Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Democracy Now
I will find out about Wednesday. Haven't heard back yet in general so will call tomorrow re next Wednesday. Kathy
Monday, April 28, 2008
Next Wednesday, MAy 7th, for Democracy NOW!
Wednesday sounds good.
Does that work for others?
~Annelle
Does that work for others?
~Annelle
Democracy Now
Are we aiming for next week? I could go pretty much any morning (because its early right?) Maybe next Wednesday??
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Democracy Now!
This is Annelle. (The real slim shady.)
When would people be able to go to Democracy Now?
As of now, it's just me and Erin...any morning of the week works for me. Erin, what about you?
Kathy said that if we do it this Friday she won't be able to come, so I thought we should try for another day.
kathy, do we know how long the taping will take, or when we'd be available to get to classes, etc?
Kathy, please feel free to give out the address of the blog...they don't have to have the password in order to see it.
If they have trouble locating it, they should go to blogspot.com and type in the name of the blog (poljo-anda).
See everyone on Tuesday!
When would people be able to go to Democracy Now?
As of now, it's just me and Erin...any morning of the week works for me. Erin, what about you?
Kathy said that if we do it this Friday she won't be able to come, so I thought we should try for another day.
kathy, do we know how long the taping will take, or when we'd be available to get to classes, etc?
Kathy, please feel free to give out the address of the blog...they don't have to have the password in order to see it.
If they have trouble locating it, they should go to blogspot.com and type in the name of the blog (poljo-anda).
See everyone on Tuesday!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Earth Day, Everyday
Stopping to listen to the flowers: NYU Students Make Earth Day Matter
Walking down the streets of New York its hard to miss the colorful fanning displays of tulips growing from ever inch of dirt and grass this city has to offer. Popping up on sidewalks, between buildings and roads, dominating the "no-mans-land" islands in between multi lane Avenues, I cant help but wonder that the friendly flower heads spilling out over the sidewalks are maybe, just maybe, trying to tell us something: "Hello New York."
Now maybe it's because I was getting sick of wallowing in the never-ending winter doldrums or because I just finished Michael Pollan's Botany of Desire in which the history of the noble tulip is brought further into the sunlight. For whatever reason, I find myself in awe of New York City's tulip garden and evidently, I'm hearing them speak to me.
And its not just the tulips, I took a picture on my cell phone of the first tree I noticed sprouting the little white petals that drift lazily to the concrete ground and for a split second transport me to the poppy field in Wizard of Oz. Not because I've been drugged but because Dorothy and her gang's jaunt through the poppies was serenely beautiful and my happy place looks something like that field. I'm finding myself allowing 30 minutes to get to a classroom 10 minutes away so I can leisurely walk and enjoy the warmth of the sun.
As I'm embracing the fruits of nature all around the concrete jungle, I'm reminded of a shirt a friend of mine had when we were growing up that read, "Everyday is Earth Day." I remember how much I coveted that shirt because as a 15 year old I didn't feel it was enough to be a vegetarian and to recycle unless everyone else knew I was doing it. I have always questioned the absurdity of Earth Day, one day dedicated to the celebration of the planet? A celebratory reminder that yup, we inhabit a living breathing mass floating through space? And, gulp, it's our responsibility to keep it clean, pretty and dare I say livable for the next generation? Maybe it's crazy of me to say so but I am thankful everyday for the Earth and its beauty.
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008, the day set aside on our calendars for Earth Day, came and went like a drifting ice cap lost in the arctic. No international music concerts sponsored by politicians and celebrities; leaders of the world did not come together to discuss global warming. No international day of solidarity where everyone agreed to forgo driving to work. However, localized activities reminded people that while they might not be able to sit down to freshly squeezed locally grown organic lemonade with George Bush or Al Gore to talk climate change, they can sit down with their neighbor, family and friends, and remind themselves and each other that this planet is worth saving.
At New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study’s Community Learning Initiative, students in Kathy Engel's Political Journalism and Activism class decided they were not going to let Earth Day come and go without at least a nod in Mother Nature’s direction. In the spirit of NYU's "Going Green Initiative" the class decided to "Blackout NYU." By sending out mass email campaigns and going from door to classroom door, leaving flyers on recycled materials – no paper waste! Students in Engel's class asked colleagues and peers to turn their lights off for Earth Day. At times interrupting classes to politely ask teachers and students to do their small part in honor of our planet, the students, for the most part, were met with willing participants who simply had never thought to turn the lights off.
The students also set up a table in Washington Square Park and encouraged park visitors to draw footprints in chalk with a pledge to make a small step towards reducing their own individual carbon footprints. By 4 pm the surface of the park was covered in footprints chalked by students, children, parents, grandparents, professors, west village residents, and tourists, leaving messages like: eat local, turn off the lights, and walk more!
One might say, so some students at NYU turned off some lights and got people to play with chalk, what did that really do to save the planet? It's true, the students don't know how many professors actually participated or how many people actually went home and turned the water off when they were brushing their teeth. However, there was a vibe, something happened on Tuesday April 22nd in lower Manhattan.
On a beautiful April day New Yorkers stopped to remember that Earth is our home, New York, our neighborhood, and New Yorkers, our neighbors. We were reminded that while we might not be solving global warming with the flick of a light switch, we can still physically do something. We have the power to make individual choices that collectively can make a difference no matter how big or small. With a budget of nothing and the energy of a good idea, the NYU students reminded their peers that while we may live in a concrete monolith, this planet is our home and its time to show it some love and not just on Earth Day but everyday.
A community emerged at NYU last Tuesday. A community of people who wanted to enjoy the sunshine, who were willing to sit in a dark classroom, and above all, a community of people who wanted to talk and feel empowered. The strongest tool for large-scale change, be it for global warming or anything else, is the feeling of community, a gathering of like-minded individuals who believe that a better, cleaner, and brighter future is possible.
As I walked through Washington Square Park today and the remnants of the chalk footprints still faintly remain and the tulips flop lazily over the guardrails, I wonder what if we stopped to smell the flowers more often? If we bent over and placed an ear alongside the opened bud would they talk to us and what would they say? "Hello New York," I imagine they would begin, "what a lovely day to stop and celebrate the planet."
Erin Gordon
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
e.gordon13@gmail.com
So gang this is the piece I wrote in response to our Earth Day celebrations. Let me know what you think. Richard, Kathy suggested getting it to Danielle so it could be circulated through the schools. Let me know if that's possible :)
Walking down the streets of New York its hard to miss the colorful fanning displays of tulips growing from ever inch of dirt and grass this city has to offer. Popping up on sidewalks, between buildings and roads, dominating the "no-mans-land" islands in between multi lane Avenues, I cant help but wonder that the friendly flower heads spilling out over the sidewalks are maybe, just maybe, trying to tell us something: "Hello New York."
Now maybe it's because I was getting sick of wallowing in the never-ending winter doldrums or because I just finished Michael Pollan's Botany of Desire in which the history of the noble tulip is brought further into the sunlight. For whatever reason, I find myself in awe of New York City's tulip garden and evidently, I'm hearing them speak to me.
And its not just the tulips, I took a picture on my cell phone of the first tree I noticed sprouting the little white petals that drift lazily to the concrete ground and for a split second transport me to the poppy field in Wizard of Oz. Not because I've been drugged but because Dorothy and her gang's jaunt through the poppies was serenely beautiful and my happy place looks something like that field. I'm finding myself allowing 30 minutes to get to a classroom 10 minutes away so I can leisurely walk and enjoy the warmth of the sun.
As I'm embracing the fruits of nature all around the concrete jungle, I'm reminded of a shirt a friend of mine had when we were growing up that read, "Everyday is Earth Day." I remember how much I coveted that shirt because as a 15 year old I didn't feel it was enough to be a vegetarian and to recycle unless everyone else knew I was doing it. I have always questioned the absurdity of Earth Day, one day dedicated to the celebration of the planet? A celebratory reminder that yup, we inhabit a living breathing mass floating through space? And, gulp, it's our responsibility to keep it clean, pretty and dare I say livable for the next generation? Maybe it's crazy of me to say so but I am thankful everyday for the Earth and its beauty.
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008, the day set aside on our calendars for Earth Day, came and went like a drifting ice cap lost in the arctic. No international music concerts sponsored by politicians and celebrities; leaders of the world did not come together to discuss global warming. No international day of solidarity where everyone agreed to forgo driving to work. However, localized activities reminded people that while they might not be able to sit down to freshly squeezed locally grown organic lemonade with George Bush or Al Gore to talk climate change, they can sit down with their neighbor, family and friends, and remind themselves and each other that this planet is worth saving.
At New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study’s Community Learning Initiative, students in Kathy Engel's Political Journalism and Activism class decided they were not going to let Earth Day come and go without at least a nod in Mother Nature’s direction. In the spirit of NYU's "Going Green Initiative" the class decided to "Blackout NYU." By sending out mass email campaigns and going from door to classroom door, leaving flyers on recycled materials – no paper waste! Students in Engel's class asked colleagues and peers to turn their lights off for Earth Day. At times interrupting classes to politely ask teachers and students to do their small part in honor of our planet, the students, for the most part, were met with willing participants who simply had never thought to turn the lights off.
The students also set up a table in Washington Square Park and encouraged park visitors to draw footprints in chalk with a pledge to make a small step towards reducing their own individual carbon footprints. By 4 pm the surface of the park was covered in footprints chalked by students, children, parents, grandparents, professors, west village residents, and tourists, leaving messages like: eat local, turn off the lights, and walk more!
One might say, so some students at NYU turned off some lights and got people to play with chalk, what did that really do to save the planet? It's true, the students don't know how many professors actually participated or how many people actually went home and turned the water off when they were brushing their teeth. However, there was a vibe, something happened on Tuesday April 22nd in lower Manhattan.
On a beautiful April day New Yorkers stopped to remember that Earth is our home, New York, our neighborhood, and New Yorkers, our neighbors. We were reminded that while we might not be solving global warming with the flick of a light switch, we can still physically do something. We have the power to make individual choices that collectively can make a difference no matter how big or small. With a budget of nothing and the energy of a good idea, the NYU students reminded their peers that while we may live in a concrete monolith, this planet is our home and its time to show it some love and not just on Earth Day but everyday.
A community emerged at NYU last Tuesday. A community of people who wanted to enjoy the sunshine, who were willing to sit in a dark classroom, and above all, a community of people who wanted to talk and feel empowered. The strongest tool for large-scale change, be it for global warming or anything else, is the feeling of community, a gathering of like-minded individuals who believe that a better, cleaner, and brighter future is possible.
As I walked through Washington Square Park today and the remnants of the chalk footprints still faintly remain and the tulips flop lazily over the guardrails, I wonder what if we stopped to smell the flowers more often? If we bent over and placed an ear alongside the opened bud would they talk to us and what would they say? "Hello New York," I imagine they would begin, "what a lovely day to stop and celebrate the planet."
Erin Gordon
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
e.gordon13@gmail.com
So gang this is the piece I wrote in response to our Earth Day celebrations. Let me know what you think. Richard, Kathy suggested getting it to Danielle so it could be circulated through the schools. Let me know if that's possible :)
Judy, the letter is great. I hope they print it. Erin, love the photos. Is there a way to let a wide group of people know about the blog? Is it ok to publicize the blog access, or not because it's Annelle's personal code? I would love to get the photos out more widely. They should definitely be sent to WSN, along with Phil's and whoever else has good ones, and perhaps to The Village Voice and The Villager, with captions. Can someone do that? Also Erin has written a wonderful piece. Exploring where we can send it. Let me know about blog because there's good stuff here. At least we shoudl ask Danielle (if its ok with you Annelle?) to let faculty and Deans know to access Blog. Do you all agree?
Excellent! Kathy
Excellent! Kathy
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Trip to DEMOCRACY NOW?
This is Annelle again: are people still interested in going to see Amy in action at DEMOCRACY NOW?
We'd have to go early... if you're interested, post, and then Kathy can make a request for our agreed date.
We'd have to go early... if you're interested, post, and then Kathy can make a request for our agreed date.
Letter to Editor
To the editor of Washington Square News, Adam Playford, and the WSN staff,
A reflection on my recent experience with the environmental advocacy initiative, BLACKOUT NYU, an effort to turn off or dim lights in classrooms and offices around NYU on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22:
In preparing re-used fliers (old paper bags, magazines, and elderly WSN's) to post around campus, I wondered quietly whether my classmates in Gallatin's "Political Journalism" and I were wasting our time. Students in class need to see the board, their notes, and their books; faculty in offices must be able to work. Maybe on some idyllic little college campus where every room has windows BLACKOUT might have stood a chance, but in the notoriously window-less warrens of Stern, Silver, and Steinhardt?
I therefore want to commend NYU students and faculty for their willingness to at least try turning out their lights. Some where more amenable than others, but on the whole people seemed not opposed to the idea. The sentiment I faced most often while going through classrooms with the "Blackout Squad" was not antagonism, but confusion. I can just imagine the comments after we left a room: "Who were those people?/What did they want?/Why is it darker in here? What is the point?" Because although they turned off some of their lights and could still function, or else were able to open the blinds and use natural light, many probably felt the same way I did: how much is this actually helping? A few less pounds of carbon from NYU on Earth Day.
Whoo-pee-doo.
This nagging doubt hovered beneath my smiling determination to flip as many light switches as possible.
Yet then again, what is the alternative? One of the few un-supportive professors put it quite well when he said, "I'm sorry, but I think my students' eyes are more important than..." And he stopped. More important than what? Preventing flooding, food shortages, droughts, and disease around the globe? I hate to sound apocalyptic, but this is hardly journalistic hyperbole. This is what lies at the end of our current path of insatiable petroleum consumption.
At the end of a day talking to people about the project and patrolling classrooms, BLACKOUT NYU taught me not to doubt people. We know what could happen if we don't change the way we use energy. In the face of an entire system of over-consumption the nagging doubt about our own ability to change our course starts with individual empowerment. Reminding people to exert the control that they have, (over their own light switches), flips another switch: the attitude that we can do something about this. Once the empowerment switch has been turned on, the doubt that currently tells us we can't change the patterns of American energy consumption will lose its juice. We can do this. Just flip the switch.
[Thanks to the staff of WSN for publicizing Earth Day events and environmental issues, for your outstanding work in general. And for receiving this letter. Best, Annelle Sheline, Gallatin '08]
A reflection on my recent experience with the environmental advocacy initiative, BLACKOUT NYU, an effort to turn off or dim lights in classrooms and offices around NYU on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22:
In preparing re-used fliers (old paper bags, magazines, and elderly WSN's) to post around campus, I wondered quietly whether my classmates in Gallatin's "Political Journalism" and I were wasting our time. Students in class need to see the board, their notes, and their books; faculty in offices must be able to work. Maybe on some idyllic little college campus where every room has windows BLACKOUT might have stood a chance, but in the notoriously window-less warrens of Stern, Silver, and Steinhardt?
I therefore want to commend NYU students and faculty for their willingness to at least try turning out their lights. Some where more amenable than others, but on the whole people seemed not opposed to the idea. The sentiment I faced most often while going through classrooms with the "Blackout Squad" was not antagonism, but confusion. I can just imagine the comments after we left a room: "Who were those people?/What did they want?/Why is it darker in here? What is the point?" Because although they turned off some of their lights and could still function, or else were able to open the blinds and use natural light, many probably felt the same way I did: how much is this actually helping? A few less pounds of carbon from NYU on Earth Day.
Whoo-pee-doo.
This nagging doubt hovered beneath my smiling determination to flip as many light switches as possible.
Yet then again, what is the alternative? One of the few un-supportive professors put it quite well when he said, "I'm sorry, but I think my students' eyes are more important than..." And he stopped. More important than what? Preventing flooding, food shortages, droughts, and disease around the globe? I hate to sound apocalyptic, but this is hardly journalistic hyperbole. This is what lies at the end of our current path of insatiable petroleum consumption.
At the end of a day talking to people about the project and patrolling classrooms, BLACKOUT NYU taught me not to doubt people. We know what could happen if we don't change the way we use energy. In the face of an entire system of over-consumption the nagging doubt about our own ability to change our course starts with individual empowerment. Reminding people to exert the control that they have, (over their own light switches), flips another switch: the attitude that we can do something about this. Once the empowerment switch has been turned on, the doubt that currently tells us we can't change the patterns of American energy consumption will lose its juice. We can do this. Just flip the switch.
[Thanks to the staff of WSN for publicizing Earth Day events and environmental issues, for your outstanding work in general. And for receiving this letter. Best, Annelle Sheline, Gallatin '08]
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Global Warming Legislation
On Earth Day 2008, the House of Representatives was presented
with a plan for real action on Global Warming. Chairman Henry
Waxman, Chairman Ed Markey, and Representative Jay Inslee
introduced their Principles for Global Warming Legislation, a
roadmap to produce a comprehensive program for the U.S. to
reduce global warming emissions.
Now is the time to join me and Earthjustice and let your
representative know that you support taking real, effective, and
practical action to curb global warming.
Take action at the link below:
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/waxman_0408?rk=d1_dQe61w60FW
with a plan for real action on Global Warming. Chairman Henry
Waxman, Chairman Ed Markey, and Representative Jay Inslee
introduced their Principles for Global Warming Legislation, a
roadmap to produce a comprehensive program for the U.S. to
reduce global warming emissions.
Now is the time to join me and Earthjustice and let your
representative know that you support taking real, effective, and
practical action to curb global warming.
Take action at the link below:
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/waxman_0408?rk=d1_dQe61w60FW
from Kathy YOU ARE AWESOME!!!
Hey all: What a great job! I'm so proud of each and all of you, singularly and collaboratively!! What a great, interesting day. Can't wait to hear what you all think, what you learned, what worked, what didn't, etc. tomorrow!!
