“Its so unbelievable that in 2017, almost every single woman has a story about sexual harassment.”
—Gretchen Carlson
Well, sadly my favorite week of the year is over. The food is long gone, Michael is back in New York, and life is settling down to normal—whatever that may be. With my entire family around me for the holidays, I was reminded again of all that I have to be thankful for and hope that all of my readers had a similar experience.
Of course the insanity of the world around us makes it difficult to concentrate on much of anything but the constant news alerts. The fact that our media giants are falling faster than the trees in our last hurricane makes me wonder when the next shoe will drop. We might not be surprised at some of the names that are popping up, but Garrison Keillor really gave me a double take. I mean now I have to wonder what really did go on in Lake Wobegon.
I wonder exactly how far this all will go. Will it stop with politicians, performers and media people, or will it start crawling into all of our workplaces? I know that during my early years of teaching, some of the male teachers and administrators were definitely inappropriate in their actions, but many of their victims chalked it up to “boys being boys.” I remember the shock on one guy’s face when I elbowed him soundly in the solar plexus when he began giving me an unsolicited back rub. He didn’t understand my discomfort. He said I looked like I needed to “relax” and was befuddled when I explained his hands on my body were the farthest thing from relaxing.
Are men in schools and various businesses across the country thinking about their past actions and wondering if someone might be thinking back on them too? Do they fear losing their jobs, reputations and maybe their families? Did they really believe that it was okay for them to put their hands on another person’s body, and if they did, why weren’t they giving those “relaxing” back rubs to other men too? Kathie Lee Gifford might have had a point when she said, “sexual harassment is complex, subtle and highly subjective,” but men need to learn that it is better to err on the side of conservative behavior. Hmmm...makes you wonder.
So with all of my planning, cooking, and vacationing with company, I had less time to read than I thought I would. I did enjoy The Prize though, written by Geoffrey M. Cooper. Mr. Cooper is a cancer researcher, professor, and scientific administrator, who held positions at Harvard Medical School and Boston University. I was reluctant to read his book, because I thought it would be too technical. It was actually quite reader friendly, and I found myself getting involved in this intriguing story of research, competition and mystery. I did learn tidbits of information as I read and found the book to be a successful first novel.
As always, a complete review of the book follows this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly
—Gretchen Carlson
Well, sadly my favorite week of the year is over. The food is long gone, Michael is back in New York, and life is settling down to normal—whatever that may be. With my entire family around me for the holidays, I was reminded again of all that I have to be thankful for and hope that all of my readers had a similar experience.
Of course the insanity of the world around us makes it difficult to concentrate on much of anything but the constant news alerts. The fact that our media giants are falling faster than the trees in our last hurricane makes me wonder when the next shoe will drop. We might not be surprised at some of the names that are popping up, but Garrison Keillor really gave me a double take. I mean now I have to wonder what really did go on in Lake Wobegon.
I wonder exactly how far this all will go. Will it stop with politicians, performers and media people, or will it start crawling into all of our workplaces? I know that during my early years of teaching, some of the male teachers and administrators were definitely inappropriate in their actions, but many of their victims chalked it up to “boys being boys.” I remember the shock on one guy’s face when I elbowed him soundly in the solar plexus when he began giving me an unsolicited back rub. He didn’t understand my discomfort. He said I looked like I needed to “relax” and was befuddled when I explained his hands on my body were the farthest thing from relaxing.
Are men in schools and various businesses across the country thinking about their past actions and wondering if someone might be thinking back on them too? Do they fear losing their jobs, reputations and maybe their families? Did they really believe that it was okay for them to put their hands on another person’s body, and if they did, why weren’t they giving those “relaxing” back rubs to other men too? Kathie Lee Gifford might have had a point when she said, “sexual harassment is complex, subtle and highly subjective,” but men need to learn that it is better to err on the side of conservative behavior. Hmmm...makes you wonder.
So with all of my planning, cooking, and vacationing with company, I had less time to read than I thought I would. I did enjoy The Prize though, written by Geoffrey M. Cooper. Mr. Cooper is a cancer researcher, professor, and scientific administrator, who held positions at Harvard Medical School and Boston University. I was reluctant to read his book, because I thought it would be too technical. It was actually quite reader friendly, and I found myself getting involved in this intriguing story of research, competition and mystery. I did learn tidbits of information as I read and found the book to be a successful first novel.
As always, a complete review of the book follows this blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly
