The Digest Service

Due to my work circumstances at the moment, I've decided to offer a service to my friends and family who do not have as much free time as I have to read newspapers and magazines and think about things like politics, homelessness, climate change, gender issues and so on. My service will be to read and think about stuff and then report to you, the reader, what I've read and thought about it (or not - I can't promise I will think about everything). Then you can develop opinions and feel well-read without having to, you know, read.

I feel like this was the original purpose of blogs, so maybe it's just retro and throwback to do this. In any case, if you want it emailed to you so you don't even have to check this blog, let me know. Here's my first digest:

Articles:

The whole discussion started because I wanted to tell everyone about the The Push to End Chronic Homelessness is Working. Very interesting article about a new model for social services/housing services delivery. I think that it should be applied to education, as well. And the Occupy protesters who have colonized Oakland's intersections.

CA whooping cough cases so far this year have surpassed total number in 2013. Sonoma County is the worst with 410 cases. Alameda County has 87 cases. San Benito County has 1.  My opinion: This is bad. Vaccinate, people.

These new EPA rules sound good. They allow for a lot of flexibility in how states choose to implement them. Here's the NYT article I read about it. And here's an article about CA's cap and trade program. There is a lot of leeway on how the carbon offsets can be used. This is a good thing because it means that CA is essentially influencing how clean energy technology is being deployed throughout the rest of the country. One thing that I wonder: can private individuals buy carbon permits to get them out of the market?

Books:

Tell The Wolves I'm Home, by Carol Rifka Brunt. I read this actual book about a month ago, and I wasn't that thrilled with it. I've heard it is a Young Adult novel but I'm not sure. In any case, the protagonist is a slightly goth/Ren Faire type loner, whose only friend is her recently deceased gay uncle. He died of AIDS; the story takes place in 1986. For some unknown reason, she's allowed to be close to her uncle but is not allowed to meet his lover. After his death, she is befriended by his lover, and keeps their friendship a secret. Meanwhile, her older sister who seems to be more typically well-adjusted sort of falls apart, as does their relationship. Here are my problems with this book: it really underplays the amount of hatred and ostracism that gay men felt from their families and others in the early 80s. There are also several anachronisms in the book, which jarred me out of my willing suspension of disbelief. And there's no explanation for why the older sister would have been so left out of her sister's friendship with their uncle. Anyway, unsatisfactory book.

The Flamethrowers, by Rachel Kushner. Halfway through this, very well written. I've taken a break from it because there is foreshadowing of a bad event. I basically hate foreshadowing because I hate bad stuff. I never want anything bad to happen to people, even fictional people. This is the same reason that I stopped reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I will try to finish Flamethrowers for a future digest, though.  I really do want you guys to feel well-read!