dream, finals, et al
I had a super-intense dream last night that I was nine months pregnant and the physical experience of it was so real. (Not that I would know what it feels like exactly, but the sensation in the dream felt more real than I can even imagine right now - pressure-on-the-bladder-real.) Anyway, in the dream I realized I had forgotten to set up a midwife and that I was going to be giving birth any moment. The whole thing was so concrete, yet bizarre.
There’s so much going on right now. Finals are looming; I spent an entire three-day weekend on an eight page lit review about fair trade coffee for my Globalization seminar. I literally spent most of two days reading through journal research and 10 hours yesterday writing. A very challenging paper - all that synthesis.
A project partner in my Social Movements class and I are meeting to interview a woman tomorrow who works with the Catholic Worker Movement, an organization dedicated to peace, justice, and helping the poor - ya know, all those actual teachings of Jesus. She has nonviolently protested numerous times over the past few years to shut down the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia, and spent six months in prison last year. SOA has not only not shut down, but in 2001 changed its name to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Reminds me of what the administration is promising to do with the Abu Ghraib prison; that somehow demolishing/renaming the institution removes the source of the violence. Hide that which shames, remove the point of association.
Oh, and even though I’m already taking 14 credits this summer, I’m really tempted to register for the Monday night Women’s Studies dept. class on the writings of bell hooks. Should I?
Jeremy said,
May 26, 2004 @ 8:29 am
Just like Exxon renaming the Valdes after it the oil spill up in Alaska. Not that people will ever forget about Abu Ghraib, but if the name is gone people will automatically associate that problem as being in the past. Nevermind that the abuses will go on.
Cleis said,
May 26, 2004 @ 1:21 pm
I’m never one to recommend overloading yourself with credits, but if you haven’t read much hooks … Does it meet only one a week? Do any of your other classes? Can you go check out the first class meeting? See what the work requirements are? Can you audit?
hooks’ writing has influenced me profoundly.
asher abrams said,
May 27, 2004 @ 9:19 am
A case that received less publicity than AG was the drowning death of a young Iraqi man named Zaydun earlier this year.
Zaydun and his brother Marwan were detained by American soldiers, who then forced them at gunpoint off of a bridge, despite the Iraqis’ protests that Zaydun could not swim.
According to a recent news release, four soldiers of a 3rd Brigade Combat Team have received REPRIMANDS (!) as a result of the incident.
Readers who wish to learn more about these events can go to Zeyad’s post on the reprimand or read the summary, with all relevant links, at my site “Dreams Into Lightning”.
A “reprimand” is not any kind of punishment for people who caused another person’s death. Please take action to ensure these four idiots are brought to justice. Write your congressional representatives.
Emily, good luck on everything and thanks for your support.
Clancy said,
May 28, 2004 @ 12:02 pm
Hey, Emily, I think you should sign up for a lot of classes and then “shop around” on the first day. Drop the ones that don’t seem as good as you thought. It would be awesome to take a class on hooks, though…
I’d be grateful if you post the lit review on fair trade coffee. I buy it, but don’t understand exactly how the process works.
Emily said,
May 28, 2004 @ 6:14 pm
The bell hooks class meets only once a week - every Monday night. I think I’ll go to the first class, check out the syllabus, and see how heavy the load is. I do hope it works out.
Lauren said,
May 28, 2004 @ 10:02 pm
Um, yes. bell hooks is my master.
I’m also interested in fair trade coffee info. Please post.