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agenda for today: go over test

if you were in my math class this morning, you would have heard the following exchange:
good morning class. nice to see that 5 of you decided to show up to class today.

"miss, are we going to discuss the march that happened on saturday? i think it's important."

you know D, you know what i think is more important? the fact that every single one of you failed my test.

"but the situation with the immigrants is fucked up, miss!"

you know K, you know what i think is more fucked up? that you all SAY you are so concerned with immigrant rights and the future that they are being denied, but somehow, you guys can't manage to study for my math test; that you all are systematically denying yourselves what so many immigrants are being denied by others. that immigrants fight for so many things – things like education and health care – and yet you all squander the opportunites being given to you. that's what i think is fucked up.

so no, D, we are not going to discuss what happened. because as far as i am concerned, you all are talking the talk but not walking the walk: you all say you want equal access and equal opportunity for everyone, but when a teacher stands at the front of the classroom in order to provide it for you, you all decide that doing your homework is not a priorty; that studying for a test is not something you need to do. that's what's fucked up.

after this exchange i asked the kids which problems on the test they wanted me to go over. D, who suggested we talk about the immigrant issues, said, "i don't care about math" and proceeded to put his head down. K asked why i couldn't have given him help when he asked for it during the test. after explaining that he had 6 weeks to ask questions, and that a test is the time to show they are capable of independent thought and action, he said, "well fuck, i'm not going to give up my lunch or time after school to get tutoring. why can't studying at home be enough?" so i asked, "o? and how much time do you spend studying math at home?" he replied, "10 minutes." so i said, "assume you get home at 5 o'clock. when do you go to bed? at 10? so 5 hours, which is 300 minutes. 10 minutes is 3% of your time. a test is worth 30% of your grade. if you only dedicate 3% of your time to my class, your grade will reflect that: and it does. 30% of your time is equal to 90 minutes, or an hour and a half. if you spent that much time on my class, i can guarantee you your grade would not be sad amount it currently is." at that, K did not have anything to say. E asked to see a problem. after walking him through it, i noticed that E has problems not with the algebra, but with adding and subtracting poitive and negative numbers. i said, "E, you are always 100% sure that you know exactly what you are doing. but you keep screwing up when you have to add and subtract. it appears *that* is what you need to practice." after hemming and hawing about it, E said, "i was absent, that's why i didn't know. i can do it now." so i put another problem on the board. and said, "o? get to it then." he then proceeded to get the algebra right, but was unable to add -173 + 63. he said it was -236. when K pointed out his mistake, E got upset and said, "fuck this anyway. the questions on the test were hard and not like the ones on the homework." imagine the look on their faces when i told him that all the problems were taked straight from the homework assignments, and that they were running out of excuses.

K said, "Ms. Vasquez would have helped us during the test!" to which Ms. Vasquez replied, "then why didn't you pass my class last semester, K?" to which, again, K was struck silent.
it is worth pointing out that the kids who walked out, the good majority have no idea why they are walking out. to them it is a free day. so to all the organizers of the walk-out for immigrant rights, i say: fuck you. you are not making my job any easier. you are not organizing the kids. you are not educating or informing them. you are creating a photo opp: in the end, superficial and meaningless.

better yet, why not a school walk-in? how is losing a day of instruction beneficial to them? what about all the kids who have to miss school to help put food on their families' table? what about all the kids who are dropping out? during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, black folk all across the south walked into lunch counters and sat down. they were demanding equal access. equal opportunity.

get these kids to come in to class, not out of it. to sit down and listen, not stand up and yell. in the end, an education is more valuable than grandstanding. i'm sure their immigrant parents would appreciate that far more.

i love a good joke.

my guiding teacher shared this with me last week, and it has just been sitting in my laptop. since i hardly use my laptop at the moment, i keep forgetting to share. what with the march in downtown that happened yesterday, i think this joke is a propos at the moment. so here, with no further ado is a joke only math teachers truly appreciate.

Math Pedagogy throught the Years: 1950 – Present Day

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and as she went for my change, I pulled 8¢ from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and three pennies, while looking from her screen to the register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this? because of the evolution in teaching math from the 1950s to the present day.

Teaching math in 1950.
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching math in 1960
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching math in 1970
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching math in 1980
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Underline the number 20.

Teaching math in 1990
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. Topic for class discussion: What do you think of this way of making a living? How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? There are no wrong answers.

Teaching math in 2005
Un hachero vende una carretera de madera por $100. El costo de producción es $80. Cuanto hizo de ganancias?

this is only a test.

woooo hoooo boy! test day! yikes! 10 questions, show all work.

what was the highest score? ... 2 out of 10. i shit you not.

i stayed after to grade the tests. i showed them to my guiding teacher. she shook her head and said, "look, i know that the desire to stop and go over it again is overpowering. but think about it. did they do their homework? did they show up to tutoring when both you *and* i are available? did they pay attention in class? the answer to all these questions is a resounding NO. you held up your end. you taught the material. if they decided to make no attempt to learn it, then that's on their end." and it's true. once i gave the exam, the kids were a chorus of questions: "help me, i don't get it! how do i distribute? does this become a negative?" she said, "did they ask you yesterday? you gave a practice set of questions, and what did they do? nothing. they didn't take advantage of the opportunity. and that's what you are supposed to do: provide equal access and equal opportunity. you did that. but you can't force them. ultimately, they make the decision to learn or not."

yeh, but i probably won't sleep any better. my guiding teacher and i talked about the culture that surrounds these kids: why do they think it's ok to be stoopid? they don't have learning disabilities, just self-imposed handicaps: "i don't need to learn this, my parents are going to take care of me for the rest of my life" -- ha ha ha ha. "i don't need to know this, i'm going to deal drugs!" -- ha ha. "i already know this! i don't need to do my homework!" -- ha.

anyway, we also know that there are no "educated" role models in these kids' lives. i'm going to talk to my field supervisor next week about trying to get a field trip for my kids to get up to ucla. maybe if we dangle the carrot in front of them, it might motivate them, even a little bit.

does anyone who reads this know anyone at caltech? it is a math class, after all. i imagine caltech has a lot more fun math and astronomy stuff.

i came across this article while on fark. interesting, to say the least. i'm not exactly sure what to think of this "dyscalculia" business. i am not very keen on finding what may eventually amount to psychological (or even physiological) excuses. i want to believe that the human will can overcome just about anything, including dyscalcula. also, i don't see how this is any different from dyslexia, ultimately. it may make learning math more difficult, but certainly not impossible.

anyway, today we had test review. it seems that half of the kids are ready for the test. these are the kids that have been doing homework and participating in class. the kids who have not been doing these things are certaily not ready. Dq and E came into class during lunch today. they are my ELL students. Dq can read well in spanish, not as well in english. E can hardly read at all. after working with them, what i have found out is that the algebraic concepts are not beyond them: they have an excellent understanding of the PEMDAS process. Dq was never taught his multiplication tables. he has never seen long division. he didn't know that you were supposed to line up the place values of numbers when you add. he didn't know that multiplication and division are opposite operations. E is better at his tables, but admittedly, not that much better.

the test is tomorrow and i already told them that i will help them. i am worried that the other kids will raise their voices in loud cries of "that's not fair!" ... i don't know how i would respond to that. i wonder if i should say, "we'll they never had the opportunity," because for all i know, perhaps they didn't either. aye! there's there's the rub! "for all i know"! Dq and E came in during lunch. the others did not. i must reward ganas, the desire to learn. "teach me, for i want to learn."

one day for spring break

there was no one at knott's berry farm today. i had funnel cake with boysenberry jam and a frozen lemonade. thank goodness for boyfriends.

tomorrow, i have review planned. friday is the test.

happy spring break to... uh, me, i guess.

yesterday was the vernal equinox, or for those of you who do not speak in astronomical terms, it was the first day of spring. in fact, it was the first day of spring break for me, qua UCLA student. however, i did have to go to my humble high school. i had to go today. there was CAHSEE testing, the english portion. yipes.

today, the absolute value stuff went seamlessly. so i too have improved. step by step, little by little. K finally turned in his graffiti assignment (vid 3.15.2006). he had difficulty with the questions dealing with BC and AD. i don't blame him. if society as a whole didn't know that the new millenium began in 2001 and *NOT* 2000, i probably wouldn't have let him slide. face it: our culture seems to think it's ok to be innumerate. i can only do so much. K is asking for more algebra work, though. i guess i'll let his history teacher teach him there was no year 0.

my parent conference went well. Dq does not speak english too well, and the math vocabulary stumps him. i'm going to run off my bilingual math vocab book and hope it makes a difference, but frankly, the vocab in spanish is just as obtuse. his uncle said he would push him harder at home. i can only hope.

the kids saw my euclid tattoo today. i had to explain it. as soon as i said it was math related half of them tuned out. one kid was sure i was a lesbian since it has a triangle. one kid was smart enough to retort, "but it's not upside down." then someone asked why the upside down triangle was a symbol of "gays," and we made a brief tangent into wwii and nazi germany. none of them were aware of the fact that it was not only jews who were singled out by the nazis. they then proceeded to ask me, "what about the rainbow?" being ignorant as to why this is a gay pride symbol, it was at this point that i decided it was time to get back to the classwork.

please read why you should choose math in high school. CHOOSE MATH BECAUSE IT IS COOL.

before i start watching the daily show i will share what happened today.

