control in place. It was terrible to see parents on tv having to face the loss of their children. It's a nightmare situation and I can't understand how the government gets away with doing nothing.

Good morning, Joe.

Morning, Joe! I somehow missed your new thread creation and am already 100 posts behind! Doh!

>96 msf59: Hiya, Mark. You're more than welcome for the support. Sorry that was such a lousy day. Hope this one is much better.

Understood re Dean Young. I'll try to get Crash Dummies posted over on the Poetry thread this afternoon.

>97 thornton37814: Oh, my sympathy, Lori. A tooth procedure and nothing interesting to eat until Friday, woo. I hope you have lots of good books on hand. If it didn't have such dire consequences, not brushing my teeth ever would be okay by me. Well, and if my breath were naturally as sweet as a breeze through the wildflowers.

Maybe I'd better keep brushing.

Morning, Joe!

>98 jessibud2: Oh, thanks for mentioning this one, Shelley. I'd seen it and read about it.



This is the coach and security guard at Parkland who died after throwing himself in front of students to protect them, as he is being greeted by previous victims in heaven. What a man, what an act of heroism. Let's pause for tears. I didn't realize it was a Vancouver cartoonist who did this. Beautiful.

>99 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. Sorry you've been feeling so crummy.

I don't understand how the government gets away with doing nothing about the mass shootings, either. It's our own fault, in many ways - we let too many of the mercenaries get voted in. I suppose many expected better from them. Will anything get done between now and November, when so many seats are up for election. Wish I could say yes.

>100 Ameise1: Good morning, Barbara. Hope you have R & R on the agenda in Davos. :-)

>101 ChelleBearss: Ha! I've always loved "Doh", Chelle. Mayhap you've got a few things going on in your life, including two of cutest young kids ever?

Hi Joe!

>41 jnwelch: Black Death is a very well written book that talks about the 3 types of plague, about the economic, political, social, and etc. impacts, and the demise of the feudal system in Europe because of it. Most people don't realize that the plague was recurrent through the 19th century even though it made it to Europe in 1347. This book has statistics, first-hand accounts, and was a real eye-opener for me the first time I read it.

Lots of good conversation here about gun control, politicians and the NRA, and etc. I just can't bring myself to write any more than thanks for letting people open up here.

Hi Karen!

Always a pleasure to let people open up here. I know what you mean about not being able to bring yourself to write any more. Thanks for the tip on Black Death. I'll WL it.

Seems like we all could use a good place to read this morning.

>105 jnwelch: Looking at it from the outside, it's very hard to understand the US election system. It seems that the first thing a candidate has to do once they announce they're running is to raise funds to go on rallies to get people to vote for them. But whereas in England, they turn up wherever and give speeches, when we see it on TV, candidates have to hire a hall to throw a big party (well, that's what it looks like). So it's not surprising that it opens the door for large organisations with lots of money to buy the candidates' votes by funding them.

It's very circular. The NRA and similar organisations pay big money to politicians to veto gun control laws so that the gun manufacturers can sell more guns and make more money to fund the politicians to ... I wonder if there's any point to it all.

The thing to change may be the election system. But how would you start to move a juggernaut like that when people are so resistant to change?

Good morning, Joe!

>104 jnwelch: Wonderful image. It was an amazing act of heroism.

>109 jnwelch: I would seriously love the opportunity to sit on a hammock and read for while.

>110 humouress: Your instincts are on target, Nina. Here, TV ads and social media play a big role. A lot of people would say the big issue we need to address first is campaign finance reform. We had a very unhelpful 5-4 Supreme Court decision in 2014 that struck down limits on the total amount of money donors can contribute to candidates and political committees. Bad decision, IMO, but we're stuck with it until the legislature has the will to find a way to sustainably institute limits. It's a tough go with Congresspeople who have their snouts stuck in the trough provided by the NRA and the Koch brothers and so on. Can we elect people who will put the country above their personal interests? We'll see.

>111 brodiew2: Good morning/afternoon, Brodie!

Right? >104 jnwelch: captures it beautifully. I'd love some hammock and reading time, too. We're going to be in LA in the first half of March; maybe we can find a hammock somewhere.

Only a few hundred messages behind and a new cafe up and running. So many treats for the eyes tho which makes the catching up well worth it. And of course all the thought provoking discussion. What a cafe you've got here Joe! :D

Thanks for >104 jnwelch: Joe - tears in my eyes make it hard to type.

Agree that it does no good to demonize our opponents on the gun issue - hell we all have children.

>113 jolerie: I'm glad the catching up has been well worth it, Valerie. Good to have you here in the new one!

>114 magicians_nephew: You're welcome, my friend. Shelley really deserves the credit for bringing up >104 jnwelch:. It gets me every time, too.

Yeah, I try not to demonize our opponents on the gun issue, but it is so frustrating sometimes. Common sense can seem so threatening to the zealots. Remember "Obama is coming to take our guns"? Are you kidding? It can be hard to reason with people who have that kneejerk 2d Amendment reaction. We all have children (or care about them through others), but with some it doesn't help the conversation any.

If you enjoy classical music, or reading Murakami, or the conducting of Seiji Ozawa, or some combination, you'll want to pick up Absolutely on Music. After Ozawa was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, he cut way back on his conducting, and that gave him time to have these six conversations with his friend Murakami. Ozawa was the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for nearly 30 years, and led many other orchestras. I thought of Murakami as a jazz aficionado (he does say that is his favorite type of music), but he started listening to classical music in high school, and never stopped. He has what sounds like an awesome classical record collection (much of it picked up in used music stores in the USA), and surprised me over and over again with the depth of his knowledge and the sophistication of his ear. And he knows his conductors!

Murakami: Maestro Karajan was very fond of the Sibelius Fifth, wasn't he? I think he must have recorded it four times.

Ozawa studied with Leonard Bernstein, so we learn a lot about him (very positive, I must say). I've always wondered about the role of conductors, and you really get to look behind the curtain. Ozawa emphasizes the importance of "how you wave your baton during rehearsals", and the two discuss the effect of different famous conductor approaches on what the audience ends up hearing.

So many of the pieces they discuss sound like fine dining, and I ended up starting a wishlist. I had no idea that Mahler had not been popular before Bernstein championed his music. Now we hear Mahler everywhere, but that wasn't the case before. Brahms, Beethoven, Debussy, Stravinsky, and on and on; they discuss them all.

Murakami uses his writing skills, comparing, for example, two Mahler pieces conducted by Ozawa. One is “like making a leisurely tour in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz”, while the other is “like zipping around in a sports car with a nice stick shift”. Murakami also talks about his own writing at times, emphasizing the importance of rhythm to any good piece of writing.

I'm a jazz lover, so that's how I set down a rhythm first. Then I add chords to it and start improvising, making it up freely as I go along. I write as if I'm making music.

There's no mistaking Ozawa's enjoyment of Murakami's enthusiasm and insight when it comes to music. Ozawa ends up agreeing with him the vast majority of the time. “I’m enjoying talking to you about music like this because your perspective is so different from mine,” he says to Murakami. “It’s that difference that has been making it a learning experience for me, something fresh and unexpected.”

Like Murakami with music, Ozawa looks outside of music for inspiration. He's an art museum fan and, for example, feels that Klimt's and Schiele's paintings helped him understand Mahler's music. Ozawa's experience as a rising star in the music industry is fascinating. At Milan's La Scala he gets roundly booed, but it turns out every conductor does when starting out there. Tough crowd! By the end of the week the booing is gone.

There is a lot of technical detail about tempo, breathing, the use of silence, and so on, which may bog down some readers. But the enthusiasm and knowledge and experience shines through. I really enjoyed this one.

>115 jnwelch: - You know, this is something that's been on my mind. I have this fantasy that someone will ask trump or anyone who is an NRA follower if they might, just possibly, have a different response if the schools that their own children or grandchildren attend were to suddenly have to face a shooter. If their own children or grandchildren were, heaven forbid, to become a victim. Would that change anything for them? I would like that question to be asked, point-blank and have them not be allowed to leave the room until a straight answer is given. My problem though, is that I am somewhat afraid of the answer. Because, though I would love to imagine a light bulb going on, given this consideration, in my gut, I fear that the answer would be no, nothing would change. Meaning that their own children's lives are as cheap as anyone else's lives. And if, for some unfathomable reason they would say yes, their reactions would be different, I'd want to know why. Why are some people's lives worth more than others?

It's a dumb exercise, I know, but I would give anything to see them squirm and be made to answer. Maybe those Florida teens are the right ones to pose those hard questions. Those damn adults are so entrenched in their tunnel-vision platitudes and *thoughts and prayers* that it is really nauseating.

