So I had a conversation about SEX — yes, SEX — with an old friend and I do mean from a very long time ago. He is now a major libertine. As I told him once I got a word in edgewise, he was out of line to be pressing this information upon me. Still, … More On Reeducation and Interrogation/Torture
Obama’s restoration of all of the most notorious Bush Era policies and the appointment of Bush’s most brutal commander is based on his total embrace of the ideology of military-driven empire building. Once one believes (as Obama does) that US power and expansion are based on military conquests and counter-insurgency, all other ideological, diplomatic, moral … More At Least Lyndon Johnson Felt Bad About It
First, an epigraph of sorts from Dr. Crazy, who first answered the question ten of us were asked. Her answer is so good, it is hard to top (although it might be complemented, which is my aim here). She introduces her piece thus: Craig Smith from AFT (and the blog FACE Talk) asked me (along … More On “Changing” Higher Education
Read this closely, including the comments. It is important to watch Cheney and then figure out what to do. I am particularly startled by this comment: Cheney, whatever he may say, wants to be president. He figures that no one else will want to run against Obama and that he will have the full support … More Dick Cheney
1. E’s original supposition was that I do not appreciate our great state enough, because I am “a snob from California” [sic] who looks down on Louisiana because it is not moneyed enough for me. I pointed out that I am a state worker, not a tourist, that I have been a state worker here … More Response to E: On Having Three or Four Degrees From UC-Berkeley
That, I do believe, is the title of a Cajun waltz. I, too, departed for Texas and spent three days in an area of which I had until recently had no awareness. There I witnessed and participated in more wonders than I can recount. In one mode I was Professor Zero, Girl Detective, walking into … More Je Suis Partie au Texas
[She asks:] Did you know that the LSU administration has listed LSU Press as a unit targeted for deep budget cuts or perhaps even closure? Here is the important paragraph, from p. 12 of the budget draft: Cut general fund support to academic support units This cut will require certain academic support entities to implement … More In Which Mary Ann Sternberg Correctly Exhorts Us To Help Save LSU Press
The cardinal rules of Reeducation, as we know, were that one could not trust one’s sense of the reality of any situation — or the motivations of any people, or one’s own. It was shocking because I would have made the opposite recommendation: face the reality of whatever situation you have and then work with … More On Brazil and Why I Ultimately Liked It
Oppression, according to Augusto Boal, [takes place] when one person is dominated by the monologue of another and has no chance to reply…. Augusto Boal died May 2 and for thematic purposes in this blog, as well as for my own research and life, I should have paid far more attention to him than I … More Rainbow of Desire
As seen at Clio Bluestocking, The Moscow Rules: 1. Assume nothing 2. Never go against your gut 3. Everyone is potentially under opposition control 4. Don’t look back; you are never completely alone 5. Go with the flow, blend in 6. Vary your pattern and stay within your cover 7. Lull them into a sense … More The Moscow Rules
coldhearted scientist وداد 