Who’s in charge around here?
I’m a former daily newspaper journalist who worked in the Pacific Northwest and New England. Now a book reviewer, writer, editor, iMac user. I founded Rich Litho Media, which provides writing/editing and publishing services for authors and small businesses.
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Email me at kimberly@typelikethewind.com
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Category Archives: Heroes
A snapshot of us.
Sometimes an hour with the newspaper is all I need to see the immense contradictions and ironies of this country. These New York Times pieces are a case in point. A story by Katie Zernike ponders polling of resentful Tea Party supporters. I am ashamed of these fellow citizens; their racism, their short-sighted, self-serving demands [...]
Also posted in History, Human nature, Politics, Race & Class, The Press 1 Comment
Classroom heroes.
Jaime Escalante is dead, so take a moment, bow your head and thank the Great Whatever for stubborn, tireless, unrealistic teachers. Escalante is the man portrayed in the 1988 movie “Stand and Deliver,” which I happened to see last week. . (It met two of my movie requirements: It allowed me to avoid doing actual [...]
Also posted in Death 4 Comments
Hero with a camera.
Photographer Charles Moore did as much to move civil rights ahead in this country as almost any other individual. He died last week, at age 79. (See the obituary by Douglas Martin of The New York Times here.) Moore’s famous photos of lawman Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor are iconic proof of a shameful side of [...]
But, enough about you…
I noticed that the stars who stood on stage at the Oscars last night and delivered their allegedly original and personal thoughts about the nominees for best actors were almost all talking more about themselves than the nominated person. Now, that puzzled me. I would never selfishly commandeer a moment like that. In fact, all [...]
Also posted in Real People 1 Comment
A hero
I did some work for Portland author Lisa Shannon last year–small organizational tasks as she put together a retreat for writers. So my attention was grabbed by the print and video story on her by New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof. The lives of Congolese women and their children continue to be ones of [...]
Also posted in Authors, Books Leave a comment
Not quite a Christmas miracle, but close
The health care measure passed by the Democrats: It isn’t perfect, but it’s a whole lot closer to perfect than anything we’ve had so far. If you’re a woman or a man, with kids or without, if you have a chronic health condition or someone who never darkens a doctor’s door…it’s all good. Go out [...]
Also posted in Government, Politics Leave a comment
Onward science soldiers!
If you thought the so-called War on Drugs was pretty much lost, take heart. Here’s some news about a guy who might just get us pointed in the right direction. One of the more arresting quotes has to do with alcohol abuse and defining a problem drinker: “The measuring stick is known as ’3-14′ — [...]
Also posted in Alcohol & Drugs, Government, Health, Politics, Research Leave a comment
They know how to party
I can’t remember ever reading an article about a state dinner in the White House with such avid attention. But The New York Times‘ description of the dinner for India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh kept me riveted. Sure, the President has a couple of wars to deal with, and that health care mess…oh, yes, and [...]
Also posted in History, White House Leave a comment
Proud to be an American? I am.
This respectful act is one reason.
Also posted in Death, Ethics, Government, White House Leave a comment
Hail to the chief
A delayed flight led me to a long conversation at the airport with a charming 70-ish woman, on her way home from her mother’s 90th birthday party. The event had been a smash: all six children and a couple dozen grand- and great-grandkids in attendance, along with 75 guests. With my mother-in-law coming up on [...]
Also posted in History, Real People, White House Leave a comment
Kennedy book is a keeper
I just finished True Compass, Ted Kennedy’s autobiography, which was hurried to print following his death last month. It’s an engrossing read with good capsule histories of some of the biggest events of our time. It has one of the better concise treatments of the Vietnam war and the LBJ years that I’ve read in [...]
Also posted in Books, History, Politics Leave a comment
I couldn’t agree more
I’ll be honest: There’s nothing quite as gratifying as hearing or reading strong opinions that mirror my own, voiced by folks who are better informed and smarter than myself. To wit: Columnist Maureen Dowd is a sharp and intelligent observer of the Washington scene she covers. (Her shrill tone irritates me, but there’s no denying [...]
Also posted in Authors, History Leave a comment
Teddy (1932-2009)
We all called him by his first name, a nickname, really, and our parents never corrected us. In Massachusetts, we had the Kennedy Seat and we had an extra one for other people who wanted to run for the Senate. Teddy was a given, like four seasons and Plymouth Rock and sales tax. He didn’t [...]
Also posted in Death, Politics Leave a comment
All Roads lead to Oprah
I’ve been picking my way though the many stories about Eunice Kennedy Shriver on the internet, looking at the photographs I’ve looked at a thousand times before. (I even went back to Google’s LIFE magazine archive for more.) Like most of the people I grew up with back in Massachusetts, I am steeped in Kennedy [...]
One small step
The brief profile of astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the June 21 New York Times Sunday Magazine delighted me. He’s a hero of mine, and his dry sense of humor comes through in Deborah Solomon’s column. When men first walked on the moon 40 years ago, it was big news at Camp Teela-Wooket in Roxbury, Vt. [...]
Also posted in History, Science Leave a comment
President Obama in Cairo
When I took Latin in high school in the 1970s, I stumbled through translating speeches written by brilliant men (and maybe some brilliant ghostwriting women) in Ancient Rome. I never got very adept at the process, but I did like the ringing brilliance that emerged once I (or the exasperated teacher) read them aloud in [...]
Also posted in Government, History, White House Leave a comment
A tale of motherly love. Co-starring a turtle.