Via Head Like an Orange.
Here is this week’s list of blog posts, poems, and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.
Meet the New Anti-Adoption Movement, the Surprising Next Frontier in Reproductive Justice. A really interesting article about people fighting back against coercion and corruption in the private adoption industry that my husband shared with me recently. What it boils down to is that the social safety net for poor and marginalized people is in tatters in the U.S.
Dude, I Don’t Talk Religion or Politics. I’m really curious to hear how (or when, or if) my readers broach these topics with their friends and family members. As I said in my comment to this blogger, I’m cautious about discussing this stuff until I get to know people well. Debating isn’t fun to me, so I try to figure folks out long before controversial topics. It’s fine if we disagree, I just hate being cornered by argumentative people. Frankly that kind of social interaction stresses me out and gives me a bad impression of people who get that excited about “winning.” I’d much rather focus on why we think the way we do than on trying to change anyone’s mind.
Romancifying Vincent via SufiJohn. A humorous break from all of the serious links this week. It takes a lot of talent to write a limerick that balances good storytelling with the silliness inherent in this style of poetry.
Hiding in N. Virginia, A Daughter of Auschwitz via OpaRide. The woman profiled in this piece has hidden her true identity for decades for fear that she will be punished for crimes her father committed. What amazes me the most is that some people actually blame her for atrocities that happened when she was a preschooler.
Stay As Sweet As You Are – Sugar Seduction. This blog post claims that in the 1950s corn syrup and dextrose were considered healthy. I find that hard to believe, but the post is so well written I’m sharing it with my readers anyways. The entire site is full of fascinating historical information. Some I’ve heard before and believe to be true, other stories I’m not so sure about. Maybe one of you will know!
From Oh…September via @ConfusedPoet00:
Oh… September.
Not on the mend at all
Are you?
From The Enemy is Religion:
So no, religion is not the common enemy of atheists. I’m an atheist (in the sense that I withhold belief on the God claim, a category which some people prefer to call agnostic) and religion is not my enemy. I object to religions only to an extent that they harm people or promote cruelty to others. And the last few weeks in the atheist movement has really shown me that theists don’t have a corner on that market.
How would you react if you found a strange, mute child sleeping on your porch? The Boy on the Porch starts off sounding like a traditionally sentimental story about a small town, a lonely childless couple, and an abandoned boy who desperately needs a safe place to stay for a while. I actually almost stopped reading a few chapters into the plot because I was sure I knew how it would end.
I was wrong.
Longterm readers know that I’d never recommend something cloying or mushy to you. There’s nothing wrong with liking sentimental fiction, of course, it’s just not a genre that appeals to me. I can’t divulge any more of the plot without spoiling it for you, but trust me when I say it’s well worth a try.
This is not your typical orphan story by any stretch of the imagination. Modern day fables are few and far between, but I suspect this book will become an instant classic.
What have you been reading? What modern fables do you love? Have you ever judged a book by it’s beginning and been completely wrong about it?
I like your weather video loop
Thank you! I’m mesmerized by it.