Pat Taub
Mary Robinson at COP26, Glasgow
This week at the Glasgow UN Climate Conference, Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and the current chair of The Elders at the UN, took aim at world leaders, who unlike poorer countries, are not in “crisis mode.”
During a BBC interview she broke down, speaking through tears, beset with worry that the world is not doing enough to keep temperatures from rising above the dangerous level of 1.5 degrees centigrade. She blamed Saudi Arabia for insisting on wording that greatly minimizes the severity of climate change.. If only more compassionate elders would join Mary, who like Greta Thunberg, faulted COP26 as accomplishing little more than “greenwashing,” code for all talk and little action.
Mary Robinson at Glasgow
“Women and Nature”
This week I pulled from my bookshelf a worn copy of Susan Griffin’s 1978 classic, “Women and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her.” It felt like time to re-read this prescient work. Griffin describes how women and nature have been subjugated by patriarchy, discounting women’s contributions along with disdain for damage to the environment . She employs poetic imagery to weave her story. Griffin’s book would be a great book club read.
“Passing”
On my weekend viewing list is Rebecca Hall’s new film for Netflix, “Passing.” The film is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larson. Set primarily in 1920’s Harlem, the story centers on the reunion of two childhood friends played by Tessa Thomson and Ruth Negga. Negga’s character is light skinned. She passes for white and has married a white man, while Thompson’s character lives as a Black woman. This promises to be an absorbing watch.
The stars of “Passing,” Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga
Melissa, My Daughter-in Law
My beautiful daughter-in-law, Melissa, has a birthday this Saturday. She’s married to my oldest son, David. Together they are raising two spirited teens, Jane and Max, in Oak Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. Melissa is a gifted preschool teacher with a big heart. In the photo below she’s bathing the family’s new rescue dog, Raven. The photo doesn’t show her beautiful face, so you’ll have to take it from me that Melissa is very lovely.
