Just asking questions

229 Community Corner Describing close calls between kids playing outdoors and speeding drivers, readers share frustrations that little is being done to stop it. Beth Dalbey , Patch Staff Replies ACROSS AMERICA — “It’s an epidemic,” a Patch reader who goes by “Vigilant” said of an explosion of speeding, dangerous drivers in general, but especially during school dropoff and pickup times. “I saw a girl get hit on her bike by a careless driver. I saw a boy get hit on his bike by a car. I have almost been hit on my bike by careless drivers too many times to count,” said the reader of Los Gatos Patch and Campbell Patch , both in California. “I see drivers speeding, running stop lights and driving while fiddling with their phones daily,” the reader said. “It’s an epidemic.” We heard similar stories from Patch readers across the country after we asked readers for advice on what to do about drivers who show little regard for … [Read more...] about ‘Not A Drag Strip’: Things Neighbors Want To Tell Drivers [Block Talk]

You’d expect the guy who made his debut with “ Hereditary, ” the 2018 supernatural thriller loaded with domestic possessions, shadowy shapes in corners and a fair amount of household witchery, to know about the horrors of home . And the writer-director Ari Aster’s version of that hell was a box in the East Village. “It was like Travis Bickle’s apartment, but with no windows,” moaned Aster, 36, going off on a recent video call about his “total hovel” of a pandemic lockdown. “I was punishing myself. I don’t know why I lived there for so long. I guess I was trying to save money, but it was a really terrible situation.” Aster followed “Hereditary” with 2019’s most ill-advised date movie, the nerve-shredding “ Midsommar ” (gaslighting boyfriends and weird Swedes). Just as the filmmaker was becoming a big deal, the world had other plans. But his time in the East Village rekindled something. His forthcoming third feature, the rippling pitch-black comedy “ Beau Is Afraid ” (in … [Read more...] about Ari Aster Has Something Funny to Show You. Don’t Be Scared.

This is turning out to be quite a year for horror movies. Pure coincidence, of course. And while the genre waxes and wanes like the moon over a creepy old house, it is unlikely to disappear as long as we have fears that need purging. It’s the nature of those fears that tends to shift over time — from the social to the psychological, from supernatural evil to human depravity, from what’s out there to what’s in here. “ It Comes at Night ,” a rigorous and astute film written and directed by Trey Edward Shults , plays the outside-in dialectic beautifully. Initially, the premise looks like one we’ve seen plenty of times before: An epidemic has wiped out a lot of the population; food and water are scarce; survivors barricade themselves against contamination from the sick and competition from the healthy. All of that is established quickly and obliquely. No zombies come shambling through the woods, and Mr. Shults doesn’t jolt the audience with false scares or showy plot twists. He … [Read more...] about Review: In ‘It Comes at Night,’ a House Full of Guns and Family Desperation

For admission to Chief, a women’s leadership network, members pay up to $7,900. That gets them executive coaching, big-name speaker sessions, a Rolodex of female executives and, for an extra cost, access to five sleek clubhouses. Chief is essentially an “old boys’ club” — for the ladies. The venture capital-backed company has grown to over 20,000 members and over $1 billion in value since it started in 2019. This month, in social media battles, some of its members have begun to ask: What does their club of high-powered women stand for? On LinkedIn, some Chief members have criticized the community’s approach to racial diversity and its response to political issues like the overturn of Roe v. Wade, and some have announced plans to quit. Chief’s founders, Lindsay Kaplan and Carolyn Childers, say they’ve donated to abortion access groups, issued statements in the wake of racial violence and acted on their members’ feedback, while remaining focused on the company’s primary goal, which … [Read more...] about Is Empowering Corporate Women Enough?

By Casey Tolan , CNN Updated 1858 GMT (0258 HKT) February 27, 2023 (CNN) In the parking lot of New Jerusalem Church in Jackson, Mississippi, volunteers handed out free cases of bottled water to a line of arriving cars last week -- a new normal in a state capital that has struggled with the fallout of a failing water system . But inside the church, a parade of pastors and organizers addressing the crowd railed against another threat they described as dire to the city's future: their state legislature. Republican state lawmakers are pushing "a takeover of the city of Jackson and disenfranchising local voters," declared Danyelle Holmes, a local activist. "They're banking on us to be quiet. They're banking on us to back down." The T-shirt she wore underscored the political mood of the event -- and the siege mentality that city leaders say they're feeling: JACKSON VS. EVERYBODY. A proposal in the Mississippi legislature to reshape Jackson's criminal justice system has … [Read more...] about A proposed ‘takeover’ has sparked a battle for power in one of America’s Blackest big cities

0 Community Corner Like some of our neighboring schools, we're offering free period supplies to address this equity issue. Press Release Desk , News Partner Posted Reply Press release from San Mateo County Libraries: March 23, 2023 San Mateo County Libraries has joined the national movement to offer free period supplies in all libraries. We are turning the page on period poverty by making these products easily available for our communities. Period supplies like pads and tampons are necessary basic supplies, just like toilet paper and soap. However, they’re not often readily available, accessible or affordable. A growing number of public organizations are beginning to offer free period supplies in their restrooms, including public libraries and schools. Studies have shown that one in five teens struggle to afford period supplies, and 86% of women surveyed said they started their period unexpectedly in a public space. … [Read more...] about San Mateo County Libraries: Period Supplies For Everyone