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In the spirit of WAI (warmth, acceptance and inclusion), Matt & Bowen resume their podcast hosting duties and begin the ninth (!) season of Las Cultch. The girls had time to watch some flicks! It's an Oscar film extravaganza in which our hosts review and discuss Maestro, Saltburn, All Of Us Strangers, Anatomy Of A Fall, Poor Things, American Fiction, The Holdovers, Are You There God It's Me Margaret, Past Lives and The Color Purple. And finally! We get to chat about the season four finale of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots! Podcast Commentary! All this, Gypsy Rose Blanchard's media/world takeover, recent White Lotus casting news, the impending drop of "Yes, And?" by Miss Grande, Drag Race's season 16 premiere, whatever it means to be on the "Epstein List" and how Dua Lipa deserves the right to her vacations. OKAY, now go read a book, readers! If that's your real name...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chauncey celebrates his LAFB Fantasy League title with Thaddeus as well as Amar and Tad Desai of "The Desai Guys" podcast. The four of them share their biggest fantasy busts, steals, villains, waiver wire heroes, bad predictions, bold predictions, and everything in between. Afterwards, they discuss what they've watched in the past week including "Godzilla Minus One", "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters", "Futurama", "The Holdovers", "Saltburn", "What If", For All Mankind", "Are You There God It's Me Margaret?", and more. LA PODFIDENTIAL is brought to you by Underdog Fantasy and is part of the LAFB PODCAST NETWORK.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Megan chats with Kelly Fremon Craig about continuously growing up, giving women the freedom to be unlikable on screen, what it means to be a mother and a filmmaker and, of course, her incredible film, Are You There God It's Me Margaret.
ON THE 125th EPISODE OF BOMB SQUAD MOVIE NIGHT: Tanner, Austin, and Joe discuss the 2023 coming-of-age comedy-drama film from Kelly Fremon Craig,
Christine Riccio & Natasha Polis talk all things nerdy in the book, tv, movie, pop culture, fandoms, and how they integrate into their adult lives. Today they're breaking down Taylor Swift's newest drop Speak Now TV, sifting through all the vault tracks. And fan casting their favorite series A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Plus they chat Ali Hazelwood books, Riley Sager, the Barbie movie and more! And this week in Chapter Chat they venture into chapters 5 and 6 of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. Today in Fangirl Tea Time: Natasha gives us the low down on her entire experience at the World Premiere of Greta Gerwig's Barbie! That's available on the Patreon for Team Jacob and up! Join those F%#KING FANGIRLS Patreon Community: https://www.patreon.com/thoseforkingfangirls Follow the visual show on Youtube: http://youtube.com/@thoseforkingfangirls Follow Nahomy! https://www.instagram.com/nahomyslibrary/ | https://www.youtube.com/c/nahomyslibrary Website: https://thoseforkingfangirls.com/ Email us feedback: thoseforkingfangirls@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoseforkingfangirls/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/forkfangirlspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoseforkingfangirls What Right Now: Movies - Encanto, Barbie, The Little Mermaid, Are You There God It's Me Margaret, Love Again TV - The Bear S2, Virgin River S4, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, Never Have I Ever Books - Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, The Only One Left by Riley Sager
It's summer time and time to take part in that American tradition - go to a movie theater for the free air conditioning! It's also the time when the movie studios hedge their bets by releasing the latest versions of their old franchises. And we've seen two of the biggest. We start with "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One." It stars all your favorite (welll most of them) MI regulars including Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Furguson and Simon Pegg along with newcomer Hayley Atwell. There's a one line plot - "Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands." But then there are the stunts. Two hours and forty three minutes worth.of stunts. Is it fun? Bill Bregoli saw it and he'll let you know. Then there's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" starring that lovable curmudgeon Harrison Ford along with Phoebe Waller-Bridge. It too has a one line plot - "Archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary artifact that can change the course of history." But there's more to it than that - there are Nazis! Then Bill Mccuddy tells us about "Are You There God It's Me, Margaret" which is now streaming and Neil tells us about two books he's been reading - "All About Me" by Mel Brooks and "Apropo of Nothing" by Woody Allen. So pour yourself a cold one and listen in.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4137244/advertisement
Discussed this episode: Across the Spider-Verse, Are You There God It's Me Margaret, The Lake House, Suzume, You Hurt My Feelings, The Boogeyman, Couples Therapy, The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, Primo The Women of Jonestown
Helen and Gavin chat about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, and Are You There God It's Me Margaret, and it's Week 76 from the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Best Songs Ever, numbers 125 to 121; Anarchy in the UK by Sex Pistols, That'll Be the Day by Buddy Holly, This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) by Talking Heads, People Get Ready by The Impressions, and Let it Be by The Beatles.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor brings back Cal Kestis for another interstellar romp, blending Souls-like combat and Uncharted-like exploration in great measures. How has his Jedi technique evolved in the intervening years since Fallen Order? And what's like, the grossest facial hair you can unlock?Also discussed: Meet Your Maker, Are You There God It's Me Margaret, Have a Nice Death, Psychonauts 2
In this episode, we're back with our annual tradition of diving into the summer movie lineup. Consider us your trusty lifeguards as we guide you through the sea of releases and let you know which movies are worth taking the plunge for and which are better left on the shore.MENTIONSGet our weekly newsletter Note For The Audio. Last week Knox shared some of his favorite things. This week we're crafting a summer reading list. Sign up at knoxandjamie.com/newsletter.Warm-up: Citadel | “The worst movie Jason Waterfalls has ever seen.” | A24's Beau is Afraid | Theater loyalty programs: A-List, Regal Unlimited, Alamo Season Pass | Rewind: Episode 452- 2022 Summer Movie PreviewQTNA: Are we over Taika Waititi? Is Bad Bunny hot? What's up with Ezra Miller? Anthony Ramos cheated? Youtube: Playlist of trailers from every movie mentions Mentioned: The Little Mermaid (see also: Flounder, sisters) | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (see also: Will Poulter v. Bumbleditch Cumberbun v. Priyanka Chopra Jonas) | Love Again | Hypnotic | The Mother | The Starling Girl | White Men Can't Jump (W Rizz proof: Jack Harlow- Chicken Shop Date) | Fast X | No Hard Feelings | The Flash | Spider-Man Across the Spider-verse | Asteroid City | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | Extraction 2 | Flamin' Hot (lied)| Elemental | The Blackening | Strays | Padre Pio | Barbie | Oppenheimer | Joy Ride | Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (see also: behind the scenes)| The Equalizer 3 | The Meg 2: The Trench | Theatre Camp | They Cloned Tyrone | BiosphereRed light mentions: See this week's TMYK for Jamie and Erin's Taylor Swift tour review | Dodgeball 2BONUS SEGMENTOur Patreon supporters can get full access to this week's The More You Know news segment. Become a partner. This week we discussed:Going to Eras!Glen Powell & Sydney SweenyThe writers' strike explainedGREEN LIGHTSJamie: movie - Are You There God It's Me, MargaretKnox: comedy special - John Mulany's Baby J (Netflix)SHOW SPONSORSSubscribe to Episodes: iTunes | Android Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter: knoxandjamie.com/newsletterShop our Amazon Link: amazon.com/shop/thepopcast | this week's featured itemFollow Us: Instagram | Twitter | FacebookSupport Us: Monthly Donation | One-Time Donation | SwagSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In the 152nd episode of The Main Street Electrical Podcast, Jenn & Dave are all over the place! Jenn first reports on the status of her other podcast, "Divas Dish Diz", then the continued unpacking of the new home, while Dave finally got his Annual Pass, but also signed up for the Virtual 5K series this summer. And Jenn's haunted home, plus the dangers of credit cards over social media. The news kicks off with Fantasmic burning down... Edna Mode returning to Hollywood Studios... the Star Wars Starcruiser discounts to be had... the emergence of PickleBall at the parks... Animal Kingdom's time capsule They randomly take a sidebar to the tech and style of the 90s, where not to meet people in the parks, and some great ideas for character nights and meeting places at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood's Pixar Place. And the sad fate of Dave's Mr. T action figure. Finally, Dave and Jenn both give their takes on the "Worst" attractions, or at least attractions that land in the Bottom 5 in their rankings. From Jenn finding some attractions useless to Dave declaring some rides are taking up valuable space for good attractions... and why he'd never go see "Are You There God It's Me Margaret".
