She-blog

2008-05-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

The semester is winding down. I am looking forward to my week off prior to teaching the Maymester. I don't know why they call it the Maymester since most of it is in June.

The student culture at BRCC is really frustrating. I have students who just stop showing up to class. They don't withdraw. They just stop showing up. Of course, this means they will earn an F in class. I cannot imagine why someone would do this to their record. The only thing I can think of is to keep financial aid. But if your GPA drops below a certain grade, you lose your financial aid anyway. I think the students don't think in terms of the long run. They think in terms of "the now." It also coincides with high absenteeism in the class. I have tried to compensate for high absenteeism by taking points off final grades for each absence. That has failed miserably. Half my students are losing letter grades because of their absences. In addition, students come to class on speech days without their speeches. It is not uncommon for some students to be unprepared three class days in a row, thereby losing three letter grades on their speeches. I have tried to compensate for that by giving bonus points to students who come to see me with their outlines before the speeches are due. Of course, only the A students and some of the high B students show up for that. It is a frustrating culture to teach. Now that I am looking over the final grades for the students (all but final exams), I'm just depressed.

In other news, I watched Susperia the other day, which is a 70s horror movie by a guy named Dario Argento. It is considered to be a classic. It is the first part of a trilogy called "Three Mothers" 30 years in the making. I have the second part from Netflix sitting at home. According to Rolling Stone, part three will be released this summer amidst all the big budget summer movies. The film is very strange and -very- 70s. The special effects are not very good, but the setting is very vivid. I'm not that into horror films, but this one was fun to watch.

Willow is graduating this month. I'm excited for her, but I'm dreading the trip. Moving her out of the dorm is going to be a big pain in the ass. She's decided she will stay with us for the summer and go to California after we return from our annual beach house stay in Florida in August. It will be nice to have her around for some borrowed time.

My life is consumed by grading right now. These are the days when I find the job at BRCC difficult. Usually it's a breeze, with low stress and low demands. Still it's less demanding than most other jobs, so I really shouldn't complain.

Some more threes:

Three movies I want to see:
1. Speed Racer
2. Mother of Tears
3. Indiana Jones

Three movies I've just seen:
1. Baby Mama
2. Iron Man
3. Deception

Three great speeches I heard this week:
1. Mechanical Exoskeletons (informative)
2. Littering (it was very well done)
3. Supporting NASA

Three gratitudes:
1. Power bars (for the protein and good taste)
2. Netflix
3. LSMSA

Southern Poverty Law Center

2008-04-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Take a Stand Against Hate at the SPLC. Put yourself on the map.

Gratitudes

2008-04-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

After reading that last, somewhat bitchy post, I think I need a gratitude post to counterbalance my attitude.

Three Gratitudes:

1. I am grateful for chiropractors everywhere.
2. I am grateful for Special K Powerbars; they taste great and have 10 grams of protein.
3. I am grateful for my "good" students -- those who actually put forth the effort. There are many of them and I often forget about them in my culture shock.

Three movies I've just seen:

1. Deja Vu (At home on blu-ray)
2. Forbidden Kingdom (Very fun!)
3. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Cute)

Three most recent links in my favorites:

1. Julia Sweeny's blog (on haitus since she's getting married)
2. An online stopwatch (good for timing speeches in class)
3. Test your brain's sex (I'm very masculine, believe it or not)

Editorial vs. Article -- Can You Tell the Difference?

2008-04-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

I was very disappointed in my public speaking classes this week. I asked students to bring in an editorial from a newspaper. More than half my students didn't know what an editorial was or where to find it. What kind of education system do we have in this state? When students can't tell the difference between an editorial and a news article, I get really scared. And I'm not talking about the more sophisticated position of "there's no such thing as information; all information is perspectival." I am continually floored by the things I learn about my students. No wonder I struggle to meet them at their level. They are lacking in so many basics. Sometimes I get really depressed.

Today was a good day, though. One of my two public speaking classes really got Toulmin's model for breaking down arguments. That was exciting for me.

