Dad once said that he hoped his sons would follow him into engineering. Yes, that's sexist. Go be engineers, black people!

This girl in my American Studies class had a class canceled today because the professor was a friend of the King family, and was in mourning after hearing the news. Today was our first day at mentoring. The kids were bigger than I thought they would be- taller than me, and definitely larger. We played a game in which people who had a certain item or liked a certain thing that the person at the middle of the circle called out. One of the girls always got laid out every time. Kids, what can I tell you. Then we had a journal activity. There were too many mentors and too few mentees, so some of the mentors had to be floaters like me. I gave people stuff like scissors, gel pens, foam letters,etc for their journals. Another one of the floaters twisted together pipe cleaners for the girls- even making one with two colors of green for the green obsessed girl. Two of the mentees got yelled at for horse play, and there was a weird incident about a fake cell phone.


Anyway, we went back to a classroom for class. One of the teachers at the school came too. He was there earlier and fussed at one of the girls. Our class went smoothly, except for like when our teacher noticed this really weird board at the back. It was a normal word blob board on cause and effect- but under cause was written 'rape' and the effects were community 'girls and women scared to go out' personal 'depression, fear', etc. That's fucked up. Another odd classroom decoration was that on the other wall in sqiuggly letters was written the poem that appears on the Statue of Liberty about huddled masses, golden lamps, etc.

This news helped soothe the pain. Well, ok, the 1/4 bottle of Pepsi I scored for free also helped, but mostly this news. May this museum help eradicate the ignorance that we see concerning black history. Also, flea tells us about everyday heroism. Also in an oblique kind of way she owns the white decision to segregate. It's like in the book White Men on Racism, when the guys describe how they figured out that what we say happens doesn't really- and the world is unfair- and our actions create this. I think it must be owned before it can be fixed.

Pet peeve about anime: bootlegs. How to recognize a bootleg- Chinese and English subtitles, wrong art work, totally made up studio name, too cheap to be true prices. I hate them because if you're going to bootleg anime, don't pay money for it, idiots. That's a total rip off! And no, being sold in a comic store or on eBay is not a guarantee of authentic anime. Here are several FAQs on anime piracy. Try DVDpricesearch before buying a boot. Also, legit stores like rightstuf often have great discount sales. I once got the whole series of Princess Nine from ADV for $15. If you learn how to frigging shop, you won't get ripped off! And that's the word.

Shannon has random things to say. Warning: I may sound like a jackass. I was amused today when a girl I know said something in Chinese(possibly translates to bow down freshman) and this other guy bowed down. I was even more amused when the guy got up and was like you're my elder, you owe me money. The girl was like no, I'm not related to you at all, and this went on until the girl offered to buy the guy a beer if he begged real hard, and the guy was like 'hey! that's against the law and tradition!" The girl ended it with "welcome to America, baby". This story is why I will miss college. Everything has a glow, but it's sunset.

An amusing image from an anonymous author.

Here's a cool paper on lesbian identity I am reading for gay history class. (warning:PDF) Also, here is a good recipe. I changed it by sprinkling toasted buckwheat on it, and also used soy sauce instead of mayo and BBQ sauce.

Thanks to dehydration, I can fit into pants I couldn't wear last week, and now have space in them. This means I can procrastinate more before doing my laundry. W00t. Also, this awesome user icon reminds me that I need to memorize the map of Africa.

This book is pretty good so far. I have to admit that I was surprised when I saw the cover art- I borrowed a library edition, so basically, I have a book with a green and black cover, not the cover shown on Amazon. I am having a hard time deciding which parts to quote for my blog, but I think I'll review it soon. I have one more reading on slavery for class today, and a lot of readings for mentoring tomorrow.

Ten Things I Believe Without Evidence

1)Racism could be eliminated if we all read a book

2)White people in cities are automatically less scary than rural white people.

3)You only need 5 guns per family to defend yourself.

4)Eating only fruit and meat is a bad diet.

5)People should shut up, eat some food, and stop worrying about it.

6)Nothing is as humiliating as being in a gym

7)It is very likely I will have to live in a box

8)People who randomly are mean to other people should not be popular

9)One should avoid taking too much medicine

10)Raw meat and eggs are covered with disease

If you want yourself to drink more water, here are some tips:

Lemon or Lime Juice
Put it in a bottle- I bought a $15 bottle(it was expensive because it has Emory on it, and is a nagalene type) and now I drink water a lot every day. Also, a funny take off of Toothpaste for Dinner. In other news, I wish I was this hot.

Apparently it is National Mentoring Month. We start mentoring on Tuesday for Community Psychology. We've planned two icebreakers and a journaling activity so that we will have a full time with our mentees. Apparently all the kids in this program are girls. Some are at risk, and others got in because their moms would rather them do activities with Emory students than watch TV at home. In other news, I went to the garden today. We were supposed to harvest, but no one else showed up. There were a lot of dry pea pods all over, but most of the plants were nice and leafy. Must be the odd weather.

You know, tomatoes with mozzarella and Italian seasoning are good. But mostly if you have a good tomato.. Also, vanity web searches can be fun! Look what I found.

Train spotting? Apparently someone has gone around and taken pictures of different metro transport systems. I felt very comforted when I saw the European style Easy Way on the Memphis page,btw. Also, a random plan for energy independence.

*happy ego*

Hey, here's a interesting looking West African epic. I may search to see if my school has it. This is possible because I think my African history teacher referenced it. Here's a version of the epic for young kids. Also, here's a version of a story I enjoyed as a child- Why Do Mosquitoes Buzz In People's Ears. I have to admit that I really liked the Childcraft books(in which I read that story). Those books also made me familiar with the stories of Anansi the spider. I have Anansi Boys on my bookshelf, but am saving it. All this talking about Africa reminds me of my African history class. This white guy was like 'When I moved to the US from Liberia when I was 9, all the other kids asked me whether I had seen lions or giraffes, and I tried to explain that I had lived in a city by the sea and the most wildlife I had seen was a monkey, but they just went back to their stereotypes'. That shows how ingrained our ideas can become before we are even a decade old..

This recipe is good. I used a yellow pepper, Mexican shredded cheese mix, ranch style black beans, a lot of cilantro and no tomato sauce to make it. How it tastes when you follow the actual recipe may vary.

