It wasn’t until I was somewhere a few miles out from seeing any other humans and at exactly the same moment I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake in the middle of nowhere, Utah, that I thought an endeavor to say “yes” for a year might actually kill me.Happily, my husband, Luke, grabbed my backpack and kept me from leaping in fright off the edge of a giant rock. Unhappily, it was also Luke who suggested we bypass the deadly slithering thing by giving it only a few feet of space, as opposed to taking a much longer route around the literal rock and a hard place we were between.But we managed, and the 12-mile hike ended up being my favorite part of a big trek through national parks for the pair of us. (Not having any cell phone service for 10 days was admittedly a close second.)It was also, in many ways, a crystallizing of what I learned in 2018: There may be danger in it, but it’s worth leaning into the opportunities you’re offered, to finally do all the things … [Read more...] about What I learned from saying ‘yes’ for a year
I adopted a dog and now i regret it
The Love Story that Upended the Texas Prison System
But Beto put on a charm offensive, the one that usually won over reporters and other visitors to his domain. He was always on the lookout for “do-gooders,” and usually managed to show interlopers only what he wanted them to see. The press reliably sang Beto’s praises in glowing feature stories, and there were things to praise: Beto had overseen the construction of new, more modern facilities and opened vocational learning and educational programs. Convicts could now earn their GEDs while in prison. In their first meeting, Beto felt obliged to warn Jalet of how inmates often sought to con outsiders. He told her she should be particularly wary of Fred Cruz. Cruz was often in trouble for being a “writ-writer” and helping other prisoners out with their legal cases. Beto saw him as crafty, always trying to “out-snicker” him. He didn’t want Jalet to be taken advantage of by such a “nonconformist.” “Is being a … [Read more...] about The Love Story that Upended the Texas Prison System
Ken Burns Isn’t Mad
ENTERTAINMENT 09/25/2018 06:33 pm ET Updated 40 minutes ago The “far, far left,” “far, far right” and “third- and fourth-rate academics” are all wrong about America’s most famous documentary filmmaker. Just ask him. By Maxwell Strachan It’s not that Ken Burns has thin skin. Maybe he did, early on, but he insists he’s different now. It’s that he has no patience for the people who pick apart his documentaries without having ever watched them. He’s talking about the eggheads, the “third- and fourth-rate academics,” the journalist sitting across from him in a French-American bistro in Manhattan, whom he accuses — falsely, I can report, since that journalist is me — of having prepared by Googling “controversy.” Nor does he have patience for the notion that his films try too hard to be all things to all Americans — a criticism for which he has a decidedly un-PBS … [Read more...] about Ken Burns Isn’t Mad
Calendar for July 28
Calendar Saturday, July 28, 2018, 12:05 a.m. Share this story *NOTE: Check availability and location of all Hawaii Volcanoes National Park events. Arts and Exhibits ADVERTISING TODAY, July 14 FRIDAY, Aug. 3 ABSTRACT ONLY! ART EXHIBIT Where: Wailoa Center, 200 Piopio St., Hilo When: 5 p.m. Friday (opening reception and awards ceremony); exhibit on display during regular center hours through Aug. 30 Details: Come meet the artists and learn about abstract art during the opening reception, which is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Contact: Wailoa Center, 933-0416, [email protected] Classes TODAY, July 28 CONSCIOUS COMMUNICATION: HOW TO ENGAGE IN THOUGHTFUL EXPRESSION AND ACTIVE LISTENING Where: Hilo Public Library, 300 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo When: 2 p.m. today Details: Learn some powerful and effective active listening techniques, including nonverbal communication, summarizing for understanding and asking appropriate questions. Walk … [Read more...] about Calendar for July 28
Dead bodies, wild dogs, squatters in government-owned Detroit houses
Jennifer Dixon Detroit Free Press Published 11:11 p.m. UTC Jul 19, 2018 At one end of Alpine Street, near Joy Road on Detroit's west side, Georgeia Elder and a friend live in a leaky trailer, their yard cluttered with a boat and a Cadillac Escalade with four ladders on the roof, a shopping cart and a lawn mower, a folding chair and a metal headboard. A pit bull, Lady, laps up spaghetti and gravy from a takeout container. At the other end of this short stretch of Alpine, near Tireman Avenue, a woman known as Spankie lives in a house with a dog she calls "my baby." A heart-shaped sign hangs from the front door that says "Bless Our Home." A handwritten sign instructs the postal carrier to put her mail in a box tucked into a milk crate next to the porch stairs. A scent of straw and animals hangs in the air. These occupants don't own the properties where they live. They're not paying rent … [Read more...] about Dead bodies, wild dogs, squatters in government-owned Detroit houses