Can anyone explain to me the Bahian elites’ fascination with broken appliances? Another friend has noticed the same thing. Right now I have a broken refrigerator, a broken toilet, a broken television, broken VCR and DVD players, a broken lamp, and broken lighting in three rooms. All of this is considered normal. These items might … More Calling All Brazilianists, and Anthropologists
1. Never travel without a flashlight. These are good for walking at night and opening exterior doors on uneven, unlit streets; in blackouts; and importantly, when the electrical wiring fails on your house. 2. I did not cook lunch, I bought it. I was rice, beans, manioc flour, fish stew with palm oil and hot … More Flashlight
People say professors lecture from ancient, yellowing notes, but mine lectured from drafts of their newest book manuscripts and invited their famous friends from other institutions to do the same. This is why, when I became a professor, the institutions I worked for seemed to me to be behind the times in terms of research … More On College Teaching, and on Paulo Freire
The advice to “just write, keep on writing,” does apply sometimes. But I think we, who have experience in such matters, know those times when we see them. We also need a place to write — the proverbial money and a room of one’s own. I might own this Brazilian house, for now, in a … More Peep!
Dr. Crazy has made an excellent argument for tenure based upon its benefit to institutions and to students. Meanwhile, the AAUP is calling for the conversion of non tenure lines to tenure lines, and I agree. They say in part: By far the best stabilization practices are those that include the rigorous professional peer scrutiny … More Academic Mondays: Conversion to Tenure
Our comrade Slavoj, courtesy of Jennifer. I am in Brazil, where the wavelets lap. It is another planet and very relaxing in its third world, ascetic way. I think I fit in in South America a lot better than I do in the U.S. I should possibly move. Axé.
I am behind, but I am making progress on my book. I think what Reeducation wanted was fretting. It said it wanted introspection, but it wanted fretting. Its ideas in fact caused me to fret, but fretting is not useful. I think I should have started on this book long ago. The reason it is … More I, Professor Zero
It is not yet the weekend. We are not singing, or even writing real posts; we are only peeping. Peep! Pe-ep! I am behind on a deadline and it is not because I am a Procrastinator with Poor Time Management, it is because I am so deeply trained to put my own priorities below those … More Peeping Toward Bethlehem
I liked this novel; I found it well done and well written. The characters have real mettle and depth and are serious, so I like them; I must be a serious or earnest person. Axé.
Teaching these required freshmen courses is really depressing because people have such a punkish attitude and have clearly had such bad situations all their lives. At this university I was raised to feel sorry for these students, but I am no longer able to do so. I think the only answer is to make these … More On Finals
coldhearted scientist وداد 