I’m an empty-nester getting back to the stuff I love: art, writing, photography, design. Here to learn things, have great conversations, and to experience opinions/positions that might not always match my own. Oh, & hopefully laugh at funny stuff too, because a good belly laugh cures a lot of ills.
01:10 PM - Feb 08, 2023
4 Threaded Spouts
From Dan Rather and Team Steady’s April 18th Substack:
“The tired old argument that women’s sports in general and basketball, in particular, don’t generate the same viewership or excitement as men’s, has finally been busted wide open.”
“The tired old argument that women’s sports in general and basketball, in particular, don’t generate the same viewership or excitement as men’s, has finally been busted wide open.”
10:24 PM - Apr 18, 2024
Things my kids probably already know, but I’m still catching up on. (Sharing for those who find themselves in the same boat, so like me, you can avoid your kids’ inevitable eye rolls…)
https://wapo.st/446g498
https://wapo.st/446g498
01:31 PM - Apr 18, 2024
What a beauty?!!! This has to be the official picture of spring.
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Debbie Blair @djblair5I am going to #skirt the rules and post this photo of my favorite bird in a blooming redbud tree. Also posting late! #dailypicturetheme Follow @DailyPictureTheme09:47 PM - Apr 16, 2024![Male Eastern Bluebird in a blooming redbud tree. Bird is blue with orange breast and white tummy. Tree is magenta flowers]()
10:52 PM - Apr 16, 2024
In response to Ground Control.
All of us need to vote like our lives depend on it..
Because they do!! 🗳️💙
We need to vote in numbers too large to question..
Because they will 👁️👁️
Because they do!! 🗳️💙
We need to vote in numbers too large to question..
Because they will 👁️👁️
10:41 PM - Apr 16, 2024
2 Threaded Spouts
Great news for this particular trans athlete, who’s been participating as a female since elementary school. But the law is still enforceable otherwise, unfortunately, so other trans athletes can’t currently benefit from this ruling. (Hopefully this will serve as precedence down the road.)
03:40 PM - Apr 16, 2024
“He feels he has changed enough to fill this role — that being her voice can help other parents and kids avoid what his family endured. “Our kids,” he says, “are dying.” He thinks that because of where he came from, maybe people will listen when he raises alarms. Maybe.”
10:10 AM - Apr 13, 2024
I didn’t see this when it was originally posted, but it’s a punch in the gut even today…
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OriginalSinner @OriginalSinnerI literally started crying when I realized what this actually meant.
We can't keep living like this.
#ItsTheGuns11:09 PM - May 07, 2023![Picture]()
05:55 PM - Apr 11, 2024
Another reason why I’m leery of AI. But this isn’t just an issue about the abuse of AI. It’s also yet another example of where we have to do better teaching boys to respect girls.
08:22 PM - Apr 10, 2024
In response to Professor Kyle.
We can have a legit discussion about the COST of higher ed. Where I strenuously disagree is when people devalue the learning -- b/c broad knowledge, critical thinking, and just learning stuff should ALWAYS be valued in every society.
07:49 PM - Apr 09, 2024
Such an important perspective. Well worth several minutes of your day.
(If reading the individual photos proves difficult or cumbersome, click on the link to be redirected to the Facebook version of this post.)
(If reading the individual photos proves difficult or cumbersome, click on the link to be redirected to the Facebook version of this post.)
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Susan A. Kitchens @susan“Hello, my name is Julie Cordero. I’m working on my PhD…I’d like to talk about the European Catholic and Protestant Christian religious diaspora in the United States, as these are the traditions that have had by far the greatest impact on…indigenous inhabitants of this land…”
https://bit.ly/4as6XSm12:01 PM - Apr 09, 2024![Julia Cordero-Lamb
June 5, 2020
(facebook post)
I want to tell a story about an invisible elephant.
