Lise's Lens: April 11, 2024
I have been reading a difficult but insightful book, thinking about a recent near-disaster on the Internet, and watching women’s basketball.
WHAT I’M READING
- One of my dearest childhood friends recently recommended and gifted a book to me: The Trauma Mantras: A Memoir in Prose Poems by Adrie Kusserow, a collection of writings exploring the experiences of refugees and the forgotten. As the title suggests, the memoir leans on the traumas experienced by specific individuals and groups, and investigates the American/Western approach to processing, supporting, and understanding refugees from places like Bhutan, Nepal, Uganda, and South Sudan. Make no mistake, this memoir is poignant and beautifully written, and the stories must be told. However, I felt weak, maybe even meek, reading it because my heart couldn’t always absorb the pain and the experiences described. So while I do recommend it, do know that it can also be emotionally challenging to read.
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
- I am thinking about the world wide web — the Internet. Do you know who has ownership and responsibility over it? Well, (and I’m quoting from a recent article in the NYT mentioned below) “much of it relies on open-source software that is thanklessly maintained by a small army of volunteer programmers who fix the bugs, patch the holes, and ensure the whole rickety contraption, which is responsible for trillions of dollars in global G.D.P., keeps chugging along.” I mean at this point, it truly is a global web without which we can no longer live. Our banking and medical systems depend on it, as do our energy and communication systems. And then there’s about everything else, like getting around when we are driving or looking for recommendations on Yelp. Well, apparently we were almost in big trouble. I mean, HUGE trouble, and most of us didn’t know it until The New York Times shared this near catastrophe with us last week. Take a read to learn how one vigilant guy on the Microsoft engineering team prevented disaster.
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
- How about this year’s women’s NCAA basketball tournament games? There have been some fabulous moments this season and finally some long deserved recognition of the excitement, interest, and commercial capacity of women’s basketball. There are plenty of stars to mention amongst which Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and of course the record breaker, Caitlin Clark. Did you watch the Iowa / South Carolina final on Sunday?
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
Our students catching a glimpse of the eclipse. Thank you to the Science Department for providing not only the glasses for viewing, but lots of good information for us! Photo by Meredith Mikell.
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.