Watcha Doin' - 2017.1 edition Showing 801-850 of 5,020

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thanks for that, Joan. I still plan to read the book, but stopped checking the thread recently. I don't want to run into spoilers.

[Joan]

Kristie wrote: "Thanks for that, Joan. I still plan to read the book, but stopped checking the thread recently. I don't want to run into spoilers."

Ah, I had wondered Kristie because I posted a question I'd hope you would address.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Joan wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Thanks for that, Joan. I still plan to read the book, but stopped checking the thread recently. I don't want to run into spoilers."

Ah, I had wondered Kristie because I posted a qu..."

Oh! I'll go back and take a look. I might wait a bit for people to have time to fix their spoilers though. :)

[jaxnsmom]

Janice - what a great client for coming to help you. I would love to see the Northern Lights. Nature has so many mind boggling sights.

I have to admit I drove off once with the gas nozzle still in the tank. I only went a few feet - there was enough noise that it hit me right away that I had done something wrong. Until a few years ago I'd always driven a stick shift. For the first year I had an automatic I don't know how many times I would turn the car off and start to get out and feel the car moving, or sit there a moment and then wonder why the empty car beside me was moving (yes, I didn't realize at first it was my car doing the moving). I kept forgetting to put the car into park. I'm glad Travis wasn't there to laugh at me :)

I haven't had much snow this year, and none of any matter. I like to have at least one good one each winter. I used to love getting snow, but I'm too old and out of shape to deal with it now.

[Sandra, Moderator]

We had a good snowfall during the night, so school is closed. Again. So I am trying to reorganize my day. It is incredible what an early phone call can do to your schedule/day. :)

[Joan]

So what do you think about this?
A judge in Virginia, U.S.A. has sentenced 5 teenagers to read a book a month and write a book report on each. They must choose from a list of books dealing with racism. The teenagers were convicted of vandalism using racist symbols and words.
www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/us/black-school-racist-sexist-graffiti

[Janice, Moderator]

There are some great books on that list. Hopefully, the teens will learn something valuable from them that will be life changing. Racism often comes from a place of fear and misunderstanding. A little bit of knowledge can go a long way.

[Peggy]

Sounds like a good sentence Joan. I think these sentences can be much more helpful in certain people than spending time in jail or getting a fine. Hopefully they learn from it!

[Dawn]

I like that they have to visit the Holocaust Museum in DC as part of this too, it's a really good museum.

[Dawn]

Sandra wrote: "We had a good snowfall during the night, so school is closed. Again. So I am trying to reorganize my day. It is incredible what an early phone call can do to your schedule/day. :)"

I sympathize, we've got freezing rain this morning and I think it's going to create a lot of havoc.

[Sarah]

It makes me think of American History X. Such a good film.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I like the idea of trying to teach the teens something versus just punishing them. Much better to potentially make a change than to just have them resentful of their punishment, which would probably be directed at their original targets.

[Cherie]

Joan wrote: "So what do you think about this?
A judge in Virginia, U.S.A. has sentenced 5 teenagers to read a book a month and write a book report on each. They must choose from a list of books dealing with rac..."

I'm sorry, but the first thing that comes to my mind is "How are they going to make them read the books and write the book reports."?

[Peggy]

Perhaps by telling them that if they don't, they'll be sentenced in a more regular way? Like when you have to do community service as a sentence and you don't show up? I don't know, like you say, they can't force them I guess.


Ugh, I've had a super sore throat since Sunday. Nothing seems to help, and now I've got a cough too. I don't go to my gp quickly but if it hasn't diminished by Monday I'll go. We're going on holiday next week Saturday and I want it to be gone by then.

[Mariab]

Joan wrote: "So what do you think about this?
A judge in Virginia, U.S.A. has sentenced 5 teenagers to read a book a month and write a book report on each. They must choose from a list of books dealing with rac..."

I think is a fantastic idea

[Janice, Moderator]

Peggy wrote: "Perhaps by telling them that if they don't, they'll be sentenced in a more regular way? Like when you have to do community service as a sentence and you don't show up? I don't know, like you say, t..."

In addition to Peggy's comments, they could do a supervised reading time and the book report is proof that they've read it.

