Resistance, Refugees and Judy Blume [#38]
Hey y'all,
I hope you are taking good care of yourselves since it's only 10 days into the new American administration and everything feels so unmoored. My coping mechanism of late has been to read Judy Blume teen novels (which feel so innocent)* in single sittings, in order to train myself to focus on a non-work-related task for a couple of hours without distraction. Feel free to send any self-care you've found useful and I can share with the readership!**
What I Read
They got their son back for a year. Public sleeping is a badge of honor. Why the McFlurry machine is down again. Things will get worse, but if you're in a position to do so, stand up. Obama's America: Don't call it a comeback, it's been here for years. On pitying Melania Trump. "We're watching everyone freak out ... but it emotionally wears us down." Republicans have no good reason not to impeach. The unsettling disintegration of the American press. The messed up Korean salary system and its effects. The little pressure cooker that could (no, it's not a metaphor for the Korean salary system, it's really about a pressure cooker.) A table showing which animals fart.
What I Wrote
Highest-ranking North Korean defector in decades says free flow of information and open internet is what will bring down Kim Jong Un. Samsung pins the blame on batteries. I'm the daughter of a defector and refugee.
Recommendations
I realize I'm late to this, but Julian Barnes' Sense of an Ending is incredible. It's about memory and how corruptible it is, group dynamics and long-term consequences. It's also a super fast read.
Friend Harper sends along photos he took at the spontaneous protest against Trump's executive order that broke out at ORD (Chicago O'Hare).
Feel like giving? Consider Mercy Corps' work benefitting Syrian children.
Until next time,
E-Hu
*I don't know if this is innocent or just ridiculous, but one of her characters names his penis "Ralph." I am indifferent on people naming their penises, but Ralph sounds like the name of a used car salesman from New Jersey.
**Now in the three figures