Marlene Dotterer's Blog, page 21

This Animated Data Visualization Of World War II Fatalities Is Shocking

Here’s a fascinating 20 minutes. Does it leave you optimistic for the human race? Have we changed our behavior since WWII? I am personally impressed by the fact that European countries have not gone to war with each other since WWII, where it was fairly consistent in the centuries before.

This Animated Data Visualization Of World War II Fatalities Is Shocking.

Abortion rights leader’s pregnancy surprises opponents: ‘Is that real?’ – The Washington Post

The astonishment of the “pro-life” crowd is simply amusing, and points to the theory that they don’t have the ability to think beyond 2-dimensional/black-and-white stereotypes.

Yes, folks. People can be pro-choice and still love children. I adore my five children and every one of my 11 grandchildren. I think parenting (and grandparenting) is the most important job any of us will ever have.

And I absolutely believe a woman has control over her own body and the inalienable right to make her own...

The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder, Chapter 6

Chapter 6

June 1906

Spring turned into a lethargic, hot summer, minus the cooling fog bank, and with almost no rain. The usual breezes from the Irish Sea never made it into the lough, leaving Belfast dry and airless under a blanket of noxious, early twentieth century industrial chemicals. The pollution made Sam’s cough worse, and even Casey struggled to breathe as she made her rounds. People still burned coal for cooking, and the black soot turned the air a dull grey, adding to the ever-prese...

The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder, Chapter 5

Chapter 5

May 1906

The hours were long and the pay was negligible, but on occasional warm days, the job of “free-lance contractor” had its pleasurable moments. Casey sat on a bench in the Botanic Garden, with her legs tucked up under her, hands resting on her knees. She stared at her tree, letting the sun warm her back, listening to birds sing. The little oak seemed unfazed by its backward trip through time, and had grown a couple of inches over the last few months. She came to see it as ofte...

Birth wars just divert us from the facts: Childbirth is in crisis – Your Life News – Best Daily

I often run into the “birth wars” mantra when I put on my “natural childbirth teacher” hat. My tongue is raw from the number of times I’ve bitten it to keep from saying something hurtful to a new mother who trusts the system without question.

Like the author of this article, I’m not very good at sitting on the fence. When I speak up about the dangers in our current model of obstetric care, I’m not doing it to hurt someone’s feelings. I’m doing it because we need information to change the syst...

The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder, Chapter 4

Chapter 4

April 20, 1906–May 1906

Sam and Casey went to breakfast early, with plans to continue their job searches. Three other boarders were in the tiny dining room ahead of them, gathered around a newspaper spread out on the chipped and scratched wooden table. They looked at Casey with uncertain glances.

“Ain’t she from there?” one of them muttered, and another nodded.

“Where? What’s going on?” Casey asked.

In answer, they moved aside so she and Sam could look at the paper.

San Francisco Le...

Back from Alaska

The internet withdrawal, also known as a vacation – orholidayto my Brit friends – is over. I have been home for three hours, checked email, did the grocery shopping, and bought dinner at the deli. I know that last one is traitorous to my personal values, but hey.

It was an organic deli.

May I just say that Alaska is one gorgeous place. We saw just a tiny bit of it: Haines, Juneau, the Tracy Arm, and Ketchikan. And look:

Exploring Mendenhall Glacier.

I got to walk around on a glacier. This inc...

The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder, Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

January 25, 1906–March 1906

With judicious use, the ten pounds lasted them several weeks. One pound, and a story about Sam being Casey’s guardian, got them a room at a boarding house in a middle-class section of town, with a bed for Casey, a couch that Sam could sleep on, and a folding room divider for privacy. This was expensive for one room, but the landlady, Mrs. Fitzsimmons, kept it clean. Board was included, along with the knowledge that their room was not rented out in shifts...

The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder, Chapter 2

Chapter 1 is here.

Chapter 2

January 25, 1906

“I don’t believe this.” Casey stood on the street corner the next morning, staring in shock at the scene around her. The university she knew was gone. A few of the old buildings were still there, but the trees that grew in front of the Lanyon Building were missing. As she had noticed last night, there were no student apartments, no traffic lights, no stop signs. The streets were asphalt, but looked odd. After a moment, she figured out that the pai...

A Novel in Parts. The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder

Botanic Garden – Belfast, Northern Ireland

We all know I’m going through a tough writing period. My lovely friend, Lani Longshore, kindly calls it “waiting for the universe…” I can’t finish the sentence because I don’t even know what I’m waiting for. But it gives me some hope that this isn’t a permanent state of being, even if it is going on the second year.

My quiet waiting has also been affecting this blog – I just don’t have much to say, and even I get tired of posts on politics and misogy...