I'm supposed to be teaching the argumentation and debate classes here, but they never make. If I should be lucky enough that they make, I have NO CLUE as to how I would teach the class. Luckily, I can cross that bridge when I get to it.

At SSCA I went to the GIFTS panel (Great Ideas for Teaching Speech). Some of the faculty there had so much energy for their activities. Real pride. I can't think of any activities I'd bring to a GIFTS session. My public speaking class is really stale. I've really got to think of a way to make it more teachable and more fun. Maybe I should lower my expectations. But then that would be doing my students a disservice. I just need to remember to break things down for them into smaller chunks and pieces. Also, getting rid of the Osborn book (no offense to Michael Osborn) will help considerably because it is pitched -way- over their heads and they don't bother cracking the book at all.

I guess we'll see what next year brings when we have a new textbook.

More attempts at blogging

2008-04-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

I was reading The Advocate online the morning and I saw that one of their editorials ended with a -30-. That's unusual. Usually the -30- gets edited out before the article goes to press or gets loaded up online. It made me nostalgic for my journalism days. I don't think my journalism teachers ever told me exactly why you're supposed to end an article with -30-. So, using the handy dandy internet, I looked it up and found this nifty article from the American Journalism Review. Apparently no one really knows how the tradition got started and what it symbolizes, but there are some neat speculations.

In other news, I went to the Southern States Communication Association conference in Savannah, Georgia the week before last. It was fun to meet up with old friends, former professors, and former students. It was also awkward because of the whole shift from LSU to BRCC thing. On the one hand, it made me feel bad for failing as an academic, and on the other hand, it made me feel good about leaving what Mary Daly calls academentia. As one friend put it, I can always go back. I do have enough spare time that I can write if the desire ever strikes me. But I'm not sure that it ever will. Maybe now that the pressure is off and I've had some recuperation and "detox" time, I can return to it. I don't know, though. The thought of it is both exciting and nerve-wracking. I don't know what I have to say that would be interesting to people. Wesley says that I edit myself too much. He's probably correct.

In any case, I had a neat little thing happen to me the other day. One of my former college roommates contacted me. Of course, she got a hold of me via the internet. So shoutout to Patty Blancarte Cochoran. She wrote that her son visited Ireland and so she was interested in comparing itineraries. I'm like...whoa....she has a son old enough to visit Ireland without her. God I feel old.

Next year I will be teaching Willow's classmates at BRCC. Not literally, but her class. Class of '08.

We are deep in the heart of Gen Y in higher ed now. I really need to rethink how I teach public speaking. Though I have very mixed feelings about this. Do I teach to the new, more visual, more "parallel" (rather than linear) thinkers? Or do I try to drag them to the 19th century way of thinking, as Kathleen Jamieson would have us do in Eloquence in an Electronic Age. I donno. It's a puzzle that I constantly turn over in my head.

Anyway, more students are here for advising. Time to go.

More on Ireland

2008-04-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

So, things have been a little hectic in the office lately with grading and advising, so I haven't really had much of an opportunity to blog. I am going to try to do a better job of blogging. I keep saying that, and I keep failing. But here goes:

Some of the key sites we saw in Dublin include the Guinness Storehouse, which was a fairly fantastic place. As expected, it walks the tourist through the stages of making guinness. There is a taste-test room where you can get a shot of guinness and then there is a rooftop bar filled with tourists drinking the brew. From the 360 degree room of the bar, you can see just about every little bit of Dublin and then some beyond.

We also saw the Book of Kells at Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Christ Church. Christ Church had a huge collection of loot in the basement (crypt), which was farily impressive. They were worth the entry fees.

One day we took the DART (which is the mass transit train system) up and down the coast in the suburbs of Dublin and the smaller surrounding areas. We saw several castles, including Malahide castle. That was fun. There were tons of cafes along the way where we warmed up with tea and snacks.

See what I mean? More students for advising and now it is time to go to class.

I will try again on Monday.

Ireland

2008-03-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, Ireland was a blast.

Newgrange and Tara was the highlight of the trip. The drive through the countryside along the Boyne River was just beautiful. I can see why Johnny Cash wrote that Ireland had 40 shades of green, a song that I learned about from one of the hop on hop off bus drivers. It was great to get out of the city (which wasn't so green) and into the countryside to -see- what the Emerald Isle was all about.

