2007 has been one of the best years in recent memory. Here's a month by month breakdown to be followed up with a photo entry.
January: I traveled to the Philippines December 29th and stayed for two weeks at Balay Kalinaw at the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus. During that time, I met with members of GABRIELA, MIGRANTE INTERNATIONAL, SAMAKANA, and TASK FORCE SUBIC RAPE. I ushered in 2007 in Tagaytay (an hours drive, depending on the traffic from metro Manila) with some friends. I believe the way I spent the last few days of 2006 and the beginning of 2007 set the tone for the rest of my year.
February: J and I traveled to NYC for a weekend visit to celebrate our 10th, yes 10th, anniversary. We ate at a fabulous Greek restaurant on Bleeker street, stayed at a very cool gay-owned B and B in Chelsea, and watched the Indianapolis Colts whoop the Chicago Bears in a classic Super Bowl match-up somewhere in the West Village . . .good times.
March: J and I traveled to Minnesota to visit some friends. The highlight of the trip was visiting Minneapolis once more, one of my favorite cities in the U.S.
April: Some down time.
May: J and I drove to West Virginia for her mother's surprise 80th birthday party. My mom traveled from Ohio (she was on her own personal journey during the summer) to meet up with us and partake in the celebration. The big event took place at Eccles Baptist Church in Eccles, WV . . . the church was packed with relatives that had come from far and near to celebrate Viola Barry's birthday! She never looked happier than when she saw her sisters (hailing from TX and OH) walk through the door.
June: Some much needed down time. We worked on getting our vegetable garden planted and our backyard together for some summer fun.
July: J and I went to Ireland for 10 days. This occasion marked the very first time J had ever traveled out of the country. I thought it was particularly fitting that we would visit Ireland, where many of her relatives are from. We rented a car (Nissan Micra), braved driving on the left, and toured the entire country. It was fantastic. I visited some migrant organizations to discuss the migration of Filipino nurses to the country.
August: Enjoyed the remains of the summer by the creek, enjoying a campfire with our hound dog. Prepared for the beginning of Fall semester.
September: J and I went to Connecticut and Rhode Island to celebrate the 69th birthday of my mentor and friend. Took a boat tour around Rhode Island to see "how the other half" lives . . . swank, swank, swank.
October: I traveled to Hartford, CT to attend a conference. Enjoyed the panels and made some wonderful contacts along the way . . .
November: J and I flew to Amsterdam and Edinburgh. Needless to say, Amsterdam was all I had hoped it to be and more. I met with members of MIGRANTE-Europe and learned about the situation of many Filipinos who work in the service industry there. In Edinburgh we visited with friends and a former colleague we used to work with at MNSU. The highlight of Scotland was the chance to drink some very nice whisky.
December: J and I spent the Christmas holiday in a cabin in the Adirondacks (Indian Lake, the central part of the Adirondack park). With the hound dog, we embarked on two trails (Rock River and Rock Lake) and snow shoed our asses off. And, tonight, on the last day of 2007 we are spending a quiet night at home with some friends. A little wine, a little bubbly, and hopes for a peaceful 2008.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Down Time
The past month has been a whirlwind of traveling for J and I. In November we took off for Amsterdam and Edinburgh for an 8 day visit. On Monday we returned from the mountain state after a short visit with Js family to usher in the holiday season. Thankfully, we are grounded for a while, at least a month, barring a few day trips here and there, to catch our breath, clean the house, and return to our natural winter state of being house cats.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A Tangled Affair
For the past couple of months a peculiar drama has been unfolding on an academic listserv to which I subscribe. On any given day, you are likely to receive at least 10-15 messages from people advertising jobs, posting CFPS for journals or conferences, posing pedagogical questions, etc. The list is ruled with a firm hand by a techie-type matriarch who lurks about making sure the topics and postings are confined to areas of teaching and NOT politics. Often times, people will stray off course, only to be publicly admonished for an "off topic" post. Should one accrue multiple warnings from the self described "nag," all privileges to list will be revoked. Personally, I think her rationale for keeping the listserv so narrowly focused is stupid. I don't think one can be a good teacher without understanding how one's pedagogy is influenced by politics and political discussions. But, I digress.
It would appear the nag has "left the building" as they say, because a troubling, yet fascinating, academic drama has been unfolding without a peep from our ever diligent list serve owner. The drama concerns a well known academic researcher (a mentor to a former "friend" (deep sarcasm here) of ours) and her involvement, er, "investigation" into a controversy surrounding the publication of a 2003 book by a researcher/scientist some have considered an unethical, hack, peddling in pseudo scientific theories re sexuality. The well known (and well respected--at least before this broke out) researcher has taken it upon herself to write a 60 page essay about the controversy--essentially determining that the while the science and research is shoddy, the attacks on this work by detractors, is far worse. Obviously, this essay is being read by many as an "apology" for the 2003 publication . . . drawing the ire of many, and refueling the controversy.
