You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Watcha Doin' - 2017.1 edition
I agree, Laura! Stay on top of it. I may join at some point. I'd have to be passionate about the issue to do it though. Sorry that I missed the walk in Washington, as turned out fine. I was concerned about violence with such a big group. Thanks for that info, Sarah. I hadn't heard of any groups not being allowed to March outside of this thread, so I appreciate you clearing that up a bit. It makes sense the way you explained it.
I hope you do, Kristie. We all have issues we feel passionate about, and we need to fight for what's in our hearts. My guess is if you don't have one now, you'll have one before too long, as we see what unfolds. For too many years, I let apathy take away my desire to get involved. But after that brilliant display yesterday, I know that our voices are louder when gathered with others. And I feel such an interest in the process out there now. So many people using their feet and taking to the streets! It's energizing and motivating. Very cool, and just what democracy needs.
Sarah wrote: "Many pro-lifers attended because they believed the other issues being raised were important to protest."That is what I read, Sarah. It is at the end of this article: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politi...
Quote: "But a group of women who oppose abortion also came, beseeching the larger march to recognize their variety of feminism. Whether to include the conservative viewpoint sparked controversy in the days before the event. Antiabortion activists said they were excluded.
Siobhan Rooney, 32, drove from Philadelphia on Saturday morning to march for women’s rights. For her, that includes the rights of fetuses.
“We are in the same page on so many issues. It’s just this one issue,” she said."
I don't know all the details in this particular march, but in general pro-life groups are excluded more than exclude themselves.
Unfortunately in the US the pro-life/pro-choice question arises in just about any discussion of public policy. It makes finding common ground very difficult. And on that specific question compromise and accommodation seem unattainable.
Laura - I actually have quite a few things I'm passionate about, so I'm sure one of them will come up. I Might join in on another women's march somewhere assuming I had someone to go with me. :) I do worry about potential violence when big groups get together because there are always people who will be opposed to whatever you march for. There's just such a variety of opinions and you never know who else will be there. I agree, Joan.
Kristie wrote: "Laura - I actually have quite a few things I'm passionate about, so I'm sure one of them will come up. I Might join in on another women's march somewhere assuming I had someone to go with me. :) I ..."It would take a lot for me to take to the streets too, so I understand completely. I'm inspired, though, by what I'm seeing now.
Joan wrote: "Unfortunately in the US the pro-life/pro-choice question arises in just about any discussion of public policy. It makes finding common ground very difficult. And on that specific question compromis..."Here in the UK it isn't a issue. I'm sure there are people who are pro-life here. I would hazard a guess and say there are more pro-choice but i might be wrong. It's not something that comes up much. There aren't lobby groups or anything. (I bet if i googled now I'd find one but what I'm getting at is I'm not aware of any) i heard about the women's march in London (before i knew about the one in Washington, lol) after the fact but i saw it for what it was intended - a march for women's rights (all rights), in reaction to Trump becoming president whom has repeatedly spoken in a derogatory way about women (and more). But in America, it seems it was deemed by many as a pro-choice march. Which is a shame.
Sarah, I wonder why in the US that question is so much more divisive than it is in other countries. If anyone can explain the correct grammar for the above I would appreciate it. I don't know how to write more than clauses. Should I throw in some commas?
Sarah wrote: "Joan wrote: "Unfortunately in the US the pro-life/pro-choice question arises in just about any discussion of public policy. It makes finding common ground very difficult. And on that specific quest..."I agree very much that it was anti trump. He is seen as anti-women because of the remark he made on the Access Hollywood tape and because 12 women spoke up to say he sexually assaulted them prior to the election. **ETA He also said in an interview with Chris Matthews last summer that women should be punished for getting an abortion.
I think it was probably anti-him more than it was anything else but I didn't see it as primarily a pro-choice march at all. I'm basing that on watching the live YouTube feed of the day though, and listening to all of the speakers and the issues that were discussed.
Certainly reproductive choice came up, but so many other issues as well, such as LGBTQ, environmental rights (as his appointee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency has several active current lawsuits against the agency he'd be leading), pro-Muslim rights, as he's talked about having a Muslim registry, etc.
I want to add Sarah that I'm glad that isn't an issue there in the UK. The UK is looking more attractive all the time lol.
