Can you stand another bee photo? I took this one a few days ago of a bee trying valiantly to visit the long, trumpet-shaped flowers on Nicole the Nicotiana. It was quite windy and the bee was having trouble landing on them. I'm not sure those flowers are really made for bees as opposed to ants or something smaller, but somehow it managed and hopefully benefitted. I would think a Nicotiana would make some pungent honey, as aromatic as those plants are. Even just touching it leaves my hand strongly but not unpleasantly scented, and feeling a bit sticky.
As a follow-up to my previous post about covering books, I thought you'd like to see what I'm dealing with in terms of quantity. These are the books I covered yesterday, both hardbacks and paperbacks. This is how they usually come to me, in stacks with the spine labels printed on top. I covered all of these and it took me a couple of hours. Whew!
Covering can be a weirdly soothing process, a task that requires skill and attention but not a lot of brain power. I can daydream a bit while I do it. But as some of you suggested in the comments, it also becomes tedious when there are a lot of books to do -- and also kind of painful, because it requires a good grip and a firm hand to smooth down the plastic covering, especially on the paperbacks. My hands are always sore after I cover a stack of books.
Anyway, enough of that.
A student gave the head librarian a cupcake yesterday on this napkin. I thought it was pretty cute so I thought I'd share it. The librarian also gave me the cupcake, which wasn't bad!
This reminds me that The New York Times had an article the other day about "junk journaling," in which people -- all women, in the article -- create collages in notebooks with found items like stickers, labels, napkins, stamps, ticket stubs, whatever. I suppose I'm junk journaling here, in a virtual sense. I've always saved stickers and labels and other bits of trash and stuck them into my journals, way back to when I was a kid in the '70s. I had no idea what I was doing had a name. (Granted, my collages were not as dense as those produced by some of the junk journalers highlighted in the article!)
Dave was away last night for Back-to-School night, in which parents come to the school, see the facilities and teachers, blah blah blah. There was another one scheduled for next week but now that's been postponed because of a planned tube strike beginning Sunday.
As long as we're talking about current events, did you see that comedian Graham Linehan was arrested for some anti-trans tweets he made several months ago? This has caused quite a furor and a discussion about the limits of policing speech in the UK. Although Britain values free speech, there is no written constitutional guarantee like there is in the USA and there are limits to what can be said without legal repercussions. I can't walk up to a person on the street, for example, and use racist language against them -- that's an offense for which I can be arrested. Linehan was arrested, as I understand it, because his tweets recommended punching trans women if they're in female-only spaces -- that specific suggestion of violence is what got him into trouble, though he says he was "joking." (Ha. Ha.)
I think what Linehan said was odious and offensive, but I do think the police went too far in arresting him. His threat, such as it was, was non-specific and not directed toward any individual. I tend to have a rather maximalist view of free speech, that people should be allowed to be assholes if they want -- and perhaps this is my American perspective since free speech in the USA is more legally absolute than here.
But I question why people say the things they do. I don't know why we all can't be more considerate of each other, live and let live, and stop trying to game the Twitter algorithm by being the most offensive person in the digital room and thereby getting more views and retweets. As the saying goes, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
I am so with you there where you write that you "don't know why we all can't be more considerate of each other, live and let live". If only!! But every time I become an involuntary ear-witness to any neighbours shouting at each other within their own family, I think that if we can't even get along with our nearest and dearest, how are we ever going to achieve real peace on a wider scale.
ReplyDeleteAs for covering books, as I mentioned in my comment to your previous post, I did a lot of that in my time, at a desk set aside in our larger shared office specifically for that task. A colleague would usually sit across the table, also covering books, and we'd use the time chatting while our hands were busy. It was a cosy sort of work, undemanding and satifsying. For the smoothing of the plastic, we had special tools; a thick, sturdy piece of pressed cardboard, a bit smaller than a regular postcard, with one side covered in thick felt of a creamy white colour. You took the carboard in one hand and while holding down the book, "wiped" across the cover to smooth out all bubbles and creases. It worked very well, and we all had our own "smoother" with the name written on in black felt pen.
