two quick links

Congressional democrats are trying to legislatively overturn the Kentucky River decision...

and

Students at the U of Minnesota have begun a hunger strike to support striking campus workers.

At the close of Guns 'N' Roses' "epic" nine minute, forty second long video for "Estranged," after Axl's suicide attempt has been foiled by samaritan cetaceans and slash has popped out of the turgid waved for one final solo, we cut from Axl's sneaker sinking into the dpeths as Izzy Stradlin pulls him to safety via rope ladder extended from helicopter to Axl chilling with one of his savior dolphins. The dolphin makes clicking noises, as is his wont, and the phrase "Lose Your Illusion" is scribbled across the screen in Axl's handwriting.

What I wonder now, having watched the video for the first time in a long many years is, is this supposed to be a translation from the dolphin?

What might the implications of this be? Does this fundamentally reshape how we understand Use Your Illusion? Or at least Use Your Illusion II? Does the dolphin signify something other than the problematically gendered redemptive nature, the maternal ocean? Is this a self conscious critique of GNR as a cultural form and as a political project? Or is the dolphin just telling Axl Rose to lose the stupid Charles Manson T-shirt?

Ah, cutting, incisive, student journalism. How could the university function without thee?

If the delicious fare synonymous with NYU's events wasn't enough, students and community had plenty of food for thought at the "NYU Plans 2031" open house last night.

Tonight's karaoke setlist.

I started out with a rendition of Holy Diver. The crowd enjoyed it. i think.

My next song was a duet of Liz Phair's "Fuck and Run" with Stefanie's friend Isabel.

Then Stefanie and I did a ridiculously awesome version of "You Could Be Mine." Ostensibly as an ironic comment on the song's profound sexism. We were awesome, but i wish they had "Estranged."

My last song was a duet with Rana on the Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty song "Stop Dragging My Heart Around."

omg.

Proud of his Jewish heritage, Green delivered the decisive blow on the first night of Rosh Hashana, the high holiday that marks the Jewish New Year.

"It's really nice to contribute any game, but I guess if you put it in that perspective it adds a little bit to it," said Green, undecided about whether he'll sit out next weekend on Yom Kippur, which he's done twice before.

I taught my first two sections yesterday, (World Cultures: Contemporary Latino Cultures) at 8:00 and 9:30 in the morning on opposite sides of campus (houston and mercer and then 11th and university.) The first one went well. I was completely exhausted and barely coherent by the end of the second section. It was exciting nonetheless. And a little surreal. And sort of fun.

I then went home to get out of the rain, started grading (which is a pretty horrible, harrowing, and nerve-wracking exercise if you've never done it,) and promptly fell asleep around 2 PM. I woke up and the clock said 5:30 and i thought it was five thirty in the morning and i freaked out and then i realized it might be afternoon, but i was sure i'd slept twenty-seven hours instead of three and a half. It was pretty disorienting

The class is going well. The professor i teach for has been pretty good about critiquing the marginalized position the World Cultures curriculum occupies in relation the "Conversations of The West," as well as the problems in excluding latino cultures from the west, the problems that come with failing to understand colonialism and conquest as fundamental to the formaion and articulation of western modernity as performed by our more 'universal' counterparts in the MAP.

But i am boring myself, and I am way too overburdened between teaching, coursework, and my looming first exam to be blogging.

The New York City Taxi Workers Alliance is on strike for the first time since the Giuliani administration. The issue is the installation of GPS monitoring devices into the cabs, which drivers rightly see as taylorism on steroids. This "e-leaflet" is making the rounds on the internet:

STOP GPS SPYWARE IN TAXIS!
SUPPORT DRIVERS' AND PASSENGERS RIGHTS!
The Taxi & Limousine Commission wants to force cab drivers to install
GPS technology in all taxis. GPS is a bad deal for riders and for drivers:

~ GPS WILL NOT give drivers navigation software or online maps
~ GPS lets private companies track drivers' AND passengers' every move
~ GPS violates all our civil liberties and right to privacy
~ GPS will subject you to annoying broadcast ads during your ride
~ GPS will cause the meter to shut down if the technology fails
~ GPS failure will force you to interrupt your ride and hail another cab
~ Drivers will lose days of income while waiting for GPS repairs
~ Drivers' income will be hurt by higher lease rates because of GPS

JOIN DRIVERS AND PASSENGER FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS!
PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY & DRIVERS'

You can help by:
Calling the Taxi Workers Alliance - 212-627-5248 and volunteering to help!