Phil thanks for posting the photos. Wonderful except the angry looking professor!!
Can we get them out on NYU sites with captions? Does anyone know?
And if you get to writing anything, post on blog and let's think about getting Letters To The Editor to the NY Times and WSN and columns. Tell WSN you will write it for them. I think for NYT it's: Letters@nytimes.com and oped@nytimes.com. Newsday is also good about printing opeds, and has a student page. ALso why not try The Villager and The Village Voice.
if you do a column let's try to get it around -- there are many other online options -- Huffington, CommonDreams, Tompaine.com, Nation.com etc. If you don't get to it before, bring to class. Write what happened, the substance, and hook it with perception of student inactivism and how this is wrong, and how important it is to make visible these activities. Perhaps we should also send a thank you to Gallatin professors for being so supportive and is there a way to post a more general letter to NYU community?
Write now before you forget the specifics and the feel of it.
Congratulations on great work. Kathy
Phil thanks for posting the photos. Wonderful except the angry looking professor!!
Can we get them out on NYU sites with captions? Does anyone know?
And if you get to writing anything, post on blog and let's think about getting Letters To The Editor to the NY Times and WSN and columns. Tell WSN you will write it for them. I think for NYT it's: Letters@nytimes.com and oped@nytimes.com. Newsday is also good about printing opeds, and has a student page. ALso why not try The Villager and The Village Voice.
if you do a column let's try to get it around -- there are many other online options -- Huffington, CommonDreams, Tompaine.com, Nation.com etc. If you don't get to it before, bring to class. Write what happened, the substance, and hook it with perception of student inactivism and how this is wrong, and how important it is to make visible these activities. Perhaps we should also send a thank you to Gallatin professors for being so supportive and is there a way to post a more general letter to NYU community?
Write now before you forget the specifics and the feel of it.
Congratulations on great work. Kathy
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
NOON: Earth Day
Update
Aileen, Crissy, Annelle and Ellen met up at 9am to post signs and write on blackboards in Silver and Gallatin...
(Sorry, that's all I know about, please post other stuff I missed!)
There is the World's Longest Vegan Hero on Washington Place--it's delicious.
I assume that we're meeting up in the park around 12:30.
Thanks, Annelle
Aileen, Crissy, Annelle and Ellen met up at 9am to post signs and write on blackboards in Silver and Gallatin...
(Sorry, that's all I know about, please post other stuff I missed!)
There is the World's Longest Vegan Hero on Washington Place--it's delicious.
I assume that we're meeting up in the park around 12:30.
Thanks, Annelle
t shirts from Kathy
Does it make sense to bring the shirts to the park and use fabric markers to make something? Kathy
okay im going to meet
whoever is meeting this morning by silver... and i have a table but i have to go get it after my class which gets out at 12:15 so we're looking at 12:30ish with the table by the baci ball court in the park right?... i have the chalk...
again i feel really bad about the t-shirts... im really sorry...
crissy
again i feel really bad about the t-shirts... im really sorry...
crissy
sad news
i'm really excited for today...but
i'm sorry guys but the screen i made for the t-shirts didn't set right last night. I tried really hard to fix it, but they just didn't come out right on the test run i think the chemicals i used didn't work correctly....so no t-shirts today, but i'll try again this weekend...i'm really sorry. The design is awesome
again i feel really bad but we won't have them for today
crissy
i'm sorry guys but the screen i made for the t-shirts didn't set right last night. I tried really hard to fix it, but they just didn't come out right on the test run i think the chemicals i used didn't work correctly....so no t-shirts today, but i'll try again this weekend...i'm really sorry. The design is awesome
again i feel really bad but we won't have them for today
crissy
from Kathy early Tues Earth Day
Hey all: Fantastic work. I'm so proud of everyone! Jasmine, please try to call WNBC back as soon as you can this morning just to confirm that they're coming. You can simply say: Wanted to make sure you have all the information; things are moving forward with a lot of energy...
Also great to make as many early media calls this morning as possible, local assignment desks, mention you were on WCBS radio this morning.
See you later! Very exciting! Kathy
Also great to make as many early media calls this morning as possible, local assignment desks, mention you were on WCBS radio this morning.
See you later! Very exciting! Kathy
Monday, April 21, 2008
From Shaina
Hello everyone!
Just an FYI, the clubs at the street fair have been gracious and kind enough to share their tables with our cause. I know we will be in the park and have planned to organize there but if anyone would like to spread out we have that option available.
With that said- WOW guys. Amazing work so far. I'm so proud of all of us! This is going to be great!
Just an FYI, the clubs at the street fair have been gracious and kind enough to share their tables with our cause. I know we will be in the park and have planned to organize there but if anyone would like to spread out we have that option available.
With that said- WOW guys. Amazing work so far. I'm so proud of all of us! This is going to be great!
hi,
Annelle, I realized that I'm actually free earlier than I thought, so I'll meet you and Joel at 9:10? At Kimmel or Silver? Either is fine for me; I have both of your numbers so I'll call if I can't find you. I can't reach Crissy about shirts so I'm thinking I'll just wear some combination of green and/or black.
If people want to blackout squad between 9 and 12:15 or so, call me and we can meet up: 510 414 9635. Otherwise, I'm assuming people will be meeting in the park from 12:30 on and can coordinate blackout stuff from there.
See you all tomorrow!
Ellen
Annelle, I realized that I'm actually free earlier than I thought, so I'll meet you and Joel at 9:10? At Kimmel or Silver? Either is fine for me; I have both of your numbers so I'll call if I can't find you. I can't reach Crissy about shirts so I'm thinking I'll just wear some combination of green and/or black.
If people want to blackout squad between 9 and 12:15 or so, call me and we can meet up: 510 414 9635. Otherwise, I'm assuming people will be meeting in the park from 12:30 on and can coordinate blackout stuff from there.
See you all tomorrow!
Ellen
Hey All...From Jasmine
Hey! i dont know if this is THAT important, but...i believe WNBC said they would cover the event...Today on the phone the person i spoke with asked for the address of the event and seemed to be intimating that it would be covered, though i only spoke with him for about a minute...
just thought i'd give a heads up.
ALSO, i can help out in the morning! see you in front of Kimmel at 9:10ish!?!?!
Thanks all!!
just thought i'd give a heads up.
ALSO, i can help out in the morning! see you in front of Kimmel at 9:10ish!?!?!
Thanks all!!
yahoo is green...
I mean, they made the "yahoo" symbol green with little recycling signs...but it still uses a lot of energy
(For a more energy-friendly search engine than yahoo or google, try "blackle"--using screens with darker backgrounds actually takes less energy...part of why our blog is a dark color!
For tomorrow morning: Eileen, please call me so we can meet up and get the fliers from you.
Ellen, I can meet you to both post signs and be on the blackout squad at 9:30 (should we start a little before?)
Joel, let's meet outside Silver at 9:10, does that sound ok?
Anyone else free in the morning?
Also, if for any reason we can't connect with you Crissy for t-shirts, I was planning to wear black tomorrow.
Both for BLACKOUT and to acknowledge that Earth Day is not a particularly optimistic day this year...or any of the recent years.
Maybe that's too pessimistic, but one thing that people have brought up about BLACKOUT is it's brevity. Just one day and then everyone feels like they've done something.
Not trying to kill the buzz or minimize the work we've been doing, just trying to be self-reflective.
Mostly, thanks to Judy and Joel for taking the interviews, (and to Judy for getting in touch with me!)
Joel, I'm so glad that your interview worked out; i was literally sitting in class two seconds before it began and the lady called and wanted to talk to me. I apologized and gave her your number, hoping for the best. Sounds like it worked out.
Happy Earth Day!
(For a more energy-friendly search engine than yahoo or google, try "blackle"--using screens with darker backgrounds actually takes less energy...part of why our blog is a dark color!
For tomorrow morning: Eileen, please call me so we can meet up and get the fliers from you.
Ellen, I can meet you to both post signs and be on the blackout squad at 9:30 (should we start a little before?)
Joel, let's meet outside Silver at 9:10, does that sound ok?
Anyone else free in the morning?
Also, if for any reason we can't connect with you Crissy for t-shirts, I was planning to wear black tomorrow.
Both for BLACKOUT and to acknowledge that Earth Day is not a particularly optimistic day this year...or any of the recent years.
Maybe that's too pessimistic, but one thing that people have brought up about BLACKOUT is it's brevity. Just one day and then everyone feels like they've done something.
Not trying to kill the buzz or minimize the work we've been doing, just trying to be self-reflective.
Mostly, thanks to Judy and Joel for taking the interviews, (and to Judy for getting in touch with me!)
Joel, I'm so glad that your interview worked out; i was literally sitting in class two seconds before it began and the lady called and wanted to talk to me. I apologized and gave her your number, hoping for the best. Sounds like it worked out.
Happy Earth Day!
Interviews
Okay,
I'm really excited everyone! I think the media campaign was a definite success. Both Judy and I did interviews with CBS Radio, which is kind of a big deal. I mean, I'll take CBS over WSN any day. Anyway, the guy at the radio station told me that it would begin airing around 5AM and go on a loop (I'm assuming at the beginning of each hour) until around 10AM. SO, if someone could try to tape it, that would be amazing.
Now, let's follow through with the plan for tomorrow. I think it's gonna rock!
Joel
I'm really excited everyone! I think the media campaign was a definite success. Both Judy and I did interviews with CBS Radio, which is kind of a big deal. I mean, I'll take CBS over WSN any day. Anyway, the guy at the radio station told me that it would begin airing around 5AM and go on a loop (I'm assuming at the beginning of each hour) until around 10AM. SO, if someone could try to tape it, that would be amazing.
Now, let's follow through with the plan for tomorrow. I think it's gonna rock!
Joel
Earth Day Tomorrow!!
Hey all!
So I was wondering who is going to be where, and at what time? JD, is your friend still willing to lend us his/her table, and what time will it be set up? I can be at the park from 12:30pm, but since I'll be filming, I'll be all over the place and will need some people to also be at the park with me. Chrissy, where and when should we pick up the T-shirts from you? And I can pick up chalk for tomorrow. Is there anything else I'm missing?
-Ara
misc.
just spoke to WCBS 880, but i forgot about half of the things i wrote out to say :(
the segment is the first five minutes of every hour, just in case anyone wants to listen in.
if anyone has suggestions for the quick facts sheet, please email me jaj316@nyu.edu
we still need chalk if anyone is in the mood to get some tomorrow morning.
the segment is the first five minutes of every hour, just in case anyone wants to listen in.
if anyone has suggestions for the quick facts sheet, please email me jaj316@nyu.edu
we still need chalk if anyone is in the mood to get some tomorrow morning.
yay about cbs radio and everything (from Kathy)
First of all: You all are awesome. Reading the blog gives me more energy than even my morning coffee, which is serious!! Can someone tape the CBS interviews. And please let me know what time. I want to alert some professors etc. Let me know what you need me to do, when. Available beginning 12:30. Also, can I show a dvd in my morning class... it uses electricity but is not a light! Please advise. Great work!
Kathy
Kathy
from Ellen
hey guys,
I'm back in New York and just checking in to see if there's anything I can do between now and tomorrow. I've made some posters/fliers, which I can put up in the King Juan Carlos Center, Silver, Starbucks, and anywhere else they're needed. Joel, Shaina, and Annelle, someone may be contacting you from WSN tonight or tomorrow--they seemed interested in the story but said that whether or not they'll be able to cover it depends on space.
Also: let's start coordinating blackout crew. I'm free to do it between 9:30 and 12:30. Who else is free when? I figure we should do it in teams, right? Here's my number in case anyone wants to pair up with me tomorrow morning: 510 414 9635.
Crissy, where and when do we get shirts?
Ellen
I'm back in New York and just checking in to see if there's anything I can do between now and tomorrow. I've made some posters/fliers, which I can put up in the King Juan Carlos Center, Silver, Starbucks, and anywhere else they're needed. Joel, Shaina, and Annelle, someone may be contacting you from WSN tonight or tomorrow--they seemed interested in the story but said that whether or not they'll be able to cover it depends on space.
Also: let's start coordinating blackout crew. I'm free to do it between 9:30 and 12:30. Who else is free when? I figure we should do it in teams, right? Here's my number in case anyone wants to pair up with me tomorrow morning: 510 414 9635.
Crissy, where and when do we get shirts?
Ellen
SORRY ANNELLE!
A) Annelle, I got in touch with Vanessa...I was away from the computer all day!
B) Ara and I are drafting fact sheets (approx. one page) to verbally communicate to passersby. THIS IS INSTEAD OF A POSTER (partially because of time and resource constraints...I am also rationalizing this because it would be a greater waste to use a board that may be less effective than a conversation that would directly engagement individuals.)
C) Joel and I will both have completed taped interviews for CBS w880 by tonight. These interviews will be broadcast tomorrow morning...when I know the timing, I will forward the information to this blog.
If this does not make sense, please call me. 860-227-2440
-Judy
B) Ara and I are drafting fact sheets (approx. one page) to verbally communicate to passersby. THIS IS INSTEAD OF A POSTER (partially because of time and resource constraints...I am also rationalizing this because it would be a greater waste to use a board that may be less effective than a conversation that would directly engagement individuals.)
C) Joel and I will both have completed taped interviews for CBS w880 by tonight. These interviews will be broadcast tomorrow morning...when I know the timing, I will forward the information to this blog.
If this does not make sense, please call me. 860-227-2440
-Judy
Countdown: 1 Day to BLACKOUT
It's coming...
Recap of today:
Shaina and Annelle posted fliers in Kimmel at 9am, Jasmine posted fliers in Gallatin and Tisch at 11am.
At 2pm Jasmine and Annelle made followup calls to agencies that had received the Press Release from riptide...people mostly seemed receptive and friendly, though harried.
Again,
JUDY PLEASE CALL ME!! Or if anyone can get in touch with Judy please ASK HER TO CALL ME! (i'm going to be in class from 3:30 to 6:10, please leave a message)
Vanessa from CBS Radio called me to ask for an interview with Judy this evening--I called her back to say that I am not yet in touch with Judy...if we can't find Judy, we will have someone else do the interview...and say that it's judy?
For posting fliers tomorrow:
Please meet Eileen (she has Tuesday's fliers) in the morning...I have not yet heard from Eileen regarding when or where...
Eileen, if you get this, could you please post your # so people can find out where to meet you and get fliers?
Thanks to all!
Recap of today:
Shaina and Annelle posted fliers in Kimmel at 9am, Jasmine posted fliers in Gallatin and Tisch at 11am.
At 2pm Jasmine and Annelle made followup calls to agencies that had received the Press Release from riptide...people mostly seemed receptive and friendly, though harried.
Again,
JUDY PLEASE CALL ME!! Or if anyone can get in touch with Judy please ASK HER TO CALL ME! (i'm going to be in class from 3:30 to 6:10, please leave a message)
Vanessa from CBS Radio called me to ask for an interview with Judy this evening--I called her back to say that I am not yet in touch with Judy...if we can't find Judy, we will have someone else do the interview...and say that it's judy?
For posting fliers tomorrow:
Please meet Eileen (she has Tuesday's fliers) in the morning...I have not yet heard from Eileen regarding when or where...
Eileen, if you get this, could you please post your # so people can find out where to meet you and get fliers?
Thanks to all!
JUDY! Please call Annelle!
This is Annelle
I got a message from CBS Radio wanting to interview Judy after 7pm this evening, Monday the 21st, regarding BLACKOUT.
However i do not have Judy's number...
If any one has this and can contact Judy PLEASE call me (919-451-0803)
Thanks!
I got a message from CBS Radio wanting to interview Judy after 7pm this evening, Monday the 21st, regarding BLACKOUT.
However i do not have Judy's number...
If any one has this and can contact Judy PLEASE call me (919-451-0803)
Thanks!
from crissy again.
shaina if you can... get the design to me for the shirts by 5 because i have a meeting at eight.....if anyone wants to help, i live at alumni.
and please don't hesitate to call
818 809 8251
crissy
and please don't hesitate to call
818 809 8251
crissy
from crissy:
okay so silkscreen is a go, only that it's kinda small....
if you have flyers i can help put them up call me
818 809 8251.....
also judy do you need help putting the poster together?
and did anyone get chalk? if not do people want me to pick some up?
does anyone know who is has the numbers for the follow up and the final press release?
crissy
if you have flyers i can help put them up call me
818 809 8251.....
also judy do you need help putting the poster together?
and did anyone get chalk? if not do people want me to pick some up?
does anyone know who is has the numbers for the follow up and the final press release?
crissy
Sunday, April 20, 2008
NYC Contact List...
Okay everybody here's the deal:
Riptide is sending out the press release bright and early tomorrow morning. Atequah (from Riptide) will hopefully get back to us with the numbers of various news desks for NYC media outlets. If, however, she does not, I looked up as many of them as I could online.
Annelle, I am thinking it might be best for you to make these calls. Just so we don't get confused about who is calling whom. So, here is my list. I told Ateqah to e-mail you with any other phone calls. If you need help, don't hesitate to calle me. (586) 489-6707. I, however, will not have access to the internet tomorrow until after 6PM. So, catching me on the phone is your best bet. Please keep me posted. The calls should be made after 1PM and before 3pM, I am guessing.
New York City Media Outlet Phone #’s
New York Daily News: (212) 210-NEWS
New York Post: (212) 930-8500
New York Times: 1-888-NYT-NEWS
WBAI: (212) 209-2860
Metro NY: 212-952-1500
AP Daybook Editor: (212) 621-1670
NY 1: (212) 691-6397
WABC Local News: 212.456.3173
WNBC Local: (212) 664-2731
Riptide is sending out the press release bright and early tomorrow morning. Atequah (from Riptide) will hopefully get back to us with the numbers of various news desks for NYC media outlets. If, however, she does not, I looked up as many of them as I could online.
