Around the neighborhood

Today I am sharing a few good reads from around the internet. Weekend reading, if you will. Enjoy!

In response to the article by Tal Fortgang,  Kristen Howerton wrote an important post on the concept of White Privilege, what it actually means, and why we should take time to understand the concept. Here is an excerpt of her piece:

Being told to check your privilege has nothing to do with apologizing for being white. It has to do with being insensitive to the life experiences of others. “Check your empathy skills” might be a better phrase, but nonetheless, it’s not an attempt to shame someone’s race, but rather to point out that someone is refusing to acknowledge privilege differentials.

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Another interesting read is this piece about addiction to the internet (thanks to Shel for sharing it!). I don't consider myself an internet junkie, but I sure could relate to a few of Glennon's responses to the list of addiction warning sign questions. I will be thinking twice about the time spent at my computer. Here is an excerpt:

Are you preoccupied with the substance?

     Yes. I feel fidgety and unfocused whether I’m with or away from my phone – I feel unable to be present in the moment.

After your involvement with the substance, do you feel badly about yourself?

     Yes. After time on my internet/ social media accounts I often feel empty, competitive, anxious, icky, untethered, somehow “less than.”

Is your involvement with the substance negatively impacting your relationships with others?

     Yes. I find myself tuning my children out to “check” my social media accounts. I often choose to scroll through strangers accounts rather than engage with my husband.

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And I am especially proud of this. We can and will improve gun safety in our state and our country. If you are local and want to learn more, let me know. 

… a year-old group, called Gun Sense Vermont, has launched what will likely be the most well-organized, well-funded push yet for gun reform in this state. It’s the same group that was behind the passage of three gun-related charter changes in Burlington on Town Meeting Day. And the group’s president, a Brattleboro mother named Ann Braden, says Gun Sense will bring the same organizational prowess to passing legislation that gun-rights groups will bring to defeating it.