Once upon a time, when I was in graduate school at UCSB, the department of religious studies held a symposium on diasporic religious communities in the United States. Our working definition for religious diaspora that day was, “religious groups from elsewhere now residing as large, cohesive communities in the US.” It was a round table symposium, so any current scholar at the UC who wanted to speak could have a seat at the table. A hunch based on hundreds of years of solid evidence compelled me to show up, in my Badass Academic Indigenous Warrior Auntie finery.
There were around 15-20 scholars at the table, and the audience was maybe fifty people. There was one Black scholar at the table, and two Latinx scholars, one of whom was one of my dissertation advisors. The other was a visiting scholar from Florida, who spoke about the diasporic Santería community in Miami.]()
![But everyone else at the table were white scholars, all progressively liberal in their politics, many of whom were my friends. Since there was no pre-written agenda, I listened until everyone else had presented. I learned a tremendous amount about the Jewish diaspora in the US, and about the Yoruba/Orisha/Voudou, Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu communities, and even about a small enclave of Zoroastrians.
As they went on, I realized my hunch had been correct, and I listened to them ignore the elephant, invisible & silent, at that table.
So I decided to help her speak the hell up. “Hello, my name is Julie Cordero. I’m working on my PhD in Ethnobotany, Native American Religious Traditions, and history of global medical traditions. I’d like to talk about the European Catholic and Protestant Christian religious diaspora in the United States, as these are the traditions that have had by far the greatest impact on both the converted & non-converted indigenous inhabitants of this land.”]()
![Total silence. And then several “hot damns” from students and colleagues in the audience. I looked around the table at all the confused white faces. My Latinx advisor slapped his hand on the table and said, “Right!!?? Let’s talk about that, colleagues.”
The Black scholar, who was sitting next to me, started softly laughing. As I went on, detailing the myriad denominations of this European Christian Diaspora, including the Catholic diocese in which I’d been raised and educated, and the brutal and genocidal Catholic and Protestant boarding schools that had horribly traumatized generations of First Nations children, and especially as I touched on how Christians had twisted the message of Christ to try and force people stolen from Africa to accept that their biblically-ordained role was to serve the White Race, her laughs grew more and more bitter.]()
![The Religious Studies department chair, who’d given a brilliant talk on the interplay between Jewish and Muslim communities in Michigan, stopped me at one point, and said, “Julie, I see the point you are so eloquently making, but you’re discussing American religions, not religious diasporic communities.” I referred to the definition of diaspora we had discussed at the start of the discussion, and then said, “No, Clark. If I were here to discuss religions that were not from elsewhere, I’d be discussing the Choctaw Green Corn ceremony, the Karuk Brush Dance, the Big Head ceremonial complex in Northern California, the Lakota Sun Dance, or the Chumash and Tongva Chingichnich ritual complex.”
It got a bit heated for a few moments, as several scholars-without-a-damn-clue tried to argue that we were here to discuss CURRENT religious traditions, not ancient.]()
![Well. I’ll let you use your imagination as to the response from the POC present, which was vigorously backed by the three young First Nations students who were present in the audience (all of whom practice their CURRENT ceremonial traditions). It got the kind of ugly that only happens with people whose self-perception is that they, as liberal scholars of world cultures with lots of POC friends and colleagues, couldn’t possibly be racist.
Our Black colleague stood and left without a word. I very nearly did. But I stayed because of my Auntie role to the Native students in the audience.
I looked around at that circle of hostile faces, and waited for one single white scholar to see how unbelievably racist was this discursive erasure of entire peoples - including my people, on whose homeland UCSB is situated.
Finally, a friend spoke up. “If we are going to adhere to the definition of diaspora outlined here, she is technically correct.”]()
![And then my dear friend, a white scholar of Buddhism: “In Buddhist tradition, the Second Form of Ignorance is the superimposition of that which is false over that which is true. In this case, all of us white scholars are assuming that every people but white Americans are ‘other,’ and that we have no culture, when the underlying fact is that our culture is so dominant that we’ve deluded ourselves into thinking it’s the neutral state of human culture against which all others are foreign. Even the Black people our ancestors abducted and enslaved we treat as somehow more foreign than ourselves. And, most absurdly, the peoples who are indigenous to this land are told that we belong here more than they do.”