>116 jnwelch: Such a wonderful idea, to have a book made from the conversations of two friends in different fields, both leaders, about their different approaches!

Wouldn't you love to have "The Freud/Einstein Chats" or something?

>116 jnwelch: Ouch. I'm going to get Madam MBH to confiscate your catapult Mr.

>116 jnwelch: Great review of the Murakami, Joe. Thumb. You should supply the book title, to make it easier to locate for your faithful visitors. I would like to try this on audio.

Hope you had a good day. I am really enjoying Sea of Cortez. I did not expect this interesting approach. He was such a smart guy.

Have you read the poet, David Mason? I just started one of his collections, The Country I Remember. Pretty impressive.

I am way late to the conversation about mass shootings and gun control. No one will be surprised where I stand on the issues (plural used intentionally). It is a big hairy problem and it's complicated. Mental health (or mental illness) is one facet, as is societal alienation and disconnection and the buzz of social media. And access to assault weapons that enable the rapid murder of lots of people is a facet. I wholeheartedly agree that no one thing is going to completely solve the problem.

Partly because that is what I believe, I was just going to stay out of it, and then I saw this from Brodie:

>74 brodiew2: "...I'm not saying that an assault weapons ban wouldn't help..."
Then why oppose it?!?! It is one thing we have in our immediate control. It won't fix the whole problem but it would be a start. It might slow things down just enough for us to try to address other aspects of the problem. Instead, we stand by acting as if we are helpless. We are not. And that infuriates me.

I don't mean to pick on you, Brodie, and I honestly appreciate your willingness to chime in and participate in the discussion when you know you're likely to get some serious push back around here. But I don't understand the perspective that we should not do one thing to address a problem because it won't fix the whole problem. I see that unwillingness to take steps to address problems as keeping us stuck on so many important issues. We choose inaction when there are actions that would help! And our excuse is that the steps in front of us "won't solve the whole thing." It is incomprehensible to me.

*steps down off soapbox*

It's time for me to get ready for this work thing I have to go to. Then back to the room for Olympics!

Hi Joe!

>104 jnwelch: Oh my. I had not seen that. Beautiful. And so heartbreakingly sad.

>121 EBT1002: At the risk of forcing Joe to ban me from his thread, I want to provide another illustration of the "let's start by doing one thing" principle.

I am a mental health professional (or I was one) working on a college campus. All suicide prevention programs are multidimensional. And all of them, every single one of them includes the removal of the means. All of them urge steps to limit access to lethal chemicals and high places. They recommend sponsoring prescription drug Take Back Days to get medications no longer in use out of circulation. As a mental health professional, when working with a suicidal individual, one of the most important steps is removing their access to the means for dying. We work with them to throw away the razors, to ask a friend to keep their gun for them, to give their car keys to a family member. Not because that will solve everything. Not because it will prevent them from dying if they are determined to do so. But because in some cases, sometimes, it's just enough to create a pause. I have heard from individuals who attested to the fact that the removal of the means saved their lives. We have, as a society, the power to limit access to the means to commit mass murder. Our failure to do so is inexcusable.

How did I get back up here on this soapbox?

Sheesh.

Well, time for me to go shmooze with other supervisors of career services on college campuses.... heh.

Living in the UK with limited legal access to guns makes me feel safer. Yes, people do acquire guns, but rarely do innocent people get caught in the crossfire unless it is a terrorist attack. I don't think we have had more than one incident of a school shooting, and that wasn't in any way similar to those suffered in the US.

I feel if only your leaders put the same attention on death by gun in your country, that they focus on terrorist attacks, which have killed far fewer people (no disrespect meant to those lost in 9/11 or their families affected by that outrage) then the US would be a far safer place. I just looked, there were 38,000 gun related deaths in your nation in 2016.

Let's take a leap here, am I right in thinking the majority of hardline pro gun folk are very unlikely to actually lose someone to gun crime themselves, a bit like there only being one senator with a soldier in the family, while they have the power to send other families sons and daughters to war and potential loss of life - the figures may have changed on that now, I heard it on a Michael Moore documentary.

Just food for thought from an outsider, who has lived with the possibility and actuality of terrorist attacks in her city since the 1970s, and I don't want your gun laws.

ETA: we had 26 death by gunshot in the same year. I Think your population is 5 times ours, so that would mean 130 deaths relatively speaking!

‘Morning, Joe!

>116 jnwelch: Excellent review.

>121 EBT1002: It won't fix the whole problem but it would be a start. The better is enemy of the good.

>117 jessibud2: I get you, Shelley. I've heard others say similar things - the one way to get action on gun control is for Congresspeople to start having their own children threatened and victimized by gun violence. The lack of empathy for those suffering is staggering. "Thoughts and prayers", and then business as usual.

We have this problem with healthcare and other benefits, too - they have their own gravy train, and don't experience what the rest of us do. Yet they make key decisions on them. Very frustrating.

Throw the bums out appears to be our only realistic recourse, although maybe the heat from the protests may cause some movement.

>118 richardderus: Isn't it a wonderful idea, Richard? If I got it right, they got to know one another after Murakami's wife became friends with Ozawa's daughter Seira. I'd love to hear/read a Freud/Einstein conversation. This is a real treasure.

>119 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! She's tried to confiscate it so many times, Caroline. Doesn't Absolutely on Music sound good? :-)

>120 msf59: You're right about the book title, Mark. I'll fix it. I just got into a groove. Glad you liked it.

Yay for Sea of Cortez! I'd knew you'd be one to really appreciate it. He was such a smart guy. Loved that book.

David Mason is another new poet for me. I'm still reading your last recommendation, Laura Kasischke!

Wow, LT is all screwed up right now. Let's see if this will post.

>121 EBT1002:, >122 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen!

Well said. You know i completely agree. I find the resistance to banning assault weapons infuriating, too. You saw what Florida just did to those poor kids. Unimaginable. How did we get to a point where this is happening?

Isn't that cartoon in >104 jnwelch: heartbreaking?

>123 EBT1002: What an eloquent comparison, Ellen. Not because that will solve everything. Not because it will prevent them from dying if they are determined to do so. But because in some cases, sometimes, it's just enough to create a pause. I have heard from individuals who attested to the fact that the removal of the means saved their lives. We have, as a society, the power to limit access to the means to commit mass murder. Our failure to do so is inexcusable.

Yes.

>124 Caroline_McElwee: We had over 15,500 gun deaths in the USA last year, Caroline. That's a little bit more than 130, isn't it.

Some gun owners kill family members, some have family members killed. Don't seem to make any difference to the zealots, and none of those affected is in a position of influence in Congress.

I agree with you. City dwellers here get used to being alert, but you can only do so much. We're never going to get rid of the problem, but with the will we could do a lot. Drunk driving used to be a big problem here, and its impact has plummeted as we devoted attention.

>125 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

Thanks re the review. I'm a Murakami completist, so I was going to read it regardless, but I wondered whether I'd be in over my head. Some of it was over my head, for sure, but even that I could understand and appreciate.

We need to start getting after gun violence, one way or another. The situation is intolerable, and won't get better until we make it get better, overcoming a despicable group of Congresspeople and their sponsors.

Wishing everyone a day of good reading

>131 jnwelch: LIKE!

Morning, Joe. Sweet Thursday. I had issues posting earlier this A.M. Not bad out here but a little sunshine would be nice.

>131 jnwelch: I love that image!

Morning, Joe! Sweet Thursday!

Good morning, Joe!

I just finished the most recent Orphan X book Hellbent. It is such a step up from The Nowhere Man which was really good as well. Scott Brick does narration as with the others and is in top form.

>123 EBT1002: Thanks for this post, Ellen. I'm gong to add your example to my sack o' logical arguments.

>116 jnwelch: Excellent review, Joe. We have that book, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Sweet Thursday, Joe. I saw this while I was skiing today and had to think of you.

>132 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark.

Glad you like that >131 jnwelch: image.

It's getting sunny here. Hope that happens out by you. Yeah, I'm seeing that others had posting problems today. Weird. Mine wouldn't post, and then when I clicked again on "Post Message", said it was duplicate post! I finally got it to work by revising the original post so it no longer registered with LT as a duplicate.

I read some more Laura Kasischke this morning, and I'm continuing to enjoy her poems.

>133 Crazymamie: Ha! Sweet Thursday, Mamie!

Isn't >131 jnwelch: a beaut? Uplifting.

>134 brodiew2: Oh, good to hear, Brodie. I saw another positive LT reaction to Hellbent somewhere. I liked the first two, but did find the second one a bit of a letdown. I'm glad this is a step up.