We have a white, ruler-shaped plastic tool with rounded edges that acts as a smoother. I think they used to be made of bone back in the day, and they still look sort of bone-like.
DeleteThe technical term for one is a "boner".
DeleteI've just read that it was more than a couple of tweets, if fact a sustained attack that had gone on for a while....I didn't think that it would be for something brief albeit unpleasant
ReplyDeleteI think he has long expressed anti-trans views, but as I understand it the arrest was specifically based on three tweets.
DeleteFree speech... you can say whatever you want? Truth or Lie? Whip up naive or stupid people into a frothing frenzy with no impediments? Hmm, sounds like some people I have seen lately ...
ReplyDeleteThat is the downside of free speech!
DeleteIf that’s Graham Lineham’s idea of funny, he must not be a very good comedian. Encouraging violence is a hateful thing to do. I do wonder if a person should be arrested for saying ignorant and hurtful things. But I’ve read that Lineham is accused of posting abusive and vindictive material about a 17-year-old trans activist. It sounds like his attacks put her at great risk.
ReplyDeleteI think that's something of a separate (but obviously related) incident. The Times story says, "Mr. Linehan, 57, is set to go on trial on Thursday on separate charges of harassing an 18-year-old campaigner for transgender rights, accusations he denies." I'm sure he was on the police radar because of that earlier alleged harassment.
DeleteFree speech on line has become a place where if you want to you can say hurtful things, I am very much in your camp, 'live and let live' and 'if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything'. As we are being reminded everyday, we do not know what the other person is going through.
ReplyDeleteWasn't the cupcake good enough for Big Boss Woman? I would have been wary about munching on her rejects in case the baker had laced the said item with "Trump" branded fart powder. And yes, the public arrest of Mr Linehan was most concerning given the many genuine crimes that the police habitually dismiss.
ReplyDeleteI love the nicotiana flower and also bees so please go on showing them. I came across a very old recording in my journal yesterday about the eight species found in my old garden.
ReplyDeleteAlthough on rare occasions I do include a picture, a newspaper article or perhaps on the rarest of occasions a meaningful ticket stub into my journal, I guess I probably don't fall on the spectrum of junk journaling. My oldest daughter however sticks lots of stickers and stuff into her journal. I'm not going to call it that to her as it pleases me to see her journaling as I, my father and grandfather all have.
ReplyDeleteI tend to side with your views on free speech too Steve. I always come back to the "slippery slope" argument. If we start making certain things illegal to say, where do we draw the line and who gets to draw it. As we see with the current U.S. President, we get one crazy person in office and the lines get shifted dramatically.
In my opinion, it is quite obvious why people say things like that, to draw attention to themselves. Ignoring them and depriving them of attention is the best thing you can do to counter what they are saying. Unfortunately in these days of social media, there is no column inches or clip length limitations like the print and television news have and so it is quite easy for people to receive attention and thus I think encourages people to say these things.
The NYT uses a different bee picture every day with the help section of the Spelling Bee puzzle. Have you thought of submitting some of yours for their use?
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at how cruel and mean people have gotten over the last 20 years. Even now, after being used to this barrage of unkindness, I am still flabbergasted at what people write about others online. I don't think the orange felon in the White House helps with that as he is one of the worst offenders in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteSome bees are thieves, and chew holes in flowers to take the nectar without pollinating them. Clearly, your bee was a law-abiding bee.
ReplyDeleteI love the bee struggling to get into the flower! Not the brightest, maybe. I expect there's a range of intelligence among animals just as in humans.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing the arrest was what they could get a provable case on, not necessarily the worst thing he'd done. See also Al Capone and tax evasion.
I think people say these asshatted things for attention and clicks on social media. I've often suggested that people should try saying the things they post IN PERSON and IN PUBLIC and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteBut they hide behind a screen name.
