#Resist 9 February

SNOW DAY!

Today I made phone calls using guidance from Solidarity Lowell.  Here's what I did (info pasted from Solidary Lowell posting):

 

Call the Lowell City Manager and ask him to adopt the Trust Ordinance

Kevin Murphy: 978-674-4400

Ask Kevin Murphy to adopt the Trust Ordinance for Lowell, which would guarantee in writing that the LPD will not enforce federal immigration policy.

Made the call, left a message.

Speak out against Mitch McConnell shutting down Elizabeth Warren

Phone: (202) 224-2541 
Made the call, got a message saying that lines were very full, it was not possible to leave a message.  Tried several times.  Ended up sending an e-mail through his form, instead (I know it's not as effective).  Because the form asks you to choose which topic you want to discuss, and no topic provided seemed quite right, I chose "CONGRATS."  

As in, CONGRATULATIONS!  You have invented a new kind of stupid, a damage you can never undo kind of stupid, an open all the cages at the zoo kind of stupid.
 

I think we could offer "congratulations" to many more senators in this fashion.

Stand up for the EPA and our National Parks!

Elizabeth Warren: 202-224-4543 -- Called and Left message

Edward Markey: 202-224-2742 -- Called and spoke to a staffer who let me know that Markey is already on board and doing this.  Thanked for the work.

Niki Tsongas: 978-459-0101 --

Scott Pruitt, Trump-appointed leader of the EPA. has created a bill to abolish this important institution. He created a blueprint to repeal climate change rules, slash the EPA’s staff by two-thirds, close regional offices, and permanently weaken the agency’s regulatory authority. Rep. Paul Gosar also introduced HJR 46, which would allow drilling in our national parks. Gosar is reported to have received $250K from Big Energy.

#Resist 7 February

Jake and I attended Lowell City Council Meeting.

We have so much work to do.

More details later.  Lowell Sun's take on things here.

#Resist 5 February

Jake and I attended a meeting this evening for Solidarity Lowell.

Learned about Sanctuary City / Sanctuary Campus / Sanctuary Congregation.  Got info on Sue Kim's Petition to City Council to consider adopting a Trust Ordinance in the City.  We're planning to attend the City Council meeting to show our support.

Discussed in an abstract and yet shockingly real way the possibilities of getting arrested.

Did not watch the thing everyone is watching.  Instead, TROLLHUNTERS!

#Resist 3 February

Donated to friend's campaign to raise money for the International Institute of New England: https://www.crowdrise.com/rowing-for-refugees-crash-b-sprints-2017/fundraiser/dianaarchibald

Today we worked on Pennsylvania, together with Mom (who lives there).

Attempted to call, e-mail, and fax Senator Toomey on my mother's behalf.  Was not able to get through via any of those means.

Update: Afternoon round

Successfully sent e-mail to Senator Toomey on my mother's behalf, asking him to stand up to Trump's Immigration order, citing her own immigration case and the situations of several of her neighbors who are refugees and also Muslim.

Helped Mom to send e-mail to Lou Barletta, her State Congressman, expressing disagreement with his terrible statement (he's with Trump and fully on board with the immigration order), again citing her story, the stories of her neighbors, and, well, common sense and facts.

Helped Mom to send e-mail to Senator Casey, who has come out strongly against Trump's Immigration order, and thanked him for serving the people and doing the right thing.

#Resist 2 February

E-mails today:

Wrote Nebraska Senator Deb Fisher about DeVos.  You can do it here, too, and here is what I wrote:

Dear Senator Fisher,
Although I am not directly your constituent, I write to urge you to vote AGAINST the nomination of Betsy DeVos as U.S. education secretary. I am from a family of educators, and have been educated through the public school system myself.  DeVos is not a reasonable or acceptable candidate for this important position.  Her policies are dangerous and discriminatory and her appointment appears to largely be based on her status as a donor of large amounts of money.
Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Helped my mom write to her Senator, Pat Toomey; basic gist of what we wrote here:

Dear Senator Toomey,
I write to urge you to vote AGAINST the nomination of Betsy DeVos as U.S. education secretary.  I noticed that DeVos has donated $60,050 to your own campaign funds, and I find it DEEPLY distressing that you would allow such a thing to cloud your judgement.  You still have a chance to stand up and speak out against this nominee, who is not a reasonable or acceptable candidate for this important position.