On this special episode, Jason Harris joins me again to talk about some upcoming movies. We use the usual puzzle pieces format on some trailers for movies that are coming out in April 2023. This month's episode includes Paint, Chupa, How To Blow Up A Pipeline, Back On The Strip, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, Chevalier, Ghosted, Beau Is Afraid, Are You There God It's Me Margaret, Big George Foreman, Peter Pan & Wendy and Sisu!I also shoutout some listener provided puzzle pieces for movies we covered in the month of February. Included are puzzle pieces from John Brogdon, Michael Keene and Chad Clinton Freeman.As always, SPOILER ALERT for any of the movies we discuss!Jason Harris is a writer and stand-up comedian (not just here in Las Vegas).Check out Jason Harris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jasonharriscomedy/My sixth album, MORE CONTENT is available NOW on iTunes, Bandcamp and all other digital music stores! Make sure to check it out!My latest music video “Blacklight” is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdGctz_xF5cThe song at the end of the episode “Ascending” from my latest album MORE CONTENT!Make sure to “Like” Piecing It Together on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PiecingPodAnd “Follow” us on Twitter @PiecingPodAnd Join the Conversation in our Facebook Group, Piecing It Together – A Movie Discussion Group.And check out https://www.piecingpod.com for more about our show!And if you want to SUPPORT THE SHOW, you can now sign up for our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosenShare the episode, comment and give us feedback! And of course, SUBSCRIBE!And of course, don't forget to leave us a 5 star review on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podchaser!And most important of all… Keep going to the theater to see new movies!
Before I left for my sabbatical, I asked you all for a list of your favorite fictional books. I'm not a fiction reader. I really enjoy nonfiction. I like to learn. I like reading things I can put to practical use. But I know that reading fiction is good for the creative brain, and it sounded like something one should do when taking a break from the usual daily routine. So, I asked you all for a list, and you all came through strong. Friends, guess how many fiction books I read while on my sabbatical?Zero. Absolutely none. (But I did finally watch the movie Redeeming Love. I read that fictional book years ago. Does that count for anything? J I thought it was really good, even though I know there's a lot of hoopla in the church over some of the physically intimate scenes. Once again, when it comes to our physicality, the churched can easily be triggered and freak out. We carry wounds regarding our body, what we've done to it, and what's been done to it. The future of my mission and call to the body of Christ regarding their body is secure.)For the first few weeks, when I wasn't sleeping, all I wanted to do was spend time with God. After all, the main point of my sabbatical was to spend time with God. To simply be His. And the best way I know how to spend time with Him is to start by reading His word. I became consumed with His word and by His word.Having no time limits to reading His word felt like an extreme luxury. I can't remember the last time I was obsessed with the word of God. I was like the third-grade version of me who couldn't get enough of the fictional books by Judy Blume. SuperfudgeBlubberAnd every pre-teen training bra-wearing girl's manual for life in the 1980s Are You There God It's Me, MargaretBut I can tell you this with great assurance; Judy Blume has NOTHING on the word of God. The word of God is not fiction. It is true. And reading it gives us life and instructs us in life. It gives us life by stripping us down and building us up. It removes things that don't belong on us or in us, like the lies of Satan, the world, and our flesh. It builds us up by putting in us the Love of God and on us the holiness of God, which helps us live whole. The word of God makes us over. It dresses us for life. After all, this life is a dress rehearsal for the Kingdom of God that is here now and is to come.God's word is not just active, alive, and makes us over; it's also wild and free. It beckons us to follow Him wherever He goes, to come away with Him to get real rest, and to live an adventuresome life where the best fictional tales told get their storylines.Reading God's word helps us to know Someone who can feel like fiction. The Creator of the universe is Someone we haven't seen with our own eyes, yet he is Someone our hearts and mind need to be true because he made us for Him.When we read God's word, we read recorded stories of people with faith who wrote songs and poems about God and faith. We learn about people who have gone before us, and we feel galvanized to do the same. God's word dares us to take our make believe, thoughts like "I wonder if I could actually slay this giant of body shame?" into a non-fictional story we can tell others or write books about how God has set us free from body shame. Consuming the word of God takes a make-believe Christian, a person who get stuck living and dreaming about what could be, into active followers of Jesus who take risks, acts on faith, remains patient, and makes belief in God seen for people who cannot see. When we've been fed and filled by God's word, we can walk out into the world looking for Someone to feed. Instead of playing make-believe with God, we go out into the world, act on His word and make belief! God's word contains the best stories. Jesus is the best storyteller. And everything in God's word stirs our faith to partner with God to take things that feel more like fictional nightmares or dreams into a non-fictional reality that pleases God's heart and gives us victory over our enemy and joy to our hearts. Stories stored up in our hearts come to life through risking obedience to God's word and acting upon it in faith.So friends, keep reading all the fiction and nonfiction books if you so well please. But I challenge you to watch the clock. Pay attention to how much time you spend investing in a fictional world (Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Amazon,…etc.). You will never, ever, ever regret spending more time with God in His word. He wants to make belief with you!Do whatever you need to do to be more in the word and to get more of His word into you! Listen to my podcast this week for the reading of this post and three practical things you can do to get more of God's word into your busy life starting today! What's one thing right now you know you can do to make more room for the word of God in your life? His Love, Alisa This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alisakeeton.substack.com
On today's week-in-review, Crystal is joined by Seattle political reporter, editor of Publicola, and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery, Erica Barnett. They discuss Mayor Harrell's pitch to incorporate technology in Sound Transit fare enforcement, a bill that would force state agencies to improve access to DSHS benefits, new legislation that would create more housing density, a book ban at a Kent middle school, and a proposed retention bonus for Seattle police officers. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Erica Barnett, at @ericacbarnett. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Resources Sound Transit Fare Enforcement thread by @EricaCBarnett https://twitter.com/ericacbarnett/status/1486834701964697601 “Bill Would Force State Agency to Improve Access to Services or Stop Cutting Off Benefits” by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2022/01/26/bill-would-force-state-agency-to-improve-access-to-services-or-stop-cutting-off-benefits/ HB 2075 - Establishing service requirements for the department of social and health services: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2075&Year=2021&Initiative=false HB 1782 and SB 5670 - Creating additional middle housing near transit and in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family detached housing: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1782&Initiative=false&Year=2021 https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5670&Chamber=Senate&Year=2021 “Let's Make #Homes4WA” sponsored by The Urbanist: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/lets-make-homes4wa/ “LGBTQ+ Books Quietly Pulled From Washington State Middle School” by Kelly Jensen from Book Riot: https://bookriot.com/lgbtq-books-quietly-pulled-from-washington-state-middle-school/ “Talk of Seattle Police Department offering $5k retention bonus to keep officers” by Matt Markovich from FOX 13 Seattle: https://www.q13fox.com/news/talk-of-seattle-police-department-offering-5k-retention-bonus-to-keep-officers Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we're continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week. Welcome back to the program, friend of the show and today's co-host: Seattle political reporter, editor of PubliCola, co-host of the Seattle Nice podcast, and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery, Erica Barnett. [00:00:56] Erica Barnett: It's great to be here. [00:00:58] Crystal Fincher: Great to have you back - always an interesting show with you. Well, today I want to start off talking about Sound Transit - more conversations about fare enforcement, about their budget. What is going on with Sound Transit now? [00:01:15] Erica Barnett: Well, for the last year or more Sound Transit has not really been enforcing fare non-payment. So when people walk through - we don't have turnstiles here in Seattle - so when people walk through without paying the $3 for light rail, there is a program called Fare Ambassadors. And the Fare Ambassadors are sort of a friendlier version of fare enforcement officers - and they come out to you, they check your ticket, and if you didn't pay, they give you a warning and they take down your information. At a Sound Transit Board meeting yesterday, the outgoing CEO, Peter Rogoff, sort of doubled down on stuff he's been saying for a very long time now - about the need to basically amp up fare enforcement, to get more farebox recovery, which is the amount of money they get from actual fares. Sort of warning of this very dire situation where he says that the agency will potentially be insolvent if they can't figure out a way to collect more fares from people. Fares have gone down a lot since the beginning of the pandemic, largely because ridership has also been depressed for all the obvious reasons, but Rogoff also said yesterday that people are just increasingly not tapping their cards. He cited the example that he was at a Mariners game and I guess apparently saw a lot of people not tapping their cards and getting on the trains. Now, I would say that's sort of a situation where you don't necessarily want a huge backup with people tapping their cards because there are always crush loads, but he used that as an example of how people who can totally afford to pay the fare are just