I felt a little evil for laughing at the stupid white boy, but then I remembered how this type of guy always complains about how blacks and women are stealing all the jobs, and felt free to laugh and laugh and laugh.

Fucked up police incident. Of course, obvious tag for the fact the shot officer's surname was 'Hernandez'. Hope he gets well soon.

I have finished Robert Jensen's Heart of Whiteness. It is a good starting primer for those who are unfamiliar with white privilege. I especially like how the book is footnoted, so you can immediately look at his sources, and also how he suggests further reading. A must for every white person. And read the whole book too! The copy that I borrowed only has underlines in the first few chapters. I hope the person decided to be polite from then on, but probably not.

I felt for the black guy with his internalized inferiority. He got over it, but I have to admit I have an inferiority complex. Although I have to admit that at least I'm working hard, unlike some people. I also was personally affected by Jensen's talk about how we should all recognize(OK, he was talking to white people, but hey, I universilize) when we are being fools. I'm a bit over sensitive about acting foolish, and should be lighter and less nervous with others. Overall to me some of his points were a bit basic- like white people have privilege and people of color in fact do not like being dead, but to a lot of people, this book would be a revelation.

Barbara at Lucky White Girl has been very good at blogging lately. Lately, I'm like Uh...ha ha, Sailor Chibi Moon's attack is really weak,eh? Maybe I should go to bed early tonight. I suck irl too lately. Me to TA: Uh...I'm going to be absent Feb 9. Do I have to like do stuff? Me to random office lady: I was supposed to do something to apply for my degree! But I forgot what it was!

"My Man Doesn't Need Turtle Eggs"- A picture from the controversal anti turtle egg use campaign. Here's a funny interview with this woman's lawyer. According to Tucker Carlson cheap foreign imports oppress the wages of our porn stars.

Point of Fashion: Sweater.

A quote: "We're watching Edward Penishands. Talk to you later". Clone High is on DVD. We watched like 4 episodes of it. I love the theme song. In other news, TAs on strike.

Super BabyMama explores poverty. I explore racial politics on my other blog.

"That's why the more understated, if not downright passive aggressive forms of communication that many whites engage in can create absolute culture shock when blacks enter the workplace populated by whites"- from Working While Black.

I have to admit that that form of communication 'reads' to me as being giant fucking liars. If your words and your actions don't match, it causes me to see you as a liar. I don't know why, but that's how I determine things.

Well, I'm not going to be able to sleep now because the nightmares would eat me. A NSFW tale of abuse.

According to the Colbert Report Bill Oreilly is a fan. I'm totally amused. Lately I'm obsessed with fried chicken. I smell some now, and near the school on Tuesday, there was the lovely smell of fried chicken in the air. I had rice and steamed bell peppers for dinner. Maybe I should go and buy some sesame oil and like, other condiments on Saturday. I want some of that Thai chili sauce- now I can eat Louisiana hot sauce on my chicken instead of having to have Texas Pete. I pulled an other boy's black card for putting hot sauce on his omelets and not putting it on his fried chicken. I don't care if he runs away and joins the oreos livejournal community because of it.

I think real black cherry vanilla coke would taste really good, but I only had the crappy diet version, as all the real ones were taken. I hate diet coke- it tastes funny, and it reminds me of annoying girls who need to shut up and fucking eat.(no offense if you actually have an eating disorder, but if you just think it'd be cool if you had a deadly disorder, you suck). But since it was free, I took it and drank it. I might actually buy a real one, although I have to say that I wanted to try it after I saw supermarket employee buy one and talk about how they were good.

Hey, somebody black's on the Colbert Report! But she thinks Condi dresses sexy. I'm suspicious.

The Daily Show has a good interview- an expert on Islam Reza Aslan noted that Osama Bin Ladin and his movement have changed Islam from an institution based religion to a populist religion. An interesting thought.

We went to the school that we were going to be mentoring at for the first time. The principal gave a long winded speech covering these basic topics: 1)Emory back in the day was full of racist white people 2)There are dumb white people- it takes all of us to make the best of us. 3)You should follow your dreams. 4)You should go to job fairs totally unrelated to what your career path is. 5)You should remember that some people don't know who Marcus Garvey is. 6)You should learn stuff while mentoring. 7)He feels that being a school principal is like a ministry of service.

Hopefully we'll not have to endure any more hour long speeches. I nearly passed out from hunger.

This is a poem about the need for safe space by a poet who goes by 'Chrystos'
If you want to 'reprint' it, please credit her. Also, here is her biography and the works she has written. Now to the poem:

THOSE TEARS

of a white woman who came to the group for Women of Color
only
her grief cut us into guilt while we clutched the straw
of this tiny square inch we have which we need
so desperately when we need so much more
We talked her into leaving
which took 10 minutes of our precious 60
Those legion white Lesbians whose feelings are hurt
because we have a Lesbians of Color Potluck
once a month for 2 hours
without them
Those tears of the straight woman
because we kicked out her boyfriend at the Lesbians only
poetry reading where no microphone was provided
& the room was much too small for all of us
shouting that we were imperialists
though I had spent 8 minutes trying to explain
to her that an oppressed people
cannot oppress their oppressor
She ignored me
charged into the room weeping & storming
taking up 9 minutes of our precious tiny square inch
Ah those tears
which could be jails, graves, rapists, thieves, thugs
those tears which are so puffed up with inappropriate grief
Those women who are used to having their tears work
rage at us
when they don't
We are not real Feminists they say
We do not love women
I yell back with a wet face
_Where are our jobs? Our apartments?_
_Our voices in parliament or congress?_
_Where is our safety from beatings, from murder?_
_You cannot even respect us to allow us_
_60 uninterrupted minutes for ourselves_

Your tears are chains
Feminism is the right of each woman
to claim her own life her own time
her own interrupted 60 hours
60 days
60 years
No matter how sensitive you are
if you are white
you are
No matter how sensitive you are
if you are a man
you are
We who are not allowed to speak have the right
to define our terms our turf
These facts are not debatable
Give us our inch
& we'll hand you a hanky

Liliane is back! Also, keenspace has changed its name. Like wtf? I guess I've been out of touch, but wtf?