Also Helped mom write to Bob Casey, again against DeVos nomination.



Calls today:

We also tried to call Toomey on mom's behalf, but line is continually busy.

Called Senator Warren and talked to very nice and helpful staffer.  Thanked for support and actions AGAINST Muslim Ban and AGAINST DeVos nomination.  She's already on the side of right, but wanted to convey support.

This was my first phone call to a representative.  I could get the hang of this.

Last night Jake went to a meeting at the International Institute of New England.  We're going to find ways to join their efforts.

The New York Times did a great piece recently on their important work: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/us/trump-refugee-lowell-massachusetts.html?_r=0

#Resist 1 Feb

Today's Actions:

Donated to National Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org/

E-mailed members of Trump's Business Advisory Council.  Info on how to do this here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FOtt5BKvKvEIPT6Y5RZlEiGqufMRKDsaQBGjSViu1Ns/edit

I got all the information there and chose three to write to.  May try to do more later.  Here is what I wrote; feel free to use anything that is useful, or to suggest more useful language or direction of such sentiments.

Letter to Kalanick supporting his position:

Dear Mr. Kalanick,
Thank you for taking a public stand in which you said you would pressure the president to "stand up for what's right."  I understand that you are a part of Trump’s Business Advisory Council, which according to some reports will be meeting this Friday.  Please speak directly and clearly to the President to tell him that his Executive Order on Immigration has unleashed chaos for thousands of innocent people, many of them legal US residents, and many of them refugees fleeing oppressive regimes.  His policy will only feed further radicalization of Muslim populations who see this policy (rightly) as a ban on Muslims and an affront to the ideals of the United States.  Please don't back down, and please continue to speak out against this dangerous and immoral policy.

Thank you,

Bridget Marshall

US Citizen and Voter

Lowell, Massachusetts

Letter to other members of the Business council:

Barra of GM:

Dear Ms Barra,
I understand that you are a part of Trump’s Business Advisory Council, which according to some reports will be meeting this Friday.  I ask that you please consider standing with your colleague on that council, Mr. Travis Kalanick, who has said that he will pressure the president to "stand up for what's right."  I would also urge you to make a similar public statement regarding the President’s wrong-headed and immoral immigration ban.  Please speak directly and clearly to the President to tell him that his Executive Order on Immigration has unleashed chaos for thousands of innocent people, many of them legal US residents, and many of them refugees fleeing oppressive regimes.  His policy will only feed further radicalization of Muslim populations who see this policy (rightly) as a ban on Muslims and an affront to the ideals of the United States. 
Thank you,
Bridget Marshall
US Citizen and Voter
Lowell, Massachusetts

 Iger of Disney:

Dear Mr. Iger,

I understand that you are a part of Trump’s Business Advisory Council, which according to some reports will be meeting this Friday.  I ask that you please consider standing with your colleague on that council, Mr. Travis Kalanick, who has said that he will pressure the president to "stand up for what's right."  I would also urge you to make a similar public statement regarding the President’s wrong-headed and immoral immigration ban. 

Particularly given the fact that the Disney Corporation's success relies on workers from around the world, of all faiths and cultures, I would hope that you would stand up for your employees who are affected by this ban.  If only from a business perspective, consider the negative impact on your audiences -- the people who pay to see your films, buy your products, and travel to your parks.  Finally, given the messages sent by your films regarding the value of diversity and inclusiveness, I would hope that you could stand up for these ideals in the real world, and not just the fairy-tale world.

