WTF!!!

So I was talking to my World Cultures 2 class about the interwar period. I was going to show them some surrealist art and talk some about existentialist philosophy, jazz, and that kine shit. My anticipatory set was to talk about the disillusionment that people felt having to dealing with all that violence, then using that as the segue to the artistic and philosophical responses that it generated. Knowing the violence that many of my students are confronted with in the "outside" world, I asked them to raise their hand if they had lost someone as a result of violence. MOTHERFUCKING more than half the class raised their hands. I was fucking blown away. The reality of it didn't even really sink in until this weekend. The shit is just straight wrong. I walked by the TV at the gym and there was another deadly shooting in the gym this weekend. My friend informs me that this summer is expected to be particularly bloody as many gang members get released from jail for the sweeps that were done last year. It's low intensity warfare going on in the inner city streets and it's fucking up the kids that grow up in it. You know it's bad when kids just think that that is the way it is.

Bay to Breakers

The annual Bay Area run, drink, and dress up fest. My only gripe... too many naked men not enough naked women. The fascists tried to stop alcohol and nudity, but you can't break a tradition now. Ultimately, they just let it go as well they should. No one hurting anyone and no one getting hurt. I haven't drank alcohol that early in a long time.

Signing statements

This shit just came to my attention maybe about a month ago. I was watching Amy Goodman and she brought it up. Signing statements. Motherfucking signing statements. Little disclaimers on the bills that Bush signs. Little fingers crossed. I'll do the photo op but reject the bill. Brilliant. It's so fucking shady as hell, but it's brilliant. What is the Republican Congress going to do to Bush? Nothing. There isn't a chance in hell the Republicans will ever impeach Bush for Iraq or anything else and anyone with half a brain knows it. Party unity and allegiance is triumphing over separation of powers. Bush is using the Constitution as toilet paper. I watched Schoolhouse Rock. The talking bill never said anything about signing statements. Democrats don't even have enough stones to censure the president. The control of Parliament by the Conservative and Labor Party excludes other voices and aggrandizes the King.

Testing and shit

Testing has been throwing everything off. The bell schedule is completely different. I get there early to prepare bagel and cream cheese donations to the students. A lot of them don't get to eat breakfast so it gets hard to concentrate during the day. The food will pick them up. They need to do well on these high stakes tests so that the school and district will get more money. More than half of my students get free or reduced lunches. I'm working with this cool chick Nora to try and bring better food to the school. The shit they send now is fucking nasty. I won't touch the shit. I mean it's good that the kids get food at all, but I still wish it was better for them. Ideally I would like vegetarian food, but I'd take any improvement in the overall quality.

I think one of the things that bothers me the most about the US is that we don't take care of kids. It's not right to me that the economic situation of the parents should in any way determine the child's access to good health care. You can't fucking choose your family. It bothers me that so many of my students are completely inured to their violent existence. Kids can't go and have fun at a party without worrying about violence. Columbine shit happening. My school getting robbed and being all run down. Then everyone fucking scratching their heads as to what's going on with the kids. The kids are fine. It's the adults that are letting them down.

Working at my school makes me reflect and compare my own high school experience. I never had to dealt with gang violence. When school was done I got to go to martial arts classes or something. If I was just hanging out with my friends, we'd end up doing something stupid cause it sounded like a good idea. But nothing ever really seriously crazy.

Being around my students has taught me a lot about gangs and the gang mentality. I see the allure of joining gangs. In a dangerous and violent environment, it's importantly to know that there are people that got your back in case shit goes down. I got this one student whose mom arranged for him to get jumped into the gang. Mom is a gang member. Kid didn't know he was getting jumped in and he can't get out. He feels trapped in his life and so he drinks until he blacks out. The part he blacks out on is when he's doing his stupidest shit. He's a great fucking kid. Smart but can't get out of the vida loca.

Shout out to my young right wing conservative

I had the honor of having my blog visited by a young right wing conservative that calls herself conservativekat. She's fourteen years old and quite the writer. Check her out.

My goal... to turn her away from the dark side of the force and to have her embrace the true message of Christ (the left wing ultra liberal one where he takes care of the indigent). I'd like for her to use her powers for good and not for empire. But, I can't hate on her because when I was her age I said all kinds of outrageous stuff. So hopefully she'll grow out of it too.

I'm going to need a catchy name for this operation. You know like the Bush administration had OIL: Operation Iraqi Liberation. I need something catchy just like that. Operation Prodigal Daughter Returns? Operation Conservative Reform? Operation Matrix Deprogramming? I'll come up with something....

Steven Colbert has big brass balls

Steven Colbert has got some major balls. He roasts the president at the White House Correspondents' dinner with Bush a only a few feet away from him. It's fucking brilliant and you have to see it If you haven't seen it... you must!

May 1st

So I walked today in the May 1st protest marches. It was really cool to see everyone out there supporting. I made up a sign that said, "I'M CHINESE, BIG WALLS DON'T WORK!!!" Lots of people liked the sign and took a bunch of pictures of me. Then I got interviewed by David Louie for the local channel 7 news broadcast. It was fucking great! My precious seconds of fame. Then when I was at the gym I saw myself on tv. I must get a video copy of my brief interview and my sign, then I'll post it up...well I found a part of the interview in text, but I can't seem to pull up the video. Damn them!!!