well, jonny is in the background now, in the warm glowing glow of the television's warm glowing glow, so i'll make this quick. *oops, waits 'til commercial*

so i was having difficulty teaching absolute value, and after going over it thoroughly, i realized that i was making it too difficult! stoopid "expert blind spot"! so hopefully tomorrow will be more successful. tomorrow will be a "block" period, since everyone but the ninth graders are having a go at the CAlifornia High School Exit Exam, or CAHSEE (kA-see). i will not have class at all on wednesday.

i will have a good time making up the test for friday. all the questions are coming directly from the homework assignments. which would be a gimme, if they did their homework. tsk.

i shouldn;t sound so .... fatalistic. i should keep reminding you, dear reader, that they are starting to turn work in. slowly, little by little. so progress is being made, but it is glacial.

also, J2 came back today, after having been in texas for a few weeks. his grandmother was ailing. i am unsure whether she is ok now. he missed a lot of work. i have a parent conference, rescheduled from today, since i had to go to the district 4 meeting. which, by the way, was an utter waste of time. only belmont high school is a partner school, and while the superintendent of dist. 4 was there, there was no representative from bhs. hmm. this does not bode well for district 4.

a moment to reflect on yesterday and today.

so i was tired yesterday and didnt get around to posting anything valuable. sorry.

anyhoo, yesterday i starteda lesson on absoute value. i was going along at a good clip when as i was about to introduce a problem, i realize i hadnt scaffolded properly. this is pedagogical jargon for saying "i fucked up the lesson." the concept of absolute value is so quote-unquote easy for me that i forgot who to explain a part of it properly. anyway, i guess what matters is that i caught my mistake. i explained to the class that i messed up, and they were like, "you did?" .... how would they know? they don't know absolute value!
i also gave K his graff assignment yesterday.

today, K showed me what he had. all the short answer questions were filled in, for the most part. the math questions were filled in with answers like "a million." it's funny: these kids are like cartoon characters sometimes.

i called Ds parents today. he hasnt given me any homework. scratch: he gave me opne assignment, which he copied from F. i made examples of them today and tore up both assignments in front of the class. how else can i emphasize that i am looking for original thought? i warned them of next week's test and how they need to study for it. i already warned them that copying will result in a big fat ZERO. talking to a neighbor will result in a big fat ZERO. gotta put some fear of god into em, i do. scratch: its gotta be a fear of me.

i must submit something for today.

i'm fucking exhausted. and i'm full of ceviche.

more of the same, with a focus on decimals and the concept of the metric system

so today V and D were the only ones with the homework. J hadsome homework, but not the newest stuff, still just makeup work. since i spoke to his father, i'm giving him leeway as long as his behaviour improves, which it has. so that's golden.

K asked me if he could have his graffiti magazine back. i explained i was creating a lesson just for him about it. i told him he would have to complete the lesson on top of his actual homework and then, and only then, could he get his magazine back. it's this mag called brain damage, which is published in poland. it's very nice actually, and will pain me a little to have to give it back 9assuming, of course, he finishes the assignment). otherwise, it shall be mine forever mwahaha. this is ok, i think, because it's not "valuable." if it were a blackberry (yes, they have blackberries) or a rokr or a razr or a psp, a parent/guardian would have to come get it back. i think K likes this, though. he, like many of these kids, are crying out for attention. he always stays after to talk to me. im trying to transform his negative behaviour into a positive one. i made his lesson up today. i'll post it, once i figure out where i can host pdf files.

part 1 of assignment in PDF
part 2 of assignment in PDF

the quarter is almost over. bclad class tomorrow and then i can focus on my kids for a while, exclusively. that will be nice. spring break at my unnamed high school and at ucla do not overlap, so i get fuxxored like that, but apparently, the neighborhood team is trying to plan a trip to joshua tree. i'll take kahlua – should be wonderful.

3.14.06 happi π day! happi birthday mr. einstein!

another day. again, two homeowork assignments were turned in. i was unsure as to what i should do. i decided that i would go over some of the hw questions and leave the same assignment for hw again. fractions and decimals confuse the fuck out of my kids. the algebra bit (the order of operations bit, anyway), they're pretty ok with. im not very worried about that. we'll see how many i get in tomorrow.

i had to confiscate this polish graffiti magazine from K today. he's a bright kid. he's cocksure, cnfident he "knows this already." i hardly ever see hm from him, though. the magazine is wonderful. it's a polish (like, from poland) rag. its very interesting. i'd hate to disclose my complicity in such a crime as vandalism. i suppose i can tell him i appreciate it and that won't be such a big deal. maybe i'll give him a problem like:

a can of spray paint will cover 100 sq. ft. the dimensions of a subway car are 50x12 ft. how many subway cars could you bomb with one can?

what's the maximum number of cans you need to buy if yr going to do an elaborate throw on the wall on the side of the school, if you only have $30? assume each can costs $3.75.

no? unwise? i think that would be fun. ideas?

anyway. thank god i never have to go to language acquisition class EVAR AGAIN OMG!!!!11!! finally, the metaphorical thumb screws have been released! i can't imagine anyone wrote a positive evaluation. i will say it again, say it with me: praxis, not theory. i can't belive i'm paying this much money for this shit.

my dog needs a bath. excuse me.

agenda for 03.13.06: collect homework, lesson: clearing an equation of fractions or decimals, homework: pg 140 # 1-28

ok so now that the introduction is over, i think i can share a little bit about what happened today.

having met with the school psychologist last friday, he suggested that while my desire to foster intrinsic motivation within my students is admirable, that i nonetheless underestimate the power of behaviourism. he said "candy works wonders." so over the weekend, i went to smart & final and bought a box of air-heads and a box of bazooka joe gum (i also bought a box of apple-heads, but that was for the bf, and therefore, neither here nor there). i decided that starting today, i would use positive reinforcement. the part of me that wants to treat these kids like people recoiled at the thought of training them.

anyway, i only received two assignments, so my opportunity to dole out candy was limited. the one girl, V, always gives me her homework, so there is hardly a motivtional need for her. the other girl, A, turned in her very first homework assignment ever. she saw her grades last week, on friday, and i think the realization that her failing grade was due to her lack of completed homework has motivated her. so, another small step towards a psychic victory.

in fact, the more i push and prod, the more improvement i see. one boy in particular, R, really worries me, since he is not at all social. he speaks really softly when he speaks at all. he does not participate in class. in fact, he doesn't even socialize with the other kids. i referred his case to the school psychiatrist. i hope he gets around to him. as for my end, i am making a concerted effort to call on him more. he's bright, just introverted. hopefully i can coax him out of his cave. the other boy, J, who has given me the most grief is also making improvements. after having missed a solid week and a half of my class, i spoke to his father, with suggestions that he sit down with him and make sure he is completing his assignments and that he get to school on time. since last week, he is now attending (which he hadn't been doing), arriving prepared (also hadn't been doing), and participating in class (where before he had been at best distracted and aloof and at worst distracting and disruptive). i have still not seen a single homework assignment, but he insists, "i'll give it to you tomorrow, miss." i called his father today, and his father corroborated his story. i instructed his father to have his son turn in assignments as he completes them. i am giving this boy, J, a chance to make up his work. there's a lot of it. he's taking algebra 1A for the fourth time now. i hope he does not need to take it a fifth time.

also, i should point out that the school psychologst told me that in his short tenure at the school, i was the first teacher to express concern over one of their students, who came into the office personally and who actually asked, "what can *I* do to help?" …depressing.

the replies i get when i accuse you all of not reading my blog.

[ to everyone on my contacts list]
SUBJ: do you ppl even read this? ok maybe you do. surely you do.

so i came up with a brilliant idea. me? of course.

so iv'e decided that instead of inundating yr inboxes with all of my mundane updates, instead i'll just send ya'll a link to a blog which details all my mundane goings-on. i think, it will be a good psychological purging. teaching is hard. writing is easy.

i posted my first installment today. i was avoiding hw. what else is new?

austin "hump" hall replies:
for someone who can't seem to shut up, I'm surprised it's taken you this
long... but seriously... i'll read it.
is pretty good, too (as long as we're on the subject of blogs).

If I were you, I would take that last email you sent and make that your
next entry. it was a pretty good read.

i reply to austin:
you'll notice that i did as you suggested and posted it.

you'll also notice that my mouth runs faster than my fingers. i think my hands get impatient.

mike "sweet honey mustard" bybee replies:
Now, that's unfair! Surely we read them. I read them. I respond to them. I even forward them, sometimes, to other people who are St. John's graduates in the midst of teaching.
But oh, no, now you're making me go to blogs!? Me! The delight of your senior year. Okay, maybe that's pushing it, but nevertheless, I say, "Yikes!"
And you accuse me of--! Ah, the perfidity! The unfairness! The pain! The shame. . . . Sweet honey mustard!! How shall I ever dry my tears?!

i reply to SHM:
ok. here's a tissue. use it when you read my blog.

lizzie "the lizard-chicken" coe replies:
SUBJ: death to links!!
Look Cath, you know me- I'm lazy. I like getting your "mundane emails".
Believe me, I have to follow bloody links to photos, links to my space,
links to links!!!! I'm bloody sick of it!! I think you should still send me
updates, or else. Or else...........I guess I'll have to add another link to
my life!!!!
i reply to slizzard:
i don't think that telling a high school teacher "i'm lazy" is a very good idea.
for homework tonight, your task shall be to write "i will be thoughtful and productive" over and over again, until your scaly wing falls off. i will continue to write mundane emails, tho' because i will do whatever it takes for my pupils to succeed.

welcome to my blog. this is my first post.

i will admit that i have been reluctant, thus far, to join the cacophony of voices on the internet. truth is, i always felt that blogs were an indication of a person's vanity, where they could share mundane and vainglorious events in their lives. sure.

i will also admit that i have always felt journals of any kind were meant to be kept private, preferably in books with gilded page edges and full of tight, sloppy ink lines. it is rare when i have wanted to read into someone's personal life. usually, autobiography is the most inaccurate description of a person's life. especially nowadays. and an in depth biography should be saved for the notorious and the genius. that will be for posterity to decide.

anyhow, i changed my mind recently.

now that i've been student teaching, i find my thoughts full of anxieties, questions and ideas. i need to get them out of me, for fear of being crushed under this onerous weight! *swoons in melodramatic manner* i also find that sharing this information with others may help me in many ways. first, people in the teaching profession may be able to share ideas, should this modest chronicle ever reach their eyes; second, that my friends and loved ones could stay up to date on my goings-on, having now relinquished a sizeable chunk of my spare time.

i realize, having re-read this post that it says nothing about my experiences so far. allow this prologue to merely explain my intentions.

i have homework to do. it's due on tuesday for my bullshit language acquisition class. it's not that i think language acquisition theory isnt't fascinating. it's that the professors are inept eductors (at a teacher ed. program, no less. i <3 irony). my task: "take a position on some issue related to policy impacting immigrant students." so basically, i have to write a paper on anything. i hate ambiguity. i also hate the fact that all policies impacting immigrant students are abhorrent to my sense of human decency. this should make for a very vitriolic paper.

more as this story develops.