Please speak directly and clearly to the President to tell him that his Executive Order on Immigration has unleashed chaos for thousands of innocent people, many of them legal US residents, and many of them refugees fleeing oppressive regimes.  His policy will only feed further radicalization of Muslim populations who see this policy (rightly) as a ban on Muslims.  This order is an affront to the ideals of the United States, and it must be stopped.  Will you step up to help stop Trump's agenda of hate?

Thank you,
Bridget Marshall
US Citizen, Mother, and Voter
Lowell, Massachusetts

#Resist 31 Jan

Signed petition here: https://notoimmigrationban.com/ (ACADEMICS AGAINST IMMIGRATION EXECUTIVE ORDER)

Encourage other academic friends to do the same.

Drafted some letters.

Planning some calls.

The Resistance Will be Blogged

I've had rather a long hiatus from blogging.  Not for want of things happening; I just haven't had the time or inclination to write here for a while.  My plan now is to try to write about the things we're doing to resist, to hopefully make the world a better place or at least stop it from becoming a much, much worse one.

Since November, we've been struggling to figure out how to deal with the political realities of the new US government.  We have talked with a lot of people.  We have wrung our hands and lost a lot of sleep.  We have tried to stay informed and read up as much as we can on what is happening.  We've made donations to groups that matter to causes that are important to us (and to others), including Planned Parenthood, Doctors without Borders, The Southern Poverty Law Center, and the White Helmets (for Syrian refugees).

In November, we participated in a Solidarity rally here in Lowell.  I even spoke at it.  I am including below, the remarks I made there.

My mother is an immigrant, my father was a veteran who used a wheelchair, and I am the mother of a daughter. It is hard to know what to tell children about what has happened in this campaign and election.  Many young girls and boys watched as one candidate made fun of people with disabilities, and spoke in ways that were demeaning, hurtful, and hateful of whole communities of people.  As I heard these things with my now nine year old daughter, I was horrified, and often at a loss for how to talk about those things.  How can I tell my daughter that her body is her own when the president elect brags about assaulting women?  How can I talk to her about her concerns about our friends, neighbors, and families who face harassment, intimidation, and violence because of their religious beliefs, their family structure, the color of their skin, or their nation of origin, their gender identity, or their sexual orientation?

In recent years, in the aftermath of natural disasters, tragedies, and attacks, many people have turned to a popular story told by Fred Rogers, where he said that when scary things happen on the news, one thing we can say to our children is “look for the helpers.”  Seeing brave people – like nurses and rescue workers – running to help and save people – can help children to process things, to see that there are good people in the world, and to focus on our strengths.

In the aftermath of this election, I find that I am telling my daughter to look for the helpers – like protestors, like our government officials and community leaders who HAVE stood up and taken a stand against racism, islamophobia, xenophobia, and hate.  But more than that, I know that I have told my daughter that I will stand up too – that I won’t just watch when someone is in danger.  I will stand up and be a helper, and that she, too, can be a helper – an active participant, not just a bystander.  Every day, we can look out for our neighbors, our friends, our classmates, our colleagues, and we can speak out and speak up --- even when it might feel uncomfortable – about language that is meant to hurt others, to demean others, and about legislation that constricts the rights of people in our community.  We must all do more than just look for the helpers, look for the fighters.  We need to be the helpers and the fighters.

I'm going to try to keep updates here about what we're doing.  Letters/e-mails/calls to senators/representatives/etc., rallies, actions, and other such things.  We need to make this part of our daily lives, and I am hoping that this will help us as a family to do that.

I hope you'll stand up, too.  

James A. Garfield

Lucy is entering in a contest put on by Scholastic called "Picture a President."  She had to choose a president and draw his portrait.  She chose, of course, her distant relative, James A. Garfield:

This has been your brief educational moment, provided by Lucy.

Grief in July

This is a photo of my Uncle Paul and my Dad, Bill in October 1970.

Twelve years ago this past Monday (July 18th, 2004), my dad died as a result of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).  I wrote a little bit about that a few years ago.

Yesterday, July 22nd, 2016, my Uncle Paul died.  

We are having a rough week here.  