I don't know the pro-choice / pro-life debate is so much more divisive in the US than other countries. I suppose I didn't know that it was. As far as the protest being pro-choice, I don't think it was looked at that way here. Everyone I know looked at it as protesting Trump and his hate speech towards women and minorities, too many groups to mention. Basically, it was an 'equal rights for all' march. Some people include pro-choice in that because they believe it is a woman's right to decide what she does with her body, just as men have the right to decide what to do with their bodies. It was just one of the many aspects of equal rights.
I agree, Kristie. Equal rights for all is a great way to describe it, I think. I thought it was pretty cool that that march, which occurred on six continents, all started by one woman saying on Facebook something like "we should march". I heard reports that when she woke up the next morning she had tons of responses already.
It really highlights how the smallest thing can really create something huge. Whether you agree with her or not, how inspiring is that?
I agree! I'm sure she had no idea how many people would agree with her and follow through on the march! I still love that it spread to other countries. It just felt so supportive. I was so surprised when I saw that.
Kristie wrote: "I agree! I'm sure she had no idea how many people would agree with her and follow through on the march! I still love that it spread to other countries. It just felt so supportive. I was so surpri..."
Me too! It made me so happy, I can't even describe it.
I have to say that I knew Trump said some bad things about women but I didn't know the full extent until now. I'm a bit behind what with not having a TV. lol. Whilst googling I found a whole heap of stuff. What a dick! No wonder so many women across the world marched.As for pro life/choice country comparison, I've always been surprised at how much it is mentioned in the US.
I'm guessing it was illegal there at some point and then legalised?! It was illegal here in the UK until the late 60s.
@Joan - I think other countries debate it a lot too. I know in Ireland recently they are trying to change the laws which has been stirring things up for people.
I came across this interesting article which talks about the change in opinions through the decades here in the UK http://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/latest-re...
Ok, it wasn't just as simple as I thought. They created a FB event page and it took off really fast from there. It wasn't just a random comment that started the march. Still inspiring though!
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-p...
Sarah wrote: "I have to say that I knew Trump said some bad things about women but I didn't know the full extent until now. I'm a bit behind what with not having a TV. lol. Whilst googling I found a whole heap o..."Sarah, I don't know all the history but it was the Roe v Wade decision by the Supreme Court that made abortion legal in all 50 states, I believe. From 1973. I was a little kid.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v...
I guess up til then, the states could each decide how it should be.
**That was an interesting article, Sarah.
I went to the march in New York City, it was overwhelming, exciting, inspiring. It reminded me this quote from Eleanor RooseveltDemocracy requires both discipline and hard work. It is not easy for individuals to govern themselves. . . . It is one thing to gain freedom, but no one can give you the right to self-government. This you must earn for yourself by long discipline.
totally off topic but I found this article about myopia and staying indoors interesting.
The Myopia Boom
One caveat, because of the the way the studies were done they really can't tell if more time inside leads to more myopia or if myopia leads to staying inside. They did show that kids who spend a great deal of time inside are more likely to be near-sighted.
Joan wrote: "I went to the march in New York City, it was overwhelming, exciting, inspiring. It reminded me this quote from Eleanor RooseveltDemocracy requires both discipline and hard work. It is not easy for..."
I couldn't believe the crowds I was watching last night in NYC. Really glad you went, Joan!
The marches were uplifting I thought. I'm especially touched by the international solidarity shown. To me, the marches were about hearing and validating women's voices and rights all around the world. I'm very thankful to all who participated in these peaceful demonstrations. It has given me heart : )
I was really glad they were peaceful marches too. The protests on Inauguration Day got violent, at least what they covered on the news. Destroying property proves nothing. Millions marching all over.......and all peaceful - pretty awesome. The whole thing still impresses me. I'm saving some of the news coverage to my TiVo lol!
Those aren't protests in my opinion. That was rioting. There's a big difference. One is a constitutional right and one is just making chaos. Rioting serves no real purpose.
I'm guessing it started as a protest and turned violent, but maybe it actually was intended to be a riot all along.
If it's what I'm thinking of, they all wore black and hid their faces. They were running around breaking windows, etc for no reason. It seemed planned to just destroy things.
That reflects poorly on people who truly want to protest something peacefully.
True. I think there were people also there peacefully protesting, though. Not nearly as many as yesterday's crowd.
I just read Martin Luther King Jr.'s Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery StoryIn it, he recounts working to keep the civil rights protesters peaceful and non-violent.
