Since it's Sunday, this is my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I took along the way. If you're interested in my latest posts on Big Brother 18, hit this link to see them all! A very important TV note -- the blog pool is open for BB18 -- if you want in, the cut-off is Tuesday at 3pm ET and you need to sign up on this linked post ONLY. Please don't sign up on this here post or any of the other BB18 posts as your request might be missed!
After I posted last week's off topic photo post, I learned of the horrible events in Orlando. It's still bringing tears to my eyes even though I didn't know any of the 49 victims. The presence of such evil in our world is incredibly sad. I have no answers. I know from early childhood, mass murderers exist. I recall the guy on the watchtower in Dallas in the 60s. But I fear some people are fueling the fire of such evil with homophobic, racist and even Islamophobic ways. Perhaps I'm naive, but can't we just stop all this hate and exist together in the world? Sigh.
This past Friday evening, the city of Plainfield (NJ) where I live held a candlelight vigil for Orlando's victims. I was in attendance. Many of the photos beyond the jump are of the ceremony. Plainfield is a city of diversity; this area of New Jersey is a true melting pot of all cultures, religions, colors and more. I'm proud to live here. It enriches my own life to know and be friends with so many diverse folks. I honestly think many folks who direct hate on generalizations don't personally know any individuals in the groupings they hate so much.
Onto this week's photos -- clicking on an image will bring it up in a larger version:
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| Nature's glory |
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| Teeny bee |
Or, perhaps it's a mimic fly. As seen on Berckman Street in Plainfield.
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| Mayor Mapp speaks |
Mayor Adrian Mapp speaks to the Candlelight Vigil for Orlando crowd at Plainfield City Hall on Friday evening.
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| I see Dan; he doesn't see me |
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| We need to change the world |
Did you know that more hate crimes are committed against the LGBT community than any other group? For the life of me and based on my own life experiences, I cannot understand why. I just don't get the anger directed at people being gay. All I know is that I'm glad I was raised to accept people for who they are no matter religion, gender identity, color, culture ... and on and on. After all, I certainly expect people to accept me for who I am. I don't expect everyone to like me, but I don't expect anyone to hate me for no good reason! I don't like everybody in the world. But that's based on a personal traits level, not a wide-sweeping generalization. I don't direct violence at people I dislike. If folks aren't doing you any personal harm, don't do them harm. That should be easy. But, apparently in the world today, it's not. It's sad.
**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**
