occasional posts by risa aratyr
thoughts, news, and items of writerly interest
In this time of extreme polarization, it’s no surprise to find two diametrically opposed views duking it out on news and social media. Over the airwaves, in Tweets and memes, in articles, editorials, and blogs like this, two camps are facing off and having at it. One exhorts us to keep it civil, the other … Read more Day 2
With the exception of Santa, nothing says “December” like end-of-year lists. Ten Best of 2016. Ten Worst of 2016. Favorite books, films, interviews, ads, music, episodes, goals. Most epic blunders, disasters, tragedies, deaths, breakups. The good-est do-gooders, the bad-est badasses. Triumphs and failures, ups and downs, highlights and low points – all summarized, categorized, and itemized … Read more In Defense of 2016
With a Kremlin puppet poised to move into the White House, with our beleaguered social and environmental protections already falling to the incipient Fourth Reich, with an empowered extreme-Right attacking vulnerable populations in Congress and state legislatures, and with white supremacists celebrating the demise of the only values that gave America a legitimate claim to greatness … Read more On a Personal Note
In 2008, Yes! we could and Yes! we did elect Barack Hussein Obama President of the United States. We put a Black man in the Oval Office. First time ever. It was a real milestone. The world at-large was so sure that under an Obama Administration the US would finally live up to all the … Read more Screening Our Candidates
The day after the election, my Irish pen-pal Declan suggested Aer Lingus might be my best bet. Oh… so tempting. The election triggered my fight-or-flight instincts big time; my adrenals have been screaming “FLY!” for nearly a fortnight straight. The volume is up, the cry is more strident, but it’s not a new refrain. I’ve … Read more Getting the Hell Out of Dodge