>135 laytonwoman3rd: Me, too, Linda (re Ellen's post).

Thanks - I'm glad you liked the Absolutely on Music review. As Richard says, how great to have leaders in different fields be friends and record their conversations about their different approaches.

>136 Ameise1: Ha! What an irresistible name for a bar, Barbara. Thanks for thinking of me. I love the way they've made it colorful, too.

Very belated happy new thread, Joe.

Lovely toppers and >48 jnwelch: & 58 !
On the gun discussion: I am glad to live on this side of the Atlantic...

"What is interesting is that in 2017 there was the lowest percentage of people in poverty in history. The lowest infant mortality rate in history. It was by a lot of measures the greatest year in history."

Jimmy Wales (ES Magazine, 23 Feb 2018)

Some uplift.

Hi Joe, thanks for the kind messages mate, I am a lot better today and it would seem as though I have been lucky and not had the full blown Flu touch wood but I seem to have given Karen a cold, she is blaming me even though I have been in the spare bed since Monday ha ha. On the plus side her toothache has eased now that the drugs have started to do their stuff.

Hope you and Debbi are having a good week and we both send love and hugs to both of you dear friend.

Happy Thursday, Joe! Hope you are having a good reading day!

>138 jnwelch: Aren't the colours beautiful?

>104 jnwelch: :(

>116 jnwelch: Those guys look too cool for school! (in a good way) Great pic.

I am following all the discussion here on gun issues. And I find myself delving more into articles and blogs on the issues. An extraordinary level of self-delusion accompanies the idea of having a gun for self-protection. I agree with you, Joe, that lifting the prohibition on the CDC building a data base of gun-related injuries and deaths is essential. For a time, I followed a weekly aggregation of gun incidents on the Daily Kos. The number of gun-lovers who can't clean a gun without shooting themselves (or some innocent bystander) is nuts.

But I digress...

I'm swayed by your enthusiasm for the Seiji and Haruki dialogue on music. My daughter met Ozawa several times at Tanglewood. He of course was directing the symphony orchestra. She was making costumes a an opera company. The costume shop was occupied first thing daily and the occupants had a coffeemaker keeping coffee made. Ozawa would drop in for a cuppa and some baseball talk, particularly Bosox baseball.

Hi Joe and company.

I just spent my day in an all-day workshop/meeting about integrating career development services into and throughout the curriculum in higher education. One awesome idea is using the principles of Design Thinking to challenge the systems we have had in place for decades, to create a new way of doing the work that responds to the ways our current college students engage with learning, and to prepare our college graduates for the Innovation Economy. My mind is buzzing in a very positive way.

So I'm off to take a brisk walk, ending at a recommended eatery with healthy food and a good wine-by-the-glass list. My Kindle gets to go along with me.

Sweet Thursday indeed!

>139 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I'm glad you're enjoying the art by Irma Gruenholz and Barbara Reid (the latter courtesy of Shelley).

I can understand your feeling about appreciating living on the other side of the pond. The U.S. can be so wonderful and so awful. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else - it's a phenomenal country, beautiful in so many, many different ways. The frustration when it fall short of our ideals also implicitly carries our knowledge that we can change it - which so many countries can't.

I sure wouldn't mind having a second home to visit in London though. :-)

>140 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! I was reading elsewhere how much crime in general and violent crime has plummeted here, Caroline. And deaths from drunk driving here have decreased dramatically. If we went by statistics alone, maybe we'd all be more sanguine about the present state of affairs. Nah.

>141 johnsimpson: Hi, John. I'm touching wood over here in solidarity. Great to hear you dodged the worst of the flu, and that Karen's toothache has eased.

We are having a good week, and I hope yours just keeps getting better. Love and hugs to the two of you, mate.

>142 ChelleBearss: Happy Thursday, Chelle!

I am having a good reading day. I just finished Home Fire, which lived up to the LT praise I've seen all over, and enjoyed more of Laura Kasischke's poetry collection.

Oh, and I'm reading a cool GN. Do you know the Cinder series by Marissa Meyer? A redo of the Cinderella story and other stories, like Red Riding Hood, but with cyborgs and androids (and humans), and a fracas between Earth and the population on the Moon. Really well done. Anyway, she's continued the story in graphic form in Wires and Nerve, and I'm having a good time with it.

>143 Ameise1: Yes, those colours are beautiful, Anita. They're smart to make the bar stand out so vibrantly. And to give it such an excellent name.

>144 LovingLit: I think >104 jnwelch: is one of those (sad) classics that will be remembered years from now, Megan.

Ha! Ozawa and Murakami; what a pair of cool geniuses.

>145 weird_O: Am I awful, Bill, to see a certain poetic justice in gun lovers shooting themselves while cleaning their guns?

I grew up among many hunters, and there's a balance that's kept in that use. This blind, defensive devotion to guns designed to kill humans is something else altogether.

One of the worst, most cynical actions of the Repubs has been to order the CDC to stop collecting gun violence data. Gee, who wouldn't want that data collected and studied? Let's take a wild guess.

How great that your daughter got to meet Ozawa at Tanglewood. My Pittsfield-grown bride saw him perform there, too. I'm impressed with his talking about the BoSox - in the book, one regret from his early years is that he didn't speak English better. He felt he could have learned so much more from Bernstein if he had.

As he relates in the book, it was his conducting at Ravinia here (kinda like Tanglewood) as a young guy that helped launch his success. I wish I'd had a chance to see him, but I was too young and too far away back then.

>146 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen.

Oh, that all day workshop/meeting on improving education design sounds great. I love that kind of creative thinking. I can imagine your mind is buzzing in a very positive way.

So I'm off to take a brisk walk, ending at a recommended eatery with healthy food and a good wine-by-the-glass list. My Kindle gets to go along with me. That sounds like just the ticket! Sweet Thursday, my friend.

Are you still in Tempe? Are you getting decent weather? What're you reading?

I just finished Home Fire, which I remember you rated highly, and I do the same.

>148 jnwelch: Oh, really! I loved that series. I never got into GN but that might be one to try! I'll have to check and see if my library has that. I actually don't even know if my library carries GNs at all!

>151 ChelleBearss: Oh good, Chelle. Your library probably has GNs - that's been a big category grow for most in recent years, just like the bookstores.

Hi, Joe. Yep, I really enjoyed that Imperial IPA and it did pack a punch. Do you mind bourbon tinted beers? I, of course do and if you agree, then you would like it too.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Home Fire. It is a good, solid read.

I started Artemis. It's not bad. I do like all the geeky science stuff.

I've never read the Cinder books, but I've heard they're excellent. Good to hear you're enjoying more Meyer.

>152 jnwelch: It looks like my library does have GNs but not that particular one.
Did you read Meyer's Heartless or Renegades? I enjoyed Heartless and just discovered Renegades so that is on my wishlist now.

eta: My sister's library has Wires and Nerve so I'll get her to borrow it for me :)

>150 jnwelch: Yes, still in Tempe. I sat outside for this evening's dinner and it was chilly (59F) but delightful. The food was SO good! And the Pinot Noir was both good and cheap (happy hour).

I'm reading A Wrinkle in Time on my kindle and The Way I Found Her in a book book. I will have some more reading time tomorrow.

I do still need/want to finish Nicholas Nickleby!!

>153 msf59: Hiya, Mark.

A bourbon-tinted Imperial IPA sounds mighty good, Mark, and it looked the same.

Yes, Home Fire was a solid read. The ending was a little abrupt, but it fit.

Artemis isn't at the level of The Martian, but it's another solid read. He has a deft hand with the technical issues, doesn't he.

I'm continuing my rec'd by Mark or Ellen reading challenge (!), and I'm a ways into The Power. It's a trip - I'm enjoying it.

>154 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel. I am enjoying the latest (or almost latest - there's already another GN out) in the Cinder series. Try Cinder some time. If it grabs you, you're off and running. (What do we call a metaphor that seems to indicate conflicting actions? If you're grabbed, can you be off and running? Cinder and her friends would say yes).

>155 ChelleBearss: Hi, Chelle. I haven't read those two by Marissa Meyer. I'll check them out. Good to hear you liked Heartless. And that you can get your hands on Wires and Nerve via your sister. I'm having a good time with it. The similarity in appearance of some characters may be a challenge for you, but it sorts out.

>156 EBT1002: Ha! Sounds great to me, Ellen. 59 degrees, we'd take that in a blink. And you found some delicious food and wine. I'm glad you're getting to balance the hard work/learning with some R & R.