Newgrange was exciting. I'm always exciting by visiting ancient sites like that. They are so full of mystery. Some great pics of Newgrange can be seen here and here.

It was magical.

I will write more about Ireland soon. I am going to Savannah on Wednesday for SSCA (Southern States Communication Association conference). I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and colleagues.

Ireland Tomorrow

2008-03-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Ireland tomorrow. I'm very excited about the trip. Only I have a problem. I have a pinched nerve in my neck from a neck injury ages and ages ago. I don't know why it flared up or what caused it to happen, other than perhaps sleeping on my back. I've been going to the chiropractor this week and that has helped immensely. The plane ride is going to be a bitch, though. Luckily a friend passed me some pain killers, so I have a safety net if I need them.

Another sucky thing about the trip: We will be getting into Dublin at 6AM Sunday and we won't be able to drop our luggage off at the B&B until 9AM. And lord knows what time check-in time is. I have no right to bitch, though. It's IRELAND! I'm GOING!

The past two weeks have been a real bitch. Midterms, plus portfolios were due. I don't know why I continue to assign essay midterms. It seems like I just make my life harder by doing things like that, but I can't let go of the critical thinking component that essay exams create. In addition, we have to turn in professional portfolios that document our teaching, service, and professional development. It's a major pain in the ass to have these due the week of midterms. Also, I have no idea what I'm doing, since this is my first real portfolio.

BRCC meetings people to death. In the past two weeks, I have been to so many meetings. It's a different culture here, and that's part of the cultural adjustment I need to make. Still, it's better than an 8-5 job. One meeting I attended was on campus safety. It was mandatory for all faculty to attend this meeting. I didn't really learn anything new, but I suppose it was necessary given the bomb threat that happened last week on campus. That was a clusterfuck. It took me and everyone else 45 minutes to get out of the parking garage. That is dangerous. I hope they are working on that.

Anyway, here are some 3's.

Three Ireland Tours I plan to take:
1. Mary Gibbons' Tour of Newgrange
2. Viking Splash Tour of Dublin
3. Hop on Hop Off bus of Dublin

Three things I bought for the trip:
1. Rain ponchos
2. Batteries for my mp3 player
3. Wetwipes to wash up with in the airport.

Three things I hope to see while in Ireland:
1. The Book of Kells
2. Dublinia
3. The Dublin Castle

Three movies I've seen recently:
1. Vantage Point
2. 10,000 BC
3. The Other Bolyn Girl

Three things I'm grateful for:
1. Loritabs
2. Chiropractors
3. Tiger's balm

From Code Pink -- Halliburton Sexual Assault

2008-02-26T18:08:00.001-08:00

War is hell for everyone involved. For women, this hell can be especially deep. Recruiters don't tell those who enlist that 30% of military women will be sexually assaulted while serving. Women who work as contract employees in Iraq face similar dangers.

Jamie Leigh Jones, a former Halliburton/KBR employee in Iraq, recently testified at a Congressional hearing that she was drugged and brutally gang-raped by her co-workers in 2005. Three years later, KBR and the military have failed to punish the perpetrators or provide redress for Jamie Leigh.

We met Jamie Leigh in Washington and we were moved by her courage-under tremendous pressure-to speak out publicly and start an organization, The Jamie Leigh Foundation, to help other women. Since Jamie Leigh spoke out, 38 U.S. women, all contract employees in Iraq, have come forward to report crimes of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. Halliburton/KBR has failed to protect the safety of its contract employees, and, in fact, has fostered an environment wherein sexual violence is accepted. Moreover, the company requires employees to sign a private arbitration agreement, forcing them to give up their right to sue the company or have a trial by jury.

"Halliburton is trying to force this into a secret proceeding, which will do nothing to prevent continued abuses of this nature," Jamie Leigh told Congress. "The United States government has to provide people with their day in court when they have been raped and assaulted by other American citizens."

