Krijasto

Angela Martin

Angela’s Best Moment: Season Three, Episode Thirteen: The Return

When she invites Oscar to join the Party Planning Committee. I believe she does this as part of an olive branch because she feels bad about what happened with Oscar on some level, but also what happened to Dwight and that maybe overall there are some changes she needs to make.

Angela’s Worst Moment: Season Five, Episode Three: Business Ethics

When during the Business Ethics meeting she tells everyone how she once reported Oscar to the I.N.S. That’s bad enough, but to follow up with she’s glad she did it—not okay.

Angela’s Best Line: Season Three, Episode Twenty-One: Women’s Appreciation

 “Sometimes, the clothes at GapKids are too flashy. So I’m forced to go to the American Girl Store and order clothes for large colonial dolls.”

Angela’s Most Memorable Moment: Season Three, Episode Eighteen: The Negotiation

When she goes around asking various coworkers about what happened with Roy and ‘the fight’, getting people to tell her what Dwight did…because it turns her on.

Our Shared Universe: Human Experience

What is truly beautiful and most show by JK Rowlings’ Harry Potter series, but also by many other books (Sakura and the 1,000 paper cranes and the new book-to-movie adaption To all the boys I’ve loved before, is that while our cultures are different, part of us are all the same. WE ARE ALL HUMAN. While some believe in the human being split and others believe in the red string; most of us all have similarities with those very different from ourselves and even if we cannot meet these people face to face, we meet them in the stories that reflect ours, but are just slightly different.  

At the entrance to the Peace Park people filed through the memorial building in silence. On the walls were photographs of the dead and dying in a ruined city. The atom bomb—the Thunderbolt—had turned Hiroshima into a desert. Sadako didn’t want to look at the frightening pictures. She held tight to Chizuko’s hand and walked quickly through the building. -- Sakura and the 1,000 paper cranes 

Is this not how the US currently deals with September 11th, there is respect, there is honor, there is fear and confusion. 

Three protests in Five days

Three protest in Five days and I’m exhausted. 

With the hail coming down, hands and feet frozen, voice crackling, stomach empty I am so fully exhausted; but proud, because even though I feel dead, I also feel..

Last night it’s become clear to me that I must I must bring gloves to work to stand outside as the protest last Thursday, January 19th and last night, January 24th at Trump International Hotel Columbus Circle were last minute with the Women’s March in NYC on Saturday

There were definitely some eye-opening experiences in both good and bad ways; and I’m glad I experienced them both. First, I realized how bad my social anxiety is as it took me a while to feel comfortable chanting in the crowd. 

Second, and more global, was that I don’t believe in always chanting the phrases or agreeing with them just because I’m in the group and while for now I can just not chant what I don’t believe in, I wonder how I will feel in the long run. Being at the protest, demonstration is a show of one more person who doesn’t want the Dakota Access Pipeline, or is upset that woman are still not equal. But does my being there for one action, even though a lot of these are connected and I agree with most, automatically support the others.

Ones I agree with:

“Native Life Matters”

“We Stand with Standing Rock” and “City by City, Block by Block”-->This was probably my favorite overall as it encompasses not only the protest and the Dakota Access Pipeline itself by that those at Standing Rock and across the country were together 

“Water is Life”

“Show me what Democracy looks like, this is what Democracy looks like”

“Love Trumps Hate”

“Whose streets? Our streets!”

And Ones I didn’t agree with:

“Stop the pipeline, not the people” 

“Dump Trump”--> I don’t like him either, but this just isn’t going to solve anything now. I understand what is meant behind this when they say “Not My President”. They want to make it clear that all of the hate he spews is not representative of all of this. But I feel this is more of a divider than anything else

My final and most critical eye opening experience was the fear. I’ve been trying, as a white person, to see how those of other races feel walking down the street. I cannot fully ever understand it, I wasn’t raised to because I wasn’t raised to have to but I feel I got some of it last night. Walking from Trump International Hotel across Central Park South the police were at first just casually around and helped direct a few people and then escorted us blocking traffic as we went towards Trump Tower. but then, two blocks north of our destination we were stopped. Directed onto the left we were lead into, what seemed to be a trap. The gates went all around and we were not allowed to move them. For the next thirty minutes I saw the police officers surrounding the front of the protest grow, and I don’t mean grew as we were all closer together and now so were they grow, I mean REALLY GROW. 

At first nothing was going on, but when asked why we weren’t allowed to cross and why were trapped in we received no response (but this I understand as the officers around us surely weren’t the ones in charge and didn’t want to escalate any feelings). But as the Women’s March Protest on Saturday and the previous Trump International Hotel Protest on Thursday had been peaceful it didn’t make sense and obviously protesting two blocks north would not be effective as we are protesting the President’s actions that day of moving forward with the Dakota Access Pipeline and KeystoneXL. All I know is that the police number grew slowly at first and then in a surge. They had called for backup and where officers had stood comfortably apart, they were now forming a barricade; in a protest of an estimated two thousand, I felt overwhelmed by their presence. Overwhelmed and scared. Eventually the protest got around the barricade and moved all they way down to Time Square and I’ve yet to hear of any violence. 

