Black Stories Matter. Here’s a Few I Really Like.

Black Stories Matter. Here’s a Few I Really Like.

Stories matter. They change our minds and teach us empathy. Stories help us to understand ourselves and those unlike ourselves; experiences we can never truly understand, even though we must try. If we want to make the world a place where human beings can do things like go jogging, relax at home, drive a car, or go shopping without taking a bullet or having their windpipe crushed as they call out for their mother, we must try. We must learn. We must listen to the stories. Because black stories matter.Sure, it's true that some stories are more helpful than others. For every Uncle Tom's Cabin, there's a Birth of a Nation. Every day, you have to decide what you're going to feed your brain and body. What kinds of stories you're going to consume. What kind of person you are and who you're going to be.I read as many books as I can. I try to watch all the things...
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Finding Hope in a Galaxy of Women’s Stories

Finding Hope in a Galaxy of Women’s Stories

If you're reading this, that means we made it through 2017. What seemed like a hopeless quagmire of shit and doom in January is still an insane quagmire of shit and doom, but maybe it's a little less hopeless. A little less shitty and a bit less doomy. At least, in the way that I'm choosing to view it, the world is still broken, but nearly one year into the most powerful country in the world being run by a bile-spewing fleshy cesspool of fetid narcissism, I've seen plenty of clear reminders that he isn't the one with all the power. I'm still angry. I'm still worried and freak out a lot, so when I catch myself sinking and letting my imagination overwhelm me with worst-case scenarios, I look elsewhere. I follow the advice of Mr. Rogers, and I look for the helpers.Lately, though, I don't stop with the helpers. I look for the fighters. The resisters. After watching a...
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8 Reasons Why French TV Sucks

8 Reasons Why French TV Sucks

I admit it. I'm a TV junkie. Okay, well... that's not accurate. I detest TV, but am addicted to various TV series. I've been this way ever since the first time I saw this:httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoILzi5thYgDon't even get me started on my movie problem.Now, it's worse. TV has become so much better. The writing is tighter. The production value is higher. Many of the actors are more skilled. There's more networks. Even with handful of channels, there's probably something on. Reruns of an old sitcom. News. A documentary. A ridiculously censored version of an otherwise great movie.When I lived in the States, there was something on at any time of day. Maybe not something I felt like watching, but there was always something.But, now... now I live in France. And French TV sucks. Here's why: 1. IT'S FULL OF CANCELLED SHOWS (THAT WERE CANCELLED FOR SUCKING)French networks can cheaply acquire forgotten TV shows. So, they do. The result is several lousy shows on...
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