I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be able to understand this. Well, if I can't understand basic geometry, at least I feel better knowing that I made fun of Mississippi like 5 times today.

Someone brings the funny.

I found a new advocacy group for smart growth. I like smart growth because sprawl seems to hurt people of color- if people live so far away from each other that they don't see each other as neighbors, it's hard to get support for initiatives to help. Not to mention, public transit makes it cheaper to get to work. Also, in similar news, Bitch PHD's public transportation thoughts.

Today my life sucked because I got up at 12 pm after I meant to get up at 9 am. I had to madly dash out the door, and in the rush, I forgot my response paper for History of Africa or whatever. So you all can enjoy!

Africa in Ads

In the first ad, the white children are contrasted in the black African children. Both images include cows, but the white presumably American children are wearing modern clothes, while the African kids are wearing what look like loincloths and are carrying spears. This is pretty odd because Pretoria is a city in South Africa, so why would they be in the middle of a grass land, since Pretoria has tall buildings, although I haven't been there, but I've seen pictures of it. The second ad has two rugged looking white people, with the man carrying a cub. It's based on the old fashioned image of a safari- although why a human would be carrying a potentially dangerous animal, I have no idea. Even though we know there are some white people who live in Africa, this ad portrays them as rugged tourists- who else would be on a safari? Photo 3 reminds me of one of my pet peeves- in kid's cartoons, when something takes place in Africa, they show only antromorphized animals and 'wild nature', as if there's no people in Africa. Photo 5 presents a zebra as the main interest, with unidentified spear people and pots that are also unidentified standing out less. It seems to show a unified picture of this diverse continent as being just one culture, which mysteriously always has spears. I recognize photo 7 as being from a Jehovah's Witness magazine. The answer to the question on the cover is probably a resounding no. Note that the man on the cover is wearing this exotic costume, and using the bones of creatures supposedly to contact the spirit realm. The way he is posed, and the animal skins he is wearing makes him look almost animal like too. Photo 8 talks about explorers from hundreds of years ago, and the text is really weird- why are pygmies(I think that's a nickname for the BwaTwa or a people like that) grouped together with venomous spiders and malaria? They are people- not forces of the 'wild'. Also, Africa doesn't have tons of rainforest, the 'wild jungle' thing is totally inaccurate. In photo ten, the random African guy with a loincloth doesn't have a spear, but he has a stick. I'm not sure why they always have to have a phallic object in their hand. Also, what's the implication here? That this guy thinks that alcohol comes "magically" from the sky? If so, that's a stupid implication.

About the comments by the author: Photo 1: I think they just made up something, and thought we wouldn't notice. Advertising people aren't exactly known for their wide knowledge of the world. Photo 3: Also, Africa isn't synonymous with "nature". Photo 5: They could include a modern African- maybe an artist in modern clothes or a businessperson or a doctor as a photo. Or maybe use a fictionalized urban African as a narrator of the brochure or the program. Photo 6: Of course, the poor by nature are "uncivilized" The rich identified ad makers wouldn't think of connecting anything less than lavish to civilization. Photo 8: I agree. Like people would bite your ankles! I didn't even think about the types of spiders, though. Photo 10: I've never seen the film referenced. Of course, I am an American, so I thought of the wildly inaccurate stereotypes of blacks as heavy drinkers, although we drink less than white Americans. I wonder if other people would think of the same stereotypes?

Also,in class, I thought about more stuff, so I'll write it here. In class, our teacher who was in 'cynical mode' and had us laughing with comments like "I like how the women have gotten into it and are wearing African style dresses that they bought for a hundred dollars at Chicos!" and "Who is serving them? An authentic African, and look! They are authentic rich white people!" We also learned some words kaffir means the n word in Africaans and Boma is the colonial governor's office. I commented on the Kenya doll and how African Americans appropiate a contentless Africa which is only vaguely different from African America- I mean seriously, what does 'African Pride' on hair products even mean? I wish I had a cool book of ads like my teacher though.

I liked it when the mexican dude on Boondocks bust in with the random AA studies lecture. Well, at least the rich white dude got his park after the property values went down.

Today I forgot they were going to harvest the garden. Total GEH. And now I have to face the algebra practice drill, like double GEH. Or read about the social construction of something...triple GEH.

I watched Oniisama E episode 10. I was trying to figure out this episode, as I didn't understand it the first time I watched. Mariko scares Nanako at her(Mariko's) birthday party, by not letting Nanako go home. Nanako frightened by this bizarre behavior, stops talking to Mariko. This episode, Mariko stops eating, and faints. I love Kaoru no Kimi in this episode- because this episode was after her relapse, her words on the importance of health, and how Mariko only thinks health is unimportant because she is still healthy really ring true. However, I didn't get why Nanako called her a hero, even though yes, Mariko is fighting with loneliness alone. However, her means are so shocking to me that the fight becomes lost in that. Not eating til someone forgives you seems shockingly passive, or maybe just self destructive. In one of the reasons I love this show, Mariko and the self destructive Saint Juste are visually compared. I agree- they are both self destructive. But what will happen next? And I wonder if any men are portrayed as being self destructive like this? I can't remember any..

Tips for life: Don't open spice bottles with scissors. I now have to wear a giant bandaid everywhere. If steaming salmon, turn it over or the top will be raw. Hydrogen peroxide removes both blood stains and grape juice stains.

Well,at least someone else is doing poorly in life. Although if I don't get to studying, I won't be able to be a failed postgrad anything..

I hate how fucking hot it is in here, so here's a picture of a random white chick.

Point of Fashion: Blue and Brown. Note that he has picked out a jacket and undershirt with subtle reds that favor his complexion.

Why we should all have webcomics and make zine comics instead of working for stupid Marvel or DC. Male privilege and comics. Lea Hernandez will still make comics.

I want to see this movie. I don't think I've seen Jesus as an African revolutionary before. Hopefully it'll be different from the same old same old- it sounds like it. Also, yay for African produced film. I suck at life, so the only movie I've seen from Africa was a movie from Nigeria that I saw freshman year. It was a comedy with the moral that if you run after money, you'll be made a fool of. The production values weren't as lush as Hollywood films, but it was a good show.