Annelle, I am thinking it might be best for you to make these calls. Just so we don't get confused about who is calling whom. So, here is my list. I told Ateqah to e-mail you with any other phone calls. If you need help, don't hesitate to calle me. (586) 489-6707. I, however, will not have access to the internet tomorrow until after 6PM. So, catching me on the phone is your best bet. Please keep me posted. The calls should be made after 1PM and before 3pM, I am guessing.
New York City Media Outlet Phone #’s
New York Daily News: (212) 210-NEWS
New York Post: (212) 930-8500
New York Times: 1-888-NYT-NEWS
WBAI: (212) 209-2860
Metro NY: 212-952-1500
AP Daybook Editor: (212) 621-1670
NY 1: (212) 691-6397
WABC Local News: 212.456.3173
WNBC Local: (212) 664-2731
Hmm?
Hey guys,
I was wondering if more help was needed with the posting of fliers for Tuesday. If so, who has how many, and where can I meet to collect some? Also, I was wondering where we will be making the T-shirts and poster board tomorrow, Monday. Please let me know!!! And last, how are we going to coordinate all this? When is the table going to be set up in the park, who is going to set it up, and when are the blackout squads heading out to enforce the lights-out so that I can film some action?
Peace all,
Ara
I was wondering if more help was needed with the posting of fliers for Tuesday. If so, who has how many, and where can I meet to collect some? Also, I was wondering where we will be making the T-shirts and poster board tomorrow, Monday. Please let me know!!! And last, how are we going to coordinate all this? When is the table going to be set up in the park, who is going to set it up, and when are the blackout squads heading out to enforce the lights-out so that I can film some action?
Peace all,
Ara
Ah, I feel like a Spammer
An update from Rich:
1) I have a stomach virus, ow. I spent almost all of Saturday in bed. I'm a little better now, but I did not get much sleep last night.
2) Gallatin Student Life has NOT gotten back to me about if we can use their silk screen equipment. Laarni told me I have to talk to Sam but Sam has not e-mailed me back and she was not in her office Tuesday afternoon or any of Friday. Hence, I suggest using another place for silk screening.
3) I think I've e-mailed everyone I can in terms of Deans. I'm missing some department heads, mostly in Stern, simply becuase their website blows. Sustainability Advocates are all accounted for as well. I did most of the e-mailing Friday night and I have not recieved any responses. Then again, I said in the e-mail to contact Annelle, Ellen or Shaina, which might explain why I personally have not heard back from them.
4) I'll do follow-up calls to all the deans tomorrow.
This event will rock. Peace.
1) I have a stomach virus, ow. I spent almost all of Saturday in bed. I'm a little better now, but I did not get much sleep last night.
2) Gallatin Student Life has NOT gotten back to me about if we can use their silk screen equipment. Laarni told me I have to talk to Sam but Sam has not e-mailed me back and she was not in her office Tuesday afternoon or any of Friday. Hence, I suggest using another place for silk screening.
3) I think I've e-mailed everyone I can in terms of Deans. I'm missing some department heads, mostly in Stern, simply becuase their website blows. Sustainability Advocates are all accounted for as well. I did most of the e-mailing Friday night and I have not recieved any responses. Then again, I said in the e-mail to contact Annelle, Ellen or Shaina, which might explain why I personally have not heard back from them.
4) I'll do follow-up calls to all the deans tomorrow.
This event will rock. Peace.
Research for Judy
Here are a few facts that might merit a display in the park...some are fairly obvious, others less so. If others have ideas about what to tell park passers-by, please contribute!
*
From (interestingly enough) BP's website:
"Whether in coal, oil or gas, carbon is the essential ingredient of all fossil fuels. When these fuels are burned to provide energy, carbon dioxide (CO2), a "greenhouse gas", is released to the Earth’s atmosphere.
As we’ve become more dependent on carbon-based fuels, we’ve seen a rapid increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO2; from around 280 parts per million (ppm) before the industrial revolution, to 370 ppm today. If current trends of fossil fuel use continue the concentration of CO2 is likely to exceed 700 ppm by the end of this century. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this could lead to global warming of between 1.4 and 5.8°C, more frequent severe weather conditions and damage to many natural ecosystems."
"The recycling of one kilo of aluminum can save 11 kilos of carbon emissions."
From the site of the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
"Tax exemptions apply to the purchase of renewable energy products, tax credits cover solar and fuel cell products, and New York State offers grants, loans, and rebates for improving energy efficiency."
(i.e. you don't have to take on the entire cost burden of re-doing your apartment's window or insulation)
From John Edward's site "Reduce Your Carbon.com"
"Lowering the thermostat 2 degrees in winter and raising it 2 degrees in summer saves approximately 2,000 lbs of carbon per year."
"Replace ten lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs to reduce 1,000 lbs of carbon per year."
Terrapass is an especially helpful site we could recommend to people as well.
if possible, could anyone else who is going to help put up signs on Monday, (besides me and Shania), post to let us know you'll be there? Kimmel, 9am.
Thanks!
Annelle
*
From (interestingly enough) BP's website:
"Whether in coal, oil or gas, carbon is the essential ingredient of all fossil fuels. When these fuels are burned to provide energy, carbon dioxide (CO2), a "greenhouse gas", is released to the Earth’s atmosphere.
As we’ve become more dependent on carbon-based fuels, we’ve seen a rapid increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO2; from around 280 parts per million (ppm) before the industrial revolution, to 370 ppm today. If current trends of fossil fuel use continue the concentration of CO2 is likely to exceed 700 ppm by the end of this century. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this could lead to global warming of between 1.4 and 5.8°C, more frequent severe weather conditions and damage to many natural ecosystems."
"The recycling of one kilo of aluminum can save 11 kilos of carbon emissions."
From the site of the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
"Tax exemptions apply to the purchase of renewable energy products, tax credits cover solar and fuel cell products, and New York State offers grants, loans, and rebates for improving energy efficiency."
(i.e. you don't have to take on the entire cost burden of re-doing your apartment's window or insulation)
From John Edward's site "Reduce Your Carbon.com"
"Lowering the thermostat 2 degrees in winter and raising it 2 degrees in summer saves approximately 2,000 lbs of carbon per year."
"Replace ten lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs to reduce 1,000 lbs of carbon per year."
Terrapass is an especially helpful site we could recommend to people as well.
if possible, could anyone else who is going to help put up signs on Monday, (besides me and Shania), post to let us know you'll be there? Kimmel, 9am.
Thanks!
Annelle
Erin update
Hey gang. So at Seder last night I rallied people to make fliers for Monday and Tuesday. I'll put them all over Tisch tomorrow morning. I also spoke with professors at Tisch and emailed a few of the Deans letting them know and trying to get people on board. I'm going to stop by some of Dean's offices and talk to them in person.
We should figure out what time the Blackout Squad is meeting on Tuesday. I wont be back in the city until 2 so count me out for the morning but from 2-5 I'll run around to classrooms.
We should figure out what time the Blackout Squad is meeting on Tuesday. I wont be back in the city until 2 so count me out for the morning but from 2-5 I'll run around to classrooms.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Countdown: 4 days to Earth Day
Just an update...
Eileen, Shania, Jasmine, Phil, Joel, and Annelle met in the lounge of Gallatin to write BLACKOUT NYU/GO BLACK TO GO GREEN/EARTH DAY 04.22.08/TURN OFF YA LIGHTS/IT'S COMING... and the like on old newspapers, magazines, and paper bags.
Shania, Annelle and Jasmine (had we confirmed this Jas? Sorry, I can't remember) are meeting at 9am at Kimmel to post signs advertising for BLACKOUT the next day.
Thanks so much to Eileen for volunteering to take Tuesday's "fliers" in the meantime, and to Shania for taking Monday's!
Furthermore, Joel thanks so much for your work on the publicity side in communicating so effectively with Riptide!
And to those who came out to clutter (and of course subsequently clean up) the Gallatin lounge.
Please forgive anything I omitted, and let me know!
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Do we have a plan for Tuesday? Squad vs. park and meeting times?
Peace,
Annelle
Eileen, Shania, Jasmine, Phil, Joel, and Annelle met in the lounge of Gallatin to write BLACKOUT NYU/GO BLACK TO GO GREEN/EARTH DAY 04.22.08/TURN OFF YA LIGHTS/IT'S COMING... and the like on old newspapers, magazines, and paper bags.
Shania, Annelle and Jasmine (had we confirmed this Jas? Sorry, I can't remember) are meeting at 9am at Kimmel to post signs advertising for BLACKOUT the next day.
Thanks so much to Eileen for volunteering to take Tuesday's "fliers" in the meantime, and to Shania for taking Monday's!
Furthermore, Joel thanks so much for your work on the publicity side in communicating so effectively with Riptide!
And to those who came out to clutter (and of course subsequently clean up) the Gallatin lounge.
Please forgive anything I omitted, and let me know!
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Do we have a plan for Tuesday? Squad vs. park and meeting times?
Peace,
Annelle
Brian Lehrer
Hey class! Just a quick update. I submitted a brief on our project to the Brian Lehrer Show, with my own contact info. I'll let you know if I get any response. I'm assuming he'll have some topic discussion of Earth day on Monday or Tuesday morning, so I'll hopefully have a chance to call in live. I'm crossing my fingers!
Who is doing what?
Hey gang, here is what people said they were doing. I apologize if I misspell anyone's name.
Chrissy - Calling media on Monday, making T-shirts, making poster for park, taking pictures, Tuesday: Park 12:30-4:30
Joel - Friday making recycled fliers, Finishing press release, calling Riptide for media list, calling media on Monday
Ellen - Calling media on Monday, Talking to WSN, writing a piece about the event, Tuesday: can be in park of "blackout squad"
Judy - Making T-shirts, making poster, researching facts to tell people, take photos, Tuesday: Park 12:30 - 4:30
Jasmine - Make fliers on Friday, Tuesday: Park 12:30 - 4:30
Shaina - Contacting clubs, T-shirt design, making fliers on Friday, film event
Aura - Making poster, making t-shirts, film event
Richard - contacting WNYU, Tuesday: Blackout Squad
Annelle - Fliers on Friday, Researching facts, Monday and Tuesday can post fliers in buildings, Tuesday: Park or Squad
Ailleen - Fliers on Firday, Post fliers Monday and Tuesday, write piece about event
JD - Post fliers Monday and Tuesday, Tuesday: Blackout Squad
Erin - Get Tisch on board, Tuesday: Blackout Squad (2 - 5), Put up fliers on Monday
Phil - Making t-shirts, Friday making fliers, going to Saturday concert, Tuesday: Park or Blackout Squad
Okay so I hope this makes sense, sorry its cryptic. What we still need to coordinate is how people will get the fliers for Monday and Tuesday mornings. As well as the Black Out team buddies.
Chrissy - Calling media on Monday, making T-shirts, making poster for park, taking pictures, Tuesday: Park 12:30-4:30
Joel - Friday making recycled fliers, Finishing press release, calling Riptide for media list, calling media on Monday
Ellen - Calling media on Monday, Talking to WSN, writing a piece about the event, Tuesday: can be in park of "blackout squad"
Judy - Making T-shirts, making poster, researching facts to tell people, take photos, Tuesday: Park 12:30 - 4:30
Jasmine - Make fliers on Friday, Tuesday: Park 12:30 - 4:30
Shaina - Contacting clubs, T-shirt design, making fliers on Friday, film event
Aura - Making poster, making t-shirts, film event
Richard - contacting WNYU, Tuesday: Blackout Squad
Annelle - Fliers on Friday, Researching facts, Monday and Tuesday can post fliers in buildings, Tuesday: Park or Squad
Ailleen - Fliers on Firday, Post fliers Monday and Tuesday, write piece about event
JD - Post fliers Monday and Tuesday, Tuesday: Blackout Squad
Erin - Get Tisch on board, Tuesday: Blackout Squad (2 - 5), Put up fliers on Monday
Phil - Making t-shirts, Friday making fliers, going to Saturday concert, Tuesday: Park or Blackout Squad
Okay so I hope this makes sense, sorry its cryptic. What we still need to coordinate is how people will get the fliers for Monday and Tuesday mornings. As well as the Black Out team buddies.
Completed e-mail
Alrighty, all contact info is accounted for and this e-mail is being sent out to lots and lots of administrators and the like.
Dear ________________________,
As part of New York University’s initiative to go green, and to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, the students of Kathy Engel’s Community Learning Initiative class at Gallatin, Political Journalism and Activism, have a simple proposal entitled “Blackout NYU” in order to reduce our environmental impact and have more people thinking about Earth Day.
On April 22nd, we are asking that all professors turn off their lights in their classrooms during class time. This will reduce the amount of energy being used and will allow everyone within the classroom to acknowledge Earth Day. If it is impossible to conduct a class in a room with all the lights off, we suggest that professors turn off some of the lights, discuss the purpose of turning off the lights, or conduct that class period outside. In addition, though we are focusing on Earth Day itself, professors can also turn off the lights for other classes during the week, if they have classes that do not fall on a Tuesday. In addition, we hope that administration and staff will participate by turning off, or dimming office lights as much as possible.
This letter will be sent to all the deans, department heads and sustainability advocates in order to get as many people involved as possible. Together, through this initiative, we can reduce our impact on our planet. If you have any questions about this event please contact Annelle Sheline (AnnelleSheline@yahoo.com, 919-451-0803), Ellen Cushing (ellen.cushing@nyu.edu, 510-414-9635) or Shaina Negron (srn238@nyu.edu, 845-269-8394)
Sincerely,
Ara Cho
Ellen Cushing
Jasmine Van Deventer
Gabriella Garcia
Crissy Gardner
J.D. Gluckstern
Erin Gordon
Judy Joslow
Aileen Moner
Shaina Negron
Joel Pietrzak
Richard Rodriguez
Phil Rudich
Annelle Sheline
Dear ________________________,
As part of New York University’s initiative to go green, and to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, the students of Kathy Engel’s Community Learning Initiative class at Gallatin, Political Journalism and Activism, have a simple proposal entitled “Blackout NYU” in order to reduce our environmental impact and have more people thinking about Earth Day.
On April 22nd, we are asking that all professors turn off their lights in their classrooms during class time. This will reduce the amount of energy being used and will allow everyone within the classroom to acknowledge Earth Day. If it is impossible to conduct a class in a room with all the lights off, we suggest that professors turn off some of the lights, discuss the purpose of turning off the lights, or conduct that class period outside. In addition, though we are focusing on Earth Day itself, professors can also turn off the lights for other classes during the week, if they have classes that do not fall on a Tuesday. In addition, we hope that administration and staff will participate by turning off, or dimming office lights as much as possible.
This letter will be sent to all the deans, department heads and sustainability advocates in order to get as many people involved as possible. Together, through this initiative, we can reduce our impact on our planet. If you have any questions about this event please contact Annelle Sheline (AnnelleSheline@yahoo.com, 919-451-0803), Ellen Cushing (ellen.cushing@nyu.edu, 510-414-9635) or Shaina Negron (srn238@nyu.edu, 845-269-8394)
Sincerely,
Ara Cho
Ellen Cushing
Jasmine Van Deventer
Gabriella Garcia
Crissy Gardner
J.D. Gluckstern
Erin Gordon
Judy Joslow
Aileen Moner
Shaina Negron
Joel Pietrzak
Richard Rodriguez
Phil Rudich
Annelle Sheline
Thursday, April 17, 2008
QUESTION- From Jasmine
Have we contacted Earth Matters yet? I know they conducted the Bare Energy Frolic in Washington Square Park and are really passionate about the issue of conservation...They could probably get information out on their website/in their newsletter, which i believe is purveyed through email.
Discussion Generated
What do we think about inviting more people to participate in the Blackout Squad?
We've already generated discussion on the greenlist, the listserv to which I had sent the basic info, but not the press release
I don't know Cecil or Daniel, but there are, of course, other resources for energy saving at NYU that perhaps we could plug into.
Again, meeting tomorrow with recycled materials at noon in the Gallatin lobby.
~Annelle
**
I've gone through Silver and outfitted all classrooms with occupancy sensors where it was straightforward to do so. We are now moving across campus doing the same in other buildings.
Second pass will be the "difficult" ones: dimmers, no clear line of sight from switch to occupied space, banks of switches, etc.
Let me know if you have any feedback or comments.
--Cecil Scheib
Director, Energy and Sustainability
Daniel Bowman Simon wrote:
Thanks.
Have you ever been in Room 701, Silver Center? The 6 light switches are about as far from the classroom exit as possible. They NEVER get turned off. I wonder how many classrooms have this problem. Also, that classroom is within kissing distance of the exterior windows, but for some reason, was totally walled in. So natural daylight is pretty much excluded. (The wall could probably be removed. And it is about the hottest classroom I've ever been in...exacerbated by the fact that it is entirely interior, so the heat generating lights must be on at all times.
It would be neat to have NYU survey students to determine if issues like this are symptomatic, or rather unique to 701 Silver.
dbs
We've already generated discussion on the greenlist, the listserv to which I had sent the basic info, but not the press release
I don't know Cecil or Daniel, but there are, of course, other resources for energy saving at NYU that perhaps we could plug into.
Again, meeting tomorrow with recycled materials at noon in the Gallatin lobby.
~Annelle
**
I've gone through Silver and outfitted all classrooms with occupancy sensors where it was straightforward to do so. We are now moving across campus doing the same in other buildings.
