6.05.2014

A great article in The Nation: Why Immigrant Detainees Are Turning to Civil Disobedience.

Media run down! On the nightstand: I just read, and enjoyed, this Swedish mystery: "Dead of Summer" by Mari Jungstedt (my first from the author - I will definitely seek out more. Classic straightforward, somewhat deadpan, clearly-written contemporary Swedish mystery), and now I'm reading another by the same publisher, "Killer's Island" by Anna Jansson. TV wise: we are still OBSESSED with Orphan Black! So, so good. Don't know what took us this long to get into it... Music wise: listening to First Aid Kit, Lorde (no shame), old REM....I need new suggestions.

One of my favorite shows, Top Chef, has come to film in Boston, and I'm basically on a constant look out for Gail, Padma, Hugh, and Tom. I must find a way to be involved! For those of you similarly obsessed, email and text for the chance to be involved! Fingers seriously crossed...

I listened to this interview this past weekend, and have been thinking about it ever since, especially Mr. Harding's explanation of non-violence direct action as not allowing the oppressors, your adversaries, to chose your weapons: "We tried to redefine what fighting was about. It was not fighting. It was fighting choosing your own weapons rather than allowing yourself to be sucked into the weaponry of the opponent that you're struggling with. We tried as much as possible, and we didn't have to work very hard on this, because many black people in their wisdom there in the South saw what that kind of weapon - love - and that romance with the gun and that militarism of the South had done to so many white Southerners, that it had warped them and their values and their capacity to really be human. And one of the critical things that we felt we wanted to do was to find a way of struggle that everybody could participate in. You didn't have to be a big, strong macho man to do it. You could be an 80-year-old grandmother. You could be a 12-year-old young woman." Listen: 'Fresh Air' Remembers Civil Rights Activist Vincent Harding. Harding died Monday at 82. He wrote several speeches for Martin Luther King Jr., including his controversial 1967 speech opposing the war in Vietnam.

Image: These hotties are two of my favorites in the whole world! And I have a favor to ask! My bestie and her awesome man are finalists in a contest to have the Portland, Oregon wedding of their dreams. They are great couple who has been through so much, and I would love to see them get the celebration of life that they deserve. So, if you have a moment, please take a second to vote for Lisette and Nick! All you have to do is go to the following Facebook pages, like them, and comment on the photo of Lisette and Nick: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. AND/ OR you can also vote by leaving the Lisette and Nick's names as a comment on the following blogs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Voting ends Thursday, June 12, 2014 11:59pm PST. THANK YOU!