tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62934245707724085562024-03-18T05:56:50.452+00:00Elle LoughranEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-72354844026026914802020-01-24T23:09:00.001+00:002020-01-24T23:09:12.404+00:00Climate Activist Interviews #6: Sophia Geiger<div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is the sixth week of a series on this blog where I interview other climate and environmental activists. I hope these interviews help connect climate activists around the world, boost the good work they're doing, and give potential activists ideas and encouragement for action they could take to fight the climate crisis!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Today's interviewee is Sophia Geiger, weekly climate striker and organizer with Fridays For Future USA. You can follow her on Twitter at @sphiamia.</span></span></span></div>
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Tell me a bit about you - where are you from, what age are you, and what do you do (climate-related and otherwise)?</b></span><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m from right outside DC in Silver Spring MD [Maryland, USA]. I’m 17 in 11th grade at Northwood High School. I’m a weekly striker, climate activist and organizer with Fridays for Future USA and our local chapter Fridays for Future DC. This basically amounts to spending my Fridays silent striking in school and then hitting the streets (or sidewalks as it were) with my friends, and spending the rest of the week organizing through sending emails, hours on conference calls, and lots and lots of slack messages. I also run the instagram for FFFUSA (@fridaysforfutureusa), the instagram for our silent strike campaign (@fffsilentstrike), the twitter for the silent strike campaign (@fffsilent), the twitter for FFFDC (@fridaysfuturedc) and I help run the instagram for FFFDC (@fridaysforfuture.dc). As you can probably tell I don’t have time for much outside of all that, and school on top of that, as well as trying my best to still be a teenager (chores, friends, etc.). </span></span></div>
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<b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How did you get into climate activism?</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had been looking for a way to get involved for a while. I’ve always known about the climate crisis but until the 2018 IPCC report I, and I think a lot of other people, had no idea, or didn’t want to really understand the reality of its severity. One of my friends became active and I got involved through her, and within a few months my life had totally changed.</span></span></div>
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<b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What's your role with FFF USA?</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The thing that makes FFF and FFFUSA specifically really unique is that unlike a lot of other climate groups we are not an organization, we are a movement. This means that although we have a structure with working groups and an email, social media etc, we don’t have a bank account or paid staff or titles or a lot of the things people might expect from us. Our movement’s focus is distributed, consistent action so our structure is very decentralized. We also are very committed to building a community with as much of a lack of hierarchy as possible so we mainly have two levels, local and national. On the local level they have a lot of freedom and autonomy, and on the national level we are a community, open to anyone who wants to participate in whatever capacity they can. I’m one of the more involved people, and I’ve been around since a few months after FFFUSA’s start in December of 2018 when Zayne Cowie in NYC and Kallan Benson in DC started striking. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What are some highlights of what you’ve done so far? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">March 15th was my first deep strike [when many countries strike together], so that was definitely a landmark point for me, as well as a moment to learn a lot from and apply to future deep strikes. On September 13th we struck with Greta, and I got to meet her and talk to her which was super crazy for me. September 20th was also a huge deep strike, even bigger than March 15th. For the 20th I participated in months of planning and work on national, local and international levels, and had many setbacks and frustrations, so it was amazing to see all that work culminate with thousands of people mobilized in DC and millions world wide. There was a moment on the 20th when me and Kallan were leading the march toward the Capitol and we looked back and could see for the first time how big the crowd was with people still flowing out of John Marshall Park. That was one of the most memorable moments for me because we had been striking for months with our actions turning out anywhere from 2 to 30 people so it was incredible and shocking to see such a huge crowd.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have you found community with other environmental activists? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The FFFUSA community is an incredible group to be a part of. More than any other group I’ve been with I really feel like the people in FFFUSA are dedicated to the cause and each other. Like any group and especially any group of teenagers collaboration is tough, especially when so much of what we do needs to be based in trust and most of us have never met in person. But I think we are really building a community that is committed to changing the world and being set up in a way that works for the people in it and that’s beautiful to see. We also have an awesome community internationally with so many kind, inspiring activists and that too I feel so lucky to be a part of. It’s amazing to walk out the door Friday morning knowing that thousands of other activists are also walking out their doors that day to strike for climate justice, and to stand alongside people who take the climate crisis as seriously as I do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tell me about the holiday cards project.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That was a project with a few main goals: help bring the community together and mobilize people to take action, use the proximity of our DC chapter to amplify voices around the country, and give our movement more presence on Capitol Hill, and I think we accomplished all of those. We wanted to have people around the country write a message to their Congress people, which the DC chapter would then hand deliver to Congress. We think hand delivering makes them that little bit more impactful and was also a chance for us to be in Congressional offices, talking to the aides, making our movement more visible. We also sang Christmas carols but with altered lyrics to talk about the climate crisis which definitely made us more memorable to the offices. It was also somewhat of an experiment in how well this kind of action would work and whether people would be into it, and I think it went really well. I personally made cards for and wrote out the around 100 responses we got from our online form, so this project has a special place in my heart and is something we are thinking about doing again for Valentine's Day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What have you learned through your activism?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being a climate activist has taught me so much about myself, about interpersonal relationships, about the human psyche, about our political and societal structure and its many flaws, among other things. Although I still have a long way to go as a person I think the past year has made me more empathetic, more willing and able to critically examine myself and the world around me, more appreciative of the work that I and others can do and more understanding of the immense impact that pure people power can have.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What are your goals for 2020 for climate action in the US?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In 2020 I hope the climate movement will better strengthen its collaboration between the different groups involved and be able to create a more united front. I hope FFF will become more diverse and better able to support and work for the actions and needs of frontline and marginalized communities. I hope that we will become even more connected globally. I hope that we will elect a president with a focus on climate action and put in place legislation that will move us into a just transition to a greener America and world as a whole. I hope that our society will wake up and start making the changes that it needs to, from reducing consumerism and individualistic mindsets to starting to address this crisis on a united level similar to how we came together around wars in the past. I hope that we will see leadership from frontline communities and scientists in how best to address the crisis and provide solutions for it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What’s something or someone you think more people should know about? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">More people need to understand the reality of the crisis and the need to mobilize. Australia has shown us that even in the face of real and severe danger to lives and ecosystems, world leaders will dig themselves deeper into lies and denial and continue to fuel the literal fires of the climate crisis. We cannot expect change simply from asking for it, or hoping that they will do the right thing, we must demand the world that we deserve. We will not see change with the scale and urgency needed until we have millions in the streets and organizing and thinking about and prioritizing the climate crisis. In the face of this threat not much else matters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What frustrates you?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I see a lot of opportunities for collaboration within the climate movement and ways that our actions could be even better and stronger. Unfortunately a lot of times egos and personalities get in the way. We are definitely making progress and friction is a part of working together—it’s just frustrating to see all that could be possible and that I want to be possible not come to fruition because of the complexities of movement politics.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What gives you hope and keeps you going?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The amazing people I see fighting alongside me as well as a fair amount of naive optimism. I can’t allow myself to believe for a second that we will not succeed, that things will not get better, that we will not create the world we are fighting so hard for. I’m just committed to giving this cause everything I have for the people and animals and life forms of the world, and those still to come. In my mind, there’s no other option.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How can people join or support your activism? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Follow us on social media. Come out on Fridays. If you can’t take to the streets then silent strike or digital strike. You can always do something. Go to <a href="http://fridaysforfututureusa.org/">fridaysforfututureusa.org</a> to find a strike near you or to start organizing with us, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>everyone is welcome, everyone is needed</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Spread the word. Do some research, read the reports. Make the climate crisis a priority in all decision making you do whether that’s the choices you make in what to buy, where to travel, how you are going to spend your Friday, etc. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do you have any advice for fellow or potential climate activists?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Join FFF. We love you and we need you and there is always work to be done. Straight A’s or a good college won’t matter on a dead planet. Listen to the scientists and the voices of frontline communities. Start a strike near you. It’s really as easy as grabbing a sign and finding a street corner, no excessive planning needed. Make sure to let FFFUSA know you want to strike by sending us an email or DM so we can support you. Your voice matters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">Thank you so much, Sophia, for your time and your action!</b><br /><br /><b>And to those reading this: Happy #FridaysForFuture! For next Friday, find your local strike point, or start one, and join us!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Answers in these interviews are lightly edited for formatting/grammar/spelling and clarity.</span></div>
Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-34452507768095677392020-01-17T08:00:00.000+00:002020-01-17T08:00:04.146+00:00Climate Activist Interviews #5: Edgar McGregor<div>
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><div style="white-space: normal;">
<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">This is the fifth week of a series on this blog where I interview other climate activists. I hope these interviews help connect climate activists around the world, boost the good work they're doing, and give potential activists ideas and encouragement for action they could take to fight the climate crisis!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">Today's interviewee is Edgar McGregor, climate activist and amateur climatologist in California. You can follow him on Twitter at @edgarrmcgregor.</span></div>
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Tell me a bit about you - where are you from, what age are you, and what do you do (climate-related and otherwise)? </span></b></span><div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My name is Edgar McGregor and I live in Pasadena, California. I am currently a student at Pasadena City College, and I am a climate activist. I have been striking outside Pasadena City Hall every Friday since March 8, 2019 to demand action on the climate crisis from my local politicians. I have been cleaning up trash every single day at my local park since May 29, 2019, collecting over 1 ton of trash across a single park. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>You’re an amateur climatologist. What does that involve, and what are some interesting or important things you’ve studied so far? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am currently a geography student at my local community college and self-proclaimed amatuer climatologist. I have done extensive research on studying how climate change is affecting the weather here in southern California. I have discovered that my city is 6.5F warmer than it was 112 years ago, has doubled the average number of extreme heat days per year in that time, and has also become far more susceptible to drought. Using deposited tree logs, I also have studied historic high-flow flood events in local canyons in recent decades to figure out the maximum water discharge of local rivers. Hopefully my findings will one day help my city prepare for the flood we are susceptible to. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How did you get into climate activism? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Long ago, I was once much more interested in Meteorology, the study of weather. I watched the weather very closely, from the temperature outside to amount of rainfall each storm gave us. When I turned 15, I began noticing our weather was steadily warmer than I remembered it being as a kid, and I began to wonder how climate change was affecting my city. Heavy rain was falling in months where it doesn’t normally every rain, heatwaves were occurring in months were they shouldn’t, and wildfires kept ravaging nearby towns. I quickly realized that the climate crisis was significantly altering the weather in my region, and the rest is history. </span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What are some highlights of what you’ve done so far? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Honestly, I feel like I haven't done enough. Even though I strike every Friday alongside thousands of other teenagers across the world, organize global climate strikes in Los Angeles, and clean up m[y] park daily, I still don’t feel like I have done enough. Every year, I continue to watch our species carbon emissions rise, and I know we have more work to do. My greatest accomplishments are the days of my trash clean ups when it was really inconvenient for me to go out there. I have cleaned up trash in the pouring rain, during extreme windstorms, after 12 hour shifts at work, during finals week, and even during extreme heat waves. I want to send a message to those around me that I really care about this planet; because I do. Saying it in words isn’t quite enough. To me, individual climate action isn’t just about reducing emissions, it is about sending a message. I need people to know that I will not stop fighting for future generations, so that maybe, just maybe, they will feel obligated to join me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Have you found community with other environmental activists?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I definitely have found community with other climate activists, especially here in Los Angeles. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Tell me about the Earth CleanUp project.</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After I began climate striking for a couple hours every Friday in March, I really felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Walking away at the end of my strike didn’t feel right, and I knew I needed to do more. Since I love nature, I decided to spend a few hours every Saturday cleaning up trash at my local park. After 2 or 3 weeks, I quickly found that it wasn’t going to help the situation at my park. I needed to clean up every day instead. Beginning on May 29th, 2019, I did just that. My park is the mouth of a very large canyon that stretches from just a few blocks from my house to about 2 miles into the mountain range nearby. There are trails that criss-crossing the canyon floor, and a river that flows through it, but only when it is raining. While most trails end within the park, some trails stretch into the mountain range above and connect with the Pacific Crest trail that stretches 1,200 miles away! There really isn’t an end to my park! At first, I truly believed it would only take me roughly 10 days to have the entire park cleaned up. Today was day 203 of my cleanup, and I am not yet done. I have found trash in every single portion of the park, from the parking lot at the main entrance to the most distant shrub clearings. I have found trash across the entire portion of the river, inside tree trunks, in animals mouths, and even atop the tallest canyon walls. I have found phones, wallets, shoes, money, car keys, and even furniture. One of the most difficult things about the daily clean ups is how inconvenient they can be for me. It is a 4 hour walk from my home to the very popular waterfall and back. If I want to drive to the entrance of the park near the waterfall, this means leaving my house before 7 AM so that I can bring the car back to my family member who has work, as I don’t have a car. Cleaning up trash every day also means I have hiked in all sorts of weather. For the first 150 days of my trash clean up, it did not rain a single time in my city. By the end of the 150 days, everything in the park was dead save the largest plants and trees. Temperatures in summer exceeded 95F, or 35C, nearly every single day, and this was a cool summer. A summer without a drop of rain is normal here. Since summer has ended, I have hiked in the pouring rain on multiple occasions. I have also hiked during some extreme windstorms, two of which on November 26th, 2019 and December 17th, 2019 delivered gusts of 65 MPH. I have heard and seen more than enough trees fall down for one life. I also worked an eight hour physical labor job six days a week during the entire summer, which made cleaning up trash every day even more difficult. Some days, I worked 12 hours shifts and still cleaned up trash. Being out there in nature every day is important to me. I have learned so much and accomplished even more. I have learned much about my local ecology, met some great people, forced myself to exercise every day, forced myself to get out in nature every day, cleaned up trash, and send a message to the world that nothing is going to stop this generation from preserving this planet for future generations. As a first step for entering the climate movement, I urge all who read this to do as I do and care for your local park. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Like me, Greta Thunberg, and many other climate activists, you’re autistic. Do you have any thoughts on whether/why autistic people tend to care more about the environment? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nature, for many people on the spectrum, is very important to our mental health. Nature makes a lot of sense to us, and we can often easily spend hours upon hours in nature alone and not get bored. Most of us can stare at a stream for hours on end and not get bored. One reason why I chose cleaning up trash every day as my individual action is because I get to be in nature every single day for at least an hour. Autistic people tend to care more about the climate crisis than our neurotypical counterparts because we see the natural areas we love so much changing. It is not supposed to rain in my region in summer at all, and yet here comes flash floods rolling down my wash in August. It is not supposed to be hot in October, and yet there are the pre-dawn hours on late October mornings that fail to get cooler than the average summertime afternoon. Animals are fleeing my park in droves, finding their only refuge is in peoples neighborhoods drinking sprinkler water. Heavy rains followed by long droughts are the perfect conditions for wildfires. I know that on any given day, my entire park could be leveled by a devastating wildfire. Autistic people care about the climate crisis so much because we on average watch and value nature more than others, and we are watching nature crumble. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What have you learned through your activism?</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have learned quite a lot about both myself and the world. My activism has shown me all the different ways people are being affected by social justice issues. It has taught me a lot about how the world works, and how my little corner of the world compares to others. I have learned what par</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t of this movement I can contribute to, and I learned about which parts I can’t. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What are your goals for 2020 for climate action in the US?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My main goal for climate action in 2020 is to double the size of our community. We need more people speaking up about this issue, demanding politicians to do something about, and recognizing the crisis we are in. During our September global climate strike, the U.S. didn’t even have a million participants, despite having a population of well over 300 million people. Other nations with much smaller populations did, and so there is clear room for improvement. We need more people to not just listen to the science, but to understand it and to act on it</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What’s something or someone you think more people should know about?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think one point people should realize is that far too many people seem to be waiting for a hero or a miracle technology that is going to come in and save us all from ourselves. We have the opportunity right now to provide to future generation a guide on how to get our act together as a species and solve an existential crisis. That will be incredibly valuable to them. We can’t rely on a miracle or a hero to save us, because one isn’t coming. We all have to do the hard work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Both of us have experienced people thanking us for our activism but not participating - what would you like to say to those people?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would say that the point of my daily trash cleanups, my weekly climate strikes, and my occasional major climate strike organizing is useful is because it gets people who support me to help actually help me. We teenagers cannot solve the climate crisis alone. We need your help, and our actions are often a masked cry for help. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>How can people join or support your work?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">People can support my work by joining me from wherever they are. Whether it is talking about climate change, climate striking, organizing global climate strikes, picking up trash, or planting trees, it all helps both myself and future generations. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Do you have any advice for fellow or potential climate activists?</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To future climate activists, I would say please forgive yourself. Previous generations have built this society that doesn’t allow you to not emit fossil fuels. Do what you can to fight for this planet, but above all, make sure you are comfortable. We need as many people in this movement as possible. There is still so much of Earth left to save. </span></span></div>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">Thank you so much, Edgar, for your time and your action!</b><br /><br /><b>And to those reading this: Happy #FridaysForFuture! For next Friday, find your local strike point, or start one, and join us!</b></span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;" /><div dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Answers in these interviews are lightly edited for formatting/grammar/spelling and clarity.</span></div>
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-54070724269473865832020-01-10T08:00:00.000+00:002020-01-10T08:00:01.051+00:00Climate Activist Interviews #4: Cerys Gough<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; white-space: normal;">This is the fourth week of a series on this blog where I interview other climate activists. I hope these interviews help connect climate activists around the world, boost the good work they're doing, and give potential activists ideas and encouragement for action they could take to fight the climate crisis!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m from Dumfriesshire in the South West of Scotland and I’m 16 years old. In my town, I helped set up my school’s eco-group and I am a coordinator for strikes here, I also volunteer for a local wildlife organisation aiming to engage people of the town with the surrounding nature. I am a member of SYCS [Scottish Youth Climate Strike] and Extinction Rebellion too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. How did you get into environmental activism?</span></b></span></div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I first became interested in nature at age 4 when I moved out of the city and into the countryside where for the first time, I could see wild animals and roam across beautiful landscapes, even getting a dog made me interested in animals. At the age of 7 I started watching David Attenborough wildlife documentaries with my Dad and was introduced to what seemed like a whole new world, I had never seen such incredible creatures and habitats before, soon I fell in love with Mother Earth and all her wonders. At the age of 8 I started to learn that all these amazing animals were threatened, I learned that some were murdered and parts of their bodies sold, I learned that forests were cut down so their homes were destroyed, I learned that humans were hurting nature. I also began to question why I was eating animals when I loved them so much, it simply didn’t make sense, so I became pescatarian and a few months later, vegetarian. At age 9 I decided I wanted to help these animals, I went on litter picks with my Scout group and asked for my birthday money to be donated to charities. Me and my childhood friends, with the help of my parents, organised a fundraiser for WWF and Shelter too. In school I discovered for the first time what global warming was, we were told we should turn of lights and use less paper to help save the polar bears. I didn’t really understand at the time but gradually my knowledge of the issue grew. At age 11 I started volunteering for a wildlife charity based my town, with them I would help ring birds, go to meetings, carry out surveys on the wildlife in the area and work with groups of school kids to teach them about the outdoors and nature. I still work for this organisation today. For a couple of years, I became more focused other issues instead like poverty, educational barriers and gender equality, I briefly worked with the WE Movement then soon began to focus more on bullying and its serious impacts. I wanted to raise awareness of the issue and this led to me winning a competition to attend a high-profile charity event where I got to meet the wonderful Michelle Obama in the summer of 2018. In December of 2018 my Dad showed me a video of a girl my age speaking at a UN conference, she was fierce and wasn’t afraid to tell world leaders what they were doing wrong, I was inspired. I began to research more on the issue she talked about, it was strange, I had first learned about this serious issue when I was 9 and now 6 years later, it’s still a serious issue, no one had done anything about it. I studied climate change more and began to come active on social media, posting about it, sharing videos and trying make the few people who followed me more aware, it was the least I could do. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout 2019 I followed the climate movement as it grew and grew and I began to feel a hope I hadn’t felt before, I joined organisations online and watched everything they did. I wanted to join in, but I decided to remain focused on preparing for my school exams instead. During the summer I heard Ban Ki-moon, former </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secretary-General of the United Nations, giving an inspiring speech where he asked young people to help tackle climate change. This was when I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to solving the issue. I talked to some friends and together we set up an Extinction Rebellion Youth group for all of Scotland as one did not exist yet. I also helped set up an eco-group in my school, our main aim is to get our regional council to cut plastic completely in the school canteen. I went to my first climate strike on the 20</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of September in Edinburgh then organised my first one on the 29</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of November. I had planned to attend the Global Rebellion in October and was about to book my train tickets when something came up so sadly, I could not make it. I have now joined the Save Congo Rainforest online strike in solidarity with Vanessa Nakate and I’m always on Twitter annoying people with science and facts. </span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Global Climate Strike in September was incredible, I was so excited for the event and I was so proud of how it turned out, definitely a highlight. My main highlight though has to be volunteering, the organisation I have worked with for the past 5 years is amazing. The people are so nice, and I’ve been able to get really close to some of the wildlife that’s always intrigued me as well as find new opportunities and confidence through my work. It’s been a learning opportunity for me and one which has really changed my life. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>4. Can you introduce me to what Extinction Rebellion do and your involvement with them?</b></span></span></div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Extinction Rebellion is an organisation aiming to create radical and necessary change to our societies and laws that will prevent climate breakdown, it intends to do this by pressuring the Government to act through mass non-violent civil disobedience. I am a member of Extinction Rebellion Youth, I helped set up the group for Scotland and co-ordinate the social media. I was intending to join the Global Rebellion in October and was about to book train tickets when something came up and unfortunately, I couldn’t attend. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the most important things I have learned is that politicians can be bad people. When I first started learning about politics I assumed that world leaders would be generally good people and even if they made mistakes, they still deserved respect as their main intention is still to do good. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Activism has taught me to look at the world in a new perspective, it taught me that evil people aren’t just in fairy tales but can actually be the leaders of a nation. It taught me that I should be angry, and I should voice that rage at the people who have caused it. I learned that most politicians don’t even deserve the smallest amount of respect. I have also learned the importance of climate justice when it comes to creating change and the importance of listening to the voices of Indigenous communities as their voices matter the most and need to be heard if we’re going to tackle this crisis. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>6. The UK has just had an election that ended up revolving around Brexit. How do you think we can encourage a focus on the need for climate action?</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I think we need to ramp up the pressure, we need more and bigger strikes. We need to also start doing other things too, not just strikes. We need to support grassroots organisations and local projects that help make change, even if it'</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">s small. We need people to campaign locally and nationally for change. We need to engage more with small, rural communities to see what changed can be made that is still good for them. We also need to be determined, unforgiving and angry. Politicians can’t ignore us forever and so many people across the UK have already woken up to the crisis yet there are so many people who still haven’t, we need to make sure that everyone is aware and then change will follow. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>7. What are your goals for 2020 for climate action in Scotland and the UK?</b></span></span></div>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I aim to school strike more throughout the year and do digital strikes too. I am also helping launch a new project called ‘SOS Saturdays’ which will hopefully be a success. The idea is that people demonstrate every Saturday by the sea, loch or river then share it online, it’s sort of like the Digital Strikes but focuses on the oceans and marine life. Our aim is then put pressure on the Scottish Government to take real action to protect our waters and the life within it. This year COP26 will be held in Glasgow in Scotland so that will definitely be the most important thing that happens this year. It will require a lot of work and time but hopefully it won’t be a failure like the other COPs and real change can be made. I also hope to attend to next Global Rebellion but maybe not get arrested.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think people sometimes don’t realise the power our oceans have when it comes to tackling climate change. The world’s oceans suck in huge amounts of CO2 and help regulate global temperatures, if the oceans were protected, its habitats restored, and marine life given a chance to recover it would help fight climate change as effectively as all the world’s rainforests would. We need to reduce carbon emissions and plant more trees, but we also need save the seas, it is necessary to fight this crisis. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Zoos. I don’t like them at all. I understand if animals are kept in captivity for breeding programs to save the species, that I can support, but animals being kept in cages for entertainment is wrong. Nature does not belong to us; it should be free. Keeping these creatures in cages just so we can look at them should be a crime. It takes all the life out of the animals, they just become animated puppets, they should be wild. </span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Politicians also frustrate me because they say they care then set stupid targets with no plans, they lie and it costs lives. A lot of things frustrate me actually, the broken electorate system, racists, society in general, a lot else too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Seeing millions of people take to the streets gives me hope that change will be made, it shows that the world is waking up and soon there will simply be too many of us marching to ignore. Also, if all these millions of people changed their lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly and reduce their carbon footprint it could have a huge impact, so I hope they do. Seeing how important the climate was in the recent election, even though it wasn’t important enough, gives me hope that people genuinely do care and will vote for change eventually even though it’s needed sooner than that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">People can follow me on social media if they want however, I’m not the one that needs supporting. People should support Indigenous activists and listen to their voices because theirs matter the most. I’m a white and middle-class, if you are going to support anyone it should be the people who are usually ignored and forgotten, the people who really need their work to be supported.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you want to join in then just go for it, don’t wait. If it gets to stressful then it’s okay to take a step back and relax, your mental health is still really important. Be angry, you have every reason to be and you should be apologetic for your emotions. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">Thank you so much, Cerys, for your time and your action!</b><br /><br /><b>And to those reading this: Happy #FridaysForFuture! For next Friday, find your local strike point, or start one, and join us!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Answers in these interviews are lightly edited for formatting/grammar/spelling and clarity.</span></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-84944299203268296212020-01-03T08:00:00.000+00:002020-01-03T08:00:01.713+00:00Climate Activist Interviews #3: Flossie Donnelly<div dir="auto">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">This is the third week of a series on this blog where I interview other climate activists. I hope these interviews help connect climate activists around the world, boost the good work they're doing, and give potential activists ideas and encouragement for action they could take to fight the climate crisis!</span><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Today's interviewee is Flossie Donnelly, who runs Flossie and the Beach Cleaners to deal with plastic pollution and has been climate striking at the Dail in Ireland every week for over a year. </span></span></span></div>
