nas cinzas do meu sonho

2007-09-24T17:15:00.001-07:00

it gets no cooler than this

2007-09-24T17:07:00.001-07:00

2007-07-19T19:35:00.001-07:00

Bush, Condi, Laura Dance in Brazil

2007-05-01T18:12:00.001-07:00

this just makes me so damn proud...

Virginia Tech

2007-04-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Strangely enough, I have an emotional relationship to the Virginia Tech campus.

I spent a week there at a Unitarian Universalist summer retreat with a family I was a nanny for in Asheville, NC. Completely independently from the formal purpose of the retreat, I had an incredibly spiritual experience during that week...a feeling of divine intervention and a mystical relation to space and time that stretched over the course of several days. Describing one particularly intense interaction during that week in my journal, I wrote that my friends and I had "torn open the sky" above us one night.

I wonder if that tear is still there, and if 33 souls moved through it on Monday?

The Economist had some interesting things to say about the April 16th incident and its implications for the gun control debate.

war

2007-03-08T09:23:00.001-08:00

A country which proposes to make use of modern war as an instrument of policy must possess a highly centralized, all-powerful executive, hence the absurdity of talking about the defense of democracy by force of arms. A democracy which makes or effectively prepares for modern scientific war must necessarily cease to be democratic. --Aldous Huxley

2007-02-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

every time i find myself feeling optimistic about the way things are going in this country, i read something that brings me back down to earth.

consider this quote from an article in Harper's on the fate of our nation...Republic or Empire?

"All forty-two previous U.S. presidents combined have signed statements exempting themselves from the provisions of 568 new laws, whereas Bush has, to date, exempted himself from more than 1,000."

those numbers HAVE to tell you something about how far gone this "democracy" just might be.

check out the article here. here's to the slow death of optimism. at least we've only got two more years of the current bullshit to go. who's counting? ANYONE WITH A BRAIN AND/OR A SOUL!!!

Christmas in February

2007-02-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the pleasure of receiving the Christmas spirit several weeks late. I discovered I could stream Sufjan Stevens' 5-disc Christmas album online, and I gave it a listen. I'm not really the biggest fan of Christmas music, and I must admit that for the past few years, I haven't really been the biggest fan of Christmas either.

But I am a fan of Sufjan Stevens. His rich, folksy interpretations of what were already some of the loveliest carols absolutely moved me, and they didn't give me that uncomfortable feeling that usually comes with hearing seasonal music in the wrong season. And they are interspersed with some original compositions from this abundantly talented and ridiculously prolific musician and songwriter.

Some highlights are Sufjan's banjo-driven interpretation of Amazing Grace, one called Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and his version (also on banjo) of O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

When I was a child, I wholeheartedly embraced the Congregational Protestant faith in which I was raised. I was a certified Jesus-freak, in the most positive sense of the term. I adored and admired the figure of the gentle, bearded, robed man who radiated goodness.

As I began to sink deeper into my teenagerly apathy and rebellion against everything that had come before, I rejected my faith. Learning about evolution in high school biology class sealed the deal. In college, I was drawn back into Christianity by a fascination with the academic study of religion. As I learned about the enigmatic early history of the religion, and the dubious foundations upon which the Catholic Church had been built, I became, in a sense, forever closed to organized religion. But during that same period, I also found myself developing and experiencing life as an intensely spiritual subject.

I have never been able to reconcile my distaste for religion as an institution with my overwhelming sense that we are but specks of dust being blown around by some terrible and beautiful divine wind. But I still get goosebumps when I go to church to hear my mother sing in the choir, and when I hear songs of praise from the lips of those who believe.

SPAM

2007-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

I've been getting the most interesting spam recently. Unlike those messages from enterprising young Nigerians, which my friend Elina has apparently received a lot of, I am receiving an array of emails which have either fascinating senders or subject lines, or both. Here are some of my favorites: two interesting senders without subjects are Scab K. Disturbance and Remunerate K. Pickpocket...I wonder what their middle names are? In addition to random messages like these - Sender: Shantay, Subject: "Yo", and Sender: Rose Frank, Subject "Unavoidably grandma", I've been getting a whole slew of emails whose subjects seem to be random strings of Biblical words, such as "law in the ark of the king shall be angry with great image", "call upon the pomegranates, and hearken unto all the wicked man is in".

But my absolute favorite one of all? Well, I'm proud to say I've been lucky enough to receive a personal message from the one and only JESUS. The subject: "Nebuchanezzar in the word Lord God by his dominion". It's the only one I've been unable to resist opening. And wouldn't you know, my email service "experiences a problem" when I do.

Beware sinners, for Jesus is among us, and he uses email.

No Blood for Diamonds

2006-12-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

I just posted a link to a site called Blood Diamond Action. I haven't even seen the movie yet, but I was inspired yesterday by a visit to its official site, as well as a broadcast on NPR about conflict diamonds in Congo and Angola. It got me fired up. It left me fairly nauseated. It made me hate diamonds. They're pretty and all, but a few filthy rich South Africans, Americans, and Israelis have managed to convince us all (especially the ladies) that we should be demanding these rocks from anyone who claims to love us. The truth is, they're not all that rare or that valuable. And if you look around, you'll see that they're certainly not unique in any way. The point is that this is just one more issue on which we need to educate ourselves. The conditions created by the diamond industry are absolutely appalling and inhumane. Human beings are working in slavery conditions, their movement restricted, land stolen and destroyed, and their daily lives terrorized by the "private security forces" (read: mercenaries and thugs) employed by the mining corporations. It's no surprise that Mr. Bush has his filthy hands in some stinking enterprises in the Congo. Do some research. You'll see.