People stared at their hands and doodled. The audience was dead quiet.
And you know what happened then? The elephant was no longer invisible, and my colleagues and I were able to have a conversation based on the truths about colonialism and diaspora.]()
![We were THEN able to name and discuss the distinctions between colonial settlements and immigrant settlements, and how colonial religious projects have sought to overtake, control, and own land, people, and resources, while immigrant and especially refugee diasporic communities simply seek a home free from persecution.
As we continue this national discussion, it is absolutely key to never, ever let that elephant be invisible or silent. You are on Native Land. Black descendants of human beings abducted from their African homelands are not immigrants. European cultures are just human cultures, among many. And the assignation of moral, cultural, racial superiority of European world views over all non-Euro human cultures is a profound delusion, one that continues to threaten and exterminate all people who oppose it, and even nature itself.
I hope that this story has comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable.]()
01:23 PM - Apr 09, 2024
The k̶i̶d̶s̶ no longer kids are alright.
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Carole Tyler @CaroleTyler"A group of older Swiss women have won the first ever climate case victory in the European Court of Human Rights."09:43 AM - Apr 09, 2024
11:57 AM - Apr 09, 2024
100%. I fully admit the advances it could bring to medicine are awesome, but journalism & creative fields are both at risk for serious abuse by AI capabilities. If the “Grab ‘em by the p____” video came out today, Trump would be screaming it was fake & we wouldn’t know for sure ourselves…
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Christopher Bouzy @cbouzyAlthough AI technology is amazing, we need new laws to prevent the widespread misuse before it is too late.11:38 AM - Apr 09, 2024
11:53 AM - Apr 09, 2024
11:46 AM - Apr 09, 2024
No totality here today, but at 80% we had cool shadows on the driveway and in the street. #eclipse2024
11:09 PM - Apr 08, 2024
America has had enough of thoughts & prayers. Congress must pass universal background checks, red flag laws, & an assault weapons ban.
Americans & our children deserve the freedom to be safe from gun violence. #DyingForGunSafety
Americans & our children deserve the freedom to be safe from gun violence. #DyingForGunSafety
11:42 PM - Apr 04, 2024
Hahaha! I fully admit I occasionally take pics of old printed photos so I can do exactly that. If you have the technology… 🤷🏼♀️😂
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Marcie @feb2772My husband's aunt mailed me some photos from his parents' wedding day. I was looking at one of the photos today and couldn't quite make something out. I actually tried zooming in with my fingers. 🤣🤣🤣07:47 PM - Apr 04, 2024
07:58 PM - Apr 04, 2024
4 Threaded Spouts
Bear with me, as the title is a bit misleading. This is Mel Robbins’ interview with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, an OBGYN and menopause specialist. If you’re not familiar with her, I highly recommend this podcast, as well as her IG and her books. (Men are invited to listen and learn, too.)
podcasts.apple.com
The Mel Robbins Podcast: The #1 Menopause Doctor: How to Lose Belly Fat, Sleep Better, & Stop Suffering Now on Apple Podcasts
Today's episode is a MUST listen. You won't believe what the latest research is saying about menopause. And you're likely not getting what you need to know from your doctor. Did you know perimenopause can begin as early as your 30’s? Or that symptoms can include frozen shoulder, joint pain, ear ri..
05:34 PM - Apr 04, 2024
Only followers of this user (FruitFacedFruitKace) can see their posts
“And those rooms, when you’re having those conversations with your doctor, they’re too small to have somebody like Ted Cruz in there with you.”
A great zinger aside, he’s spot on.
#ColinAllredTX
A great zinger aside, he’s spot on.
#ColinAllredTX
The Daily Show: Colin Allred talks about restoring abortion access in Texas - YouTube
08:10 AM - Apr 04, 2024
If you’ve never had the chance to hear this, this is an AMAZING version! I know I’ll take major flack for saying this, but I love it more than the original. (And I’m a fan of the original.) #StairwayToHeaven
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Charlene Deveraturda @CharleneDExcellent presentation of this rock classic.