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Thursday, June 29, 2006

Another Christian Martyr in Egypt

It happened again: a Muslim bastard ebn mo7alel stabbed a Christian man in Zakazeek, a town 200 Km away from Cairo. As the perpetrator committed his heinous crime, he told his victim that he would be killed because he was a Christian. He then stabbed him into his heart killing him instantly. The victim is 40 years old and is survived by his wife and his 2 young children. I am sick and tired of these Muslim motherfuckers killing us as they wish. Our blood is not cheap ya welad el mo7alel. I wish Israel and Bush keep humiliating and killing you everyday. I wish you finish each other as you do in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is time for this fucken Egyptian government to enact a hate crime law that gives stiff penalties to crimes motivate by hate of religion or gender or race. I hope they do not claim that the animal hater is crazy as they did before welad el mo7alel. Check out the picture of the victim’s wife and his 2 children crying

Blogger pelyas said...

This is very sad, but it's becoming commonplace.

By the way, if you live in Cairo and are interested in metroblogging, as in contributing to a blog that documents the social, cultural, financial, and political goings on in Cairo as well as the nightlife scene, feel free to go to
because they're expecting some Cairo bloggers.

9:53 PM
Blogger maged salamah said...

Thank you for your suggestion. I will check them out

4:19 AM
Anonymous True Egyptian said...

My sincere condolences to the deceased family. The only comment I have is simply “God Help us please”. I can not understand the mentality of those people?

7:20 AM
Blogger maged salamah said...

True Egyptian,
I do not know who will support this family or whether the criminal who killed that man will be jailed. I only know that Islamic cancer has to stop

10:49 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How come we don't see this in the news here in the West?

Is there any official news links to this event?

7:21 PM
Blogger maged salamah said...

You will only see news about our stupid people demonstrating for the terrorist palestenians but they never do that for their fellow Christian Egyptian. Do you know why? Because for these bastards islam is more important than their nationality. They are following a child molester who fucked a 9 years old and they unite with other muslims on terrorism. I wish the israelis keep fucking them up

8:38 PM
Anonymous True Egyptian said...

I hope this time the excuses of “Mentally Unstable Person” is not used.

As who will support this family, what can we do, I am very happy to support, where do I send some donations etc.

“God will provide” and our Lord will keep his word?

1:44 AM
Blogger maged salamah said...

True Egyptian,
I realy do not trust any one with my money, even priests. I would suggest you wait until you come to egypt and give the money to the family yourself. I will give you their address in zakazeek if you want. Do not trust anyone there to deliver your money

5:16 AM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fuck all of you damn muslims

2:25 PM
Blogger Tim said...

Maged, you are a hypocrite. On one hand you hate Israel and its American supporters, and on the other hand you write about Muslims, "I wish Israel and Bush keep humiliating and killing you everyday. I wish you finish each other as you do in Iraq and Afghanistan."Oh right, so as long as the evil Bush and Israel kill Muslims, you support them, but when they flatten Lebanon because of fucking Hezbollah, another bunch of murderers who have absolute contempt for Christianity, you HATE them? Make your fucking mind up, who's side are you REALLY on? Given the choice between Israel, America or some backward little Arab nation for a place to live in peace, you know damn well you'd rather live in America or Israel. In America or the West you are free to practice any religion and none, free from oppression or discrimination. While in Saudi Arabia you get 700 fucking lashes for merely talking about the Bible! In the Israeli parliament they have ARAB MPs; name we one fucking Arab government that has Jewish members in it. Your enemy is NOT Israel nor America but the prophet Mohammad and all his fucked up followers. Leave oil and the complexities of international politics out of this. Oh and BTW: do remember that Israel STILL hasn't got back those soldiers who were wrongfully taken by Hezbollah. Not like that matters though, eh?

6:49 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i dare you to post this, if u are a democratic blogger as u claim u are....

so please enlighten me, how did you know that the man who stabbed the martyr, told him that he killed him because he was a christian, if you claim that he was killed instantly, please tell me how this is possible, the dead man communicated with u or what..........PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE,,,,,,EGYPT DOES NOT NEED THIS HATE......please i`m sure u love egypt like we all do,,,,,the bread , the corruption, the majority, the steel, baby ezz, the decline in every aspect of life, the bad economy,PLSPLSPLS we do not need this hate to add to our educated egyptians should help the less fortunate ones and end this hate........please tell me one thing u will gain from spreading the hate man....i am sure u r a loyal egyptian and u want the best for this country....

p.s. i will ignore all u stated about Islam, i am smaller than defending it.

4:02 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

egypt is a bullshit country.If you've been to egypt you'll know what I mean.these ppl claim they build the pyramids.truth is that it was built by aliens.

12:56 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

they also sent their women to GCC countries as prostitutes

12:57 PM

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

A Brave Egyptian Woman

I realized that I never wrote about Egyptian women that I consider important role models for our society. The only exception was my essay about Hend el Henway, who challenged the male-dominated Islamic laws and managed to force Ahmad el Fishawy (a Muslim preacher/actor) to acknowledge that he is the father of her 2-years-old daughter. Today I will talk about another brave Egyptian woman, a woman I consider a pioneer for Egyptian women’s civil rights. I will discuss Dr. Nawal el Saadawy. Here are some of the contributions of this Muslim woman to our society:

She was the first to launch a campaign against women’s sexual mutilation. In Egypt, Islamic laws allowed the cutting of women’s clitoris, a terrible surgical operation that leaves women psychologically and physiologically damaged and unable to enjoy sex. She faced fierce resistance from the monkey shikh shaarawy who told her that she is challenging Allah’s law( see my post about him)
She was the first woman in Egypt’s history to run for president and was later removed from the ballot for unknown reasons
She was the first woman to say that pilgrimage is a sign from the pagan era and that Muslims should not spend these billions of dollars in doing things the pagans used to do
She was the first woman to speak out against the head cover (or hegab) and say that it is a sign of women’s oppression and possession by men.
Dr. Nawal was the first to advocate giving the rights for both men and women to carry their mother’s name and not being ashamed of it. You know that if you look at people’s old national id, there is a place for the mother’s name that is usually omitted because it is a shame for you to reveal your mother’s name. How sick and low!
Dr. Nawal bravely faced a law suit that threatened to separate her from her husband because she turned out to be an “infidel who left Islam.” She did not let them and she won.
She was the first author to expose Sadat’s romantic relationship with Islamic fundamentalists and how he used to them to kill socialists and communists. She ended up in jail for writing an article about that.
She was the first Egyptian author to talk about our inability to govern ourselves and how we let the government control everything.
She was challenged by the Azhar, a Muslim entity that controls the release of novels and movies, for writing a novel titled “the fall of the Imam”
Dr. Nawal is one of Egypt’s most prolific and talented writers. I enjoy reading her work and watching her talk in TV. I am inspired by her to write about societal ills. She is a true rebel and a dissident who always fought for the rights of the oppressed and marginalized. She is one of my most favorite Egyptians. If we only have few women like her in this country, we would not have had such a mess. She is not ashamed of her courage or her gender. She speaks her mind and she is getting a lot of ears.

For more on Dr. al Saadawi check out her website:

Anonymous Sarah said...

I'm sarah from egypt, i just wanted to tell you that i admire your courage and your will to speak your mind, and this is why you were attracted to the strength of someone like Dr. El Saadawy. I'm currently running an extensive research on her, and i'm as equally impressed, she's someone i really look up to, and hope to be like one day, here in egypt, she's truly one of a kind..take care..god bless ya.

4:07 AM
Blogger Yazz said...

I read two of Nawal El Sadaawi's books I believe. I am also really happy that she exists! Indeed if we had more women like her (and not only in Egypt), we could change a lot.
Do you know whether she still lives in Egypt and if she organizes gatherings or something like that?

3:08 PM
Anonymous Marina said...

I went to NYU to watch and hear Nawal El Sadaawi speak. She is fenomenal woman. At 80 years old she acts and sounds much younger. She is certainly very brave and draws her courage from creativity. She didn't let men, any god, or oppressive regime silence creativity in her. I read two books by her in a breathe, and the third one is waiting for me.
You can read my thoughts on witnessing her speak in my blog http://marinabrennan.com/.