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Week 1 and week 52!! It’s Flossie’s 1 year anniversary of striking !!! Still positive that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wecandothis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wecandothis</a> 💚🌎 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/week52?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#week52</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FridaysForFurture?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FridaysForFurture</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/climatecrisis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#climatecrisis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/istandwithgreta?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#istandwithgreta</a> <a href="https://t.co/SgxWiULV4C">pic.twitter.com/SgxWiULV4C</a></div>
— flossieandthebeachcleaners (@flossiebeachcl1) <a href="https://twitter.com/flossiebeachcl1/status/1208019195146977280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tell me a bit about you - where are you from, what age are you, and what do you do (climate-related and otherwise)?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am from Sandycove [Dublin], I am 12 years old and I clean the beaches weekly to try and help towards climate and change which is plastic related as well [as] climate striking weekly for over a year and talking in public about why we need to take action against plastic pollution and climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How did you get into environmental activism?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I got into environmental activism because of the amount of plastic and rubbish I saw floating in the sea when I was 9.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Flossie and The Beach Cleaners is a marine environmental charity that highlights the extreme problems we are facing with plastic pollution in our oceans and climate change. The charity cleans the beaches locally weekly, and gives plastic pollution and stress-free climate change workshops to junior schools around Ireland, as well as working with TY students. The charity visits a country with a plastic river once a year to connect with the countries that are suffering the most with plastic pollution and to help educate children in Ireland and on the other side of the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are some highlights of what you’ve done so far?</span></b>I was very proud to be the first person in Ireland to get the <a href="https://afloat.ie/port-news/dun-laoghaire-news/item/39335-flossie-welcomes-first-seabin-for-dun-laoghaire-harbour">first 2 Seabins</a>! I spoke at International Woman’s Day on behalf of Accenture at the National Convention Centre when I was 10 - this was my first public speaking [experience] and there were 1700 people in the audience. I gave a Ted Talk when I was 11 on plastic pollution and how I feel about [it]. When I was 11 I spoke in front of 11,000 children at the first ever children’s strike for the climate on 11th March. A 2 part documentary was made about me by RTÉ in 2019 about why I do what I do. I have won a few awards but the award I was blown away by was the Irish Independent award last year. There have been an awful lot of other things but these are in the top 10!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Have you found community with other environmental activists? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes, Greta has been very supportive towards me as well as other activists around the world, and within Ireland Saoi and Soirse are amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What are your goals for 2020 for climate action in Ireland?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am going to keep up my weekly climate strike and then when someone requests they need my help in any way I will do whatever I can within my power to help! I will be visiting India to work with conservation societies who are fighting plastic pollution and climate change. There will be more mass relay beach cleans to keep highlighting our problem with plastic pollution. And who knows what else!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A simple thing is that plastic bags do not go into the re-cycling bin! Someone amazing that people should be listening to is: Gili Eco Trust on Gili T Island...they are AMAZING and do so much to combat climate change and educate in very difficult circumstances as well as re-build coral that is constantly being killed due to climate change. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What frustrates you?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">People who don’t re-cycle properly and people who don’t listen to simple things you can do to combat climate change </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What gives you hope and keeps you going?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Knowing that as long as work together we can solve this problem, negativity gets you nowhere! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How can people join or support your work?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">They can follow me on all social media under: Flossie and The Beach Cleaners or look up our website and send a direct message. I also write a bi-weekly blog that people can follow and contact me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes, stop thinking about it and do it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;">Thank you so much, Flossie, for your time and your action!</b><br />
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<b>And to those reading this: Happy #FridaysForFuture! For next Friday, find your local strike point, or start one, and join us!</b></span><br />
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-9336176048512056052019-12-27T20:02:00.000+00:002019-12-27T20:02:51.525+00:00Climate Activist Interviews #2: Grace Maddrell<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is the second week of a series on this blog where I interview other climate activists. I hope these interviews help connect climate activists around the world, boost the good work they're doing, and give potential activists ideas and encouragement for action they could take to fight the climate crisis!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today's interviewee is Grace Maddrell, a weekly climate striker and Extinction Rebellion activist in Frome, England. She strikes on weekdays for the burning Congo rainforest, and on weekends with Fridays For Future. You can follow her on Twitter at @GraceElm and join her strikes at the Frome Town Hall in Somerset!</span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Tell me a bit about you - where are you from, what age are you, and what do you do (climate-related and otherwise)?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm from England. I was born in Somerset and have lived in the South West of England my whole life. I'm 14 years and 3 months old. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What has your experience of climate activism been like so far?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Most of the actions I have done have helped to give me hope and make me see that I'm not alone. Being an activist can be hard and stressful and I often feel under acknowledged but I also feel that I am part of this amazing activist family. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>How did you get into environmental activism?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now that's a boring story! I just heard through classmates the idea that we might go on a school strike back in March, started to think about it more, and emotionally woke up, especially after watching videos of Greta Thunberg. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What have you learned through your activism?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've learnt some climate science and stuff about the power of a movement. I've learnt how people working for the same goals feel like family. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've learnt chants and slogans and how to be confident speaking in public.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I've done media training and heard scientists talk. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">A whole bunch of stuff really! </span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What are your goals for 2020 for climate action in the UK?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I want our Govt to tell the truth to the people, and commit to carbon zero by 2025. To</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">consider the aspect of equity in decision making and to form a citizen's assembly and be led by their decisions. Fracking needs to be totally banned, and many things need to be reformed. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I don't have all the answers, so mostly I want the government to listen to the scientists and act on what they say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What’s something or someone you think more people should know about? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The carbon budget. We have less than 350 gigatonnes left to emit to have a 67% chance of staying below 1.5°C, the best odds given by the IPCC. With current emissions levels, this will be gone in under 8.5 years. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most people don't even know this exists. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also that the people in the global south are already massively suffering the effects of climate breakdown. </span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What frustrates you?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lack of action. Period. Just lack of action and pig-headed denial by many politicians.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What gives you hope and keeps you going?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">The amount of people who have joined this movement in such a short time. More than 7 million people joined the strikes on September 20th and 27th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>How can people join or support your activism? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They can join strikes and XR actions. They can join me outside Frome Town Hall, Somerset, between Monday and Thursday each week to strike for the Congo rainforest, and on Fridays in Bath or Bristol to strike for Fridays For Future. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">They can join me at weekends in other parts of Frome.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"> They can join XR and other climate action groups, donate, sign petitions, share this stuff on social media and educate others about it. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">They can use their talents for the cause, e.g. by making a film or writing an article about it. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are so many things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Anything coming up we should know about?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, the strikes I mentioned on my previous answer aren't gonna stop anytime soon. And In late 2020 the climate summit COP26 will be held in Glasgow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Do you have any advice for fellow or potential climate activists?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay strong. We are with you. Stay non violent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It can be hard, but remember that you can tell the coming generations that you did everything you could for them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Is there anything you’d like to add that I haven’t mentioned? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Africa is suffering, as is much of the global south. We need to talk about this and not just about disasters in more privileged places. And we need to platform indigenous voices and the voices of people of colour in this fight, and be led by them to a better world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thank you so much, Grace, for your time and your action!</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>And to those reading this: Happy #FridaysForFuture! For next Friday, find your local strike point, or start one, and join us!</b></span><br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-70524079491814791342019-12-20T08:30:00.000+00:002019-12-27T20:02:41.384+00:00Climate Activist Interviews #1: Anna Kernahan<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today is the first day of a new series on this blog where I interview other climate activists. I hope these interviews help connect climate activists around the world, boost the good work they're doing, and give potential activists ideas and encouragement for action they could take to fight the climate crisis!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today's interviewee is Anna Kernahan, who founded Fridays for Future Belfast and is the Social Media Coordinator for the UK school strikes for climate organization. You can find her on Twitter @AnnaKernahan and on her blog at <a href="http://annakernahan.wordpress.com/">annakernahan.wordpress.com</a>, and if you're near Belfast you can join her each Friday in Cornmarket in Belfast city centre!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tell me a bit about you - where are you from, what age are you, and what do you do (climate-related and otherwise)?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m from Belfast in Northern Ireland and I’m 17 years old. I am a climate striker with NISCN, which is the Northern Irish branch of UKSCN, the national social media coordinator for UKSCN and youthstrike4climate, and I’m the founder of FridaysForFuture belfast where I’m the only weekly striker in my country so far. Otherwise, I’m an A level student studying Technology and Design, English literature and Biology. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How did you get into climate activism?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I got into climate activism by hearing about Greta Thunberg through the news and word of mouth and wanted to find out more, so I did research by reading things such as the IPCC special report on climate change etc. Once I fully understood the science and the severity of the crisis I felt like I needed to do something about it. Since I am too young to vote I turned to the next best thing — protesting to raise enough awareness so as adults would vote for our future. I then turned up at a climate strike and was hooked. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How did you go about starting Fridays For Future Belfast? </span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s pretty straightforward to be honest. I just created a social media account called fridaysforfuturebelfast with the help of my friend Sam. Then, I made a sign out of some cardboard scraps I found in the recycling bin in my kitchen, and wrote on it with a black marker. After that, I just got the bus to city centre Belfast, sat myself down on the stone slab making up the base of the spirit of Belfast Statue in Cornmarket and read a book. It hasn’t changed much since except it’s four months on, I’m onto a different book and my sign has progressed to wood. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You were part of a Greta Thunberg book-reading event at Waterstones Belfast. How was that set up, and what was the experience like?</span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was set up by the NI Human Rights Festival to celebrate how women have been taking the lead in climate activism via the launch of Greta Thunberg’s updated book ‘No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference.’ The experience was very empowering as I got to hear other young people from across the country even coming from as far west as Derry talk about their experiences with activism. It was also a good opportunity to talk with them in person and meet face to face as a lot of them I knew from organising on group chats and slack groups. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What have you learned through your activism?</span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Many things. I’d say I’ve learnt more in the days I’ve striked from school than I would have in the lessons I’ve missed, as you can always write up notes later on but you can’t redo experiences. I’ve learnt a lot about myself and being an adult because usually at events or meetings you’re one of the only young people there and so you are forced to talk more maturely than you feel, reporters and presenters expect you to be as educated as the scientists and politicians talk to you like you’re experts in law. The adults seem to not notice the fact that we are youth strikers. This isn’t our day job; we have to go to school the next day. Furthermore, I’ve learnt many valuable and unique but transferable skills such as communication when networking with people and leadership skills when coordinating social media volunteers for UKSCN. Finally, the politicians aren’t as confident in person as you’d think they’d be when they aren’t hiding behind a prepared speech or a prewritten interview. They are actually scared by a bunch of kids. </span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What are your goals for 2020 for climate action in Ireland and/or the UK?</span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The dream is for them to have it enshrined in law that our emissions must be at net zero by 2030. In addition, for actions to begin to be carried out to achieve this. Currently I don’t see this as realistic by 2020 but I’m remaining hopeful. As the government in Northern Ireland has collapsed we couldn’t do this even if we wanted to. However, Belfast city council have declared a climate emergency and set up a climate change working group so the motivation is there, we just have no government to implement it in. In terms of Westminster, that’s a whole other story due to the Conservatives pledging to be carbon neutral by the sloth’s pace of 2050. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What would you consider your successes and disappointments so far?</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Lord Mayor of Belfast coming to the global strike in September and announcing to the crowd that a climate emergency would be debated because of us standing there today. We showed him what democracy looks like. And he acted. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">A climate emergency being declared in Belfast city council just two weeks later. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The four month anniversary of my solo strike being this Friday.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">it’s been over 1050 days since we’ve had a functioning government and nobody has done anything about it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s been three months since a climate emergency was declared and nothing has been done about it. </span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What's something or someone you think more people should know about? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">People-wise: Grace Elm, Vanessa Nakate, Saoi O' Connor, Xiye Bastida, Isabelle Axelsson, Jessie Nicholls.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What frustrates you?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Whenever I’m at a strike and someone tells me that I should go back to school. They’re right. I should. I shouldn’t have to sacrifice my education and be the adult because the people in power are too immature to do so. But I have no choice because I’m not allowed to vote in the decisions that will affect my future. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What gives you hope and keeps you going?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The people. The friends I have made and the kindness of the human spirit that I see. People handing out umbrellas out of their own pocket in the rain and offering to buy hot chocolate on the colder strikes. The people who aren’t responsible for the climate crisis but still try and clean up the mess anyway because they care about the living conditions of our children. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How can people join or support your activism? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">By joining me at the strike or sharing my posts on social media to help me raise awareness. </span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do you have any advice for fellow or potential climate activists?</span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For fellow activists, it’s very easy to get caught up in the craziness that is activism — going straight from a full day at school, to a TV studio then straight on to an art meeting to make signs before collapsing on your bed and realising you forgot to do your English homework. You decide to get up early to do it but you realise you’ve already set your alarm early so as you can draft a letter to politicians urging them to act. It can be very overwhelming and the general public don’t realise how much work actually goes into it but just remember that it’s ok to say no. You don’t have to go to every zoom meeting, interview, strike and panel because soon you’ll burn out and will not be able to to any of it. Your health should always take priority. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For potential activists, don’t let the hard work put you off. It’s honestly great fun too. You make the best of friends because you all share one common interest- saving the world. You get to chant, sing and dance at strikes, you get unique experiences and skills. And the best part is that it’s completely voluntary so there’s no commitment or pressure to stay at all but we all still do it for a reason. </span></span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>And to those reading this: Happy #FridaysForFuture! I'm heading off to strike in Dublin now — find your local strike point, or start one, and join us!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Answers in these interviews are edited for formatting/grammar/spelling and clarity.</span></div>
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-21404919968098424462019-12-11T17:40:00.003+00:002019-12-11T17:40:50.314+00:00Recap: October 2019<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally posting this! Have waited ages because I never got around to describing the London trip, but just going to go ahead with it at this point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">October was busy but cool, with three of its four Saturdays filled by fun extracurriculars. The highlight was probably going to London for the Laidlaw Conference, and the lowlight slogging through the lit review that turned out to be a lot less fun than it appeared.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Laidlaw Scholarship</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This month was very busy with Laidlaw events, and quite enjoyable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On October 5th, we had our<b> final Leadership Day</b>, which involved a panel from the Spunout founder and a community leader, a workshop on emotional intelligence, and a debate. Our team had to propose that disruption is a force for good in the world, so we talked about political revolution, entrepreneurship and scientific progress. I was concerned the other team would bring up the very valid counterpoint that human expansion has been terrible for the rest of life, but instead they did something very entertaining: each brought up a laptop and a book and read out quotes from them. The books were <i>The Power of Now </i>and the <i>Bhagavad Gita </i>and their point was that we can't know what good is, shouldn't presume we can, and shouldn't attempt to do anything in the world but instead be detached from it. So that was interesting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The next weekend, we went to <b>London for the Laidlaw Conference in UCL</b>. There were some good talks and a lot of fairly fun socializing. Also, we were on our way to the pub but Extinction Rebellion were blocking the road so we joined in, and then a load of police surrounded us with more arriving all the time. It was bizarre - we were just singing in the street but they seemed to feel the need to bring out every policeman in existence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, a week and a half later, we had our <b>Laidlaw graduation</b> in the East Dining Hall, then went out. We first went to someone's apartment for a while, where I got to chat to one of the scholars I hadn't gotten to know well before, and met my friend's brother who works in sales. We were both interested to talk to each other because we do such different things.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Schols</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I talked to a girl I know from school about preparing for Schols, and had the first meeting with the Schols Accessibility subcommittee.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Writing</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I wrote the second draft of my novel over the month from mid-September to mid-October:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then had the rest of October to prep for first-drafting my new novel for NaNoWriMo (not that I got much done because of the bloody lit review).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">College</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can't believe this is the year I'm placing less emphasis on college! Anyway, in college in October I had lectures on:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Molecular Evolution II</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Human Evolutionary Genetics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Bacterial Molecular Genetics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Principles of Genetics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Plant Developmental Genetics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Prion Diseases</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Genetics & Immunology of Neural Diseases</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Gene Therapy & Transgenic Animals</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Stem Cells</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My favourite was Molecular Evolution, of course, but Plant Dev and Stem Cells are cool too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is an utterly horrific amount of animal abuse in science, though, and our new block of lectures reminds me of that every day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I wrote up lectures decently for the first half of October, getting the courses from the first block (Mol Evol, Human Evolution, Bacterial) fully written up by early November, but I have not studied the current courses well. I spent the second half of October working intensively on my lit review titled 'Horse Genomics and Origins', which sadly meant I got no break in Reading Week (well, I took one day off once I finished it, the Bank Holiday, but sure that's less than even a weekend). Perhaps the lesson is that spontaneity is not actually necessarily good, and that what sounds like a fun project ('horsies!') may not be so you should just stick with your original plan (machine learning in genomics) instead?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Research</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've been working on the project I spent ten weeks on during my internship in America. While I have a lot to do, it feels good to be back working on it and talking to my supervisor about it rather than avoiding it! </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Climate & Activism</span></b><br />
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By the end of October, I reached Week 6 of weekly climate striking (<b>#FridaysForFuture</b>) on Fridays outside the Dail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also became a <b>Youth Advisor for GOAL </b>and attended the first of three workshops there all day on Saturday 26 October.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Other Extracurriculars & Public Speaking</span></b><br />
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I did two talks for Netsoc about data analysis and visualisation in R, and as Secretary have been doing the usual minuting/emailing stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Socialising</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">GenSoc</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">family</span><br />
<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-89787899200703394232019-11-27T00:42:00.002+00:002019-11-27T00:42:52.398+00:00Review: Be The Change by Gina Martin<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561774520l/43975809._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt="43975809. sx318 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561774520l/43975809._SX318_.jpg" width="226" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Genre: </b>Non-fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>eARC from Netgalley for review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>304</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Blurb </b>(from Goodreads)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Without any legal or political experience, I changed the law and made upskirting illegal in eighteen months. But this book is not about changing the law. It's not about me. This is </i><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">yours</span><i style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">. It's your handbook, your road map and your toolkit for pushing for change at absolutely any level. From using social media to gain support and to get</i><i style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">ting pro bono legal support</i><i style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">, to regaining your confidence after a perceived "failure" (hint: there is no such thing), I wrote this book to make sure you believe in your voice, feel ready to put yourself out there and know how to start making things happen. Because my god, if I can do it, so can you.</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>BE THE CHANGE</b> is an essential handbook for the modern activist, whether your campaign is big or small, local or global . . . or somewhere in between. If you want to challenge injustice in your school, workplace or community; if you want to lend your voice - and more - to a charitable cause close to your heart; or if you are inspired to take on a complex issue on a massive scale, Gina Martin's practical and empowering advice will give you the tools you need to ensure your voice is heard, your actions are noticed and your demands are met.</span></i></div>