It seems that Something New is really something old. Geh, I want a black movie that breaks out of this old crusty ass crap. In other news, colorful rage is open for POC who want to rage against racism. It's a safe space community where our rage is accepted and validated.

Some people's goals are disturbing. Although, I have to admit that I slightly identified with the 'show them all' guy on the daily show. I'm the type of person who remembers an annoying thing a girl has said from June and has to think "Dr King would love this white person!" for thirty whole minutes. But at least I can admit it to random strangers. Oh, but I'm not a crazy asshole, I'm an indigo child.

Today in school I learned that women had some pretty hot 'friendships' back in the day, what with all that 'bosom sex' and all those 'noises like someone pulling their finger out of a wet bottle' being made. Conservatives will be burning in fury that we have American Studies with a side of Queer History going there. Not to mention, I watched a dance concert with dancing peace flowers and fake gay making out. So like, in your face, annoying conservobots!

My life blows. Now MARTA monthly cards for Emory students have gone up to 50 bucks.

Black Looks talks about racism around the world, and how white people have appropriated the term to cement their power and privilege.

Some important tips on having a black friend. Also, if you think black folk are ugly, don't say "I don't find black people attractive". I hate that shit. Nobody ever says I don't find blondes attractive, so don't give me that shit. I'm not a fucking moron. And also, fuck you.

Al Sharpton fights a house negro and an annoying white guy in this fun clip. Also, Steve Gillard points out how black conservatives are complicit in their own oppression. Also, I have to locate African countries on a map and name them for some class. We should make all kids do this. And their capitals too. Maybe your kids should play this game. There are lots of other continents available if you want the full don't be a total dumbass tour.

A great piece on 'how to write about Africa' Maybe I should do one on 'how to write about African Americans'. Maybe after my head stops hurting and I don't feel like I want to puke. Also, I need to shower and also go to class.

Eat healthy food- or you could go crazy!

Because I suck at life and live under a rock, this video looks like it makes fun of fashion trends from two years ago, and combines it with making fun of my natural mannerisms. Yes, I look at my feet all the time. Yes, I never smile or am happy. This is my natural personality. I even wear black rimmed glasses and write bad poetry.

I'm watching Oniisama E because I've become so tired that going outside seems like climbing mount Everest. These episodes remind me what a strong character Nanako is. She stands up even in the face of Miya-sama and isn't totally destroyed by school wide slander and her desertion by her best friend. Although the series is more violent than I remember- all those hard slaps!

I'm reading Octavia Butler's new novel Fledgling. It's awesome. I love her world building skills here, and appreciate the incorporation of modern technology such as cell phones and the internet into this story. And yes, I wish they had copyedited this book better- even a master makes mistakes, but we don't need to read them.

David Neiwart has a new series up on the Minutemen- how their right wing extremism is pretty darn scary. If you don't understand it already, imagine a large group of non white people arming themselves with guns to drive off white criminals. That would be viewed as suspicious to say the least.

In the Daily Show, John Hodgeman(sp?) plays an out of touch 'expert'. Great costuming with the bright red tie and blue jacket. I also like the heavy black glasses. Very good performance too. Also, the director of the new movie Why We Fight appeared on the show. It occurred to me that this guy has seen the 'system', but is looking at one aspect of it- i.e. the part where we have this huge defense complex and go around bombing countries for 'freedom'. Other parts of the system include the part where we shoot black guys who reach for their wallets, strip search ten year old girls, and talk about what a big slut a girl is when her gang rape is on tape. I call it 'white supremacist capitalist patriarchy' because I admire bell hooks and so am using her words.

Oh, Colbert mocked racist white folk so hard today. "We hang out![about a black guy] Here's a picture of us together" "They are making [black guy's name] work today too! I'm just as angry as you are!" Black Guy: "I'm not angry." Oh, he mocks white guy history(i.e. a bunch of stuff people made up) so hard too, and white guys bitching about immigration too. Thanks for making jokes that many people won't get, people who write the Colbert Report.

Oniisama E has a similar scene to Utena in the tacked up letter and the heroic manly woman who tears it down. I'm enjoying this series although the video is bad quality and I miss the translation notes.

Little kids are cute! However if you're an adult and don't know much more than this kindergartener about MLK, there are many books about the civil rights era.

If They Had Bill Oreilly in the 60s. Harvested from Fark. I'm not sure who originally authored this image.

Finally got my stuff up on half.com

Here are two odd Asian fashion shots. A line of women in almost identical outfits stand in front of a car. A woman in a very frilly little girl outfit stands in front of a car. Apparently these are from a Tokyo auto show.

NPR has some coverage on Martin Luther King. I'm listening to this report.

I will probably go to the keynote address at Glen Memorial. If you're in the Atlanta area, you may enjoy some of Emory's King Week activities.

George Will says a bunch of dumb stuff in this week's Newsweek. As we all know, bold is for what George Will says. I still can't seem to spell check this. So it's still badly spelt, but at least it's not intellectually dishonest.


Many education schools discourage, even disqualify, prospective teachers who lack the correct "disposition," meaning those who do not embrace today's "progressive" political catechism. Karen Siegfried had a 3.75 grade-point average at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, but after voicing conservative views, she was told by her education professors that she lacked the "professional disposition" teachers need. She is now studying to be an aviation technician.

Note that he doesn't say what her views are- for all we know she could have said that Hispanics and Blacks can't learn and that they should all be forced to work in sweatshops from age 3 on.

In 2002 the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education declared that a "professional disposition" is "guided by beliefs and attitudes related to values such as caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice." Regarding that last, the Chronicle reports that the University of Alabama's College of Education proclaims itself "committed to preparing individuals to"—what? "Read, write and reason"? No, "to promote social justice, to be change agents, and to recognize individual and institutionalized racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism," and to "break silences" about those things and "develop anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-sexist community [sic] and alliances."
Uh..Will,I was able to read at age 4, and not to mention, most people are able to read, write, and reason long before college. Of course, 50% of the students these future teachers will teach will be female,and forty two percent of the students in public schools are ethnic minorities. I'm not sure of the percentage of children who are budding gays or who are poor- but most teachers will have to deal with kids who are perceived as gay or kids who are having difficulty with their schoolwork because of poverty. Not being aware of racism leads to disparate treatment- a famous example is Malcolm X's teacher suggesting he'd be happier as a carpenter than in college. Not being aware of sexism leads people to lead young women away from careers in math and science. Not being aware of class issues means you're the kind of dumbass who doesn't understand that some of your students have to take care of their younger siblings for extended periods or may not understand what 'doubles tennis' is. Basically, this stuff is needed to navigate the diverse classrooms of today. You can't just ignore some students because being a decent person makes you uncomfortable.