11:31 AM

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Friday, November 11, 2016

Voter Suppression Worked, and Rural Wisconsin's "Hope & Change" guy Trump, will lift a finger to help...guess which one?

It's was interesting to hear the "2nd Amendment remedies" crowd of Trump supporters, who threatened a revolution if Trump didn't win, denounce Democratic protesters for not wanting to fall in line with their president elect narcissistic authoritarian alt-right leader:
Demonstrators in Madison and across the country took to the streets Thursday to express their outrage over Donald Trump’s unexpected presidential win, while Trump supporters took to social media and denounced demonstrators as hypocrites or worse for not accepting defeat in a democratic process. A crowd of hundreds of UW-Madison students at the top of Bascom Hill swelled to around 2,500 by the time it reached the steps of the state Capitol.
Republican mouthpieces have arrogantly declared "who cares, let em protest, we're not listening."

Leader Trump played that angle up...

...until his campaign very presidential like put out this damage control tweet at 5 AM:

The best and most insightful Wisconsin coverage came from WPR's Shawn Johnson (audio below). It was an eye opener that made me realize ignored rural conservative voters wanted something more from their government, not less. Yet they've let their own representatives, who have ignored them, off the hook. So much for all that small government bullshit.

Trump was rural Wisconsin's "Hope and Change" candidate, and they got conned. WKOW's Greg Neumann confirmed all of this in his story below:
Rural voters who carried Trump to victory in Wisconsin, say he showed them respect.
"They thought they were left behind. They don't see a lot of what the federal government does for them."

"I liked that he was for the rural people, the working class."

Pete Carew of the village of Sturtevant said he was one of 1.4 million Wisconsin residents voted for Republican Donald Trump. Carew is tired of both parties saying every four years that they're going to change things for the better and doing nothing about it ... In the past, he always voted Democrat. Not this year.
"The last eight years I stood behind our president 100 percent. I won't say he failed miserably, but he fell really short. Short enough for me to say, 'Why can't we vote outside the box? Why can't we see something different?'"
Literally throwing caution to the wind and 100 years of "change" under the bus, Trump's hyperbolic empty promises were enough for many to take the leap:
"He did a phenomenal job of channeling the economic insecurities and poor people with an agenda that's actually going to devastate them," said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now.

Shawn Pfaff, who worked on the successful 2006 campaign for former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, grew up in rural La Crosse County, where he said many voters feel economic anxiety and prioritize social issues like gun rights (were ignored).
"Maybe they're not hearing what's going on out there. Maybe there's heavier focus on the more urban areas of Milwaukee, Madison and some of the issues that dominate that area."
Maybe that's because Democratic legislators make government work for their voters, and Republicans don't. It's a formula that encourages an angry rural resentment, resulting in an anti-government base for Republicans. Trump promised to solve their problems by giving "deserving" rural voters a government solution...amazing:
Professor Katherine Cramer, who directs the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Morgridge Center for Public Service, wrote a book called "The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker." She said rural voters feel disrespected, misunderstood and cheated.
"Donald Trump really tapped into that. Because he came along and he said, 'You know you're right. You're not getting your fair share, and you're right to be angry about it, and you are hardworking people, and you do deserve more, and what you think you deserve is actually going to people who aren't as deserving.'"
With 30,000 Democratic protest votes going to opportunist Jill Stein, and Scott Walker's voter suppress efforts that oddly didn't effect Republican turnout...:

Wisconsin's voter ID law caused problems at the polls in the city and likely contributed to lower voter turnout, Milwaukee's elections chief said Thursday. "We saw some of the greatest declines were in the districts we projected would have the most trouble with voter ID requirements," said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the city's Election Commission.

A spokesman for Republican Gov. Scott Walker insisted that voter ID had not hurt voter turnout.
"Voter turnout in this year's presidential primary was the highest since 1972 with voter ID in place, so to now suggest turnout was down in the general election because of it is wrong. We have made voting easy while ensuring it is hard to cheat. Lower turnout in the general election was true nationwide. It was not unique to Wisconsin or voter ID."
Walker's right, other Republican states had similar problems...I mean results. Just maybe the following comment will make it into the next argument to overturn voter ID:
Milwaukee's Election Commission Director Neil Albrecht said that four districts of the city with the most "transient, high poverty" residents experienced trouble with people struggling to meet the photo identification requirement. Previously, those voters were able to have "corroborating witnesses" vouch for them at the polls. "We had a lot of calls," Albrecht said. "There were college students with roommate situations or spouses where everything was in one spouse's name." He said calls reporting problems came from both those trying to vote and officials at polling places.
By the numbers proof...
Unofficial totals from Tuesday show Clinton lost by just 27,257 votes ... Wisconsin's turnout was lower than it had been in a presidential election for two decades as 66 percent of the voting age population cast ballots. It did not hurt Trump, who received roughly 1,500 votes more than Republican Mitt Romney did in the 2012 presidential election. Clinton, however, received nearly 239,000 fewer votes in Wisconsin than Obama did in 2012.
Sack of Lying Hypocrites to the end...
Some Wisconsin Republicans who used to be critical of Trump were singing his praises after Tuesday's results. That included Wisconsin Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, who was once an outspoken member of the so-called #NeverTrump movement. Steineke called Trump "morally bankrupt con man." In April, he called Trump "a liberal… and a liar."

But Wednesday, Steineke said ... he "absolutely" accepts Trump as the Republican Party leader.
"I think there's no question that President-elect Trump brought a whole group of new people into the process. He's our president. I'm excited about our prospects moving forward."

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Thursday, January 26, 2017

Trump Republicans toss responsibility in favor of bribery, polluted streams, wage inequality and guns for the Mentally incapable."

If you've been following the slew of House bills passed in the last few years, you would know Republicans don't give a damn about health care, the environment and public services.

Now that they're in charge, the real animal in the GOP has been let loose, ready to devour every last advancement in the last 100 years. Behold corruption, plundering our natural resources at the expense of clean energy, and giving "mentally incapable" seniors guns:
Reuters: Congressional Republicans are set to overturn a controversial anti-bribery rule aimed at U.S. resource companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp ... disclose payments to foreign governments.

The House would try to kill regulations protecting streams and forests from coal mining's impacts, curbing methane leaks on public lands, and requiring employers to report workers' information as part of an attempt to end pay discrimination.
Remember when Republicans refused to accept reasonable gun regulations, and instead promised to keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. Well, they didn't mean that either. If someone has lost it to the point of where someone else has to handle their financial affairs, a gun is the last thing they should have:
Repeal a rule expanding background checks on gun purchases for disabled Social Security recipients to the hit list ... prevent the government from declaring some Social Security recipients unfit to own guns after they’ve been deemed mentally incapable of managing their financial affairs. The NRA lobbied for its reversal, arguing it would keep those in distress from seeking mental health assistance for fear of losing their rights.

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jeudi 7 mars 2013

Canada and Bilingualism - Part 1

For a lot of people Canada evokes thoughts of bilingualism, tolerance and politeness. Many people think that everyone in Canada speaks both official languages, French and English.

I do think Canadians are tolerant and polite; bilingual, euh... not so much.

My Alberta birth certificate. Photo by Den Nation.

I was born in Alberta but grew up in Ottawa. My father was working temporarily in Calgary at the time of my birth. I only spent the first 2 months of my life in Alberta so Calgary is just another Canadian city for me. I feel like I was born in Ottawa, but my birth certificate reminds me that I was not.

I am Canadian. My country is officially bilingual. Trudeau, Canada's prime minister during the 70s, really pushed bilingualism in Canada. The issue wasn't really about getting everyone to speak both languages, but Trudeau recognized that not all Canadian citizens are bilingual and that everyone had the right to access services in their own language when dealing with officialdom, aka the Canadian government. In doing so, he pushed more Canadians to be bilingual (as it is really difficult to obtain a position as a civil servant in Ottawa without being bilingual).

So how is it that I can't get my birth certificate in French and English? Alberta as a province is not officially bilingual, that's why. Birth certificates are issued by the provinces and territories, not the federal government in Ottawa.

If you look at my picture above, it does appear to be in both languages. What you are looking at is the template, which is in both languages. The information specific to the person in question only appears in English. Why, if their template is in both languages, can't they also insert my personal details in both languages?

I wrote to the Alberta government about this. Their response? "The province of Alberta is not required to provide access or reports in both of Canada's official languages."

How can this be? I just can't believe that I can't access official documents like my birth certificate in both languages. How come the federal government has not forced the provincial and territorial governments to do so? We are talking about my birth certificate, an official document.

I was so angry when I got this response from the Alberta government. I have to admit, I am so disappointed by "my province", and that I come from such a close-minded and right-winged province (so now you all know about my political beliefs).

I used to think when I was a little girl that it was cool to have been born in Alberta. I used to go around saying to everyone, "I was born in Calgary, I'm a cowgirl!" Hahahahaha. I can't believe I was so proud.

I can't believe that hate groups against bilingualism exist. Just check out and a couple of their other videos to get an idea of their stance.

Of course, these people are a hate group and most Canadians are not as extreme as them. The speaker in the video for the above link seems to think they represent the average Canadian, but they do not. (I hope I won't start receiving emails from these people now.)

So while I am proud that my country set up bilingual services, I just wish that the provinces would follow as well. Don't just start something and only do it halfway.

8 commentaires:

  1. I think it's cool that you were born in Alberta :-) The birth certificate is cool too. Mark's birth certificate in Ontario has less security features it seems.