Good for you for reading A Wrinkle in Time. It will stick in your mind; it sure has mine. I don't know the Rose Tremain book; she's one I've never read.

Yes, sit down with a glass of that wine and dive back into Nicholas Nickleby! You're in the last section of it, right? Once you get some momentum, you'll ride it all the way to the end, I imagine. I sure did.

Morning, Joe!

I've just finished Long Way Down (it won both a Printz Honor and a Newbery Honor this year) and I think you'd absolutely love it. Best free verse book I've read. Have you read it already?

Hi Joe!

I thought of you last night - I was at a singer-songwriter's performance last night of music in the '50s and '60s, and McCarthyism came up and so did your grandfather. I was happy to have a slight personal connection with him through you.

>161 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

I haven't read Long Way Down. Thanks for the tip. I'll WL it.

>162 karenmarie: Hi Karen!

Nice to hear. He does come up in unusual contexts! REM has a song, "Exhuming McCarthy", that I used to hear about a lot. What a moment in history.

Mornin', Joe! Got...

>164 brodiew2: Morning, Brodie! Nice. I like that one a lot. Yes, we do! Nice view out the window, too.

#160
I thought I should reread Wrinkle in Time before the movie came out, and went to get one of our libraries multiple copies. Guess what! They were all checked out. That tells me that there is great interest in this new movie version, so now I think that I may actually go to see the movie when it is released.

Speaking of movies - Ready Player One was heavily present in the Olympics advertising and it isn't going to be released for another month. It seems that the studio and the producers are trying to generate buzz about it.

>165 jnwelch: Wowee, Joe. Is that what Lake Michigan looks like? I've only been to Chicago a couple of times, and I do not remember seeing those mountains. Huh. The things you learn here.

>65 brodiew2: Brodie, thanks for standing up and speaking out.

---

The other day in my older son's school apparently two students were talking about the recent shootings - one very anti-gun and the other believing that not all guns are bad. Our school system has a hotline for the students to call - see it, say it. Apparently, the anti-gun student decided that they didn't like the beliefs of the other student and called the hotline saying that the other student was going to bring a gun to school, which according to students who know this person is in no way true. The police were involved to check things out and found that there was no truth to the story or threat from this student. Will anything happen to the anti-gun student who lied on the hotline? I have my guess...

ETA (or delete) the term liberal.

>166 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. There does seem to be great interest in reading A Wrinkle in Time before the movie comes out. That's great, isn't it. A worthy read, for sure.

I hope the Ready Player One movie is good! Such an involving story.

>167 weird_O: I don't think we can attribute those mountains to climate change, Bill. Maybe our windows have something special about them? I don't think that's Lake Michigan, either. I think the cafe windows may be like stargates to various places. That's my best guess.

>168 rretzler: The current status is really a shame, Robin. We have a 10 year old niece who asked her mom when her school would have a mass shooting. Our daughter, who teaches 3 and 4 year olds, is trying to figure out, with her school's help, what more she can do to enhance their safety against gun violence.

We don't want the boy who cried wolf, or kids falsely ratting on other kids to get back at them for something, but I'd rather some kid spoke up than not. They have stopped would-be shooters several times based on information given the police.

Now Trump's big idea is to arm teachers. What an idiotic idea. In concealed carry states, we've already had one teacher shoot himself accidentally, and another mistakenly left her gun in the bathroom where the kids found it. When the police come looking for shooters, how do they know which is which? Not to mention the nightmare of teachers of varying abilities firing away in a panic situation. Just great. Most teachers, as far as I can tell, also didn't get into the profession to be armed security.

It lets him say he's trying to do something (!), while his supporters and the NRA applaud. Arggh.

And of course, we all think, wait a minute, we can't fund teaching supplies or give teachers better salaries, but we can afford guns for them?

This is really getting absurd. Hopefully, some common sense will ultimately prevail, although we may have to get this prez out of there for that to even start, and much of Congress, too.

>168 rretzler: - That sounds like a lot of hearsay. Could the "liberal" (why does the other student not get a label?) student have said s/he was concerned the other student might bring a gun to school? I'm not sure a several-times-removed story one is told should be taken as truth, especially involving teenagers!

>170 katiekrug: +1

>169 jnwelch: - I would quit the profession before I would agree to be armed in my classroom. That is pure insanity if ever I heard it. Not that such a thing would ever happen here in Canada (and I am retired, anyhow), but the very concept is just so trump. A total distortion and lack of understanding of the real issues and a screwed up perspective and approach to *problem-solving*.

There was a political cartoon the other day in the Montreal newspaper. Man, it bugs me that I can't post pics. It showed a teacher, gun holstered on her waist, standing at the blackboard, pointer in hand, pointing to a diagram on the board, The diagram is of a revolver and all the parts of the gun are labelled. The title of the cartoon says: NRA clarifies its stance on arming schools. By the way, the little kids, sitting at their desks, are all armed, as well.

This is the link, but I think it shows all the editorial cartoon of this month. If the link doesn't show it directly, use the arrows and it's the 4/14

http://montrealgazette.com/gallery/gallery-aislin-and-other-editorial-cartoonist...

I am one that is excited to watch Ready Player One and A Wrinkle in Time but we just have to wait till it comes out and stream it. :)

I saw the press conference where Trump said that one the solutions he was considering was arming the teachers and thought it was a joke. How can the solution to gun violence be more guns..just doesn't make any sense. But not surprising coming from him.. :/

>172 jessibud2: Good one, Shelley, I think 11/14 was also great, despite it was drawn 35 years ago.

4/14:


11/14:

>174 FAMeulstee: - Thanks so much, Anita! Yes, this is from the cartoonist, Aislin (real name, Terry Mosher). Every Thursday, they have Throwback Thursday, revisiting one of his iconic cartoons, as this year he celebrated 50 years of cartooning. There was a museum exhibit at the McCord Museum which I saw when I was in Montreal last summer. I also own several of his books of political cartoons from over the years. He is very good, knows how to get to the heart of an issue really well. He now only works part time, thus the other cartoonists such as Boris and others.

>170 katiekrug:, >171 richardderus: Good points, Katie. Yup. Hey, RD.

>172 jessibud2:, >174 FAMeulstee: Yeah, our daughter would leave the profession, too, before she'd agree to be armed, Shelley, and I imagine that would be true for the vast majority of teachers. And I wouldn't want the remainder armed for the reasons I gave above.

I'm glad Anita found the cartoon. Thanks, Anita! This idea of arming everyone is a joke.

The men/women voting one is timely for me, as I'm reading The Power, where that issue is heating up.

>170 katiekrug: Katie, let me first say that I do not intend to get into an argument over this - you can choose to believe me or not. It is not as much hearsay as you are assuming that it is, since a student that my son is very good friends with happened to be involved in the conversation between anti-gun student and student in question because he is a friend of the student in question. I also happen to know this group of teenagers and know that they are not prone to telling tales - let us not paint all teenagers with such a broad brush. I do not believe that the student in question owns a gun, but that is speculation by the friend (who probably does know his friend better than you or I.) The story of the potential threat, the police involvement and the threat being found to be false were communicated via email to everyone in the school system by the Superintendent and were also communicated to the HS parents by the Principal of the HS. I'm sure it is possible that there were two such incidents in the school happening at the same time, but I don't find that to be very likely. If you are offended by the term "liberal," then I will certainly take it out of my statement. I bring this story up to show that not everyone who is anti-gun necessarily has the best intentions and that not everyone who believes that guns are not bad is guilty of something.

>169 jnwelch: Yes, Joe, I believe that this current situation is a shame and out of hand in many, many ways. I also would rather that individuals speak up rather than not, and am glad that our school system is encouraging this, but to deliberately lie about a situation just because one doesn't like a person's politics is also very wrong. It doesn't protect anyone, and may have the opposite effect, much like the boy who cried wolf. It certainly takes valuable police time to deal with false accusations - time that I'm sure would be better spent in dealing with real crime.

I hate the fact that disturbed individuals can go into a school, or a business, or anywhere and murder innocent people - the murder of anyone, but especially innocent children is reprehensible. (Yes, I think that anyone that carries a gun for the purpose of shooting another human being is disturbed.) I believe that something needs to be done about the situation as it curently stands. Unfortunately, I do not believe that there are any easy answers.

I brought up this story to show that I think sometimes in trying to do good by stirring things up, we do not always think about the consequences of our actions. I could be quite wrong, but my speculation is that the parents of the anti-gun student are very worked up about the many shootings (rightly so to be upset, however, how that upset is communicated is a different issue) and have gotten their son or daughter worked up as well, so much so that they decided that a person who could possibly have different opinion about guns must be ready to shoot up the school.