Overall I am happy I went to these protests as it reminded me, if for nothing else, to get involved and was another way of casting a ballot for myself and against harmful policies. Now onto the next

The King’s Speech

It has Colin Firth, it has some true-history, and it has a different type of diversity. Separate from The Big Sick and Menasche, The King’s Speech continues with the giving voices to those who are voiceless, different and put aside. Recently the film the Upside brought along the question of who should be asked, allowed or at least the ability to try for roles of those with disabilities—especially with films centered on the disability. It’s easy to say that those who have the disability should be given preference and not the role, but maybe there are parts of the role or the schedule that would put too much pressure—Jim Jefferies discussed this in regards to his show Legit—and there might be other obstacles not understood or, as is the case with most things, it’s too “difficult”. It’s a big topic to get into, but one that I couldn’t not flag as the point of this film and post is highlighting things that are difficult for some and confusing for others.

Physical disabilities are not discussed or addressed much in our world or in films and mental and non-physical disabilities are commonly ignored to the level of “they don’t exist”. While a unique situation, Colin’s character is thrust into a more public role where he must be eloquent and present. The Good Boy and frustrated he tries and eventually succeeds at lessening his speech impediments. This is a Hollywood film, with a Hollywood film ending but it still got across the point that he both (1) didn’t have to be perfect, and (2) the difficulties that come with trying to change something innate of your existence. This film does bring forward those with the more sidestepped disabilities that many overcome but are still nervous about, especially as the speech therapist in the film and real life (Lion Logue) remained with the King until he died. Imperfect, the film does stand-in for actors and actresses standing up and making political statements during award shows: they have these platforms, they have (temporarily and from a distance) experienced these journeys, and while it might not always be a true story of someone’s, anything that you can think of has having happened, has happened to someone, somewhere in the world

Neville Longbottom

Oh my goodness Neville, while I connected with Hermione and Luna in love of books, wit, and oddities; my personal experiences always aligned more with Neville, which is why for the majority of the story I was disheartened to find him not having better luck. Regardless, Neville is the character that teaches us the most in the series showing us how words matter, you need to be your strongest supporter, you should do what’s right regardless of others, and how persistence can make all the difference.

“Stick and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”

False. The constant pressure and negativity from his grandmother, Snape and peers held Neville back. Confidence, kindness, respect for different people’s strengths can make all the difference for the individual and for the world. We know all the example I could go thru, but we see as Neville begins to ignore the taunts of others that he continues to improve.

“If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid”

It took some time, but Neville eventually found himself. While he wasn’t good at potions and his fear of McGonagall held him back in Transfiguration, his love of Herbology eventually led him to a dream career as a Professor who will be the new generations Lupin I’m sure. While he felt down on himself, he didn’t feel bad about what or whom he liked and sought out relationships that he deemed worthy. This success also comes from his showing of persistence (slug club, defeating Voldemort), while not in a zealous way, he constantly tries to better himself and handles rejection well, he also doesn’t give up; even at the end of the first year when Harry, Ron and Hermione say they’re going out he doesn’t let them pass, but vows to stay there blocking them off.

While there is a lot we learn from Neville, what I love the most is how he’s a pure, true, good guy. He’s strong, the ultimate underdog and this is also one of the ways I find myself linked, he’s very moral—always trying to do the right and respectable thing. Even as “a nobody”, he would stand up for others and put others ahead of himself as he told Harry to let him be killed to make sure Voldemort and other’s didn’t get what they want, he also wouldn’t give in during the final battle and showed loyalty and trust in Harry beyond the end. Side point with this, his care with his mother and children who have parents are disabled or impaired, it was beautiful and to show how his grandmother was the opposite was very crucial, she might not have known who her son was, but she recognized this sweet boy and I love how he cherishes the wrappers she gives him.

Neville is the character I have the most “what/if” about

What/If he was in Hufflepuff (added points in letting us know a Hufflepuff so it doesn’t have the reputation it does); he also would have had a better connection with Professor Sprout (if that's possible)

What/If he had been closer to Harry, Ron and Hermione earlier on. I get that they were the core 3, but they didn’t even hang out with him as much as I feel they should have, and even when they did it became: Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville, Luna and Ginny.

Of course, the biggest, What/If is if Voldemort had chosen him instead of Harry, who would he have been? Harry would have been the same if he lived with his Aunt and Uncle, or just like James, if he ended up with Sirius (eck)

Lack of Trust and it is the Police who are to blame

Growing up, I would come home from school and watch ALL the Law and Orders. Still do today. I didn’t hear much about how cops were pigs and corrupt—I heard a few stories but mostly kids and teenagers hating the police because they wanted to be against the government more than anything actually have happened to them

With the murder of Trayvon Martin I was very confused. It’s a kid, in a hoodie. 95% of my life I a kid in a hoodie, so…what’s going on here. Then I moved, spent less time with my parents and under strict supervision and would see and have interactions with police.