I hope you can fight off that bug, Peggy.

[Joan]

I thought everyone would find that article interesting. The prosecutor checked with the families to ensure that the books chosen were acceptable. The teenagers' probation officers will be checking the book reports. I hope they realize how easy it is to find pre-made book reports on-line.
The article did not say what would happen if they do not do the work.
If the teenagers don't complete the assignment, I guess they would go before the judge again and get some other sentence.

At least one of the teenagers said he did not know about the symbolism of a swastika.

[Sarah]

@Peggy - have you tried dissolvable paracetamol (or something stronger - I have used co-codomal in the past) and gargling with it. This is a tip I was given by the nurses when I had my tonsils removed. I still do it for sore throats and it does help. I hope you feel better soon.

[jaxnsmom]

Hopefully the boys' sentence will have a positive lasting effect. I think it's better to have a sentence that addresses the crime rather than some blanket sentence.

[Peggy]

Weirdest thing, the sore throat started on Sunday, full force right away, nothing gradual, stayed for 4 days, and this morning I woke up and it was gone just as suddenly.

[Lisa]

I'm glad your throats is feeling better, Peggy. There are some really strange bugs going around at the moment.

[Kristie, Moderator]

That is weird, Peggy. Glad it is gone though.

[Tejas Janet]

Glad your sore throat has disappeared, Peggy. Isn't it odd how ailments can come and go so suddenly. I used to get earaches that would do that all too often. Not any more, except if out too long when it's windy.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Glad you're feeling better, Peggy.

I think it's a brilliant sentence!

[Kristie, Moderator]

I saw a list of the books the judge approved for the book reports for those kids (5 boys ages 16 & 17, 3 of whom are minorities) online. This is what I found:

LIST OF APPROVED BOOKS

1. The Color Purple- Alice Walker
2. Native Son – Richard Wright
3. Exodus – Leon Uris
4. Mitla 18- Leon Uris
5. Trinity – Leon Uris
6. My Name is Asher Lev – Chaim Potok
7. The Chosen – Chaim Potok
8. The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
9. Night –Elie Wiesel
10. The Crucible – Arthur Miller
11. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
12. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
13. Things Falls Apart – Chinua Achebe
14. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
15. To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
16. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
17. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot
18. Caleb’s Crossing – Geraldine Brooks
19. Tortilla Curtain – TC Boyle
20. The Bluest Eye- Toni Morrison
21. A Hope In The Unseen – Ron Suskind
22. Down These Mean Streets – Piri Thomas
23. Black Boy – Richard Wright
24. The Beautiful Struggle – Ta Nehisi Coats
25. The Banality of Evil – Hannah Arendt
26. The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
27. Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi
28. The Rape of Nanking – Iris Chang
29. Infidel – Ayaan Hirsi Ali
30. The Orphan Master’s Son- Adam Johnson
31. The Help – Kathryn Stockett
32. Cry the Beloved Country –Alan Patton
33. Too Late the Phalarope –Alan Paton
34. A Dry White Season –Andre Brink
35. Ghost Soldiers – Hampton Sides

What do you think? They each need to choose 12 of the 35, one per month for a year.

[Peggy]

Some very good books in there. I don't know all of them, some I read, some I heard of but never read, some I never even heard of. I'll look them up later and I expect my tbr to grow.

[Kristie, Moderator]

That's what I thought too, Peggy. I have only read 4 of them, though I have a few others on my TBR. I need to look up several of them when I have some time. I expect I'll be adding to my TBR.

[Sandra, Moderator]

I read 6 books from that list, and have a few on my TBR. On the overall looks like a good selection.

[Sarah]

Nice list. I've not heard of many of those. Will check them out and add some (no doubt) to my wishlist.

[Peggy]

I also read 6. 5 of those were 4 or 5 star reads for me.

[Joan]

Kristie wrote: "I saw a list of the books the judge approved for the book reports for those kids (5 boys ages 16 & 17, 3 of whom are minorities) online. This is what I found:

LIST OF APPROVED BOOKS

1. The Color..."

I've read a few; Night has been in my TBR for a long time but I am afraid to delve into that wretched era.
I really enjoyed Reading Lolita in Tehran

[Janice, Moderator]

I like that the list is inclusive of several ethnic groups.