I hear so much name calling and negativity, and I do NOT believe that the name calling and negativity will solve anything except to put up fences and make it much, much more difficult to solve this problem that so desperately needs to be solved. ALL of us, regardless of how we feel about the guns and the 2nd amendment, need to put positive energy into working together to come up with a solution. As I said, not everyone who is anti-gun has the best intentions or the right answers, and not everyone supporting the 2nd amendment is a bad person or guilty of something. I think there is both right and wrong on both sides of the issue and it will take a lot of common sense and the ability to listen to the other side and work together to come up with the right solution.

Yes, I am opposed to anything Trump, and of course, arming teachers is wrong in so many ways. Knee-jerk reactions to a situation are never the right answer (and likely anything that comes from Trump is bound to be wrong.) I firmly think that extreme positions, be they to the left or the right are NOT going to be a solution in the long run that anyone can live with. Political posturing is not going to solve the problem.

I hate the fact that I have to live in a society where my school system since 2008 has taken several measures to lock-down all of our schools and has trained the teachers in in the ALICE technique (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate). I am glad that the school system has taken these measures, but I hate the fact that they are necessary. I hate what is happening to our society.

I think perhaps it is due in some measure as to what we teach our children. If we teach our children extremist views, then they will likely have extremist views. If we teach our children that there are sides to everything, then they are going to take sides. If we teach our children that there is only one way that is right, then they will believe that there is only one right way.

Of course, this is all just my opinion, and any one is free to agree or disagree with me as they see fit. Sorry to hijack your thread, also, Joe, but I just hate the name calling and negativity.

>175 jessibud2: Condensing big ideas into a single editorial image is a real art. We have a friend who's a cartoonist, and he's putting out several a week now on Facebook. Terry Mosher/Aislin is a strong one, that's obvious. Thanks for posting these with our friend Anita's help, Shelley.

>178 jnwelch: - Thanks, Joe, for allowing the space and the forum for it.

>177 rretzler: - I think perhaps it is due in some measure as to what we teach our children. If we teach our children extremist views, then they will likely have extremist views. If we teach our children that there are sides to everything, then they are going to take sides. If we teach our children that there is only one way that is right, then they will believe that there is only one right way.

I think you summed that up well. Have you heard of the essay/poem (not sure what it is, actually), called *Children Learn What They Live* by Dorothy Law Nolte? I remember that my grandmother gave us that on a long vertical piece of fabric that you hung on a hook or a nail, when I was around 10 years old. I have always loved it and it encapsulates what you've said:

Children Learn What They Live

Another thought on this whole sorry topic though, is one I've had for a very long time. It's hard to get away from the negativity and the violence and one perpetuates the other, especially when it's so much a part of the social fabric. Look at what people pay for in entertainment, for example. Look at the most popular movies and tv programs. How many of them revolve around violence? How many of them feature guns and killing? I couldn't give you a number but I feel safe in saying most. I don't even know about video games or other such things but if this is what society turns to for entertainment, I am truly mystified as to why people continue to be surprised when it translates to real life. Art imitates life (or vice versa). Maybe this opens another whole can of worms, and it probably explains why I avoid such tv shows and movies and prefer to keep my head firmly buried in the sand when it comes to violence. If I want it, I can just watch the evening news. That's more than enough for me.

Back to the cave...

>173 jolerie: Ready Player One has to go on the list, too.

>173 jolerie: Brilliant idea! Wonder why no-one thought of that before?

>174 FAMeulstee: My son wonders what a particular teacher of his, known for grumpiness, would do if a kid didn’t hand in their homework ;0)

I heard a politician on the news ask why banks, jewellery stores etc deserve better protection than schools. That is not the correct question. The correct question is ‘Why should schools need to be protected?’

And I heard the BBC interview someone who approves of Trump’s proposal. I was too upset to listen to the whole thing, but she felt that whichever teachers go armed should carry their weapons concealed because children should not be distracted from learning by wondering if they were in danger ... at which point I switched channels because it’s just wrong on so many levels.

>177 rretzler: - Interesting. I'm also not interested in arguing. I'm not offended by the term liberal, I just found it interesting the other student wasn't labeled. And my point about hearsay was more about what might have been said in a call to the authorities, but it was imperfectly articulated. If the authorities are confident the student making the call had ill intent, I'm not one to question that.

Have a good evening!

Hi, Joe. I think you are really seeing the true colors of the folks on the right, along with the evangelicals, in this gun debate. It truly is appalling and going after the kids at Parkland too, is completely repellent. Something needs to shift, my friend.

For something much more fun and innocuous, stop by my old and new threads.

And yep, still enjoying Sea of Cortez & Artemis.

Hiya, Joe. I've been away for a few days building a spacecraft, now desperately trying to get caught up!

>179 jessibud2: I do remember Children Learn What They Live, Shelley, but had totally forgotten about it. Thanks so much for reminding me.

>183 drneutron: Oh Jim! Pay attention to what’s important. :0)

Good morning, everyone. This is our day to see four Oscar-nominated movies (Phantom Thread, Lady Bird, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri, and The Shape of Water), with the remaining five next Saturday. This also is Madame MBH's and my weekly 24 hour (Fri night - Sat night) hiatus from any politic discussions.

>173 jolerie: I think I missed you before, Valerie? I'm scrambling this morning. I'm just hoping that the A Wrinkle in Time and Ready Player One movies aren't duds. I remember way back when my son in particular, but all of us, were excited about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie coming out, and it was a big disappointment. Cast was fine, book was great, movie was mediocre at best. Fingers crossed!

>177 rretzler:, >181 katiekrug: Thanks for those good comments, Robin and Katie. No political discussions for me today, so I'll just wish you a great weekend.

>179 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley. Thanks for the thoughtful comments. No politics for yours truly today, but others may have comments on this.

>180 humouress: Thanks, Nina. Go Ready Player One!

>182 msf59: Happy Saturday, Mark. I may run out of time to get over to your threads. If so, I'll try to check in later.

Glad to hear it re Sea of Cortez and Artemis. Like Lady Susan from Jane Austen, I'm surprised Sea of Cortez isn't more widely read.

BTW, we watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel last night and loved it. We'll be back to watch more.

>183 drneutron: Hi, Jim. I can't tell you how thrilling it is to have a friend who says, "I've been away for a few days building a spacecraft, now desperately trying to get caught up!"

I said things like that when I was 8 years old, but my spacecraft was in my imagination. You've got such a cool job!

>184 rretzler: :-)

>186 humouress: Right, Nina? Too often Jim gets distracted by frivolous projects.

All right, let's start the day right. I'll try to check in between movies. Feel free to duck into the kitchen if need be.

Happy Saturday, Joe! Hope you enjoy your movie marathon!
I bet that 24hour political hiatus is welcome in this current climate! Lots to talk about but it can get a bit much sometimes! My mother always wants to discuss the things she see on CNN but my sister and I dislike having every family visit turn negative so we have told her to stop. If she feels strongly about something she is free to email me and I will discuss it as time permits. I dislike having such negativity when the kids just want to visit their family.

Happy Saturday, Joe.

Morning, Joe! Happy Saturday to you!

>190 jnwelch: Don't mind if I do...

Morning, Joe!

>190 jnwelch: Ooof, even though I have a coffee cake in the oven right now, I still want that entire plate of doughnuts...

Have you read We Are Okay yet? I'm about halfway through it right now and I think you'd really like it.

>187 jnwelch: Enjoy Joe. The Only one of those four I've not yet seen is 'Lady Bird'. I liked all the others, all very different, but of those Three Billboards was outstanding in my view.

Good to have that hiatus.

The gun safety discussion here is good, Joe. Good of you to let us talk about it in your cafe.

I'm envisioning the collapse of the NRA. Many of the businesses that have offered discounts and other bennies to NRA members have severed ties with the group. It is evidence (to me) that public pressure and outrage are effective. A group that claims a membership of 5 million shouldn't be all that influential in a nation of 300 million. The allegation that the NRA laundered millions of Russian dollars and channeled them to (mostly) GOP politicians needs to be thoroughly investigated. And of course, we must join with our children and grandchildren to pressure our elected representatives.

While pondering the place of guns in civil society, follow this link to an article about the injuries caused by AR-15 bullets. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/what-i-saw-treating-the-vic...

The author is a radiologist who was on duty at one of the trauma centers that took in victims of the massacre in Parkland, Fla.

I'm going to post a few excerpts from the article on my own thread later this evening.