    I can't believe the hate against bilingualism (fortunately it's the exception, not the norm!). To me, it's like asking to have your left arm cut off "cause you know, I don't need it, I mostly use my right arm!". Yeah and so what? Two arms are better than one, no, and you could learn new tricks with your left arm!

  2. I shouldn't be so hard on Alberta. Probably some of the other provinces have the same policy themselves. I don't want to be full of hatred towards Alberta like this anti-bilingualism group on YouTube. It's just that this is an issue that really concerns me and once I am fired up, bam!

    Yes, Alberta changed their birth certificate a few years ago in order to implement new security features. I think they did a great job with it. I'm impatiently waiting the updated security features of the new Canadian passports.

    I do understand that people don't speak both languages in Canada and I think that it is normal that not everyone speaks French. Realistically, you are not going to get much practice speaking French in BC. You would probably be better off learning Chinese or Japanese out there. I don't understand, however, the attitude and scorn towards learning the other language and bilingualism in Canada. Knowing another language enrichens your life; there are so many positive reasons to learn another language!

  3. Hi, it's me again. When I was at the U of Ottawa, I had in my class a girl from Alberta. She spoke perfect French, and even took some courses in French at uni, I asked her how come she speaks so well, and she said her high school encouraged the students to be bilingual. She might be a minority... As for me, having lived mainly in Québec, I would never had any documents in both languages, only in French. There's even a law that forbids kids to go to English school, until they reach Cégep.

    When I moved to Ottawa, I never had problems being served in both languages. When I left, Harper just got elected and I think bilinguism wasn't a priority no more, because it is another spending for the government.

    Here's a post I wrote about bilinguism :

    I wish I would be perfectly bilingual, but I'm still stuggling with my English. I live near Belgium and they have a hard time dealing with bilinguism too. The younger generation (Flanders), don't speak French. And the Wallons don't want to speak Dutch.

  4. Well, it's true that the France language is dying in Canada. I looked up the stats on Statistics Canada website a few years ago. I grew up hearing from my anglophone entourage in Ottawa, "French is everywhere, they're going to take over". I had no idea that the reality was actually the opposite of what my anglophone community thought. According to Statistics Canada the number of native French speakers in Canada (including Québec) is declining (very slowly, but nonetheless) each year. That's why Québec has its own immigration policy. This is really worrying.

    I'm glad that you met an anglophone that spoke excellent French. My high school offered French immersion, but I remember that a lot (definitely not all) of the people that graduated from the French immersion programme were not proficient in French upon graduation. After spending 1 semester as an exchange student in France my French was better than their French was! I couldn't believe it.

    You're doing fine, don't worry about it. At least you're writing in French! You express yourself clearly in English; I can understand what you are saying. I have thought about writing in French, but actually I think that I really need to practice writing in English.

  5. I'm from NS currently living in France. When we got the new birth certificate (similar to the one in the picture), everything for everyone is finally written in French and English. Before that, I was faced with the same answer as you from Alberta "Nova Scotia isn't an officially bilingual province, so we don't have to give you anything in French".

    I personally think that bilingualism is a richness, however, it is difficult to convince some people that the government should spend money on promoting both languages when they don't know anyone who speaks the other language. I mean, growing up, French was a distant foreign thing that really had no place in our daily lives (except in French class and maybe in the morning when you accidentally looked at the other side of the cereal box). It's hard to motivate people to care when there is no practical application. I know lots of people who don't hate bilingualism, having nothing against French, but aren't going to spend time learning the language because they have no reason to speak it. In my opinion, motivation is key to learning a language, so how can we motivate people?

  6. I think that want bothers me the most is people's contempt for the French language. Growing up in Ottawa you see/hear a lot of this if you are part of the anglophone community. I imagine that in Nova Scotia it is less of an issue?

    I wish that some people in Canada would realise the richness that learning another language would bring them. Canada is a multi-cultural country after all.

    I can understand not having the time or aptitude for learning a language, though. A lot of people are more technically minded than linguistically talented. I just hate this attitude, this contempt, this scorn some people in Canada have towards the French language and Québec. I can accept people not learning another language but not the hatred towards it.

    Where do you live in France and are you thinking of starting a blog?

    Thanks for reading, by the way!

  7. It's funny when I tell people I'm from Canada and they ask me if I speak French. I really think that only like 5% of the Canadian population speaks Quebequois because even Quebec has a massive anglophone population. I did learn French in school (and forgot everything) and packaging is in English and French but I think it's a huge misconception that Canada is a bilingual country. And there is nothing wrong with the French it's just that I think for people touring Canada, it is wise for them to know that French probably won't be of any use. It's just a common sense thing that should be known if you want to travel. The other thing about the French language is that it is not a very useful language as it is really only spoken in one other large country (besides the French islands) unless you plan on traveling to France, it's of no use. The only other thing that bothers me about the "bilingualism of Canada is that in Quebec, the bilingual laws do not really apply and therefore road signs and packaging are solely in French. Why the separation? I always say that when I have children, I'll hire a Mandarin nanny because Chinese will be truly useful in the coming years (as reiterated in my recent trip to china). P.s. I do speak French but because I moved to France and I do love the French language in and of itself. P.p.s. thank you for all you recent comments on my blog (yummy laura)'s so appreciated and I love that you write about topics like these that actually spark important dialogue.

  8. People in France assume that I am from Québec when I am introduced to new people. Sometimes they look at me with a puzzled look and ask me why I don't have the accent. They almost always expect the québécois accent and when they don't get it, they are baffled.

    I agree that Asian languages are more useful across Canada than French. I think that learning Japanese or Chinese would definitely be more beneficial to someone in Vancouver than learning French.

    I guess I'm just annoyed that the government has put into all this effort and time into offering services in English and French but they can't even offer me a simple birth certificate in French.

    I do understand why Québec is so strict with their language. Like I said in another comment, I looked at statistics on the Statistics Canada website a few years ago and the amount of native French speakers in Québec is slowly decreasing due to lower birth rates and they don't have enough immigrants to fill the gap. So the French language is actually dying in Canada. I was really surprised to hear that, since while I was growing up I always heard comments about how "they" were going to take over Canada. It's actually the English language that is, albeit slowly, taking over Québec.

    This attitude really bothers me. I grew up in Ottawa so French is really important. This is the reality of living in Ottawa. The French speakers are not taking over, it's just the anglophones' bad attitudes that have taken over. I can understand somebody not having the time or the interest in learning French, but anglophones shouldn't accuse the French speakers of stealing "their jobs". The French speakers definitely have to learn English to work in Ottawa while an anglophone can still get into the government with only English, so things are not equal. Thus I am even more inclined to accept that they only want to have signs written in French. Please remember (please don't get angry at what I have written) that I grew up in Ottawa where there is a lot of talk about bilingualism and tensions between the two sides. So where I grew up is reflected in my writing.

    I'm glad that you liked this topic and I hope to write more like this, but to be honest I am a bit afraid of hate mail. I don't really want to fight with people on my blog, because let's face it, I feel really strongly about certain issues, maybe too much so.


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jeudi 11 avril 2013

Nobody's perfect

For some of you, I may have given off the idea that I am a model person.

I have never smoked, have never been drunk, I hate clubbing and dislike dancing, have never died my hair, and I don't have tattoos. I wear simple clothing. I wear what I call "hand-me ups" (clothing I get from my younger sister) and clothing that I find or that is off-loaded onto me. I am more introverted than extroverted. I don't really like shopping and I carefully control my budget. I am a really simple person living a simple life.

Remember the old adage - nobody is perfect.

So what's my vice?

One of the richest meals I've had in Bordeaux, lamb and beans slow-cooked in an earthenware pot. Delicious, but deadly. Author of photo: Den Nation.

I have never been at the ideal weight for my height. Not since I was 6 years old. Puberty hit at age 7 (yes, I was an early bloomer) and I have been chubby every since.

I love trying everything at least once. I eat almost anything and I cannot stand leaving great food on my plate in restaurants. I have to eat everything; it makes me uneasy to think of good food being thrown away.

When I was 22 I weighed over 80kg. For someone that is only 160cm tall, that is a lot. Last night I looked up my BMI for when I weighed 82kg and was so shocked to discover that I had been obese.

Me obese, how could that be? I was so ashamed.

At this time I moved to a new city, started university and began a weight-loss regime. It was not a fun time, let me tell you. For six months I ate plates of boiled vegetables and fish. Nothing could be fried and the only dessert I knew was Greek yoghurt and fruit.

I succeeded - I got the weight off. Just not all of it.

I spent a few years almost happy at the upper end of a healthy weight range for my height. I did control my portions and led an active life which included a lot of walking and cycling. I ate mostly whatever I wanted. But I remained chubby.

That all changed when I got married. I can't pinpoint exactly when the turning point was, but sometime in the year after I got married I started gaining weight again.

I have thought about it a lot recently, and I think I know what went wrong.

A lot of our friends had babies. Instead of inviting our friends over for dinner, we would always visit them in their homes. There would always be an elaborate apéro, pre-dinner drinks and snacks. I was ravenous and there was no way to escape the apéro. Living in Bordeaux, there was no shortage of alcohol either. By the time I got to the meal, I was no longer hungry, but I would keep eating at the insistence of my hosts. "Here, have a little bit more, I noticed that you liked these potatoes," my hosts would say, reserving me a healthy portion of potatoes without even asking if I wanted more. And then there was the wine. Oh, the wine! Sometimes there was even wine during the dessert.

Treats brought back from Italy. The tupperware is full of cookies and nuts. Author of photo: Den Nation.