The Season for Nonviolence at the Gandhi Peace Center has some interesting information about working towards peace.
Joan wrote: "Sarah, I wonder why in the US that question is so much more divisive than it is in other countries. If anyone can explain the correct grammar for the above I would appreciate it. I don't know how..."
Joan, this works just fine btw. It should probably have a question mark after it but no comma's required.
Dawn wrote: "Joan wrote: "Sarah, I wonder why in the US that question is so much more divisive than it is in other countries. If anyone can explain the correct grammar for the above I would appreciate it. I d..."
Thanks, the lack of question mark was pure sloppiness.
Would it be incorrect to write:
I wonder why, in the US, that question... ?
You could write it that way, though, in this instance, it wouldn't affect the meaning in anyway. I can't tell you the absolute correct rules for this, it's been way too long since English classes but both sentences work the same way except that the second one with comma's would make me pause at each comma. So, if I were writing a speech I'd be more inclined to write it the second way, it would be easier to read out loud or if I were trying to emphasize 'in the US' I would use it. In general conversation like this, I'd probably write it the same as your first version.
I read somewhere that groups of people who learned English as a second language have no problems talking to each other and making themselves understood in English, it's only when the English as a first language people show up that it starts getting confusing, because we don't follow the rules. So, beware my advise, it's strictly informal. :)
Dawn wrote: "You could write it that way, though, in this instance, it wouldn't affect the meaning in anyway. I can't tell you the absolute correct rules for this, it's been way too long since English classes ..."
: )
I think of it like this (and I don't remember which teacher told me this) if you are separating those words from the rest of the sentence with commas, then the sentence should still sound correct with those words removed. So, if you read the sentence and removed the words "in the US," is it still a complete sentence? Those words are usually meant to clarify the sentence, not change its meaning.
Ah, thanks Kristie, so since I meant specifically in the US- no commas.I don't know where I was when I was supposed to be learning commas : [
That's just one of many comma rules. Lol I just remember someone explaining that one to me in that way many years ago and it stuck for some reason. I don't know if there is another comma rule that applies. I know we have many and sometimes they are 'you can if you want to' rules. English can be so confusing.
I live in a bilingual household...I'm American and my husband is British...communication is difficult sometimes.
I AM SO BLOODY EXCITED!!!!!!!After 5 hours of queuing (and thinking I've got no chance) I've managed to snag 2 tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!!!!!
Lynn wrote: "I AM SO BLOODY EXCITED!!!!!!!After 5 hours of queuing (and thinking I've got no chance) I've managed to snag 2 tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!!!!!"
Nice! I have friend who saw it in London the other day and she thought it was amazing!
Lynn wrote: "I AM SO BLOODY EXCITED!!!!!!!After 5 hours of queuing (and thinking I've got no chance) I've managed to snag 2 tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!!!!!"
Congratulations, do you go to plays often?
So I know I'm a total dork but this is funny:"People who do not use punctuation deserve a long sentence."
From the Analytical Grammar site on Facebook.
That's a good one, Joan. :)
Rusalka wrote: "Nice! I have friend who saw it in London the other day and she thought it was amazing! "Everyone I know who's gone to see it so far has said it's amazing :)
Joan wrote: "Congratulations, do you go to plays often? "A bit, I'm more of a West End musical kind of person than plays ..... but I see a few.
Any favorite musicals?I'm hoping to see Hamilton one day but tickets are expensive and hard to get.
Did you see Jane Eyre the musical when it was around, I was sorry that I missed that one.
Les Miserables and Lion King are my all time favourites ..... but I love a whole lot more :)
We had book club meeting tonight and I created a "pink fizzy punch" as an homage to the pink fizzy punch served at Trivia Night in the book. It went over well with everyone taking the recipe home with them.It contained a package of frozen pink lemonade concentrate, 1/2 bottle of white zinfandel (cause that's all I had), 3/4 bottle of grapefruit vodka, and 3/4 bottle of cranberry ginger ale (the 2 litre sized bottle). Tasty!
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
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As far as i can see, that was the only exclusion. The group no longer able to support the march. But pro-lifers were still allowed to march. They weren't told they couldn't. Many pro-lifers attended because they believed the other issues being raised were important to protest. And many other pro-lifers didn't attend because they didn't feel represented/welcome. But it was their choice at the end of the day whether they went or not.