Thank you for your reply and your recommendation!!!! 💙 I too love everything SLOW and don't care about fashion!!! Like I shared on my newsletter most recently- I love slow times with good food, art, music and friends.
Well said, Kate. I don't use Facebook for personal reasons these days and I'm frustrated I can't delete my account because I need it for work and kids group communications. I even had to use it for a restaurant reservation the other week. It was the only way to book!
I think Substack had a hiccup earlier, because I know I replied, but do not see the reply now. (Oh sure, now it showed up! I deleted b/c it was a shorter version of this comment.)
Ugh, the only way to book! How unsettling. I wish we had community forums to use, publicly moderated / owned, where people could communicate. The local newspapers in the U.S. keep disappearing, which is a chilling development for democracy because it reinforces and inflates the presence of national media messages instead of people engaging with neighbors whom we see as people first, regardless of their politics. Btw, I just put a hold on a copy of Jacinda Ardern’s new book at my library. I know it’s Kiwiland not Aus, but I am intrigued by her views on leadership. Do you have a strong opinion of her as former PM?
Jacinda Ardern's memoir looks interesting. I'm tempted to add it to my reading pile, but I've just started reading Alexis Wright's Praiseworthy and it's a bit like reading a longer version of James Joyce's Ulysses. I suspect I'll be reading it for the next 4 months 😂
Ardern was popular in Australia. She was a great diplomat and was viewed favourably outside NZ, but she had policy challenges domestically and I think some things just didn't pan out in her favour. I like her. If only more politicians were as empathetic as Ardern, the world would be in a much less precarious place.
Thanks for your insights on Jacinda Ardern. Rather than becoming the horrid asshats that men usually are in politics (e.g. Mrs. Thatcher, aka: granite panties; Kristi Noem, our puppy-executioner Sec. of Homeland Security), women are our best hope for the kind of leadership that can push an agenda of humanity. I think Ardern has been courageous in explicitly putting forth that kind of leadership model, and I am curious to see that grow.
Wright is new to me (a Yank—of course we are so self-centered). I just looked her up along with Praiseworthy, and from what I see, it looks as though she has reimagined complex ideas in a deeply resonant fictional style interweaving climate change with the wisdom and myth of indigenous peoples and the land. I imagine it has many parallels to North American colonialism and the rampant—one could say reviving—racism erupting in our country, thanks to the carbuncle in chief. (I just bought a graphic tee with the text: "So, you're against illegal immigration? Splendid! When do you leave?") Thank you for introducing her to me!
I also wanted to mention that I am in the midst of an approaching house move in July, so am behind on reading Mind Flexing. I don't want to just skim, so am saving them up for some focused reading and reflection time once settled. ❤️
Nice shirt 👏 Yes, Praiseworthy is definitely in a league of its own. It's not an easy read and I find myself re-reading lines, and that's for someone who's familiar with the lingo, but I'm definitely intrigued. I love how dual worlds exist and character names change with their development. I'll let you know how it goes when I get to the end in a few months 😂
Good luck with the move, Kate! Always a busy time. I hope it goes smoothly.
Oof, it sounds difficult, but rewarding. I am guessing so much of it would be inaccessible to someone outside of Australia or New Zealand who does not have any grounding in the many cultural allusions. Thanks for the good wishes on moving!
Interesting timing for this missive. Just yesterday, I deleted the sub stack app from my phone to stop myself from doom scrolling. Thank you for giving a shout out for the librarians‘ CRAAP test!
So kind of you to include my comment! Thank you!!! Thank you especially for the whole post!! Yes, it's up to us to choose what we engage with - just because it’s advertised doesn't mean we have to buy it!! And like you I haven't owned or viewed television in decades! Increasingly I minimize social media too. I value the slow thoughtful *real* things... like your newsletters! 💙🫶💚
Aw, thank you, Sue! Yes, it is about quality, people, animals, the planet, our neighbors, communities, and SLOWING the hell down. Slow food, slow work, slow fashion (a great podcast I’ve learned so much from about everything sustainability-related, not just clothing, is Clotheshorse. Highly recommended, and I live in my pajamas…don’t care about fashion in the least!)
Thank you for your reply and your recommendation!!!! 💙 I too love everything SLOW and don't care about fashion!!! Like I shared on my newsletter most recently- I love slow times with good food, art, music and friends.