A few months ago a CFP was posted to the listserv for a panel critiquing both the 2003 monograph and the 2007 "investigation" by a grad student. Unfortunately, the author of the 2007 investigation is on the list and had a very public, meltdown. For the past several weeks she has written a torrent of hateful emails accusing these people (including the grad student) of attempts to "ruin" her reputation in the same manner they tried with the author of the 2003 study. Threats of lawsuits based on defamation of character have been made . . . all on this listserv! What would compel such an implosion? Isn't "critique" the heart of academic inquiry? Why the fuss? Why would a well known academic feel threatened by a conference session organized by a grad student?
More importantly, why am I so fucking absorbed into this drama?
Life in the academy is a tangled affair. It's also a very, very, small world. The researcher who is imploding on the list happens to be the mentor of a person that I had the unfortunate occasion to be "friends" with at my last institution. And, like mentor, like student, this "friend" exhibited the same type of arrogance and bullish behavior her mentor has been exhibiting on the list.
I've gotten some pleasure, as shameful as it is to admit, from all of this mess. I always wondered if there ever would be justice in the world . . . if people who really screwed people over would ever experience the pain and hurt they inflict on others (an eye for an eye? perhaps). This "friend" would use her association with her mentor as a trump card--a badge advertising how cool she was to be affiliated with such a "top notch" researcher in the field . . .and now, what must she be feeling as her mentor slowly goes down in flames, publicly humiliating herself in front of peers?
Schadenfreude? Absolutely.
It would appear the nag has "left the building" as they say, because a troubling, yet fascinating, academic drama has been unfolding without a peep from our ever diligent list serve owner. The drama concerns a well known academic researcher (a mentor to a former "friend" (deep sarcasm here) of ours) and her involvement, er, "investigation" into a controversy surrounding the publication of a 2003 book by a researcher/scientist some have considered an unethical, hack, peddling in pseudo scientific theories re sexuality. The well known (and well respected--at least before this broke out) researcher has taken it upon herself to write a 60 page essay about the controversy--essentially determining that the while the science and research is shoddy, the attacks on this work by detractors, is far worse. Obviously, this essay is being read by many as an "apology" for the 2003 publication . . . drawing the ire of many, and refueling the controversy.
A few months ago a CFP was posted to the listserv for a panel critiquing both the 2003 monograph and the 2007 "investigation" by a grad student. Unfortunately, the author of the 2007 investigation is on the list and had a very public, meltdown. For the past several weeks she has written a torrent of hateful emails accusing these people (including the grad student) of attempts to "ruin" her reputation in the same manner they tried with the author of the 2003 study. Threats of lawsuits based on defamation of character have been made . . . all on this listserv! What would compel such an implosion? Isn't "critique" the heart of academic inquiry? Why the fuss? Why would a well known academic feel threatened by a conference session organized by a grad student?
More importantly, why am I so fucking absorbed into this drama?
Life in the academy is a tangled affair. It's also a very, very, small world. The researcher who is imploding on the list happens to be the mentor of a person that I had the unfortunate occasion to be "friends" with at my last institution. And, like mentor, like student, this "friend" exhibited the same type of arrogance and bullish behavior her mentor has been exhibiting on the list.
I've gotten some pleasure, as shameful as it is to admit, from all of this mess. I always wondered if there ever would be justice in the world . . . if people who really screwed people over would ever experience the pain and hurt they inflict on others (an eye for an eye? perhaps). This "friend" would use her association with her mentor as a trump card--a badge advertising how cool she was to be affiliated with such a "top notch" researcher in the field . . .and now, what must she be feeling as her mentor slowly goes down in flames, publicly humiliating herself in front of peers?
Schadenfreude? Absolutely.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
End of the Beach Bum
I'm sipping on the last of my corona lite, winding down after a pretty chill vacation at home. i needed to leave the stress of publishing pressure, class preparation, fellowship applications, and all the other tedious aspects of my job. despite the beer intake, which seemed inevitable, i managed to stay on diet pretty well. i've subsisted on a steady diet of shellfish (lobster, blue crabs, rock shrimp) and fish (sea bass--i've felt guilty about this one, given how overfished it is these days, but i couldn't resist when i ate at one of the better chinese restaurants in altamonte, fl: eastern pearl). so, i figure indulging in my love of beer should be ok. plus, i simply hate red wine in 88 degree heat. fuck diet. enjoy vacation.
While here, I acquired some pretty cool reading material: Naomi Klein's *Shock Doctrine* and Susan Faludi's *Terror Dream*. The latter I'm reading for both an online reading discussion to take place on Nov. 19 over at Pandagon and for my upcoming women and war class . . . I think Faludi is doing some interesting stuff that might resonate with this generation. And, Klein's book has been heralded since it was published . . .though the media (mainstream that is) has pretty much ignored her. What else is new?
I take off from the 'house of the mouse' at 6:00 pm, back to the cool, fall weather of upstate NY. It's been good. Hope to return soon.
While here, I acquired some pretty cool reading material: Naomi Klein's *Shock Doctrine* and Susan Faludi's *Terror Dream*. The latter I'm reading for both an online reading discussion to take place on Nov. 19 over at Pandagon and for my upcoming women and war class . . . I think Faludi is doing some interesting stuff that might resonate with this generation. And, Klein's book has been heralded since it was published . . .though the media (mainstream that is) has pretty much ignored her. What else is new?
