yes, they begin out in a willow, I think
the starch mountains begin out in the willow
and keep right on going without regard for
pumas and nectarines
somehow these mountains are like
an old woman with a bad memory and
a shopping basket.
we are in the basin. that is the
idea. down in the sand and the alleys,
this land punched-in, cuffed-out, divided
held like a crucifix in a deathhand,
this land bought, resold, bought again and
sold again, the wars long over,
the Spaniards all the way back in Spain
down in the thimble again, and now
real estaters, subdividers, landlords, freeway
engineers are arguing. this is their land and
I walk on it, live on it a little while
near Hollywood here I see young men in rooms
listening to glazed recordings
and I think too of old men sick of music
sick of everything, and death like suicide
I think is sometimes voluntary...

I never read the newspaper, I haven't in at least a few years. Maybe an article here or there. But I just read through a few articles in the NY Daily News. I never realized how awful the journalism has become in these media outlets. Absolute sensationalism, bare minimum propaganda that does not analyze or even examine the problem at hand. In a society which has foundational problems with individualism and not being independent thinkers and not even thinking critically at all - if a majority of Americans read the newspaper every single morning and buy into it line, hook, and sinker - how is there even going to be an intelligent revolution?

Self-proclaimed anarchists that don't read, aren't interested in education, or don't think on their own are doing an extreme disservice to themselves. Ask yourself 'why?' constantly and always question your own beliefs.

The tides are changing...

Tuesday May 20th 2008.
10:30am - 11:30am. Manchester Community College.
LRC, Fireside Commons.

Title: Are Students Getting it?

Facilitated by:
Chris Clark, Ashley Odell, Kerri Stephenson, and Ken Klucznik.

Are students preparing their assignments for class? What are teacher expectations for student preparedness for class meetings? The panel will facilitate an open and interactive conversation of student engagement, and faculty expectations, of classroom assignments and activities. The discussion is meant to open the question and generate information and ideas.

"This is killing me," he said to his mother.
"Is this the true face of humanity?," he said to his father.
"The weight of this has got me on my knees..," he said with no response from his mother.
'This is killing me," he said to his father.

I'm scared of losing the network I built here this past year. I feel safe and comfortable around the people that I have surrounded myself with academically, finally, for the first time in my life. None of them are of my own age sans one or two - which I don't know if this is a glaring problem that I am merely just choosing to look over or not - and the rest are faculty members or professors. But I have amassed myself a network of caring, compassionate, highly intelligent, willing, critical thinkers and I'm just hoping that this will carry on in all of my relationships in California.

I care deeply about the people I've gotten close to this semester, and will regretfully not have the ability to see them every day as I can now. Not having the option of emailing my professors to meet up in their office or on small campus is going to be a big change. Being the big fish in a small pond, too, will certainly change.