Second pass will be the "difficult" ones: dimmers, no clear line of sight from switch to occupied space, banks of switches, etc.
Let me know if you have any feedback or comments.
--Cecil Scheib
Director, Energy and Sustainability
Daniel Bowman Simon wrote:
Thanks.
Have you ever been in Room 701, Silver Center? The 6 light switches are about as far from the classroom exit as possible. They NEVER get turned off. I wonder how many classrooms have this problem. Also, that classroom is within kissing distance of the exterior windows, but for some reason, was totally walled in. So natural daylight is pretty much excluded. (The wall could probably be removed. And it is about the hottest classroom I've ever been in...exacerbated by the fact that it is entirely interior, so the heat generating lights must be on at all times.
It would be neat to have NYU survey students to determine if issues like this are symptomatic, or rather unique to 701 Silver.
dbs
completed press release
Richard---Annelle's # is on this release!
Contact: Annelle Sheline FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: 919-451-0803
Email: annellesheline@yahoo.com
LIGHTS OUT FOR EARTH DAY AT NYU
New York University Students Take
Environmental Matters Into Their Own Hands
New York -- April 18, 2008 -- On Tuesday April 22, Earth Day, a group of activist students at New York University are planning a university-wide, energy-saving blackout appropriately called ‘Blackout NYU.’ The event, which will commence with the first NYU classes on Tuesday morning, asks professors and students to turn off their classroom lights to reinforce the University’s efforts to “go green.”
The hope is that NYU Blackout will not only save energy at the University on Earth Day, but that it will serve as a reminder that little things, like turning off the lights, if done collectively, can make a significant impact. “It shows that there are small things we all can do to make our planet a healthier place to live,” said one of the students, Judith Joslow.
The students’ goal is to get as many students and professors to commit to going dark as possible. Early next week, they will storm many of the NYU buildings, posting signs made of recyclable materials, such as newspapers and napkins, on classroom doors and above light switches, advertising the event. On Tuesday, a 'Blackout Squad' will go classroom to classroom making sure the blackout is being enforced. The students even have a plan for classrooms without windows: “Have class outside. The weather is going to be beautiful next week!,” said Joel Pietrzak.
In conjunction with the Blackout effort, the students will be holding a small demonstration in Washington Square Park on Earth Day from 12:30PM until 4:30PM. Decked out in ‘Blackout NYU’ T-shirts, the students will be engaging passers-by about what they can do to help the environment. They will ask people to commit to doing something, large or small, in honor of Earth Day, whether it be replacing their light bulbs at home with energy efficient ones, or pledging to recycle more often. Once this commitment is determined, they will draw a footprint with chalk on the sidewalk. Inside this “carbon footprint,” each person will write down their individual contribution.
For more information, please call Annelle Sheline at 919-451-0803 or e-mail Annelle at annellesheline@yahoo.com.
Contact: Annelle Sheline FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: 919-451-0803
Email: annellesheline@yahoo.com
LIGHTS OUT FOR EARTH DAY AT NYU
New York University Students Take
Environmental Matters Into Their Own Hands
New York -- April 18, 2008 -- On Tuesday April 22, Earth Day, a group of activist students at New York University are planning a university-wide, energy-saving blackout appropriately called ‘Blackout NYU.’ The event, which will commence with the first NYU classes on Tuesday morning, asks professors and students to turn off their classroom lights to reinforce the University’s efforts to “go green.”
The hope is that NYU Blackout will not only save energy at the University on Earth Day, but that it will serve as a reminder that little things, like turning off the lights, if done collectively, can make a significant impact. “It shows that there are small things we all can do to make our planet a healthier place to live,” said one of the students, Judith Joslow.
The students’ goal is to get as many students and professors to commit to going dark as possible. Early next week, they will storm many of the NYU buildings, posting signs made of recyclable materials, such as newspapers and napkins, on classroom doors and above light switches, advertising the event. On Tuesday, a 'Blackout Squad' will go classroom to classroom making sure the blackout is being enforced. The students even have a plan for classrooms without windows: “Have class outside. The weather is going to be beautiful next week!,” said Joel Pietrzak.
In conjunction with the Blackout effort, the students will be holding a small demonstration in Washington Square Park on Earth Day from 12:30PM until 4:30PM. Decked out in ‘Blackout NYU’ T-shirts, the students will be engaging passers-by about what they can do to help the environment. They will ask people to commit to doing something, large or small, in honor of Earth Day, whether it be replacing their light bulbs at home with energy efficient ones, or pledging to recycle more often. Once this commitment is determined, they will draw a footprint with chalk on the sidewalk. Inside this “carbon footprint,” each person will write down their individual contribution.
For more information, please call Annelle Sheline at 919-451-0803 or e-mail Annelle at annellesheline@yahoo.com.
Nearly completed e-mail send out
Here is the e-mail that will be sent out to deans, department heads, and sustainability advocates. I am missing Shaina's and Annelle's phone numbers. Please give me those so we have complete information!
Dear ________________________,
As part of New York University’s initiative to go green, and to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, the students of Kathy Engel’s Community Learning Initiative class at Gallatin, Political Journalism and Activism, have a simple proposal entitled “Blackout NYU” in order to reduce our environmental impact and have more people thinking about Earth Day.
On April 22nd, we are asking that all professors turn off their lights in their classrooms during class time. This will reduce the amount of energy being used and will allow everyone within the classroom to acknowledge Earth Day. If it is impossible to conduct a class in a room with all the lights off, we suggest that professors turn off some of the lights, discuss the purpose of turning off the lights, or conduct that class period outside. In addition, though we are focusing on Earth Day itself, professors can also turn off the lights for other classes during the week, if they have classes that do not fall on a Tuesday. In addition, we hope that administration and staff will participate by turning off, or diming office lights as much as possible.
This letter will be sent to all the deans, department heads and sustainability advocates in order to get as many people involved as possible. Together, through this initiative, we can reduce our impact on our planet. If you have any questions about this event please contact Ellen Cushing (ellen.cushing@nyu.edu, 510-414-9635), Shaina Negron (srn238@nyu.edu), or Annelle Sheline (AnnelleSheline@yahoo.com).
Sincerely,
Ara Cho
Ellen Cushing
Jasmine Van Deventer
Gabriella Garcia
Crissy Gardner
J.D. Gluckstern
Erin Gordon
Judy Joslow
Aileen Moner
Shaina Negron
Joel Pietrzak
Richard Rodriguez
Phil Rudich
Annelle Sheline
Dear ________________________,
As part of New York University’s initiative to go green, and to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, the students of Kathy Engel’s Community Learning Initiative class at Gallatin, Political Journalism and Activism, have a simple proposal entitled “Blackout NYU” in order to reduce our environmental impact and have more people thinking about Earth Day.
On April 22nd, we are asking that all professors turn off their lights in their classrooms during class time. This will reduce the amount of energy being used and will allow everyone within the classroom to acknowledge Earth Day. If it is impossible to conduct a class in a room with all the lights off, we suggest that professors turn off some of the lights, discuss the purpose of turning off the lights, or conduct that class period outside. In addition, though we are focusing on Earth Day itself, professors can also turn off the lights for other classes during the week, if they have classes that do not fall on a Tuesday. In addition, we hope that administration and staff will participate by turning off, or diming office lights as much as possible.
This letter will be sent to all the deans, department heads and sustainability advocates in order to get as many people involved as possible. Together, through this initiative, we can reduce our impact on our planet. If you have any questions about this event please contact Ellen Cushing (ellen.cushing@nyu.edu, 510-414-9635), Shaina Negron (srn238@nyu.edu), or Annelle Sheline (AnnelleSheline@yahoo.com).
Sincerely,
Ara Cho
Ellen Cushing
Jasmine Van Deventer
Gabriella Garcia
Crissy Gardner
J.D. Gluckstern
Erin Gordon
Judy Joslow
Aileen Moner
Shaina Negron
Joel Pietrzak
Richard Rodriguez
Phil Rudich
Annelle Sheline
from Kathy
Hi all, the release is great Joel. Two little things: in the 2nd graph, it should say "can make" instead of "can made." Also in Judy's quote you say "make" twice. Might change one word.
Otherwise wonderful. I haven't heard back from Mahdis about her list but I'll send it to some contacts if you send it to my email ellajaja@aol.com...
For facebook, please send to me also so I can forward.
Good job everyone!
Are we meeting in the park Tues?
Otherwise wonderful. I haven't heard back from Mahdis about her list but I'll send it to some contacts if you send it to my email ellajaja@aol.com...
For facebook, please send to me also so I can forward.
Good job everyone!
Are we meeting in the park Tues?
Tentative Press Release...
Hey PoJo--Here is the press release as it stands. Judy--had to make up a quote from you. Hope it's cool. Look it over, and if you have any changes/suggestions, let me know. Also, Annelle, as you can see, I put you down as the contact person.
~Joel
Contact: Annelle Sheline FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: 919-451-0803
Email: annellesheline@yahoo.com
LIGHTS OUT FOR EARTH DAY AT NYU
New York University Students Take
Environmental Matters Into Their Own Hands
New York -- April 18, 2008 -- On Tuesday April 22, Earth Day, a group of activist students at New York University are planning a university-wide, energy-saving blackout appropriately called ‘Blackout NYU.’ The event, which will commence with the first NYU classes on Tuesday morning, asks professors and students to turn off their classroom lights to reinforce the University’s efforts to “go green.”
The hope is that NYU Blackout will not only save energy at the University on Earth Day, but that it will serve mainly as a reminder that little things, like turning off the lights, if done collectively, can made a significant impact. “It’s symbolic.” said one of the students, Judith Jaslow. “It shows that there are small commitments we all can make to make our planet a healthier place to live.”
The students’ goal is to get as many students and professors to commit to going dark on Tuesday as possible. This weekend, they will storm many of the NYU buildings, posting signs on classroom doors and above light switches, advertising the event. The students even have a plan for the classrooms without windows: “Have class outside. The weather is going to be beautiful next week!” said Joel Pietrzak.
In conjunction with the Blackout effort, the students will be holding a small demonstration in Washington Square Park on Earth Day from 12:30PM until 4:30PM. Decked out in ‘Blackout NYU’ T-shirts, the students will be engaging passers-by about what they can do to help the environment. They will ask people to commit to doing something, large or small, in honor of Earth Day, whether it be replacing their light bulbs at home with energy efficient ones, or pledging to recycle more often. Once this commitment is determined, they will draw a footprint with chalk in the sidewalk. Inside this “carbon footprint,” each person will write down their personal contribution.
For more information, please call Annelle Sheline at 919-451-0803 or e-mail Annelle at annellesheline@yahoo.com.
~Joel
Contact: Annelle Sheline FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: 919-451-0803
Email: annellesheline@yahoo.com
LIGHTS OUT FOR EARTH DAY AT NYU
New York University Students Take
Environmental Matters Into Their Own Hands
New York -- April 18, 2008 -- On Tuesday April 22, Earth Day, a group of activist students at New York University are planning a university-wide, energy-saving blackout appropriately called ‘Blackout NYU.’ The event, which will commence with the first NYU classes on Tuesday morning, asks professors and students to turn off their classroom lights to reinforce the University’s efforts to “go green.”
The hope is that NYU Blackout will not only save energy at the University on Earth Day, but that it will serve mainly as a reminder that little things, like turning off the lights, if done collectively, can made a significant impact. “It’s symbolic.” said one of the students, Judith Jaslow. “It shows that there are small commitments we all can make to make our planet a healthier place to live.”
The students’ goal is to get as many students and professors to commit to going dark on Tuesday as possible. This weekend, they will storm many of the NYU buildings, posting signs on classroom doors and above light switches, advertising the event. The students even have a plan for the classrooms without windows: “Have class outside. The weather is going to be beautiful next week!” said Joel Pietrzak.
In conjunction with the Blackout effort, the students will be holding a small demonstration in Washington Square Park on Earth Day from 12:30PM until 4:30PM. Decked out in ‘Blackout NYU’ T-shirts, the students will be engaging passers-by about what they can do to help the environment. They will ask people to commit to doing something, large or small, in honor of Earth Day, whether it be replacing their light bulbs at home with energy efficient ones, or pledging to recycle more often. Once this commitment is determined, they will draw a footprint with chalk in the sidewalk. Inside this “carbon footprint,” each person will write down their personal contribution.
For more information, please call Annelle Sheline at 919-451-0803 or e-mail Annelle at annellesheline@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
"BLACKOUT NYU" facebook event
Hi ya'll
So there is an event posted on facebook for BLACKOUT, but I don't know everyone's last name and have had trouble finding some people, and so have not yet invited everyone...once you've invited yourselves I can make people administrators if they want to change the page.
And now we need to start telling everyone else about it!
There is not yet a posted event for the park project, right?
So there is an event posted on facebook for BLACKOUT, but I don't know everyone's last name and have had trouble finding some people, and so have not yet invited everyone...once you've invited yourselves I can make people administrators if they want to change the page.
And now we need to start telling everyone else about it!
There is not yet a posted event for the park project, right?
Thanks Rich
This is Annelle.
I wanted to thank Rich for speaking to Danielle, the Director of Student Affairs about distributing the information for BLACKOUT NYU...I overheard her discussing sustainability projects with a student and asked her about publicizing BLACKOUT, and she said Rich had already mentioned it to her.
People seem interested in the blackout project.
Also, did people see that there is an event on Friday morning in the park when we can "get our hands dirty"?
(I forwarded the email to Kathy to see if she could send it out.)
And there is the Earth Day Street Fair from 10:30 to 2:30 on Tuesday...are we planning to have a table there?
Again, backing up Amy and Erin's approbation for "Body of War"...it's at the IFC, it's an amazing documentary, entirely powerful without being entirely depressing.
I wanted to thank Rich for speaking to Danielle, the Director of Student Affairs about distributing the information for BLACKOUT NYU...I overheard her discussing sustainability projects with a student and asked her about publicizing BLACKOUT, and she said Rich had already mentioned it to her.
People seem interested in the blackout project.
Also, did people see that there is an event on Friday morning in the park when we can "get our hands dirty"?
(I forwarded the email to Kathy to see if she could send it out.)
And there is the Earth Day Street Fair from 10:30 to 2:30 on Tuesday...are we planning to have a table there?
Again, backing up Amy and Erin's approbation for "Body of War"...it's at the IFC, it's an amazing documentary, entirely powerful without being entirely depressing.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
from JD
Hey everyone, finally got my self on this blog. Pretty snazzy. As for ideas, I like the idea of holding a workshop or something of that nature to teach people what simple ways they can go green and have them sign a pledge that they will do at least one of those things. I would also like to see NYU take steps towards a greener campus and something as simple as turning off the lights in Kimmel would make a big impact. Maybe we should lobby the administration to do it for a week in honor of Earth Day. All ideas. See you guys soon.
from Aileen
Hi guys!
I have just spent the last hour reading all your posts, catching up, and have truly enjoyed every minute of it. We only have so much time to get things off our chests in class so this blog is a very good idea.
As for our group project, I also think we should get our hands dirty! Also, as some of you have already mentioned, working with an already existing group does seem like a more reasonable choice because of the amount of time we have. Perhaps getting involved with the group Shaina is working with would be a good idea.
-Aileen
Oil money and our candidates
In response to Joel's post about candidates and corporate money. I was watching CNN yesterday morning and they plugged this website
http://oilmoney.priceofoil.org/
You can see where candidates are getting their campaign money and how many millions of it are coming from oil.......
http://oilmoney.priceofoil.org/
You can see where candidates are getting their campaign money and how many millions of it are coming from oil.......
Access Granted!
Hey gang,
I finally have been able to access the blog after several error messages telling me this blog does not exist or that my access has been denied. I'm trying to catch up by reading all the posts and it's great to be able to read each others work and ideas. As for the Earth Day project I just wonder due to time constraints if it wouldn't be easier to work with a group already doing something instead of coming up with a project from scratch. Although I do think getting NYU to turn it's lights off in a similar vain to the "Earth Hour" that happened a few weeks ago would be pretty cool. I also agree with Annelle that getting our "hands dirty" which I took to mean as planting something would also be fun!
We have class in a few hours and I'm sure we will be discussing this.
I just want to also plug "Body of War" and "Trouble the Water" which are films that have been mentioned by several people. They are both challenging and thought provoking films that deserve an audience and I strongly encourage everyone to see them. I also saw a film at a festival in North Carolina called "Full Battle Rattle." It's about the military's Iraq simulation camps that Aura was telling us about. Basically the final stop for soldiers before deployment to Iraq is a place in the middle of the Mojave Desert that looks like a Hollywood version of Iraq. The film shows how soldiers carry out fake missions and some even play the roll of Iraqis in order to "understand the mindset of the insurgents." There is no word yet on the theatrical release of the film but I'll let you know if I hear of anything.
Below is a piece I was asked to post. It came out of our identity and politics assignment as well as an overall need to get things off my chest.