[Peggy]

Joan wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I saw a list of the books the judge approved for the book reports for those kids (5 boys ages 16 & 17, 3 of whom are minorities) online. This is what I found:

LIST OF APPROVED BOO..."

I've considered adding Night to my tbr several times but I feel to afraid to read it. Because it's a memoir set in the camps I expect it to be more shocking and horrific and detailed than the WWII historical fiction I've read, and I know that if it indeed is, I will feel upset for days after and I don't want that.

[Janice, Moderator]

Peggy wrote: "I've considered adding Night to my tbr several times but I feel to afraid to read it. "

We read this book in my real life book club. We all thought it was an incredible book. I can understand your reticence to read it but I highly recommend it.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I like that there were different ethnic groups included too, Janice.

For those of you concerned with reading Night, it is one of the books that I did read. I think it is difficult to hear because it is a memoir and not fiction. However, I read quite a bit from that time period, so there was nothing new in it to me. I think that helped to make it easier to read. If you've read similar stories before, I don't think it's that bad. I don't recall it being too graphic in comparison to others.

[Sarah]

I told my partner about the book reading sentence and he thought it was a fantastic idea.

Anyone tried any Palestinian food at all? I saw a recipe posted on one of the facebook groups I'm on - Lentil, Aubergine and Pomegranate stew which is called Rummaniyeh. I made it last night. It was quite strong tasting and swet as it had loads of pomegranate mollasses in it. I think if i make it again, I'd put slightly less in and add a bit more water.

[Peggy]

Thanks Kristie and Janice. I'll add it to my tbr.

Never had it Sarah, but it sounds good!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

We eat a bit of middle eastern food. I like pomegranate molasses, but you have to be sparing with it. I have a good cocktail recipe with it if you need to finish a bottle.

[Sarah]

I've used the mollases in a beetroot and butternut squash warm salad recipe and it was good. But it only called for a small amount but this new recipe had loads in it.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Oh that salad sounds yum!

Pomegranate Storm http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-pomeg... is the cocktail. I dump the soda water as we rarely have it, I use alcoholic or non ginger beer depending on what we have in the fridge, use normal bitters, and if I don't have aperol or campari use triple sec or cointreau (but blood or normal orange juice or mineral water would work too). The rum, strawberries, molasses, lemon juice and ginger are the main things.

[Sarah]

I'll put it on the recipe thread when I get a chance.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sarah wrote: "I'll put it on the recipe thread when I get a chance."

Oh good point. I'll put this one there too before I head to bed. I always forget that thread.

[jaxnsmom]

I've read 9 of the books and have some of the others on my tbr. Don't know if I'll read them or not as I get too emotional with books as I'm reading them.

[Joan]

This is such a beautiful Valentine's Day story, I have to share, NY Times Saved from The Holocaust, He Loved Me and Wanted to Keep Me

On Valentine’s Day, couples often reminisce about that moment they knew they would stay together, whether during a vacation, over a fancy dinner or, perhaps, while meeting their future in-laws.
For Isaac and Rosa Blum, who became teenage sweethearts 75 years ago in a ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland, that moment came as they and thousands of other terrified Jews were being herded to a death camp by Nazi soldiers.
“I saw her walking in front of me,” Mr. Blum recalled. “I went up to the German and told him, ‘That’s my sister,’ even though she was my girlfriend.”
Miraculously, they were both pulled off the line and managed to survive the Holocaust by working as slave laborers in a munitions factory. The following 70 years have been a cinch by comparison...
The article continues with more about the experiences

[Kristie, Moderator]

Wow. What a touching story. Heartbreak and loss, love and commitment, perseverance...all in one short article.

[Janice, Moderator]

What a great story. Thanks for sharing that, Joan.

[Peggy]

Thanks for sharing Joan :)

[Sandra, Moderator]

So touching. Thanks fro sharing, Joan.

[Jayme, Moderator]

And that is why love conquers all. Thanks for sharing, Joan.

[KimeyDiann]

What a touching story, Joan. Thank you for sharing!