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<b>The Good:</b></span><br />
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The main thing that pleased me about this book is that it's full of actual practical advice, which you don't always get in this kind of book. For example, it talks about getting started with a campaign - whether it's active, where it's something you just start out of nowhere, or reactive, like hers was when she started the campaign in response to being upskirted. She had an interesting point that you can prepare even for a reactive campaign by being generally educated on the topic and thus knowing where the gaps are for when you're spurred into action. She also talks a little about how to research and diagram and plan out the issue, to break it down into a small, concrete issue that you can tackle, and how to do press releases and interviews. She breaks it down into different stages - awareness, advocacy and action, where you make people aware of the problem and your proposed solution, get members of the public and specific advocates such as celebrities on your side (she even has a bit on reaching out to celebrities and making it as easy as possible for them to do what you want), and then implementing the change you want, which for her was a law. I liked her idea of 'gatekeepers', where you identify the people that can make the change you want and how you're going to get to them - strategy. Hers were Westminster MPs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I honestly don't have that much more to say in this part of the review - I was happy with it because it was full of straight-forward tips for starting a campaign, and had pretty much no biography. Does what it says on the tin. Plus, she was someone who had almost single-handedly done a successful campaign, so she could actually speak authoritatively on a sort of 'finished activism project'.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Bad: </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>Unfortunately, while it has good advice for doing a campaign on a concrete, social issue like hers (getting a specific law to prosecute upskirting as a sex crime), a lot of it doesn't seem to work very well for abstract, scientific issues like climate change. Climate change can't be fixed with one simple law, and the complexity of the science at hand and the global climate system makes it very hard to think of an unequivocally good thing to advocate. She also kept saying that if you don't have a personal connection to the topic then it's 'not your story to tell' - but for people in my part of the world, that would mean we just wouldn't do climate activism at all because it hasn't affected us badly yet. Even in parts of the world experiencing more frequent droughts and floods and hurricanes, it's very hard to attribute a particular event directly to anthropogenic carbon emissions. I don't think she's wrong, exactly - it's true that having a personal story to tell when you're campaigning makes what you're saying more powerful - but I just don't think it works for climate. Yes, we can and should amplify the stories of those directly affected, but for such a huge global change we need anyone to be able to campaign.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I also wasn't sure about some of her advice, like her declaration that to actually change anything you need to do it from the inside - I feel like revolutions are counterexamples to that! She also says that activists should have an answer and not just point out a problem, which I disagree with. Yeah, ideally have a solution, but if you don't you should still feel free to raise awareness of a problem. There are people employed to come up with solutions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some relatively minor niggles: </span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I didn't agree with her politics in parts, like recommending and admiring a homophobic LGBT ambassador, but that's not really to do with the quality of the book</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was something that felt like performative wokeness - a whole chapter of the book on white privilege, yet (if I recall correctly) nothing about actually using your white privilege to de-escalate situations of police brutality, for example. </span></li>
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-23837420038040846772019-11-15T02:33:00.000+00:002019-11-15T02:52:23.383+00:005 Reasons to Climate Strike on Fridays For Future<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been climate striking outside the Irish parliament (the Dail) for the last 8 weeks, and I want you to join us! Everyone is welcome and you can do it. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">1. To keep the pressure on the government & keep raising awareness and urgency</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The main reason: to advocate for action against climate change! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Repeating protests have a role in keeping the pressure up and letting your government know you care. They can also keep the issue at the top of voters' minds. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Climate change is a political problem, not a scientific one.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you have a particular issue you care about, like preserving the rainforests, you can put that on your sign, or you can keep it simple and demand climate action. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2. Because it's easier than you think</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you want to participate in Fridays For Future, all you have to do is f</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ind a public spot, like a government building, a community hall, or your school or workplace and spend some time advocating for the climate, whether that's chanting or talking to people or bringing a sign. Here's me with my sign - for five of my weeks, I did it alone, so I just sat there with the sign and people came up to me! Before that I didn't even know you could just sit in front of government buildings and campaign - or that people would actively come over to learn more without you even having to say something to them. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm63Twr4BEnXxpUywnrJ9kCKQTBaQql6fvrgZ0fK6Ge2G8kUlvxguYqrC3RFMRBcJhlTanUieoUIU9-2hCnQSEN74pMXqQlHJBnUDrwiykbVNu_t9OQSCuT_Zow7EcKVnwg_QbspfGNC_/s1600/climatesign.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm63Twr4BEnXxpUywnrJ9kCKQTBaQql6fvrgZ0fK6Ge2G8kUlvxguYqrC3RFMRBcJhlTanUieoUIU9-2hCnQSEN74pMXqQlHJBnUDrwiykbVNu_t9OQSCuT_Zow7EcKVnwg_QbspfGNC_/s640/climatesign.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you to Kenji Hayakawa for the photo!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">People seem to think it's a big time commitment, but for many people it's not. if you can only come for a few minutes during your lunch break, come! Contribute whatever you can. If you can't make the main 1-2 pm slot, then go for a while at a different time! Many of my weeks have been at other times, like 2-4 pm or 11 am - 1 pm. In a way it's even better to keep it going around the clock. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can do it. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. To find community, and because everyone is welcome</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">People are incredibly welcoming at the 1-2 slot in Dublin, and it's great to be surrounded by other people who care about the climate. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Seeing everyone's Tweets from around the world about their protests is brilliant - humans need community. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had someone ask me recently if only students can go to the strikes - the answer is no, anyone can! The School Strike for Climate was indeed started by an incredible student, Greta Thunberg, but we both need and want everyone who's interested to join in. You don't need to be officially striking from something, either - you can do it on your lunch break if that's what you can contribute.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I haven't even been going for that long and I've already seen people of all ages there, from primary school kids to people in their seventies. Student, engineer, translator, retiree...it doesn't matter, your presence is welcome. And think - if you're a non-student and your friends also think this, maybe seeing you join will make them realise they're welcome too! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You may also discover that the public are more receptive than you'd think. People frequently come up and give a thumbs up or encourage us to keep going. We get lots of beeps when the 'beep for climate justice' sign is up. People are friendly! I was definitely scared at first, and it still can be scary when I first get there and sit in front of everyone - but in my experience, it's honestly fine. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You definitely don't need to be a climate scientist or know every climate model off the top of your head - if you live on Earth, you deserve a say. (That includes you, ISS astronauts.) You don't need to be a member of any group.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Oh, and no - you don't have to be a perfect paragon of recycling to come. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you stay home out of shame that you're not a perfect example of virtue, all you've done is stay home. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We all cause carbon emissions by virtue of existing in the world, but that doesn't mean we can't fight to make things better! </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">4. To get involved and learn</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For the longest time, I was worried about climate change but felt completely powerless so did nothing. This protest is a manageable thing that you can, if you wish, use to meet people and build on to join or start new initiatives. Maybe you'll prove to yourself that you can handle more than you think.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I used to spend ages considering donating to environmental charities, but then get sidetracked considering all the different choices and what would make the most impact. Now I've realised that what we need is action. Just start. Learn as you go.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You can learn from your fellow activists. I've been blessed to meet people with such a wealth of knowledge, who've been involved in environmental movements since before I was born. It also makes sure you keep thinking about it but in a positive way, because you're doing something, not just sitting there worrying. That means you can get ideas - I find they don't come until you prove you're receptive to them by taking action!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Because everything matters</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What if your protest doesn't make a difference? Well, what if it does? You have nothing to lose and a world to save. Each degree of warming matters, each centimetre of sea level rise, each hurricane, each protest, each person.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I live in Ireland, and sometimes people say there's no point protesting here because we're too small to make a difference, and there are worse polluters out there. But small countries can still make a difference! Ireland, for example, is massively missing its emissions reduction targets, and we have obvious places we can improve - we have a huge amount of animal agriculture, and a large fraction of our land surface is covered in peat bogs that need protection to allow them to sequester carbon (peatland covers 3% of the Earth but stores '<a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/why-peatlands-matter-in-the-battle-against-climate-change-1.3714889">twice as much carbon as all standing forests'</a>). </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Plus, many people living in countries with high carbon emissions live under repressive governments, so those of us lucky enough to live in freer places should use that privilege.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Give it a go this Friday. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There are loads of other important climate and environmental protest movements, but this one is a great way to get involved. If you've been feeling hopeless or thinking 'what's the point, there's nothing I can do' - this post is for you. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Action begets action begets hope.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'<i>Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action.' - Greta Thunberg.</i></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2kalulzzPYbjHVlcfubVkXC_Ph7ysuH9zRsmvnpP5mTWan7HGAjUr7ZpGgOkUqSiCiApaYVPPYglGt_qE871X7exxvK96lGTh8Z6JhNePDsjfhSRlOJgJxFL-DGPpC5GJosJz2UvHTa1/s1600/gretaquote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2kalulzzPYbjHVlcfubVkXC_Ph7ysuH9zRsmvnpP5mTWan7HGAjUr7ZpGgOkUqSiCiApaYVPPYglGt_qE871X7exxvK96lGTh8Z6JhNePDsjfhSRlOJgJxFL-DGPpC5GJosJz2UvHTa1/s320/gretaquote.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">P.S. The next big global strike is coming up soon - November 29th!</span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-21068055861261491032019-11-13T18:23:00.001+00:002019-11-13T18:23:48.919+00:00Review: Adventures of a Computational Explorer by Stephen Wolfram<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563769307l/44196066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="44196066" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563769307l/44196066.jpg" /></a><b>Rating: </b>2/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>eARC from Netgalley for review<br />
<b>Genre: </b>Essays<br />
<b>Pages: </b>421<br />
<b>Publication Date: </b>October 15 2019<br />
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<b>Blurb: </b>A pretty random assortment of essays, speeches and blog posts by Stephen Wolfram, the inventor of Mathematica and things like Wolfram Alpha and voice recognition used in Siri.<br />
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<b>Overall impression: </b>I'm not a fan of all the arrogance, but even beyond that it's not great. Some interesting ideas.<br />
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<b>The Good</b><br />
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There was an interesting chapter doing data science on Facebook data, looking at the clusters of people's friend networks and at lots of different parameters like the amount of people saying they were single, in a relationship, engaged, married, separated and widowed by age. His chapter looking at the personal analytics of his life over decades was also quite interesting, though I thought it must be an intense security risk having all his keystrokes logged and sending stats about himself automatically to his email every day. Assuming he cares about people knowing, I suppose.<br />
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He had an interesting point about purpose and how to recognise man-made or alien-made objects, saying that the way we recognise things as purposeful depends on our particular societal history. He said there are some things that are computationally irreducible, where to figure out what happens you just have to follow it along every step, and that traditionally humans have only produced things where we understand the outcome, but that in future we can search the computational universe of possible solutions and select things that work even if we don't know how - like many biological features that we would never be able to invent from nothing but that nonetheless do work. I guess that's sort of a neural net approach.<br />
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<b>The Bad</b><br />
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The cockiness is insufferable. Yes, it seems like he is in fact very smart with his PhD at 20 and Eton-Oxford-Caltech and all that, but did we really need to go through him finding the exact day he got his PhD to see that he is still the record-holder for youngest Physics PhD? I feel like as you get older you're supposed to stop making things about you and start making them about the ideas. He sounds iike he might be a proper nerd and not just an asshole but man, how do you come across so arrogant in your own book? He also keeps promoting Mathematica/Wolfram Alpha/Wolfram Language etc, and while it was interesting to learn about abilities they have that I didn't know about, it was a bit much.<br />
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Some of the chapters I really just had to wonder why on earth they were included. In particular:<br />
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<ul>
<li>an entire long chapter about the many options they considered for naming their programming language - ending in just naming it after himself!</li>
<li>a chapter or two about naming functions for Mathematica and how it's like poetry</li>
<li>a whole chapter about his personal file system, complete with a picture of the icons currently on his taskbar and of his primary-school Geography homework. I just didn't need to know the details of his folders, I really didn't.</li>
<li>The details of his personal productivity infrastructure, like how he sets up his laptop with an iPad for presentations and how he runs work calls. </li>
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There was just so much stuff that it seemed utterly egomaniacal to include and think the general public would be interested in. </div>
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Some other chapters I didn't like were probably more just not my thing, like the chapter digging into polyhedra.<br />
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It's also largely stuff he's already published elsewhere, so I'm not sure why you'd buy it. Perhaps if you were a Wolfram fan already? That's something that bewilders me about why this was put on Netgalley for review: if your goal is to get good reviews and you already have so many fans who love your work, why not just send ARCs to them? Especially since it seems to be published by his own company.<br />
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This is especially the case because a lot of this doesn't seem intended for a general audience. He keeps referencing physics problems I don't know and never explaining them, and I am doing a science degree so I know more about it than the general public. Some of the ideas sounded interesting, like the Principle of Computational Equivalence (seems to be about how simple patterns can end up constructing extremely complex or computationally irreducible things so sophisticated results don't imply complex patterns, which apparently means that beyond a low threshold all intelligence is as good computationally and we can't use complex patterns to infer inteligence), but he didn't explain them properly so it was a waste. I think it's set out in a 1300-page book he spent a decade writing, <i>A New Kind of Science</i>, but if you're going to keep referencing something I don't think it makes sense to expect people to have read a different 1300-page book. You should at least call it a sequel.<br />
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He also had a weird bit implying Africans and 'Amerindians' didn't historically use fabric...?<br />
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Finally, many of the pictures were impossible to make out on my iPad.<br />
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<b>In summary: </b>This was a book by someone who seems to think everything he thinks and does is fascinating, and not the book about the ways we can think about things computationally I thought it was.<br />
<b><br /></b>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-8315774725368267182019-11-10T17:52:00.000+00:002019-11-10T17:52:46.468+00:00Review: Catfishing on Catnet by Naomi Kritzer<br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568119890l/41556068._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="41556068. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568119890l/41556068._SY475_.jpg" width="207" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>eARC from Netgalley for review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Genre: </b>YA sci-fi thriller</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>288</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Blurb: </b>Steph and her mom are constantly on the run, moving every few months to hide from her stalker dad. She finds friends on CatNet, which it turns out is run by a sentient AI called CheshireCat. CheshireCat starts taking actions to protect Steph from her father, but eventually screws up so that Steph must go rescue CheshireCat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Overall review: </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I really liked this book! I've had a string of not-great reads for review so this was a very welcome change. This is the first thriller I've read in a very long time or ever, and it was great at that while also being super heartfelt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Good:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Firstly, I loved the perspectives - in particular the first-person AI narration in some of the chapters. The book opened with a chapter from the AI which is what really hooked me and made me regret waiting so long to read it. I also loved that that meant I could mostly trust the AI rather than fearing it'd turn out to be the stereotypical bad guy AI. The idea is that CheshireCat is an AI that insead of having a particular moral code cares about individual people - its friends - which really 'humanised' them to me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The main perspective is Steph, told in first-person present, but there are also chapters from the AI (often first-person past - didn't know you could just have different tenses like that, but it was cool that those chapters would offer a very different perspective on what had just happened), and chapters full of messages sent in their groupchat on CatNet, which I enjoyed because I like epistolary things like that and they make reading fly by. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">CheshireCat was a very interesting character in general, partly because they were so powerful in some ways (could get into nearly anyone's unsecured phone, security camera etc) but so weak in others (no body). This gave them interesting ethical dilemmas, like whether it was okay to use their immense knowledge and spying ability to intervene on a friend's behalf - even when the friend didn't ask for it. I really loved the idea of an AI that cares.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you'd hope in a book like this, the author showed good knowledge of tech overall, with little details like sshing into a server and phone tracking. I also thought the online chat was realistic. The near-future setting (so there are lots of drones and self-driving cars and robot teachers) was fun too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was kept guessing as to who was really the villain for a large portion of the book, in that good way where you're not just unsure because you don't have enough information but where you keep being given really strong but conflicting evidence on both sides - was her father dangerous or was her mother just crazy? It was an important question because obviously if her dad's incredibly dangerous they have to stay away from him, but if not her mom is just constantly uprooting Steph's life for no reason.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There's a lot of LGBT rep, and I liked the glimpse of an f/f relationship we see. It was also funny how it matched my experience of being part of a community where you barely know any straight people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Bad:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can't go into detail because of spoilers, but there's something her mam has that other people want, a key to world domination, that seemed a bit over the top and unnecessary as motivation. It was also weird that this very important laptop wasn't better-protected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The conflict ended somewhat earlier than I'm used to, in the early 90-s %, and I was dismayed to discover that this seems to be the first book in a series. I'm very fond of standalones, but to be fair the author does wrap up this story quite well and just leave one small thread for the future, so it's not a cliffhanger or anything. And I did enjoy the book so I might be convinced to read a series...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, I felt it went on a bit much about gender identity, with one of the non-binary characters repeatedly saying awfully didactic things like 'Shakespeare used they/them pronouns, you know!' at inappropriate times - but then, I suppose that probably is accurate to the character!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In summary</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I would definitely recommend this to YA lovers in your life, especially if they're gay and/or into tech or online communities, and even if - like me - they don't normally read thrillers.</span><br />
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-57054273811426264122019-10-18T10:27:00.002+01:002019-10-18T10:27:15.479+01:00Book Reviews: August 1 to October 15<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I read 10 books in this 2.5-month period, which is slower than my summer reading rate but still on track to read 52 books this year. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds</span></b><br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520008013l/22552026._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="22552026. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520008013l/22552026._SY475_.jpg" width="211" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 4 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Library app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: August 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 306</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the main character's brother is shot in a long story of gang retaliation, he takes his brother's gun and gets on the elevator to go down to kill the guy the guy who did it. The story takes place on the elevator, as people killed in his past come on at each floor. It's narrative poetry, so it was quick enough to read in one sitting, and I really liked the writing. It was pretty emotionally powerful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The only things I didn't like were the cruelty to animals mentioned by the main characters and the ambiguous ending.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Am I Normal Yet? - Holly Bourne</b></span><br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429354198l/23592235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="23592235" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429354198l/23592235.jpg" width="207" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 3 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Library app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: August 7</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 434</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is about a girl recovering from severe OCD and trying to get back to the Normal Teen Experience of friends and boyfriends. I'd heard rave reviews about how well Holly Bourne writes YA, but while the book was decent it wasn't really my thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Things a Bright Girl Can Do - Sally Nicholls</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497386553l/33876596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="33876596" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497386553l/33876596.jpg" width="202" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 3.5 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Library app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: August 11</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 418</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is historical fiction about three teenage suffragettes/suffragists before, during and after World War I. While it was fairly slow-paced and I couldn't connect hugely to the characters, it had a really cozy historical writing style, <i>loads</i> of interesting historical detail (assuming they're true!) including a character going on hunger strike in prison, a tax strike, and the outbreak of world war I, and a nice lesbian relationship. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Screen Queens - Lori Goldstein</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542124030l/41123165._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="41123165. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542124030l/41123165._SY475_.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 3 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Library app audiobook</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: August 30</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 368</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is about three girls who meet at a high-intensity summer tech incubator. Having been through similar things in my adolescence, I was definitely interested by the concept. Unfortunately, and perhaps because this was my first audiobook, it took me forever to get into the book so it was a slog for a long time. That said, it finally got good about 2/3 or 3/4 through, and the ending was super tense and then cute. From my experience, it would've been interesting to get more into their heads and their opinions of each other and themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchet (radio dramatisation)</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553714221l/26793697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="26793697" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553714221l/26793697.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 3 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Library app audiobook</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: September 12</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 512 pages in mass market paperback</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'd heard a lot of good things about this, but listening to it was a very confusing experience. It was certainly funny on a moment-to-moment bias, and I liked the characters, but I had no idea what was going on. Probably didn't help that I was listening on 1.5X or 2X speed but it'd take <i>forever </i>otherwise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Structuring Your Novel - K.M. Weiland</b></span><br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1377376716l/18371991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="18371991" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1377376716l/18371991.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 3 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Bought for Kindle app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: September 14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 295</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This expands on Weiland's blog to go in detail through both story and scene structure. For the story structure half, she describes her idea of things that should happen at particular points in a novel:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hook (1%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inciting Incident (12.5%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Key Event aka 1st Plot Point, that forces the main character to engage with the plot (25%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First Pinch Point - show of power from antagonist (37.5%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Midpoint - a big change or flip, transition from reaction to action (50%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Second Pinch Point - reminder of power from antagonist (62.5%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Third Plot Point - turning point into the climax (75%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Climax (88-98%)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She also talked about this idea of Scenes, which are made up of scenes (action - goal, conflict, disaster/outcome) and sequels (reaction, dilemma, decision leading into the next Scene). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I liked the book overall, particularly the story structure half, but some gripes:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">at the end of every chapter, she says something like 'This will allow you to write a captivating story your readers will never forget'. It's a <i>lot </i>of repetition to sum up the chapter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">so many 'rules of 3'</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She used examples from four stories for each of her points, and some of them didn't fit particularly well, or it felt like she could've said any event was the inciting one.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Science of Storytelling - Will Storr</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41SOYjt-KZL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human, and How to Tell Them Better by [Storr, Will]" border="0" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41SOYjt-KZL.