For the two years after we got married, my husband's job involved going out to dinner at least once a week and I would accompany him. Remember how I said that I can't stand to waste food? Well, in France you can't ask for a doggy bag. Everyone would order the 3-course set meals so I would too and end up eating all of it. The meals were so rich that even my bike ride home probably didn't burn off even a tenth of the calories I consumed.

We travel a lot, mostly for my husband's work. Since we got married we travel even more. So what happens when we arrive at our destination? You guessed it, dinner with the hosts who want to impress.

So what happened? Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess that. I gained 10kg in a year. All because I have no sense of control and because I am too gourmande.

I decided to finally do something about it. Everytime I stepped on the scales it was like somebody was stabbing me in the heart. If I didn't do something about it, I was going to end up obese again and the thought of having to lose 20+kilograms just depressed me.

I knew that the only way I could do something about it was to leave France. So Denmark has been my saving grace. I think I will just do another post on why that is as this post is getting too long.

I decided not to get a scale here, otherwise I would be on it all the time. I just weigh myself whenever we go to our friends' houses.

So Monday night will be weigh-in night.

I decided to talk about my weight problems so I would be held more accountable to stick to this. I'm going to try and eat right over the weekend and I'll be telling you all how the weigh-in went. Of course I'm not going to starve myself - I'll eat when I'm hungry and yes, this includes carbs. I don't believe in cutting out a food group from your diet just in the name of losing weight. When you go back to eating that food, the weight will more than likely come back on.

What am I hoping for in Monday night's weigh-in? To just be at a normal, healthy weight again, even if it at the top-end, which for me is 63. I know that a few weeks ago I was at 65, but with travelling and eating out, I can only hope to see 63 staring back at me on Monday night.

I better get out there and get on my bike. It's pouring, but no pain, no gain, right? Or it should be in this case, no pain, no lose.

12 commentaires:

  1. I'm with you in this one: the apero is a killer! Especially as my poor Scottish stomach doesn't like waiting until 9 or 10pm to start eating. And how smacking on crisps for an hour before dinner is supposed to make you hungry is beyond me!

    Good luck with meeting your target. I always find good weather helps, and it's supposed to be just around the corner!

    1. There is no escaping the apéro! Your host opens the door and it is waiting for you. It can even last for up to 2 hours depending on how late some of the other guests are.

      When I lived in the UK I became accustomed to cycling in the rain. As long there is no snow and slippery ice like in Canada, I'm going out there!

  2. Please don't feel bad.

    I have never been thin. Not since I was 12, anyway, and even back then I felt chubby even though I really wasn't. I gained A LOT of weigh my first couple of years in Canada. New food combined with a lt of work ad discovering the convenience of junk food. I think I was about 200 lbs (I'm 5'7). Then I started excising again (nothing crazy, yoga and lots of walking) and I lost the weight. I started being paying attention to nutrition and avoiding empty calories. I still can't believe how fatty some seemingly innocuous food can be here:

    I sound I like a guru but if you want to talk about weight matters, email me. I'll share more personal details by emails ;-)

    1. Yes, I have read that post a few times now as I could really relate to it. I had no idea that you gained and lost that much weight.

      Have you done a post on "so-called" healthy food in Canada? You touched on it a bit in your post with the muffins, but do you have anything else to add?

      Thanks for the offer to chat via email. I think I just might take you up on that offer!

    2. I don't think I did a follow-up because I wrote this article after losing the weight... plus I hate to sound like I'm encouraging people to lose weight, I do believe we come in all shapes and it's just fine.

      For me, realizing the calories content of some easily avoidable foods and daily exercise (yoga before Mark, lots of walking now) did the trick.

      I still eat chocolate every day, cookies, cake once in a while and all. But I do check labels now and will pick the 100 calories cookie over the 200 calories one--well, as long as I like the one with less calories but I often do! Some food are super fatty. I mean, I get no pleasure from eating a 300 calories 2 inches square piece of Oreo brownie. But I do enjoy a coffee cake at my local bakery once in a while.

      Please do email me! Oh, and yes, you can ignore BMI or your actual weight, it doesn't exactly paint an accurate picture of your health (or beauty, for that matters). Whatever weight you feel comfortable at will be your ideal weight. I certainly don't preach for the size 00 group.

      I also love eating and I like big plates of food. I'm not exactly a "three nuts and half a cup of yogourt" kind of person :-D But I make sure I mostly eat vegetables (you can have lots of them without feeling bad!), a bit less carbs, flavourful sauces that are pretty "light", etc.

  3. I will start off with the idea that you should ignore BMI. It is a bad reference for body weight. It doesn't take into account differnt body styles. We all joke about big boned but it does matter what body style you are as to whether your weight is healthy. For example I have two women friends who are both 5'1" (150 cm) One is the petitest tiny thing you've ever seen and the other is very muscular. There is over a 30 pound (divide by 2.2 for kg) difference between the two. BMI says the petite one is dangerously skinny and the larger one is obese. They are both athletes and they both eat healthy.

    A better measure is body fat percentage. With that metric both are in the healthy range. As for me at my largest given either BMI or BFP I was borderline obese. Right on the line. And for someone who has been skinny most of his life it was quite a shock. Luckily I've managed to drop 20 lbs (divide by 2.2) I am doing better. I still need to lose another 20 but I think that is in reach.

    Some keys I've found to weight lose. Take it slow. Don't try to lose to much at once. Still enjoy food. Don't make food just utilitarian. Make it a celebration of life. All I've done is cut about 100 calories a day out of my diet. Don't feel guilty. If you enjoy a big meal one day.. Just enjoy it and let it go. I have 1 day a week I don't even count.

    I am rambling now so I will end my comment. Keep us posted and don't get discouraged.

    1. Ce commentaire a été supprimé par l'auteur.

    2. Congratulations on your recent weight-loss Wonky73. I read about your weight-loss on your blog and was impressed with the before/after pictures. Good job!

      I knew that it was only a matter of time before somebody used the muscle weighs more than fat argument. While this is certainly true, unfortunately this is not the explanation as to why I weigh too much. There is nothing particularly muscular about me. I don't do any exercise apart from walking and cycling. I just eat too much and my meals in France were too rich. I can't make excuses for my excess weight anymore.

  4. I agree with Wonky. The BMI thing isn't the best indicator at healthy weight. Mine puts me at 15.2 which apparently is severly underweight, but you know what? I feel fine -- I have normal blood pressure, lots of energy, my periods are regular (TMI perhaps, but to show you that my body is working normally), and I eat like a normal person!

    I know a lot of expats who have gained weight by living in France. The culture is all about food, so don't feel bad! Enjoy your life rather than obsessing about calorie intake etc. If you'd like to drop a couple kilos for health sake, go about slowly and practically. And you don't have to be accountable to us or anyone else. Your body, your business!

    And I've seen photos of you and I must say you are a very pretty girl with nothing to worry about :)

    1. I'm glad that you have a healthy body image. I am working on it, one day at a time.

      I used to think that people lost weight in France because the food was of better quality. Now I know better.

      You're right, I have to take this slowly. And I have to have a plan for when I get back to France or else the pounds will pile right back on again. I am very nervous to go back for this reason.

      Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate it. I admit that I do look good in most of my pictures, but I have to be honest and accept that I look heavier than usual in the Brazil pictures taken on my 30th birthday. The goal is to get back to what I was in the other pictures. I'm almost there now, so I'm not sweating it so much. Thanks again!

  5. I have been trying so hard to exercise too, but I just can't be bothered! The weather doesn't help at all though...getting on your bike in the rain sounds like you have more will power than me! I have just succumbed to it now! I have no idea what I weigh now! Good luck for Monday :)

    1. Don't worry, I never ended up going! It started to rain really badly after I wrote this post and I couldn't find the courage to go outside. So I don't have much willpower actually.

      I know, Canadian winters are so cold that you don't want to go outside. It is dangerous, if not impossible, to ride your bike outside when the roads are so slippery and full of snow.

      Sometimes it's better to not know what you way. As long as your clothes fit like they normally do, then you are alright.


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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Busy hands and a Family Affair.

  The beginnings (in part) of my collaboration with Brock Street.

 Made for my dear sweet brother, Levi, as a special request.

More of the stones that are now en route to Levi.

I've been very busy lately (and so have my little hands). My incredibly talented brother, Levi, over at Brock Street SF suggested a collaboration between the two of us. Of course, I was thrilled and jumped at the opportunity! I put together quite a bundle of handmade pieces and shipped them to him on Tuesday. He should receive them today. So excited!

I will share more with you as soon as I'm allowed to...*wink*

Thank you for being you.
Much love...xo

Friday, January 24, 2014

Fringe Friday

Four new pieces in the shop this week. I really do love every one of them. I can't help it. I do admit that I've had sweethearts and valentines and love on my mind. These thoughts are definitely influencing my creativity...Love is in the air!

And Phew! What a week. So so busy. I'm plum tuckered out.

I will write more soon. As soon as I get a spare moment. It seems that every minute of this weekend is filled with commitments. I prefer slower moving weekends, and this weekend will be anything but slow moving. Wish me luck, dear hearts. I have a feeling I'll blink my eyes, and it will be Monday.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend. A weekend that is filled with just what you want it to be.

Thank you for stopping by.
Thank you for being you.
Much love...xoxo

Friday, January 17, 2014

Fringe Friday

This week's Fringe shop update is live, dear hearts.
There are 8 new items.
You can check them out here.