Brooklyn College, where a professor of education required her class on Language Literacy in Secondary Education to watch "Fahrenheit 9/11" before the 2004 election, says it educates teacher candidates about, among many other evils, "heterosexism." The University of Alaska Fairbanks, fluent with today's progressive patois, says that, given America's "caste-like system," teachers must be taught "how racial and cultural 'others' negotiate American school systems, and how they perform their identities." Got it?

Anti intellectualism in an essay about education? I would have never thunk it. For you simple folk at home who don't know big scary words like heterosexism, it means not being a bigot towards gays and realizing that heterosexuality is seen as the norm.



The permeation of ed schools by politics is a consequence of the vacuity of their curricula. Concerning that, read "Why Johnny's Teacher Can't Teach" by Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute (available at city-journal.org). Today's teacher-education focus on "professional disposition" is just the latest permutation of what Mac Donald calls the education schools' "immutable dogma," which she calls "Anything But Knowledge

Will uses the work of a conservative think tank.

The dogma has been that primary and secondary education is about "self-actualization" or "finding one's joy" or "social adjustment" or "multicultural sensitivity" or "minority empowerment." But is never about anything as banal as mere knowledge. It is about "constructing one's own knowledge" and "contextualizing knowledge," but never about knowledge of things like biology or history

Three problems here. First, they never give us a source for this. They could have made this up. Second, this is a logical fallacy called the false dictonomy. You can self actualize and learn about the internment camps. The third problem is that he's taken a very white centered view of education. Note that he's categorized things like 'finding one's joy' and 'minority empowerment' as not only equally less important than knowledge of biology, basically talking only to people who can afford to think of racial/ethnic issues as unimportant. He also seems to have no idea of how knowledge of history or biology works. He acts like constructing one's own knowledge and contextualizing knowledge are not connected to history or biology. But constructing one's own knowledge is easy in terms of biology. Just ask kids whether birds eat worms or worms eat birds? Inform them that it goes both ways, and you're on your way to them constructing their own knowledge of the food web. Contextualizing knowledge is very important in history. You need to know how the bombing of the Lusitania and the Land Lease Act went together in the road to US involvement in WW1.

One, says Mac Donald, is that "to accord teachers any superior role in the classroom would be to acknowledge an elite hierarchy of knowledge, possessed by some but not all." Hence, second, emphasis should be on group projects rather than individual accomplishments that are measured by tests that reveal persistent achievement gaps separating whites and Asians from other minorities

Note that he tossed together the emphasis on group projects(in the real world, you work together- you don't memorize a bunch of facts and write them back down) and minority 'achievement gaps'- maybe this is a nod to white racial complexes?

Numerous inner-city charter and private schools are proving that the gaps can be narrowed, even closed, when rigorous pedagogy is practiced by teachers in teacher-centered classrooms where knowledge is regarded as everything. But most ed schools, celebrating "child-centered classrooms" that do not "suffocate discourses," are enemies of rigor.

Now note that he 'casually' tosses in charter and private schools. Apparently this is just another attack on public schooling. Note that he doesn't define rigorous pedagogy, but by inference, he leads the audience to believe that it doesn't pay any attention to how kids learn or to what's going on inside and out of the classroom. Not to mention, he assumes that a child centered class is an enemy of rigor.

The steady drizzle of depressing data continues. A new assessment of adult literacy shows a sharp decline over the last decade, with only 31 percent of college graduates able to read and extrapolate from complex material. They were supposed to learn how to read before college, but perhaps their teachers were too busy proving their "professional dispositions" by "breaking silences" as "change agents."

He now tosses in a total non sequitor. Adult literacy is low, so now it's the fault of public education. However, the literacy is across the entire adult population- including kids who had a 'rigorous' education.

Fewer than half of U.S. eighth graders have math teachers who majored in math as undergraduates or graduate students or studied math for teacher certification. U.S. 12th graders recently performed below the international average for 21 countries on tests of general knowledge of math and science. But perhaps U.S. pupils excel when asked to "perform their identities."

Another random non sequitor. Instead of thinking about the competition with other high paying fields that may be thinning our herds of math majored teachers, instead he randomly blames his straw person. He also uses the good old "let's throw in a random bad statistic and blame it on something I made up" trick.

I hate this sort of crap because it seems to see us as idiots with no media literacy at all. This guy seems to think he can get away with the sort of thing a college kid with one class of Logic 101 under their belt could spot at 400 yards. In other news, here's a really good piece talking about the lies a conservative pundit tried to pull on a TV audience.

In other news, dad complained about how they'll kill full grown people but are upset about killing stem cells in the middle of a report on Charles Ray Allen/The Aging Prison Population on CBS news. So take that, annoying columnist lady.

Thanks Molly! I won't be able to get the yucky image of having the 'pink' innuendo explained to me out of my head. In other news, Maryland seems to have passed a new law requiring large companies to pay for health insurance.

I actually posted to my livejournal. Also, class biased test questions leave columnist fuming.

Hate Alito? Write your senator.

Here's a map of an imagined MARTA which is really awesome. I post it here so that people who like transit can be inspired. The map was apparently made by David Emory. Here are some photographs of a transit protest. I'm not in Atlanta now, and am unable to partake in the protest, but I am for a less road based approach to transit.

Sex and Race is having growing pains, and a valuable discussion resulted on the role of white people in people of color space.

There's a thinpak of Pretear? I miss out on everything it seems! It's on sale at rightstuf too. For parents, I don't remember it being inappropriate for young kids, but I might have a bad memory. Although anime on DVD does rate it PG- but I'm not sure if that's just for the naked transformation sequences. Cautious parents may beware of the fairy tale theme of the series with lovely knights in armor, and lots of fighting women.