Due to Halliburton/KBR's pattern of fraudulent and abusive behavior, including fostering a work environment conducive to violence against its own employees, we call upon Mr. Robert Kittel, Suspension and Debarment Official of the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency, to debar Halliburton/KBR from future contracts in Iraq.

1. Click here to read Medea Benjamin's letter to Mr. Kittel and

2. Click here to send your own letter using our sample email.

3. Please also sign our petition in support of the Jamie Leigh Act of 2008, which mandates that companies report criminal violations and provide this information to new employees.

For more information, please read the recent New York Times article, "Limbo for U.S. Women Reporting Iraq Assaults" and see www.jamiesfoundation.org.

Thank you for helping us hold abusive companies accountable and provide justice to courageous women like Jamie Leigh.

Valentine's day

2008-02-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a great Valentine's day. I looked forward to it for two weeks and I wasn't disappointed. First we woke up at 6:30 AM (gawd) and baked our usual v-day cookies. Then that evening we went out to eat steak at Ruth's Chris steakhouse. Which was yummy. Last, we went to see another Bollywood movie, Jodhaa Akbar. I had been looking forward to this movie ever since they started showing the previews for it three months ago.

Essentially, Jodhaa Akbar is a love story between the Muslim Mughal Emperor and his Hindi wife in 16th century India. It stars Aishwarya Rai (Bachchan), who I think is terribly beautiful. The movie was widely anticipated, and we didn't get good seats because the theater was so full. The film showed at Grand Cinema, which has taken over the Hindi movie niche from the closed Siegen movie theater. Steve and I have started to go see the Bollywood movies. This is my third one (excluding the more American ones, like those by Mira Nair or Bend it Like Beckham). It was a trip being in the movie theater with so many people of another culture. The people sitting next to us were very nice and would take a minute to explain various parts of the movie to us. Since I don't know anything about Indian history, some parts were hard to follow, so I'm sure I missed out on some important details. The movie was long. Something like 3 and a half hours, with an intermission (all the Bollywood movies are longer than U.S. movies and they all have intermissions).

Surfing around the net to learn more about the context of the film, I learned it was being protested by some people in Rajput for its historical inaccuracies.

More later.

Hillary and Barack

2008-02-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

I am still torn between Hillary and Barack and I have only a handful of days before I must decide. I suspect that when I get to the poll, it will be a gut reaction which one I choose. I think Hillary has more experience, especially legislative experience, which is needed to get work done, but Barack represents something fresh and new, a new generation of politics, which appeals to me greatly.

I don't like the way that Hillary and Barack have gone for each others' jugular during their campaigns. I think the bile spewed between the two has diminished the process and reduces it to politics as usual rather than "something new," which we desperately need. I hope that, by the time the election comes, democrats are not too bitter about winning or losing so that they become disaffected and don't vote. I'm especially concerned that all the black voters who feel energized and enfrachised for the first time will get turned off of voting in the presidential election if Barack loses. I have a feeling that most of the middle-class white female Hillary backers understand the need for a regime change and would back Obama should he win. I'm not sure what the roots are of this belief other than intuition or perhaps some subtle form of racism that I haven't interrogated in myself yet.

I have tried to avoid the gender/race debates in assessing Clinton and Obama. Instead, I've tried to pay attention to their stands on the issues. Obviously, I think playing gender and race against each other is so dangerous. On the other hand, it's been unavoidable. It's the frame that so many people use. Even Salon frames the the race in these terms, primarily because the candidates themselves are "playing" their race and gender "cards" (a phrase I've always thought to be perverse). NOW's cries of "betrayal" by Sen. Kennedy's endorsement of Obama reeks of that frame. To cast endorsing Obama as a betrayal of women is typical of the racism of second wave feminism's identity politics. As are arguments about which trumps which, race or sex. And we all seem to be slipping into these arguments.