YES!!
Well said, Kate. I don't use Facebook for personal reasons these days and I'm frustrated I can't delete my account because I need it for work and kids group communications. I even had to use it for a restaurant reservation the other week. It was the only way to book!
I think Substack had a hiccup earlier, because I know I replied, but do not see the reply now. (Oh sure, now it showed up! I deleted b/c it was a shorter version of this comment.)
Ugh, the only way to book! How unsettling. I wish we had community forums to use, publicly moderated / owned, where people could communicate. The local newspapers in the U.S. keep disappearing, which is a chilling development for democracy because it reinforces and inflates the presence of national media messages instead of people engaging with neighbors whom we see as people first, regardless of their politics. Btw, I just put a hold on a copy of Jacinda Ardern’s new book at my library. I know it’s Kiwiland not Aus, but I am intrigued by her views on leadership. Do you have a strong opinion of her as former PM?
Oh technology, always messing with us 🙂
Jacinda Ardern's memoir looks interesting. I'm tempted to add it to my reading pile, but I've just started reading Alexis Wright's Praiseworthy and it's a bit like reading a longer version of James Joyce's Ulysses. I suspect I'll be reading it for the next 4 months 😂
Ardern was popular in Australia. She was a great diplomat and was viewed favourably outside NZ, but she had policy challenges domestically and I think some things just didn't pan out in her favour. I like her. If only more politicians were as empathetic as Ardern, the world would be in a much less precarious place.
Thanks for your insights on Jacinda Ardern. Rather than becoming the horrid asshats that men usually are in politics (e.g. Mrs. Thatcher, aka: granite panties; Kristi Noem, our puppy-executioner Sec. of Homeland Security), women are our best hope for the kind of leadership that can push an agenda of humanity. I think Ardern has been courageous in explicitly putting forth that kind of leadership model, and I am curious to see that grow.
Wright is new to me (a Yank—of course we are so self-centered). I just looked her up along with Praiseworthy, and from what I see, it looks as though she has reimagined complex ideas in a deeply resonant fictional style interweaving climate change with the wisdom and myth of indigenous peoples and the land. I imagine it has many parallels to North American colonialism and the rampant—one could say reviving—racism erupting in our country, thanks to the carbuncle in chief. (I just bought a graphic tee with the text: "So, you're against illegal immigration? Splendid! When do you leave?") Thank you for introducing her to me!
I also wanted to mention that I am in the midst of an approaching house move in July, so am behind on reading Mind Flexing. I don't want to just skim, so am saving them up for some focused reading and reflection time once settled. ❤️
Nice shirt 👏 Yes, Praiseworthy is definitely in a league of its own. It's not an easy read and I find myself re-reading lines, and that's for someone who's familiar with the lingo, but I'm definitely intrigued. I love how dual worlds exist and character names change with their development. I'll let you know how it goes when I get to the end in a few months 😂
Good luck with the move, Kate! Always a busy time. I hope it goes smoothly.
Oof, it sounds difficult, but rewarding. I am guessing so much of it would be inaccessible to someone outside of Australia or New Zealand who does not have any grounding in the many cultural allusions. Thanks for the good wishes on moving!
Thanks for reposting! I must have missed it the first time but find it to be timely and worthwhile.
Thank you, Stephen. I continue to enjoy your thoughtful and enlightening pieces!
Interesting timing for this missive. Just yesterday, I deleted the sub stack app from my phone to stop myself from doom scrolling. Thank you for giving a shout out for the librarians‘ CRAAP test!
Yes, thank you for the CRAAP test resource! I love it.
Great! It's my information validity go-to.
So kind of you to include my comment! Thank you!!! Thank you especially for the whole post!! Yes, it's up to us to choose what we engage with - just because it’s advertised doesn't mean we have to buy it!! And like you I haven't owned or viewed television in decades! Increasingly I minimize social media too. I value the slow thoughtful *real* things... like your newsletters! 💙🫶💚
Thanks again!!!
Aw, thank you, Sue! Yes, it is about quality, people, animals, the planet, our neighbors, communities, and SLOWING the hell down. Slow food, slow work, slow fashion (a great podcast I’ve learned so much from about everything sustainability-related, not just clothing, is Clotheshorse. Highly recommended, and I live in my pajamas…don’t care about fashion in the least!)