Who am I? A question that I am continually asked, a question that makes me nervous, it’s complicated I answer. Oh ok, well where are you from? Well you see, I begin, I was born in Washington D.C. but I grew up in Kenya. I’m American but I don’t have a hometown, I moved around a lot. I was loosely raised Catholic but dropped out of Confirmation classes when I was 13 because I don’t believe I should be made to feel unworthy of anything, let alone a tasteless wafer. I go to church with my family at Christmas because it makes my mom happy. I’m white. I’m female. I like men. How do I identify you ask? I identify as a human I guess, someone who cares about the world. I’m privileged but I try to fight it. Money makes me uncomfortable. I’m embarrassed by the size of my parent’s house. Some days I consider myself an activist but on others I acknowledge I am lazy. I used to be on this campaign that I needed to convince people to care about the things I care about. For example, I care about AIDS, it’s one of my “causes” if you will. I used to think, why doesn’t everyone care about AIDS? How do I make them care? Then it occurred to me I don’t want to make anyone do anything they don’t want to, I don’t want to be those people that make others feel bad about themselves for not “caring.” I consider myself a very non-judgmental person. Well maybe if I just educate people, I decided, then they could choose for themselves what they cared about. I want to be a teacher. Do those motives sounds selfish? Wow, I never thought about that, maybe I’m selfish, fuck. There are many more reasons for why I want to be a teacher though. I do get frustrated, very frustrated. Today in class a peer of mine says that she lives in her own bubble and doesn’t care what is happening outside of it because she only wants to focus on her self. And, that’s more or less a direct quote, not me distilling it, she only cares about her self. She removed her self from the group conversation about race, gender, history, power and Krzysztof Wodiczko’s definitions of the “victors” and the “vanquished.” I’ll admit the conversation was all over the place but to me it made perfect sense and finally, I thought, a conversation that I was longing for. I see how it all connects. To her race in this country is a mute point. She said she was bored and didn’t understand what the point was. I told her life was the point! I think I came off as a crazy…something, I don’t know, I think my class might label me as an activist and thus I am crazy. I went on a rant today because I said I felt vanquished because these are the things I want to talk about but my fellow students don’t want to. I feel oppressed because I feel voiceless in a country where our first amendment is freedom of speech. I feel like I cannot speak in class without hurting someone’s feelings, or without people rolling their eyes. Having a voice has been systematically removed from our lives. If you speak out, sound passionate, act like you care, you become a crazy political activist and people turn off from you. I cannot tell you how many times people start sentences with, “I’m sorry…” We have been told that to be passionate is not normal and we should be embarrassed. We apologize for speaking out of turn, for raising our voices, for saying something that is not PC. I feel smothered and I get nervous speaking. I can hear my voice wavering. I don’t want to speak if people don’t want to listen and I feel people aren’t listening. They say they are bored and roll their eyes, slouch down in their chairs and cross their arms across their chest. I’m stubborn too. It’s hard because I simply don’t understand. Why don’t people care? The draft was mentioned. If there were a draft the war would end because it would affect people directly. I don’t understand because I already feel directly affected. If my country is at war and people on both sides are dying then I feel affected. Maybe I don’t know who is dying but I still cry. It’s hard for me to talk about the war without crying. I say I don’t know why when people ask, or I don’t respond. But I do know why. Its because its really fucking sad. All I have to do is think of the children who have lost parents. The injuries, the lost arms, legs, and sight make my eyes well up and I picture a 24 year old who is paralyzed from the chest down. And I can’t handle it. And that’s just the surface, the people violently affected. Ideologically this war makes me sick and it makes me cry to think that this is the state of the world right now. I get that living in the bubble is easy, to sit down and shut up is what we have been taught to do, and I get that. I understand the government and the media’s role and how if you have a comfortable life, what else do you need to worry about. Maybe its just because I have had experiences in life that other people haven’t that makes me think and feel this way but even that I question. I get lost here because that means people have to see something to care about it. People have to see with their own eyes a bloated belly or the aftermath of a toxic sludge spill. But why? Whether or not you can personally see a starving person doesn’t mean they don’t exist and you shouldn’t care about them. Images and words are not enough I guess and yet that’s why I want to teach media, because I still think words and images can be enough. Tell me about race you ask. Finally someone is asking. Obama did it, or at least he lit the fuse. I have a problem being white. It’s a personal struggle I have yet to get over. I feel uncomfortable in my skin and what the world defines it as. I want to be proud of my skin color and nationality but I hate the person I am perceived to be. But how can I be proud? What Reverend Jeremiah Wright said is true. I’ve never been afraid of being pulled over by the cops because of my skin color. Although cops still make me nervous. But I also know I can smile my way out of situations if need be and I’m not that afraid. I hate that I don’t like walking down the street late at night in my neighborhood. I just want to talk about these things with people because I know other people must be thinking it to, well maybe not the bubble people. But I have to believe that not everyone is in a bubble. I see my professors and they are so passionate and so engaging but little response comes from my peers and I’m embarrassed. Lately I’ve been feeling disconnected from my peers. It’s like a first date and you don’t know what to talk about. I think I come off as someone who doesn’t care what others think about me but it’s becoming obvious that I do. Maybe not caring what other people think is an ideal that cannot be reached. I don’t know it all. I might have the foundation but I don’t know the rest of the story. I want to know history. Why don’t we learn history in our schools? Why is black history something that begins with slavery and ends with civil rights with nothing before, in between, or after? And why is there no history besides European and black? Where does everyone else fit in? I don’t know where I fit into the world and I feel like I’m figuring it out on my own and I really wish I had someone who was helping me out. I’m reminded of Ishmael, on page two, “TEACHER seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world.” I HAVE AN EARNEST DESIRE! Don’t worry, I haven’t given up hope, I just want to yell it out sometimes. I’m picky with who I associate with. I know you might think that sounds bad, like I’m arrogant, but its true. I struggle being around self-serving people who “care about a cause” because it’s trendy or because they have some spare time to donate but not enough to really dig deep and open their eyes and ears. I don’t like liars but even I lie. I don’t like talking in circles but I’ve come to terms with the fact it cannot be avoided. I guess to answer your question, this is how I identify, as a white young woman who wants something to be proud of, who doesn’t like liars, and has been a nomad for 22 years and while she claims this is the life she wants to continue, deep down she would like to know what that hometown feel feels like. I’m confused and frustrated, can I identify as that? I’m a human who cares about the world. But where do I fit in, what’s my plan or my goal you ask? In short, I like to think that the world is a puzzle and someplace there is an Erin sized hole waiting for me to find it.
I finally have been able to access the blog after several error messages telling me this blog does not exist or that my access has been denied. I'm trying to catch up by reading all the posts and it's great to be able to read each others work and ideas. As for the Earth Day project I just wonder due to time constraints if it wouldn't be easier to work with a group already doing something instead of coming up with a project from scratch. Although I do think getting NYU to turn it's lights off in a similar vain to the "Earth Hour" that happened a few weeks ago would be pretty cool. I also agree with Annelle that getting our "hands dirty" which I took to mean as planting something would also be fun!
We have class in a few hours and I'm sure we will be discussing this.
I just want to also plug "Body of War" and "Trouble the Water" which are films that have been mentioned by several people. They are both challenging and thought provoking films that deserve an audience and I strongly encourage everyone to see them. I also saw a film at a festival in North Carolina called "Full Battle Rattle." It's about the military's Iraq simulation camps that Aura was telling us about. Basically the final stop for soldiers before deployment to Iraq is a place in the middle of the Mojave Desert that looks like a Hollywood version of Iraq. The film shows how soldiers carry out fake missions and some even play the roll of Iraqis in order to "understand the mindset of the insurgents." There is no word yet on the theatrical release of the film but I'll let you know if I hear of anything.
Below is a piece I was asked to post. It came out of our identity and politics assignment as well as an overall need to get things off my chest.
Who am I? A question that I am continually asked, a question that makes me nervous, it’s complicated I answer. Oh ok, well where are you from? Well you see, I begin, I was born in Washington D.C. but I grew up in Kenya. I’m American but I don’t have a hometown, I moved around a lot. I was loosely raised Catholic but dropped out of Confirmation classes when I was 13 because I don’t believe I should be made to feel unworthy of anything, let alone a tasteless wafer. I go to church with my family at Christmas because it makes my mom happy. I’m white. I’m female. I like men. How do I identify you ask? I identify as a human I guess, someone who cares about the world. I’m privileged but I try to fight it. Money makes me uncomfortable. I’m embarrassed by the size of my parent’s house. Some days I consider myself an activist but on others I acknowledge I am lazy. I used to be on this campaign that I needed to convince people to care about the things I care about. For example, I care about AIDS, it’s one of my “causes” if you will. I used to think, why doesn’t everyone care about AIDS? How do I make them care? Then it occurred to me I don’t want to make anyone do anything they don’t want to, I don’t want to be those people that make others feel bad about themselves for not “caring.” I consider myself a very non-judgmental person. Well maybe if I just educate people, I decided, then they could choose for themselves what they cared about. I want to be a teacher. Do those motives sounds selfish? Wow, I never thought about that, maybe I’m selfish, fuck. There are many more reasons for why I want to be a teacher though. I do get frustrated, very frustrated. Today in class a peer of mine says that she lives in her own bubble and doesn’t care what is happening outside of it because she only wants to focus on her self. And, that’s more or less a direct quote, not me distilling it, she only cares about her self. She removed her self from the group conversation about race, gender, history, power and Krzysztof Wodiczko’s definitions of the “victors” and the “vanquished.” I’ll admit the conversation was all over the place but to me it made perfect sense and finally, I thought, a conversation that I was longing for. I see how it all connects. To her race in this country is a mute point. She said she was bored and didn’t understand what the point was. I told her life was the point! I think I came off as a crazy…something, I don’t know, I think my class might label me as an activist and thus I am crazy. I went on a rant today because I said I felt vanquished because these are the things I want to talk about but my fellow students don’t want to. I feel oppressed because I feel voiceless in a country where our first amendment is freedom of speech. I feel like I cannot speak in class without hurting someone’s feelings, or without people rolling their eyes. Having a voice has been systematically removed from our lives. If you speak out, sound passionate, act like you care, you become a crazy political activist and people turn off from you. I cannot tell you how many times people start sentences with, “I’m sorry…” We have been told that to be passionate is not normal and we should be embarrassed. We apologize for speaking out of turn, for raising our voices, for saying something that is not PC. I feel smothered and I get nervous speaking. I can hear my voice wavering. I don’t want to speak if people don’t want to listen and I feel people aren’t listening. They say they are bored and roll their eyes, slouch down in their chairs and cross their arms across their chest. I’m stubborn too. It’s hard because I simply don’t understand. Why don’t people care? The draft was mentioned. If there were a draft the war would end because it would affect people directly. I don’t understand because I already feel directly affected. If my country is at war and people on both sides are dying then I feel affected. Maybe I don’t know who is dying but I still cry. It’s hard for me to talk about the war without crying. I say I don’t know why when people ask, or I don’t respond. But I do know why. Its because its really fucking sad. All I have to do is think of the children who have lost parents. The injuries, the lost arms, legs, and sight make my eyes well up and I picture a 24 year old who is paralyzed from the chest down. And I can’t handle it. And that’s just the surface, the people violently affected. Ideologically this war makes me sick and it makes me cry to think that this is the state of the world right now. I get that living in the bubble is easy, to sit down and shut up is what we have been taught to do, and I get that. I understand the government and the media’s role and how if you have a comfortable life, what else do you need to worry about. Maybe its just because I have had experiences in life that other people haven’t that makes me think and feel this way but even that I question. I get lost here because that means people have to see something to care about it. People have to see with their own eyes a bloated belly or the aftermath of a toxic sludge spill. But why? Whether or not you can personally see a starving person doesn’t mean they don’t exist and you shouldn’t care about them. Images and words are not enough I guess and yet that’s why I want to teach media, because I still think words and images can be enough. Tell me about race you ask. Finally someone is asking. Obama did it, or at least he lit the fuse. I have a problem being white. It’s a personal struggle I have yet to get over. I feel uncomfortable in my skin and what the world defines it as. I want to be proud of my skin color and nationality but I hate the person I am perceived to be. But how can I be proud? What Reverend Jeremiah Wright said is true. I’ve never been afraid of being pulled over by the cops because of my skin color. Although cops still make me nervous. But I also know I can smile my way out of situations if need be and I’m not that afraid. I hate that I don’t like walking down the street late at night in my neighborhood. I just want to talk about these things with people because I know other people must be thinking it to, well maybe not the bubble people. But I have to believe that not everyone is in a bubble. I see my professors and they are so passionate and so engaging but little response comes from my peers and I’m embarrassed. Lately I’ve been feeling disconnected from my peers. It’s like a first date and you don’t know what to talk about. I think I come off as someone who doesn’t care what others think about me but it’s becoming obvious that I do. Maybe not caring what other people think is an ideal that cannot be reached. I don’t know it all. I might have the foundation but I don’t know the rest of the story. I want to know history. Why don’t we learn history in our schools? Why is black history something that begins with slavery and ends with civil rights with nothing before, in between, or after? And why is there no history besides European and black? Where does everyone else fit in? I don’t know where I fit into the world and I feel like I’m figuring it out on my own and I really wish I had someone who was helping me out. I’m reminded of Ishmael, on page two, “TEACHER seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world.” I HAVE AN EARNEST DESIRE! Don’t worry, I haven’t given up hope, I just want to yell it out sometimes. I’m picky with who I associate with. I know you might think that sounds bad, like I’m arrogant, but its true. I struggle being around self-serving people who “care about a cause” because it’s trendy or because they have some spare time to donate but not enough to really dig deep and open their eyes and ears. I don’t like liars but even I lie. I don’t like talking in circles but I’ve come to terms with the fact it cannot be avoided. I guess to answer your question, this is how I identify, as a white young woman who wants something to be proud of, who doesn’t like liars, and has been a nomad for 22 years and while she claims this is the life she wants to continue, deep down she would like to know what that hometown feel feels like. I’m confused and frustrated, can I identify as that? I’m a human who cares about the world. But where do I fit in, what’s my plan or my goal you ask? In short, I like to think that the world is a puzzle and someplace there is an Erin sized hole waiting for me to find it.
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Most Relevant Discussion
I just finished watching the most recent edition of Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! online. The top story was about how Wal-Mart, because of intense media scrutiny, just dropped its $400,000 healthcare reimbursement claim against one of its former employees, who was injured in a traffic accident. Although a victory for now, this story, like so many others, simply outlines the power that large corporations have over our lives. Corporations own our media outlets. They dictate where we go to purchase our food and our clothes. Most disturbingly, though, in so many instances, they are allowed to essentially create legislation and policy in our government.
One of the other stories on Democracy Now! today involved how much money candidates have received from big Republican-leaning corporations. McCain has taken roughly 13 million, while Obama has taken almost 23 million and Clinton has received 27 million. These are frightening facts. Whose interests, then, will these candidates be most responsive to when elected: the American people or corporate America? This is a discussion that we need to at least begin to have.
So much of the mainstream news lately has been focused on the election. I am the first one to admit that it is engrossing. The American people are being lured into the contest so much so that MSNBC’s most recent Democratic debate, on February 26th, posted the biggest rating for a single program in the history of that network. The election, though, has become a distraction. There are so many events that have occurred since the January primaries that have taken a back seat to the primary fight. There was Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, which was positioned as an opportunity for the candidates to show how they would deal with an international crisis. There was the situation in Kenya, which most Americans couldn’t explain to save their lives. There was the 5-year anniversary of the War in Iraq, which got about as much hype as Chikezie did when he was booted off American Idol the same week. We are not growing in our understanding of what is happening in the world because of distractions.
When Amy Goodman visited class, she stressed the importance of the ‘soundbite’ to the mainstream media. She said that it is easy to pull out the now infamous Rev. Wright ‘God Damn America’ soundbite and condemn him for saying it. To do so is missing the point. What we have to say cannot be summed up in 7 seconds. Maybe it takes 7 minutes, or 7 hours, or 7 days. More than this, though, it takes discussion. That is what is so often missing from the political arena: the ability to have a productive discussion.
I admit that many times I sit in class and wait for my opportunity to speak. I hear soundbites from those around me and I react without listening to their full comments. I raise my hand, or I shout out, and nothing is accomplished because, more than likely, the person I am rebutting is busy conjuring up their next defense. Listening is boring, especially for highly opinionated people. I want to say what I mean and mean what I say and get others to mean what I say too. Perhaps this is not the most productive way to go about a discussion. Perhaps allowing someone to work out their thoughts, in a free-flowing way, and then allowing the next person to do the same thing, is a more effective method to use.
Being progressive is about appealing to the human condition, insisting on compassion and emotion. Amy Goodman is convinced that if people saw the atrocities of this war, things would be very different. If we were permitted to see the photographs of children lying dead on the street, of the coffins bringing our dead soldiers home perhaps this war would not have amounted to 5 years, over 4,000 American soldiers dead, an innumerable amount of Iraqis dead, and counting.
In order to appeal to others in this way, though, in order to expect others to be open to these images, we must not become so stuck in the minutia of our own ideologies. We must look through the details and uncover the bigger picture. We need to start talking, but most of all, listening, to each other to truly begin having the most relevant discussion.
~Joel Pietrzak
I just finished watching the most recent edition of Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! online. The top story was about how Wal-Mart, because of intense media scrutiny, just dropped its $400,000 healthcare reimbursement claim against one of its former employees, who was injured in a traffic accident. Although a victory for now, this story, like so many others, simply outlines the power that large corporations have over our lives. Corporations own our media outlets. They dictate where we go to purchase our food and our clothes. Most disturbingly, though, in so many instances, they are allowed to essentially create legislation and policy in our government.
One of the other stories on Democracy Now! today involved how much money candidates have received from big Republican-leaning corporations. McCain has taken roughly 13 million, while Obama has taken almost 23 million and Clinton has received 27 million. These are frightening facts. Whose interests, then, will these candidates be most responsive to when elected: the American people or corporate America? This is a discussion that we need to at least begin to have.
So much of the mainstream news lately has been focused on the election. I am the first one to admit that it is engrossing. The American people are being lured into the contest so much so that MSNBC’s most recent Democratic debate, on February 26th, posted the biggest rating for a single program in the history of that network. The election, though, has become a distraction. There are so many events that have occurred since the January primaries that have taken a back seat to the primary fight. There was Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, which was positioned as an opportunity for the candidates to show how they would deal with an international crisis. There was the situation in Kenya, which most Americans couldn’t explain to save their lives. There was the 5-year anniversary of the War in Iraq, which got about as much hype as Chikezie did when he was booted off American Idol the same week. We are not growing in our understanding of what is happening in the world because of distractions.