Feminist philospher Nancy Fraser has written a response to NOW, which was sent out on the SWIP list (and I think it was published in the NYT, but I'm not sure). It's a response that I find quite compelling:

Hillary or Barack?
Two Views of Feminism
by Nancy Fraser
I was distressed to read that the President of NY State N.O.W. excoriated Ted Kennedy for "betraying women" by endorsing Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton (NYT, 2/1/08). But I was not entirely surprised. That view reflects what has by now become the mainstream self-understanding of American feminism as a political interest group. To the extent that feminists understand themselves in this way, as defending women's policy interests within the existing framework of
politics-as-usual, they have found an excellent standard-bearer in Hillary Clinton. But that is not the only way to understand feminism. Not so long ago, many of us saw ourselves as participants in a transformative social movement, which aspired to remake the political landscape. Intent more on changing the rules of the game than on playing it as it lays, we mobilized energies from below to stretch the bounds of what was politically thinkable. Expanding public space and invigorating public debate, our movement projected, not a laundry list of demands, but the inspiriting vision of a non-hierarchical society that nurtured both human connections and individual freedom. Some feminists continue to cleave to that self-understanding. For us, Barack Obama represents a better vehicle for feminist aspirations than Hillary Clinton. The democratizing energies now converging on him promise to create the terrain on which our sort of feminism can once again flourish. Drawing its momentum from activist forces, and inspiring the latter in turn, the Obama compaign offers feminists, and other progressive forces, that rarest of political opportunities: the chance to help build and shape a major realignment of American politics. That is a prospect worthy of the best and the highest in American feminism.
Nancy Fraser
Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Philosophy and Politics
New School for Social Research

And it is indeed how I feel about Obama (-feel- being the operative word here rather than think). But I can't help -thinking- that so much work needs to be done in Washington. That we need a seasoned political hand for the cleanup effort.

My last devilish thought for the day on this subject is this: How much of my reluctance to choose is a product of my white liberal guilt?

Something to reflect on.

Another Hillary Video

2008-01-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hillary's Inner Tracy Flick

Just Fucking Google It

2008-01-15T16:53:00.000-08:00

Wow. 6 weeks.

2008-01-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

It's been six weeks since I've last blogged. That's a long gap. My new year's resolution, as of this moment, is to start blogging more regularly. Since I have a 3 hour gap in between classes -- wherein I spend my time dutifully pulling office hours -- I should be able to blog more frequently. I can hope, can't I?

So, I haven't really been thinking about much of anything lately to blog about so I will do my usual threes.

Last three movies I've seen:
1. Atonement (not as hot as I thought it would be)
2. Bucket List (I cried a little, I admit)
3. Aliens Vs. Predators 2 (sucked worse than I thought it would)

Last 3 songs I downloaded:
1. Chemicals Between Us -- Bush
2. MachineHead -- Bush
3. Speed Kills -- Bush

(I've been on a Bush kick lately; I'm not sure why)

News in the Household:
1. We finally got Willow's passport in the mail and we are excited about going to Ireland for Spring Break.
2. Shadda (aka The Blue Cat) is still pooping on Steve's chair.
3. The niece hasn't asked for money in at least a week.

Three YouTubes About Hillary
1. Hillary's Breakdown
2. Hillary's Breakdown according to John Stewart
3. Someone proposes to Hillary on the stump

Three Things I'm Grateful For:

1. My CD player in my car -- I'm listening to books on CD again. It's fun

2. Netflix -- I'm watching the Tudors with oh so sexy Johnathan Rhys Myers

3. My Cats -- They are so cute and cuddly.

Christmas blahs

2007-11-28T14:15:00.000-08:00

It's the Christmas season and I have the "Holiday Blahs." As much as I love Christmas, I am ambivalent about it this year. Perhaps it's because I'm feeling rather broke, saving money for Ireland. The idea of shopping fills me with dread, however. I don't look forward to buying things. I can't stand shopping for my husband. He buys everything for himself, so there's nothing left for me to buy. And everything I buy for the niece, she never uses or she loses, so I'm unmotivated to spend much money on her. Not to mention that she ran our cellphone bill up to $250.00. No, I'm not inclined to spend a lot of money on her this Christmas.

I am wearing a holiday sweatshirt today to try to get into the mood. I am also going to start going through my Christmas sock collection. Maybe that will help.