not paying the fare because there isn't enough of a penalty. [00:02:58] Crystal Fincher: Okay. And this was Bruce Harrell's first meeting on the Sound Transit Board? [00:03:05] Erica Barnett: It was. And he made a few comments. As he said, he came in hot with the suggestion that maybe there could be some kind of technological solution to fare enforcement. One of the criticisms of fare enforcement, particularly at Sound Transit, has been that it has way disproportionately targeted Black and Brown riders, particularly Black riders. And that it's all out of proportion to the percentage of Black riders versus white riders on the trains and Asian riders as well. And so Harrell was basically suggesting that maybe there could be a technological fix that would not be racially biased, but that would somehow increase the number of people paying fare and/or increase the number of people being penalized for not paying fare. It wasn't really clear. Rogoff, the CEO, jumped to, "Well, we don't want to do facial recognition." And Harrell said that's not what he intended, but he didn't really say anything specific about what sort of technological fix there could be. I mean, as we all know, it's not like algorithms are an anti-racist tool. In fact, they're often quite racist. So I would be skeptical personally of any such fix, but again, he wasn't very specific about what it would be. [00:04:30] Crystal Fincher: Okay. So there are two things in this story that I continue to come back to that just have me in a confused place. One is, okay, let's talk about fare recovery. So they're estimating 40% of their budget should be covered by riders paying fares, correct? [00:04:58] Erica Barnett: Right. [00:04:59] Crystal Fincher: How does that compare with other agencies? Does that seem to be a realistic number? [00:05:03] Erica Barnett: Well, other agencies are generally - always, in almost all cases - lower - nationwide and also in this region. I mean, farebox recovery ranges from 2% for inner city transit to, I believe, King County Metro has a goal of 25% - they might have lowered that. But 40% is incredibly high. And it sort of has set the agency up for a constant cycle of failure, when you define failure as getting all this money back from fares. And as Rogoff pointed out, fare payment has gone down, but it's, I believe, almost always been lower than 40%. So you have to look at the metrics and you have to look at sort of what the values of the agency are. If it's a money-making agency, if the purpose of transit is to constantly be churning money back into the system so as to provide more service and to build more stuff, then that's one thing. But if the value of the agency and the purpose of the agency is mobility and equitable mobility for everyone who needs to get from one place to another, that's another thing. And I think it would - if that was the value - it might cause the agency to deemphasize this idea of a farebox recovery and getting as much sort of profit out of riders as it can. [00:06:34] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, definitely. It just seems like they're setting themselves up for failure and setting themselves - we have this conversation, it seems like every year. Sound Transit is coming up short - what needs to happen? The other thing I find confounding - and ridiculous to be plain-spoken - is that when we have these fare enforcement officers, Fare Ambassadors, and they find someone hasn't paid a fare and they give them a ticket, I think most people assume that, hey, well, now you're paying a fine, and that fine is going to cover the costs of you not paying your ticket and hiring these Fare Ambassadors or officers, and that is back filling the money in the system. However, with Sound Transit, it's true that the fines that people pay don't go to Sound Transit, correct? [00:07:25] Erica Barnett: That's right. The fines go to the court system. I mean, right now the maximum fine is $124. And they're looking at a system that would reduce the fine in a lot of cases - probably most cases to $50 - but that money doesn't go to Sound Transit. The whole purpose of the fine is to be punitive and to discourage people essentially from jumping the virtual turnstile and not paying for fear of having to go to court and pay a $50 fine. And then ultimately maybe pay a $124 fine. So yeah, it's a system that doesn't make a whole lot of sense from a financial perspective, because the only thing that Sound Transit is trying to recover is literally just the $3 that you did or didn't pay as you walked onto the train. [00:08:17] Crystal Fincher: So the cost of fare enforcement officers or ambassadors is purely a cost. It's not how some other agencies sometimes justify it - saying, "Well, the fines end up paying for the officers, and we end up coming out ahead." That's purely a cost and a system that has shown to repeatedly fail to intimidate people into paying a fare when they're not paying, to backfill a budget that was already set unrealistically so that its goal, which has not been attained, continues to not be attained. It just seems like we're going around in a circle and nothing is making sense, and no one's pointing out that nothing is making sense. [00:09:02] Erica Barnett: Well, people are pointing out that it doesn't make sense, but just nobody at the agency is sort of making the pointed, or at least effective, case that we need to find another way to fund transit. I mean, transit does cost money. When people don't pay fares - in complete fairness to Peter Rogoff and others, Bruce Harrell as well - there is a financial consequence to thousands of people not paying that $3 at the door, right? But the fact is we could also fund our transit system in another way, or in many other ways. There are other systems that fund their transit systems differently. Right now we pay for ours with a combination of fees and motor vehicle licensing and things like that. A lot of employers pay into the system, but we could have an employer tax, for example, that would cover the system more equitably than expecting individual riders to shoulder the cost, including a lot of riders that really can't afford it. I mean, Rogoff said yesterday, and I thought this was a very telling comment. He said, "Well, we even have these ORCA cards, which are for people of modest means." Well, ORCA cards are only available to people making up to 200% of the poverty line on the federal level, which is actually below our local minimum wage and is way below poverty wages in this incredibly expensive city. And it just felt like, I don't know if - I mean, I assume that Peter Rogoff knows what the federal poverty level and knows a little bit about the cost of living in Seattle - but it felt like such an out-of-touch comment to me that - it felt like, very telling. Yeah. And so I mean, we are not even near the point of talking about alternative ways to fund this system that we do need funding for and that does need to be expanded. I ride the Light Rail - it's very useful, but I don't think that funding it on the backs of people who can't pay is going to be a great, sustainable, long-term way of funding it. [00:11:18] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. And for me, I would rather invest money that is currently being invested in this kind of punitive system of trying to intimidate people and fine people into paying - which is not working - into something that is going to move us closer to a more sustainable system. I don't know what the budget line item is for the Fare Ambassadors, but it seems like if we're not recovering that money, if it is purely a cost, that maybe that money can be better invested in a way that could more efficiently help people pay their fares or subsidize those fares in a way that helps the people who actually need it. But we'll see. What is coming next from Sound Transit? I guess, where did things leave and what are the next steps? [00:12:06] Erica Barnett: Well, they are considering - so they've had this Fare Ambassador program, which is, as I said, is basically just issuing warnings and taking people's information. They are discussing a new sort of system of enforcement that would have up to five warnings. And to me, I mean, again, I don't want to just sort of belabor the Peter Rogoff of it all, but his exasperation at the idea that people would just after warning, after warning keep "refusing to pay" - he was like, "And we can do a first warning, and then a second warning, and then a third warning, and then a fourth warning, and then a fifth warning." And, I mean, it's not like 27 warnings are going to make somebody who can't pay or who is not paying for whatever reason. It's not like any number of warnings is going to be the magic trick. So at any rate, that's what they're discussing - up to five warnings. On the fifth, you would have a penalty of up to $124 fine. Think on the fourth, it would be that $50 fine. So it's just kind of moving the goal post a tiny bit, but still kind of the - basically the same system that we've always had. [00:13:21] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Well, we will continue to pay attention to it. We've had conversations with you about Sound Transit here before. I'm sure we will in the future. Always interesting. Well, I also wanted to talk about a bill raising an important issue about how people are able to access state benefits and our safety net - like TANF, food stamps, housing and essential needs. And how that's been limited because of DSHS offices being closed. And in an attempt to remedy that, what is happening there? [00:13:55] Erica Barnett: Yeah, there's legislation being heard next Tuesday that would essentially require DSHS, which is the Department of Social and Health Services, to respond to calls within 30 minutes. So right now, just to back up, their offices have been either completely or partly closed since the beginning of the pandemic. So people seeking services for the most part have to call in or access services online. So when you're talking about people who are low income or maybe homeless, or you don't have internet fluency or access, they're usually calling. So this bill would respond to wait times that are right now - reportedly - sometimes three hours, four hours long, just to get somebody on the phone to tell you that they'll call you back. And it would require 30 minute wait times - no more - and it would set a bunch of standards for sort of levels of service that DSHS would have to provide. Or if they can't provide them, which seems like a good possibility because the bill does not include funding - it's not a budget bill in this short session - they would not be allowed to penalize people for essentially not meeting deadlines, not getting through. In some cases, for benefits, you have to check in with somebody at DSHS on a regular basis. And people are finding that they simply cannot do that. So this would just say, okay, you can't lose your TANF benefits, you can't lose your food stamps, you can't lose your housing and essential needs benefits that you are receiving