The War in Israel
Patton Oswalt posted this on Twitter, and it really resonated with me.
I feel like I’ve watched Israel under siege for most of my life. I was a child during the Six-Day War in 1967. I was a young teen during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when, inconceivably, Israel was attacked on the most sacred holiday of the year. I’ve lived through many, many Arab-Israeli peace talks. There has been a sort of armed truce in the area for many years, with terrorist martyrs blowing themselves up fairly regularly. But this latest attack from Hamas has me reeling, as does the Israeli response.
I am sickened by how the Israelis treat the Palestinians, but we have to differentiate between those Palestinians trying to live their lives peaceably under the most horrific conditions, with Hamas, a terrorist group with only two goals: destroy the country of Israel and kill all the Jews, with little to no regard for the repercussions that will affect the majority of Palestinians who are not part of Hamas. It’s an untenable situation with no discernible way out. It is heartbreaking for everyone involved and everyone watching from afar.
Book News
The Palace Project
The Digital Public Library of America and public libraries in New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle have launched programs to ensure that young people can get online access to frequently banned books no matter what political hellscape they’re currently stuck in. Raise the alarm and spread the word.
The Spy Who Shushed Me: How the Government Is Removing Our Right to Read in Private:
On the Links Between FBI’s Controversial Library Awareness Program, the Patriot Act, and Book Bans Today
The US library system, once the best in the world, faces death by a thousand cuts
In addition to political censorship and budget cuts, libraries are being undermined by rapacious digital licensing agreements.
Finally, some good news on the book banning front in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, from Salon.com:
Moms for Liberty meets its match: Parents in this swing suburban district are fighting back
Republicans hope to use education wars to turn purple suburbia red. In one Pennsylvania district, that backfired
More good news on the library front: Overdue library book returned after 90 years, $5 fee forgiven
The due date tucked inside the book of fiction was Oct. 11, 1933
Food (and Drink!) News
How to make sure fish and other seafood are fresh and safe to eat
Seafood is prone to fast spoilage and carries special food safety concerns, especially when eaten raw. Our advice will help you get the health benefits of fish and shellfish while reducing the risks. (From Consumer Reports, courtesy of The Washington Post.)
The Big Cheese (Tour)
A writer spends eight days exploring the world of British farmhouse cheeses, from London to the West Country, where a good Cheddar rules the day.
Other News
My grandson is bilingual; he speaks both English and Spanish and also speaks a bit of Hebrew. I did not realize how well he understands and speaks Spanish. He’s 2 1/2 now, and while I don’t speak Spanish, I was blown away by this video of him conversing with his nanny, Maria (who is such a gift!)
My husband loves carving pumpkins, but he stopped doing it once my kids were adults. This year, he decided to surprise my grandson long distance – he found a Daniel Tiger drawing on PBS Kids, and printed it out. Then he did his magic. We FaceTimed while he was working on it; here are the results!
BONUS: a free, 30 day guest pass to The Athletic to the first five readers who claim it! If you are into sports (or know someone who is,) I hope you’ll check it out!
As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.
Thanks to The New York Times and The Washington Post for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 
Thanks for the comments regarding Israel and Palestine. They have been disagreeing all of my life. Hamas is an awful group – sort of like Nazis – nothing good happens but the folks in that area have to live in peace. Pain enough for all. Thanks again. peace, janz