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 2.5 stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Library app</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: September 20</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 289 (according to Amazon - Goodreads says 144?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the science is pretty bullshit (collectivist culture in China due to their geography?!) it gave me interesting ideas for writing. It talked about how our brain is stuck in the box of our cell so we can't actually perceive anything directly and just piece together the info our eyes give us into a story with us as a protagonist, and how that relates to things like status, wounds and change in stories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Red, White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="41150487. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487._SY475_.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 4.5 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Bought for Kindle app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: September 29</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 421</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is an NA book in which the First Son of the US and the Prince of Wales, both 20-somethings, fall in love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As well as being the sort of high concept you wish you'd come up with, it's a delight. It's funny and charming and incredibly camp - they meet by falling over a cake together, and that sort of thing keeps happening. As someone who primarily reads YA novels, I was surprised to see it having sex scenes, though to be fair it does skip a lot with 'Afterwards'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lovely book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Bridge 108 - Anne Charnock</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567719238l/44558743._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="44558743. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567719238l/44558743._SY475_.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 2 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: eARC from Netgalley for review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: October 13</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 204</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is about the sad life of a climate refugee from Spain - I was not a fan. I do full reviews for books I get for review so <a href="http://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2019/10/review-bridge-108-by-anne-charnock.html">here it is</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think - Hans Rosling</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544963815l/34890015._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="34890015. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544963815l/34890015._SY475_.jpg" width="206" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rating: 4 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Source: Bought for Kindle app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Date finished: October 15</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pages: 342 (~260 excluding appendices)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Really liked the first part of this - it demonstrates that the world is not getting worse, it's getting much better, and gives tips for being able to think that way (e.g. when you see a terrorist attack reported, remember that that place could be just as peaceful as yours - you live in one place while the rest of the world is millions of places). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For example, it explains population dynamics, saying that the number of births has already plateaud at 2 billion and that population growth over the next 50 years is just going to involve the big already-born generations coming into adulthood - 'filling up' the population pyramid. He also had a really cool chapter about the different shapes of curves of progress (e.g. linear, S-shaped). He said there's no such thing statistically as the 'first world' and the 'third world' - yes, in 1965 there was a gap between poor and rich countries, but now - while there are differences - there's no empty gap between them. Instead, he talks about Levels 1 to 4 of income (below $2 adjusted a day, below $8, below $32, above $32) and goes into detail on what life is really like on each level and how different trends apply to them. We on Level 4 see all the poor as the same, but there's actually a huge difference to them between Level 1 and above, where your basic human needs tend to be met.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are also little relevant anecdotes from Rosling's life - thankfully not too much because I wasn't looking for a biography, and they're all interesting - and he had a truly remarkable life as a public health professional, working on infectious diseases in all sorts of places in Africa before his famous TED talks. On the negative side, I didn't love the framing device, where each chapter is a different instinct like 'fear' or 'negativity' or 'size' that explains why we systematically underestimate progress - but I liked the content inside. He's also vocally anti-communism. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He complains about activists stretching the truth to get action for their cause e.g. scaremongering, which I think is a complicated issue. I'm a big fan of honesty personally, but if you have to lie to prevent a catastrophe or cause something really good it's kind of hard to defend total and unyielding honesty.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-24588029960937061492019-10-17T09:57:00.001+01:002019-10-17T09:57:27.273+01:00Review: Bridge 108 by Anne Charnock<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567719238l/44558743._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="44558743. sy475 " border="0" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567719238l/44558743._SY475_.jpg" width="266" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rating: 2 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Source: eARC from Netgalley for review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Genre: Dystopian</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pages: 204</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This book is about Caleb, a twelve-year-old refugee from climate-ravaged Spain who’s reached England and is doing slave labour on a rooftop sewing clothes. A quarter of the way through the book, he escapes, and the rest follows his journey after that. It’s all in first-person, with every second chapter told by him and the others each by a different character. We hear from the traffickers and employers of undocumented slave laborers, an undercover cop, and a simulant. That was interesting if unsavory - I would’ve liked to hear from his parents, who he lost on the way to England.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not like the book. It says that the first few chapters were originally a novella, and it does feel like that - there’s no forward movement in the rest of the plot. I probably shouldn’t spoil, but it involves a lot of indentured labour and is depressing. It doesn’t even have the kind of depressing ending of Only Ever Yours by Louise O’ Neill, which was heartbreaking but gorgeous. For one thing, I didn’t relate to or feel for Caleb the way I did for the MC in OEY.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There aren’t highs, or hope - just this sad grind without a break, and an ending that suggests human trafficking is the best option. There’s a scene where a fellow immigrant vineyard worker (he doesn’t know her) dies of dehydration in front of him - moral: everything sucks? - and then he steals her necklace (and so do you?). There are also random advanced technological bits that seem to be there just to make it sci-if because they don’t matter to the plot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I picked it up I thought it was YA initially, but it isn't - the main character is twelve for most of the time, and half of the book is told by adults, plus you don't have that YA experience of a close relationship with the main character.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was the idea of the book to send the message that climate change sucks, that if we don’t fix it now things won’t be magically okay afterwards? Because, you know, I'm aware.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book gets points for being about climate change, for decent writing on the sentence level, and for being short. It comes out in January 2020.</span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-40781405388429880552019-09-08T19:55:00.001+01:002019-09-08T19:55:22.906+01:00Monthly Recap: July 2019<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I returned from my 11-week J1 in America on the 28th/29th of July, so most of it was in America. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This was quite stressful to the end because I was putting pressure on myself to finish the project. That </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">didn’t happen but I’m still working on it here and I got to keep the laptop until I finish it so not too bad. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Funnily enough, stuff I thought would take forever and be really hard actually ended up being fun </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">(running a grid search that would’ve taken about 80 days to run - I learned to write bash scripts and </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">parallelised it, splitting it into 208 files and running it with my god-like 208 cores on the cluster). Then </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">again, one of the things I avoided because it would be hard indeed was hard - getting a set of genes </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">controlled for gene length and recombination rate and spaced out so that none were closer than 50 kb</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to each other. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I got it eventually though. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>America outside of work</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I was in America for the fourth of July - my aunt finally had a working pool (the riches! the glamour!) so </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">we celebrated there. I think that week we went down to Cape Cod to visit my cousins, which was really </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">nice, and they had a pool too so I got to hang out and catch up with my brother in it. Mad how I got my </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">biggest </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">sense of having family while so far from home. I got back from Cape Cod (on a Peter Pan bus </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">that took four hours instead of two) and turned up late to a cookout held at Nathaniel, the lab manager's, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">house, which was a fun time. The two weekends after that I went to NYC and DC. The week before I left </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">we had a small goodbye gathering for me at Emilia's house, and then on my last day Alyssa, Fernando and </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Kate took me out for lunch at a Thai place and later Madza and I went for ice cream. It was really nice and </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;">I hope to stay in contact with them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>New York City: 12-15 July</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I went to NYC and stayed with Carla, which was awesome. We went to lots of places including the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Brooklyn Bridge, the financial district, the ferry to Staten Island, the Met museum of art and Central Park. Read all about it <a href="http://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2019/07/new-york-city.html">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>DC: 20-21 July</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next weekend I went to DC and stayed in a hostel for one night. I visited the Capitol, the NASA festival for the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing, the Smithsonian Air and Space museum and the Natural history museum. Read about that <a href="http://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2019/08/visit-to-dc.html">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Writing</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I finished the first draft of my novel on the 18th/19th of July, at about 87000 words. I wrote about half a draft five years ago, but the only coherent chunk I found was the first 10000 words so I wrote the remaining 76500 words in the two months between 20 May and 19 July, with help from two writing challenges: 100-for-100 (write 100+ words a day for 100 days, from the Go Teen Writers site) and Camp NaNoWriMo (for which I challenged myself to write 40,000 words in July). I really enjoyed it and am itching to get back into it but know it's wise to leave a draft to sit for a while. In the meantime I'm thinking about other books. It's funny - I had pretty much zero book ideas in five years, but as soon as I started working on this book in earnest I've had four of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Reading</b></span></div>
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I finished 7 books in July, which were as follows:</div>
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<li>How to Lead When You're Not in Charge - * - library Borrowbox app</li>
<li>The Quiet at the End of the World - **** - library Borrowbox app</li>
<li>The Martian - ***** - library Borrowbox app</li>
<li>Communicate Like a Leader - ** - library Borrowbox app</li>
<li>Alanna: The First Adventure - **** - bought for Kindle app</li>
<li>Creating Extraordinary Characters - * - found on Kindle app</li>
<li>Because Internet - *** - bought for Kindle app</li>
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You can find mini-reviews of all of them <a href="http://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2019/08/book-reviews-june-16-to-july-30.html">here</a>.</div>
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<b>People</b></div>
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My siblings came over to visit America for 2 weeks, and it was great to see them. I had to sadly say goodbye to my aunt and uncle on July 28, but got to see Leon again which was a plus.</div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">America was such an amazing experience, really. I'm so glad I went even though I was apprehensive the day before. I'm also glad I had things to come back to like my friends here and work in Aoife's lab, so that I haven't had time to mope over leaving. I loved it there but I did get myself fully used to the idea of leaving by the time I had to leave. I wonder why I liked it so much - it was great to get close to my family abroad, and I loved the sunshine and trees, and my coworkers in the lab as well as the space itself (have I mentioned the walls were white/blackboards) were nice.</span><br />
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-22739799136739849852019-08-03T15:55:00.002+01:002019-08-03T15:55:56.627+01:00Book Reviews: June 16 to July 30I finished 9 books in this period, so a bit over a book a week. These were the last books I read on my America trip, which did wonders for my reading rate.<br />
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<b>Two Like Me and You - Chad Gibbs</b><br />
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Finished 16 June, ARC from Netgalley, review <a href="https://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2019/06/review-two-like-me-and-you-by-chad-gibbs.html">here</a>. 3/5.<br />
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<b>Ricochet - Kathryn Berla</b><br />
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Finished 27 June, ARC from Netgalley, review <a href="https://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-ricochet-by-kathryn-berla.html">here</a>. 2/5.<br />
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<b>How to Lead When You're Not In Charge - Clay Scroggins</b><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532093812l/40881894._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="40881894. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532093812l/40881894._SY475_.jpg" width="210" /></a><b>Rating: </b>1/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>Library Borrowbox app<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>July 1<br />
<b>Pages: </b>214<br />
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This is the second of three leadership ebooks I checked out of the library because Laidlaw has apparently got into my head, but unfortunately it was not good and I just rushed through it to tick it off the list. I know I'm not naturally authoritative so I was hoping to get help with that, but this was about leading when you haven't been designated the leader. In my defence, it did say it would help when you <i>lack authority</i>.<br />
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Unfortunately, it turns out the author is a pastor so it was full of <i>Bible quotes </i>and anecdotes scattered with the very occasional good point.<br />
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<b>The Quiet at the End of the World - Lauren James</b><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532801754l/32716442._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="32716442. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532801754l/32716442._SY475_.jpg" width="208" /></a><b>Rating: </b>4/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>Library Borrowbox app<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>July 7<br />
<b>Pages: </b>352<br />
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Teenagers Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people left in the world, born from IVF and living in a world where everyone else is 80+. Over a hundred years ago, a virus made humans infertile, and gradually everyone else died out. Now Lowrie and Shen have London to themselves and 300 other people.<br />
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The story is mostly told through the experiences of Lowrie and Shen, but there's also a lot of Lowrie reading through old Facebook posts by people living at the time the virus struck. These were very poignant and realistic, especially the posts urging people to sign a petition to make the government fund fertility research at higher and higher levels.<br />
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I really liked this book - I had loved Lauren James' <i>The Loneliest Girl in The Universe</i> - and it keeps making me think long after I finished it. I'm not sure what I think of how it ended but it's definitely worth a read.<br />
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<b>The Martian - Andy Weir</b><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="18007564" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.jpg" width="210" /></a><b>Rating: </b>5/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>Library Borrowbox app<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>July 11<br />
<b>Pages: </b>369<br />
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I LOVED this. It's about a guy who gets stuck on Mars after his fellow astronauts leave, thinking him dead, and has to figure out a way to survive there longterm until he can be rescued.<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sfuitext";">I loved this because it’s the only novel I’ve come across that felt like it was written for scientists. It wasn’t filled with equations but just little things like ‘I need to get twice as much hydrogen for water’. Weir could easily have made it a melodramatic survival story but he didn’t: every so often Andy would hit an obstacle and just methodically come up with a plan to fix it, which was fantastic. I loved how the book laid out the thought processes. Some of the book is told from the perspective of NASA as they try to get in touch with each other, and the book did that remarkable thing where I resented switching away from Andy’s perspective but then resented switching back! Brandon Sanderson is great at that. </span><br />
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Funnily enough, when I went to the NASA festival in DC I asked a few of the NASA employees how they felt about it and apparently they all love the author and he spent loads of time there while writing it.<br />
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<b>Communicate Like a Leader - Dianna Booher</b><br />
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<b>Rating: </b>2/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>Library Borrowbox app<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>July 19<br />
<b>Pages: </b>208<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I didn’t love this book, as it was very corporate-focused, but it did give specific instructions throughout rather than waffling on, which I appreciated it. I did not appreciate the fact that a lot of the instructions were unfriendly to autistic people, being phrased as something like ‘Successful leaders can read body language’. I mean, quite possibly true, but phrasing it as something you do rather than something you are or currently have the ability to do would have been nicer. </span><br />
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<b>Alanna: The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce</b><br />
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<b>Rating: </b>4/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>July 24<br />
<b>Pages: </b>274<br />
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This was a fun MG read, and I'm glad I picked it up after seeing it recommended on Reddit. It's about a girl who disguises herself as her twin brother so she can train as a knight.<br />
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I'm not sure what to say about it, really, except that it was an enjoyable, comfy read, with nice friendships and a fun school environment. I also found it very refreshing that it's very 'tell-y' - writers are always being told to show and not tell, but this story takes place over years so it frequently says things like 'Spring passed and Alanna learned how to do X' - it felt like an oral story and I actually really liked it.<br />
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It's weird how so many of the people whose struggles welike to read about are people who are already born into nobility, like Alanna, or who are born with magic instead of getting it through hard work.<br />
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(Also, something interesting - I've just started a Holly Bourne book. Holly Bourne has been raved about as an amazing YA writer but so far I'm super frustrated by the teenage girl voice, all <i>oh my god he's so cute, like a sexy ferret</i> - same reason I never read <i>Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging</i>, I don't want that overexcitable caling everything supercalifragilistic thing. The book reads incredibly young. Yet this book, which is for a <i>younger </i>audience since it's MG, wasn't like that at all. The characters behaved relatively young but weren't annoying. What gives?)<br />
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<b>Creating Extraordinary Characters - Angela Hunt</b><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477441952l/18149115._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="18149115. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477441952l/18149115._SY475_.jpg" width="207" /></a><b>Rating: </b>1/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>Found on my Kindle app - might have been a free download at some point years ago?<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>28 July<br />
<b>Pages: </b>44<br />
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This is extremely short, so I'm embarrassed calling it a book but it was listed on Goodreads as one. This had the odd interesting point, but oh my god. The method for developing characters was .... *drumroll please* <b>MBTI</b>!<br />
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And look, MBTI is fun, and it doesn't matter that it's not scientifically accurate for a character. But this author put an incredible amount of faith in them, saying things like you know who to pair romantically by them having the opposite MBTI letters, and generally treating them as true. Like just so much, this was her main point. Also, she threw in a bit in the middle about villains thinking they're doing the right thing like ~'Millions of women think unborn babies can't feel pain'. Damn, is this a writing book or pro-life propaganda?<br />
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<b>Because Internet - Gretchen McCulloch</b><br />
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547222587l/36739320._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="36739320. sy475 " border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547222587l/36739320._SY475_.jpg" width="212" /></a><b>Rating: </b>3/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle (and expensive it was too)<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>30 July (the day I had a timezone shift having arrived in Ireland from America the afternoon of the 29th and finished the book in the early hours of the 30th Irish time)<br />
<b>Pages: </b>336<br />
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This was interesting but a bit of a disappointment unfortunately, having followed the author on Twitter for ages. I was expecting it to be more example-based or at least about specific internet language, but the first few chapters were about dialects and the usefulness of the internet for linguistics in general. She's enthusiastic about internet linguistics because it's the first time we've had an easy source of informal writing (formal writing: books etc, formal oral: speeches, informal oral: chatting) to analyse. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I did like the later chapters, which went into specific internet things like expressing tone of voice with punctuation, emoji, and memes. For example, she looks into why young people send a message for each thought or 'utterance' (rather than using periods like with sentences) and old people use ellipses or dashes, and concludes that it's from postcards, and that people have always written with these pauses. Her history of the internet was also interesting, charting movement between Usenet, MSN, Myspace, Facebook and Instagram.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"> I didn't feel like I got particularly deep insight into memes and it was a bit repetitive talking about how they're about ingroup/outgroup dynamics). I also am not sure how supported some of her conclusions were. I know she is a trained linguist so she knows a lot more than me about that, but she'd say some things like 'so this must be because X' without really having done a causal experiment. However, she did have a long list of sources at the end that weren't mentioned in the text so I couldn't see them at the time and that judgement may be unfair.</span></div>
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-44858179142483356862019-08-03T15:26:00.000+01:002019-08-03T15:26:25.922+01:00Visit to DC<style type="text/css">
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(I wrote this over a long time, largely on the bus to the airport to leave DC. It's just a chronological recap of the weekend. Be warned: I complain in it and don’t make an effort to be interesting. Let’s say it’s the heat exhaustion talking.)<br />
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<b>Saturday morning</b></div>
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Awake dark and very early at 4.08 am to get a 4.30 taxi to the
airport for my 6.10 flight.
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I can’t generalise because this is the only internal-American
flight I’ve taken, but wow United Airlines are utter crap – I
wasn’t allowed to check in online because I had a ‘Basic Economy’
fare and wasn’t checking bags. Apparently this marked me as a
threat, but I mean, I was only staying one night – why would I need
more than my schoolbag?
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I tried to check in on a machine in the airport but the Poors Klaxon
(well, the Basic Economy flashing lights) went off so an employee had
to come confirm I was ok. Never mind that Basic Economy is a category
they’ve invented to reduce service on a flight that cost nearly
$200 – Ryanair treats you better than that for a tenner.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2TnKLIWUft7Dba9xbRUxRDH1x8eptHUIeFgr0nmHy1E3VdB9kzCrEId4swA7xlAmbe_ca1WR-k5On-EjJZAuQO-A7gW0X3-X7nJV_peFlOftZ0TcknB82ynSTYh9JtMCJXdSdEYnG6Gl/s1600/012CD5B3-1B12-463B-AA58-5A8294FCD9FA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2TnKLIWUft7Dba9xbRUxRDH1x8eptHUIeFgr0nmHy1E3VdB9kzCrEId4swA7xlAmbe_ca1WR-k5On-EjJZAuQO-A7gW0X3-X7nJV_peFlOftZ0TcknB82ynSTYh9JtMCJXdSdEYnG6Gl/s640/012CD5B3-1B12-463B-AA58-5A8294FCD9FA.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Aaanyway, after I got through the long security line I didn’t have
a long wait for the flight. I went to the shop to get an iPad charger
because I cleverly forgot the charger for my navigation,
communication and photo-taking device, and the cashier asked me if
I’d like to ‘support the troops’ with my purchase. I was just
like ... no thanks. They did pre-boarding first, which I didn’t go
up for because of the aforementioned Basic Economy fare, then
suddenly it was the Final Call.
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The plane was fine although tiny – only 12 rows with four seats in
each. Not really any more cramped than the flight from Dublin, and a
lot shorter (1 h 25 mins).
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<b>In DC</b></div>
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I got off the plane and stepped into a wall of heat. I’d been
warned about it, but it was actually quite nice to get off the frigid
plane into. Then I got the 5A for ~45 minutes to DC proper, which,
thankfully, is apparently only a few square miles in area.</div>
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<i><u><b>NASA
Festival</b></u></i></div>
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I actually got really lucky – I walked towards the National Mall
and walked right into the last day of a big NASA festival
celebrating 20 July 50 years ago when the Moon landing happened. It
was really cool, NASA are <i>very </i>good at science communication
(apart from when they asked me if I know what exoplanets are and I
was like ... I do have most of a science degree) and PR, and I was
pleased to discover while talking to the stall staff (all actual NASA
employees) that THE MARTIAN, the book that got me interested in space
exploration again, is considered very accurate apart from the storm
at the start and people at NASA love it. So I’m impressed I enjoyed
the NASA event so much despite my concern about climate change and
feeling that NASA should be joining forces with NOAA and devoting as
many of their people as possible to dealing with that instead of
building expensive spacefaring devices.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfXJ1lWW6CyHkdtN2CBjFBtYox6uJwteycYQci_k6l45Mls4oedse1915UIfu6ilMHf2tm_3apdteM5x-DdQipgU12WMH1Rm2x56nvjUeL4Gy6rIBfdKpLFvO1xFE-gCM8svcCtPJ9DP9/s1600/A16558F6-5536-41D6-A8F8-0AD2551A8501.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfXJ1lWW6CyHkdtN2CBjFBtYox6uJwteycYQci_k6l45Mls4oedse1915UIfu6ilMHf2tm_3apdteM5x-DdQipgU12WMH1Rm2x56nvjUeL4Gy6rIBfdKpLFvO1xFE-gCM8svcCtPJ9DP9/s640/A16558F6-5536-41D6-A8F8-0AD2551A8501.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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When I said I was a geneticist, the guy I was talking to said to
please figure out a solution to radiation in space, like splice
cockroach DNA into humans or something - it’s fine on the ISS
apparently because of the magnetic field but not in deep space.
Talking to him was really cool – talking in a problem-solving way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq8E9H4L7-ZmK_9uu1mt-nRj_CWJH1Uo0Nj_0TTFpzUhsSRjURzQKw5mzovpNEEY4kSg5W8VvisQRgJKnxaYBppdEpQbggfFmQ2FfBgskHxawdbzmRjZddpLvc8ahTYyKL2bUWAGoPYJp/s1600/41149186-BB3A-4FD0-91F9-4A3E16643915.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq8E9H4L7-ZmK_9uu1mt-nRj_CWJH1Uo0Nj_0TTFpzUhsSRjURzQKw5mzovpNEEY4kSg5W8VvisQRgJKnxaYBppdEpQbggfFmQ2FfBgskHxawdbzmRjZddpLvc8ahTYyKL2bUWAGoPYJp/s320/41149186-BB3A-4FD0-91F9-4A3E16643915.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><u><b>National
Art Gallery – the Classical part</b></u></i></div>
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I won’t lie, I really appreciated that this building has A/C,
especially after climbing the many steps to get in. They also let you
sit down on sofas in a room near the entrance, which was handy. They
made me wear my schoolbag on one shoulder, which apparently protects
the art, though I can’t see how, and it’s certainly not good for
my back.</div>
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For some reason, the only art I could find was Dutch and Flemish. I
swear these places are like mazes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IvWIazO-F8mQ7U9cl2mE3IcgyeVecF2SxhLPIPxBCtZSMAvQDenYwhblSmJNAHkkCYxfydQaN5G8n4gHikTJRPYAZ58HWj1HuXzravER5E5WQl0IxjQeFiQee7QwbLqIDkCh-N2AxIxH/s1600/2D573F65-C351-4BB2-8997-D7F2075C4A0B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IvWIazO-F8mQ7U9cl2mE3IcgyeVecF2SxhLPIPxBCtZSMAvQDenYwhblSmJNAHkkCYxfydQaN5G8n4gHikTJRPYAZ58HWj1HuXzravER5E5WQl0IxjQeFiQee7QwbLqIDkCh-N2AxIxH/s320/2D573F65-C351-4BB2-8997-D7F2075C4A0B.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97lt6qjxRSfkqamDZFAyE_gGxMP445S37RXq9JMQtp0KfCYFXcGkYZAFnI2VYQTHq7MbdYNFB3AbeAx9uxY9WxmtYas32xUFPPO9gt0wBP8Bsnra64-bhcThg52abOP8mZ3MyB3chOr_8/s1600/774FBA06-0238-4A32-8B83-63BFC2E5C101.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97lt6qjxRSfkqamDZFAyE_gGxMP445S37RXq9JMQtp0KfCYFXcGkYZAFnI2VYQTHq7MbdYNFB3AbeAx9uxY9WxmtYas32xUFPPO9gt0wBP8Bsnra64-bhcThg52abOP8mZ3MyB3chOr_8/s320/774FBA06-0238-4A32-8B83-63BFC2E5C101.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><u><b>The Capitol</b></u></i></div>
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Next stop: Congress. It’s a really nice building, with sprinklers
around the place that I walked right into so as not to die from the
~37 C heat. I did kinda hope I might bump into AOC but alas, no luck.