because you are a person in extreme poverty simply because you couldn't stay on the line for three hours because your phone didn't have minutes, because you had to get to work, or for any of the many other reasons that anybody can't stay on the phone for three hours. [00:15:58] Crystal Fincher: Okay. So you say this has a hearing coming up next week. [00:16:02] Erica Barnett: That's right. On Tuesday. [00:16:04] Crystal Fincher: Is there any idea who is lining up to support or oppose it? [00:16:09] Erica Barnett: I am not aware of opposition right now, which is not to say that there will not be opposition. DSHS itself told me this week that they were still looking at the bill and sort of trying to figure out what the ramifications would be for them. The sponsors are Strom Peterson, who's from Edmonds, and Nicole Macri, who is from Seattle and works for the Downtown Emergency Service Center, which is a homeless provider. And the actual - I should say that the drafters of the bill were the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness. So it is a bill backed by homeless service advocates. One thing Peterson also mentioned to me though is that there's a lot of other folks who use DSHS benefits who are not necessarily homeless - including, he mentioned people with traumatic brain injuries, and also people who've served overseas and have PTSD, people who don't speak English as their first language. One thing I discovered during my reporting is that if you don't speak English and you call the hotline, you are told to leave a message in your own language and someone will call you back. So it's just another little hurdle that is sitting in your way if you want to get services right now. [00:17:30] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. And I think it's hard for some people to conceptualize, but if you are at the point where oftentimes you need these services, you're already dealing with so many hurdles and barriers in your own life. And just getting to the point where you can ask for help or go through the steps to receive help - you have to overcome several barriers just to do that. And putting barriers in the way of people who are already struggling and - for a variety of reasons - may not be able to sit on the phone for three hours to wait, or have that time available, or not be able to work, or not be able to focus or concentrate or sit in one place for that time - like just putting those barriers in front of this population - we know - so many studies support and looking at the population, we know that is cutting people off from being able to receive the benefits they're entitled to and the benefits that we've decided as a society benefit us all to provide. It weakens our entire society if we allow people to fall through the cracks and have problems worsen, and then try and address those problems as they present as homelessness or different things. If we can intervene and help and get people back on their feet before problems get that bad, that is the goal and that benefits us all. There is a return on investment there, and it is the good thing to do as humans. So this is really talking about just kind of fundamental needs. And I think there is a need for it. I know that they - DSHS, I think, is dealing with staffing shortages as so many organizations were before the pandemic hit and now are dealing with that being even more of a challenge as people are out with COVID and various things. So I'm sure, in a bill especially that doesn't address funding, that a big question is going to be, okay, so who are these people going to come for? But the remedy of that is okay, well then you can't penalize someone and cut them off from benefits because they did that. We'll certainly be keeping an eye on it. Do you know what the bill number is for that? [00:19:47] Erica Barnett: It is 2075. House Bill 2075. [00:19:53] Crystal Fincher: House Bill 2075. So we will monitor that and keep it on the list. I also want to talk about another bill in Olympia in terms of zoning. What's going on with that? [00:20:07] Erica Barnett: Yeah. There is legislation in Olympia that is very exciting to people who support more density in cities, that has support of Governor Jay Inslee, that would - it's very complex. I'm just going to dumb it way down and say that it would allow more density in cities. And the main difference that this bill would sort of effectuate across the state - in cities of more than 20,000 people - is that in single family areas, areas that have been historically exclusively for detached homes, developers could build duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and in some cases, sixplexes and town homes. It's pretty modest as far as density goes. I mean, we're not talking about huge apartments. There was a bill that does not seem to be going anywhere this year, that would've allowed much taller buildings near transit stations. But it's really remarkable, in a way, how far this conversation has come just in the last 10 years and even 5 years - the idea of even allowing duplexes and accessory dwelling units. I recall very well when that was like anathema. I mean, that was a third rail in Seattle and certainly in other cities. And now you've got Jay Inslee saying we need to allow more density and particularly around transit stops and frequent bus stops and light rail stations. Even though I don't think that the ultimate impact is going to be particularly dramatic, it's a step in the direction of a dramatic impact which is badly needed, particularly in the Seattle region where we just have so much growth and we don't have commensurate housing development, which is obviously contributing to our incredibly high housing costs. [00:22:04] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, definitely. We will keep an eye on that. What bill number is that one? [00:22:10] Erica Barnett: Oh, after you asked me the first time, I knew you would ask me this and I don't have the bill number memorized. I will look it up and I'll mention it in a second. [00:22:21] Crystal Fincher: No, no worries. There are so many bill numbers to keep track of. I don't know the bill number off the top of my head. I've looked at it before. So what we will do is definitely put it in the show notes so you can see that - just in that text that comes along with the podcast and on officialhacksandwonks.com. [00:22:37] Erica Barnett: Oh, it's HB 1782, Senate Bill 5670, if you want to follow along at home. [00:22:43] Crystal Fincher: SB 5670. And then lots of calls to action from both urbanism and environmental groups have been spread on that. But these are going to be really important to make sure that you let your legislator know how you feel. This is an area where there are a lot more people in the public who support this than is assumed - just because a lot of times NIMBY groups who are notoriously vocal and always mobilize to oppose stuff are the ones who they are used to hearing from and who make themselves always very loud, both on municipal and the legislative level. So it's really important just to let your legislators know that you strongly support this, that you want them to support that, that it's actually critical for having an equitable and inclusive society and just to be able to afford to live near anything that people want to live near now and in the future. So hopefully everyone gets involved with that. And again, we'll put that in the episode notes. Also, want to talk about an issue - another issue in Kent that's - and today we're not talking about a Nazi cop who has not resigned. [00:24:04] Erica Barnett: Just taking a breather from that. [00:24:06] Crystal Fincher: Yes. I wish that was hyperbole - it is not - that's a literal statement. But we're talking about banning books, which sometimes people are like, "Well, that only happens in "backwards areas" and other states and not anything we would have to worry about in blue, progressive Washington - blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." It's everywhere. It's everywhere. If you think we're protected from something because we're in supposedly a blue, progressive Washington, please reconsider everything you have ever considered because everything is here, including a principal at Cedar Heights Middle School in Kent, which I'm very familiar with, taking it upon herself to ban some books - some LGBTQ books - what is happening here, Erica? [00:24:56] Erica Barnett: Well, so the main book that has been banned and I don't have all the details of where we're at in terms of other books right now, but the first book that came to the attention of this principal - it's called Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts). It is a book that is - it's about a young man who is a sex advice columnist, anonymous sex advice columnist - he is gay. And the book is - it's somewhat explicit - it is sort of rated at a 14 year old reading level, which does not mean appropriateness or non-appropriateness, but that's one of the things that the principal has apparently seized on in saying that this book is not appropriate for seventh and eighth grade students. I mean, it's fascinating because sexual explicitness - that's sort of the reason being given for removing this book from the middle school library - is really a moving target, as I think some of the critics of this policy have pointed out. There are many other sexually explicit books that are available to middle school students, including, I mean, one example of course, is the Bible - in which there's a story about a prostitute being hacked up into pieces that is quite explicit. And that's not banned, but this LGBTQ book that is somewhat explicit was banned. And so I think it speaks to a double standard for what types of sexually honest and straightforward literature we consider appropriate for children and what kind we don't. And yeah, I mean, Crystal, I don't know, what do you think about Kent? Is this the kind of thing that could only happen in Kent? Or is - [00:26:53] Crystal Fincher: Very much not the kind of thing that could only happen in Kent. I mean, I feel like we just got done with a School Board race in Bellevue that got some coverage with a candidate that had some very racist and backwards views - that caught the attention of a lot of people. Kent, who - I happen to pay attention to very acutely - has had a number of issues in the school district. Kent has a very extreme, conservative contingent of the population - not a majority of the population, but like there's been an organized Republican - and conservatives who feel like Republicans are too soft - Party organized here. And in school board elections, geez, almost 10 years ago now, I mean - one, was just a very small forum that I went to where one candidate who was running against a woman of color at the time, talked about the problem with students these days coming from "Taliban hell holes". And being - [00:28:05] Erica Barnett: Wow. [00:28:08] Crystal Fincher: Yes. So like, sound all the alarms - that kind of kicked me into gear to in-kind some help to that candidate, his