My three gratitudes for the day are
1. I am grateful for our fireplace. I love having a warm fire on these chilly nights.
2. I am grateful for my current housecleaning company. They are reliable even if they are expensive. (White liberal guilt aside....)
3. I am grateful to the person who fixed the printer at work today -- it broke down; it was so frustrating.

Random Musings

2007-11-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

I think I only gained perhaps 2 pounds over Thanksgiving, but that is 2 pounds too many. I need to be careful in the upcoming weeks, especially as the holidays draw near.

The only movie I've seen recently is Beowulf. I saw it in the 3d version, which was interesting. I'd love to see a "making of" movie to see how they generated some of the stunts.

My 3 gratitudes:
1. I am grateful for the YMCA's track. They keep the temperature at a constant 68, which is perfect for walking. Not too cold and not too hot.
2. I am grateful for the cold weather. I so hate the heat.
3. I am grateful for crystal light drink mix packets. I seem to be living on them ever since the surgery. Sometimes I miss soda, but crystal light more than makes up for it.

Fun links

2007-11-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

Two fun links that were recently pointed out to me:

1. Free Rice -- a vocabulary test that feeds the starving
2. RPG Motivational posters

Enjoy!

P.S. I think I gained 3 pounds. I know I had too much Turkey.

Nothing important

2007-10-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

It's been ages and ages since I've really paid much attention to my blog, so I felt compelled to write something, just so I can purge my guilt over it. Absolutely nothing exciting has been going on in my life of late. No good movies. Had a flat tire this morning. Going to Ireland for spring break. D&D on Sunday. Blah blah, yadda yadda.

The niece was home this weekend and stressed about college apps. She took the ACT, which she's hoping to score well on so that she can get money for college. A few weeks ago she was talking about applying to half a dozen or more colleges, all of which were ivy league or private schools. Now she's actually only applying to four, with Tulane as her backup, mostly because Tulane's application is free. It would be nice if she went to Tulane, but she wants out of LA so bad, I don't see it happening. Lately she's been talking Ohio State. (THE Ohio State University, sorry.) I think that would be an excellent choice, because it's a cheap school and Steve and I can afford to send her there.

I'm still losing weight, though not as fast. The doctor said I should eat more protein and less calories, but the independent nutritionist I saw said it was unhealthy to eat less than 1200 calories a day, as did Chris (Steve's brother, the trainer). So I've decided to be happy with slower weight loss. The doctor also said I needed to slow down my walks and make them last longer. She said it wasn't the distance that counted, it was the time spent. I talked to Chris about that and he explained why the doctor was wrong.

I think sometimes that all they care about are their weightloss statistics and not the actual health of the people they've serviced.

I also think it is hurting me that I can't go to the weekly aftercare/support meeting because I have class. So, I'm basically doing it on my own. On the flip side, I would probably get demotivated because I'm losing weight much more slowly than the average surgury patient, so maybe it's a good thing I'm not going.

My clothes are all safety pinned together, which is a nice feeling.

The holidays are going to be rough, though. I'm craving halloween candy. CANDY CORN!

Dublin for Labor Process

2007-10-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the Sells-Jaros household is going to Dublin, Ireland for spring break. The Labor Process conference is there this year. And all three of our spring breaks coincide with the conference, so it is our destiny to go. And, St. Patrick's day is right smack in the middle of break. I'm so psyched. Steve has already purchased the plane tickets and made reservations at a B&B for us.

Here is the link to the B&B: http://www.flyoveronline.com/

Disappointment at BRCC

2007-10-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

Rant:

I do not understand why students walk away from a whole one, even two, letter grades by not showing up prepared on speech days. They don't even seem remorseful about it. I offer extra credit (a whole half a letter grade) to students who come see me with a completed speech before speech days start, and only one or two students show up. I don't understand this culture. They seem happy with low grades.

I really need to go watch how other teachers teach here to get a better sense of what strategies people are using in the classroom.

Ah well.

In the Valley of Elah and Eastern Promises

2007-09-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've seen two really good movies this weekend. _In the Valley of Elah_ and _Eastern Promises_.