I’d see them texting while driving, the wrong way down a road.

I’d see them run through the red light without or without the siren on, or just turn it on so others would get out of the way. Both panic-inducing, confusing, disrupting and disturbing as that is a really, loud noise.

I’ve seen them brush off issues that they felt were beneath them to deal with and experienced them lying to me and my lack of understanding and believing and trusting them being held against me. Obviously I was the one who was lying, because at the time I didn’t know my rights. 

(ACLU, thank you for your efforts to make this and other protections in this and other interactions known: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/stopped-by-police#ive-been-pulled-over-by-the-police) 

The distrust of the police is not media brainwashing; it is the complete trust and authority given to police that comes from the all the television shows that at this point are pure propaganda. The police’s values are supposed to be about compassion, respect and professionalism but in my experience their main priority is not their life or even their paycheck but whatever they want when they want it. My experiences are small, but it is the lack of accountability with the most minor of offences that allow larger acts to go unreported—becoming part of the norm.

Police officers choose to serve their communities and they need to prove they are serving all of their community with police officers only being approved if they pass racial bias exams, and police communities are focused on reform with the guidelines set by Campaign Zero and other organizations and reporting systems based on integrity. (https://www.joincampaignzero.org/reports)

Challenges to the Future

As stated, books are great at taking the reader in and allowing them to experience something new. In the late 2000s and continued today, multiple researchers find that while the Harry Potter series focused prejudice specific to the wizarding world (blood status, class, speciesism), children who had read the series had translated the messages of equality into their own lives and lessened their prejudices of class, race, immigrants and others.

With an easy skim, two of my favorite children’s books/series are on this list: Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (of course), and The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. While this large list of 130 of the most frequently challenged books overall (2) does not give the reasons why by looking at the titles you can see these of Cuban-stories (anti-communism, immigration), children growing up (books that mention changing bodies, sex-questions), “attacks” on religion (books with a non-Christian focus: witchcraft mostly), and challenged due to LGBTQIA+ content are again about trying to keep children “pure” and to block them from learning about the world around them. The list focused on YA novels, noted as those written for a YA audience, with a YA main character or frequently on high school reading list (3) has a similar content of banned books but with the addition of some books that to some may just be traumatizing such as The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl.

We know these stories, fiction or non-fiction, can improve young people’s mental health by knowing they are not alone with their feelings or questions, and that introducing someone to a different culture and mindset will increase communication, open-mindedness and reduce violence. I can understand not wanting to children exposed to things too early, but for most and as with my parents, what was seen as too old for me was not accurate and more of a personal desire. We must also remember that children are stronger than we think and children who grow without a diverse experiences will lose out not only because they will have less in life to enjoy but that as they interact with those who are different they have shown to be afraid and become violent.

(1)    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-everyone-should-read-harry-potter/

(2)    http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/childrensbooks

(3)    http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/YAbooks

For nearly a decade, Diana Ramirez hadn’t been able to take a book home from the San Diego Public Library. Her borrowing privileges were suspended, she was told, because of a mere $10 in late fees, an amount that had grown to $30 over the years.

Ramirez, who is now 23 and stays in Tijuana with her mother, attends an alternative education program in San Diego that helps students earn high school diplomas. To her, the debt she owed to the library system was an onerous sum. Even worse, it removed a critical resource from her life.

“I felt disappointed in myself because I wasn’t able to check out books,” Ramirez said. “I wasn’t able to use the computers for doing my homework or filling out job applications. I didn’t own a computer, so the library was my only option to access a computer.”

In April, Ramirez finally caught a break. The San Diego Public Library wiped out all outstanding late fines for patrons, a move that followed the library system’s decision to end its overdue fines. Ramirez was among the more than 130,000 beneficiaries of the policy shift, cardholders whose library accounts were newly cleared of debt.

The changes were enacted after a city study revealed that nearly half of the library’s patrons whose accounts were blocked as a result of late fees lived in two of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. “I never realized it impacted them to that extent,” said Misty Jones, the city’s library director.

For decades, libraries have relied on fines to discourage patrons from returning books late. But a growing number of some of the country’s biggest public library systems are ditching overdue fees after finding that the penalties drive away the people who stand to benefit the most from free library resources.

From San Diego to Chicago to Boston, public libraries that have analyzed the effects of late fees on their cardholders have found that they disproportionately deter low-income residents and children.

‘We Wanted Our Patrons Back’ — Public Libraries Scrap Late Fines To Alleviate Inequity

Illustration: Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR

I’m happy for her an all, but notably sad for myself. I gasped when I saw this on the News. Love her, holding it in for her Netflix stuff. 

BREAKING: Leslie Jones will not be returning for SNL’s 45th season

Meishu, Leider, Ledare

Today, many in the US celebrate a world of chocolate, candies and fantasy. While books tells us the stories of ourselves, our community, those we don’t know and those we will never meet the public spaces we can enjoy these stories, explore and grow. But while many of these stories are true and these public spaces not all in libraries, many of the libraries would be empty if existing at all if not for...authors. 

November 1st is National Author Day, Gracia!