Rocky

I got the impression from something T-Bone said on another thread a few days ago that he may have taken this as that I gave a reading assignment. Well, I don't have a teaching degree. I don't give grades or course credit... and hardly consider myself qualified to teach anything related to literature. But I love stories. I hope that when I share my impressions of a book, it might stir some curiosity about the book in those who read the comment. That's as far as it goes. Btw, I'm 90 percent through The Book of Longings. I expect to finish it later today. I'll probably post a review on goodreads and amazon. When I do, I'll share it here too... just in case anyone might be interested. Btw, is this the Sunday twi celebrates an anniversary? I forget.

I also posted this in the thread about The Book of Longings. A brief excerpt from the Book of Longings. Ana, now the wife of Jesus, speaking with her friend Tabitha, who had earlier in the book been raped. Because of the culture at the time, it was not acceptable for a woman to respond as Tabitha did. She was roughly 15 years old at the time and after the rape she was angry and shouted in the streets naming her rapist. Tabitha's father cut her tongue out and sold her into slavery. It was the only disturbing episode in the book up to this point (I'm 42 percent of the way through it). Ana and Jesus found her near death on the road to Jerusalem for the Passover. She had run away from abusive slave owners. Ana and Jesus rescued her and took her to Jesus' friends house (Mary, Martha and Lazarus) where Tabitha was nursed back to health and given safety. When Ana and Jesus left to return to Nazareth, Ana said the following to Tabitha. "Years ago, after that day I came to your house, I wrote down your story on papyrus. I wrote about your ferocious spirit, how you stood in the street and cried out what happened to you and were silenced for it. I think every pain in this world wants to be witnessed, Tabitha. That's why you shouted about your rape on the street and it's why I wrote it down." She stared at me unblinking, then pulled me to her and clung there. That is what GSC does for people, though cultures now are not the same as during that era.

A brief excerpt from the Book of Longings. Ana, now the wife of Jesus, speaking with her friend Tabitha, who had earlier in the book been raped. Because of the culture at the time, it was not acceptable for a woman to respond as Tabitha did. She was roughly 15 years old at the time and after the rape she was angry and shouted in the streets naming her rapist. Tabitha's father cut her tongue out and sold her into slavery. It was the only disturbing episode in the book up to this point (I'm 42 percent of the way through it). Ana and Jesus found her near death on the road to Jerusalem for the Passover. She had run away from abusive slave owners. Ana and Jesus rescued her and took her to Jesus' friends house (Mary, Martha and Lazarus) where Tabitha was nursed back to health and given safety. When Ana and Jesus left to return to Nazareth, Ana said the following to Tabitha. "Years ago, after that day I came to your house, I wrote down your story on papyrus. I wrote about your ferocious spirit, how you stood in the street and cried out what happened to you and were silenced for it. I think every pain in this world wants to be witnessed, Tabitha. That's why you shouted about your rape on the street and it's why I wrote it down." She stared at me unblinking, then pulled me to her and clung there. That is what GSC does for people, though cultures now are not the same as during that era.

I hope for those who want to be enlightened to be able to endure the purge without substantive emotional damage.

It might get some attention, but I don't think Colorado officials would appreciate the distraction it might be to drivers.

Yes, they are associated. You need not wonder why or how, as answers abound in the historical record here. It may take a bit of patience, but you can find/figure it out.

Again, why might you think there's reason to reassess anything when the whole idea is to let people tell their STORIES? If you don't want to tell us your story, that's no skin off my back.

Do you really assume/surmise that telling the stories people tell on GSC are about "trying to get someone to settle their differences with someone else? Why might you have a hard time grasping that telling one's story or stories is about anything other than telling one's stories?

Btw, it appears you've not had any significant contact in your life with journalists or historians. Of course, I could be wrong. However, journalists and historians tell the stories of what has happened. Humans are ALL about STORIES. What has been your experience with stories? Are you still IN twi? Just askin' ...

Your empathy seems to be deficient. Your apparent need to pass judgment on people who post here more than makes up for it.

For clarification, are you suggesting you know better what any person other than yourself is specifically responsible to do with her/his life, specifically? Your comments read like you are condemning GSC and the people who continue to contribute here long after leaving TWI. Is that what you intended? World population is now estimated by the United Nations to be 7.8 billion people. That could be quite a burden of oversight if that's what you're thinking.

Sorry if I misunderstood and/or offended you.

Thanks for the video.

Though there is some humor in Ms. Kidd's book, that's not the thrust. It's really about the protagonist, Ana, a young woman wanting to find her voice in the world at that time.

Meticulous anthropological and cultural research . To write a compelling novel about the subject, she would have to have deep and extensive background knowledge about the era and the cultural geography. Frankly, I find the story quite compelling. Kidd isn't proselytizing for or against Christianity. But she did imagine Jesus's humanity in greater depth and detail probably than anyone else in our contemporary times. Even if Jesus was/is both God and man, how much does anyone, even JW's or wayfers actually imagine his interaction with people except on the surface? That, anyway, is why I find the book fascinating. It's out there for people -- who might be interested -- to read. The author treats Jesus and his family (sibs/parents) with reverence. I first became aware of the book when I saw a friend put it on a list of what she wanted to read. I made a mental note to look out for if/when she wrote a review in the event she actually read it. She did, on goodreads.com, and gave it five stars. So I read some reviews and requested it from my local public library. I picked it up on Friday. Thanks, Twinky, for posing the question.

Put another way, magical thinking.

Since Jesus Christ is not God, and since we don't know anything about his life entailed during his 20s, what do you think about the recent story by Sue Monk Kidd, The Book of Longings? Here's what Amazon's page for selling the book says about it, In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers. Here's also a youtube discussion with the author, I've got a copy of the Large Print edition from my local public library and have read the first 40-some pages of it so far. I find The Book of Longings fascinating.

Whoop-dee frickin' doo!

Looks like it was the old "extratropical transition" trick... missed it by... that much. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Paulette Paulette developed from a tropical wave on September 7. Due to relatively favorable conditions, Paulette gradually strengthened into a strong tropical storm, though an increase in wind shear caused it to weaken. Wind shear continued to increase to the south of the system, but despite the shear, Paulette unexpectedly strengthened back into a strong tropical storm on September 11, with deep convection located just north of the center. A dry air inclusion caused the cyclone's structure to become disheveled on September 12, though Paulette quickly recovered and strengthened into a hurricane at 03:00 UTC on September 13. Paulette then developed a closed eyewall and a clear eye as it steadily strengthened and moved towards Bermuda. Early on September 14th, Paulette made landfall in northeastern Bermuda as a Category 1 hurricane while making a sharp turn to the north. It then further strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane as it moved away from the island, reaching its peak intensity on September 14 with of 105 mph (165 km/h) winds and a pressure of 965 mbar (28.50 inHg). On the evening of September 15, it began to weaken and undergo extratropical transition, which it completed on September 16.

Yes

Just to the east of that cone (Fri night to Sat night) sits the Azores Islands. Some 45 years ago or so, I endured a few hurricanes... with horizontal rain and one storm wherein we got 8 inches of rain in two hours in early October one year. I was there for about three years. I hope this storm dissipates soon and doesn't damage anything in the Azores.

A new look for GSC too? Have to keep up with the Zuckerbergs?