Thanks again, Joe

We’re having a great time. So far, Ladybird is our favorite, followed by Three Billboards, with a much better than expected Phantom Thread in third. Shape of Water is up next.

A day filled with amazing acting performances.

Hi Joe, what a fun day you are having at the movies! I need to talk my hubby into something like that.

Have fun Joe, will be waiting for the final verdict on those four.

Happy Sunday, Joe. Enjoy all the movies. It would be too many for me.

Morning, Joe! Happy Sunday!

>191 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. We did indeed enjoy our movie day, and hiatus from politics. It's proven to be a healthy weekly move. I know what you mean about family get-togethers and politics. We pretty much avoided political discussions at family get-togethers when I was a kid, and did the same with ours. There's plenty to catch up on without getting distracted by matters that can be discussed at other times.

>192 Ameise1: Happy Saturday, Barbara, and Happy Sunday. :-)

>193 Crazymamie: Hiya, Mamie! Glad >190 jnwelch: looked enticing.

>194 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Don't those donuts look good? But I gotta say, I'd instead take your coffee cake or pumpkin spice cake in a blink.

>195 Caroline_McElwee: We loved Three Billboards, Caroline. Lady Bird was most excellent, and would be our #1 for the day. I hope you can a chance to see it. I'm impressed you'd seen all the others. Phantom Thread was one we'd probably never see without this event, but it was much better than we expected, and now we're glad we did.

>196 weird_O: Oh, glad to hear it, Bill. I enjoy the good discussions here as much as everyone else, so it's a pleasure.

I'm amazed at how many companies have turned their backs on the NRA in the last few days. I guess we've reached a tipping point. The head of the NRA has helped the process, I suspect, with his paranoid and tone deaf comments. But the brave kids who are speaking up probably deserve the most credit. The adults have failed them, and they feel that if they don't step up, nothing will change.

I'll have to circle back for the Atlantic article, but thanks for the link. I'll see you over on your thread.

>197 jnwelch: Richard will be glad to hear this, Joe. Katie, too.

>198 DeltaQueen50: It was such a fun day, Judy. We'd never seen that many movies in a day, so we had some trepidation, but it was a blast. Really nice people there, too, with everybody sharing food and drinks (the theater let everyone bring in what they wanted) and tips about where to find what. I was sitting next to two sisters who had lived in and traveled to many of the same places I had, so we had a good time between movies, too.

'Morning, Joe!

The only family members I talk politics with are Bill, Jenna, and Aunt Ann. It's absolutely not worth it getting into political arguments that go nowhere, so no politics with my sister or any of Aunt Ann's children/spouses. I read a book last year, The Righteous Mind, that was valuable for uhderstanding the ethical pillars that people base their politics and life views on, but we, as a nation, seem to be past tolerance and trying to find common ground. The idiot-in-chief deliberately fosters divisiveness, and I would foam at the mouth if I start discussing McConnell and Ryan.

In the meantime, yay good movies, the US Men's curling team, and good books!

Morning, Joe. Happy Sunday. My plan was to take advantage of light traffic and visit the lakefront, (the south end) but with the continuing chilly temps and a gusty wind, how fun would that be? I think I might be fine, just sitting right here.

Hooray for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel! Wasn't that a great opening episode? The writing is so sharp, along with stellar acting, including an outstanding lead actress. I hope we can watch one or 2 more tonight.

Oh yeah- Hooray for your big movie day. I forgot about that. I had mixed feelings about Three Billboards. It tried too hard and that firebombing sequence, was too heavy-handed for me. I appreciate more subtlety. I did love Sam Rockwell though. Glad you loved Ladybird. It might also be my favorite so far, followed closely by Get Out. When is round 2?

>199 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. We did have fun. The verdict: Madame MBH and I LOVED Lady Bird, and would put that at #1. A friend behind would put Three Billboards at #1, and I can see why. Great movie. For us, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards would be tied at #2, and Phantom Thread, which was much better than we expected, would come in fourth.

The acting in all of them was so good. I'm still shaking my head in, I guess, wonder and disbelief. Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water is a knockout, and might be my pick for Best Actress in the ones we've seen so far. But Frances McDormand (3 Billboards) and Laurie Metcalf (Ladybird) were outstanding, too. We're going to see more of the male lead actors next weekend. Daniel Day-Lewis certainly was impressive in Phantom Thread.

The other actors were excellent, too. Sam Rockwell deserves all the buzz for 3 B's. Saoirse Ronan as Ladybird wowed me in that movie. Tracy Letts, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, and on and on. Wow.

We're off to grab coffee and see our beloved daughter. Catch up with you more later.

Here's a little something to help tide you over.

>210 jnwelch: In that case, I may just survive.

>211 humouress: LOL! Glad that helped, Nina.

>200 Ameise1: We were worried it would be too many movies for us (the most we'd done was two in a row), Barbara. But, as Madame MBH says, with movies this good, they start, and your attention is immediately locked in. Next Saturday is 5, not 4, so we'll see whether that stays true, but so far, so good.

There were people around us who were there for their 3d or 4th year, and who plan to keep doing it. It's been a wonderful experience so far, I must say. It'll be fun at Oscars time to have seen all them, too.

>201 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday, my friend.

>206 karenmarie: we, as a nation, seem to be past tolerance and trying to find common ground. The idiot-in-chief deliberately fosters divisiveness, and I would foam at the mouth if I start discussing McConnell and Ryan. Well said, Karen. Ditto.

There are some Trumpsters who have realized they were conned, and some Repubs who have come to see through McConnell and Ryan. But not many. Those who are set in stone are not going to come around, and it's not worth trying to convince them. Protests and resistance help, as we see now with the many companies breaking ties with the NRA. But it's also going to come down to voting, and we need to turn out in big numbers - no voting for Jill Steins, no saying your vote would be meaningless so why bother. And maybe there will be less Russian influence, given what has turned up in investigations and continues to turn up.

>212 jnwelch: Glad to hear that you had a splendid time.

>207 msf59:, >208 msf59: Good decision on the lakefront, Mark. We were just out where we are, and it's very windy and chilly. It would be more so, of course, along the lake.

That opening episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was so good, and Rachel Brosnahan bowls us over. We're also Tony Shalhoub fans, so it was a nice surprise to have him in the cast. We've seen two so far, and look forward to seeing more.

The movie binge day was great. Yes, as you saw, we loved Ladybird, and that was our #1 so far. Get Out is the wrap-up movie next Saturday. Can't wait to see it.

I think that's everyone, yes? If not, please let me know.

Isn't there some 75er who loves owls?

Is this a local theater that sponsors these movies? If so it sounds like they make an event out of it. That sounds great.

Our local art house theater should all of the nominated movie shorts last Tuesday night. They do this every year before the Academy Awards and I find it to be a fun and informative evening.

I think these are good ideas and a great way to allow the public to see things that they might not have had the opportunity to see in the big theaters. One year, here in Tuscaloosa, a group of us rented the available DVD’s of the Best Picture nominees and got together once a week to view them. It was great fun, but the person who hosted it at her house had a big screen TV and she moved away. We haven’t done this since then, but it was a good idea and a great social time as well.

>216 jnwelch: There are a couple of us around, but we try to keep quiet about it, Joe. *straightens her owl-embroidered sweatshirt so the littlest one isn't hiding in a crease* ;>)

>217 benitastrnad: It is a local theater, AMC River East, Benita, that sponsors the two weekend Oscar-nominated movie marathons in Chicago. I know from Marianne Swenson that it happens in Boston, too. AMC is a chain, so it probably does it in multiple locations, and others also may do it.

Like you, I think it's a good idea. We were particularly inspired this year because we'd seen none of the nominated movies, for the first time in a long time. Debbi had a friend who has been going to these marathons for years, and recommended it.

I'll bet that was a great social time you had to gather and watch the nominated movies on a big screen tv. People in the industry who vote for the Oscars get them all on DVD, and I'm sure watch many of them that way. Of the ones we've now seen, The Shape of Water is the one that jumps out at me as being one you may want to see at a movie theater. Madame MBH agrees, because of "the beauty of some of the scenes." You'd likely appreciate the intricate creature and special effects more, too. It's a romance, really, and quite appealing, but there are some moments of nasty graphic violence in it (involving the actor Michael Shannon) that some may wish to avoid.

>218 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! I was thinking of our famous birder (and owler), Mark, Linda, but it should have occurred to me that there would be others in our gang.

An owl-embroidered sweatshirt. I'm sure it looks great. Now you've got my imagination going.