Seeing YoYo Ma in the audience rocking out was the cherry on top!!! #spoutingmusic #music11:11 PM - Apr 03, 2024![Video]()
Heart - Stairway to Heaven (Live at Kennedy Center Honors) [FULL VERSION] - YouTube
Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, along with Jason Bonham, playing Stairway to Heaven as a tribute for Led Zeppelin on Dec. 2, 2012 at Kennedy Center.It was tel...
11:20 PM - Apr 03, 2024
From Dan Rather’s Substack, which I’m really enjoying reading these days. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, here’s this week’s post.
10:57 PM - Apr 03, 2024
Well said. And great advice on “how to behave” in general, not just this platform. Kindness goes a long way, even when differing opinions are involved.
#JustBeGood
#JustBeGood
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Nefarious Newt @NefariousNewtAbove all, be kind. So many of us have hurt, are hurting, are coping, are looking for some form of love or empathy or compassion. There's no need to fill this space with the dirge of discontentment that plays across our world.07:22 PM - Apr 03, 2024
JUST BE GOOD, PEOPLE.
10:22 PM - Apr 03, 2024
Interesting piece on why this political strategist thinks the tide favors Biden.
10:17 PM - Apr 03, 2024
I agree. Both about the quality of the content AND the menu.
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Bob - Garden is Life @trebuchetguyI'm about to share the deepest, most complex thoughts in my brain. Unfiltered. Ready?
"It looks like snow Saturday. I think I'll make meatloaf for dinner then. Meatloaf is nice on a wintery day."
That's as good as it gets, man. A+ content as judged by me.05:43 PM - Apr 03, 2024![Picture]()
05:53 PM - Apr 03, 2024
Echoing this because it’s a great idea. (Also, so my 50+ brain will remember it an hour from now…)
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Joe JustUs @JoeJustUs@GrouchyGringo57 created a QR code for me that I put on my AI art.12:42 PM - Apr 03, 2024
I understand not wanting to put a watermark on your art. Unfortunately the net is full of thieves.
05:47 PM - Apr 03, 2024
4 Threaded Spouts
A gentle reminder. I take all my photos with an actual camera and do minimal editing for color and shadows. Please do not use my images on other platforms etc. without my permission. Some artists feel using their image even with credit applied is stealing. Social media and AI makes earning a living
12:27 PM - Apr 03, 2024
This. ⬇️
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Milla Mélomane @BritpoptartsADHD03:58 PM - Apr 02, 2024![Picture]()
04:07 PM - Apr 02, 2024
Bucket list… 😍
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Barbara Nelsen @Barbara68The place I want to #stay again is at the beautiful Hotel Ranga in Hella, Iceland. The remote location allowed me my first glimpse of the Northern Lights. The rooms were beautiful (a hot tub was out back!), the food was incredible! An incredible experience! #dailypicturetheme08:47 AM - Apr 02, 2024![I was so lucky that my beautiful room had a hot tub right outside the back door. Nothing like simmering in hot water on a freezing night watching the glimmers of the aurora borealis!
Photo courtesy of Hotel Ranga from Travel & Leisure magazine.]()
04:06 PM - Apr 02, 2024
3 Threaded Spouts
Hey folks!
I don’t have a big follower account, so hoping you will kindly spread the word. Holding the first of what I hope will be an ongoing #SpoutAbout chat on Wed, April 3 at 8pm CST. The theme is #Books , topic #Writing (which will change by month/week). 4 Q’s to talk about and lots of love.
I don’t have a big follower account, so hoping you will kindly spread the word. Holding the first of what I hope will be an ongoing #SpoutAbout chat on Wed, April 3 at 8pm CST. The theme is #Books , topic #Writing (which will change by month/week). 4 Q’s to talk about and lots of love.
07:29 PM - Apr 01, 2024
