♦ It is only the middle of September but the heat broke with Tropical Storm Lee and never fully returned. I am giving two midterms tomorrow. LSU was leading Mississippi State 6-3 at halftime, and it must be fall. ♦ Here is a good and interesting course on film, or history through film, given at … More Fall
As the assiduous reader knows, a central subtext of this weblog is Augusto César Sandino‘s “No me rendiré y aquí los espero,” from his response to USMC Captain Gilbert Hatfield’s request for a surrender. “I will not surrender and I await you here.” And the lines of my liberation front shall not be moved. My … More Patria libre o morir
All my Portuguese students this semester are women. I threw the men out in the spring by giving them Bs. They were good but not serious. I am dealing with two Golden Boys right now — you know the type, they were designated Golden Boys at birth. They have had advantages and that is why … More On Golden Boys
The aria sinking, All else continuing, the stars shining, The winds blowing, the notes of the bird continuous echoing, With angry moans the fierce old mother incessantly moaning, On the sands of Paumanok’s shore gray and rustling, The yellow half-moon enlarged, sagging down, drooping, the face of the sea almost touching, The boy ecstatic, with … More Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking XII
I really, really understand that academic work is work. I have never doubted it and never not said it. I have been defending my broader field as work since freshman year, and my narrower field as work since graduate school. I have had to prove that what I do is work in more ways than … More Manifesto, Again
So I have only written thirty words today and I am knocking off to prepare my seminar for Tuesday. But I realized that in all this discussion of work I had not considered what anniversaries other than the obvious we might be commemorating this fall. My life has been more interesting and more pleasant than many … More 30
What did you teach today? This semester I am teaching: Spanish 2 (30 students) Spanish 3 (50 students) Portuguese Reading and Composition: for seniors in Linguistics, and graduate students preparing for the reading examination (5 students) Latin American Film: one of those hybrid senior/graduate courses, a highly diverse group (15 students). I am also Secretary … More My Grading Innovation
It is hardly that I do not agree that academic work is work. I have been quoted as saying so on the front page of the Los Angeles Times and that was because of handing out union cards. It was decades ago, and you can tell that to have been allowed to say it on … More Still Mo’ Woikin’
There was the Chilean coup in 1973, and there are these important anniversaries as well. Axé.
Let’s call what we do WORK, and let’s stop wearing white monogrammed dinner jackets when we do it. Once again: the problem I have with that sentence is that I never didn’t call it work or wear a white monogrammed dinner jacket to do “it.” Writing is fun, publishing is easy, teaching is a pleasant … More More on the Question of Work
coldhearted scientist وداد 