[ Falcon Heights - Lauderdale - Little Canada - Maplewood - Roseville ]

Not too long ago there was a photo essay in The Atlantic magazine comprised of photos in which there was a single woman in a much larger group of men. The photos were excerpted from the book The Only Woman, by Immy Humes. Humes curates photos that span more than 150 years and crisscross the globe documenting a broad diversity of social, business, educational and cultural settings and reflecting multiple ethnicities, but there is always only one woman among the group of men. 

"The crimes of rape, and of assault and battery were felonies in the slavery era as they are today in any civil society. They were seen then as wrong, immoral, reprehensible, and worthy of the severest punishment. But the country allowed most any atrocity to be inflicted on the black body. Thus, twelve generations of African-Americans faced the ever-present danger of assault and battery or worse, every day of their lives during the quarter millennium of enslavement.”  Caste, Isabel Wilkerson, p. 153 

We have all seen the effects of weathering on the landscape, from the beauty of dramatically sculpted canyons to the terror of coastal homes teetering on undercut coastlines. The forces of wind and water are powerful, working relentlessly to modify the environment.

But what about the figurative wind and water of stress, fear, abuse and other human-made forces that lead to poorer health outcomes? This concept is not brand new, but it is more in the news today.

The 7th Annual League of Women Voters of Roseville Area Brews & Book Reviews event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18, from 6–8 pm at Crooked Pint & Ale House, 1734 Adolphus St., Maplewood  (https://www.crookedpint.com/maplewood/).

Greetings, Fellow Leaguers!

Did you know that social interactions are good for your health! Join us in person for the LWV of Roseville Area Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 23, at the Autumn Grove Park Building, 1365 Lydia Ave. W., Roseville. There will be a social hour at 6:00 pm with the official business meeting at 7:00 pm. Desserts and beverages will be provided. We will review the past year, elect new board officers, and approve a new budget. We look forward to seeing you in person! No registration necessary.

The Annual Report can be viewed here. The action items for this year's meeting consist of: 

Every time I try to cull the piles and files of clippings and quotes saved as possible starters for articles, I am only reminded of why I saved each one. They are funny, or ouchily true, or concisely stated outrage, or… well, you get it. My culling stalls. I offer here a selection of thoughts of others for you to ponder for your own Aha! Hmmm. Ouch! Yes! No way! Well, duh moments. And when you’ve found your favorite one, call another Leaguer for coffee and conversation.

John Brandl - In a 1997 op-ed piece John Brandl wrote about the overemphasis on individual preferences over community which made governing difficult. “Individual choice itself becomes the only moral absolute…No wonder government, which has largely to do with accommodating differences of opinion, is so difficult. We live in a time when the working out of differences is unrecognized as legitimate, much less noble. We reject the existence of a public realm where the good of the whole requires more than each of us doing our own thing.” 1997! [Underlining added.]

The League of Women Voters St. Paul (LWVSP), co-sponsored with LWVRA announces its April "Learn with the League" program: Childcare = Society Care: How We Take Care of Growing Families. Guest speakers at the program include Dr. Megan Gunnar, Regents Professor of Child Development at the University of Minnesota and Ami Wazlawik, Principal Assistant to Ramsey County Commissioner Nicole Frethem and a former District 38B State Representative. For more information and to register: Childcare = Society Care.

Join us April 18 at 6:30 pm for a discussion on our urban treescape with Peter McDonagh, horticulturist, arborist, and renowned urban tree specialist, and Ben Shardlow, a “Tree Activist,” with the 100 Trees Project. McDonagh will discuss the many societal benefits of trees while Shardlow will share his experiences expanding and sustaining our tree canopy in all areas of our urban landscape. Co-sponsored by the Ramsey County Library and the League of Women Voters, Roseville Area. 

LWVUS Position: The League believes that energy-efficient and environmentally sound transportation systems should afford better access to housing and jobs and the League will continue to examine transportation policies in light of these goals. [Basic Human Needs: Access to Transportation]

LWVRA Position: Support transportation options that serve the needs of the area. [1983 Social Policy #3]

LWVUS Position: LWVUS believes that it is in the national interest to promote the well-being of America’s cities…The League is committed to an urban environment beneficial to life and to resource management in the public interest. [Urban Policy]

Do you ride the bus? I live only a block from a bus line, but I only occasionally ride the bus. A fascinating episode of Freakonomics Radio [August 24, 2022 Free Transit?] discusses our title question and the online introduction observes, “It boosts economic opportunity and social mobility. It’s good for the environment. So why do we charge people to use it? The short answer: it’s complicated.”