opponent, to make sure that he didn't get on because of just blatantly racist beliefs. Kent is known as one of the most diverse cities of the state now - it was not always that way. That demographic shift started in the Nineties - before that, it was an extremely white city. A lot of those residents still here - a lot of people very uncomfortable with change and blaming every conceivable problem that could be on that. And we see that in a lot of suburbs, rural areas - we see that everywhere. And there's also a concerted conservative nationwide strategy to engage in local school districts and in municipalities, which are traditionally overlooked by most people - the turnout for those elections is lower than any other kind of election. People just don't pay attention. And so these conservatives - we've seen a ton of video online, if you're very online like I am, where you see these people railing against masking and testing and anything like that in school districts. That's a strategy. And so this book banning that we're now seeing is another tactic in this overall strategy to get control of school districts for a couple of purposes. So no, this is not something that can only happen in Kent. It's happening in Kent. It's happening in a lot of other places and people are going to have to get engaged in their local cities and in their local school districts and speak up in opposition to this. Because if all that happens is people go, "Oh, this is too bad," and they stay silent. And the only vocal people are the ones that want to ban books, then these books are going to get banned. And as much as people want to be like, "Well, it's only going to make these books more popular in the underground." - the underground is underground for a reason because most people are not accessing it. And especially if someone's in a more conservative environment, if their parents are not open-minded, this is really cutting people off from books. And to that point, I mean this librarian who, when the principal, who had not read this book - when she decided to ban it, came to the meeting, had brought other books that had been accused of being sexually explicit. One was a book on pregnancy, another was a book by Maya Angelou, another was The Hate U Give, another - Are You There God it's Me Margaret - certainly the Bible. This becomes very, very subjective. And I think part of the bigger issue is there is a process that is supposed to be followed when a book might not be appropriate. Because it's not like that can't happen, right? But there is a process dictated by the district which this principal did not follow. And so that's also another part of the issue is that - how subjective are we making this process and if we're not going to stick by given process and some visibility into this, how many books are disappearing that we know nothing about? [00:31:30] Erica Barnett: Well, I think too, I mean, the fact that the list that you gave includes books that are perennially or have perennially been banned or that people have attempted to ban - I mean, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Are You There God It's Me Margaret. I mean, frequent targets in the past. I think that this particular book and the sort of focus on LGBTQ books in general is a wedge. I mean, it is an easy-ish thing to convince conservative parents that it is bad for children, or teenagers in this case, to be exposed to "sexually explicit, LGBTQ+ literature" and then kind of go from there. And this particular book is - Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) - has been a target in other school districts across the country. So there is an effort to target specific books and specific books that are aimed at queer students, but I don't think that once it starts there, that it ends there, right? And so, this list of books, I mean, I could see some of those books being targeted again, because it hasn't been that long that some of these books were considered inappropriate for "young people" on all kinds of grounds. I mean, I remember reading a lot of these books when I was this age. I grew up in another time of frequent book bans. And there's nothing age inappropriate about them. 12 to 14 year olds are having sex. It is absurd to suggest, as this principal has, that the only appropriate thing for kids of that age is books that go up to hand-holding and pecks on the cheek and mild kissing and no more, because that is just not in keeping with the reality of teenagers that age. So I feel like this LGBTQ focus right now is very much just the kind of wedge that conservative ideologues have identified as potentially being most effective to get their foot in the door and then move on to other stuff. [00:33:55] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. And to be clear, this hasn't even stopped with this book at this school. On a subsequent day when the librarian arrived to work, they said the most recent book order was waiting for them, but the boxes were already opened and one book was missing, All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson. And when they were in the office later that day, they spotted the book sitting on the vice principal's desk. They never sent any notice about taking the book. So this has already started down the path. The principal said that she was going to be putting together like a parent advisory board to determine which books were appropriate or not, which again is not part of the district policy. So this is an extremely slippery slope. And again, like you made reference to, we both come from a time where book bannings were en vogue. And so here we go again, but I just hope people engage - whether or not you have kids in your local school system, you need to be very vocal, contact your school board members, make sure that you are talking to your local school administrators, that you expect there to be books in the library that represent a variety of perspectives and a variety of identities and people, and that there should be the strictest scrutiny for removing something and some very clear guidelines. Because these vague guidelines are how they get away with just removing anything that they want to remove for whatever reason they feel like that day. We will continue to keep an eye on that and continue to talk about that. The last thing I wanted to talk about today, as we're coming up on a little bit of time here, was just news that broke this morning that Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and interim police chief, Adrian Diaz, are discussing the possibility of a $5,000 retention bonus for every SPD officer - over a thousand officers there. This is different than the $25,000 or $10,000 signing bonuses for experienced or new officers. This would just be for existing officers - "Hey, we'll give you $5,000 if you stay." What are your thoughts about this? [00:36:32] Erica Barnett: Well, if you look at what police officers make in Seattle, it is - I mean, it's certainly a starting salary of quite a bit more than I make - with overtime, easily into the six figures. And I mention that - not to say that police officers make too much or too little or anything - just to point out that if you're making six figures, $5,000 is really not that much money. It is not nothing, but as you pointed out, there have already been pretty large signing bonuses offered and all sorts of incentives for people to come to the department. And yet that has not worked, and we still have a net loss of officers year over year - just as I would add - many, many, many other cities are experiencing right now. There's a workforce shortage in all kinds of industries and the police departments of America are not exempt from that. So it's hard to picture this strategy of offering what amounts to a small bonus working to retain people who are already making plenty of money. But more importantly, I don't think that they have defined where the money's going to come from. So I am curious what funding source, or what budget cut, are they proposing to make in order to pay for this. I mean, there's lots and lots of other departments and lots of other things the City pays for - including social service workers, outreach workers for encampments - all kinds of things that no one is proposing these kind of bonuses for. So where are the cuts coming from? Where's the money coming from? And why is this the priority - of all the City departments that are losing workers and of all the things the City funds - that deserves this extra funding on top of the extra funding that we've already provided? [00:38:37] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. That mirrors my concern - like, I would be interested - is this something that came from officers? I mean, just purely looking at - could this achieve what they're hoping that it achieves, given that the amount represents a lower percentage of their take-home pay than it does for most other City employees? Is it something that they're saying, "Hey, you know what? For folks considering leaving, we are looking at this - but this $5,000 - that would actually make us stay." Where did that number come from? Has that been like validated? And to your point, has this been considered? I mean, we have talked extensively, have a show coming up where we're going to be talking about - especially frontline workers who are working with the unhoused population and the strain that's on that infrastructure - the staffing shortages, and even for the staff that's there, the poverty wages that they're making and that being a significant barrier for just - in trying to get people housed and needing people to engage and provide support and services - we are paying those people who provide support and services pennies, and they're already overworked and understaffed. So it seems like this would make a much bigger percentage of that pay and perhaps make a bigger difference. Are we looking at these bonuses for other departments, other frontline workers who we are counting on who make lower wages and who are tied to more marginalized populations to see that? Is this under consideration from anything else? And definitely, where is this money coming from? So we'll keep an eye on that and continue with that. I want to thank all of you for listening to Hacks & Wonks on this Friday, January 28th - it is January 28th, we're almost in February - 2022. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler and assistant producer Shannon Cheng. And our wonderful co-host today was Seattle political reporter and founder of PubliCola, Erica Barnett. You can find Erica on Twitter @ericacbarnett and on publicola.com. You can buy her book, Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery anywhere where you enjoy buying books. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, and you can now follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Just type "Hacks & Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. While you're there, leave a review, it really helps us out. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in. We'll talk to you next time.