_In the Valley of Elah_, directed by Paul Haggis, was very moving and disturbing to me. Much more so than the movie _Crash_, which I felt ended up reinforcing white privilege as much as challenging racism. One review called the movie "lacerating." That's a great word to describe it. I can't really say much about the film because just describing it will give too many spoilers. Apparently it is based on a true story, however. One of the themes of the film is how the young soldiers in Iraq deal with their stress and the lack of mental health care they get as they transition from Iraq to home. It makes me think of all the young people I have in my classes who have been "over there." What kind of transition issues are they facing? I have no idea. I mentioned the movie to one of my students from the military and he disagreed that there were issues. Have we as a culture become so cold through a combination of video games, dehumanizing racism, and Neo-con stupidity that these kids really -don't- have issues? _In the Valley of Elah_ is based on a true story. It's bone-chilling.

The other movie I saw this week was _Eastern Promises_ starring the hunky Viggo Mortensen, who gets totally nekked! in a brutal fight scene. This was a very body-oriented movie as are all of Cronenberg's movies. I really dislike Cronenberg because he's so misogynistic, but he wasn't so bad in this movie. Tattoos are really central to the plot and apparently it was Viggo's idea to incorporate them in the movie. I thought that was cool. And it illustrates how deeply he does research and immerses himself in his roles. Anyway, there was lots of Viggo eye-candy amidst a really suspense-filled tale. I could go on and on about the gross body-stuff of this film, but I won't. It's a great movie and worth the fresh tomato from Rottentomatoes.com.

I'm very scared

2007-09-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

According to this recent poll, Guiliani is favored over Clinton and Obama. I know it's really early to worry, but if we have ANOTHER REPUBLICAN president, I swear I'm moving to Canada along with the rest of the radical left.

Jena

2007-09-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to go to Jena today. I mean I -really- wanted to go. I have class and I have a faculty meeting. No real excuse, though, is it. My white liberal guilt is plaguing me. I watched a clip of the rally from CNN. There are so few white faces there. But the town is packed and there's tons of news coverage and I'm really glad about that.

The Jena Six

2007-09-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

At Jena High School, students of different races customarily seldom sat together. Black students traditionally sat on bleachers near the auditorium, while white students sat under a large shade tree, referred to as the "white tree," in the center of the school courtyard.During a school assembly on August 31, 2006, a black male freshman student asked permission from the principal to sit in the shade of the "white tree." The principal told the students they could "sit wherever they wanted." The following morning, three nooses were discovered hanging from the tree. What follows below is a chronology of racial violence in Jena over the past school year, copied from the BRActionForJena6 website.

Chronology of Racial Violence in Jena over the Past School Year

Aug. 31, 2006: Two black youths, after talking to the school principal at Jena High School, sit under a tree traditionally reserved for white students on the school campus.

Sept. 1, 2006: The next day, three nooses are hung from the tree. After initially being expelled by the principal, the three white students responsible are given three days of “in-school suspension.” The school superintendent is quoted as saying, "Adolescents play pranks. I don't think it was a threat to anybody."

Sept. 5, 2006: A group of black students gathered and sat under the tree in protest. White students' parents called the police, and LaSalle County's white district attorney stormed the campus with armed police and gave an impromptu lecture to the black students who had gathered under the tree. "I could end your lives with the stroke of a pen," he reportedly told them. Black students say that he was looking directly at them.

Sept. 8th, 2006: Jena High School was placed on full lockdown. Most students, black and white, either stayed home, or were picked up by parents shortly after the lockdown was imposed. The Jena Times suggested that black parents were to blame for the unrest at the school because their September 5th gathering had attracted media attention.

Sept, 10, 2006: Several dozen black students and parents attempted to address the school board concerning the recent events but were refused because the board was of the opinion that "the noose issue" had been adequately resolved. Racial tensions in Jena remained high.

Nov, 30 2006: Arson destroyed Jena High's main academic building. Local law enforcement cannot prove the fire was connected to the noose-hangings or the subsequent racially-motivated attacks. This further escalated racial tensions in Jena as whites blamed blacks for the fire and blacks blamed whites.

