‘We turn now to that new film, that explores the struggle of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation through themes of loss, trauma and the fight for justice. It’s called Where Olive Trees Weep.’
In the summer of 96, I was picked up by police in Greensboro, NC for being brown at the wrong place and wrong time. If things were legit, I knew I'd be cleared, but was terrified they'd search my house.
That's because I lived with a drug dealer, an ex-con, a gang member, a teen girl who worked as a stripper, and a gay guy dying of AIDS who lounged about with a large boa constrictor. It was literally the villain's hideout from a movie.
What the hell was I doing there, you ask? Good question. I badly needed a place to stay so I took the first affordable one I found. It was in a great neighborhood so I didn't ask questions.
PRO TIP: Ask questions.
We hung out and enjoyed cookouts as unlikely friends. I heard life stories I was glad to never live. I also got close to being in a shootout.
A voice raging at me over the phone was 20 minutes away from eating a bullet from the ex-con's Glock. Then a gang girl who didn't finish high school took the phone from me and defused the situation.
I updated the primary LLM behind The Library of Unwritten Books from GPT-3.5 to GPT-4o, and I have to say, it really upped its game. You should check it out, share your favorite books, and tell all your friends.
What is The Library? From my 10yo, "Wait, is this a story or a game?" To which the correct answer is, "Yes." That's exactly the response I hoped for when creating the library. 😀
i know "every #homeless#person deserves compassion and #support regardless of their circumstances prior to becoming homeless" etc. etc. but it really is crazy hearing #stories from #people who were like, #workingclass or otherwise #homeowning people who had One (1) misfortune happen that caused them to become homeless. like that "you are one #financial#crisis away from #homelessness" thing is terrifyingly #real
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
Philip Pullman
It’s World Book Day and I am reminded of the need for a good read. This photograph was thrown up by my ‘phone this morning. I can remember the day and the time. It could be the start of a good story…