GAP and Me : A lesson in argument

So for the past two days the "Genocide Awareness Project" people have been outside in the quad with their giant anti-abortion display.

Today it finally made me snap. Now I am not strictly pro-choice, in fact I lean more toward pro-life, but given our political climate and the way both women and children are treated in society, I currently vote pro-choice... but that's another tale.

My real problem with the GAP is not their politics vis a vis the abortion issue, but rather the way they mix their anti-abortion message with totally unrelated things.

Next to their images of aborted fetuses (which make sense given their argument) they have:

1. Images of the Holocaust
2. Images of African Americans being lynched
3. Images of animal testing
4. The word Genocide

Now, the word Genocide applies correctly to 2 out of the four things portrayed. The Holocaust and the treatment of blacks in the us could aptly be called "Genocide"

Genocide means the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.

I pointed this out to them, but they mostly seemed confused. Furthermore I expressed my concern over the fact that they were conflating issues that have no relationship.

Their response? All these things are bad... lol

Um well, ok yes I see that I suppose, but really does this make for a sound argument?

I further pointed out that as white non-Jews their use of racial/ethnic oppression and genocides as a tool for furthering their cause is offensive to those who are actually concerned with racial equality.

Their response? "A black woman showed us support earlier"

Um ok. But one African American showing support doesn't debunk my claim at all. Furthermore this sort of "Token" woman sounds like the old "I'm not racist I have a black friend" argument.

I then inquired about the animal rights issue.

Are you guys pro-Animal rights? Are you vegetarian? (No) Do you work to avoid buying products tested on animals (No). Well then your use of this image is not only totally unrelated to "Genocide" but is also an obvious emotional ploy. You are -- by using this image with no real opposition to what it portrays-- merely exploiting the pain of these animals for your own ends. Making you just as bad as those who test on animals in my mind.

Similarly you are exploiting the suffering of Jews and Af. Am. people with out any real concern about the conditions --present or historical-- of minority peoples.

I also wanted to ask if they found it problematic that dominant white christian ideologies played a fair role in both the Holocaust and the persecution of African Americans. But I refrained on this point.

Wicks-Giving 2008

This weekend in GP was inspired by the fiasco known to me as Wicks-Giving. This is an assembly of roughly 25 Wicks folk in a feeding frenzy.

I got very little academic work done this weekend, but we're on our way back up to Corvallis soon and school work shall resume then.

After the IL Summit

As the readers likely know, Friday was the Information Literacy Summit. I was rather nervous about presenting there but over all it went well. It was interesting to listen in on the conversations about who is responsible for teaching IL in the classrooms. Many people seem to be fine with the job being seated in composition classrooms while others seem to take it as a slight. I think that overall there is a sense that Information Literacy is everyone's business. There are different levels of specificity in IL just like in everything else and those levels can't all be covered in one or two comp. classes. 

I really enjoyed teaching Information Literacy in a more detailed way. If ever I was given the opportunity to co-teach an info lit class I would jump at the chance. Before going to OSU I had seriously considered an MLIS degree. I loved working in libraries and the idea of being a University Librarian is still very appealing, but I love teaching in the classroom so perhaps the Ph.D. seems the most obvious choice.

Who knows...all I know is that I need to focus on the immediate future and this imminent Cather paper... meh

Summit Dealy-O

Sitting at the IL Summit, feeling much less distressed than I did yesterday.... haven't spoken yet, but still. The PPT is done and that's all I need to prompt myself to speak.

The Road

We drove down to Grants Pass last night after Spanish class. It got dark early, but we got to see a stupendous sunset on the western side of the highway,and some remarkable fog between the mountains on the eastern side. I realized that my limit for living without massive travel has been reached. I've not been on a long distance adventure since March 2007... apparently just shy of two years is my limit. I see a pattern.

I came home from extended roadtripping in late 1999

January 2001 I went to California for a few weeks (via bus)

January 2003 I went to Nebraska (plane)

April 2003 went from NE to IL for a few weeks (train)

May 2003 went from NE to MA for a few weeks (bus)

October 2003 Nebraska to MA (train)

March 2006 (phew it was a long wait) I went to Oregon for a few weeks (via plane)

May 2006 went to Oregon for a month (plane/bus adventure)

August 2006 went to Oregon for a few weeks (bus)

Sept 2006 drove from Oregon to Mass

March 2007 drove from Mass to Oregon.... waiting....waiting...

I need an adventure. Or a life which pays me to have wild adventures....hmmm

In Light of This

Some of my conferences are frankly depressing. I know that I've done my best as far as instructing these students but many of them are quite transparently trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Many have submitted frankly useless drafts which seem to have been put together in one night. There are few if any quotes, no citation and little organization. It is overwhelming because I am not sure what more I could do.

In light of this let's forget about 121 for a moment....

Here's a little floundering bit of semi-recent poetry


Yaquina Head

Sooth on sooth the sea
tosses and wears away the meanings

in an arching skyward cauldron
combusting ginkgo

A delta leaf vein tremulous
stilled in Holocene weed fields

Rosebay pointing up and up
spike on spike between clusters

Salal all finger-linked haunched
and sea air rounded in great hills

Money

So WAMU has been bought out by Chase... meh.

I was not a huge fan of WAMU since they mismanaged my account and Bird's, but it is sort of distressing to see an increasing consolidation of bank power. How much does Chase control? Seriously?

I'm thinking FDIC insured Federal Credit Union. Or my mattress. Either one seems like a good idea. 