Dec. 1, 2006: Robert Bailey, one of the student leaders of the Jena High protests, was invited to a party attended by mostly white students. At this party he was attacked by a 22-year old man wielding a beer bottle. He was further attacked with bottles and blows after being knocked to the ground.

Dec. 2, 2006: Robert Bailey and two friends went to a convenience store where they ran into a young white man from the previous night’s party. After exchanging words with him, the trio entered the store. The young white man greeted them with a pistol grip shotgun upon their exit. The African-American boys wrested the gun from him and ran away.

December 4, 2006: A white student, Justin Barker, was allegedly using racial epithets and celebrating the beating of Bailey at Friday night’s party. A fight broke out, and Barker was knocked out. He was kicked by a several black students after he hit the ground. The police were called, and after speaking with several witnesses six boys – 17-year-old Robert Bailey, Jr. whose bail was set at $138,000; 17-year-old Theo Shaw - bail $130,000; 18-year-old Carwin Jones - bail $100,000; 17-year-old Bryant Purvis - bail $70,000; 16-year-old Mychal Bell, who was charged as an adult and for whom bail was set at $90,000; and a still unidentified juvenile – were arrested and charged with aggravated 2nd degree assault and conspiracy to commit the same. District Attorney Reed Walters intervened to increase the charges to attempted second degree murder. In the meantime, Justin Barker was treated at a hospital and released. He attended his high school ring ceremony later that evening. Bailey, Shaw, and another friend were also charged with theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace in connection with the incident at the convenience store. Furthermore, the six were immediately expelled from Jena High. The normal punishment for a fight at school is a three day suspension.

June 28th, 2007: Mychal Bell, the first of the six to go to trial, was convicted of charges of aggravated 2nd degree assault and conspiracy to commit the same. His court-appointed attorney did not challenge the composition of the all-white jury, did not ask for a change of venue, nor did the lawyer call witnesses or introduce evidence on Bell’s behalf. He will be sentenced on September 20th, and faces up to 22 years in prison for the schoolyard fight. “Aggravated second degree assault” requires an assailant use a potentially lethal weapon. The D.A. successfully argued that the black youths’ tennis shoes were lethal weapons.

July 10th, 2007: Two white men were arrested after they ran over a sign outside a black church in Jena that had just held an NAACP meeting. The two have been charged with “criminal damage to property.”

LINKS:

Action:

The Wiki for Baton Rouge Action for Jena Six has the above chronology of events, talking points, links, and a signup list for ridesharing to the Sept. 20th rally in Jena. You can donate to the Jena Six Defense fund here at colorofchange.org and you can sign the petition at colorofchange.org here or at the NAACP here.

News:

Democracy.Now's 6 part coverage of the Jena Six:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

A video of Al Sharpton on the Jena Six

* NPR: Case of 'Jena Six' Tears at Small Town's Harmony
* BBC: 'Stealth racism' stalks deep South
* Bill Quigley's "Injustice in Jena" has made the rounds on the net: The Black Commentator's countercurrents.org and Truthout.com CommonDreams.org

A bizarre quote from Bill Quigly that reflects how fucked up this situation is:

Whites in the community were adamant that there is no racism. "We don't have a problem,” according to one. Other locals told the media "We all get along," and "most blacks are happy with the way things are." One person even said "We don't have many problems with our blacks." (ital. mine)

* Washington Post: LA Town Fells "White Tree" (The "White Tree" has been cut down to give the town a "clean start")
* Chicago Tribune: School Bans Shirts in Racially Tinged Case (Free the Jena Six t shirts were banned at Jena High School)
* Whileseated.Org: A photo of the white tree and a pic of a free the jena six t-shirt.
* Counterpunch.org: White Supremacy and the Jena Six

More Ramblings

2007-09-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Today I taught supporting material in the public speaking classes. The students were falling asleep. I have slipped back into cover the material mode. A good 1/4 of the students still do not have the books, however, and the other 3/4 still aren't reading. A good third of the students don't even take notes. I know I sound like a crusty old teacher who needs to retire, but I just don't understand how to connect to these students at BRCC. I really think the Osborn textbook is inappropriate for this audience. I'm frustrated.