Rudely, Congresspeople don’t seem to hang around for my Saturday
tourism.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44Ecpxk6M62d0dJnBnmiZDAXyY1c9GrSABRVPqwKtEm_VLN1d7vQxB-T4eFZG4tPPWhg4NqdDD2mea3rwa4B652V2BYEif3I2_-d77c_3aNtTapBhsKwKWTPnP2xjt0l2JS3__47DkVIl/s1600/96F4CED9-20AD-45DD-88C6-E6583449E37E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44Ecpxk6M62d0dJnBnmiZDAXyY1c9GrSABRVPqwKtEm_VLN1d7vQxB-T4eFZG4tPPWhg4NqdDD2mea3rwa4B652V2BYEif3I2_-d77c_3aNtTapBhsKwKWTPnP2xjt0l2JS3__47DkVIl/s640/96F4CED9-20AD-45DD-88C6-E6583449E37E.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajeULgGEIs05ErCEP-bhtOxJ08DXhcxKuInRI2zH8PUxkCuRC3olksuUMXgy76_empZ4ciDB4Ou-L7xErZiyuXsb1VeHF7F1ZG_KAuUkvORUtqiNAhxtLDikGwYcpkSM_9VCBnBQswmNn/s1600/ADB749C7-C5A6-4754-92FB-CE386E4588B7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajeULgGEIs05ErCEP-bhtOxJ08DXhcxKuInRI2zH8PUxkCuRC3olksuUMXgy76_empZ4ciDB4Ou-L7xErZiyuXsb1VeHF7F1ZG_KAuUkvORUtqiNAhxtLDikGwYcpkSM_9VCBnBQswmNn/s320/ADB749C7-C5A6-4754-92FB-CE386E4588B7.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSjdrhIZiznOGeLoihuLhAjrbQma1H0a57Yxmyag979BHt-rkVbBjMxCo3k2rx681k7lZW2U1yKIpEscVkT8lL2DAG-yp2ddU2mpZKJ-pf9Er1qt4FedChgvOqbvmjV0J_Sr1M_peV3lY/s1600/882A9400-1396-4A7A-99A9-96B28F9DD4EB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSjdrhIZiznOGeLoihuLhAjrbQma1H0a57Yxmyag979BHt-rkVbBjMxCo3k2rx681k7lZW2U1yKIpEscVkT8lL2DAG-yp2ddU2mpZKJ-pf9Er1qt4FedChgvOqbvmjV0J_Sr1M_peV3lY/s320/882A9400-1396-4A7A-99A9-96B28F9DD4EB.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KnN0yr3mziYAqynQGwB0aS8J3vGZf03nkbGtM0yUMpodkh-mTiP_RyIpzIh492qBbjwSi79jbzCjexHRDmXUj84EszwdYn0EERFuCfFof5pDvXrCr9E8hXzVJMLh-_7NVjsXyxYNJhaU/s1600/580509CE-DD39-4C71-B927-72B97D5C27F5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KnN0yr3mziYAqynQGwB0aS8J3vGZf03nkbGtM0yUMpodkh-mTiP_RyIpzIh492qBbjwSi79jbzCjexHRDmXUj84EszwdYn0EERFuCfFof5pDvXrCr9E8hXzVJMLh-_7NVjsXyxYNJhaU/s640/580509CE-DD39-4C71-B927-72B97D5C27F5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With how hot it was, I definitely wanted to get into this lake. I satisfied myself with walking through the sprinklers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuoOwMz98mw6C8Bu28WQ6K94mfpG16EjKn66DxWnsMO2gw0MqVUCkSLPZusuLzyoyrhjUR8d1y0o8DVgIBdH8VwbOIz4lWxZDZ_VZuvDs414rlLRO5eYKyfzxHx72rhrkLPvTBJD_toYB/s1600/287FA391-05BD-4DEF-8C8B-E4EC1B21B8A0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuoOwMz98mw6C8Bu28WQ6K94mfpG16EjKn66DxWnsMO2gw0MqVUCkSLPZusuLzyoyrhjUR8d1y0o8DVgIBdH8VwbOIz4lWxZDZ_VZuvDs414rlLRO5eYKyfzxHx72rhrkLPvTBJD_toYB/s640/287FA391-05BD-4DEF-8C8B-E4EC1B21B8A0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I lay under this tree and thought about that Washington bit in <i>Hamilton </i>where he talks about giving up power and lying under the shade of your own tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qoFqLT_-juLQ7xSYJridg19umy1D2_YKLSouPCPc8AkBCAkH6tIVFPOsIdTn1n_cb0VpaCmE1C4xuk3WOksG0NtL_uye-9CVQLAcA6pgq5d-e1dQC15W6lmxQY_Til4I_4nYI2t04bEC/s1600/8148D090-DAED-433D-9C24-BA13A0878DAC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qoFqLT_-juLQ7xSYJridg19umy1D2_YKLSouPCPc8AkBCAkH6tIVFPOsIdTn1n_cb0VpaCmE1C4xuk3WOksG0NtL_uye-9CVQLAcA6pgq5d-e1dQC15W6lmxQY_Til4I_4nYI2t04bEC/s640/8148D090-DAED-433D-9C24-BA13A0878DAC.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have I mentioned yet that I love how flower-filled America is?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I attempted to go to the National Botanic Gardens but when I got to
the entrance and it said go around the other side ... look, it was
hot out. Also skipped the Library of Congress and White House but I
shall survive.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>The
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum</b></u></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
There was a very long line to get in, probably because of the NASA
event and the 50-year anniversary (the Smithsonian was holding a
party for it that night), and I was dying standing there (have I
mentioned it was hot yet?).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/67588806_1352812018216540_548041486281736192_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_oc=AQmD6HWKJrmU9UjVZiQB9kW2ZZX44sPmgpgQTbLDwok4JfZ8UGe0PKjmV_m7C9AwtKdXYF74opQU4TQRLREk8LcA&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=c3370686c5f50c450efa88721198b6fd&oe=5DA4A112" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I swear my face is like a weather warning in itself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
So I was glad when a conversation started
between me and the girl behind me, who’s from North Carolina and
doing an internship in DC. Amazingly, our conversation continued the
whole way and we ended up spending my whole time in the museum
together! We met up with her friend at the restaurant and had a
fascinating conversation about Native Americans, Irishness, and
autistic and deaf culture. Her friend uses sign language (simcomming)
while she speaks, which was awesome! <i>And </i>she’s
Cherokee-Irish, which I didn’t even know was a thing and was
fascinating to talk about. She talked about extra school they go to
learn their heritage and culture and I realised summers in the
Gaeltacht are that for us!
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghF52DZC_HuT4BnF_kAXc3cvxmlDa6QZ7WHV2ieiX02I36YfBMJnrZUm4xWinM1KrMTbO2WdbvY7s84kGu2CK7w-hsnwO-w1bFNNRNv-ennGQo0fptPT1VXQ7oAC6xVspqFKGvufQcj1k4/s1600/A19CA59F-3BA6-40FA-A59A-21EC64F420FC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghF52DZC_HuT4BnF_kAXc3cvxmlDa6QZ7WHV2ieiX02I36YfBMJnrZUm4xWinM1KrMTbO2WdbvY7s84kGu2CK7w-hsnwO-w1bFNNRNv-ennGQo0fptPT1VXQ7oAC6xVspqFKGvufQcj1k4/s640/A19CA59F-3BA6-40FA-A59A-21EC64F420FC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
Sadly, most of the museum was locked away because of construction.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
I also noticed for the first time the <i>International </i>in the
ISS’s name. I think the idea was in my head that the US and
Russians are still fighting over space, so that was nice.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUdwpw419beY5zFZH414sCAJZO8HM0t1AnKFrPNiIVSzIfABwI71t_V4Q7naRoWcSw87rIiKW-u12UbOJFH2JhfQVjjBrEzk8UVhO924H65wrkIDcDRGS7xZi0cbfzJlfqSRH6s9j-KVZ/s1600/84569190-BEC2-422A-99C9-AFA8CD696028.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUdwpw419beY5zFZH414sCAJZO8HM0t1AnKFrPNiIVSzIfABwI71t_V4Q7naRoWcSw87rIiKW-u12UbOJFH2JhfQVjjBrEzk8UVhO924H65wrkIDcDRGS7xZi0cbfzJlfqSRH6s9j-KVZ/s320/84569190-BEC2-422A-99C9-AFA8CD696028.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The Air and Space museum held an event that night to celebrate the 50-year anniversary and I feel bad for not going to it, but I did not want to be out in an unknown city at 2 am so I just went to the hostel around 6 pm.<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>The Hostel</u></i></b><br />
It was my first time in a hostel alone (so not on a school trip) and I wasn't expecting luxury but damn it was very minimal for something that cost $73. Maybe my hostel-cost meter just isn't calibrated. They also opened my door in the morning telling me to check out when it was more than an hour before check-out time, which made me uncomfortable. There was one very nice thing about it: they have two locations and when I accidentally went to the wrong one, the guy working there walked me over the 10 minutes to the other one! He's my age and studying computer science. Also, it was very close to the city centre - maybe 7 minutes on the metro with 20 or so minutes of walking. Not that walking was particularly easy considering it was 37 C and DC was the hottest place in the country when I visited!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-YhfUMNwYx8ibq4mhmT16-4DWrcPqAfPxoNxIqSPa0Ka63RfnaAsKCrsNcyytqy_b3X9DcqlAY-6XfhVYUjaN_xVGyVWGXqQ7n-KDWnB43J0WJRztkfHFJrYzoDTAzvrk5Wfi8C89-qN/s1600/6ADF549C-A157-4BE9-9C7E-2CFB4947CA6E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-YhfUMNwYx8ibq4mhmT16-4DWrcPqAfPxoNxIqSPa0Ka63RfnaAsKCrsNcyytqy_b3X9DcqlAY-6XfhVYUjaN_xVGyVWGXqQ7n-KDWnB43J0WJRztkfHFJrYzoDTAzvrk5Wfi8C89-qN/s320/6ADF549C-A157-4BE9-9C7E-2CFB4947CA6E.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTr2AwXyr52qKZpqVObcuhDDojITX-hBQ9WlLAxzr2AFFzYhLLHVdHONW-tMfHsHU1T4YKyZtoqUnCaYu9jUwTcFRLe_nqKg24mwp6aiDnCxHkbjfTEtZi_iHSCTG565sn7KxxLLk_z6V/s1600/A7605D1E-6963-49C7-B346-EFAC4A76252C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTr2AwXyr52qKZpqVObcuhDDojITX-hBQ9WlLAxzr2AFFzYhLLHVdHONW-tMfHsHU1T4YKyZtoqUnCaYu9jUwTcFRLe_nqKg24mwp6aiDnCxHkbjfTEtZi_iHSCTG565sn7KxxLLk_z6V/s320/A7605D1E-6963-49C7-B346-EFAC4A76252C.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
I had a frustrating experience trying to order food. I'd barely eaten all day so I was bloody starving. I tried to order from DoorDash or something but I couldn't because my debit card didn't have a zip code(????????), then I tried somewhere else and the system wouldn't let me order a sandwich plus fries so I just got large fries eventually which tided me over. My rumbling belly and I watched that delivery tracker like a hawk.<br />
<br />
<b>Sunday</b><br />
My goal for Sunday was just to go to the Natural History Museum and maybe the Native American museum. I couldn't find the NHM for a while and it was too damn hot to not be somewhere with AC so I went to the National Gallery's modern art section. It had some nice pieces but some that really just made me think ... how the hell did this get in here? Truly some utter crap, overly proud of itself for ~redefining the rules of the genre~ by putting in zero effort and delegating the job to their three-year-old. Also, just one of the paintings I came across wasn't allowed to be photographed, and I have no idea why that one. Is that inconsistency meant to be art in itself? Who bloody knows.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVffWxwBC2yjhflWnv6YEfxrWyhIPC_WlITm1GpTruQBhUpXNv6SCu5gNa0-w85CorksAUQUdeMIm2LTcuDnCTCvTB2G4JppjFSuQ8E5f813IEeUViI1m90pPCibsS4gBNzI5WwvH1hJr/s1600/F16D337F-A177-49AB-8D81-32295649310D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVffWxwBC2yjhflWnv6YEfxrWyhIPC_WlITm1GpTruQBhUpXNv6SCu5gNa0-w85CorksAUQUdeMIm2LTcuDnCTCvTB2G4JppjFSuQ8E5f813IEeUViI1m90pPCibsS4gBNzI5WwvH1hJr/s640/F16D337F-A177-49AB-8D81-32295649310D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who knew you could just delegate art to your toddler and get it put in the National Gallery?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9q3E1lPBkh0buTedoAVBiqxKgWsrS90jk1zY7gxyM1Ot-IPvPV9jPtw5T70QJcEl6g7vW4fzFObRHbYx7YC2uf0BpOkrAuqHWMw7rxAK0L3nr0EQYWp-tGKzxfPWInFRbYmqOKHHDcBE/s1600/5D3746E3-AD4C-45CD-9389-4AC0E557BC35.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9q3E1lPBkh0buTedoAVBiqxKgWsrS90jk1zY7gxyM1Ot-IPvPV9jPtw5T70QJcEl6g7vW4fzFObRHbYx7YC2uf0BpOkrAuqHWMw7rxAK0L3nr0EQYWp-tGKzxfPWInFRbYmqOKHHDcBE/s640/5D3746E3-AD4C-45CD-9389-4AC0E557BC35.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br />
It's a bedsheet. But because it's not rectangular it is apparently daring and exciting. If they were going to make me banjax my back by carrying my bag on one shoulder they could have at least had better art (okay okay I put my bag in the cloakroom to avoid that shh).<br />
<br />
Have some nicer art as a palate cleanser - I found out I really liked Georgia O Keeffe:<br />
<br />
<img height="640" src="https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/67482153_434657057389247_8403968688541138944_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_oc=AQlOzSxXMLckPZ0umVumskxTmL3DrCmEekdKC-ZMKeZpoHZyILQTBAMOHMaF5m0hvCwNLlmjfjUI8EkuCdzA-9CN&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=bd7edc9c1e27e17ce619ed275c2f5e67&oe=5DE07A6F" width="480" /><br />
<br />
And this was okay I guess, so I'm not shitting on <i>all </i>abstract art:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U58TI3OCjY3_W7Yad0-wUONXdN_pRQNAJnsZwkJhyphenhyphenDlX3HyBZRkFnyHGJTu_Xqrw6b1B401nqGzeQYkmefaL2YcarCXKAyV69Z80qC_Yjw5VMpjzIUScbOgnn3secYrnT-2zDrNRO-Qg/s1600/E4496520-D43B-49EC-A966-BEA831D9AD65.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U58TI3OCjY3_W7Yad0-wUONXdN_pRQNAJnsZwkJhyphenhyphenDlX3HyBZRkFnyHGJTu_Xqrw6b1B401nqGzeQYkmefaL2YcarCXKAyV69Z80qC_Yjw5VMpjzIUScbOgnn3secYrnT-2zDrNRO-Qg/s320/E4496520-D43B-49EC-A966-BEA831D9AD65.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
After a while of that I found the NHM and after queuing and going through the security scanners (every museum had these, sigh) I was in. Unfortunately, I forgot it closed at 5.30 pm so I didn't go around fast enough, but I did see some nice things.<br />
<br />
This elephant is actual size and I couldn't get over how big that is.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8SzGpzmi-dFfofyEnzAXC7NZA_ZftMuARgUfOJQAAq32AvhPIjV-52z7FXszr2N86qbdTGKWLvWV899kKbrjSAZN1LofpKdgq0a12VLwW7NDaUyQr3bTbVc5mIi73kgIta9ebtovIS5H/s1600/27871D56-273F-4AFE-A4B9-31EE4BD46700.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8SzGpzmi-dFfofyEnzAXC7NZA_ZftMuARgUfOJQAAq32AvhPIjV-52z7FXszr2N86qbdTGKWLvWV899kKbrjSAZN1LofpKdgq0a12VLwW7NDaUyQr3bTbVc5mIi73kgIta9ebtovIS5H/s320/27871D56-273F-4AFE-A4B9-31EE4BD46700.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUcCxD3xindq2mteSOSy2JuMJhQMCiW4Xy5Ha2U6nNpYG-iOTma_Nw_N-wMOR7JiZIi1PHbVymHHQtPv-86quQU0BeLA5-wet59HJXfxYkLo9BY45XnbYFc-7lMJZJ8Yjy67FD8pe6eup/s1600/DD95FBFB-C1D5-437A-9F69-CDDDA9372FAD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUcCxD3xindq2mteSOSy2JuMJhQMCiW4Xy5Ha2U6nNpYG-iOTma_Nw_N-wMOR7JiZIi1PHbVymHHQtPv-86quQU0BeLA5-wet59HJXfxYkLo9BY45XnbYFc-7lMJZJ8Yjy67FD8pe6eup/s320/DD95FBFB-C1D5-437A-9F69-CDDDA9372FAD.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
This thing about being on an ocean planet made me feel reverent:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgacaqw8fR8s5ozyD8xp2IIBDdH1o-ZI4zqr4gz_iZ4IqQvuA9m0245B0dpovt6kaD2d-CjwYaTCMMVBeEaSyoKtI91kzEH9rBLQ3eOLtJgoH-AS2MXshE5OBpXg9DBSY0Iz6WIx-hn-6/s1600/E88991D8-67DF-479A-AA95-28BB082275C8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgacaqw8fR8s5ozyD8xp2IIBDdH1o-ZI4zqr4gz_iZ4IqQvuA9m0245B0dpovt6kaD2d-CjwYaTCMMVBeEaSyoKtI91kzEH9rBLQ3eOLtJgoH-AS2MXshE5OBpXg9DBSY0Iz6WIx-hn-6/s320/E88991D8-67DF-479A-AA95-28BB082275C8.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
This statue:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosAZDbR0urBQitq3JH9ughjGVk-pVKvulvh6ACAlHUZi6dRqCne84E4SY8ZSEdMyV9-l2jckn5t_GuSjDC2u2lvfeXZII7BTjeqk2RubyUiZXFbI4r0uMnVlqMAtmYwZHsCo8eaPaLVHv/s1600/E017C1A2-4508-4734-BE20-4F92C214D446.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosAZDbR0urBQitq3JH9ughjGVk-pVKvulvh6ACAlHUZi6dRqCne84E4SY8ZSEdMyV9-l2jckn5t_GuSjDC2u2lvfeXZII7BTjeqk2RubyUiZXFbI4r0uMnVlqMAtmYwZHsCo8eaPaLVHv/s320/E017C1A2-4508-4734-BE20-4F92C214D446.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
The mammal hall:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkftOb_sWGgluv7Gj5nVNcFM7Ht3TFOiVV-KtBcta7jIUzucv4ilHBTlde0ZaNzqHU8gIogUUfMNjyS1rSg0guWLGdbnMQQ38zjHWjJeu2SRtWEJ23iMvPMBZN84AIjz9KtvEggsBWER-/s1600/78C5A994-0305-4A53-A1F5-3CB0BF202271.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkftOb_sWGgluv7Gj5nVNcFM7Ht3TFOiVV-KtBcta7jIUzucv4ilHBTlde0ZaNzqHU8gIogUUfMNjyS1rSg0guWLGdbnMQQ38zjHWjJeu2SRtWEJ23iMvPMBZN84AIjz9KtvEggsBWER-/s320/78C5A994-0305-4A53-A1F5-3CB0BF202271.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
The gems:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-83uGpT1vuINXBTQhFm6NbLObQjd9jB4QRaKImsclMj9u0VYlVH_U6s7x-rswBbO71eIOFl6CfXw87HX0bWE2ykJ-3Q2KSqCAPotWXTEKyh8-iAzTKJGI6Z1to7U_SM-yZq_vwCP51jB/s1600/B3136125-6140-4284-BF23-ED79A45733E7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-83uGpT1vuINXBTQhFm6NbLObQjd9jB4QRaKImsclMj9u0VYlVH_U6s7x-rswBbO71eIOFl6CfXw87HX0bWE2ykJ-3Q2KSqCAPotWXTEKyh8-iAzTKJGI6Z1to7U_SM-yZq_vwCP51jB/s320/B3136125-6140-4284-BF23-ED79A45733E7.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_ql4Pu_TmBJ_MQ-C1EJC0XtaFJmlDAudylWlkMrcx1E6ITxNo6-RG7pxVX3D-lvfwTu-ib2CQXESH8UNCEkjw1kMRlTqLKba2xAQD0TSLXAR57gcngwJmb-scJsjfa5UwLLwVs_EOWhl/s1600/9CF027C7-1683-4B88-8977-1DEB5C3AD8C1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_ql4Pu_TmBJ_MQ-C1EJC0XtaFJmlDAudylWlkMrcx1E6ITxNo6-RG7pxVX3D-lvfwTu-ib2CQXESH8UNCEkjw1kMRlTqLKba2xAQD0TSLXAR57gcngwJmb-scJsjfa5UwLLwVs_EOWhl/s320/9CF027C7-1683-4B88-8977-1DEB5C3AD8C1.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<b><u><i>Leaving DC</i></u></b><br />
<b><u><i><br /></i></u></b>
I appreciated that the building for the Housing department (or something like that) was interestingly designed:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeP0F9T0HaSgGORfwwLTBBTnJURRS-RX_uPAYdmyo1DDjIwwFYJ9AtZETGMyRMCuhYjus7OgmTbaMyUjwqP0CKEfCzy8mAP1YuuL3uT2Mgtk390C7bT1hRePUTb9VQXR7ogXS1csmRS2O/s1600/CB8E2418-5D1A-4AE5-B846-443AC3D1AC05.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeP0F9T0HaSgGORfwwLTBBTnJURRS-RX_uPAYdmyo1DDjIwwFYJ9AtZETGMyRMCuhYjus7OgmTbaMyUjwqP0CKEfCzy8mAP1YuuL3uT2Mgtk390C7bT1hRePUTb9VQXR7ogXS1csmRS2O/s320/CB8E2418-5D1A-4AE5-B846-443AC3D1AC05.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
This really stupid airport ad (this alone should be reason enough to abolish capitalism):<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB7rIIp1p8wMnb2esZu1YvdSThdee7M6Hu4SZ5aj-PlQ30PndOvXX_PkthTtUJEJ_tRGvNN7n69GN7h0ntN70wHOIEVVNdhiPfyPMW1r898vrbCHfnHIGqBbLwiqcFQhVnWj5kkcD1ziU/s1600/AC89A666-59C5-44D0-8649-456E70E91C2E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB7rIIp1p8wMnb2esZu1YvdSThdee7M6Hu4SZ5aj-PlQ30PndOvXX_PkthTtUJEJ_tRGvNN7n69GN7h0ntN70wHOIEVVNdhiPfyPMW1r898vrbCHfnHIGqBbLwiqcFQhVnWj5kkcD1ziU/s320/AC89A666-59C5-44D0-8649-456E70E91C2E.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
And finally, the view out of the plane:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHwM61UMZmqe2y-9rUyble-qwSbpK3DyQoJ2pOTs20F7wV2cnjEz4xaJv9aj1_O360C5-2UAD4iZmVCRvsubGIbJ5WksdFmjhGUBXZ8Kw4mrxPVxyN6nZ2u6wROp13RfOUktsjX8b078u/s1600/80F4C041-1E7F-4AF5-A3E8-0BDF0EAB3062.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHwM61UMZmqe2y-9rUyble-qwSbpK3DyQoJ2pOTs20F7wV2cnjEz4xaJv9aj1_O360C5-2UAD4iZmVCRvsubGIbJ5WksdFmjhGUBXZ8Kw4mrxPVxyN6nZ2u6wROp13RfOUktsjX8b078u/s320/80F4C041-1E7F-4AF5-A3E8-0BDF0EAB3062.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
Overall I'm glad I went, and proud I managed the heat!<br />
<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-24091222014226413492019-07-30T17:50:00.001+01:002019-07-30T17:55:56.338+01:00Review: Ricochet by Kathryn Berla<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552583103i/41941704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ricochet" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552583103i/41941704.jpg" width="210" /></a><b>Rating: </b>2/5<br />
<b>Source: </b>ARC from Netgalley for review<br />
<b>Date finished: </b>27 June<br />
<b>Pages: </b>328<br />
<b>Publication Date: </b>October 8 2019<br />
<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">When seventeen-year-old Tati sends a saliva sample to a DNA ancestry testing site her results come back inconclusive. What’s wrong with her DNA? And what does it have to do with her unexplained seizures and the beckoning tunnel she sees during them? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">What Tati discovers is more than she could have ever imagined possible. Parallel universes exist and her abnormal DNA compels and condemns Tati and her other selves—shy Ana—privileged Tatyana—and on-the-run Tanya, to a lifetime of ricocheting between their parallel lives in the multiverse.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">With knowledge of their existence a deadly threat in every universe, the only chance all four have to survive is to work together to take down the scientist responsible: their father. (Blurb from Goodreads)</span></i><br />
<br />
I liked the premise, which is why I requested it on Netgalley. But my god the science. The science. My EYES. The reason she has these mysterious seizures and strange DNA is that her DNA was edited so that it's now got unstable vibrations or something that means she can <i>travel between 4 parallel universes and meet the other versions of herself</i>. After that it was a struggle to finish the book. I do not recommend it for the geneticist in your life. Either use something more related to universes, like some physical particle, or don't try to justify it scientifically at all! DNA editing changes a base from, say, A to C, not to plutonium!<br />
<br />
<b>Other issues:</b><br />
<br />
The real action only got started around 90% and then it was all wrapped up stupidly. I usually hate it when books become series and I want to award it a star for not being a series, but it just was not wrapped up right at all. So it was a slog and then a weird rush.<br />
<br />
I was also confused about some of the facts, like the identity of her birth mother. It took me a while to twig that Tati, Ana, Tatyana and Tanya are all different people but that could be my problem and it was a fairly cool realisation. In general it was difficult to get into, probably as a natural conclusion of the premise.<br />
<br />
While I don't like how anxious I get for the characters in books, this lacked tension because you know Tati or Ana are going to be fine in their own realities - maybe if her dad had been able to chase her through them? And the ending! Awful. <br />
<div id="spoiler" style="display: none;">
<br />
One of the Tatis seems to wake up at the end and think it was all a dream! Argh! </div>
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<br />
<b>In summary: </b>1-2 stars. I don't want to give it 1 because it had some positive qualities (such as how the genetic testing went), but there was just so much that annoyed me.<br />
<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-60420004272110227092019-07-26T03:32:00.001+01:002019-08-03T15:26:41.428+01:00Visit to New York City<style type="text/css">
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From 12th to 15th July I went
to New York City from Friday evening to Monday morning and stayed
with Carla, my post-doc friend from Brown! Here’s a quick rundown
of what we got up to.</div>
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<b>Friday evening</b></div>
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I got in around 9 pm, so we just walked through Times Square to the
subway. Times Square at night is intense, exactly what I imagined
from a Big American City but with more neon and so much advertising.