The following pieces are among the new.

cherry red
black velvet lacing
 like a warm hug
bringing sexy back

dark chocolate brown
dove grey knit bow
one of a kind
roaring 20s

black ink
velvety soft
sexy snugglebunny
faux fur

shades of brown
goldenrod as romance
crocheted lace trim
rustic chic

I hope your week was filled with small (or big!) triumphs.
My wish for you this weekend...
good food
wonderful reading
time outdoors
meaningful words
happy moments
lively conversation
rousing music

Thank you for stopping by!
Thank you for being you.
Much love...xo

Monday, January 13, 2014

Did your day tell its secret?

dark chocolate brown

smoky grey

winter white

succulent green

Hello, dear hearts. I hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

I'll start off with the latest Fringe shop news...I meant to post a Fringe Friday shop update, but three of the four new items I listed sold quite quickly. Thank you to the three lovely ladies who purchased the new Snow Bunny Loop Scarves! It means so very much to me knowing my work is appreciated. What a super fantastic way to get back in the swing of things!

The Sidecar Collar is still available. It’s a one of kind piece. I adore it. The color is divine. My inspiration for this piece came by way of the Roaring 20s. The yarn is gorgeous and fun, luxury yarn from England.

I will restock the Snow Bunny Scarf in winter white, smoky grey and dark chocolate in my shop this week, in case you are interested in them. I’m so happy they are getting such an enthusiastic response!

I plan to have another shop update this Friday. I will post the new items here on Friday in case you wish to see what’s new. As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m a bit out of practice with my shop. My hope is to make Fringe Friday a regular routine for posting new items. There are so many new designs waiting to be photographed. They may need a little bit of attention with detailed finishing first, and I refuse to rush on that. I take pride in my work and will make certain to get each piece finished to the degree of quality that I feel is as close to perfect as I can make it. So I’ll do my best to bring them to you as soon as I can.

I do believe that is all for my Fringe news…

We had a lovely weekend here. I hope you did too. I managed to get a lot done without feeling like it was hectic. Took a walk under blue skies every day. We went out to eat at one of our favorite little family-run restaurants on Friday night. I ordered the same thing I always order there: chicken curry udon soup. It’s positively scrumptious! Especially on a nippy night like we had on Friday.

We took a walk under blue skies every day.

Ron worked on his latest woodworking project – a dining room table. It’s going to be so beautiful! I will definitely share photos with you here when it’s complete.

I made granola as I do most weekends these days. We’re a little pack of granola wolves lately. I have a delicious recipe that I would love to share with you, if you wish.

I had a nice long conversation with my beloved brother on Saturday. Talking to him is always good  for my soul. We laughed a lot. He’s a very creative and talented man. Very very! So he told me some of the projects he’s been working on at his cabin. Also, we are planning/working on an exciting collaboration. It’s double secret at the moment, but I will tell you more about it soon. I promise!

Before I sign off, I want to share a bit of beautifully written prose:

“Will the day tell its secret ... Before it disappears, ... Becomes timeless night.”
~ Dejan Stojanovic

Until next time, dear ones.
Thank you for stopping by and...
Thank you for being you.

Much love...xo

Friday, January 3, 2014

Happy New Year of the Horse!

Happy New Year, dear hearts!
And Happy Year of the Horse!

May your year be filled with laughter, love, good health, and prosperity. I have so many thoughts and ideas and hopes and dreams for the coming year. I am a true believer in looking forward. However, before looking forward, I want to share a little about the last year.

2013 hit my little family like a bullet in the back. It knocked us flat in May, but not permanently. We made it through, but not unscathed. When your life gets turned upside down, you find out what’s really important. I know I’ve discussed what I feel is most important before on this blog, see this post. Also, this post.

The thing is, I only recently reclaimed my desire to create. It was as if that part of me shut down. I went into survival mode, focusing solely on taking care of my family. I’ve felt like only half of myself all these months, but it’s all slowly coming back now. And it feels so wonderful, so sweet and strangely, it feels a little scary. I know time will take care of the scary part. It’s a matter of fully getting back into my creative self. Each new piece I make now feels like a gift I’m giving myself.

 Neil Gaiman wrote a lovely blog post this week that hit home with me in many basic ways. Here's an excerpt that goes a long way for me:

"And then it seemed so many things happened, and I had not written about any of them, and catching up seemed less and less possible."

That. That is what happened to me this year. It's why my blog has had crickets chirping for months. Actually, I hope you will read the rest of Neil Gaiman's post here. Truly, just start reading his blog. You'll be so glad you did.

You may have noticed my shop, Fringe, was closed for some time last year. More than six months. We were busy dodging that aforementioned bullet in the back. I'm so happy that Fringe is now reopened. New things coming up next week, beginning with this little velvety soft number.

The Snow Bunny Loop Scarf
velvety soft
snow white
coming to Fringe next week

Also, darling dears, there is a special One of a Kind Sale going on in my shop. For a select few of my one of a kind designs, 20% off. When they're gone, they're gone forever.

The final bit of Fringe news is a special coupon code just for my dear heart blog readers. Enter the code BLOGLOVE at checkout and receive free domestic priority mail shipping.

If you are an international customer, I will give you a discount on your shipping after your purchase or contact me before your make your purchase and I will adjust the listing for you.

Thoughts for the new year. Personally, I don't make resolutions. However, I do like to try and make improvements where they are needed. Things that will improve our quality of life. I found a beautiful post this week about just that.

Also, this lovely little list for:

Be Inspired.
Be Original.
Work Hard.

 Okay, darling dears, I think I'll sign off. I went from a deserted blog to a very long post. I hope you aren't shell-shocked. *wink*

I'll leave you with this, just for the fun of it. Because I do love films. Especially the classics, as you well know...I hope you are able to curl up on a cozy couch or chair with proper snacks and catch one or more of these truly special films.

Weekend Stay-at-Home Movie Night recommendations:

On TCM (Turner Class Movies)

For Saturday: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952) at 5PM PST. Dick Powell and Gloria Grahame make this a must-see, in my opinion. Of course, Lana Turner is easy on the eyes. The acting, directing and the screenplay are topnotch.

For Sunday: HOW TO MARRY A MILLIIONAIRE (1953) at 5PM PST. Lauren Becall, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and William Powell too! This is fun film and the fashion is pure joy to behold.

THE APARTMENT (1960). Starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacClaine. Directed by Billy Wilder.

CINEMA PARADISO (1988). This Oscar-winning film is set in Italy. It has, in my opinion, one of the best endings ever filmed.
~ ~ ~

Thank you for stopping by. I'm glad to be back. I'm glad you're here. And...
Thank you for being you.
Much love...xo


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text:
Week one as an intern

I have officially completed my first week as an intern here at Derooted. I have been asked to write a personal blog, which is another first for me on the job. Although I have expanded my Adobe skills considerably in the past week, I thought it would be more fun to blog about the things I’ve learned about Derooted.


text:
Promotion - entgeltliche Einschaltung

Austria: Popular to study, unattractive to stay

6. Februar 2015, 10:49

In Austria studies a considerable amount of young people with international background. Although these people are in love with the land of the Alps, most of them return to their homeland.

Too high obstacles and too much bureaucracy scare people away.

In the winter semester 2013/2014 there were altogether 350.206 students registered for Austrian universities and colleges. About 26 per cent with foreign roots and the tendency is rising. Although people appreciate studying in Austria, about 17 per cent leave again after completing their study. Potential service provider on which Austrian economy is reliant on dwindle away. What are the motives of a foreign student to attend an Austrian university? And why do so many of them leave the republic of the Alps again?

Anna is 22, from Germany and studies psychology. "I’m the typical numerous clausus refugee" she says self-ironic. Due to the fact that her grade point average wasn’t adequate to study psychology in her home country, she decided to come to Austria and start her studies there. "I don’t want to appeal as someone who misuses Austria for studying. At last Vienna is a breath-taking city." Whether she wants to stay in Austria after completing her studies is doubtful. She could imagine staying in Austria, but sometimes she suffers from homesickness and she would prefer living near to her family.

Similar argues Kerem. For him it is sure that he will go back to his family. The twenty-five-year-old Turk came to study Business Informatics in Vienna under an Erasmus programme. Immediately he succeeded at making friends what makes his study enjoyable. The reason for choosing Vienna?

Read more…

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    foto: networking youth career
    Share if you care.


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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A Happy Birthday to me!

On Saturday, it was my 24 birthday. That's not the remarkable part, its that I really enjoyed it!

Birthdays are just kind of days to me even though I appreciate it when others try to make it special. This year everyone succeeded very well. I think it was helped by being on a Saturday. Everyone's birthday should be on a Saturday.

I was expecially happy to receive the gifts I received. A number of them were books, you know the kind that can be read for enjoyment. Being pretty much finished with my degree program makes me very happy to see a stack of unread books to read.

The books on that list (no birth books, but that may be what I get with the money I was given):
Irish Crystal by Andrew Greeley (in the Nuala Anne McGrail series)
Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods by Cynthia Lair
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (book three in the Eragon triology)
Wise Woman's Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susan Weed
World Without end by Ken Follet (the sequal to my favorite historical novel: Pillars of the Earth)

I was also given a super soft robe and blanket set that has replaced my favorite purple robe. I know I'll be enjoying the comfort of that set for the next few months. I also was given a hand carved nativity set from the Philipenes and a lovely ivory pendant from Alaska. The pendant reminds me of the full beauty of a pregnant belly complete with eternity knot at the top. I will treasure that during my pregnancy.

Peter also was very good to me that day. He made me breakfast. It would have been in bed but I got up before he finishied making it. Then we took a walk as a family to the park and then napped when we got home. I really enjoyed cuddling with Willem and getting a birthday nap. I highly recommend it! After we woke up, we were greeted with dinner (coconut curry chicken) and a fresh baked cheesecake. Many thanks to Peter for making my birthday special and to the family members who sent thoughtful gifts that I enjoy.