What is it about certain books that brings up back, again and again? Why re-read at all, considering there are so many great books waiting on our TBR lists? This week we break down our favorite re-reads. Aileen dusts off her old copy of Are You There God It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume, and...
Yes I wrote a poem inspired by Judy Blume's book Are You There God It's Me, Margaret? Yes I auditioned for America's Next Top Model and that also inspired this poem. And yes I actually met Judy Blume and got to perform my poem “Margaret” for her in the Before Times. AND YES I AM STILL FREAKED OUT ABOUT IT. Listen in to this episode to hear me tell y'all all the things! To get transcripts, links, and details from each episode, check out the show notes. To continue your support of the podcast and my work, become a member of my Patreon community where you can get access to archived episodes, bonus episodes, my writing, and behind the scenes performance footage. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter, for podcast clips, poetry quotes and random quips. For information on how to book me to speak or perform at a virtual event, visit amenabrown.com. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Australian writer and feminist Clementine Ford is being criticised for making money. We discuss whether there’s a bit of a double standard, and why - when it comes to money - women appear to be particularly tough on each other. Also, did you know that one in two women don’t know how to insert tampons properly? Thankfully, Tampax’s “Tampons and Tea” ad deciphers this vaginal mystery. But why has it taken us so long? Plus, we’re introducing a new segment. What are the best and worst moments of the week? We discuss. This episode of Mamamia Out Loud is brought to you by Aus Post… https://auspost.com.au/dear-australia LINKS Patreon.com… https://www.patreon.com/ Tampax’s ad “Tampons and Tea”… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X0LpyXMnjg Judy Blume’s book ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’... https://bit.ly/2XUbJoH Holly’s virtual book launch… https://www.facebook.com/events/306252953945889 The Spill podcast… https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/the-spill/ RECCOS Holly- The Hidden Sea wine… https://thehiddensea.com/ And, Mia- reporting posts, stories and accounts for false information on instagram CREDITS Hosts: Mia Freedman, Holly Wainwright, and Jessie Stephens Producer: Lem Zakharia CONTACT US Via our PodPhone on 02 8999 9386 Via our email at outloud@mamamia.com.au Via our Outlouders Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/groups/329632330777506/ Mamamia Out Loud is a podcast by Mamamia- https://www.mamamia.com.au/author/mamamiaoutloud/
In this episode we once again play a game of our own devising called “Wheel of Tropes.” We use random TV Tropes, entries from Diana Wynne Jones‘s The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, and parts of Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to create a new story. Content warnings for strong language, discussions […]
Are You There God? It's Me, Kes! Puberty is hard on everyone...especially when its caused by space dwelling energy spermazoids, and you're not yet 2 years old! Oh, Kes girl, keep it together! Support the content: Patreon www.patreon.com/WerqShop Tip us on Venmo venmo.com/werqshop Follow us on Instagram: @mikediamondonline @msmatinga @ericmiamiboo7 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MikeDiamondTube 'Voyager is available on streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, CBS etc. You don't *have* to have seen the episodes that we get into, but it would probably enrich your experience. Also, Voyager is a hoot!
On today’s episode of Period Story podcast, I’m very happy to share a very candid conversation with Katy Lindemann, the founder of Uber Barrens Club. Katy is a writer and patient advocate in addition to her day job as a digital strategist.Katy shared her journey through infertility and pregnancy loss, what she learned about her body, her inspiration for Uber Barrens Club and of course, the story of her first period.Katy talks about reading the fabulous Judy Bloom book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret? as a period rite of passage. She also shares the moment at the school gate that prompted her mum to make sure she understood the birds and bees
Today, Meredith and Mindy are discussing: Bookish Moments: the Patreon book club discussion and embracing the year of the re-read Current Reads: each host shares three books they’ve read recently and they are varied in level, theme, and setting Deep Dive: gems from the 70s, 80s, and 90s Book Presses: A few more “don’t call me a classic” backlist titles As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you’d like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don’t scroll down! *Please note that all book titles linked above are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!* . . . . . Book of the Month Ad: (These are Goodreads links, since we hope you’ll use our Book Of The Month link to sign up if you’re interested!) 1:18 - A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight 1:45 - The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd 1:55 - Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin 2:54 - Use our Link and the code CURRENTLYREADING to get your first book for just $9.99! Bookish Moments: 3:58 - Bookish Friends Still Life Book Club on Patreon 5:40 - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Current Reads: 7:41 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (Mindy) 7:44 - Wolfmuller’s Books in Kerrville, TX 7:47 - COVID(eo) number 4 10:05 - Damsel by Elana K. Arnold (Meredith) 13:25 - Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool (Mindy) 15:53 - You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe (Meredith) 18:29 - The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal (Mindy) 21:13 - Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen 22:34 - Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (Meredith) Deep Dive - Books from the 70s, 80s, and 90s: Gems from the 1970s 30:53 - Judy Blume books - Otherwise Known As Sheila the Great, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Freckle Juice, Blubber, Starring Sally J Friedman As Herself 32:21 - Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy 32:55 - Shogun by James Clavell 32:57 - Roots by Alex Haley 33:02 - Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi 33:14 - The Princess Bride by William Goldman 33:33 - Stephen King Books - The Shining, The Stand 33:46 - Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice Gems from the 1980s 34:37 - Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson 35:14 - James Herriot books - All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful 35:37 - Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews 36:48 - The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe 37:05 - The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 37:17 - Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan 37:28 - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet 37:34 - Patriot Games by Tom Clancy 37:53 - Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel 38:09 - A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving 38:44 - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 39:24 - Redwall by Bryan Jacques 39:43 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher Gems from the 1990s 40:41 - John Grisham books - Rainmaker, Pelican Brief, The Firm 41:07 - Nelson DeMille books - The General’s Daughter 42:25 - Michael Crichton - Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, Timeline 43:58 - Harry Potter by JK Rowling 44:29 - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 44:39 - Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones #1) by George R.R. Martin 45:03 - A Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler 45:35 - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 46:02 - Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Felding 46:48 - The Red Tent by Anita Diamant 47:09 - The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks Books We Want to Press Into Your Hands: 48:20 - Watership Down by Richard Adams (Mindy) 51:02 - The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Meredith) 51:23 - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt 52:43 - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram
When it was decided that we wouldn’t be able to bring you interviews of the artists in our season due to the postponement of shows, I reached out to a number of people that I thought would be interesting to speak with. Kelly Freemon Craig, award winning film director and screenwriter was gracious enough to take me up on the offer. Kelly started out writing sketch comedy and spoken word poetry in college, then landed an internship in the film division of Immortal Entertainment, where she read her first film script and began to pursue screenwriting. She developed several screenplays during the 2000s, including a modern high school retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac and a comedic remake of the 2004 French drama Intimate Strangers for Paramount Pictures. One of her scripts, Ticket to Ride, caught the attention of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman. He bought the script under his The Montecito Picture Company as a directing vehicle for Reitman. According to Reitman, the script was rewritten at least 15 times. The film was released, under the new title Post Grad. The film was instead directed by Shrek director Vicky Jenson and was released in 2009 and starred Alexis Bledel, Michael Keaton and Carol Burnett. In 2011, Kelly completed another script titled Besties and sent the script over to James L. Brooks. Brooks bought the script and was announced that Kelly would direct the film and Brooks would serve as a producer and mentor for her in directing her first film. The film was released by STX Entertainment in Fall 2016 under its new title The Edge of Seventeen to critical praise. I was curious about how she got her start in Hollywood… knowing that she spent some time in community theatre, we talk about her inspiration to go to Hollywood, her past projects and the film she is currently working on. The project that Kelly is currently working on is a film adaptation of “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” by Judy Bloom. A book that Ms. Bloom once said she would never let be adapted for the screen. I was curious how she planned to make the film version of a Judy Bloom book that would appeal, not only to children but also to the adult who may have grown up reading her books. Coming from an authentic place and full reverence for the material, Kelly’s plan seems to be well thought out. Despite the fact that I have never read “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret”, I know I will be anxiously awaiting its release next year.