Stuff I don't get: People whose argument against illegal immigration is that it's illegal. Uh..and so? I bet you do illegal things every day- like speeding or downloading music or annoying people on the internet. So what's the big deal? Maybe they should make it easier to come here legally if that's the problem. Or is that not the problem? Man, I don't get this issue. On feminste, they discuss this issue in greater depth.

Professor Kim gives us the low down on Alito's shenenigans from the viewpoint of someone who was at Princeton when the Concerned Alumni of Princeton was at its height. Also, a bit more on Alito and the blog war against him.

Yuck, CNN hiring Bill Bennett? That's just wrong! I did their petition, and also called CNN noting that I believe that Bill Bennett is a racist and that hiring him would offend me.

What Not To Do. Also, in positive news, the AA Registry helps us learn about black history, so maybe we won't be like those assholes in the other article.

The Big Fat Carnival has a call for submissions.

This music video was filmed in a real school in Portland Oregon.

Dance team in swimsuits- offense against American decency or merely a bunch of women in slightly impractical swimsuits? You decide.

Do you know a genius from a poor family? If their parents make under 40k a year, they could go to Harvard for free.

If that asshole James Frey can get published, maybe I can have a novel published too.

In other news, I finished the 8th volume of Kare Kano- I'm glad because I'm finally past the anime, and will get to see how it ends someday. However, one thing I'm really enjoying in the manga are the sidestories at the end- quite random, but good fun. In a good manga tip, here's a manga chart so you can tell how long a manga is. In other comics news, Evan Dorkin has contributed to my mom's classroom book drive. Life rocks!

Alito joined racist, sexist group. This is unconfirmed, because I got the information from wikipedia, but apparently Bill Frist described this organization as far right wing. Also, look at his disgusting moronity on the death penalty:

In 2001, Alito sided with the state against a black man, James Riley, convicted of capital murder by an all-white jury in Kent County, Del., whose population is 20% black. Before trial, the prosecutor had struck all three prospective black jurors from the jury pool. Riley challenged this action as racially discriminatory. His evidence included the fact that the prosecution had struck every prospective black juror in the three other capital murder trials in Kent County within the prior year.

Alito refused to infer racial discrimination from this pattern, offering the following analogy: "Although only about 10% of the population is left-handed, left-handers have won five of the last six presidential elections…. But does it follow that the voters cast their ballots based on whether a candidate was right- or left-handed?" A majority of the full court disagreed with Alito, criticizing his logic for "minimiz[ing] the history of discrimination against prospective black jurors and black defendants."

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court granted relief to another black man convicted and sentenced to death by a jury drawn from a panel where the state had struck 10 of 11 qualified black jurors. In an opinion joined by Justice O'Connor, the court said — contrary to Alito's reasoning in the Riley case — that the exclusion of such a large percentage of black jurors cannot be viewed as "happenstance."

Here's some more on Alito.

Doctors Without Borders is helping people in Darfur and Pakistan. You got extra? Give them some of it.

Pam argues that in memory of Martin Luther King, we should also open our hearts to gays and lesbians as well. I think it's good to give rights to gays, lesbians, and the transgendered. I could see if they were doing something wrong, but really, it's not any of our business about who people want to have sex with or what gender they want to be. If all the people in our neighborhood got gaymarried tomorrow, it wouldn't effect my life at all. I think people should stay out of other people's business, and not spread hate about people for no reason. If your life is so boring that you need to talk about what people's sex lives are like, there are a lot of places for you to volunteer. You could also get a hobby, as well.

Sex and Race has reopened membership. It's one of the smartest communities on LJ, so don't be fucking up our shit,ok?

Read this post. Learn the facts about rape. Remember- we all have the right to say no. Not to mention, if she's trying to get away from your dick, she doesn't want it.

I'm on the 7th volume of Kare Kano.I'm glad because I'll be able to read past the end of the anime, soon. I'm sort of surprised how similar the manga is to the anime. I thought it'd be much different, but they are totally alike! Everytime I read this manga, like every other page I'm like 'wow, the artist is so good'. I don't know why, but I really like her style. I'm shocked that there are so many volumes, although I'm pretty annoyed that Tokyopop changed the covers, as the author refers to them in the side notes!

I feel sorta crappy today, so I didn't do any more work on my resume, personal statement, or studying...

Tip to white folks: Don't act a fool.(post is friends locked though) Communities for people of color are our space. You're allowed just as long as you don't cut up. Some people may ask why do we need people of color space on the internet? Because for many people of color, we need a space where we can gather and have our views respected. While real life spaces are useful, and necessary, the internet lets people of color from Vermont to Atlanta trade experiences and gain a consciousness of the greater picture- that is that it's not just the South or the idiots at your college, but structural discrimination is everywhere.

Not only that, but it is valuable to know that if I want information on books by African authors, that I can ask in a space that is generally free from the assumption that black people don't read or don't write. If I want to ask about my hairtype, I can speak about it freely, and get information that is useful and doesn't belittle my hair for not being the holy grail of American beauty(straight hair- even people with straight hair want it straighter). Also, this space promotes honesty about the system of white supremacy. When one is in a space where they feel they can speak freely, this breaks the silence about white supremacy.

I feel that when we are finally honest about the system, then we can take steps to change it. Group cohesion is the best weapon we have against the system, and it's easier to work across state and national lines on the internet. That's why people of color space works- we come together on common ground, and build a community.

Here's another good explanation of safe space.

I'm going to be a flexitarian. Cheap Eats Tips. I find that it's cheaper for me to use beans as a replacement for beef in stuff like tacos, especially since I think raw meat is gross, and I won't touch it. During the summer, my dad sometimes grills a bunch of stuff if I'm going to be cooking for an extended period.. The salmon for the wraps today was grilled on Sunday because of the weird weather. I also wonder if I should get a steamer.

I want a bento box too! I might make some sort of salmon wrap for dinner. I made this.

Stuff found in my emailbox:

Hope For Our Youth, Is Hope for the Future!"

Safe Harbor Mentoring Program Inc.

