Come Sunday morning, the oldest of our children will have celebrated his 40th birthday party–he turned 40 last week–and Mary and I will have reconnected with friends of ours, who still show up for these events, and friends of our children, who are now adults and some of whom have children of their own.
At one point during the party, the mother-in-law of the now 40-year-old paused and said, “I think if I were to count everyone here, I would find that there are as many children as there are adults.” It didn’t take more than a glance over my shoulder to see that she was correct.
We were lucky enough to be at family beach house. Down along the water, kids (parents close by) were scampering around by the water, sitting piling sand in mounds–as grandchild No. 3 said, “Making mountain”–and digging up shiny stones.
The weather cooperated, there was plenty of pizza and drink and then everyone sang “Happy Birthday,” while the birthday-adult blew out a candle on a cupcake. Then, we all dug into the cupcakes.
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The student protests keep coming up on podcasts, in the news and in commentary. People are still jockeying to make sense of them, or at least to put them into come sort of perspective–as if they are behind us.
I don’t have much to add here, except that protest is something that is in the American DNA, i.e., it is in the U.S. Constitution. In the First Amendment, alongside the right to freedom of religion and the press, there is that phrase, ” the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
And where the news comes in, I have to keep reminding myself, the news we get from day to day just keeps us up to speed on what is happening–as we have all heard, it is the first draft of history and often lacking in insight. The insight must come from us, in conversations between and among us, and in further reflection over time.
That said, here are some things I have been listening to. The first two are about the student protests. On the Media’s episode, “What the Media Got Wrong About the Campus Protests” is available by clicking here.
The Open Source podcast from May 9, “Campus Uproar,” is available by clicking here.
For something other than campus protests, there are these: The Arts & Ideas podcast, episode, “New Thinking: 2024’s New Generation of Thinkers.” Click here. And The Gray Area with Sean Illing episode, “UFO’s, God, and the edge of understanding.” Click here.
As for reading, how about one of the latest of “The Marginalian” by Maria Popova, this time covering “On Giving Up: Adam Phillips on Knowing What You Want, the Art of Self-Revision, and the Courtage to Change Your Mind.” Click here.
And then again, here is something that I picked off the shelf here at home, “Living Peace: A Spirituality of Contemplation and Action,” by John Dear. The back jacket of the book has endorsements by a pretty interesting assortment of individuals, including Martin Sheen, Jim Wallis, Richard Rohr, Fred Rogers and Daniel Berrigen. Each of these knows somethings about protesting.
And then, for the curious, there are the transcripts from the People v Donald J. Trump (Criminal court). Click here.
Anyone have a recommendation? Email dfortier@bristoledition.org. I will share it with our readers.
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City meetings this week include the following:
On Monday, May 20
- Joint Budget Meeting of the City Council and Board of Finance, 5:30 p.m., council chambers, city hall.
- Planning Commission, 6 p.m., council chambers, city hall.
On Tuesday, May 21
- Board of Police Commissioners, 6 p.m., council chambers, city hall.
- Sewer Commission, 6 p.m., Bristol Water & Sewer Filtration Plant, 1080 Terryville Ave.
- Water Commissioners, 6:15 p.m., Bristol Water & Sewer Filtration Plant, 1080 Terryville Ave.
On Wednesday, May 22
- Historic District Commission, 5 p.m., Meeting Room 1-3, city hall.
- On-Site Inspection, 5:30, 465 Emmett St.; 5:45 p.m., 300 Broad St.; 6 p.m., Divinity Street culvert near Peck Lane.
- Fire Station 3 Building Commission, 6 p.m., council chambers, city hall.
- Fair Rent Commission, 6 p.m., Conference Room 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, city hall.
- Conservation Commission/Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Agency–Special Meeting, 7 p.m., council chambers, city hall.
On Thursday, May 23
- Fire Commission, 6 p.m., council chambers, city hall.
On Friday, May 24
- No meeting scheduled.
TBE will do our best to update meeting times and locations, but it’s a good idea to check the agendas ahead of time for cancellations. Click here for specific meetings and times.
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Enjoy!
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