When Amy Goodman visited class, she stressed the importance of the ‘soundbite’ to the mainstream media. She said that it is easy to pull out the now infamous Rev. Wright ‘God Damn America’ soundbite and condemn him for saying it. To do so is missing the point. What we have to say cannot be summed up in 7 seconds. Maybe it takes 7 minutes, or 7 hours, or 7 days. More than this, though, it takes discussion. That is what is so often missing from the political arena: the ability to have a productive discussion.
I admit that many times I sit in class and wait for my opportunity to speak. I hear soundbites from those around me and I react without listening to their full comments. I raise my hand, or I shout out, and nothing is accomplished because, more than likely, the person I am rebutting is busy conjuring up their next defense. Listening is boring, especially for highly opinionated people. I want to say what I mean and mean what I say and get others to mean what I say too. Perhaps this is not the most productive way to go about a discussion. Perhaps allowing someone to work out their thoughts, in a free-flowing way, and then allowing the next person to do the same thing, is a more effective method to use.
Being progressive is about appealing to the human condition, insisting on compassion and emotion. Amy Goodman is convinced that if people saw the atrocities of this war, things would be very different. If we were permitted to see the photographs of children lying dead on the street, of the coffins bringing our dead soldiers home perhaps this war would not have amounted to 5 years, over 4,000 American soldiers dead, an innumerable amount of Iraqis dead, and counting.
In order to appeal to others in this way, though, in order to expect others to be open to these images, we must not become so stuck in the minutia of our own ideologies. We must look through the details and uncover the bigger picture. We need to start talking, but most of all, listening, to each other to truly begin having the most relevant discussion.
~Joel Pietrzak
Just a thought or two...
Hello all- from Shaina,
I just realized how computer/ web illiterate I am, as I've only just figured out how to use this now. But I love the ideas so far for Earth Day, and that was a really good point about the lights in Kimmel, Ellen. I think we should get NYU to shut off its lights that night maybe for an hour or so at least- in any building that's closed. Or maybe even an NYU lights out- like they did all around the world a few weeks ago. We've got such a great location for an event on Earth Day I think we should use it.
The group I am working with is called Friends of Brook Park and it is located in Mott Haven, the South Bronx. Check out the web site at http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/ . I think they had an event planned that day that did not go through, and in any event I'm sure it would be very difficult to go up there as a class. Perhaps we can work with them or have them participate in an event of our own imagination? Let me know what you all think, and I can contact Harry Bubbins, the director.
-Shaina
I just realized how computer/ web illiterate I am, as I've only just figured out how to use this now. But I love the ideas so far for Earth Day, and that was a really good point about the lights in Kimmel, Ellen. I think we should get NYU to shut off its lights that night maybe for an hour or so at least- in any building that's closed. Or maybe even an NYU lights out- like they did all around the world a few weeks ago. We've got such a great location for an event on Earth Day I think we should use it.
The group I am working with is called Friends of Brook Park and it is located in Mott Haven, the South Bronx. Check out the web site at http://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/ . I think they had an event planned that day that did not go through, and in any event I'm sure it would be very difficult to go up there as a class. Perhaps we can work with them or have them participate in an event of our own imagination? Let me know what you all think, and I can contact Harry Bubbins, the director.
-Shaina
more Earth Day thoughts
Hey everyone, it's Ellen.
That's a great point, Gabriela--that also drives me crazy, and I HATE that they leave the lights in the Kimmel center on at night. I feel like for our project, we could make the most impact by doing something at NYU--either by trying to get the administration to be greener, or by teaching students what they can do. I'm really into the idea of doing a workshop or something in the park. Last year I printed out a bunch of fliers that listed easy ways to be greener and put them up around my dorm, so we could also do something like that. Just a thought.
That's a great point, Gabriela--that also drives me crazy, and I HATE that they leave the lights in the Kimmel center on at night. I feel like for our project, we could make the most impact by doing something at NYU--either by trying to get the administration to be greener, or by teaching students what they can do. I'm really into the idea of doing a workshop or something in the park. Last year I printed out a bunch of fliers that listed easy ways to be greener and put them up around my dorm, so we could also do something like that. Just a thought.
Just adding to the idea exchange...
Something that always strikes me is that, despite how vocal NYU is about environmental action, it uses an extraordinary amount of paper to post announcements. Maybe something small and achievable we can do is start a campaign for the University to reduce its paper usage by... i don't know- 10 percent?
from crissy
i think for the earth day idea, maybe we could hold some kind of "greening" workshop in the park, where we can show anyone who wants to come how to do more everyday things to conserve. We could also talk about and provide information on what is happening now in terms of global warming.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Thanks Phil!
This is Annelle.
Thanks Phil, for telling me how to invite others onto the blog...I made you an administrator and invited Kathy, Judy, Chrissy, Jasmine, and Richard...I think that's all. They were the ones for whom I had email addresses...if everyone sends me their email I can invite you, or do what Phil did (he explains in his post).
Thanks so much, whomever posted the piece by Sinan Antoon. His film was amazing.
As was "Body of War" if anyone gets the chance to see it while it's still playing at the IFC.
I saw it on Friday and still feel haunted.
I don't know if that's such a good thing...but the film is excellent.
I vote for something on Earth Day that we can publicize and also go and get our hands dirty. :)
Thanks Phil, for telling me how to invite others onto the blog...I made you an administrator and invited Kathy, Judy, Chrissy, Jasmine, and Richard...I think that's all. They were the ones for whom I had email addresses...if everyone sends me their email I can invite you, or do what Phil did (he explains in his post).
Thanks so much, whomever posted the piece by Sinan Antoon. His film was amazing.
As was "Body of War" if anyone gets the chance to see it while it's still playing at the IFC.
I saw it on Friday and still feel haunted.
I don't know if that's such a good thing...but the film is excellent.
I vote for something on Earth Day that we can publicize and also go and get our hands dirty. :)
"Of Bridges and Birds"
THEY CAME TO BAGHDAD
945 Buwayhids; 1055 Seljuks; 1258 Mongols led by Hulagu; 1340 Jalayrs; 1393 & 1401 Mongols led by Tamerlane; 1411 Turkoman Black Sheep; 1469 Turkoman White Sheep ; 1508 Safavids ; 1534 Ottomans under Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent; 1623 Safavids; 1638 Ottomans under Sultan Murad IV; 1917 British; 1941 British again to depose pro-German government; 2003 Anglo-American invasion
Of bridges and birds
Sinan Antoon sifts through the rubble of his native Baghdad
It is agonisingly difficult to write about one's hometown as it drowns in flames and suffocates with smoke. After tons of bombs and thousands of liberating missiles, now many of Baghdad's own inhabitants are pillaging the city under the encouraging and voyeuristic eyes of its latest invaders. This is by no means the first time that Baghdad has fallen so violently, but in the past its fall had always happened "before" or "back then". One needed to plough through the many volumes of the city's history and poetry, or listen to its elders, in order to learn more about those past falls. This time, however, it is in the painfully present tense. A soft click on the remote control is all you need to get variations on one theme: the fall and destruction of Baghdad is live!
As if trying to enter through one of its remaining gates, I start to approach Baghdad, or rather one of the many Baghdads I have carried about with me for years, by measuring the extent to which its present reality betrays the enchanting and idealised signifiers that have taken it in turns to represent it. Or those which have tried to capture some of its magic. For now it betrays, or is forced to betray, like never before all of the accolades bestowed upon it by its numerous rulers, chroniclers and lovers. It is no longer now the "Abode of Peace, Mother of the World, Abode of Beauty, Gift of the Gods, Triumph of the Gods, Round City", etc.
Whichever way I choose to approach the city, I must tread warily, for its streets are still littered with bodies, books and blood. Even the safe, labyrinthine streets of my own memory are not free from the ghosts of wars, but at least they cannot be destroyed, or looted and pillaged, except by amnesia.
Click to view caption
Clockwise from top: Bridges over the Tigris are integral to the landscape of Baghdad; mural by Mohamed Ghani -- Iraqi artists; illustration by Faik Hassan
Built as the capital of the burgeoning empire of the Abbasids in 762, Baghdad was to be repeatedly conquered and sacked by would-be emperors, some local, many foreign. The ritual of imperial ascent dictates trampling on the symbols of a glory as this is being at once eclipsed and emulated. And so the city was conquered, sacked and rebuilt time and time again. In its heyday, Baghdad was the heart of an empire, and its rulers, too, wrought havoc on distant lands. But, most of its caliphs and sultans were also patrons of art and knowledge, connoisseurs, and sometimes composers, of the most beautiful poetry to have survived in the collective memory of the Arabs. Now, it is Baghdad's ironic fate to have been subjugated by a would-be emperor, who has yet to master his mother tongue. While he is fully aware of the geo- strategic importance of Baghdad, Bush is probably the one least aware, in the history of the city's conquerors, of the precious symbolism and rich history of his booty. Does it matter to him?
Baghdad was for many years the enchanting "mother of the world", as the city was once called. It was so sophisticated and elegant in its golden age that an Arabic verb, yatabaghdadu, was derived from its name to signify how people used to emulate the coveted styles and ways of Baghdad's elites.
Thousands of invisible umbilical chords still bind the city to many a soul. With every bomb, missile and fire that has erupted over the last three weeks in Baghdad, I have felt the pain of those chords being violently severed in my heart. Now, alas, even some of those who are still in the city's womb are unleashing decades of pain, violence and war upon its body and scarring its memory, together with their own collective history, in a masochistic or matricidal orgy.
I grew up in the Baghdad of the 1970s and 1980s. At that time the city's many faces, like its history, were already being appropriated and changed by Saddam and his regime to make it his Baghdad. His desire to inscribe his name and face onto the city's history and streets was insatiable. He fancied himself the descendent and natural heir to the likes of Abu-Ja'far Al- Mansur, the city's founder, and Haroun Al- Rasheed, its most illustrious ruler. And so I witnessed his murals, monuments, statues and sayings invading the city's space like rampant scars. By the time I left Baghdad in 1991, it had almost become a permanent exhibition of his likenesses. But, for those who knew it well and looked hard enough, there were always spaces to which one could escape and converse with the city, stealing a few kisses away from his watchful eyes, at least until the early 1980s.
While at secondary school, I used to skip the classes of one boring teacher to wander in Baghdad's old streets. I was not alone in committing this "crime against our country", as the headteacher of our school called it when he chastised us the next day. He thought that we were skipping school to go to the movies, while Iraqi men were dying on the front in the war with Iran. Little did he know that we were actually acquainting ourselves with our city and its history without lethargic and dogmatic mediation.
My accomplice, a classmate, was obsessed with Baghdad's history, and he had devoured his father's collection of history books. We used to take the bus from our school in Al- A'zamiyya to the heart of old Baghdad. We wandered in Suq Al-Saray, sifting through used books and hunting for rare ones. We would pass by the famous store of Al-Haydari and eat kahi, a delicious Baghdadi pastry with cream and syrup. We would sit at one of the old cafés on Al-Rasheed Street and sip cardamom tea and be subjected to suspicious looks from the café's more regular and older customers before parting company. My friend was the perfect guide, not just because of his vast knowledge of every coup, cabinet and uprising in the country's history, but also because I had no qualms about telling him to shut up when he went over the word limit I had randomly set, or started to expound on what I deemed uninteresting. There were many times when I wanted to hear the city speak on its own.
In later, less innocent years, I would walk alone in Al-Karrada, starting from Kahramana Square with its beautiful statue and fountains and making my way to Abu-Nuwwas Street to meet companions at one of its many bars. The last few years of the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) haunted our youth and added nihilism to our lives. During this period, the dark and dreary bars on Abu-Nuwwas Street were our haven, and we remained true to the poet's spirit and his wine songs expressing disillusionment with the here and now, but also gaiety, lightheartedness and hedonism to combat its ephemera.
The dissident contemporary Iraqi poet Muzaffar Al-Nawwab was our guide on our way back home at night. His fiery, banned poems were smuggled into Iraq on cassettes and circulated secretly among friends. Some of those friends stayed in Iraq, withering under the sanctions and now another war, while many ended up in various exiles, in countries from Brazil to Australia.
A tear always wakes in my eye whenever I listen to the traditional Baghdadi maqamat we used to sing together -- words that express a deep sorrow aged to perfection and echoing Mesopotamia's painful history of floods, famines and the fire of unrequited love. Arab friends always ask about the secret of the excessive sadness of Iraqi songs. Now they know it and will have to cry along.
***
Having a fascination with birds, I liked to go to Suq Al-Ghazl where birds and animals of all kinds were sold on Fridays. I also liked to sit on our roof and watch as the pigeons kept by our neighbour's son would take their usual flight in the afternoon Baghdad sky. At times, these birds would dodge, and compete with, the kites flown by kids. Sometimes I could spot a flock of birds flying high above, en route to their breeding grounds in the north. Perhaps I remember this now because of something I read a few days before the US-led invasion. Reuters reported that these annual migration routes could be disrupted when the war erupted. In the period between mid-March and mid-April, one finds the greatest number of birds in Iraq. Since many of these birds cannot make it to their breeding grounds in one flight, they stop and "refuel" on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates and in the southern marshes drained by Saddam.
Every year around this time I would look for the one or two white storks that used to nest on the dome of the old church in Bab Al- Mu'azzam. I wonder if they have made it to Baghdad this year? I doubt it. I clipped that Reuters article from Al-Hayat and left it lying around. When I read the article again on the second day of the war, American B-52 bombers were taking off from Fairfield Airbase in England and heading towards the skies over Baghdad. Someone on Fox News described them as "beautiful birds", and Rumsfeld spoke of "the humanity which went into the making of these weapons".
If they don't perish first, the storks will try to return next year. Perhaps many Baghdadis who have been forced to seek refuge away from Baghdad are now also wondering how long it will be before the skies are clear, or how long they will have to recite lines written by a fellow Baghdadi, Muzaffar Al-Nawwab:
I have accepted that my fate
Will be like that of a bird,
And I have endured everything
Except humiliation,
Or having my heart
Caged up in the Sultan's palace.
But O dear God
Even birds have homes to return to,
Whereas I fly across this homeland
From sea to sea,
And to jail after jail after jail,
One jailer hugging another.
***
I felt pangs of pain a week ago as I watched an American tank crawling across Al- Jumhuriyya Bridge in the heart of Baghdad. I have crossed that bridge hundreds of times, and I used to linger a bit half way along, especially when walking alone, and look down at the river. The Tigris splits Baghdad into two sections: Al-Karkh, on the western bank, and Al-Rusafah on the eastern. I used to recite Ali Ibn Al- Jahm's famous line about the enchanting, almond-shaped eyes of the Baghdadi women who used to cross from one bank to the other in the nineth century. On a lucky day, I would encounter a descendent or two of those women. Now the moon-like faces celebrated in thousands of verses are hiding in houses on both banks, white voyeuristic satellites are hovering above and scrutinising every inch of the city's body.
It was also impossible, whenever I crossed any bridge over the Tigris, not to remember Al- Jawahiri's (1900-1997) most famous poem about Baghdad, written when he was in exile in Prague in the early 1960s. Although hailing from Najaf, he, like many before and after, fell in love with Baghdad and claimed it as his muse. In fact, every Arab poet considers Baghdad his home. Al-Jawahiri's Baghdad was "Umm Al-Basatin" (the mother of orchards), and he saluted its banks and embraced them from his exile. He reminisced about the boats meandering along the Tigris and wished that their sails could form his shroud the day he was laid to rest. Alas, Al- Jawahiri died in exile and was buried in Damascus in 1997. Today, many parts of the "mother of orchards" have been burnt by the mother of all bombs, or M O A B as it is termed by the Pentagon.
In hoping to die in Baghdad, Al- Jawahiri was probably echoing one of his poetic ancestors, the great poet Al- Ma'arri from the fourth century. Abul-'Ala' Al-Ma'arri left his hometown in Syria and came to Baghdad, but he was disappointed at the cold reception he received and yearned for his own people, resolving never to return to Baghdad. However, as soon as he left, he could not contain his desire to return:
Were it my choice I would have died among you.
But, alas, that is beyond my reach.
Give me one last drink from the Tigris:
If I could, I would drink the whole river.
In 1991, the US bombed the bridge about which I am writing, slicing it in two. The justification then, as for the other acts of destruction now, was that it was part of the city's "command and control network". I rushed out the next morning on my bike to see for myself. Hundreds of Baghdadis had also come and were looking on in silence. Now unable to link Baghdad's two banks, the bridge resembled a broken smile.
My best friend and I used to roam Baghdad, surveying the daily destruction and checking on friends and relatives to see if they had been consigned to the dubious category of "collateral damage". The bombing had severed all communications in the first week, and the phones were dead. Now, tanks spit their fire towards a row of houses on the eastern bank of the Tigris, and blazes go up. A correspondent announces that Apaches are hovering over Baghdad for the first time, but, alas, this is a familiar species in our part of the world. They have come to make sure that Baghdad's residents join the Palestinians as the fortunate recipients of the latest form of lethal "liberation".
Rivers of blood are flowing along the Tigris as America tattoos its imperial insignia into the bodies of Iraqi children, stamping their futures with its corporate logos in order to "safeguard" it. There is an abyss in and around Iraq, and it is widening by the moment. But one must look for, and cling to, a bridge. And so I try. A few bridges north of Al- Jumhuriyya Bridge lies Jisr Al-Shuhada' (Martyrs' Bridge). Throngs of Iraqis burst onto the streets in January 1948 to express their rejection of the Portsmouth Treaty signed between the despicable Iraqi government of the time and Great Britain. Some of them were killed by the regime's bullets on that bridge, and Al-Jawahiri commemorated the uprising with one of his powerful poems. It was an elegy for his brother, Ja'far, who was one of those killed and had died in Al-Jawahiri's arms.
