Essay
Blue Christmas
What is a Blue Christmas? A Blue Christmas is when to me people are feeling low and feeling left out. You kind of get used to the feeling of being left out, but when they try to include you, you can tell that their heart is really not for it shows on them when they are not really looking and talking to you but looking around for something or someone. You graciously say, "Go ahead over there I don't mind."
By Mark Grahamabout a year ago in Critique
Eroding Trust: Kenya’s Governance Challenges
Political disillusionment is not unique to any one country. Across continents, citizens are losing faith in leadership as corruption, authoritarian tendencies, and mismanagement take center stage. South Korea’s recent political turmoil following the controversial imposition of martial law echoes frustrations felt in Kenya, where governance has seemingly prioritized elite interests over the people's well-being. Both cases highlight a deepening crisis of leadership, corruption, and eroded trust, underscoring the urgent need for systemic reform.
By Bryan Wafulaabout a year ago in Critique
Religion & Relationships. Content Warning.
Can’t We All Just Get Along? The topic of religiosity and its impact on relationships has always fascinated me. From birth, external influences shape much of our identity, particularly in the context of religion. As we gain knowledge, it becomes apparent that some belief systems may struggle to evolve alongside new discoveries. This resistance can lead to judgment, division, and an “us versus them” mentality, which I find to be detrimental to an already divided society.
By Toccara Bensonabout a year ago in Critique
A Sad and Happy Thanksgiving
The dinner is ready, and no one showed up. You wonder why, but you have no answer. No one had to bring anything you had the main course and all the sides of a variety as well as all kinds of desserts and drinks. No one calls either. You begin to wonder again and check your phone for any messages and still nothing. You decide to go ahead and make your own Thanksgiving plate and say a prayer of grace and thanksgiving for one did show up for he is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Happy Thanksgiving to me.
By Mark Grahamabout a year ago in Critique
Thanksgiving, the big day!
The big day of family has arrived. The turkey is in the oven and the side dishes whatever they may be are cooking away. The parade is on the television and the table is set for the good china and silverware in a festive way. As the day wears on and getting closer to dinnertime you begin to notice that nobody has arrived or even sent a message of any kind. You wait awhile longer, but dinner is ready, and no one is here. You check your phone and there are no messages. Well, Happy Thanksgiving to me, let's eat.
By Mark Grahamabout a year ago in Critique
The Rich Flavor of Café Bustelo Coffee
Introduction to Café Bustelo Coffee Café Bustelo has earned its place as a household name, synonymous with bold flavors and rich coffee culture. Whether you're a casual coffee drinker or an aficionado seeking robust espresso, Café Bustelo offers a versatile range of options that cater to diverse tastes. This article dives deep into the legacy, preparation methods, and unique qualities that make Café Bustelo a favorite among coffee enthusiasts worldwide.
By caffeinated insightabout a year ago in Critique
What a Thanksgiving?
Like a discarded fallen old leaf for this is how I feel most of time on this holiday known as Thanksgiving. No one really says "Happy Thanksgiving" to me. I sit and listen, but I have nothing to add to anyone conversation for they all have memories that I do not have. They go out and I join, but they always head back into the house. I really do not fit in down here. I feel alone in a crowd of family. I would rather be totally alone that alone in a crowd. Alone in a crowd is just horrible.
By Mark Grahamabout a year ago in Critique
Facing the Enemy How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship
Barbara Krasner has written a youth novel about friendship between two friends one Christian and one Jewish and some decisions that friends had to make during that hate ran rampant and will Benjy and Tommy remain friends and learn to listen and try to make friends and family happy then.
By Mark Grahamabout a year ago in Critique
The Utopian Concept of Gender Equity
There is a thin line of disparity between self-respect and arrogance that most people err in their lifetimes and cannot distinguish when the time arrives. I wonder how Indian society finds it appalling for women to be assertive and bold in their stance as they try to voice out their opinions on what they believe in. While I respect our culture of virtue, values and morality, it is baffling how patriarchal our society is, as it still perceives women through the fragile glass lens of being demure, nurturing, soft and family-oriented while she is working and expects her to be silent in her stance when men of the house are talking.
By Hridya Sharmaabout a year ago in Critique
The Unreal of Preservation
How can one think of preservation in terms of what is real? I think this while sitting in the main reading room of the Abbot Library at the University at Buffalo. I had been meaning to come to this library for some time after seeing a picture of it. Books are a passion of mine and thus so are the repositories of knowledge that we simply call libraries. Gone, it seems however, are the days of the beautiful library. Filled with grandeur and craftsmanship to be an edifice of thought itself imbued in structure. A space in which one can think, connected to the history of Mankind. A space that could anthropologically be called a place; that is, imbued with history, emotion, tradition. I could just as easily now be writing of the strangeness I experienced walking through the very modern, yet not all unpleasant, 39th Street Stavros Niarchos Public Library in New York City that felt the need to display photographs of the world’s most beautiful libraries on their walls. A strange display of the past in a space in which the past is abandoned, if only preserved within the books themselves, and yet, how real is the copy of Flaubert’s Madame Bovary or Joyce’s Ulysses that is printed in 1994, covered in its protective plastic laminate? In fact, the main 5th Avenue library that is imbued with history and beauty has lost its practical purpose and has become a museum that is its own relic.
By Daniel J. Guercioabout a year ago in Critique
Critique Ideas
Starting tomorrow I am planning to post many short 50-word critique blurbs of the many book reviews that I have written for the two book review sites that I work for as a volunteer. There are children's picture books, youth and teenage novels along with many adult novels I have reviewed over the past few months. All of these books cover the gambit of emotions that we all have felt or are feeling at various times of our growing up and into our adulthoods. Some are just downright cute while others well are just. Hoping to get feedback on this.
By Mark Grahamabout a year ago in Critique