I'm so tired of racist/anti-trans or LGTBQ/ethnic hostility. It seems to get worse and worse (of course, the US has a fine role model for such activity here in its president). Get over it, people, I want to scream. How about trying a bit of kindness. (I've been in the north too long this summer, maybe.) I dug out a book that has the covers you described (hardcover) and the person who pulled these together had used a piece of strapping tape on the inside flaps, taping the flap/plastic inside to the front cover. It looked so much sloppier than your method. Maybe the tech has changed.
ReplyDeleteWell, I've never heard of that comedian so I imagine he is just trying for attention. Why he would want to attract haters is beyond me. His actions will make most people shy away from his work.
ReplyDeleteTreat others they way you want to be treated. Kindness is so easy and so rewarding.
That last paragraph 100% x 1000. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteThis brings to mind J.K. Rowling and her outspoken feelings about trans people. I don't know that she's actually suggested violence towards any but I know that her attitudes and comments have dissuaded a lot of people from buying or even reading her books and that is a good example of free speech and how others can react to it.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, speech IS powerful, both for good and for bad. Lynch mobs were fed with the fiery speech of racists. Hate crimes are influenced by hate speech.
I like what Ellen D. reminded us which is to treat each others as we treat ourselves. The anonymity of the internet does indeed encourage people to say things that they would never speak out loud in a public, IRL situation.
I don't think what he said was a joke, it was misogynist. A trans woman is a woman. The comedian sounds like a bigotted asshole. Men seem to be so afraid of of gay people and trans people.
ReplyDeleteAs for junk journalling, it sounds like scrapbooking, without the fancy stuff:)
This post has lots of variety. Free speech is tricky as it's hard to set up boundaries.
ReplyDeleteI don't know Steve. He's directing violence against a specific group of people. Not sure why this is less bad than against a specific person. Perhaps is people faced absolute consequences for advocating violence against a specific group as they would against a specific person then they might be less likely to do so. And why do people like Linehan think they can tell if a woman is trans just by looking at her? Because they think she might have masculine features? Lots of women have masculine features especially depending on how they wear their hair and how they dress, how they walk, how they act so the threat is against a much larger group. And that excuse, it was just a joke, is typical male gaslighting. It's what men (and I suppose women too though much rarer) say when they have been called out for saying something mean or abusive, a way to blame the victim for being upset. I really don't understand why it is so hard for some people to just live and let live, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But some people are just assholes. My youngest brother in law, when he was a teen and chat rooms were the first social media sites would join a chat room and asshole everyone until he was the only person left. He thought it was hilarious. I'm happy to say he turned into a decent adult, would never do anything like that now.
ReplyDeleteSome people need to stop and think before they speak. Hurtful words are so unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThe total lies and half-truths that float about are not appreciated either and they seem to be everywhere today.
Why do some people choose to be offensive?
That napkin looks like my Mari, except she doesn't have blue eyes. Never seen a black cat with blue eyes! Directing violence against a specific group of people is supposed to be a no-no in the U.S. but I know of many politicians who have done so with 0 consequences. :(
ReplyDeleteSocial media has lowered standards and manners. I am often shocked at how easily some commenters reveal their lesser selves to the world. I take pleasure in blocking them, because although they have the right to say what they like, I have to right to not have to be subjected to their meanness. Then they never see what I say, and I never see what they say. Win/win.
ReplyDeleteCodex: Separating topics. Sorry, disagree with you. There's a difference between free speech and hate speech. He made a public comment thoughts turn to speech, speech turns to action. Maybe not through him but someone who reads his tweets. There are many other ways he could have voiced his opinion within free speech.
ReplyDeleteI too wonder why people say the things they do. I think it's because they can, without accountability. There are bigots in my family who make awful comments without consequences. If personal accountability is lax, perhaps public is necessary.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting discussion here. It seems that more and more people seem to think that being as obnoxious as possible is the way to go. I call it the DJT syndrome.
ReplyDeleteShould we tolerate hate speech as free speech? A question for thought. Words can hurt, and rile up hateful people to act. Not a clear answer.
ReplyDelete