Mary Catherine Bateson Dies at 81; Anthropologist on Lives of Women
When I wrote my dissertation on the life stories of five 19th century women physicians in the U.S., one of the reference books I used was Mary Catherine Bateson’s Composing a Life, “an examination of the stop-and-start nature of women’s lives and their adaptive responses — ‘life as an improvisatory art,’ as she wrote.”
Mary Catherine Bateson was the daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. “They treated their daughter’s arrival almost as more field work, documenting her birth on film — not a typical practice in 1939 — and continuing to record her early childhood with the intention of using the footage not just as home movies but also as educational material.”
I frequently wish that I had studied more languages. Mary Catherine Bateson earned a Ph.D. in linguistics and Middle Eastern languages, for which she learned Hebrew, classical Arabic, Armenian, Turkish, Tagalog, Farsi and Georgian.
4 Ways to Do More With Your Smartphone Camera
I remember how stupid I felt the first time I realized that I didn’t have to write down the license plate number of a rental car because I could simply snap a photo of it.
Here New York Times tech guru J.D. Biersdorfer explains a few more great things you can do with your phone and an additional app or two.
Electric Cars Are Better for the Planet – and Often Your Budget, Too
Some day, when we can travel again, my husband and I hope to go on some scenic road trips. We considered getting an electric car but decided that the recharging options currently out there aren’t adequate for where we intend to go. Nonetheless, electric cars are the future of family transportation, according to newly published data that suggest “electric cars may actually save drivers money in the long-run.”
Let us appreciate the grace and uncommon decency of Henry Aaron
In the last few months we’ve lost several baseball legends. Here ESPN senior writer and biographer Howard Bryant remembers Henry Aaron.
Larry King, legendary talk show host, dies at 87
And here’s CNN’s remembrance of another legend who died recently, interviewer Larry King.
At the Inauguration, Amanda Gorman Wove History and the Future Into a Stirring Melody
To end on a positive note, here’s a feature focusing on the other end of the age spectrum, Amanda Gorman, who enthralled everyone who watched her recitation of the poem she wrote for the U.S. Presidential Inauguration.
© 2021 by Mary Daniels Brown
Retreading for Retirement 