Category Archives: #theCulture?

Charity: Matthew 25 Ministries

#BeKind2OneAnother, #theCulture?, index

Matthew 25 Ministries is a charity that, amongst other things, sends gently used and cleaned pill bottles to parts of the world that need them (or they are shredded for recycling which also helps fund their projects). I ran across this charity several years ago and was surprised by my own ignorance to realize that it had never occurred to me that there are places on the planet where you can get medication, but it cannot be distributed in a manner that you can actually store it properly (in a pill bottle). I immediately started collecting my bottles each month. Matthew 25 Ministries has definitely grown quite a bit over the years, as has my collection of bottles. I am excited to say that I am finally able to send my first batch of bottles this month. Here’s to hoping that the periphery of my own chronic illness can help […]

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2020/03/08 #SundaySentence

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Our efforts to fight poverty are often based on the misconception that poor people must pull themselves up out of the mire. But the relentless struggle to make ends meet has serious effects on the brain. Poverty is not a lack of character – it’s a lack of cash. From Poverty isn’t a lack of character. It’s a lack of cash. by Rutger Bregman Sunday Sentence: The sentence(s) that touched me this week, out of context and without commentary. Inspired by David Abrams at The Quivering Pen.

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Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet plus

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Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a well renowned Victorian poet was born on March 6, 1806 in Durham, England, the eldest of 12 siblings, to a wealthy family. She is well known for many of her works, not the least of which being Sonnet 43, How do I love thee. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost […]

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The Cultured Corner #3

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FREE READS: Hamish Hamilton, home to authors such as J.D. Salinger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, W.G. Sebald and Truman Capote, publishes a free literary magazine:  Five Dials LONG HISTORY SHORT:  Sally Hemings, one of the many things about slavery… Sometimes history can be complicated. Read more about the infamous Sally Hemings. VIDEO BREAK:  StrangeLove – Stop Action #2Love where you least expect to find it. MINI SERIES OF INTEREST: developed by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, this interesting adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is worth the 7+ hour commitment. WEIRD SO GOOD: Feeling a bit odd? a bit down about it? Explore the beautifully quirky world of Beth Evans on her siteor on instagram. You’ll feel better. Though I cannot always be there for you. I am here with you.  You are here with me. So you see, WE ARE NOT ALONE.

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2020/03/01 #SundaySentence

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When someone, while having an asthma attack, says “I love you” or “I really love you”, there’s a difference. A word difference. And a word is a lot, because that word could have been “sit”, “Ventolin” or even “ambulance”. From Words by Etgar Keret Sunday Sentence: The sentence(s) that touched me this week, out of context and without commentary. Inspired by David Abrams at The Quivering Pen.

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Andrée Raymonde Borrel, female agent extraordinaire

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Andrée Raymonde Borrel was born on November 18, 1919 into a working-class family in the Parisian suburb of Bécon-les-Bruères.  Her father passed away when she was 11 which led her to quit school in order to work for a dress designer at the age of 14.  Through a series of moves, she and her family came to Toulon on the Mediterranean coast in October 1929. When World War II broke out, she volunteered to work with the Red Cross.  She finished a crash course in nursing on January 20, 1940, which qualified her to serve as a nurse in the Association des Dames Françaises.  Fifteen days after arrive at Hôpital Complémentaire in Nîmes she was sent back following a decree requiring nurses working in hospitals to be at least 21.  A few days later the decree was revoked and she was sent to the Hôpital de Beaucaire.  It was here […]

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