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Short Takes
October Surprise, Katie Porter, A Must-See Film & More!
October Surprise I doubt that anyone anticipated an “October Surprise” in the form of Herr and Frau Trump testing positive for COVID. Will Trump prove to be a super spreader given his close contact with reporters and staff on Air Force One along with the huge maskless crowds he’s addressed recently? This morning on “Democracy Now” [...]
Pat Taub
Unsettling News Stories, A Good Read, Fall Arrives & More!
Unsettling News Stories Lately reading the news inserts me into the Beatles song, “I read the news today, oh boy.” One disturbing report after another, the latest is the forced hysterectomies of women in an ICE detention center in Georgia. If it weren’t for brave whistleblower, Dawn Wooten, a nurse at the center, we might never have [...]
Pat Taub
Banksy’s Newest Project, Granddaughter Jane, A Netflix Series & More!
Banksy to the Rescue We all need good news these days: Banksy to the rescue, both literally and spiritually! Banksy is famous for sneaking into urban spaces and leaving behind politically themed murals. This time he’s decorated a pink motor yacht in order to rescue migrants making the perilous passage to Europe from North Africa. I love [...]
Pat Taub
Country Images, Democratic Convention, Mail Mess & More!
Country Snapshots I’ve been spending most of the week this summer at my country retreat in Waldoboro, Maine. Last Sunday, with two old friends, I attended a dinner at a pig farm that hosts monthly meals in their charming meadow. Here’s two photos from the dinner: a mama pig and her piglets and tables ready for guests. It was a little [...]
Pat Taub
Post Office Scandal, A Free Play, Unsung Sheroes & More!
Agitated Over the Post Office Scandal I’m filled with fury over Herr Orange’s blatant attempts to steal the election by defunding the post office to limit their services in an attempt to curtail mail-in ballots. If it weren’t enough to cut back on post office funds, now our Fascist Post Master General is removing sorting machines from [...]
Pat Taub
COVID Distractions, A Farmer’s Market & A Dutch Windmill in Maine!
Miranda July Trying to take my mind off the very unsettling spikes in COVID, I discovered a funny, quirky short story writer, Miranda July. Reading No one belongs here more than you. I laughed a loud on the average of every three pages. A particularly wacky story is “The Swim Team,” where a young woman gives three octogenarians swimming [...]
Pat Taub
John Lewis, “Jaws” in Maine, A Green Burial & More!
John Lewis This week belonged to the memory of John Lewis, who died on July 17th. I watched footage of the 25-year-old Lewis, being beaten within an inch of his life, when crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in a march for voting rights. Lewis made one final crossing of the bridge in a horse-drawn carriage holding his flag-draped [...]
Pat Taub
Female Power, Family Pride, A Sudden Death & More
Female Power Rising This week saw two amazing expressions of female power. Yesterday on the House floor, Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez gave a powerful speech condemning Representative Yoho for calling her a “F—— B—-,” while broadening her speech to rebuke the verbal abuse of women in general. Cornell West [...]
Pat Taub
COVID in Maine, Gardens, “Offspring” & More!
Maine’s COVID Response This week the New York Times published a color-coded map of the US comparing states’ responses to COVID. I was gratified to see Maine in dark green, which corresponded to those states “trending well.” The only other states in this category are Vermont and New Hampshire. I remain grateful for our excellent [...]
Pat Taub
Maine Fog, Unmuzzled Fauci, A Movie to Watch & More!
Escaping the Plague I continue to be grateful for my Maine country retreat, which offers a respite from the frightening stories of the national spikes in COVID. I still follow the news, but here I can renew my connection with nature, a soothing balm in our increasingly turbulent world. Below is an image of the morning fog, taken from my [...]
Pat Taub