Kristen’s chisme is Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margret” is becoming a movie. Today’s cervecita is Old Farm’s Raspberry Lemon Ale. Book review this week is “Under the Cottonwood Tree: El Susto de la Curandera” by Paul Meyer. On Kristen’s radar is “Strange Academy” by Scottie Young. Juntos y fuertes is Pink Boots Society. Saludos to Daniel Calvo for his upcoming book “Andy Starboy.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
That is right. The podcast about periods finally read the period book to end all period books: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. And we had the pleasure to discuss it with the preeminent experts in the field, Alison and Jody from The Blume Saloon podcast. We get into the brilliance of Judy Blume, which character each host identifies as, and we dive into a fave topic: masturbation. And that's just PART ONE! Catch part two over on The Blume Saloon feed!
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px} It’s nice sometimes to read a book just for the delight of it; When God Was a Rabbit is full of delight as well as some wonderful observations on life. I’m sure a lot of you will remember Judy Blume’s wonderful little novel: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Winman’s novel is in that lofty company. It’s a book about a young girl, Elly, and her brother who is five years older than she. Oh, and about a rabbit she is given and without any intention of sacrilege, she names God. Elly often gets into trouble at church, questioning things she should not. When she asks her mother if God loves everyone, “’Of course he does,’ my mother replied.” But her mother is alarmed by the question, and questions further.‘Do you want to talk about anything?’ she asked quietly, reaching for my hand. (She had started to read a book on child psychology from America. It encouraged us to talk about our feelings. It made us want to clam up.) ‘Nope,’ I said again through a small mouth. It had been a simple misunderstanding. All I had suggested was that Jesus Christ had been a mistake, that was all; an unplanned pregnancy.‘Unplanned indeed!’ screamed the vicar. ‘And where did you get such blasphemous filth, you ungodly child?' ‘I don’t know,’ I said, ‘just an idea’When told that God does not love those who question his divine plan, she stops attending church. Elly’s father, a religious skeptic, encourages Elly’ rebellion against religion. “’You don’t have to go to Sunday school or church for God to love you ‘Or for anyone to love you. You know that, don’t you?’ ‘You’ll understand that as you get older,’ he added. But I couldn’t wait that long. I’d already resolved that if this God couldn’t love me, then it was clear I’d have to find another one that could.After befriending an 80 year old man in her neighborhood, she decides she’d like to be Jewish. She and her best friend, Jenny Penny, and her brother form an hilarious threesome as they skip through their youths. When her father wins a football pool and is suddenly a rich man, his life changes little except that he buys a new Mercedes with tinted windows. When Elly’s mother insists that the car is not them, says she won’t ride in it and then insists that either the car goes or she does, and she does.I read this book several weeks ago, and one problem with putting off reviews is that by the time I got to this one, I had forgotten much of the story. Instead of simply going through my underlinings and notes, I started the book over, and was as delighted by it on second reading as on the first. This caused me to recall that whenever I used novels in my classes, I always reread each novel as my students were reading it for the first time, wanting not simply to refresh my memory, but to share in the emotional impact of the books which I could not do simply by writing a description. Winman was an actress before she became a writer, and it is obvious in the script quality of her dialogue. There was no great epiphany, no precise moment when I swapped the spoken word for the written word. I had been acting for twenty-three years and had always written, but mainly in script form, as most actors do.Fortunate for us readers that she decided to write fiction, and fortunate too that her debut novel was this coming of age tale. While simply a lovely frolic for the most part, there are also darker passages when Elly describes the very different home-life of her best friend Jenny Penny. The simplicity of the writing makes believable that it is the story of a young girl, but it also allows for a really lovely naivete, a refreshing and revealing innocence. Elly tell us that she divides her life into two parts, the first before she met Jenny Penny, and the rest after that friendship began to blossom. She featured not at all during this [early] period and I realize she was the colour that was missing. She clasped the years either side of this waiting and held them up as beacons, and when she arrived in class that dull January morning it was as if she herself was the New Year; the thing that offered me the promise of beyond. But only I could see that. Others, bound by convention, found her at best laughable, and at worst someone to mock. She was of another world; different. But by then, secretly, so was I. She was my missing piece; my compliment in play.Elly could have been describing herself here rather than Penny, and for this reader, she opens up a new and refreshing world.
Podcast #050 For my fiftieth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Michele McAvoy about her favorite children’s book, the classic novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, written by Judy Blume. Originally published in 1970, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret tells the story of eleven year old Margaret Simon, whose … Continue reading Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume: an interview with author Michele McAvoy → The post Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume: an interview with author Michele McAvoy appeared first on Dream Gardens.
In this episode, Natalia, Neil, Niki, and guest historian Leah Wright Rigueur discuss black women and electoral politics, the closing of Sears, and corporate art patronage. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Black women voters are a crucial electoral contingent, especially in the upcoming midterm elections. We spoke with Dr. Leah Wright Rigueur, author of The Loneliness of the Black Republican: Pragmatic Politics and the Pursuit of Power, about black women’s voting power today and in the past. Niki referenced Rachel Devlin’s book A Girl Stands at the Door, and Leah recommended Brittney Cooper’s Eloquent Rage, Ashley Farmer’s Remaking Black Power, Danielle McGuire’s At the Dark End of the Street, and Keisha Blain’s Set the World on Fire, as all good books for better understanding the long history of black women’s political activism. Sears is closing its doors for good. Natalia mentioned historian Louis Hyman’s viral Twitter thread on how the Sears catalog created opportunities for African Americans to shop during Jim Crow. She also recommended historian Lizabeth Cohen’s book A Consumer’s Republic and historian David K. Johnson’s forthcoming book Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked A Movement. We discussed how although art patronage is nothing new, 2018’s unapologetically corporate branding of art feels unprecedented. In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia recommended Jessica Wilkerson’s Longreads article, “Living With Dolly Parton.” Neil shared the news that Judy Blume’s book Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is being turned into a movie. Niki discussed W. David Marx’s Vox article, “An American campaign tee is trendy in Asia. Its popularity has nothing to do with the US.”
