Mar7

thank you jesse jackson.

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 Former President Barack Obama called on Americans to ‘step up’ like Jesse Jackson, at the final public tribute to the late civil rights leader, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

Obama said Jackson’s own presidential runs in the 1980s set the stage for other Black leaders, including his own successful 2009 presidency and reelection.

“We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope,” Obama said. “Each day we wake up to some new assault to our democratic institutions. Another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to things you just didn’t think were possible.”

“Each day we are told by folks in high office to fear each other,” said Obama, referring to the current Republican leadership in Washington.

“But this man, Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path,” Obama added. “His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope, to step forward and say, ‘Send me,’ wherever we have a chance to make an impact.”

Obama was one of three former Democratic presidents, along with Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, who attended the service. Former Vice President Kamala Harris also attended.

Jackson died in February at age 84.

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Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. (1941-2026) was an American civil rights activist, LGBTQ rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. A protégé of Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Bevel during the civil rights movement, he became one of the most prominent civil rights leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries and an ardent advocate and early supporter of LGBTQ rights in the United States. A critic of police brutality, the  Republican and conservative policies, he was widely regarded as one of the most influential African‑American activists of his era. From 1991 to 1997, he served as a shadow delegate and shadow senator for the District of Columbia.

 

Mar6

first swim.

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 A man ice fishing on Lake St. Clair got an unexpected shock when a vintage Big Boy restaurant statue floated beneath the ice directly below where he was fishing, according to authorities. The fisherman said he noticed a large shadow moving under the ice. “At first I thought I had a really big fish under me,” he said. “Then I realized it was a Big Boy.”

Officials believe the statue, which had been removed from a former restaurant location near the shoreline, entered the water earlier and remained buoyant enough to travel beneath the frozen surface. While the ice didn’t break and no injuries were reported, several residents who spotted the statue contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The DNR says it is working to locate and safely remove the statue and is reminding the public to report large debris or hazards observed on frozen waterways, especially during periods of fluctuating winter temperatures.

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“if you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it.”

-heraclitus

 

 

 

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source credit: macumb daily

Mar5

the way it happened.

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‘it had come about exactly the way it happened in books.’ 

-agatha christie

 

 

 

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art credit: tom gauld

erma bombeck’s writer’s conference

Mar4

we’re all neighbors.

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‘if you don’t know the guy on the other side of the world, love him anyway, because he’s just like you. he has the same dreams, the same hopes and fears. it’s one world, pal. we’re all neighbors.’

-frank sinatra

 

 

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art credit: happy toddler rock art

 

Mar3

pancake magic.

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hello there !

good morning!

Mickey Mouse?

 

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(not my pancakes, but someone was working their pancake art magic!)

happy national pancake day!

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“everything can have drama if it’s done right. even a pancake.”

-julia child 

Mar2

storks.

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two white storks building a nest together for their young

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spring is in the air and –

this confirms it

this is where babies come from,

I knew it!

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‘the stork is voiceless because there is really nothing to say.’

-will cuppy

*Will Cuppy, ( 1884-1949) was an American humorist and literary critic, known for his satirical books about nature and historical figures.

 

 

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image source:  birdfact

 

Mar1

how?

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 Bill Waterson, Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages,

1985 -1995; Exhibition Catalogue

 

Feb28

never assume.

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random nice people i’ve never met – ( photo courtesy of Wright Labs)

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recently my friend roy, who is a fellow introvert, posted this:

‘as an INTROVERT, I can survive a lot..

but ‘let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves,’

is where I draw the line.’

I so get this. 

while I love people, love being around them, and frequently talk to strangers, I much prefer small groups and having real conversations with one or two people rather than big party small talk, get nervous when I know I’m going to be called on, or when public speaking. (if I’m one on one with someone, I can talk for hours, much to their dismay.) when in a big group setting I hang out for a while, find a way to slip out before long using my Irish goodbye technique, and head home to relax and recharge.

another friend who also gets this, a very accomplished woman, was once in this situation and when it was her turn to introduce herself and share one thing, she was so nervous that she blurted out the only thing that came to mind and said, ‘my name is T, and I play with the squirrels in our backyard.’ the room was silent.

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‘never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.’

-author unknown

 

 

 

Feb27

support for those still standing and fighting.

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How you can help my southern Minnesota community of Faribault following Operation Metro Surge

for my blog friend, Audrey, and all Minnesotans, who are still out there fighting, struggling, and just trying to live their lives. The surge continues. People are still being taken, traumatized, afraid to go to work or school, and while not in the big city of Minneapolis, the smaller towns are suffering too. Thank you for standing up and showing us the strength of community and for not giving up, we are learning how to be courageous and caring from you, I’m happy to support you and hope that others will too –

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‘No more apologies for a bleeding heart when the opposite is no heart at all.

Danger of losing our humanity must be met with more humanity.’

-Toni Morrison

Feb26

Black history.

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Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968 and represented New York’s 12th congressional district for 7 terms. She helped to create the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). In 1972 she became the first Black candidate for a major-party nomination for President of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Throughout her career, she was known for taking “a resolute stand against economic, social, and political injustices”, as well as being a strong supporter of black civil rights and women’s rights.

Born in New York City, she spent ages five through nine in Barbados. Shirley excelled at school and earned her college degree in the United States. She began working in early-childhood education, and became involved in local Democratic Party politics in the 1950s. In 1964, overcoming resistance because she was a woman, she was elected to the New York State Assembly. Four years later, she was elected to Congress, where she led the expansion of food and nutrition programs for the poor and rose to party leadership. She retired from Congress in 1983 and taught at Mount Holyoke College while continuing her political organizing. Although nominated for the ambassadorship to Jamaica in 1993, health issues caused her to withdraw. In 2015, Chisholm was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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‘Black history is world history.

it is not an elective, a footnote, or a trend.

it is the foundation, the blueprint

the unshakeable truth

that we have always been here –

building, creating, and leading.’

-andrea bolder