I take off from the 'house of the mouse' at 6:00 pm, back to the cool, fall weather of upstate NY. It's been good. Hope to return soon.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
F-L-O-R-I-D-A
October in Florida is surreal. It's mad hot in the day, with warm, humid breezes cooling everything down in the evening. There's no bugs. No hassles with skeeters. Just fresh, salty air that sticks with you the rest of the night -- gets in your clothes, your hair, your skin.
Driving North on US-1 from Titusville is a great way to see "old Florida." Live oaks with spanish moss, trailer parks, palm trees, alligator farms, flea markets, remains of former fruit stands bankrupted by one frost too many, and in the fall, an abundance of pumpkin patches! I've only been here for three days, but I've already lost track of time. I had totally forgotten it was Fall . . . where's the cider? The sweaters? The chill in the air?
New Smyrna is gearing up for Biketoberfest . . . just another reason to party around here. Tourism remains the only stable industry amidst a sea of foreclosure signs decorating the front of condominiums. Cranes hang like old skeletons, hovering above three stories of unfinished concrete blocks of tackiness--another development project gone belly up. Perhaps the silver lining in this dismal national economy can be found in Florida, where the boom of development is having to take a break . . . give the gators a rest, the egrets a place to hang, the turtles a chance to hatch, and the shoreline a mere moment to breathe. But only for a moment, I'm sure.
Taking US-1 from Ormond to Daytona will take you through the grittiness of my birthplace. The seedy hotels with neon palm trees flashing "vacancy" and "clean rooms," chicks hawking their wares in cut off shorts, emergency pregnancy centers (this was the actual name), cash checking businesses, krispy creme donuts, tobacco exotica (a favorite high school haunt), and good old, "bucks gun shop" complete with a picture of a .38 emblazoned on a big yellow sign. Slimy store fronts in run down strip malls advertise religion, jesus, and salvation. My favorite sign: 7 days without Church is a week without Jesus.
Guns, God, and Pink Flamingos. I love being home.
Driving North on US-1 from Titusville is a great way to see "old Florida." Live oaks with spanish moss, trailer parks, palm trees, alligator farms, flea markets, remains of former fruit stands bankrupted by one frost too many, and in the fall, an abundance of pumpkin patches! I've only been here for three days, but I've already lost track of time. I had totally forgotten it was Fall . . . where's the cider? The sweaters? The chill in the air?
New Smyrna is gearing up for Biketoberfest . . . just another reason to party around here. Tourism remains the only stable industry amidst a sea of foreclosure signs decorating the front of condominiums. Cranes hang like old skeletons, hovering above three stories of unfinished concrete blocks of tackiness--another development project gone belly up. Perhaps the silver lining in this dismal national economy can be found in Florida, where the boom of development is having to take a break . . . give the gators a rest, the egrets a place to hang, the turtles a chance to hatch, and the shoreline a mere moment to breathe. But only for a moment, I'm sure.
Taking US-1 from Ormond to Daytona will take you through the grittiness of my birthplace. The seedy hotels with neon palm trees flashing "vacancy" and "clean rooms," chicks hawking their wares in cut off shorts, emergency pregnancy centers (this was the actual name), cash checking businesses, krispy creme donuts, tobacco exotica (a favorite high school haunt), and good old, "bucks gun shop" complete with a picture of a .38 emblazoned on a big yellow sign. Slimy store fronts in run down strip malls advertise religion, jesus, and salvation. My favorite sign: 7 days without Church is a week without Jesus.
Guns, God, and Pink Flamingos. I love being home.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
DEsperate Housewives Sucks. Click below to find out why.
Whether it's Mel Gibson going ballistic about Jews, Michael Richards hatin on blacks, or Rosie, dear Rosie, saying "ching chong", it all fucking sucks and hurts the communities targetted. Racism is virulent in the United States. I wonder if these fuck-wits at ABC know the colonial history between the US and the RP? Are they aware of the numerous treaties established to coerce med students in the RP to practice in primarily poor areas in the US? It all goes back to 1898 my friends . . .
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Free the Jena 6!
I sat for the Jena 6 on my campus today, while thousands upon thousands of people descended on the small town of Jena, LA to protest the unjust arrests and sentencings of 6 black youths. On the morning news, I heard media pundits describing the events of today as the possible dawning of a new "civil rights" era in the U.S. We can only hope this is the case . . . it's important that the outrage and public protests is carried on well after September 20, resulting in real systemic change. And, I think we need to galvanize the anger this case has generated into a larger movement that is capable of connecting this case of domestic racism to the larger world where the US is running roughshod over the global south, destroying communities, nations, families, etc with its neo-liberal agenda and illegal occupation of iraq (soon to be iran). our policies of hatred, violence, and destruction are coming back to haunt a country that has never healed from its foundational moments of slavery and genocide . . .for more on the jena 6, check out this website.
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