Presents: Stop The Violence "Anti- Gang Summit"

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday

Date: Monday, January 16, 2006

Time: 11am - 6pm

Location: Circle of Love Ministry World Wide

20 Reith St

Copiague, NY 11726


The Time To Build is now, we must bring restoration back to our
communities.

Invitations have been sent to the following; Grassroots
Organizations, Community Leaders, Clergy, Public School
Administrator's, Law Enforcement Representatives, Political Leaders,
Delegates from the various Street Gangs throughout Long Island
(Nassau & Suffolk County)

You don't want to miss this phenomonal event, refreshments will be
served and valuable information will be distributed. For further
information please contact Mr. Ronald A. Hamilton Jr / Liaison -
Program Coordinator

Safe Harbor Mentoring Program Inc. Office #(631) 789-2688 ext 170 or
Fax# (631) 789-4194 visit our Website at www.safeharbormentoring.com
or email - rondushakur@[dontspamthisguy]yahoo.com

This comic looks interesting, maybe I should track it down someday? Although I am often annoyed with people who are always like "well, it's a comic, so it must be for a kid", I wonder if it'd be appropiate for one... This post about transpeople is really interesting.

Here's a crazy and dangerous ass stunt that none of you jokers should try at home. Also, I started a thread on blackfolk about some crazy mess some lady said.

Thanks to the Commie Anime Codec Pack or whatever, I was able to watch the 11th episode of Paradise Kiss, which of course has spoilers. One thing that I've always noticed about this series is the mouth movements- they are always more complicated than most anime.. Interesting. I loved how they added in the crowd reactions, and also what the dress that actually won looked like for the anime. It seems that at this late date Miwako and Arashi's side story will be left out, but the manga is always available. I think overall this has been a good adaptation, although there is one more episode I haven't seen yet.

I read It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken. I think this will end up being one of those books that I reread at certain intervals. I love Seth's cartoony draftmanship. I also like how the main character's(also named Seth, I get the feeling that this is autobiographical)favorite mood is melancholy. He grieves for all the little things, and especially for the past. Of course, he can grieve for the past since he's a white guy. In the comic, Ruthie, a woman who Seth is dating, questions why the biggest positive change Seth can find is his mother's makeup drawer, when civil rights and the woman's movement have been so beneficial. Of course, I don't know about the guy's real life, but in the comic, I feel like Seth feels detached from these greater social movements.

His style wouldn't really be cramped much by sexism or racism, so he doesn't really pay attention to them. He is free to imagine that the past was a better time- full of more beauty and grace than the present, because the disconnect isn't so large. The book's story is simple- guy is searching for an old New Yorker cartoonist- but it's the atmosphere that makes the story so potent, I think. Sometimes I felt it was an odd quest, heck, the character Seth even mentions this himself, but is this really much different than people who look at the celebrity news every day, and pride themselves on knowing which stars are going out or who had a boob job or an overdose?

I really like the extra material about the cartoonists mentioned and a real picture of Kalo. A weird thing that bothered me though- is how can a collector be a smoker? I don't see how the desire to see the past preserved goes with having smoke all over everything, although in the past, they did smoke all the time. So maybe the Seth character smokes to have a greater connection to that time?

It's good to see progressive, (probably) woman led blogs being publicized on fark.

I got this article from hysterical blackness(warning: you need bugmenot for the article). I think I still prefer the 'thick' black identity based on blacks sharing the culture we have produced and created for ourselves. I like to play at being a global child who loves to partake from all cultures of course, but truly, what allows me to do that is that I'm rooted in black culture. It's sort of a home for me. When white culture confuses me too much, I can always go and read a book of black poetry or talk to somebody black and hear who played in what, and what had happened was this or that. I like to read about Asian cultures, and I enjoy Japanese comics and cartoons- but when I get home from my travels of the mind, well, the well worn black books I've read since childhood are still there, and after I get done eating Thai food, I can have hopping john or hot water cornbread.

I think it's important for us all to have a 'home' someplace. Even if we want to talk about how we are all global citizens, there's always a place where we started from. Even if we're running away from that place, that's where we started running. I like going to Europe, yes, and might even become an expat one day, but America, Black America in particular, will always be my home.

Humanity Critic, thumbs up for illustrating your love for the female body with black women. We don't get enough love, you know?

Disgusting pervert rapes children. I'd like to note that prison rape isn't a good form of 'justice', ok? Making comments like that is just sick.

On Pandagon, Amanda and friends make fun of Chris Muir because he sucks at comics. Well, today I've started to read Tricked by Alex Robinson. Robinson still has his old talent, and hasn't been struck by the sophmore curse. I especially like his continued creativity with the comic page- how he can break up one illustration into a whole page and still have it work as comics, well, I'm in awe. The story is still good down to earth fare, but stretching beyond his old mileu of comic artists and messed up new yorkers to embrace a lot of new interesting characters. Although I have to say Caprice in this book looks almost identical to Caprice in Box Office Poison, but maybe that's just me. I hope Robinson continues to work on novel length comics for a long long time.

Call for submissions for the radical women of color blog carnival.

In good news, mom got a box of books today! Awesomeness. Thanks to the person who sent it in.

*possible Peach Girl spoilers* I watched it to the end. I have to say Misao is my favorite character, because she has good sense, unlike everybody else.

Black Group opposes Alito, but asshats say racist shit in comments. Nobody seems to like Alito. Even on my apolitical campus, there was tabling against him. Also, Florida vouchers struck down. I'm always suspicious of school voucher programs(full disclosure: my mom works at a charter school: please donate books.) I don't get the point- why don't they improve public schools rather than giving public funds to private schools? Also, can't private schools reject anyone they want? So if it ended up creating a two tier system with kids cherry picked from the public schools, and all the rest stuck in defunded public schools, I can see why people would have some practical problems with vouchers. It's not so much the idea that bothers me, but how they would implement it so it doesn't turn into a big mess.

Today I read Powers. I read Who Killed Retro Girl and also Roleplay. I like Who Killed Retro Girl most for the story, but also for the way Bendis and Oeming fold the media into the story. Back in the day when I used to read the pamphlets, that's why I got this comic almost every month. Although Roleplay gets honorable mention for good graphic story telling. It not only uses collage and creative methods of framing, but it also uses movie techniques in a way that seems very fresh on paper. I will definitely continue to try to find discounted trades of this!