If there’s one thing Gonads taught us, it’s just how complicated human reproduction is. All the things we thought we knew about biology and sex determination are up for debate in a way that feels both daunting and full of potential. At the same time, we're at a moment where we’re wrestling with how to approach conversations around sex, consent, and boundaries, at a time that may be more divisive than ever. So host Molly Webster thought: what if we took on sex ed, and tried to tackle questions from listeners, youth, reddit (oh boy), and staff. But instead of approaching these questions the way your high school health teacher might’ve (or government teacher, who knows), Molly invited a cast of storytellers, educators, artists, and comedians to grapple with sex ed in unexpected and thoughtful ways. To help us think about how we can change the conversation. In this episode, an edited down version of a Gonads Live show, Molly's team takes a crack at responding to the intimate questions you asked when you were younger but probably never got a straight answer to. Featuring: How Do You Talk About Condoms Without Condom Demonstrations? Sanford Johnson. Wanna see how to put on a sock? What Are Periods? Sindha Agha and Gul Agha. Check out Sindha's photography here. Is Anything Off-Limits? Ericka Hart, Dalia Mahgoub, and Jonathan Zimmerman Why Do We Do This Anyway? And Other Queries from Fifth Graders Jo Firestone "Sex Ed" is an edited* recording of a live event hosted by Radiolab at the Skirball Center in New York City on May 16, 2018. Radiolab Team Gonads is Molly Webster, Pat Walters, and Rachael Cusick, with Jad Abumrad. Live music, including the sex ed questions, and the Gonads theme song, were written, performed, and produced by Majel Connery and Alex Overington. One more thing! Over the past few months, Radiolab has been collecting sex ed book suggestions from listeners and staff, about the books that helped them understand the birds and the bees. Check out the full Gonads Presents: Sex Ed Bookshelf here! For now, a few of our favorites: Share book reviews and ratings with Radiolab, and even join a book club on Goodreads. *Our live show featured the following additional questions and answerers: How do you talk to your partner in bed without sound like an asshold or a slut? Upright Citizens Brigade, featuring Lou Gonzales, Molly Thomas, and Alexandra Dickson What Happens to All the Condom Bananas? Rachael Cusick With live event production help from Melissa LaCasse and Alicia Allen; engineering by Ed Haber and George Wellington; and balloons by Candy Brigham from Candy Twisted Balloons Special. Special thanks to Larry Siegel, Upright Citizens Brigade, and Emily Rothman and the Start Strong Initiative at the Boston Public Health Commission. Radiolab is supported in part by Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to engaging everyone with the process of science. And the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, enhancing public understanding of science and technology in the modern world. More information about Sloan at www.sloan.org. Support Radiolab today at Radiolab.org/donate.
This week I have a special intro guest appearance! My friend Abbey Moore (remember her from episode #88?) is here to remind us how to support the pod: -DONATE TO THE SHOW! Or shop on Amazon with this link to help us out. -Leave a review on iTunes & subscribe to the show!Other Cool Things: -Sign-up for my newsletter with updates and links to cool things I'm exploring! -Join the listener Facebook Group -Get my book Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling or leave a review if you have read it!Notes from the show: -Lynn's Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest | Podcast -Squirl is the amazing restaurant we met at in L.A. -If you haven't checked out my L.A. vlog you can do that here. -Lynn's Blogs we talk about:: The Actor's Diet & Thick Dumpling Skin -My episode on the Actor's Diet podcast -Other blogs/people Lynn mentions:: Kath Eats Real Food & Cristy Meyers with 'How to Chow' -Lynn's favorite pod episode she has done is this one with Abe's dad (David Greenwald) + this is another dad episode I love with Chris Hardwick's dad -NPR episode with Lisa Lee -Lynn's favorite books of the moment: Parma Lakshmi’s Memoire & Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. -Lynn's favorite foods of the moment: Jeni's Ice Creams & Zongzi
Today I needed to just touch base with you and give you an old chestnut. Are we moving forward? Am I grown up yet!!!! Can you participate? Am I to needy? This is a little recap of my podcast journey to finding me so far, with a wild over share of my sex life and my heart. Help me on my quest! Who do YOU think I should interview next? “What is my meal that I want to feed to the World?” - Lisa Orkin #honestlylisa Who am I? Can you tell me? “I digress into smelliness.” - Lisa Orkin #honestlylisa Previously on Honestly Lisa: 070: I Married My High-School Sweetheart feat. Lee Cuellar 068: Reloaded feat. Paula Killen 066: He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother! feat. Haris and Mike Orkin 064: Political Activism on Speed Dial feat. Jane Edith Wilson 062: I’m Not Lazy, I’m Self Employed feat. Antonio Sacre 060: Can Hypnotherapy Save Lisa from Her Procrastination Problem? feat. Carmen Isais 058: Can You be Mediocre and Still be Successful? Sheep are Happy Too feat. Nikki Tanyika Lewis 056: Love Your Bad Thoughts, Like a Piece of Chocolate feat. Melody Park Shin 054: Doctor it Hurts When I Do This feat. Philippe Coudoux 052: Instructions for Breathing feat. Rina Jakubowicz 050: How Do You Want to Die? feat. Dr. Martha Joe Atkins 048: Who’s in Charge Here? feat. Share Ross 046: Are You There God? It’s me Lisa feat. Rabbi Jim Kaufman 044: Love Your Inner Cat Lady because She’s A Goddess feat. Renee Starr 042: A Primal Scream feat. Suzanne Whang “I drink green drinks, why can’t I find a normal man?!” -Lisa Orkin #honestlylisa I call the story at the end, Jesus and handcuffs: What’s my Pez? “My curiously minty vagina spoke for me.” -Lisa Orkin #honestlylisa #altoid “Do you ever have fantasies of tying your lovers up and performing Altoid cunnilingus?” -Lisa Orkin #honestlylisa
Coming-of-age novels are a dime a dozen, but Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is one of the best known. It's such a significant work that we invited our pal Margaret H. Willison back to help us through it—she is, obviously, an expert on all things Margaret. This week we talk about our changing bodies, running for no reason, and some truly horrifying bra shopping experiences. Enjoy!
In conversation with Alex Cohen, co-host of KPCC's "Take Two"Co-presented with the Japanese American Cultural and Community CenterOn this special evening, one of America’s most beloved storytellers, Judy Blume, will discuss her work—from young adult classics like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to her new novel for adults, In the Unlikely Event. The story, inspired by a series of real-life plane crashes that occurred in the 1950s in Blume’s home town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, weaves together three generations of families, friends and strangers, whose lives are profoundly changed by a succession of disasters. This iconic author who has won the hearts and minds of readers of all ages, is also known for her passionate advocacy to protect the freedom to read. She will be joined in conversation with KPCC host and super Blume fan, Alex Cohen. Join us for a night to remember! *Click here to see photos from the event!
Welcome to another episode of Firsties with Reba and Ross! This is our penultimate installment in our Venture Bros coverage: "Are You There God? It's me, Dean" and "Past Tense." We hope you enjoy! Check in next week for the end of our Venture Bros. coverage, as we discuss "The Trial of the Monarch" and "Return to Spider-Skull Island." We also may be discussing a bit of the Christmas special (in the "extras" on the DVD set), so check that out if you can. One final note: in this episode, I mention that we'll be referring to the season 2 premiere in the next episode. However, it appears that Netflix has now removed season 2 of The Venture Bros as well, so we'll try to talk about S1's finale without spoilers first. If we have time, we'll go into a special "spoiler" segment of the show at the very end.
Judy Blume has sold more than 80 million copies of such young-adult best-sellers as Blubber: Just as Long as We’re Together and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret as well as the adult titles Summer Sisters, Smart Women and Wifey. Her books have been translated into 31 languages, and she has won numerous awards for her writing, such as the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Library Association and the Living Legends award from the Library of Congress. Blume is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. Her newest book is Friend or Fiend? With the Pain & the Great One (2009). She lives on islands along the East Coast.
CraftLit - Serialized Classic Literature for Busy Book Lovers
Tale of Two Cities - chapters 1 & 2 You'll need to know a few things, like... What's a blunderbuss? This, this is a blunderbuss. This is Chuck. Who was ? She was an English spiritualist. What was the ? One of the first ever psychic scams. Read about it. You'll find MANY different versions on the web. This is the issue of that I need two bloody pages from...here's the which I thought was very helpful. Check out and And in both the "any publicity is good publicity" and the "I've never heard of an idea so dangerous it couldn't be talked about" departments: ! Anyone remember Are You There God? It's Me Margaret? Anyone? Anyone? And if you have the travel bug: . . Fun! And don't forget: WWMDFK? (?) Think on't. Thanks to our readers and . And, finally: Spinneret's cogent and I think important note on "Screw": From various sources - As in England, early lawmakers in this country adopted 10 as the age of consent. The age of consent in England was raised from 12 (which is what it was when James was born in 1843) to 13 in 1875 and then to 16 in 1886. The Factory Act from 1844 reduced the hours of work for children between 8 and 13 to six and a half a day, either in the morning or afternoon, no child being allowed to work in both on the same day, except on alternate days, and then only for ten hours The Factory Act, 1891 raising the minimum age at which a child can be set to work from ten to eleven. So the perspective on children was a little different at that point, T.O.T.S. (funny that) being published in 1898. Accepting that these children are not from the working class they still would not have fallen under the societal view as young innocents. Thanks for the great read.
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