I have spent a delightful Sunday morning at my local Starbucks, (four blocks from my house) people watching. Now it is time to go home and cook. I will be doing a baked ziti and am going to try a new dish. Swiss chard and corn gratin. I should be eating high on the hog this next week, as we say in these parts. At least my take-to-work lunches will be of a much higher quality than they have been in the last month.

Happy Sunday, Joe! I hope that you, Debbi and Becca are enjoying your day.

But the brave kids who are speaking up probably deserve the most credit. The adults have failed them, and they feel that if they don't step up, nothing will change.

Thank God for woke kids! I have every reason to believe that they will save us in 2018, and especially in 2020.

^^Loving the owl theme up there, Joe. Never fails to put a grin on my face.

I agree with your thoughts about Laurie Metcalf and Richard Jenkins. Those are not only my favorite performances of '17 but front-runners for supporting Oscars, IMHO. I may start leaning toward your direction with Sally Hawkins, since I thought Frances McDormand was solid in 3 Billboards but it was a performance that she could do in her sleep. I think Michael Shannon should have been nominated for Shape of Water. Yes, he was an evil SOB, but perfectly menacing.

>221 benitastrnad: Sounds like a great day of people watching and cooking, Benita. I'm impressed with the variety of dishes you make. I'm glad you're set up for a week of finer lunch dining than you've had in the past month.

>222 kidzdoc: We've been having a mighty fine day, Darryl. We're about to go see a play with a new friend in it. An Ibsen play, adapted in some new way. We'll see.

Yeah, thank goodness the kids are woke! I'm chagrined that we haven't done better by them, but I sure am happy they're coming on board to help. To me, right now 2018 looks as big as 2020. We need change from this disaster of a Congress asap, don't we?

>223 msf59: Ha! Glad you caught the owls up there, buddy. We can all use a smile once in a while.

We were talking about Michael Shannon afterwards. He made our skin crawl every time he on screen - which means he was dead on with his character. Perfectly menacing, oh man. He probably should've been nominated.

All the male actors we saw were supporting, except for Daniel Day-Lewis. Next week we'll see more of the male leads. I thought Sally Hawkins just lit up the screen like no one else this year.

You know, there were three Steppenwolf members in Ladybird. Metcalf, Letts, and Lois Smith, who was a hoot as the nun counselor for Christine.

Joe, I love that movie marathon day you had! Our local Doc cinema (the one I am a member of) is having a screening of the Oscars, live on the big screen, for FREE! I am just going to sit on my couch in my jammies but it's cool that they do that. They have all sorts of other events there too.

Sally Hawkins first came onto my radar when I saw her in a small Canadian film last summer, called *Maudie*, about the Nova Scotia folk artist, Maud Lewis. Don't know if that made it to the States but it was a terrific film and when I googled her afterwards (as I am wont to do!), I was astounded at just how much she had been transformed for this film. She was just so excellent.

I haven't yet seen any of the Oscar-nominated films but your marathon sure sounds like fun.

The movie marathon sounds fun, though I'm not sure I could sit through a bunch like that. I tend to need to get up and move around. But I'd give it a shot!

>226 drneutron: What he said.

Happy Sunday, Meester.

Your Saturday sounded great, Joe. The Oscar movie marathon must be a real occasion if people keep coming back year after year. It would be nice to be a part of that tradition.

Thanks for the mini-reviews on the movies you saw Joe. You make me want to go and see them.

My husband has been a volunteer at his favourite movie art house. They used to have a screening day for new movies, a full Saturday of movie watching, every month(?). He loved it. Sometimes they'd do movie nights, mostly horror movies, with breakfast In the morning.

Your oscar marathon sounds similar and great fun.

>225 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley. The Oscars with kindred spirits at a local cinema sounds pretty good, but for me, at home in jammies sounds better. :-)

I know Sally Hawkins best from Persuasion and Happy-Go-Lucky. She was really good in both of those, too. I haven't seen Maudie, but you've intrigued me.

The movie marathon was a lot of fun. Part two is this coming Saturday.

>226 drneutron: That's exactly what we thought, Jim - why not give it a shot? Turns out it was fine for us. They give a 15-20 minute break between films, and an hour for dinner. The movies start right up at the designated time, too - no previews or ads or any of that. We got pulled right in each time. We did feel like our minds had gotten quite a workout by the end of it. A pleasant tiredness.

Glad your weekend of movies was a success! That's nice that they gave you a decent break between each and a big dinner break. I bet that gave you a chance to clear your heads a little before the next one.

>227 richardderus: Happy Sunday and the day after, Mr. D. I wasn't sure it would work for us, but it did.

There were people there who had seen one or more of the movies before, too, but were happy to see them again. A woman near me said she got a whole new perspective on Phantom Thread.

>228 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. It was a fun time. People were so friendly. Ones to our right are coming back next Saturday, too, and said they'd save our seats for us. So far we can definitely see doing this again.

>229 EllaTim: You're welcome, Ella. I'm glad you liked the mini-reviews.

Volunteering at an art movie house - I can imagine your husband loved that. He was there with real movie buffs, too, I'm sure. Art movie houses play such interesting movies; we were just talking about "Loving Vincent", the last one we saw at ours.

>231 ChelleBearss: It did help to have those breaks in between, Chelle. The movies were so different, and so strong in their perspective. We got sucked right into each, but you're right, it was good to have some time to clear our heads and let what we just saw sink in.

>230 jnwelch: - Here's a clip from Maudie, Joe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCJO6Ax_ev8

>235 jessibud2: oooh, looking forward to seeing that. ETA: just ordered the dvd.

Of course she is in the two Paddington movies as well.

Morning, Joe. I hope you guys are out for a nice, long stroll today, taking advantage of all this delicious sunshine. You know, I am...

Morning, Joe! Your weekend sounds full of fabulous.

Hey there Joe. Happy week ahead!

>235 jessibud2: Whoa, that looks good, Shelley, thanks. "Her best role yet"? That's saying something, isn't it. I'm glad you knew about this one. I've never heard of it.

>236 Caroline_McElwee: Right, Caroline. I haven't seen the two Paddington movies. Do you recommend them? I know the second one got all sorts of positive buzz over here.

>237 msf59: Ha! Good to hear, Mark! We've been out in this groovy weather, but only a bit, as it was workout time. We've got scheduled stuff today, but I hope to get out later on. Supposed to be a beaut tomorrow, too. Glad you're enjoying it, buddy.

>238 Crazymamie: Morning/afternoon, Mamie! That was a weekend full of fabulous. We got to see a new friend in an adaptation of an Ibsen play yesterday, at a nearby theater. "Pillars of Society"? I'd sure never heard of that one before. He was very good, as was the whole cast, thank goodness. It's tough when you have to talk afterwards to someone who's in one that's not so swell.

>239 richardderus: Hey there, Richard. Thanks! I hope you have a happy week, buddy.

>240 jnwelch: - The story of Maudie is about the folk artist, Maud Lewis, who lived in a tiny remote village in Nova Scotia. She was terribly crippled by arthritis from an early age but that never stopped her from painting. Her folk art style is whimsical and child-like but very colourful and cheerful. Given the gray, drab of her life and surroundings, her art is like a breath of fresh air. I never knew much about her back story, beyond her physical affliction but I most certainly was familiar with her art. I even bought one of her calendars for my class, one year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_Lewis

Sally Hawkins was remarkable as Maud

Morning Joe!

A movie marathon sounds like so much fun. Hopefully you had a chance to walk around in between the movies so the bottoms didn't get too sore.
I remember the year that the last LOTR movie came out the local theatre was screaming the first two movies as a marathon. 6 hours.....thats a lot of staring at a giant screen! :D

>242 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. We enjoy folk artists, so that's a plus.

>243 jolerie: Morning/Afternoon Valerie!

We did get time to walk around and give our bottoms a break - 15-20 minutes between films and an hour for dinner.

Those LOTR movies were long! I remember we saw the last one for free, as our daughter won an essay contest and got 4 free tickets for the Chicago opening. The third movie is the one where, at the end, the screen blacks out, and you think the movie's over, and then it resumes, over and over. I seem to remember that happening 3 times? We still laugh about it.

Me and Seanan McGuire have parted ways for good. Rosemary and Rue has pissed me off to the point I'm ready to make some voodoo dolls and inflict harm on them.

With ghoulish glee.

A bad sign, I think you'll agree.

Hi, Joe. Jim and I are rather farther behind than we'd like to be regarding the nominated films, but we plan to see Ladybird this week and maybe a movie on Saturday when we are in Phillie, before the meetup cocktail party at Laura's. We go to an Oscar party each year, and we are always the ones most likely to have missed a movie, so we've been trying to rectify that. A marathon weekend would certainly help!