Beyond just being a great guy and Uncle, for the past twelve years, my Uncle Paul has stood in for my father, who I know would have done anything to be here for milestones.  He came to my PhD graduation, met us at the hospital when Lucy was born, and joined us for all sorts of celebrations. 

Here he is with Lucy when she came home first (I know she doesn't look too happy here, but I assure you, she came around to him):

 Here he is with his wonderful wife, my Aunt Kathy, at Lucy's Baptism:
 

He and Lucy had a lot of fun together (although in this picture, she is protesting):

But he loved getting down on the floor and playing with kids -- getting to their level, talking with them, and learning about them.  I was amazed by what he could do with kids.


He played catch with Lucy:




He loved children so much (he is wearing a sticker on his forehead that Lucy put there):

Here he is with Kathy and their daughter, Elizabeth, when she graduated from Westfield State:

He was very, very proud of her.  

The last photo above is a scanned one from an album; I will go through and try to get some more soon.  For now, I wanted to share the ones that I had digitally, to at least briefly start to remember and share some of the very joyful moments we all had together.

Kathy is still in North Carolina, and Elizabeth is in New Zealand.  We are thinking of them and sending our love.

We are so sorry.

We are so sad.

Tully Trip 2015

We've returned from our annual trip to Tully Lake, where we had a fabulous weekend of camping with Ian and Elizabeth.

Here's Lucy's take on it:

Here's the whole gang at the end of the weekend (we probably should have taken one at the start):

We've been doing this since 2012, when we looked like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jakeb/8016683159  or this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jakeb/8016674708

And here's the whole gang in 2013: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jakeb/10010118613

And here's the 2014 version: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jakeb/15397401305

We've refined ourselves a bit over the years, improving our gear and our food. This year, cast iron skillet yielded delicious bacon as well as dough deep-fried in that very bacon's grease.  It was amazingly delicious.

Sadly, due to an algae bloom, we were not allowed to go swimming or wading, which also meant that we couldn't bring Alice (because there's no way to keep that dog out of the water).  So Alice had a lovely time at Camp Furvana (Paula's house) and we spent our time on long hikes and just hanging out.  We went on a beaver hunt (in the canoe) but sadly did not see any beavers.  But we did talk a lot with a ranger, who is a wildlife rehabilitation specialist.  She is raising a baby beaver who got separated from her mother.  In related news, Lucy now wants to grow up to be a wildlife rehabilitation specialist (previous plan was zookeeper).

Can't wait til next year.

 

The times, they are a'changin'

We have several important updates for our readers:

1) Lucy is now in Second Grade! 

This is shocking.  Here's what she thinks:

2) Lucy is taking piano lessons!  

Also, we now have a piano!

Here's a visual demonstration of both of those things:

And here is Lucy's illustration of the new situation:

3) Lucy is playing soccer for the Dracut Flash!  

Here she is in her uniform:

This is our first foray into the world of competitive sports.  So far, so good.  We started this past Sunday, and it looks like we're going back for week 2.  Go Flash!

Here's Lucy's story about it from school:

She really likes it.  Even the oranges.
4) The above are all awesome things.  But we also have a Very Bad Thing we have to report.  Our very favorite Beacon Street family has moved.   To Maine.  Which is Far.  Not That Far, but still, not here.  We are very excited for Matt and Mary and Ruth and Woody to start their new adventure in Maine, but we are very sad that they are no longer our neighbors.  They will still retain honorary status as members of the Christian Hill Cocktail Society (CHCS).  We all go way back:

We raise a glass to Matt and Mary and Ruth and Woody, and we will all visit soon!!!!

Second Grade

Summer is officially (unofficially?) over, as today my school and Lucy's school commenced the academic year.  Lucy is off to second grade. I find this shocking.  She had a great day and is happy with her teacher and classmates.  I asked her if all the kids talked about what they did last summer, and how they introduced themselves.  She said a there was a lot of talk about Canobie Lake (a theme park not far from here) and such summer things.  Here's where it went from there:

Me: Well, what did you tell them about yourself?