Many Iraqis know the poem's opening lines by heart. Like many of Al-Jawahiri's poems, this one has prophetic lines: "I see a horizon lit with blood/And many a starless night./A generation comes and another goes/And the fire keeps burning." Baghdadis and Iraqis have indeed lost their way, but they have not lost their collective memory. The US tanks will have to go soon, and so will the generals, the soldiers and their Iraqi informants. I can already hear the chants of the demonstrators and read the signs. The clock is ticking, and the message is simple enough for even Bush to understand: Leave Iraq!
In The Thousand and One Nights, otherwise known as the Arabian Nights, that great work that is eternally synonymous with Baghdad, when morning comes, Sheherazad, mother of all narrators, must embrace silence and leave her readers to wonder where the narrative will go next.
For me, it is mourning time, and Baghdad is now enveloped in a long, cruel and starless night. But, just as she's done in the past, she will wake up once more and try to forget. And I must tend to her scars, ward off her future nightmares, and shower her with kisses and love from afar.
945 Buwayhids; 1055 Seljuks; 1258 Mongols led by Hulagu; 1340 Jalayrs; 1393 & 1401 Mongols led by Tamerlane; 1411 Turkoman Black Sheep; 1469 Turkoman White Sheep ; 1508 Safavids ; 1534 Ottomans under Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent; 1623 Safavids; 1638 Ottomans under Sultan Murad IV; 1917 British; 1941 British again to depose pro-German government; 2003 Anglo-American invasion
Of bridges and birds
Sinan Antoon sifts through the rubble of his native Baghdad
It is agonisingly difficult to write about one's hometown as it drowns in flames and suffocates with smoke. After tons of bombs and thousands of liberating missiles, now many of Baghdad's own inhabitants are pillaging the city under the encouraging and voyeuristic eyes of its latest invaders. This is by no means the first time that Baghdad has fallen so violently, but in the past its fall had always happened "before" or "back then". One needed to plough through the many volumes of the city's history and poetry, or listen to its elders, in order to learn more about those past falls. This time, however, it is in the painfully present tense. A soft click on the remote control is all you need to get variations on one theme: the fall and destruction of Baghdad is live!
As if trying to enter through one of its remaining gates, I start to approach Baghdad, or rather one of the many Baghdads I have carried about with me for years, by measuring the extent to which its present reality betrays the enchanting and idealised signifiers that have taken it in turns to represent it. Or those which have tried to capture some of its magic. For now it betrays, or is forced to betray, like never before all of the accolades bestowed upon it by its numerous rulers, chroniclers and lovers. It is no longer now the "Abode of Peace, Mother of the World, Abode of Beauty, Gift of the Gods, Triumph of the Gods, Round City", etc.
Whichever way I choose to approach the city, I must tread warily, for its streets are still littered with bodies, books and blood. Even the safe, labyrinthine streets of my own memory are not free from the ghosts of wars, but at least they cannot be destroyed, or looted and pillaged, except by amnesia.
Click to view caption
Clockwise from top: Bridges over the Tigris are integral to the landscape of Baghdad; mural by Mohamed Ghani -- Iraqi artists; illustration by Faik Hassan
Built as the capital of the burgeoning empire of the Abbasids in 762, Baghdad was to be repeatedly conquered and sacked by would-be emperors, some local, many foreign. The ritual of imperial ascent dictates trampling on the symbols of a glory as this is being at once eclipsed and emulated. And so the city was conquered, sacked and rebuilt time and time again. In its heyday, Baghdad was the heart of an empire, and its rulers, too, wrought havoc on distant lands. But, most of its caliphs and sultans were also patrons of art and knowledge, connoisseurs, and sometimes composers, of the most beautiful poetry to have survived in the collective memory of the Arabs. Now, it is Baghdad's ironic fate to have been subjugated by a would-be emperor, who has yet to master his mother tongue. While he is fully aware of the geo- strategic importance of Baghdad, Bush is probably the one least aware, in the history of the city's conquerors, of the precious symbolism and rich history of his booty. Does it matter to him?
Baghdad was for many years the enchanting "mother of the world", as the city was once called. It was so sophisticated and elegant in its golden age that an Arabic verb, yatabaghdadu, was derived from its name to signify how people used to emulate the coveted styles and ways of Baghdad's elites.
Thousands of invisible umbilical chords still bind the city to many a soul. With every bomb, missile and fire that has erupted over the last three weeks in Baghdad, I have felt the pain of those chords being violently severed in my heart. Now, alas, even some of those who are still in the city's womb are unleashing decades of pain, violence and war upon its body and scarring its memory, together with their own collective history, in a masochistic or matricidal orgy.
I grew up in the Baghdad of the 1970s and 1980s. At that time the city's many faces, like its history, were already being appropriated and changed by Saddam and his regime to make it his Baghdad. His desire to inscribe his name and face onto the city's history and streets was insatiable. He fancied himself the descendent and natural heir to the likes of Abu-Ja'far Al- Mansur, the city's founder, and Haroun Al- Rasheed, its most illustrious ruler. And so I witnessed his murals, monuments, statues and sayings invading the city's space like rampant scars. By the time I left Baghdad in 1991, it had almost become a permanent exhibition of his likenesses. But, for those who knew it well and looked hard enough, there were always spaces to which one could escape and converse with the city, stealing a few kisses away from his watchful eyes, at least until the early 1980s.
While at secondary school, I used to skip the classes of one boring teacher to wander in Baghdad's old streets. I was not alone in committing this "crime against our country", as the headteacher of our school called it when he chastised us the next day. He thought that we were skipping school to go to the movies, while Iraqi men were dying on the front in the war with Iran. Little did he know that we were actually acquainting ourselves with our city and its history without lethargic and dogmatic mediation.
My accomplice, a classmate, was obsessed with Baghdad's history, and he had devoured his father's collection of history books. We used to take the bus from our school in Al- A'zamiyya to the heart of old Baghdad. We wandered in Suq Al-Saray, sifting through used books and hunting for rare ones. We would pass by the famous store of Al-Haydari and eat kahi, a delicious Baghdadi pastry with cream and syrup. We would sit at one of the old cafés on Al-Rasheed Street and sip cardamom tea and be subjected to suspicious looks from the café's more regular and older customers before parting company. My friend was the perfect guide, not just because of his vast knowledge of every coup, cabinet and uprising in the country's history, but also because I had no qualms about telling him to shut up when he went over the word limit I had randomly set, or started to expound on what I deemed uninteresting. There were many times when I wanted to hear the city speak on its own.
In later, less innocent years, I would walk alone in Al-Karrada, starting from Kahramana Square with its beautiful statue and fountains and making my way to Abu-Nuwwas Street to meet companions at one of its many bars. The last few years of the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) haunted our youth and added nihilism to our lives. During this period, the dark and dreary bars on Abu-Nuwwas Street were our haven, and we remained true to the poet's spirit and his wine songs expressing disillusionment with the here and now, but also gaiety, lightheartedness and hedonism to combat its ephemera.
The dissident contemporary Iraqi poet Muzaffar Al-Nawwab was our guide on our way back home at night. His fiery, banned poems were smuggled into Iraq on cassettes and circulated secretly among friends. Some of those friends stayed in Iraq, withering under the sanctions and now another war, while many ended up in various exiles, in countries from Brazil to Australia.
A tear always wakes in my eye whenever I listen to the traditional Baghdadi maqamat we used to sing together -- words that express a deep sorrow aged to perfection and echoing Mesopotamia's painful history of floods, famines and the fire of unrequited love. Arab friends always ask about the secret of the excessive sadness of Iraqi songs. Now they know it and will have to cry along.
***
Having a fascination with birds, I liked to go to Suq Al-Ghazl where birds and animals of all kinds were sold on Fridays. I also liked to sit on our roof and watch as the pigeons kept by our neighbour's son would take their usual flight in the afternoon Baghdad sky. At times, these birds would dodge, and compete with, the kites flown by kids. Sometimes I could spot a flock of birds flying high above, en route to their breeding grounds in the north. Perhaps I remember this now because of something I read a few days before the US-led invasion. Reuters reported that these annual migration routes could be disrupted when the war erupted. In the period between mid-March and mid-April, one finds the greatest number of birds in Iraq. Since many of these birds cannot make it to their breeding grounds in one flight, they stop and "refuel" on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates and in the southern marshes drained by Saddam.
Every year around this time I would look for the one or two white storks that used to nest on the dome of the old church in Bab Al- Mu'azzam. I wonder if they have made it to Baghdad this year? I doubt it. I clipped that Reuters article from Al-Hayat and left it lying around. When I read the article again on the second day of the war, American B-52 bombers were taking off from Fairfield Airbase in England and heading towards the skies over Baghdad. Someone on Fox News described them as "beautiful birds", and Rumsfeld spoke of "the humanity which went into the making of these weapons".
If they don't perish first, the storks will try to return next year. Perhaps many Baghdadis who have been forced to seek refuge away from Baghdad are now also wondering how long it will be before the skies are clear, or how long they will have to recite lines written by a fellow Baghdadi, Muzaffar Al-Nawwab:
I have accepted that my fate
Will be like that of a bird,
And I have endured everything
Except humiliation,
Or having my heart
Caged up in the Sultan's palace.
But O dear God
Even birds have homes to return to,
Whereas I fly across this homeland
From sea to sea,
And to jail after jail after jail,
One jailer hugging another.
***
I felt pangs of pain a week ago as I watched an American tank crawling across Al- Jumhuriyya Bridge in the heart of Baghdad. I have crossed that bridge hundreds of times, and I used to linger a bit half way along, especially when walking alone, and look down at the river. The Tigris splits Baghdad into two sections: Al-Karkh, on the western bank, and Al-Rusafah on the eastern. I used to recite Ali Ibn Al- Jahm's famous line about the enchanting, almond-shaped eyes of the Baghdadi women who used to cross from one bank to the other in the nineth century. On a lucky day, I would encounter a descendent or two of those women. Now the moon-like faces celebrated in thousands of verses are hiding in houses on both banks, white voyeuristic satellites are hovering above and scrutinising every inch of the city's body.
It was also impossible, whenever I crossed any bridge over the Tigris, not to remember Al- Jawahiri's (1900-1997) most famous poem about Baghdad, written when he was in exile in Prague in the early 1960s. Although hailing from Najaf, he, like many before and after, fell in love with Baghdad and claimed it as his muse. In fact, every Arab poet considers Baghdad his home. Al-Jawahiri's Baghdad was "Umm Al-Basatin" (the mother of orchards), and he saluted its banks and embraced them from his exile. He reminisced about the boats meandering along the Tigris and wished that their sails could form his shroud the day he was laid to rest. Alas, Al- Jawahiri died in exile and was buried in Damascus in 1997. Today, many parts of the "mother of orchards" have been burnt by the mother of all bombs, or M O A B as it is termed by the Pentagon.
In hoping to die in Baghdad, Al- Jawahiri was probably echoing one of his poetic ancestors, the great poet Al- Ma'arri from the fourth century. Abul-'Ala' Al-Ma'arri left his hometown in Syria and came to Baghdad, but he was disappointed at the cold reception he received and yearned for his own people, resolving never to return to Baghdad. However, as soon as he left, he could not contain his desire to return:
Were it my choice I would have died among you.
But, alas, that is beyond my reach.
Give me one last drink from the Tigris:
If I could, I would drink the whole river.
In 1991, the US bombed the bridge about which I am writing, slicing it in two. The justification then, as for the other acts of destruction now, was that it was part of the city's "command and control network". I rushed out the next morning on my bike to see for myself. Hundreds of Baghdadis had also come and were looking on in silence. Now unable to link Baghdad's two banks, the bridge resembled a broken smile.
My best friend and I used to roam Baghdad, surveying the daily destruction and checking on friends and relatives to see if they had been consigned to the dubious category of "collateral damage". The bombing had severed all communications in the first week, and the phones were dead. Now, tanks spit their fire towards a row of houses on the eastern bank of the Tigris, and blazes go up. A correspondent announces that Apaches are hovering over Baghdad for the first time, but, alas, this is a familiar species in our part of the world. They have come to make sure that Baghdad's residents join the Palestinians as the fortunate recipients of the latest form of lethal "liberation".
Rivers of blood are flowing along the Tigris as America tattoos its imperial insignia into the bodies of Iraqi children, stamping their futures with its corporate logos in order to "safeguard" it. There is an abyss in and around Iraq, and it is widening by the moment. But one must look for, and cling to, a bridge. And so I try. A few bridges north of Al- Jumhuriyya Bridge lies Jisr Al-Shuhada' (Martyrs' Bridge). Throngs of Iraqis burst onto the streets in January 1948 to express their rejection of the Portsmouth Treaty signed between the despicable Iraqi government of the time and Great Britain. Some of them were killed by the regime's bullets on that bridge, and Al-Jawahiri commemorated the uprising with one of his powerful poems. It was an elegy for his brother, Ja'far, who was one of those killed and had died in Al-Jawahiri's arms.
Many Iraqis know the poem's opening lines by heart. Like many of Al-Jawahiri's poems, this one has prophetic lines: "I see a horizon lit with blood/And many a starless night./A generation comes and another goes/And the fire keeps burning." Baghdadis and Iraqis have indeed lost their way, but they have not lost their collective memory. The US tanks will have to go soon, and so will the generals, the soldiers and their Iraqi informants. I can already hear the chants of the demonstrators and read the signs. The clock is ticking, and the message is simple enough for even Bush to understand: Leave Iraq!
In The Thousand and One Nights, otherwise known as the Arabian Nights, that great work that is eternally synonymous with Baghdad, when morning comes, Sheherazad, mother of all narrators, must embrace silence and leave her readers to wonder where the narrative will go next.
For me, it is mourning time, and Baghdad is now enveloped in a long, cruel and starless night. But, just as she's done in the past, she will wake up once more and try to forget. And I must tend to her scars, ward off her future nightmares, and shower her with kisses and love from afar.
I know this is supposed to pertain to our Earth Day project, but the following is a beautiful piece, which is actually by one of my professors and was published in Al-Ahram Weekly. The author's name is Sinan Antoon and in this piece he depicts his personal encounter with the wounds and destruction inflicted upon Iraq, where he is from.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/634/bo1.htm
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/634/bo1.htm
Earth Day
Hey all!
I was thinking about our final advocacy project over the weekend- in terms of Earth Day, there are many events going on in the city (principally Grand Central and Central Park). Since these are both public spaces we could possibly use the venues to promote our cause. Any ideas of an angle to take on this? Also, Shaina, could you forward the email address for the event in Harlem to the blog?
-Judy
I was thinking about our final advocacy project over the weekend- in terms of Earth Day, there are many events going on in the city (principally Grand Central and Central Park). Since these are both public spaces we could possibly use the venues to promote our cause. Any ideas of an angle to take on this? Also, Shaina, could you forward the email address for the event in Harlem to the blog?
-Judy
Friday, April 11, 2008
Multiple Peoples + Earth Day
Annelle, for multiple users to be able to access the blog at once, you need to go to "settings" > "permissions" > "authors", and type in the email addresses of whoever you want to invite. Just to be sure, I invited myself to make sure that it works like that, and it does!
My idea for the Earth Day project would be to do something regarding the concept of sustainability. It's an important idea that definitely does not get enough attention in the mainstream media, and I think it ties in with the PlaNYC "greening" efforts that Annelle mentioned (which can be read about at this site -- http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml. I had to look it up, so I thought I'd post it just in case anybody else wasn't familiar.)
My idea for the Earth Day project would be to do something regarding the concept of sustainability. It's an important idea that definitely does not get enough attention in the mainstream media, and I think it ties in with the PlaNYC "greening" efforts that Annelle mentioned (which can be read about at this site -- http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml. I had to look it up, so I thought I'd post it just in case anybody else wasn't familiar.)
Can everyone access the blog?
This is Annelle.
Erin, are you able to sign in to the blog now? Was anyone else having problems?
Sorry about that.
If so, the sign-in email is annellesheline@yahoo.com...email me at this site if you don't remember the password (the first two words of our course title).
Regarding the Earth Day Project:
Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC involves various efforts at greening--maybe that could be something to get involved with.
Shania, was there a project that you had suggested?
Erin, are you able to sign in to the blog now? Was anyone else having problems?
Sorry about that.
If so, the sign-in email is annellesheline@yahoo.com...email me at this site if you don't remember the password (the first two words of our course title).
Regarding the Earth Day Project:
Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC involves various efforts at greening--maybe that could be something to get involved with.
Shania, was there a project that you had suggested?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Perceptions of American Media
First of all, I apologize that whenever anyone posts, it comes up as "Annelle."
Does anyone know how to make it stop doing that? Can we have a blog with multiple users?
Ellen, I really liked your piece. I was not aware of the way in which Early Decision represents yet another crook in our crooked college application program. I especially liked how you pointed out that Early Decision benefits those whose applications require closer attention, but that universities ought to devote this level of care to all applications.
Below is a piece that Kathy had asked me to put on the blog.
Perceived Bias in American Media: Better Than the Alternative
A woman told me that her favorite TV show is Dr. Phil. Her smile widened the hijab framing her face as she nodded knowingly. “I see Americans on the show, what they are like. I have seen people in the audience crying. They care so much about their families—I know that they are good people. Their government lies to them. It is the media’s fault.” Nodding in return, I smiled weakly.