>74 brodiew2: Does the taking the gun out of the hand of a potential mass murder make him any less a mass murder.
I would answer yes.
A gun that shoots however-many-rounds per second taken out of the hands of a potential mass murderer makes that person far less able to kill as many people.

>176 jnwelch: our daughter would leave the profession, too, before she'd agree to be armed, Shelley, and I imagine that would be true for the vast majority of teachers.
I had this terrible premonition the other day, that teachers would be *armed*, that so many would leave, and the public education system would collapse. There would be a rise in privately funded specialist schools, in which people's already held views would become entrenched, and hey presto- we (you) are living an apocalypse.

In movie talk- I am dying to see Ladybird, and I, Tonya. Still :)

I will second the vote that you should see "Maudie." I saw it a few weeks ago at our local art house theater and it was remarkable. Ethan Hawke played the male lead. If it is available on Netflix put it on your list. It is worth it.

The Paddingtons are real fun Joe. I don't often read kids books or see kids films, but these were a treat.

>245 richardderus: So sorry to hear it, Richard. You do NOT want to talk to the guy this cafe is named after, as he's about a quarter of the way into Rosemary and Rue and having a good time with it. Of course, you know how he is . . .

>246 ffortsa: Hi, Judy. Oh good, I'm glad you're going to catch Ladybird with Jim. I hope you like it as much as we did. You're going to meet up with Laura in Philadelphia? Have a great time.

We've never seen all of the nominated movies at Oscars' time. We're looking forward to knowing them all this time.

>247 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Right. I thought Ellen made a great comparison with taking the means for self-destruction out of the hands of suicidal students. Making it hard, rather than easy, for them to carry it out makes a big difference. Making it hard for mass shooters here - let's do it.

Yeah, arming the teachers is being derided all over the place as a foolish idea. As usual from this prez.

I hope you get a chance to see Ladybird. We've heard people raving about I, Tonya. Alison Janney seems to have wowed everyone. Having lived through that story, it's hard to imagine going to see it in a movie. But all the buzz has given us pause.

>248 benitastrnad: Good to hear, Benita. Maudie sure looks like a good one. I'm not a big Ethan Hawke fan, but as you can tell, I am a big Sally Hawkins fan.

>249 Caroline_McElwee: Ah, thanks, Caroline. I'll tell Debbi. Heck, we've got our pics posing with Paddington statues in London. We probably should see the movies, right?

Morning, Joe! Hope you have a lovely day!

>251 jnwelch: I think it's a general rule that there will always be people with mental illness that choose to try and hurt or kill other people, but if you find a way to remove the automatic weapons their options for killing become a little smaller. I don't think there is a country where everyone is happy all the time and no one hurts anyone else. In Canada there will always be people who wish to do harm to others but by banning automatic weapons we are able to reduce the death toll a little, or at least make our murderers get creative.

>252 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle! Thanks! Hope you and those munchkins and the hubby have a lovely day, too.

Yes, even a little improvement is worth it, and I suspect it'll be more than a little here if we get assault weapons banned. It had a large effect during the assault weapon ban here years ago. Combine that with raising the age threshold and more extensive background checks and a waiting period and gathering data and studying the problem and we're starting to do some good.

‘Morning, Joe!

When I lived in southern California I usually managed to see most if not all of the nominated movies – here in the boonies I’d have to drive 50 miles or more to see anything that does not appeal to Bible thumpers and rednecks. I have to drive 30 miles just to see those movies anyway. The last one that made it to the screens 30 miles away was Murder on the Orient Express and I was disappointed with it. Oh well, we love Amazon Prime and Netflix and movies that eventually show up there.

My FiL loved owls and of course once people know about what you like you get that thing on every occasion. After he passed away we inherited the artwork, porcelain figures, suncatchers, embroidered owls, heck, even an owl that sits outside on our porch step. With my Mom it was cats, so we have oodles of them now, too.

>254 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

Ha! I know the problem with having people find out what you like, like your FIL liking owls. Madame MBH loves giraffes, but soon told everyone to stop already, she had plenty of giraffe geegaws and didn't want any more. I don't have any "love it"'s like that, although our kids are pretty good at finding Totoros and Dr. Stranges for me.

That's a tough situation for new movies for you. We are lucky that in this day and age there's so much access through Amazon Prime and Netflix and Hulu and the others. As I said somewhere up above, the ones we saw on Saturday would, IMO, be fine on a smaller screen, but I'd recommend seeing The Shape of Water in a movie theater because of the beautiful scenes and special effects (but it does also have some cringeworthy violence from Michael Shannon).

The one movie I thought was best seen in 3D was Avatar. There are some amazingly beautiful 3D effects in that movie, and the whole movie comes across more fully that way.

Light Boxes features my favorite cover of the year so far, but unfortunately that was the high point of reading it.

It's a fable about . . . well, there's a never-ending February (caused, apparently, by an entity named February) that raises issues of oppression, depression and sunlight deprivation, but eventually seems to be about a writer struggling with obstacles to expressing his creativity. Thaddeus, a balloonist, and his wife and daughter ("the girl of honey and smoke") are at the center of the story; the gentlemen on the book cover are a resistance group calling themselves The Solution who wear bird masks. Children have gone missing. The goal is to defeat February and restore June and July (I know, what about March, April and May?), and bring the children back. The title light boxes fit over the head and seem analogous to the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) lamps you can get.

“They held me and told me everything would be fine, that sadness would rise from our bones and evaporate in sunlight the way morning fog burned off the river in summer. My mother rubbed the kites {tattooed} on my hands and arms and told me to think of my lungs as balloons.

I just want to feel safe, I said.”

The story is surreal, and not awful, but for me it was too light and self-consciously enigmatic. Some will probably enjoy its oddness. Reportedly Spike Jonze bought the movie rights. It's unfortunate that this book can't be judged by its inviting cover.

>256 jnwelch: Sorry that this one didn't work better for you - I was hoping that you'd like it more than I did. I agree with you that it seems proud of its oddness just a bit too much. I won't be going to the movie, I think...

Ha! Yeah, I think I’ll take a pass on the movie, too, Amber.

It was interesting, just not as good as I hoped. Great cover, though. :-)

Morning, Joe. I am waiting on a bit more sunshine and I should be good to go. Hope you guys go for a stroll. Things start changing tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks, Mark. I’m at the doc’s for a check-up, and will have a good walk home. Hope your day goes well.

>250 jnwelch: It is I who bears the stigma of defective character, not the proprietor. I have loathed everything I've read by the wildly popular Ms McGuire. I am clearly bearing a recessive reading gene or something.

>256 jnwelch: Yay! Another scratch-off for my list!

I mean, oh dear, so sorry you didn't love the book. I completely agree about that cover. Gorgeous!

>261 richardderus: Well, you know, I'm the guy who likes the Harry Dresden and Mercy Thompson books, so Ms. McGuire isn't much of a stretch for me. Mamie and Roni say the first two are the weakest, and this first one (I'm over halfway through now) is pretty good.

I almost wish you would read Light Boxes, as I can just imagine the animus and vitriol it would arouse in you. Your review ripping into it would be a fun read - much better than the book itself, I bet.

Isn't that a great cover? Lucky author.

Good morning, Joe!

>233 jnwelch: Lovely image.

>247 LovingLit: Touche.

>256 jnwelch: Excellent cover, indeed. Too bad the book couldn't shoulder its awesomeness.

>263 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie!

I've got a soft spot for vintage illustrations like >233 jnwelch:. I'm glad you liked this one.

Megan's a smart one, isn't she.

Yeah, excellent cover, meh book. That doesn't happen too often. Shane Jones is lucky. I bet this book gets displayed more in stores because of that cover.

OK, the new cafe is open. See you there!

>245 richardderus: >250 jnwelch: To be honest, I didn’t get why everyone loves Rosemary and Rue so much but I’m willing to give it another shot because anyone named October must be good.

>254 karenmarie: Oh, thank goodness. I misread ‘oodles’ for ‘bodies’.

Oh, another door? Maybe I’ll go through (not having learned any lessons from Alice).

>266 humouress: Ha! Cat bodies, oodles of cats - yeah, I'm glad it was oodles, too, Nina. Yikes.

I'm most of the way through Rosemary and Rue now, and I've enjoyed the story. Sounds like the love may wait for the third one - someone on Facebook, whom I don't know, just said what Mamie and Roni said, that it starts really getting good with the third book. I don't remember when I last saw opinions line up like that.

Once I left the hose on by the new cafe door, and everyone had a spring in their step. *runs before objects start being thrown*