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Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Tom Glide

I am delighted to welcome the multi-talented Tom Glide as my latest guest castaway to be washed ashore on a lonely island in the sea.

As well as being a successful record label owner, Tom is an accomplished songwriter, a composer, a remixer, a music producer, a musician and a singer in his own right... he’d taught himself to play guitar, drums, bass and keyboards by the age of 10.

Born and raised in a working class area in Southern Paris, near Montparnasse, Tom's earliest musical influences were shaped by listening to records that were brought from the US in the 50's by his father when he was serving as a French Marine. Mainly jazz, latin, be-bop, calypso, early r’n’b... even Elvis Presley !  Other influences from that time were Sydney Bechet, Harry Belafonte, Charlie Parker with strings, Django Reinhart, Toots Tillemans, and Duke Ellington.

Early credits as a producer, composer, arranger and singer include the 2002 Beatcrusher track 'What Da F***',  Ilona Mitrecey’s 2005 gold and platinum album 'Un Monde Parfait', and the first release on his own Glide Recordings label in 2008 : 'Yoga on the Dancefloor' by Ekayani and the Tom Glide Space.

2010 saw the release of the highly acclaimed album 'In The Name of Luv' by Tom Glide & The Luv All Stars, a collaboration with luminaries including keyboardist Larry Dunn, bassist Alex Al, drummer James Gadson and the acclaimed trumpeter Rahmlee Michael Davis (Jackie Wilson, Michael Jackson, B.B. King, Donny Hathaway, Minnie Riperton).

Launched in Glide’s home studio during summer 2009, he then relocated to Los Angeles to enlist more key players for additional sessions and collaborated with songwriter/musicians Dan Florean and Terry Tam, strings arranger Maurice Herd and lyricists Sonya Muhammad and Alaena Adams.

2012 saw Tom hitting the road in the UK with the ‘Soul On The Road’ tour featuring Cool Million, Gary Poole, The Westcoast Soulstars along with vocalists Laura Jackson and Tim Owens.

Since then, Tom has been busy producing a string of releases on his TGEE record label, including 'Sweet Heaven' featuring legendary soulman Timmy 'Why Can't We Live Together' Thomas, 'Party People' featuring Joe Leavy and 'Soul Life' featuring Shylah Vaughn.  Tom's Remix of 'Free' by Candace Woodson has just been released and he is now working on a project with soul singer Kenya.

For his exile on Deserted Island Discs, Tom has chosen five classic albums :

"Five is a very hard choice and my stay on this island will be short too ! I haven't even managed to fit in George Duke, Pleasure, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, Louis Johnson, Horace Silver and tons of other music . Everyday of my life. Happy to have been chosen to tell you some memories. Thanks Bill Fordham for the opportunity."

Jimi Hendrix - Rainbow Bridge

"1972 and my first electric shock discovering Jimi Hendrix live at Woodstock playing 'Star Spangled Banner', but this one is my favourite album by him : 'Dolly Dagger', 'Pali Gap', 'Room Full of Mirrors' and 'Hey Baby'... the track I first learnt to play in full on my Uncle's jazz guitar. His version of 'Star Spangled Banner' is totally amazing. A visionary genius of music and a unique guitar player.  The best ever."

Earth, Wind and Fire - Gratitude

"1978 and my first big live shock. The best ever... pure Houdini-esque magical attitude with the groove, the music, Philip Bailey, Verdine and Maurice, The Phenix Horns, Larry Dunn.

They were opening for Carlos Santana. When he arrived on stage and after three biz people bowed so much. Poor Carlos !!

If you told me 30 years later that I would had the chance to play music with those giants, I would have laughed at you, but the big miracle happened with the Luv All Stars project in LA... incredible !!! "

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

"I discovered Marvin Gaye on a late live Saturday night show on French TV playing this album and bought this vinyl on the Sunday afternoon in a St.Michel shop.

My soul revelation : The voice, the music, the career, the destiny... the kinda' music you can listen everyday of your life.

Years later I will meet and play with James Gadson (his drummer for a couple of decades} there in Inglewood LA, in his garage recording drumparts on his original 1964 Tamla Motown console."

Stevie Wonder - All I Do

"Probably one of my favourite Stevie Wonder collection of anthems album which relates to a very funny story which happened when he was touring the world with this album in 1981.

He played at the Palais des Sports in Paris and my friend Didier and I had no dimes to go in. We entered through a back door and found ourselves amongst cages of Lions, Giraffes, Kangaroos, Monkeys and Chimps from the Moscow State Circus who were alternating in the same venue.

After 5 minutes walking in the jungle, I don't know how, we entered the proper venue with a sound check about to start. Stevie played, talked, laughed and rehearsed for 45 minutes with the band and I think this is one of the most deep memories about music... heaven from a genius of music right in front of you.  None of security people came to us and we stayed for another two and a half hours of magical music... and THAT voice guys !  THAT voice !!

Rated in my top five greatest artists ever."

Prince - Sign o' The Times

"Prince, the Kid from Minneapolis. I chose this album because it reminds me of the Sign O' The Times tour, front stage, 5th row.

The musician and singer, the amazing band around him, the mechanics and perfection of the show. A genius of entertainment and a genius of music.

I love his all discography post this album. From 'Controversy', '1999' through to 'Purple Rain', 'Around the World in a Day' and 'Parade' with Clare Fisher's strings... this is where my Prince is."

You can keep on track of all the latest developments from Tom Glide through his facebook page :
click on the link below

... and don't forget to visit the TGEE Records site:

click on the link below


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Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Object Strikes Back: An interview with Graham Harman

A few months ago I did an interview with philosopher Graham Harman who is Associate Provost for Research Administration and Professor of Philosophy at the American University in Cairo.The author of books with titles such as Guerrilla Metaphysics: Phenomenology and the Carpentry of Things, Harman is a very accessible writer. His business is philosophy (which few people make accessible) but he has lots to offer those of us working in design fields, whether practitioners or researchers.

Influenced by Heidegger and by Latour, Harman’s philosophy treats objects as real but with hidden depths. His work explores how objects have been thought about in philosophy and proposes an object-oriented ontology that offers a new way of thinking about objects. This is timely for design, given the requirement to conceptualise what it is that we are working on and within as we design things we call 'experiences', 'services' or 'interactions'.

The interview is not published until 2013 and then only in a peer-reviewed, subscription-only, academic journal (the excellent Design and Culture) which will reduce access to non-academic readers. Since I'm legally unable to put a transcript online, I though I'd offer a sort of trailer in the hope that interested parties might get in touch with me directly.

Here are a couple of quotes taken from the interview - all Harman's words.

'Objects are the anti-reductive principle par excellence. They exist midway between their tiny components and their palpable external effects. In this way they resist reduction both downwards and upwards– neither undermined nor overmined, neither undercut nor “overcut,” to coin another new term. Objects occupy the middle range in any situation, lurking beneath their outward effects, but they are also something real that cannot be decomposed into tinier elements. This is important because so much of recent human intellectual life is trapped in a permanent trench war between the tiniest (as championed by science) and the largest (a human-centered perspective championed, of course, by the humanities). The avoidance of these trench wars by way of objects is a method –and “middle way” is what “method” means in Greek– that can be used in pretty much any field...

I think one of the weaknesses of the heavily relational approach of ANT (Actor Network Theory) is that it cannot adequately deal with the parts of the object that exceed its current relations. Latour’s best case studies (Pasteur, for example) are about things that have already happened. All the relations and translations have finally done their work, and we can use Latourian tools to explain how it occurred. ...

Yet I’m not sure that ANT is quite as useful at counterfactual cases. What counterfactual cases do is allow us to look at the innate powers of a thing that might not have been expressible in their actual environment, and ask how things might have played out differently. ...

The danger of relationist thinking is that it focuses too much upon reciprocal interactions in the “now” and too little on what things should be doing that they are prevented from doing by the accidental set of physical and social relations in which they are now entangled. The term “essence” gets a bad press these days, because it has come to be associated with all kinds of oppressive and reactionary dogmas, but if we take “essence” in a more minimalistic sense to mean “what a thing is quite apart from its current accidental situation,” then a certain essentialism is unavoidable.'

See also

Harman's recent books published by Zero Books
Discussion of Harman's and Latour's work on the ANTHEM (Actor Network Theory Heidegger Meeting), instigators of the 2008 debate at LSE involving Harman and Latour, now transcribed into a book The Prince and the Wolf (2011)
A downloadable PDF version of Harman's The Prince of Networks: Bruno Latour and Metaphysics (2009) published under open access by Re-Press


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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Self Promotion

The Wichita had an interesting article this morning, about branding yourself in order to help you land that desired job.

Brands are not just for products and companies any more. They are about making the employers feel a certain way about you. You cannot make up a person’s mind for him or her, but you can help guide their attention in the right direction. This article can help you initiate a plan for your brand and some online marketing tips for yourself. With 8-10% of the public without a job, branding could be crucial get the leg-up and land that job. You can do most of what is necessary for free, which is great if you have been out of a job for awhile. Utilizing tools that you probably already use: facebook, blogs, twitter, linkedIn (similar to facebook but more professional).

If you are going to start using social media to market yourself, make sure you clean up your act. Get rid of questionable photos or posts that might make you unpalatable to a new employer. You should do that anyway, because whether or not you are prepared for it future employers are looking at social media to find out more about you.

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