This interesting document shows ways that men can commit to feminism and not being a total asshole all the damn time. I'll be using some of this to think "how can I prevent being a total annoying slob" BTW.

Jen explores how disgusting it is that some wastes of flesh who call themselves men think it's funny to threaten rape because someone had an opinion and tried to stand up for themselves. I bet these same pieces of waste will talk about how we need to bomb a bunch of random Muslim people into bits because 'they'll make our women wear burqas". Seriously, being a disgusting piece of garbage is its own punishment, but it's always good to give them punishment they realize is happening,eh? I advise mockery. Lots of it.

Oh, blackfolks, how I've missed you...

Man, soon I'll be using this as much as tian...

Here's a picture of a hot guy from Stargate. My dad watches the show all the time, but I can never get the story, as I came in late.

Warning: The following video has sound, and so is NSFW. Also, I felt kinda offended by it, so it may be extremely offensive.




I'd like to discuss why this guy hates white folks so much. I have to admit, I'm not extremely fond of white people, generally because of my belief that if you don't like a group, you should avoid discussing it in front of them. And no, using 'codewords'(like inner city) and being condescending and emotionally abusive still counts. But why does this guy believe that white people want to kill us? Well, the problem I think is how the power structure is set up. White men(mostly) own everything. And if they don't own shit, they are influencing crap. I don't like Alberto Gonzales. He's fucking our civil liberties up. However, Alberto isn't the regular Hispanic man on the street- he was handpicked by asshole white men. I bet if you asked the regular man on the street if it's ok to wiretap US people, they'd be like WTF? No.

The policies of those white people on top seem to be poised to fuck over the rest of us- they want tax cuts for big business and big vacations with their lobbyist pals, but they say they can't afford school lunch for kids or heat for the elderly. The CEOs aren't much better- they take millions in compensation, but are always laying off people, and not moving forward with work-life balance policies. Some may say 'hey, but black people *could* be awful if they owned everything', but seriously, I can understand why an "is" and a "was" is a lot more convincing to that guy than a "might be".

Some may say, hey, but what about the white people who aren't running shit? Well, I understand why people think they are with the assholes on top. They mostly seem to be under the illusion that if they are good, one day, they'll be on top. So instead of working to improve things, they mostly spend their time talking about if it wasn't for those darn n words, we'd have a pure meritocracy, and my value would be recognized, or if those poor people would just stop being poor, my pay packet would be so fat that I'd be able to buy my way on top. Maybe one or two even attempt to be decent, and I'm sorry, but that's just not going to cut it.

It's a bunch of crap, and I can see why an old guy like that would be skeptical. I don't think you gotta kill the lot of 'em, but really, I'm not too surprised. People expect black folks to accept racism, and the prevailing power structure without being angry, and are surprised when we are, although they don’t criticize whites for proposing harsh punishment for blacks for stuff that most of us don’t even do. If you treat people like crap, some of them will want to kill you.

One comment (on youtube where I found this video) is like OMG, NAZIS, but seriously, the Jews didn’t do shit to the Nazis. This is more like a Jew in the pre concentration camp era saying they should kill all the Nazis. Maybe uncalled for- but you’re not surprised.

*possible Peach Girl spoilers* I'm to episode 19, and this anime has held up well, even with Sae mostly out of the running. I like the little touches- how they keep the soap opera elements just on this side of believibility, and how Momo has a different hair style every day. It's stuff like this that can elevate a show from average to 'very good'. I got a big shipment of comics today- two Powers trades, It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken, Tricked, and The Summer of Love.(I got the hardcover with the weird green, but hey, it was like 5 bucks)


I'm rereading David Boring- I had totally forgotten what a work of genius this book is. I'm addicted to the inking style, and how they have lovingly reproduced the four dot printed look of the old comic panels...

The latest carnival of feminists has a whole section devoted to women of color. This of course is important because women of color's issues need to be heard. People who say we don't need feminism should listen to our stories. Whether it's Hispanic/Black/Native American women facing jail violence, Asian women facing guys with disgusting fetishes who objectify and stalk them, or transpeople of color fighting on three or maybe four or five fronts, our issues are complex, and emerging. Really, people who think feminism is about whether you shave your legs or not should break out of their box.

I was reading a long thread at feministe and the behavior of one of the trolls made me think of something annoying, It seems to me that anti feminist women(I'm not sure what sex the person who made the comment about the makeup was though) tend to rely more on crap like that. I'm a short timid person, and so am always the target of this sort f bullying- with the catty implied comments, the malicious gossip,etc. I think it's because if you don't believe you have any power in yourself(and anti feminist women don't- instead of relying on their own skills and smarts, they rely on approval from men) you think you have to go behind someone's back. Now, I'll snap at people in a moment, and I'll rant, but I don't do this sort of evil shit, because I know that it's worth something to me to be a decent person. But if your position in life depends on saying "hey, I'm better than those yucky feminists with like..thoughts and stuff", well...you're stuck making jabs at some chick's eyeliner on the internet instead of improving yourself.

My natural rhyhm blows. I put away some towels this afternoon, and then had to take a nap. I also labeled a package and wrote down the defects of my books for half.com but I feel exhausted all the same. I envy people who can work hard and play hard... I think I'm going to sleep..

I remembered that I forgot to blog today! Since I generally blog about ten times a day...I'm shocked. So here's a great dress copy.

Hahhaha, underpants! (SFW)

Wow, someone got two luckybags! I'm going to save up so I can get cute outfits too. Also, adorable twin pics.

In my first post of 2006, I'll be confused about people who want English only stuff. I don't get it. Nearly everything is in English already, so why do we need a law about it? If immigrants are having difficulty learning English, why don't we lobby for bills to create more ESL classes, rather than trying to make every sign in English? I mean, literacy and being able to speak a language are also two different skills. People might be able to say a few basic things in English, but not be able to read well enough to read official documents. They are still learning English, but even though I'm not an expert, it seems that it'd take several years to get really good at it. Also, how come some people think that having an accent counts as not speaking English? I'm a native speaker, but I have a southern accent that is quite deep! Anyway, I can't speak any languages at all, let alone without an accent, so I can't really complain about people working hard to speak my language.