The Washington Post – BlissFullU

House Republicans Demonstrate the Dangers of Not Learning from Great Literature

January 5, 2023

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Sir Winston Churchill (paraphrasing a similiar earlier quote by George Santayana). I am biased, because I am a literature teacher, but I would make a similar statement about studying literature. Those who don’t learn the great lessons from great literature at least open … More House Republicans Demonstrate the Dangers of Not Learning from Great Literature

Having Ethical Questions around COVID Vaccinations? Let’s check in with NYT, WaPo, the Mayor, and the Dalai Lama.

August 28, 2021

On Monday, Wake County (NC) students on the traditional calendar went back to school. Like many city/suburban areas, the school board mandated masks for everyone inside school, despite some intense protests by some parents. Last week, my city, Cary (a town outside Raleigh, NC), also imposed a mask mandate within city buildings. That, too, has … More Having Ethical Questions around COVID Vaccinations? Let’s check in with NYT, WaPo, the Mayor, and the Dalai Lama.

It’s Finally Here! THE Movie Event of My Summer

June 11, 2021

I’ve been waiting for this day for years––literally years. Since 2016, actually, when it was announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was the toast of Broadway with his blockbuster Hamilton, would co-produce a movie version of his first musical, In the Heights. There were a few detours along the way; it was originally going to be … More It’s Finally Here! THE Movie Event of My Summer

When Did You Know?

March 13, 2021

It’s been a year since the pandemic REALLY hit most of us. It was this week last year that the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. But is that what made it real for you? I was inspired for this post by an opinion piece by John Paul Brammer in the Washington Post … More When Did You Know?

Meatless Monday, Kamala Edition

January 25, 2021

The Washington Post had a recipe for an Indian-inspired Caribbean dish called aloo channa. In Indian cooking, aloo means “potato” and channa means “chickpeas,” so what’s not to love about that combination? The potatoes are cooked in curry powder, but there are also New World chiles in the dish. It wasn’t like anything I’ve tried … More Meatless Monday, Kamala Edition

The 12-ish Gifts of 2020: Wonder Woman 1984 UPDATE

January 4, 2021

For those of you who read my post about how Wonder Woman 1984 eased my grief at not being able to go home this holiday because it captured the Washington DC essence so much better than SO MANY films–well, now I’ve got backup. The Washington Post published an article today entitled:“Wonder Woman 1984’ is a … More The 12-ish Gifts of 2020: Wonder Woman 1984 UPDATE

Juneteenth 2020

June 19, 2020

I couldn’t help it. I literally laughed out loud this week when I read in the Washington Post that Donald Trump had announced: “I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous,” Trump told [Wall Street Journal journalist Michael] Bender. “It’s actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.” … More Juneteenth 2020

My Lessons of July 4, 2019

July 4, 2019

Today is the 243rd anniversary of this great American experiment we call democracy, but I was having a hard time getting into a celebratory mood this year. I was not happy with the state of our union. I have been disturbed by how our current President is disrupting the lives and the traditions of the … More My Lessons of July 4, 2019

Laughing With the Dalai Lama

March 7, 2017

If I had to pick two men who are guaranteed to make me laugh, I would say one is the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and another is John Oliver, the host of late night political satire show, Last Week Tonight. So … More Laughing With the Dalai Lama