Culture and Arts

"Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) –– A bill to authorize a grant program to increase capacity for providing abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health care. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) –– A bill to direct the Attorney General to study issues relating to human trafficking. Sen. Thomas Tillis -- A resolution to protect the Iranian political refugees, including female foreign political prisoners, in Ashraf-3 in Albania. Sen. Lindsey Graham –– A resolution to demand that the international community hold accountable those who perpetrated acts of sexual violence and sexual torture during and after the attack on the state of Israel on October 7, 2023. S. 3983––Sen. Mazie Hirono –– A bill to authorize a grant program to increase capacity for providing abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health care."   more »

Ferida Wolff writes: "The daffies have been spreading over the years. They seem to decide where to plant themselves and then surprise me when they bloom. It’s a pleasure to see the vibrant yellow greeting me when I look out the kitchen window and it feels like the flowers’ energy is present when I do qigong exercises outside on a nice pre-spring day. A daffodil is seen as a symbol of hope and healing. It feels like an awakening as it begins to bring our thoughts to Spring. It’s almost an invitation to set aside what the winter offered and to welcome what is yet to come."  more »

"What I’d like to do this afternoon is spend a few minutes focusing on one longstanding problem that’s become increasingly complicated and increasingly consequential, and that’s the challenge of disinformation – of material deliberately meant to deceive and divide – as well as other forms of false and misleading content. We all know that a world in which reliable information is readily accessible is pretty much foundational to every issue, in every country. It empowers us to understand and engage with the world around us. To make decisions that shape our lives, that shape our communities, that shape our countries. But we also know the information space has become more crowded, more complex, more confusing, more contested than ever. That, in turn, creates an enabling environment for disinformation – an environment in which state and non-state actors are undermining the objective truths on which open societies depend." more »

Julia Sneden Wrote: "Actually, this stigmata is not the sole property of a cook. Anyone who is willing to help in the kitchen can acquire one. It is a nonsexist, non-ageist badge of honor. A few weeks ago I observed my adult son, dressed in shorts and about to do his daily run. There it was, about a quarter of the way up his bony shin: a jim-dandy dishwasher ding. It was one of the proudest moments of my life as a mother." more »