The news ticker going along the side of a building made me feel like
I was in a movie myself and about to find out about Patient Zero of a
new pandemic. It’s funny that before I came I thought American
cities were usually like this, when actually most of them are small
and quaint, more like towns.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFmTZ6p-1cwTBAaKa_TpVHIWofjUmsL93DuXkBXWcV6hrdGj0caCy2mxGDcmOMA4_OJExa7h-CxGpTQHbNrdCCU-xtFEuadji6dV_XhTRDVRrhE4qrLOCY6DgzJZuy6eO-43VPQGhyphenhyphenfmR/s1600/0D08938C-4261-4B08-8BFD-0721287639AF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFmTZ6p-1cwTBAaKa_TpVHIWofjUmsL93DuXkBXWcV6hrdGj0caCy2mxGDcmOMA4_OJExa7h-CxGpTQHbNrdCCU-xtFEuadji6dV_XhTRDVRrhE4qrLOCY6DgzJZuy6eO-43VPQGhyphenhyphenfmR/s320/0D08938C-4261-4B08-8BFD-0721287639AF.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTn7Z4TmzGbut9eyIrTf5e2cRbOs4j4lrD-JcCrRNgRfIEUM3vVGodJoDgbvsf9UIXoC7bH7Yp_QO0eobNMoXmrmWD6WUq4xHH43ATA5_j3WcYXEGwq28ApxaDqZgwLOWE9hrXrZ1SZP-/s1600/4A6F6F68-8CFC-4DE6-B277-F0670F27E2CE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTn7Z4TmzGbut9eyIrTf5e2cRbOs4j4lrD-JcCrRNgRfIEUM3vVGodJoDgbvsf9UIXoC7bH7Yp_QO0eobNMoXmrmWD6WUq4xHH43ATA5_j3WcYXEGwq28ApxaDqZgwLOWE9hrXrZ1SZP-/s320/4A6F6F68-8CFC-4DE6-B277-F0670F27E2CE.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYNLOFaTKUgQALkGewGY1iS7BI1zPGEF76P5Ze5SBAbV7jsaaGuVfN0yDZHH-crviidc5PdDVLnO8LoosU6Vb8NZ6wCl29L4f8UOzOb914b-Zh2q0h4n8fj-deI5vLpRHvuLlOhyPcXLJ/s1600/D16378F3-0371-41CC-9C7B-251CDDE39AA8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYNLOFaTKUgQALkGewGY1iS7BI1zPGEF76P5Ze5SBAbV7jsaaGuVfN0yDZHH-crviidc5PdDVLnO8LoosU6Vb8NZ6wCl29L4f8UOzOb914b-Zh2q0h4n8fj-deI5vLpRHvuLlOhyPcXLJ/s320/D16378F3-0371-41CC-9C7B-251CDDE39AA8.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Saturday</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>Brooklyn
Botanic Gardens</b></u></i></div>
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These were gorgeous. I liked that they had the plants arranged into a
room for each biome, e.g. desert, tropical. Apparently Australia is
temperate? I particularly liked the water plants – something about
water makes looking at it very peaceful for me. I did have to keep
taking breaks to sit in the shade, though – it was very hot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsdryWdGezN32m0MXkvq-7N6_kaM6SEe9r1cRqJPRDn61dMHK6KrEJkS0NkmlAOfaeqer_wsG9wGSzbR3XTXtRWvZ3muoebzobK6i9jyncBtYISiKGtEB7makBstWlYKTe0loXZnAhTsQ/s1600/6E1BC90F-7B1E-4953-9FD1-AE63B227487E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsdryWdGezN32m0MXkvq-7N6_kaM6SEe9r1cRqJPRDn61dMHK6KrEJkS0NkmlAOfaeqer_wsG9wGSzbR3XTXtRWvZ3muoebzobK6i9jyncBtYISiKGtEB7makBstWlYKTe0loXZnAhTsQ/s320/6E1BC90F-7B1E-4953-9FD1-AE63B227487E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEOOzQTpLgFaRkKtLe72Q78oZPz4yrSxAxJkrzJktY6LhraxDGm_zoc1YS2dpYQkBMn0DbhlyRngs5IApcApi3R7GxpPUDYazYf2byjgtCoew0bt2A6quTkGSv2OPY5SydNJNEyuMRUIp/s1600/740A787C-2FBE-45F7-814E-0C38333E2BF0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEOOzQTpLgFaRkKtLe72Q78oZPz4yrSxAxJkrzJktY6LhraxDGm_zoc1YS2dpYQkBMn0DbhlyRngs5IApcApi3R7GxpPUDYazYf2byjgtCoew0bt2A6quTkGSv2OPY5SydNJNEyuMRUIp/s640/740A787C-2FBE-45F7-814E-0C38333E2BF0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGWFnlvXUVDlOI26FyK-N1xZSqekYNmEWv224s-wuEYtBKH3DqA7dM89Lo6FpQKaQ5YuORVBO_10g_lf9s212o1TFIDmMka6xyh7T64rbfw44k48UpSjrdr8vtfDnd1-0HFq4-RlAxmU6/s1600/6323F5F2-68C8-4EAB-9408-53075C885FD0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGWFnlvXUVDlOI26FyK-N1xZSqekYNmEWv224s-wuEYtBKH3DqA7dM89Lo6FpQKaQ5YuORVBO_10g_lf9s212o1TFIDmMka6xyh7T64rbfw44k48UpSjrdr8vtfDnd1-0HFq4-RlAxmU6/s320/6323F5F2-68C8-4EAB-9408-53075C885FD0.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLndW-8b3HnmUJEzuGlBoWR65zYczcwNIoU8HPc3W-GXsFqAnL7g5CvuFUu93sLbmXxjhomjxnS0mW4kCFOk0bUKo2rJXttMDord3QwxYgQ3QE3xPF1cuSbYgKFT3KLFspAUm58mZvWCv/s1600/A72673A8-3186-46F1-951C-B02B0C3A321C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLndW-8b3HnmUJEzuGlBoWR65zYczcwNIoU8HPc3W-GXsFqAnL7g5CvuFUu93sLbmXxjhomjxnS0mW4kCFOk0bUKo2rJXttMDord3QwxYgQ3QE3xPF1cuSbYgKFT3KLFspAUm58mZvWCv/s320/A72673A8-3186-46F1-951C-B02B0C3A321C.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCo8HU7NO-g7t71VzUXqSu-sNlBwVUpvn8loOx3iiKt2B4eajEvKvBwZnVfxpgTre_KZfvoxySEE05hkQTvF616pWnECgEmqSy0r_UD57NaxD0kQaYPVFAmreu0osxCThXMwoQoQeQMrL/s1600/E28B3A29-D988-49B0-B9A7-62183249A32B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCo8HU7NO-g7t71VzUXqSu-sNlBwVUpvn8loOx3iiKt2B4eajEvKvBwZnVfxpgTre_KZfvoxySEE05hkQTvF616pWnECgEmqSy0r_UD57NaxD0kQaYPVFAmreu0osxCThXMwoQoQeQMrL/s320/E28B3A29-D988-49B0-B9A7-62183249A32B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>Brooklyn
Library</b></u></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
Has hieroglyphic-looking pictures referencing famous books covering
the front wall. Also saw an ad for a party for Harry Potter’s
birthday.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>Brooklyn
Bridge</b></u></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStZIkLpuTpyCm8Cj3bOO_wVtTnVyTnm8e8Xl3PB-dOTE7kWBOuMtvwUugl8AWqTLKR0jeO8knJczq2iqnxZr7gcWFo22o7cMjJnCoGECpA3Gal8DpUPwouujgRQBy_y8d7bjAx4a7_n0v/s320/9946A071-329F-47EA-8658-81DD8FC7BCC3.jpeg" /></div>
We walked across Brooklyn bridge, which took a very long time but
gave us pretty views when we weren’t dodging cyclists barreling
towards us.
<br />
<br />
<img height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffcXPGTDjK3fLLVOiofnJhXon9oE89WoskpGdLi8K8BX2aR4ZIsDypTWnl1WCKTyhElnh7oV4JEqkFJES6z5k_AqbRwpxmUyR4gaJdCRrCYihVd86UWJQ4fq4fmzzqzddqAb0UrQrI0DI/s640/6300E58C-9DD6-47DA-8110-26BB12EADCF7.jpeg" width="640" /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>Financial
District </b></u></i>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
We didn’t go up the World Trade Center building, but we did walk
around the area and get gelato, which is just as good and
considerably cheaper. We also saw a monument to Alexander Hamilton,
which I had to get a photo of in memory of my Hamilton fangirl days.
We saw the Wall Street bull too.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>Staten
Island & Statue of Liberty</b></u></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We
then got the ferry to Staten Island, which is the most distant of
NYC’s five boroughs and is basically beside New Jersey. That’s
something I’ve noticed about the East Coast of America while I’ve
been here – there are so many islands! They really do not shy away
from building beside the sea or over or under rivers. </span></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48_s6u-_t2q8uFeG_78sl_7oI3lWtMeXTiYK40iIpyIB-Ed49f2YSJhiamttH19WChFYnRG08JQ4QNSN-a3NgkK7XUdqoOwHhyGk3gBvCv1hvPhEj9Sv02d3if0m30-CPj_7V850preAm/s1600/1AC79A58-4B81-46D0-B07B-D4EDDCB0042B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48_s6u-_t2q8uFeG_78sl_7oI3lWtMeXTiYK40iIpyIB-Ed49f2YSJhiamttH19WChFYnRG08JQ4QNSN-a3NgkK7XUdqoOwHhyGk3gBvCv1hvPhEj9Sv02d3if0m30-CPj_7V850preAm/s640/1AC79A58-4B81-46D0-B07B-D4EDDCB0042B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
ferry is free, which is nice, although it was less nice that while
queuing the big neon sign in front of us boasted to potential
advertisers of the captive audience they have for 25 minutes each way
24 hours a day. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Anyway,
we got somewhat close to the Statue of Liberty and it’s actually
quite a beautiful statue. It was interesting seeing Ellis Island –
I keep thinking ‘see where my ancestors landed’, but considering
I’m 100% Irish, not Irish-American, clearly those weren’t </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">my
</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">ancestors,
but my compatriots I suppose. A place of significance anyway,
important in producing an Irish ethnic group of 80 million people
despite there being only 5 million people in Ireland. </span></span></span>
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZd-PlTr-0942SMLllr9PVQgpevZDnpj-wy_d8NanPzOzf-WqZCg5UE4ySHZTiTbi4MbAd21ShIQlve3rKtJbt-b5OIv73ySrtiWMkOWMptmNs_F6lZqq01OqLLrdKbxYJzx8RzYnumc-/s1600/9AAFB67A-A2AE-4E3B-A0C4-BE9E3960E1F4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZd-PlTr-0942SMLllr9PVQgpevZDnpj-wy_d8NanPzOzf-WqZCg5UE4ySHZTiTbi4MbAd21ShIQlve3rKtJbt-b5OIv73ySrtiWMkOWMptmNs_F6lZqq01OqLLrdKbxYJzx8RzYnumc-/s400/9AAFB67A-A2AE-4E3B-A0C4-BE9E3960E1F4.jpeg" width="300" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As
is apparently common, we saw nothing of Staten Island itself apart
from buying drinks in the shop/port and seeing a display about oyster
conservation, because we turned right back around and got on the
ferry back. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x3gPKIJRrRhUtHNlo1Mg2fgRw27_YwEe9JVoSEav7YQonrr30QRaWApIdaQBXA5YGutduZ9IaVk30xpi1_1uAaUtNLoHz1IWxu-ZeOzG27pZI_CDHjCCO0VTUb03l2gNQnTWQws_Gp6C/s1600/678E6EA8-FE69-4CE6-8782-EA7538AF794B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x3gPKIJRrRhUtHNlo1Mg2fgRw27_YwEe9JVoSEav7YQonrr30QRaWApIdaQBXA5YGutduZ9IaVk30xpi1_1uAaUtNLoHz1IWxu-ZeOzG27pZI_CDHjCCO0VTUb03l2gNQnTWQws_Gp6C/s320/678E6EA8-FE69-4CE6-8782-EA7538AF794B.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We
then got the ferry home and by that time there was only an hour or so
to wait before a <u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">free concert in a park right beside Carla’s
apartment! </u>(highlighting this because it's an event and I don't have photos for it, not for emphasis). </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sunday</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>Meeting</b></u></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
I had my first in-person meeting with Nan, who runs the America’s
Amazing Teens project I’m part of. It was good to meet her and Ann
Makosinski in person for the first time, talk about the book I’m
working on and find out what they’re up to.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><u><b>The
Metropolitan Museum of Art</b></u></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
This is a big place, so I didn't see all of it in the few hours we were there. I ran around the various European paintings (where they make you wear your bag on the front or on one shoulder, grr), saw the classical sculptures, and looked at art from different places like Polynesia (liked this one apart from the animal killing it glorifies - saw this in the Smithsonian as well amid statements I consider oxymoronic like 'they respected them' alongside 'they killed them'), Africa (why were so many of these sculptures terrifying-looking?!), and the Islamic world (some nice tiling and rugs like in my old house).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhOMeElBnjcM8D6demU8yq6mR-5WyNG7QA3qFOeghdHQW7ey-SlvYsbqs0LohcXdRFvWRGQo9i8vdBy9pURKWg5XyjSuCXpITr3MgDRs3RLov0WduWUcHZ-uxQcrzVKJ1cxJgpn8I7-15/s1600/0AE17085-E3A1-4F15-93BC-9C105BA4C82E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhOMeElBnjcM8D6demU8yq6mR-5WyNG7QA3qFOeghdHQW7ey-SlvYsbqs0LohcXdRFvWRGQo9i8vdBy9pURKWg5XyjSuCXpITr3MgDRs3RLov0WduWUcHZ-uxQcrzVKJ1cxJgpn8I7-15/s320/0AE17085-E3A1-4F15-93BC-9C105BA4C82E.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiOrb0_BpyyBvdhyphenhyphen576blBuiNkIb5aioyLMN-8Z15rZfuOIeQDhYuQ7MXaolFYOKV8l0XgrjpFP9C-i59IhhCqipQhGeqxNgNwjC2zr7PFp0kz5_tvdHiGu1Vc2hyphenhyphen2wG9eL1J3IewlyKW/s1600/01A51995-55D9-4A74-BB10-240964C1B3F9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiOrb0_BpyyBvdhyphenhyphen576blBuiNkIb5aioyLMN-8Z15rZfuOIeQDhYuQ7MXaolFYOKV8l0XgrjpFP9C-i59IhhCqipQhGeqxNgNwjC2zr7PFp0kz5_tvdHiGu1Vc2hyphenhyphen2wG9eL1J3IewlyKW/s320/01A51995-55D9-4A74-BB10-240964C1B3F9.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99jhi7qPPINzECSx9o2OtV-y0Te1unMdrc0QWnjUw8pIlbAoXZGr4-5Rq6hdVjjr-QzH7WxkuvX6OqATfUyW-ezBMUqPod7_KU3Qtu9xFnge6hNs8pe1iTuz9QeeIGFNFeGeYqsx0JIk_/s1600/073D4656-D94C-4FC2-BF24-B69F85955428.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99jhi7qPPINzECSx9o2OtV-y0Te1unMdrc0QWnjUw8pIlbAoXZGr4-5Rq6hdVjjr-QzH7WxkuvX6OqATfUyW-ezBMUqPod7_KU3Qtu9xFnge6hNs8pe1iTuz9QeeIGFNFeGeYqsx0JIk_/s320/073D4656-D94C-4FC2-BF24-B69F85955428.jpeg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNM8twFA6KY8FInPPoZ_Jxh7ZCgrFKRkoqck5JYQzPZ3q-ZQc_gasD2_DXECrfOTul4XX97fJxR5ecMBVDRejr4ZTwSFEaSfcrmZcJGLErCLAAKA9_We7qV9Yj8JxkVk1qYebXlWdm7ZA/s1600/28818D04-EC11-4368-A59D-3B921F7030F3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNM8twFA6KY8FInPPoZ_Jxh7ZCgrFKRkoqck5JYQzPZ3q-ZQc_gasD2_DXECrfOTul4XX97fJxR5ecMBVDRejr4ZTwSFEaSfcrmZcJGLErCLAAKA9_We7qV9Yj8JxkVk1qYebXlWdm7ZA/s320/28818D04-EC11-4368-A59D-3B921F7030F3.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
Carla, Clive and I got a nice photo on the roof of the building:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvlEBupZ5dFNB5JDHSw0Q3JMLOltuucjz1ut5iBO-fzmLKb2t1Jd9jWqQjsylb0A4iNjWSA68xEnE7ak63Y1GfyuGsWWxToLmp8k6yNEbb8gxQkb3lnxfEZYkbsPkOz_DwMTEnRpda9GF/s1600/8E6ACEF9-BFD9-44A6-A59C-E71CA4DD2F04.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvlEBupZ5dFNB5JDHSw0Q3JMLOltuucjz1ut5iBO-fzmLKb2t1Jd9jWqQjsylb0A4iNjWSA68xEnE7ak63Y1GfyuGsWWxToLmp8k6yNEbb8gxQkb3lnxfEZYkbsPkOz_DwMTEnRpda9GF/s640/8E6ACEF9-BFD9-44A6-A59C-E71CA4DD2F04.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUXgx2qYwRLX9yDoaXyLEIx_BAi3CmLGFT7vZFhjP7qLlwYLQ75TuKK35O6yet36VKWPq-xoxUFIxhG8TF6xU85JgSMic6WU29rXTq4_0asFa1tD8KTIM3rXlgeq9Di0Tde2umqDXVxT3/s1600/38118842-4910-43FC-94B0-C96AA341F532.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUXgx2qYwRLX9yDoaXyLEIx_BAi3CmLGFT7vZFhjP7qLlwYLQ75TuKK35O6yet36VKWPq-xoxUFIxhG8TF6xU85JgSMic6WU29rXTq4_0asFa1tD8KTIM3rXlgeq9Di0Tde2umqDXVxT3/s320/38118842-4910-43FC-94B0-C96AA341F532.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The real work of art in the Met museum (I KID).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b><i><u>Central Park</u></i></b><br />
Just briefly dipped in here because it was apparently not to be missed. Going by the map it's <i>huge </i>- I've actually noticed America seems to have tons of greenspace. Have a photo.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWBiinPRXJnUgR6nm5rShvBHtys5V_QYmczV8WGiPx5ye-MansbzaRwggqppUfda8nuuFWa2X2Wqih_8m6L_7MBZ1GEAQ-sv2y4eanPDKS-oEdJ-mjEl9FMr2Hs2uEPUph-C6_sKlL0Ma/s1600/E516C647-1153-404F-82C1-0E238A2DC6F5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWBiinPRXJnUgR6nm5rShvBHtys5V_QYmczV8WGiPx5ye-MansbzaRwggqppUfda8nuuFWa2X2Wqih_8m6L_7MBZ1GEAQ-sv2y4eanPDKS-oEdJ-mjEl9FMr2Hs2uEPUph-C6_sKlL0Ma/s320/E516C647-1153-404F-82C1-0E238A2DC6F5.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
<b><i><u><br /></u></i></b>
<b>Monday morning</b><br />
Got up at 7.15 am, horror of horrors (it gets worse in July - the morning of the day I'm writing this I got up at 4.08 am) to get the 9 am bus back to Providence and got to work around 1 or 1.30 pm. Obviously this was not the plan but anyway. Carla came with me to the bus station because she's great. It was a fun weekend.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSUiwUPT4VlNN0quOQhrQSbGemiVSY1MPAbpKEgeS2vnKKU_gx0Kn9dk8Wv9Yn_wUshFosS47MVqHIgi4ZrLA48W27oGM4mm89A_cfy5Qb4mT0epC6Z01nT1Q0KvEVan0cKzOGDHTilP5/s1600/26915F6E-6338-4067-80A6-606016C5E1DD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSUiwUPT4VlNN0quOQhrQSbGemiVSY1MPAbpKEgeS2vnKKU_gx0Kn9dk8Wv9Yn_wUshFosS47MVqHIgi4ZrLA48W27oGM4mm89A_cfy5Qb4mT0epC6Z01nT1Q0KvEVan0cKzOGDHTilP5/s640/26915F6E-6338-4067-80A6-606016C5E1DD.jpeg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY88HLsJeu2v3tiz6TyvzIUsqg_sqwwHmoVCxo3gEcx2q45uS_-edfTX1PbPrHsmV_DTWJA2bcdCwlPgwFCx6cPFOM-eMuEOHSNEYI4VNIZSoVSlimkjLmlXP9aSHGm_3FXoFuGnE4FoAM/s1600/11C83A48-1F2A-4CBA-BBB3-B0D129A1FD91.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY88HLsJeu2v3tiz6TyvzIUsqg_sqwwHmoVCxo3gEcx2q45uS_-edfTX1PbPrHsmV_DTWJA2bcdCwlPgwFCx6cPFOM-eMuEOHSNEYI4VNIZSoVSlimkjLmlXP9aSHGm_3FXoFuGnE4FoAM/s640/11C83A48-1F2A-4CBA-BBB3-B0D129A1FD91.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b><i><u><br /></u></i></b>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-24704486123650982652019-07-21T01:36:00.002+01:002019-07-22T03:02:41.009+01:00Monthly recap: June 2019This is a rushed post, alas, being done towards the end of July while I struggle to get my work done before going back home.<br />
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<b>Evolution conference</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Happened towards the end of June and was pretty cool, apart from the odd horrifying realisation that the speaker doing this interesting study on birds <i>killed them at the end and didn't even think it was wrong</i>. Aaanyway, here are some things about it that I enjoyed:<br />
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<b>Talks Relevant(ish) to Laidlaw project</b></div>
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* The speaker showed that using BUSTED, which detects selection, without accounting for synonymous rate variation across the genome, can give a huge number of false positives when there's no selection, and she made a version called BUSTED[S] that includes SRV.</div>
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* 'Extreme heterogeneity in sex chromosome differentiation and dosage compensation in livebearers' - the first demonstration of total sex chromosome dosage compensation in fish (possibly just teleosts)</div>
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* Talk: evidence in sticklebacks of sexually-antagonistic selection on a locus on a new sex chromosome</div>
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<div>
<b>Talks relevant to my research at Brown</b></div>
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* 'The timing and geography of adaptive Neanderthal introgression in modern humans' - this is pretty much exactly my research topic but she did it completely differently which was very interesting, using ancient modern-human genomes. I had no idea there were so many of those.</div>
<div>
* 'Leveraging both ancestral and derived information to detect local introgression' - this was done by someone in my lab, Lesly, who made a new version of the D-statistic called D+. Instead of using ABBA and BABA sites like D, D+ uses sites of shared ancestral alleles also so that the values don't swing as much from region to region just from not having many shared derived alleles. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Other Interesting Things</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<div>
* Poster: A professor from Brown was presenting on mutations in which the sign of selection changes with population size. I thought it was interesting but he said in his poster 'It thus appears that sign inversion always occurs because the sign of the selection coefficient acting on a mutation evolves from negative to positive'. But when I asked him what about cases where a mutation is beneficial when rare but deleterious when common (e.g. density-dependent selection, Batesian mimicry), he didn't have an answer. He said he'd thought about it but couldn't answer so I thought it was weird he put that on the poster. </div>
<div>
* Poster: genetic rescue with animals from other populations can introduce deleterious alleles because they were adaptive in the other location, not in this one (that wasn't the point of the poster, it just made me realise this)</div>
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* Poster: extending Fisher's geometric model to situations with conflict</div>
<div>
* Poster: An example of a rock-paper-scissors evolutionary dynamic in one lineage in yeast, where ancestor A < B < C (final descendant) which is in turn < A. I thought this was interesting but it was assessed using competition assays and I would've been more convinced it showed what he was trying to show (that evolution doesn't always proceed upwards) if he had also measured absolute growth rate. He said the error bars on that are too big though.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
* Talk: In a species of wasp with individual recognition, selection on that trait seems to have been the strongest selective pressure on them recently, not immunity or anything else.</div>
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* Talk: high genetic diversity can contribute to extinction in small populations, because of recessive deleterious alleles from the larger population</div>
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* Talk: sperm is degenerating in an asexual species of freshwater snail that occasionally produces males, showing reduced selection on males</div>
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* Talk: the adaptive value of males in a self-fertilizing hermaphroditic fish is that they survive better in stressful environmental conditions</div>
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* Talk: a new sexual signal is developing in crickets which is harder for a parasitic fly to hear.</div>
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* Talk: 'Can females differentially allocate resources to offspring sired by different males?' They still need to do more work on this but it seems like females provision placental resources differently to males from different populations (their own vs other) in a mixed brood. </div>
<div>
* Talk: Exaggerated nuchal humps in Midas cichlids seem to be sexually attractive and also threatening to other males, but hinder swimming. It seems to follow Zahavi's handicap principle rather than Fisher's runaway process.</div>
<div>
* Talk: 'Genomic consequences of UV sex chromosomes' - these are in moss, with males haploid V and females haploid U. I actually missed this talk but apparently the V has Ne twice as low as U and sexual selection is implicated (I'm interested in sex chromosome evolution, sexual selection and conflict, in case that wasn't obvious). They say they've made chromosome assemblies and RNAseq data.</div>
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<br />
<b>Moving House</b><br />
My aunt, who I'm staying with for the summer, moved house. That's been pretty chaotic with the viewings and actual moving, especially since that happened on Day 1 of the conference!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Leon's visit</b><br />
Leon came over to visit for a week, which was great. We visited <b>Boston</b> together and saw the aquarium and Harvard (Trinity is much prettier). We didn't too much other tourism but that was okay because we got to hang out.<br />
<br />
<b>Duolingo 365</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I hit a 365-day streak on Duolingo (but I did use 2 or 3 streak repairs on the way...yet somehow hit that on the same day as my one-year anniversary, strange. Possible a timezone issue)! For the last five years I've been doing French on it, and I recently started Hawaiian.<br />
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<b>Work</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Honestly couldn't tell you what I did in work in June, as I am unfortunately writing this on 19th July. I do know I spent two weeks doing the wrong thing after misinterpreting my supervisor and not asking for clarification! That said, I ended up using almost all of the techniques and skills I learned during those two weeks in my actual project, so not such a waste. Even the stuff I didn't use was good to learn about, like VCFs.<br />
,<br />
Here are some of the graphs I made and emailed to myself - no quality guarantees, and in fact I know now I made mistakes in these ones that mean the data isn't right, so don't try to derive meaning from them!<br />
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<img alt="image.png" height="450" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&ik=83f013a30a&attid=0.6&permmsgid=msg-a:r-6105586325029654762&th=16b7ccd8af66204d&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ-e4WasoqU7sq4ZNXeCDFopLZdCjeWXPDCZeBczK_rO4_2tve-YHBnzTIkoiojfAY3vYFBYlCrBil8omse4YHIoLV2wQKb07OsMkgjsDKbgS-Uc237v-77PtTA&disp=emb&realattid=ii_jx6uh7pc5" width="640" /><br />
<img alt="image.png" height="450" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&ik=83f013a30a&attid=0.0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r5396817113082672102&th=16b77c831e185ba2&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ9WbBBJuEn_JRZ2zQOAZuhF9p7k-xA_87Les_EuCOxPW0KkNPXvS8eIOQwZXRJ24MigHpq-Zi4Kn5z8POZcmz87KQsND4AU_4sq5Y0WmT9VXaHUgjIRG-nmT0I&disp=emb&realattid=ii_jx5dw56y0" width="640" /><br />
<img alt="pratobsCEU.png" height="383" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1?ui=2&ik=83f013a30a&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r9009063940945677737&th=16baf20d28774cb8&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ8Wl56ZSB87TASWtl46rRdiEnlKoG0OaL-m5hJBqY0IO9zNJuprsyFL5IU6-cr5-GqqPfwLbRgMUxFRGKaBkyHxnq-LDx3WVtnoda6_IYqWQ1K3sO8u3Z032sM&disp=emb&realattid=ii_jxksillu0" width="640" /><br />
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I also had to go to my J1 Scholar Orientation like 3 or 4 weeks after I arrived, which felt silly, but the speaker was good and gave us a lot of info about tax and such.<br />
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<b>Writing</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I wrote, if I've calculated correctly, 42182 words in June for my novel. 22669 were words on the actual draft, while 19513 were outlining/planning. I've been tracking for the 100-4-100 challenge. I've been doing a lot of outlining, as you can tell - one round because I was leading up to a tricky scene and one in the last few days to get ready for July's Camp NaNo, in which I am planning to write 40,000 words on the draft. I outlined the book on lovely colour-coded Post-Its today! (The image is blurred to prevent spoilers.)<br />
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<img alt="No photo description available." src="https://scontent.fbos1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/65423158_2369420329804807_7237409301264859136_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_eui2=AeEAsYc2mIH9xLv9lJCkfy1ulZqqJOaM7XnRPvZitJcFPeycRhkT_kEfJfhArLzDW4l6MseVVHDViq2E2mjcVsnEAI6ZHPay67u8ZgnOzP0MjQ&_nc_oc=AQk_9YAmYOwxwDVBXrI7upuyzyUS3h8WH_kRwUKxgmAu6bPpp0gj7zzGRGAVM6aCOlo&_nc_ht=scontent.fbos1-2.fna&oh=1e43b0bc8ffc9e15bc38d2736210471d&oe=5DBC7BBE" /><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Reading</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I completed my Goodreads 2019 Reading Challenge of 26 books this month, less than halfway through the year! While my reading slows down a LOT during the academic year, this is cool because I set my 2019 goal to be the number of books I read last year, so I've improved.<br />
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<u>Books I read this month:</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bridge to Terabithia (finished June 3) - 4*</li>
<li>Internal Medicine (June 4) - 2*</li>
<li>The Hate U Give (June 8) - 5*</li>
<li>Find Your Why (June 9) - 2*</li>
<li>Planet Earth is Blue (June 11) - 3*</li>
<li>Two Like Me and You (June 16) - 3*</li>
<li>Ricochet (June 27) - 2* - ARC from Netgalley for review </li>