Anyway, in the midst of all this I've been doing some reading for a paper I still owe my advisor. It's called Memories of the Slave Trade by Rosalind Shaw. I'm not too far into it yet, but I'm familiar with her work. Though explicit verbal accounts of the history of slavery are relatively rare in West Africa (in her case, Sierra Leone), Shaw discusses the ways in which the memory of the devastating effects of the slave trade and the incorporation of Africa into the Atlantic capitalist system is literally embodied rather than entextualized. In the rituals, spirit possessions, and witchcraft accusations of the people, there is an uncanny sense of connectedness, guilt, terror, and sorrow. All of it comes together in imagery of insatiable rivers of blood that "swallow" human beings, invisible "witch cities" whose incredible riches have been won through the sacrifice or consumption of human lives (Babylon, perhaps?), and modern day politicians who use human organs in magical potions in order to gain wealth and power. I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to capture the animalistic drives of global capitalism and the slavery from which it feeds and profits.

Slaughterhouse Five

2006-06-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just found out that Kurt Vonnegut got a PhD in anthropology at none other than the University of Chicago...but only after his first attempt at a dissertation (Bagombo Snuff Box) was rejected for being "unprofessional." Later he was awarded the degree for Cat's Cradle. Anthropology, of all things! Sometimes I really love this place.

seja marginal

2006-05-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

a flag created by Brazilian Tropicalista artist Hélio Oiticica in 1968 during extreme repression under the military dictatorship. "be marginal be a hero."

by the way

2006-05-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

by the way, i so honored Bob's legacy (and still do), that this was once me.

the king

2006-05-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

not much to say here (nor do i think it needs to be said). just a tribute to the king, in remembrance of his death 25 years ago today. thanks to Bob, many people can now say "we lift our heads and give Jah praises." no more bowing down in shame before the almighty, but lifting of heads to face the power head on. and the idea of facing extreme power with your head held high translates into many contexts for Rastas and those of us who sympathize with their message.

Uprisings in the French Banlieues: Race? Nation? Or Class?

2006-05-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Etienne Balibar spoke today about the recent and continuing violence in France. i didn't know much about the details, but apparently three young boys (descendants of immigrants from northern and southern Africa) were running from the police, not because they had committed a crime, but out of fear of retribution for just being what they were. two of them were electrocuted by a fence in the course of the chase. violent displays followed in reaction, and subsequently spread throughout towns and cities in France. many of Balibar's comments were provocative mainly because they were eerily reminiscent of our current situation at home, though we have been lucky enough to enjoy (for the most part) a peaceful expression of discordance. some thoughts on his more memorable statements and questions...

in framing the discourse surrounding these events and emanating from both sides of the atlantic: what does the use of the word "uprising" (whose french equivalent was never used in the press) suggest as opposed to "riot," "rebellion," "insurrection," or even "civil war?" or the new york times' use of the word "suburbs" as opposed to "ghettos" or "townships?"
are these uprisings not only a political event but rather a political act or action? (clearly, i think). if so, who are the actors, the subject, and the target? are we witnessing the emergence of a new type of political actor? Balibar would call this "citizenship in the making."
despite the last point, Balibar admonishes those of who would be inclined to see such action as part of a globally-supported and shared inspiration to overthrow the existing order. instead, he argues, we should view such events as symptomatic of new internal colonial wars that reproduce the ideologies of the old external ones. "the growing uncivility of the state."
he identifies three important characteristics of the "violence." 1) self-staging: the immediate media frenzy encouraged spectacular competition between neighborhoods and towns, 2) self-restraint: only three people died (including the two young boys), and the violence was targeted at objects (cars especially), institutions (like schools), and the police (which arguably constitutes an indestructable object), 3) self-destruction: prompting questions like "why would 'they' burn 'their' own schools?" which becomes ridiculous when we consider that the institutions at which the violence was directed are those from which immigrants and their descendants are largely excluded given what he calls their "condition of exception," of being neither in nor out of French society. this exclusion rests upon the (French) conception of "migrant" as a hereditary condition with racial undertones, a condition which one cannot escape simply by being born in France and speaking the language. hmm, this sounds familiar.
finally, he suggests a new title for a volume edited by his friend Immanuel Wallerstein. instead of something like "Organizing Plurality in Contemporary Democracies," he suggests the slightly less euphemistic "Facing Explosion in Surviving Empires."

may day may day

2006-05-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

today is may 1st. hundreds of thousands of people spoke out loud today in chicago and in this country. being there, being here, i couldn't help but be struck by the unwavering visibility of the US flag as a positive symbol in the protest. of course mexico and even poland, ireland, and brazil made appearances, as did che guevara and jesus christ. but huge and tiny american flags flew everywhere, poked me in the butt, ruffled my hair, sheltered children from the mist. without criticism or irony. truly a reappropriation of the symbol that has been most perverted and manipulated by the current political climate and purveyors of irrational fear. may day. a vision in the park, in the city that started it in the 1880s--organized mostly by anarchist activists, thousands of workers at haymarket demanded an 8 hour day and got it. but not before most of the known leaders were charged with conspiracy and imprisoned or hanged. that day eventually became too red for comfort on these shores, and we got labor day instead. screwing up the first week of school since our parents were kids.

it's still complicated. my friend's parents, who had to lie to officials, coming from mexico in trunks of cars and things of that nature, oppose such rallies. illegal aliens, why should we let them stay?

consider the solution proposed by a retired Army colonel in Pensacola, who doesn't think it's so complicated after all : "You should send all of the thirteen million aliens home, then you take all of the welfare recipients who are taking a free check and make them do those jobs." the colonel's obviously been doing some math.

sitting

2006-04-30T23:40:00.000-07:00

i'm just sitting on this for awhile.