Lucy: I told them I have a dog, and her name is Alice and that my dog has a doppelganger named Remy.

Me: Oh.  Did the other kids know what a doppelganger is?

Lucy: No, so I explained that.

So I can only imagine what Lucy's teacher and classmates now think of her.

I couldn't be more proud.

Also, Alice DOES have a doppelganger named Remy and they are mortal enemies.  It's almost hilarious, if it weren't sometimes scary the way they seem to want to destroy each other.

Happy New School Year!  I hope to have updates soon.

Meet the newest member of the family!

This is Flame:

He's a Betta fish, like his predecessor, Norbert. 

Lucy received her Aquafarm for Christmas from Santa, but we only got around to putting the whole thing together recently.  Flame is a farmer:

He provides nutrients to some plants up above (at the moment, wheatgrass and radish sprouts) and they, in turn, clean the water for him.  Impressive work, little fish-farmer!

Lucy wrote a nice piece about him for school:

We are pleased to have Flame as a member of the 83 Durant Family!

Happy Father's Day

Here's what Lucy wrote in school about her Dad:

Nice, eh?

Happy Father's day!

HubBub!

We just spent an amazing day at the HubBub in Boston.  It was the first (and we hope not last!) Boston Book Festival for Children!  Our main motivator was that we wanted to see one of our very favorite authors, Mo Willems!

And we did! He started out his reading (to a packed house!) by telling everyone that they should take their photos, and he posed in appropriate ways:

And then he insisted that EVERYONE put away cameras and have their hands free. It was awesome.  He said we were all there to experience the event, not document it.  It was delightful!  He read from Pigeon Needs a Bath, answers questions from the audience, read from I will Take a Nap (the latest in the Elephant & Piggie series) and was entirely delightful and wonderful the whole time.

And then, he ran to the back of the room and signed books!!!!

Here we are, having Mo Willems sign our copy of Hooray for Amanda her Alligator.

And yes, by the way, we DID dig deep into the Mo Willems catalog to get that one.  While all the other kids had their Pigeon and Elephant & Piggie books, I believe we impressed as being very committed Willems fans. He was lovely and excellent.  And now we have his signature and a doodle in our copy!

BUT WAIT -- that's not all!  The day continued with an all-day fest at Copley Place, featuring various literary characters, children's book publishers, workshops, puppet presentations, musical acts, storytelling, and just all around awesome-ness.  There were crafts, including those inspired by Willems:

We even found out the answer to life's age-old question: Where's Waldo?

Answer: OMG, he's RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!!

We did the treasure hunt, which included getting stamps from various tents/groups that had exhibits and activities. So Lucy made a lightsaber at Einstein's Workshop, and even more exciting, she participated in the Build-a-Lair workshop at 826 Boston. Yes, she built a lair. 

Lucy took part in a photography contest (we'll keep you posted on the results!), made a parachute that she tested in a wind tunnel, and got to listen to the School of Rock band.  It was all incredibly awesome, and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Happy Anniversary!

Ten years ago today, Jake and Bridget got married.  Don't we look dapper here:

Are you thinking to yourself, "huh, I don't remember that wedding"?  That's probably because we didn't invite you.  Or anyone.  At all.  Sorry!

Due to multiple computer updates and moves, we've had trouble locating some of our photos, but I found a few:

This morning Lucy took a picture of us:

Aside from Jake's decidedly less formal dress (and more developed facial hair), we pretty much look exactly the same.  HA!

We also made this silly video back then, using our rather crude tools:

Someday, we will throw a great big party and invite all of you.  For now, we hope we get to see you in the coming year to celebrate.....whatever you'd like to celebrate.  We feel very lucky to have each other, our families, and our friends, and it has been a wonderful 10 years. 

Apparently the 10 year anniversary traditional gift is "tin/aluminum."  Seriously?  I guess it's time to break out the aluminum foil and decorate. Or maybe we'll raid the recycling bin and go redeem our empties?  So many options.  Tin/aluminum Anniversary: I know! We need a periodic table of the elements!