Friday's Odds and Ends

Some thoughts about events in Ferguson:

Ronnie Smith of Garland, Texas asked these questions in a letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News. "Will burning the very buildings they shop at change the verdict? Will looting... improve police relations?"

Good questions. Smith went on to say that the violent actions by some only creates more of a barrier between citizens and police officers. I agree.


A writer friend posted a comment on Facebook to the effect that non-violent protests never achieved justice. Wasn't it Martin Luther King Jr. who espoused non-violence during the Civil Rights Movement? And what about Mahatmas Gandhi who led the fight for independence for India through peaceful protests? Despite all the cruelty imposed on him and his followers, he never once gave in to the urge to fight back.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to resist the temptation to let anger rule reason. 

 Obviously violent responses to injustice has not even dented the prejudice and bigotry from both sides of the color line. The only way we will end it once and for all is to step across that line and embrace each other and stop standing on either side throwing stones at each other.

That takes courage, too.
 
Now on to something much more fun. I want to thank everyone who downloaded copies of Doubletake last weekend and Monday. For one day it made it to the #1 spot on police procedural mysteries, and made it to number 15 overall at Amazon for free books. Since there are hundreds and hundreds of free books, getting so high on the list was quite a thrill. The book is no longer free, but is still a good buy at $3.99 And I have paperback copies that I can ship in time for Holiday gift giving if you have readers on your list. Just e-mail me at maryann (at) maryannwrites.com to make arrangements.

The cast of the Holiday Revue at the Winnsboro Center For the Arts has been working hard for several weeks of rehearsals. As with all the theatre productions, this one has consumed my time for those several weeks, and I am glad that intense time commitment will end this weekend. However, I will miss all the fun we had learning the songs, decorating the stage, and teasing each other. I have such a terrific group of young players and adults, and sometimes it is hard to tell who is more young at heart. 

A very generous lady donated a grand piano to the art center, so we will gather around that this evening for an old-fashioned sing-along following the annual Christmas Parade, and then we will have the show on Saturday. 

What are some of your plans to Herald in the holiday season? Share in the comments if you'd like.

Monday Morning Musings

WHAT I'M READING: Hangman by Faye Kellerman. I do love her ongoing series with Detective Peter Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus. I have read almost all of the books since the first in the series, and enjoy spending time with them and their family.

WHAT I'M SMILING ABOUT: Some good news on the publishing front - my publishing front. Friends Forever, My YA novel for young teens has been updated and re-released by a new publisher, White Bird Publishing. The official release date is September 16, but it is available for preorder for Kindle and Kindle apps. The new cover was made by the talented Dany Russell.

 WHAT I"M DISMAYED ABOUT: The violence and looting in Ferguson, Missouri following the police shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black teen who was unarmed. Why do some people think the best response to any perceived injustice is violence? I have never understood it, and agree with this man who was at the scene. "It's not serving the purpose," said James Bryant, a 31-year-old from St. Louis, as he watched a young man rummage through a mobile-phone store after smashing a glass door. "The cause was to prevent police brutality."

Kudos to Michael Brown's family and friends who have been holding peaceful demonstrations and vigils and call for an end to the looting and rioting. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon imposed a curfew on Saturday in hopes of stemming the violence.  "This is a test, the eyes of the world are watching," Nixon said in an interview with ABC News. "This is a test to see if this community can break the cycle of violence and replace it with peace."

Amen.

AND NOW JUST FOR FUN: The following is from the comic strip Luann by Greg Evans.

Luann's parents, Nancy and Frank, are sitting on a sofa watching television. Nancy hears the bip, bip, bip, of some electronic device going off, and she says to Frank, "Your phone is bipping, Hon. I think you missed a call."

"That's your phone. I changed my "bip" to "bloop" cuz you were using "bip" for calls."

"No," Nancy says. "I use "whoosh for calls. I thought you used "bloop" for your alarm."

"I used to. But it sounds too much like "zoop." So now I use "doink"."

"You can't use "doink" honey. I use that for calendar alerts."

"I thought you used "poing" for that."

In the next frame the parents have their phones out and Nancy says. "Ugh! We need to re-coordinate. I'll change my "doink" to "tinkle"."

"I use "tinkle" for mail. Do you use the "dong"?"

Luann pops in from the kitchen. "Did you guys make popcorn? The microwave's bipping."