Coastal Waters, Coast Range, Dog Coats

So we've been trying to squeeze the last drops out of summer these past few days.

We went to the coast on Thursday and had a nice time seeing the usual circuit of places we and the dogs love. Agate Beach was almost empty and the cool clean air was a delight after many days in the smokey valley. The absence of humans on the beach helped to preserve a number of great sand formations, but high tide timing on our part made shell hunting unrewarding. We delighted in the huge driftwood tangles instead.

Today we took Hwy 99 to Eugene for Saturday Market. The coast range was extra lovely with layers of smoke, cloud cover, and fog. In town we took the dogs to a new dog park and Freyja had a great time exploring the various little swimming pools. Later though we noticed that she was shivering, so we put one of my shirts on her...she was not pleased, however she was warm.

So it goes. Onward to fall!

Arrr!!!

Greetings on Talk Like a Pirate Day! Although I spent most of this day gardening in true landlubber fashion, I do live in the home of this blessed day, and I tip my ratty tri-corner hat to all of the pirates out there fighting global warming. Because as we know more pirates=less global warming....

Pendleton Oregon, a Wooly Idea

As I'm sure I've probably mentioned ten times or more in the course of this blog the due date for my paper in Columbia Basin History and Ecology class is fast approaching. For my topic I had weeks ago decided on Pendleton, Oregon. This choice was not completely random, but might as well have been since I was only passingly familiar with Pendleton due to their line of Indian blankets and robes. Since beginning my research I've learned a great deal about the town, and I'm glad I picked it as my topic because the story of Pendleton is bizarre and fantastic.  In light of my new deep love for Pendleton's history I intend to post a series of blogs about my findings. I hope you'll all find them as interesting as I do.

Since wool was my source of inspiration it seems only appropriate that Pendleton's woolen mills be the topic of my first Pendleton Blog string. 

In Pendleton there are historically two facilities which are involved in the production of wool. One is the Pendleton Wool-Scouring and Packing Co. and the other is Pendleton Woolen Mills.  The county of Umatilla, of which Pendleton is the seat, was a major wool producer in the late 1800's. In December 1893 “the Pendleton Wool-Scouring and Packing Company was incorporated with capital stock of $12,000 in $50 shares” (Lomax 245). The first $6000 in preferred stocks sold quickly but sales lagged and the committee worked hard to solicit support from woolgrowers and townspeople. Editorials ran in the East Oregonian such as this by CS Jackson “Now it is your duty and to your interest Mr. Woolgrower, Mr. Business Man, Mr. Property Owner…to take one or more shares in the enterprise!” (246)

In 1894, right around the time that the mill was beginning operations, optimism was high (optimism in those days seems on paper at least to have always run high). Board Director E.Y. Judd  stated “I expect to see Pendleton the most important wool market in Oregon” (247). Indeed Mr. Judd was correct, in 1894 daily scouring capacity was 15,000 pounds on the day shift and warehouse capacity could hold 1 to 1.5 million lbs of wool (249). By late 1894 “Pendleton was…established as an important primary wool market. Buyers from flourishing Willamette Valley mills came regularly to Pendleton” (250). 

The Pendleton Woolen Mills began around 1895 and were originally deeply invested in producing and marketing "Indian Robes".  

to be continued... 

Tune in next time for The Pendleton Woolen Mills "the emporium of Indian fashion".

Picture 1: Pendleton Scouring Plant circa 1900. Umatilla County: A Backward Glance. Compiled by the Umatilla Historical Society. Published by E. O. Master Printers, Pendleton. 1980.

Lomax, Alfred L. Later Woolen Mills in Oregon. Portland:Binford and Morts, 1974.

Picture 2: Mill Creek Trading

Finley, Fruit, and Film

This morning bright and early-ish Bird and I headed out to the William L. Finley wildlife refuge where Bird is doing part of her study. The place we were looking at is basically a field dominated by various grasses and small rose bushes. Unlike where we were yesterday, Finley had almost no fruiting plants. There were, as far as I could see, no cherries, only a few apples and some other dark berries on a tree I've yet to identify. There were a number of lovely wildflowers, some that I know by name, but many unfamiliar to me. I took photos of them for later identification.  While at Finley we saw a group of about five Western Kingbirds. They are apparently uncommon in this area, so it was a nice find. They were also terribly cute and talkative. 

On the thesis front, my reading of The Fruit of the Tree continues. I spoke with one of the instructors at school today. She is the Composition Coordinator, in other words she essentially runs the writing program and is my boss when it comes to my capacity as a TA. She gave me some advice about planning out the organization of my thesis, and suggested that I make multiple introductions until I can nail down exactly what I want to focus on in the thesis. I told her that my focus might be shifting from Water to more broad connections between Ecology and Wharton's writing. She did not discourage the idea and suggested looking at Woolf also. I've considered combining a look at Wharton and Woolf before, but in many ways it seems like it might just complicate matters, or prevent me from digging deeply enough into either. I am unsure. The deadline for a Conference proposal I had been hoping to submit is tomorrow and I have nothing, but maybe it's for the best. I have a paper from my Columbia Basin Ecology class coming up (eco-historical look at Pendleton), my thesis to work on, and an English class starting on Monday. On top of all this I signed up to be a Comp. Coordinator Assistant this summer and that involves quite a bit of work that I've yet to attend to. There will be other conferences.

For tonight work is over and we're watching a film, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. I read this book some time ago, but so far the film doesn't disappoint.