</ul>
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<b>Lablinn/Scicomm</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Worked on contacting cool scientists to make videos about what they do for a talk to 8-12 year old girls with the Stemettes in London - thanks so much to everyone who contributed! Also worked with the mentor group on setting up a science fair Q & A service which is now, as of mid-July, live at <a href="http://reddit.com/r/AskAYoungScientist">reddit.com/r/AskAYoungScientist</a>.</div>
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<b>Child Abuse Post</b></div>
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Honestly not very keen on talking about this publicly again but anyway, the head of the Garda protective services division in Ireland saw my post and we' re going to meet in August when I return to Ireland, so hopefully things can get better. There's a chance.</div>
Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-16203274263863816752019-07-10T23:11:00.003+01:002019-07-10T23:12:06.476+01:00The case of the disappearing gene<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yesterday, I needed to add something to my code to account for genes that were unannotated by GO Term Mapper, but that broke things so I went back to my unedited code to make sure that was working. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At some point, I think shortly prior to things breaking, I had saved my output dataframe to a file to protect it, which let me see when I reran the unedited code that something had changed - one gene, OAS1, was missing. But the code didn't seem any different, so how could this gene have gone missing?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I checked OAS1 was indeed in the saved df - yep. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I tried to check in my other dataframe, which stores overlapping Neanderthal haplotypes with genes, for it, but OAS1 had never been in that dataframe because it has no overlapping haplotypes so that didn't help. This also meant I wouldn't be able to confirm what the right gene was by comparing the overlap lengths to the saved df (apart from checking that they're all zero/NaN in the relevant columns). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I checked that my inputs to the call to biomaRt were still asking for OAS1 as before, and indeed they were - yet it wasn't coming back from biomaRt. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then, to check it wasn't a problem with my code or using biomaRt from R, I went to the browser and the Biomart website and manually typed in OAS1, OAS2 and OAS3 as my gene filters - that just returned results for OAS2 and OAS3. So the gene was missing from Biomart and thus presumably Ensembl.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I searched on the Ensembl website for OAS1 and just got random things like an antisense transcript over OAS1, 2 and 3, whereas when I searched OAS2 I got the OAS2 gene. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So then I thought maybe I had the wrong name for it (even though that wouldn't answer why it was there in the dataframe I made max a few days before) - but I looked at <a href="https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:8086">HGNC</a> and OAS1 is apparently its approved symbol. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I also tried searching Biomart for OAS1 as symbol rather than gene name, but still no dice. HGNC listed OIASI and IFI-4 as alternative symbols for OAS1 so I tried those too, but still nothing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, just googling 'OAS1 ensembl' and clicking on the top link, a link to Ensembl with the title 'Gene: OAS1' and the stable ID, redirected me to a page with the gene called '<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">AC004551.1'. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I satisfied myself this was the right gene by:</span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">modifying my code to replace 'OAS1' with 'AC004551.1' in my call to Biomart and seeing that the output dataframe now had the right number of rows (4968 vs 4912 before) because the number of rows a gene gets depends on the gene (which GO term categories it's in). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">seeing it was not in the overlaps dataframe</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">calling all.equal() on the new dataframe's categories for the gene AC004551.1 and the old df's categories for the gene OAS1. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">calling all.equal() on the new df's start position for that gene and the old df's start position for OAS1.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So that leaves me with the conclusion that Ensembl changed the gene name silently within a few days. So that's a thing that can happen.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<u><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Learnings etc:</span></u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now that I think about it, to make sure it actually exists in Ensembl and find the name Ensembl is calling it, I probably could've searched by its coordinates, which I had from my saved df. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Turns out I need to use human genome build 37 instead of 38 because that's what my haplotype data is based on, and the gene is called OAS1 in 37 anyway, but there you go. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Perhaps I should've used the stable IDs, but everything else I'm using uses gene names and I guess I preferred not to have to convert those. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ensembl seems to change gene names without warning. If you have another explanation, shoot me an email at loughrae/@/tcd/./ie!</span></li>
</ul>
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Is this the most boring blog post of all time? Quite possibly. Oh well.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-32104836839788343872019-06-28T01:24:00.003+01:002019-06-28T01:59:17.943+01:00Review: Two Like Me and You by Chad Gibbs<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1551121408l/44132454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Two Like Me and You" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1551121408l/44132454.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>ARC from Netgalley for review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>16 June</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>298</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>May 20 2019</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Summary: </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A teenage boy breaks an old man with dementia out of his nursing home and smuggles him to France in search of the man's long-lost liver, and in hopes of getting famous to convince his famous girlfriend to get back with him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Negatives: </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I found this book difficult to get into - it was one of those books where I read a few pages, then put it down for weeks, then once I picked it up again when I'd nothing to do in a bus read the rest in two days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The narrator is a perv - are teenage boys just like that? He keeps talking about ogling random girls, and his goal is fairly creepy in general. He was also very reactive, which honestly was fine as a reader but I hear you're not supposed to do that. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, I didn't find the ending satisfying. There was something in there that I'm pretty sure was supposed to be some grand metaphor but I'm afraid I did not get it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Positives:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once I got into the story, it was a fun adventure, a romp through France with lots of nice little details. It was also solidly funny, and the relationships in it were pretty heart-warming and wholesome, especially the protagonist's relationship with his best friend - a heartfelt male friendship! Amazing! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">While Parker (the girl who drags him into this adventure) was kind of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, she had her own problems and her own goals in life, which I liked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In summary: </b>If you can stick with it through the first few pages, a fun and pretty wholesome story. It wasn't one of those books that stick with me or make me strongly identify with the characters or feel very deep, but it was an enjoyable read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-4470164301705367832019-06-14T23:56:00.000+01:002019-06-14T23:56:23.412+01:00Book Reviews: May 18 - June 13<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've read 8 books between May 18 and today, and like last time with the books from May 1 to May 17 I've decided to do bulk reviews because that'd be a lot of individual reviews to write!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Le Petit Nicolas - Goscinny & Sempe</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348132484l/74256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Le Petit Nicolas" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348132484l/74256.jpg" width="120" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle app on iPad</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 18</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>167</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is the first French book I've ever read. It's a children's book and is, I am surprised to find out, only 167 pages long. It took me weeks to read because I read one chapter (about 5%) a day. But hey, it's in a different language. So that's pretty good. And the stories were grand.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World - Clive Thompson</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1545908174l/40406806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1545908174l/40406806.jpg" width="131" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Local library app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 23</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>448</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">An interesting anthropological history of the emergence of tech culture. Quite a few interesting insights (e.g. about women in tech, AI) I may write more about later. I knocked off a star because he said he was surprised to find out someone had Asperger's because he had liked them!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You Can Change the World! Everyday Teen Heroes Making a Difference Everywhere - Margaret Rooke</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1557700255l/44060365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="You Can Change the World!: Everyday Teen Heroes Making a Difference Everywhere" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1557700255l/44060365.jpg" width="128" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>2/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>ARC from Netgalley for review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>late May?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>240</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A variety of stories written by teenagers around the world about inspiring things they've done. Felt it was false advertising as it was really about things like overcoming adversity, being yourself etc more than changing the world. It was also pretty rude about non-teenagers and formatted terribly, even for an ARC. Full review <a href="https://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2019/06/review-you-can-change-world-by-margaret.html">here</a> (I reviewed this one in full because I got it for review). </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327880087l/2839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Bridge to Terabithia" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327880087l/2839.jpg" width="136" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Local library app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>June 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>128</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A beautiful little story about a 5th-grade friendship with a devastating ending. I found it hard to get into at first because of the narrator's dialect, but it's really quite gorgeous.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Internal Medicine - Terrence Holt</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402448685l/22454066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Internal Medicine: A Doctor's Stories" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402448685l/22454066.jpg" width="127" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>2/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Brown University bookshop</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>June 4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>288</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A collection of essays about life as a hospital doctor. I love these stories, except this was ruined because he says at the start that none of the stories are real - not even the narrator is really him. I understand changing patient names, and while it ruins it a bit if you change details of their diseases, fine - but he said he fully amalgamated patients so as not to profit off anyone's suffering. Noble ideal, but why write it in that case? There was also a completely fictional story at the end with some moral I couldn't understand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On the bright side, it was compelling and I read it from the evening of June 3 into the evening of June 4. And it was pretty cheap, around $6. First physical book I've read in a while. That day I also bought <i>Planet Earth is Blue </i>even though it was physical and ridiculously expensive because I wanted to support the autistic author.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476284759l/32075671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="The Hate U Give" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476284759l/32075671.jpg" width="131" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Local library app</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>June 8</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>444</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This book was amazing. I'll list my few gripes first:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">the AAVE dialect bothered me a bit, especially them always saying 'out the' instead of 'out of the', but I get why it was used. Just hard to get used to.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No idea why Starr didn't get arrested for one of the things she did in the book (not that I think she should've, morally, necessarily, but it seems like something you'd be arrested for)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I felt uncomfortable criticising the book because I'm white, which is not ideal.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Starr seemed rich (e.g. her dad owns a shop and she goes to a private school, albeit with a scholarship) and felt somewhat estranged from her black friends since she goes to the white school - I wondered whether this was done to make her more palatable. My gripe is that she says in the book something like 'X is white, I'm black. X is rich, I'm poor' when she's not poor!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now back to the good stuff. It was seriously great. It's about Starr's friend, Khalil, being shot by the police while she's in the car with him, and her subsequent choice on whether to speak out and try to get justice for him. It was so compelling and really made me empathise with her situation (and feel angry that police departments get to investigate the crimes of their own officers?! Does that happen in real life?!). But what's really impressive is that even without the topical, compelling subject, this book was a great YA and reminded me why I love YA so much. It's hard to put your finger on, exactly, but it's the way you get up close to the narrator and feel their life around you. Also, the scenes with her family were super adorable, same with her boyfriend, and her little brother's name, Sekani, is cool. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Find Your Why: A Practical Guide to Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team - Simon Sinek, David Mead, Peter Docker</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460908316l/29496432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Find Your Why: A Practical Guide to Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460908316l/29496432.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>2/5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Local library app</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>June 9</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>256</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I like the core concept, which is that finding your WHY (he always bloody capitalises it) means looking for your origin story: what are the threads that go through your life experiences and show you what motivates you to do what you do. I may try to find out, though I dislike how he keeps saying you need a partner and can't do it by yourself - maybe that's true, but maybe he's trying to sell his workshops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Apparently the process is to think of a load of specific childhood stories and figure out why they're important to you, then draw out themes from there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was one of three leadership books I just took out from the library - the Laidlaw Scholarship have got their claws into me apparently! Our Laidlaw workshops and other entrepreneurship stuff I've done have talked a lot about the importance of vision but I've struggled a lot with articulating mine, so I read this book. I'm glad I picked this one instead of the first book, START WITH WHY, because I would've been frustrated without practical instructions I think. I know I struggle with leadership - maybe it's because I'm autistic but I really find it very difficult. I am a leader in the sense I take the initiative to do new things, but I'm not good at working with teams and I want to be, both as an ordinary member of the team and as the leader of a group. One issue is that I do not naturally hold much authority or gravitas, so I got a book about leadership when not in a position of authority and another one about communication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now for my many gripes: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He gives the template of a WHY statement as 'to ________________ so that _________', with the first blank being your contribution and the second its impact. All okay so far. But he gives many examples of supposedly good WHY statements throughout the book and nearly all of them are utterly shite! </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To innovate relentlessly in order to create opportunities for everyone*</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To believe in people so that they can, in turn, believe in themselves</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To provoke people to think differently so that they can be awakened to new possibilities </i>(I guess this one is ok)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To bring people together to savor life </i>(the company makes coffee machines)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To enable people to be extraordinary so that they can do extraordinary things</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To propel people forward so that they can make their mark on the world</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>To provide for people so that they thrive and feel empowered to always do the right thing</i></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The only good one I remember was about a guy wanting to promote sustainability to leave the Earth a better place for future generations. </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He says everyone has a WHY, <i>and </i>that the WHY <i>must </i>include helping people - this just seems unlikely. There have to be some people in the world who are not in fact driven by helping others. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He says everyone has <i>one </i>WHY, and that the reason your colleagues, friends and significant other love you are all the same, which I doubt. He also says that the contribution you make to your family is the same as the contribution you make in other areas of your life, which is obviously false. Maybe this is why so many of the WHYs above are so vague. Or maybe it's that their jobs are to do this WHY training so it's very meta. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Misuse of biology - reading this kind of book (what is it? It's not even pop science - pop psychology?) does put a biologist in danger of annoyance, but ugh. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the tips is to think of a day where you left work and thought 'I'd do that for free' and figure out what it was about that day that made you think that. But I mean, I think that about most days at work (I would still like to be paid, thanks) and I don't think it's necessarily connected to some deep inner purpose. I do find biology fulfilling but I don't see what that has to do with helping others (it's not for medicine), and one major reason I say I'd do that for free is that I spend most of my day coding and doing data analysis <i>and I do exactly that at home as a hobby</i>. The money helps me stick with it through the tedious and tough moments. And also I need to eat and otherwise service my corporeal form.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Planet Earth is Blue - Nicole Panteleakos</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1548888148l/39079595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Planet Earth Is Blue" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1548888148l/39079595.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought from Brown University bookstore</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>June 11</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>240</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I bought this book even though it was non-digital and very expensive because I wanted to support the #actuallyautistic author writing about an autistic person. I'm not sure how I feel about the book. The narrator had a very, VERY childish voice even though she's about twelve, which I didn't really enjoy. I liked it talking about the people who did and didn't believe in her because she couldn't speak, and it was accurate to the parts of the autistic experience myself and the character share. </span><br />