Unfamiliar with Dr. Phil, I looked up the show online to determine what exactly is informing her opinions of Americans. While maudlin tears and catfights would not be my first choice for tools of diplomacy, I judge more harshly than she. The display of familial angst and concern, the empathic weeping in the audience is all that the Omani lady needs to convince her of Americans’ good hearts. If Americans watched a Middle Eastern version of Dr. Phil, would we similarly recognize the humanity of the people on the other side of the world through the screen? Or would their dress and social interaction—both of which seem so different from our own—relegate them to the irrevocable “other”?
While spending a semester in the Gulf, I heard many people blame the media for “brain washing” Americans into a state of apparent apathy towards our government’s bellicose foreign policy. This seems the only logical explanation for the invasion of Iraq, the belligerent posturing with Iran, and the continued support of Israel’s occupation of Palestine; actions that would appear to many Arab audiences as either evil or irrational. Yet the interpretation embraced by most of the people I met was that Americans are simply misinformed by a malicious administration and biased media. In some ways this is true: our media does not regularly display the day-to-day experience of life in Iraq, Palestine, or Lebanon with the same in-depth coverage as networks such as Al Jazeera or even Sky. As presented in most mainstream American media sources, such places remain simply “hotspots”: nests of senseless continual and apparently inexplicable violence. Blanket theories such as Huntington’s “The Clash of Civilizations”—an essay published in Foreign Affairs in 1993 describing global conflict as civilizational, placing “Western civilization” on an inevitable crash course with “Islamic civilization”—offer an appealingly ready-made explanation applicable to any new circumstance. However, despite the spectre of Fox news’ blatant conservative bias, the American media is far more informed than much of the world may believe.
I do not want to explain to the woman that many Americans have access to reliable information. For those with internet, international news sources are all available online. Although Al Jazeera, for example, is not permitted to broadcast, a satellite dish can pick up the signal. Countless books are published each week by experts about the conflict in the Middle East offering explanations far more accurate than Huntington’s. And American TV networks, the source from which most Americans receive news, do provide coverage of Iraq, Israel, and Afghanistan. Although American networks slant towards a pro-American viewpoint, much of the information is the same as that which the Omani woman receives.
The problem with Americans’ knowledge of the Middle East is not informational quantity, quality, or access. Although many factors influence Americans’ perceptions, much stems from a few basic assumptions unchallenged by any news source and in fact only reinforced by repetition. The first assumption is that the United States maintains a level of immunity to the (perceived) chaos of the outside world. Part of 9/11’s endurance in the American psyche, aside from the trauma of a terrorist attack, is the implication that America is not in control. Yet despite this rude shaking, the secure knowledge that no matter what goes on “over there,” the United States is the most powerful country in the world holds firm. The second assumption is that “over there,” (the Middle East in particular, but also much of Africa and parts of Asia and Eastern Europe), is inherently chaotic and prone to violence, regardless of the efforts of more stable countries. While the Americans on Dr.Phil may seem unrealisitcally emotional, they provide a level of humanity that speaks more convincingly to the Omani lady than do reports of America’s actions abroad. To resolve the disparity, she blames our lack of information rather than us. Yet Muslims and Middle Easterners continue to appear as caricatures—“tribal,” “primitive,” or “intrinsically violent”—in our media and often in our heads. Does further investigation require too much work? Will our country ever outgrow our propensity for racism?
The same look of genuine goodwill and understanding that had shone in the eyes of the Omani woman now came from a young American man in a bar in New York. Upon learning I had recently returned from a few months in the Gulf, he began to talk about the war in Iraq. He also smiled as he said, “See, we just want to help. We don’t get it that nothing will ever make them stop fighting each other. That they don’t want our help; they want to do what they’ve always done. Arabs will never stop being violent, but we keep trying to change who they are.”
I try to point out that incentives more cogent than altruism probably influenced United States’ foreign policy in the region. My companion insists that America’s motives are pure, but that we simply misunderstand those we are trying to help. Although I find his interpretation insulting to my Omani friends, I doubt that he means it as such. While he is not “brainwashed” his understanding reflects the information to which he has been exposed. I nod. The misunderstanding is mutual. Hopefully my American acquaintance will reassess his perception of people in the Middle East before my Omani friend comes to less-forgiving conclusions about Americans. Or a situation already clouded in misperception will become even stormier.
Does anyone know how to make it stop doing that? Can we have a blog with multiple users?
Ellen, I really liked your piece. I was not aware of the way in which Early Decision represents yet another crook in our crooked college application program. I especially liked how you pointed out that Early Decision benefits those whose applications require closer attention, but that universities ought to devote this level of care to all applications.
Below is a piece that Kathy had asked me to put on the blog.
Perceived Bias in American Media: Better Than the Alternative
A woman told me that her favorite TV show is Dr. Phil. Her smile widened the hijab framing her face as she nodded knowingly. “I see Americans on the show, what they are like. I have seen people in the audience crying. They care so much about their families—I know that they are good people. Their government lies to them. It is the media’s fault.” Nodding in return, I smiled weakly.
Unfamiliar with Dr. Phil, I looked up the show online to determine what exactly is informing her opinions of Americans. While maudlin tears and catfights would not be my first choice for tools of diplomacy, I judge more harshly than she. The display of familial angst and concern, the empathic weeping in the audience is all that the Omani lady needs to convince her of Americans’ good hearts. If Americans watched a Middle Eastern version of Dr. Phil, would we similarly recognize the humanity of the people on the other side of the world through the screen? Or would their dress and social interaction—both of which seem so different from our own—relegate them to the irrevocable “other”?
While spending a semester in the Gulf, I heard many people blame the media for “brain washing” Americans into a state of apparent apathy towards our government’s bellicose foreign policy. This seems the only logical explanation for the invasion of Iraq, the belligerent posturing with Iran, and the continued support of Israel’s occupation of Palestine; actions that would appear to many Arab audiences as either evil or irrational. Yet the interpretation embraced by most of the people I met was that Americans are simply misinformed by a malicious administration and biased media. In some ways this is true: our media does not regularly display the day-to-day experience of life in Iraq, Palestine, or Lebanon with the same in-depth coverage as networks such as Al Jazeera or even Sky. As presented in most mainstream American media sources, such places remain simply “hotspots”: nests of senseless continual and apparently inexplicable violence. Blanket theories such as Huntington’s “The Clash of Civilizations”—an essay published in Foreign Affairs in 1993 describing global conflict as civilizational, placing “Western civilization” on an inevitable crash course with “Islamic civilization”—offer an appealingly ready-made explanation applicable to any new circumstance. However, despite the spectre of Fox news’ blatant conservative bias, the American media is far more informed than much of the world may believe.
I do not want to explain to the woman that many Americans have access to reliable information. For those with internet, international news sources are all available online. Although Al Jazeera, for example, is not permitted to broadcast, a satellite dish can pick up the signal. Countless books are published each week by experts about the conflict in the Middle East offering explanations far more accurate than Huntington’s. And American TV networks, the source from which most Americans receive news, do provide coverage of Iraq, Israel, and Afghanistan. Although American networks slant towards a pro-American viewpoint, much of the information is the same as that which the Omani woman receives.
The problem with Americans’ knowledge of the Middle East is not informational quantity, quality, or access. Although many factors influence Americans’ perceptions, much stems from a few basic assumptions unchallenged by any news source and in fact only reinforced by repetition. The first assumption is that the United States maintains a level of immunity to the (perceived) chaos of the outside world. Part of 9/11’s endurance in the American psyche, aside from the trauma of a terrorist attack, is the implication that America is not in control. Yet despite this rude shaking, the secure knowledge that no matter what goes on “over there,” the United States is the most powerful country in the world holds firm. The second assumption is that “over there,” (the Middle East in particular, but also much of Africa and parts of Asia and Eastern Europe), is inherently chaotic and prone to violence, regardless of the efforts of more stable countries. While the Americans on Dr.Phil may seem unrealisitcally emotional, they provide a level of humanity that speaks more convincingly to the Omani lady than do reports of America’s actions abroad. To resolve the disparity, she blames our lack of information rather than us. Yet Muslims and Middle Easterners continue to appear as caricatures—“tribal,” “primitive,” or “intrinsically violent”—in our media and often in our heads. Does further investigation require too much work? Will our country ever outgrow our propensity for racism?
The same look of genuine goodwill and understanding that had shone in the eyes of the Omani woman now came from a young American man in a bar in New York. Upon learning I had recently returned from a few months in the Gulf, he began to talk about the war in Iraq. He also smiled as he said, “See, we just want to help. We don’t get it that nothing will ever make them stop fighting each other. That they don’t want our help; they want to do what they’ve always done. Arabs will never stop being violent, but we keep trying to change who they are.”
I try to point out that incentives more cogent than altruism probably influenced United States’ foreign policy in the region. My companion insists that America’s motives are pure, but that we simply misunderstand those we are trying to help. Although I find his interpretation insulting to my Omani friends, I doubt that he means it as such. While he is not “brainwashed” his understanding reflects the information to which he has been exposed. I nod. The misunderstanding is mutual. Hopefully my American acquaintance will reassess his perception of people in the Middle East before my Omani friend comes to less-forgiving conclusions about Americans. Or a situation already clouded in misperception will become even stormier.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Intereting piece...from Nov, 2007...
from Nov, 2007, but it's an interesting piece in terms of redefining the notion of progressive politics with respect to US policy in Iraq...
I believe the writer, Paul Street, with whom im not familiar, is a noted radical historian/activist...
there is a bit of a bio about him at the article's end...
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=14378
By the way, Ellen, your piece is beautiful!
I believe the writer, Paul Street, with whom im not familiar, is a noted radical historian/activist...
there is a bit of a bio about him at the article's end...
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=14378
By the way, Ellen, your piece is beautiful!
Hey everyone,
Kathy asked me to post the opinion piece I wrote back at the beginning of the semester, so here it is:
Ellen Cushing
5 February 2008
Political Journalism and Activism (Kathy Engel)
Opinion article
Early Decision and the Crisis of Meritocracy
Last fall tens of thousands of high school students participated in the early admissions programs of a number of selective colleges and universities. In exchange for withstanding the intensity of a drastically compressed application process and, often, a binding agreement to attend the school if admitted, these Early Decision students are afforded a statistically higher chance of getting in to the most elite schools. And as the various-sized envelopes arrived in mailboxes across the country during the last three weeks of December, most of these students learned where they would be spending their next four years. But what they didn’t know is that really, their fates were sealed long before these envelopes, their futures determined largely by the long and ugly history of institutionalized class stratification in the college admissions system—a divide which the early decision process serves only to intensify and perpetuate.
The debate surrounding the value of Early has long been simmering in the hearts and minds of higher-education professionals but, two years ago, came violently bubbling up to the surface of popular discourse as Harvard and Princeton Universities made the bold, admirable step to abolish their programs. This symbolizes something powerful, that something has gone wrong. The American meritocracy is failing, foundering, falling apart, and Early plays an undeniably large role in this system.
The primary problem with early decision is that, like so much of our educational system and college admissions process, the people it generally benefits are those who already come from economically advantaged backgrounds. These programs—Early Decision, which is binding, and Early Action, which is not--overwhelmingly favor financially secure students. Accepted early decision applicants must commit to a school before seeing its official financial aid package and lower-income families may need to compare several schools’ packages before making a commitment. At virtually every school offering such a program, Early applicants tend to be wealthier and more homogeneous than the regular-decision pool. In 2005 at the University of Virginia, one of the most elite public universities in the nation, 172 students whose household income fell at or below 200 percent of the poverty line were accepted, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. Just one of these students was admitted early.
The University of Virginia has since eliminated its Early Decision program.
Early also favors those students who are well-informed enough about the college process to know about the existence of these programs. In other words, it's unlikely that first-generation college students from inner-city schools with one overworked and underpaid college adviser for hundreds of students will even know that early admission is an option. Thus, privileged students gain yet another edge in the increasingly competitive college race, and disadvantaged students miss out in a system where the chips are already overwhelmingly stacked against them. Every step of the way, lower-income students are denied the resources to which their more affluent classmates have easy access, from quality primary and secondary education to private college counselors and SAT tutors. Those who have the economic, social and personal resources and support to beat the system continue to do so while those who don’t continue to get beaten by it.
The final argument against Early may be a softer, more subtle one, but no less potent: these programs put a significant social and psychological toll on students, forcing 17- and 18-year-olds to make important, ironclad life decisions they may not be ready for, or which they may be pressured into by parents or peers. Students may feel like the only way they can be accepted to these extremely elite colleges and universities, many of which accept fewer than one in every ten students, is to apply early, even though they may not be prepared. College advisers at highly competitive high schools, whose largely affluent student bodies mean that Early is a commonly used admissions strategy, have reported their observations that the search begins to be less about finding a good fit personally and academically, and more about gaming the system. Furthermore, Early raises the emotional stakes, making an already stressful and draining process even more so, exploiting and increasing student anxieties and bringing the already frenzied process to a fever pitch.
This is not to say that early admission doesn't have its advantages. Most importantly, it allows students with complicated histories – an arrest, for example, or a severe grade drop due to personal circumstances – to ensure that their applications will be read and evaluated closely as one of a smaller number. But why not take the resources devoted to Early Decision and use them to hire more application readers for the regular season, so that this close attention can be guaranteed for all students, not just those who have the luxury to apply early?
Two years ago, two of the country’s oldest and most prestigious universities chose to end this discriminatory practice. One can only hope that they sent a message to the thousands of other schools whose early decision programs hurt those who have already been hurt the most by a flawed system. One can hope that some day, when the envelopes appear in mailboxes nationwide, it will no longer be true that one delivered to an affluent suburb is overwhelmingly more likely to contain an acceptance than one delivered to a housing project.
Kathy asked me to post the opinion piece I wrote back at the beginning of the semester, so here it is:
Ellen Cushing
5 February 2008
Political Journalism and Activism (Kathy Engel)
Opinion article
Early Decision and the Crisis of Meritocracy
Last fall tens of thousands of high school students participated in the early admissions programs of a number of selective colleges and universities. In exchange for withstanding the intensity of a drastically compressed application process and, often, a binding agreement to attend the school if admitted, these Early Decision students are afforded a statistically higher chance of getting in to the most elite schools. And as the various-sized envelopes arrived in mailboxes across the country during the last three weeks of December, most of these students learned where they would be spending their next four years. But what they didn’t know is that really, their fates were sealed long before these envelopes, their futures determined largely by the long and ugly history of institutionalized class stratification in the college admissions system—a divide which the early decision process serves only to intensify and perpetuate.
The debate surrounding the value of Early has long been simmering in the hearts and minds of higher-education professionals but, two years ago, came violently bubbling up to the surface of popular discourse as Harvard and Princeton Universities made the bold, admirable step to abolish their programs. This symbolizes something powerful, that something has gone wrong. The American meritocracy is failing, foundering, falling apart, and Early plays an undeniably large role in this system.
The primary problem with early decision is that, like so much of our educational system and college admissions process, the people it generally benefits are those who already come from economically advantaged backgrounds. These programs—Early Decision, which is binding, and Early Action, which is not--overwhelmingly favor financially secure students. Accepted early decision applicants must commit to a school before seeing its official financial aid package and lower-income families may need to compare several schools’ packages before making a commitment. At virtually every school offering such a program, Early applicants tend to be wealthier and more homogeneous than the regular-decision pool. In 2005 at the University of Virginia, one of the most elite public universities in the nation, 172 students whose household income fell at or below 200 percent of the poverty line were accepted, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. Just one of these students was admitted early.
The University of Virginia has since eliminated its Early Decision program.
Early also favors those students who are well-informed enough about the college process to know about the existence of these programs. In other words, it's unlikely that first-generation college students from inner-city schools with one overworked and underpaid college adviser for hundreds of students will even know that early admission is an option. Thus, privileged students gain yet another edge in the increasingly competitive college race, and disadvantaged students miss out in a system where the chips are already overwhelmingly stacked against them. Every step of the way, lower-income students are denied the resources to which their more affluent classmates have easy access, from quality primary and secondary education to private college counselors and SAT tutors. Those who have the economic, social and personal resources and support to beat the system continue to do so while those who don’t continue to get beaten by it.
The final argument against Early may be a softer, more subtle one, but no less potent: these programs put a significant social and psychological toll on students, forcing 17- and 18-year-olds to make important, ironclad life decisions they may not be ready for, or which they may be pressured into by parents or peers. Students may feel like the only way they can be accepted to these extremely elite colleges and universities, many of which accept fewer than one in every ten students, is to apply early, even though they may not be prepared. College advisers at highly competitive high schools, whose largely affluent student bodies mean that Early is a commonly used admissions strategy, have reported their observations that the search begins to be less about finding a good fit personally and academically, and more about gaming the system. Furthermore, Early raises the emotional stakes, making an already stressful and draining process even more so, exploiting and increasing student anxieties and bringing the already frenzied process to a fever pitch.
This is not to say that early admission doesn't have its advantages. Most importantly, it allows students with complicated histories – an arrest, for example, or a severe grade drop due to personal circumstances – to ensure that their applications will be read and evaluated closely as one of a smaller number. But why not take the resources devoted to Early Decision and use them to hire more application readers for the regular season, so that this close attention can be guaranteed for all students, not just those who have the luxury to apply early?
Two years ago, two of the country’s oldest and most prestigious universities chose to end this discriminatory practice. One can only hope that they sent a message to the thousands of other schools whose early decision programs hurt those who have already been hurt the most by a flawed system. One can hope that some day, when the envelopes appear in mailboxes nationwide, it will no longer be true that one delivered to an affluent suburb is overwhelmingly more likely to contain an acceptance than one delivered to a housing project.
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