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-15762799073450547052019-06-02T23:22:00.000+01:002019-06-02T23:22:48.279+01:00Review: You Can Change the World by Margaret Rooke<br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1557700255l/44060365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="You Can Change the World!: Everyday Teen Heroes Making a Difference Everywhere" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1557700255l/44060365.jpg" width="127" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Rating</b>: 2/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Source</b>: ARC from Netgalley for review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Pages</b>: 240</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Summary</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A collection of vignettes, each a few pages long, from about 50 teenagers to inspire fellow teenagers to take action in the world, get through adverse experiences or turn their lives around. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Good</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was a variety of stories, and some of them were indeed inspiring, like the girl who got Tesco to agree to stop selling eggs from caged hens or the guy into fashion design who makes clothes for the homeless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It wasn't just famous people. There were a lot of people I know or know of from the teen activism/science fair circuit but there was only one of them here. Whether that was because the author couldn't get a piece from them or chose not to talk to them, I don't know. It would've been interesting to hear from, for example, Greta Thunberg and Jamie Margolin. However, it was good to give these lesser-known activists some publicity. And the fact that these teens seem relatively normal, not at the exalted heights of Greta Thunberg or Malala Yousafzai, might make it easier for reading teenagers to relate and feel inspired.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I noticed there were loads of autistic people included, which makes me wonder whether we're drawn to activism or whether the author is drawn to us! </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Bad</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My main issue is that this book was false advertising. It's called 'YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD' but only a small section of it is about campaigns to address issues in the world, while the rest are to do with things like coping with a parent's death or bullying. Those are good things and deserve recognition, and perhaps the author means to express the idea that change on a small scale changes the world too, but that did not get across. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Something that really annoyed me was the insults towards non-teenagers. So many of the contributors to the book said teens are more flexible, creative, etc than non-teenagers. It really annoyed me because the way it was written made me feel ancient when I'm only twenty! I'm one year done with being a teen but they made it sound like I'm basically dead! That said, it did have some fair points like that teens have a unique ability to make change through social media and in school because of the way teens socialise, and that teens are impulsive and more likely to take risks, which is often bad but can be necessary to make changes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then there's a general issue with any sort of book like this, which is: how do they decide what's 'good'? Presumably they want to encourage teens to change the world for the good, but that's a very ill-defined concept. For example, I think all the teens here used non-violent (and not even mildly disruptive of business at all) means, but I think violently liberating a concentration camp would be considered good. And if a cause is mainstream enough to be celebrated in a mainstream book, maybe it doesn't need to be fought for. For example, years ago when being gay was widely considered immoral, smaller, fringe gay activist groups agitated for rights while the mainstream wouldn't support them. So maybe the people who really need our help are the people we aren't hearing from yet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Personally I had some problems with what was celebrated in this book and didn't agree with everything the contributors were saying. Someone was talking about how we should understand other cultures, like how their African friend wasn't comfortable with a couple sitting together. There was also a guy who was 7 feet tall at ~15 and after playing basketball for a bit got scouted for a team - what is the moral there? Be born with immense genetic privilege? (It's probably to make the most of the talents you're given, and the guy seems nice - it just reminded me how much of success in sports and other elite fields is due to innate genetic talents). And someone trying to help disabled students in their school by getting everyone to wear sunglasses for a day to 'understand what it feels like to have autism' (???).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The ARC was also formatted terribly. Obviously, the whole point of an Advanced Readers Copy is that it isn't finished, so you're not supposed to comment on exact quotes or formatting, but this was done to a far lower standard than any of the many ARCs I've read before - lots of 'insert ending here' or 'insert illustration here' and pictures in the middle of sentences. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Recommendations</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What I hoped for from this book was a collection of stories with different methods of changing the world, but it only gave me a couple, like petitions and fundraising. The book even says at the end that it has a list of tips for changing the world, but they're not very useful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The book is probably good for inspiring young teenagers to make something of themselves, but doesn't live up to the promise of the title. </span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-1485769181240039772019-05-18T03:31:00.003+01:002019-05-18T03:31:40.851+01:00May Book Reviews (May 1 - 17)<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Turns out I've read 8 books in May so far, which is a pretty huge jump from usual - I read 8 books in the previous 4 months put together! It is fabulous being off for the summer, and in particular these last 3 weeks I've been completely off so they've been my best chance all year to get reading done, and I'll probably slow down a bit once I start work on Monday. Also, I've been intentionally reading a lot of short books because that's what I feel like at the moment, so not that impressive. All pagecounts below are from Goodreads even if they weren't the exact amount in the edition I read.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678m/19547856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678m/19547856.jpg" width="213" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Local library app (Borrowbox)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 3(?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>303</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Blurb</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Simon is a gay highschooler who's being blackmailed by someone threatening to tell the school he's gay, while conducting an online flirtation with a mystery guy in his school over email.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Review</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This book was pretty cute and funny, but the main character is a bully who makes fun of people for being weird, and it's not acknowledged, so I can't support that. You can't do that just because you're gay. He's also bizarrely friendly with his blackmailer so the stakes didn't feel super high. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I liked that he was kind of private and so was his boyfriend, not super campy (which is fine, obviously, etc), even though I'm the type to be open about my sexuality.</span><br />
<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515762319m/36389267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515762319m/36389267.jpg" width="207" /></a><br />
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<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A Thousand Perfect Notes - CG Drews</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle app on iPad</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>282</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Blurb: </b>Beck spends most of his days practising piano, which he hates but is forced to do by his abusive mother who is making him into a piano prodigy so she can live vicariously through him. The abuse keeps escalating but he has no hope until he meets a girl called August at school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Review: </b>August was absolutely a manic pixie dream girl, so that was annoying, but having experienced it myself I can say the abuse was good representation - contrary to those who said it was unrealistically brutal, except perhaps at the end - and I liked the book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Bad Taste in Boys - Carrie Harris</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320547474m/12087573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320547474m/12087573.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle app on iPad</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 7</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>201</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Blurb: </b>When a high schooler discovers the coach is giving the players illegal steroids, she investigates and discovers that they're turning the players into zombies and there's now an epidemic spreading through the school. She has to sort it out. </span><br />
<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Review: </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was a fun, short book (read time only 2 hours). I really liked that the heroine was a scientist, but I hated that she loved dissecting animals (aka murder) so that really knocked my enjoyment. Also, the writing was significantly flawed - far too many plot-convenient decisions not to tell someone about the zombie epidemic and trick scares making it seem like zombies were attacking when it was just a cockroach/a haunted house/someone being normally sick. Unless it's a sophisticated story about what happens to someone's mind under pressure?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Craic Baby - Darach O Seagdha</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539446472l/39305574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Craic Baby: Dispatches from a Rising Language" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539446472l/39305574.jpg" width="217" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>2.5/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Local library app (Borrowbox)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 13</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>268</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Blurb: </b>A meditation on the place of Irish, with random Irish words and phrases shoved in. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Review: </b>I really liked his essays, especially about his daughter, and would gladly have read more of those, but found the lists and boxes of Irish words gimmicky - maybe they help sell the book, since they're found on the cover. A lot of them were very tenuously inserted, like he'd say X, not to be confused with [Y that doesn't sound at all similar to X], and I didn't like the chapter on Hiberno-English. But I really did enjoy his essays and musings, on Irish and other things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(I did get a nice word for 'bad inheritance' though.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Losing Earth - Nathaniel Rich</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1555104282l/41940347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Losing Earth: A Recent History" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1555104282l/41940347.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Local library app (Borrowbox)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 15</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>224</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Blurb: </b>The story of the decade from 1979-1989 during which climate change was a bipartisan issue that came tantalisingly close to a global accord to solve the problem, and how it all fell apart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Review: </b>Pretty good, and less depressing than I had expected (which is why I delayed reading it), probably because of the very historical tack. The author takes a very intense tone at the end, though, vilifying those merchants of doubt who deny climate change and continue to destroy earth, or at least humanity's chances of a future on it. A weird book to read, but better to be informed hopefully. One of its most interesting points is that pretty much all the science has been known for 50 years - which, come to think of it, reminds me of this infuriatingly true <i>Onion </i>headline: </span><br />
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<img alt="Image result for the onion scientists global warming politely clean energy technology" src="https://masg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/tumblr_n5xq8yJPl91qckp4qo1_500.png" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Unexpected Everything - Morgan Matson</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443203227m/17838528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443203227m/17838528.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>4/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle on iPad</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 15<b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>519</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Blurb: </b>Andie is the daughter of a congressman and is used to being the perfect daughter, never doing anything to jeopardise her dad's career, and having her medical career path mapped out. But when a scandal means Andie's dad steps down from his job and she loses her prestigious summer internship, she is cut adrift. This incredibly Type-A personality ends up <i>walking dogs </i>all summer, in the meantime meeting the mysterious, adorable Clark, spending the summer with her tight group of friends, and actually seeing her Dad for the first time in years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Review: </b>This book was too long, but really sweet and touching. It's frustrating how self-destructive Andie is (in terms of not trusting people enough to be vulnerable with them) but it's a good arc. I'm very fond of all of the characters and thought it was fleshed out really nicely and made into a sweet, realistic coming-of-age story. A really nice book for some summery warm-and-fuzzies with depth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>This is Going to Hurt - Adam Kay</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495900231l/35235302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495900231l/35235302.jpg" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle on iPad</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>May 16</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>256</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Blurb: </b>Adam uses diary entries from his years as a doctor (all the way up to senior registrar level) to show what life was like and just how ridiculously punishing life as a 'junior' doctor is. He throws in a lot of humour throughout.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Review: </b>Fundamentally, he makes a very important point, and I don't know how on earth people survive that or why we do that to doctors (seriously, why the masochism in the profession?!). I do feel however that he leaned too much on crude jokes (since he was a gynaecologist, he had a lot of those anecdotes) and the fact that nearly all of it was told through page-long diary entries meant that it was very choppy and didn't have much of an overarching narrative structure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>The Mathematics of Love - Hannah Fry</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422848670l/23258103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs, and the Search for the Ultimate Equation" border="0" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422848670l/23258103.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought for Kindle on iPad<b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Date finished: </b>16 May</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>128</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Read this one in one sitting in the early hour(s) of this morning, more for the maths than the love. It was a bit cheesy in that way pop science authors can be when they're really trying to make it not scary, but the maths things in it were really interesting (seems unfair to call them maths really, rather than game theory or something...) and I might write a blog post on them or think of some biology projects I can do with them! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">It touched on the following. I've bolded ones I didn't already know about.</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>discrete choice theory</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>Nash and Pareto equilibria</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>stable-marriage problem & Gale-Shapley algorithm</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>OKCupid's matchmaking algorithm - was particularly interested to see that it asks your answer for X, what you want their answer to be for X, <i>and how important this is to you </i>for weighting</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">being polarising (in how people rate your beauty from 1 to 5) is better for success on dating sites than being a consistent 4</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">sealed bid auctions & second-highest bid winning (did this in the Harvard thing, can't remember the reasoning now though)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Iterated Prisoners Dilemma and Tit for Tat</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">network analysis and <b>why the hub is so important to the spread of diseases (most likely to get infected AND most likely to pass it on), and how to best distribute vaccines</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>optimal stopping theory</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>making wedding guest lists</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><b>organising seating plans to maximise happiness</b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Also, a great quote: 'Love consists of overestimating the difference between one woman and another.'</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif;">Also, I only realised halfway through the book but I am so thankful that the book with this title was not just a list of stats, because I could totally see someone just making a book called <i>The Mathematics of Sex </i>and filling it with random trivia like 'the average person has sex X times'. Which, I mean, this book did have, but it was mostly concepts with just the occasional stat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6293424570772408556.post-57497368587502820182019-05-03T20:13:00.003+01:002019-05-03T20:13:51.191+01:00The Hamilton Book Tag<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Joining in on this tag about 2 years late. It was invented by booktuber <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-x6u9aFZC8">Maureen Keavy</a> but I got it from Erin @ <a href="https://booklovingnut.com/2017/09/15/hamilton-book-tag/">booklovingnut.com</a>. There are no spoilers visible, and two hidden in a spoiler button.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Like every single carbon-based lifeform in the universe, I adored Hamilton: an American Musical a few years ago and listened to the whole soundtrack every single day for months. I actually thought my friend was exaggerating when she told me she'd done that but nope. Cool fact: I was introduced to Hamilton on a plane flying over the Irish Sea. I got sick of it eventually but it's growing on me again. Without further ado, the tag.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Room Where It Happens - <i>A World You'd Put Yourself In</i></span></b><br />
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</i></b> Harry Potter! I think a lot of us desperately wanted to go to Hogwarts. Probably not while Harry was present though - I'm the Ravenclaw version of Hermione and would like to be left in peace to learn magic.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Schuyler Sisters - <i>An Underrated Female Character</i></span></b><br />
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</i></b> Either Romy from <i>The Loneliest Girl in the Universe </i>or Jarra from <i>Earth Girl</i>, for their resourcefulness under circumstances out of their control. Romy in particular grabbed me immediately and had me feeling all big-sister-protective of her the whole way through.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My Shot - <i>A Character Who Goes After What They Want and Doesn't Let Anything Stop Them</i></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg7jg24uX4W5lqRZrvnu-gPvyJ8-t4Jc4MATi62ul7Ie-ChkntMNlvmeqfF0wkKb4qBQdpA9QSOrHqRxvGGtgPRtQ1c79v4ceqyjiDhv2kw81SxOdXvN6br3RAwITZ8Ll7wNwRC-7FF5qyDYxLOxayw1VJCykOBgTR4YOHvJtjNAPC_WQ=s0-d" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg7jg24uX4W5lqRZrvnu-gPvyJ8-t4Jc4MATi62ul7Ie-ChkntMNlvmeqfF0wkKb4qBQdpA9QSOrHqRxvGGtgPRtQ1c79v4ceqyjiDhv2kw81SxOdXvN6br3RAwITZ8Ll7wNwRC-7FF5qyDYxLOxayw1VJCykOBgTR4YOHvJtjNAPC_WQ=s0-d" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jarra from <i>Earth Girl</i>. She has an immune disorder that prevents her from living in space like the rest of humanity but she's determined to get into college and become an archaeologist despite her 'deficits', and turns her experience on earth into an advantage to become the best in her class at studying prehistoric Earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Review <a href="https://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2013/12/earth-girl-janet-edwards-review.html">here</a>.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You'll Be Back - <i>Sassiest Villain</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />Not 'villains' per se but some of the antagonists (to each other) are pretty sassy in the <i>Stormlight Archives</i>, like Adolin to Kaladin. (Side note: I haven't read <i>Oathbringer </i>yet but is there a reason so many of their names contain 'in'?)</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Non-Stop - <i>A Series You Marathoned</i></span></b><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Definitely <i>The Hunger Games. </i>I remember staying up most of the night so that I could ready books 1 and 2 in one sitting.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Satisfied - <i>Favourite Book with Multiple POVs</i></span></b><br />
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</i></b> One of Brandon Sanderson's books for sure. I've read (part of) two of his series, <i>The Stormlight Archives </i>and <i>Mistborn</i>, and in those he changes perspective a lot (in <i>Stormlight Archives </i>he also has these cool little vignettes between sections to show other aspects of the world). Every time he changed perspective I was like <i>no don't change I need to know what happens in this storyline! </i>but then every time he got to the end of the <i>new </i>chapter I said the exact same thing! So that's a testiment to how gripping his work is.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story - <i>A Book with a Legacy</i></span></b><br />
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</i></b> I am contractually obligated to put <i>Harry Potter </i>here or else JK Rowling will steal my glasses and I'll never be able to read again.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Helpless - <i>A Relationship You Rooted for From the Start</i></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1379951084l/18043253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for code name verity" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1379951084l/18043253.jpg" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can't think of a romantic one, but the friendship between Maddie and Julie in <i>Code Name Verity</i> was beautiful and heartbreaking, and the following is a quote from the book: '<i>It's like being in love, discovering your best friend</i>' so it counts. I'm not sure it was technically <i>from the start</i>, as it took me a while to get into the book, but still. Gorgeous relationship. Read my review <a href="http://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2018/08/review-code-name-verity-by-elizabeth.html">here</a>.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ten Duel Commandments - <i>Favourite Fight Scene</i></span></b><br />
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</i></b> Ooh this has to be Brandon Sanderson again, either for <i>Mistborn</i> with its awesome metal-based magic system or for <i>The Stormlight Archives </i>because Kaladin leading his group into battle gave me that amazing goosebumpy excitement.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Say No to This - <i>A Guilty Pleasure Read</i></span></b><br />
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</i></b> </span><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327890411l/11614718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img alt="11614718" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327890411l/11614718.jpg" width="137" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm not sure I like the concept of a book you feel guilty for reading - <i>Mein Kampf </i>or something? - but there have been books where I could see that they were technically flawed but still very enjoyable, like Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Sure, I thought of tons of flaws while writing the review, but it was great fun to read.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Review <a href="http://elleloughran.blogspot.com/2015/06/review-delirium-by-lauren-oliver_6.html">here</a>.</span><br />
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</span> <b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What Comes Next - <i>A Series You Wish Had More Books</i></span></b><br />
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</span></i></b> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(Sidenote: boyfriend suggests <i>Game of Thrones/aSoIaF.</i>) </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Honestly, I very often find myself annoyed at books for being series when I just want to read some damn standalones, so I'm going to <b>flip</b> this and say series I wish were standalones:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Delirium </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">maybe Mistborn but only because I hated the way the trilogy ended but adored the first book</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">so many more</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's not necessarily that I don't love the universe - many of these are books I loved reading - but I have a lot of books to read and I love it when a book is short and sweet and packs its goodness into <i>one </i>nice package. I'm fine with books that need it - say <i>Harry Potter </i>or <i>Skulduggery Pleasant</i> - but I guess it feels like some YA books have been trilogies for no good reason, and the escalation feels formulaic. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Right Hand Man - <i>Favourite BROTP</i></b></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528278554l/9734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528278554l/9734.jpg" width="125" /></a>First of all wow, what a phrase. This is a tough one but maybe Ender and Bean from <i>Ender's Game</i>, mainly because I want to get <i>Ender's Game </i>in here because it's fantastic. (I have a running joke with my boyfriend where whenever he asks what movie I want to watch I say <i>Ender's Game</i>). </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>What'd I Miss - <i>a Book or Series You Were Late to</i></b></span><br />
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</i></b></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Stay Alive - <i>A Character You Wish Was Still Alive</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Click to see spoiler: ( </span><button onclick="if(document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display=='none') {document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display=''}else{document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display='none'}" title="Click to Show/Hide Content" type="button">Show/Hide</button><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> ) </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Burn - <i>The Most Heartbreaking End to a Relationship </i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Code Name Verity! </i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'Kiss me, hardy'...god. Ouch. What a way for it to end. What a demonstration of friendship. Click to see spoiler: ( </span><button onclick="if(document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display=='none') {document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display=''}else{document.getElementById('spoiler') .style.display='none'}" title="Click to Show/Hide Content" type="button">Show/Hide</button> )<br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The Reynolds Pamphlet - <i>A Book with a Twist you Didn't See Coming</i></b></span><br />
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</i></b></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Ender's Game </i>with that famous ending. Or <i>My Sister's Keeper</i>. Probably a fair few, I'm not very good at predicting endings, which is the way I like it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let me know if you agree with my choices!</span>Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504411071510648026noreply@blogger.com0