I was there.

Janelle Monae & Of Montreal at First Avenue, Thursday, September 23, 2010. Hearing Janelle Monae sing live... I think it changed my life. Listen. But really just get everything Janelle Monae has ever done. And please, please, PLEASE! never EVER turn down a chance to see her live.

It took me two weeks of frantic searching to get my ticket, but it was absolutely worth it.

the wonders of etsy

Wow. Just wow. The things people will make / buy!

I love this papa seahorse. What a cool toy for your child... why play with an action figure when you could be learning about a unique biological offspring-rearing practice by an adorable sea creature?

(I also have a soft spot for the seahorse-maker's work because it's the first thing I ever saw on etsy.com. My good friend Lizey introduced me a couple years ago, and it's been an enjoyable foray into the world of handmade goods ever since.)

Whose Choice?

So I get Jezebel.com RSS feed to my Google Reader (Which, btw, I highly recommend. A perfect less-guilty-pleasure for the feminist who likes to see the shows from fall fashion week and indulge in a little "star-gazing"). Check out this Center for Reproductive Rights article regarding a report on the Hyde Amendment, and its tendency to hurt women in poverty especially. Here's what they say about it:

boozy preserves

YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM. Check out the end of this NYTimes.com article for cool recipes that involve alcohol-preserved fruits, and get prepped for Christmastime!

When you need a friend...

William Howard Taft, and his trusty steed, are here to help. Hi Ho, Silver!

Pro Bono? A reconciliation.

I... like.... this...? Yes, I'll say it -- I like this.

After many years and many diatribes against the singer-cum-humanitarian, after many arguments regarding the merits and demerits of music vs. morality, after MANY moments of resentful subjection to audio and visual barrage of radio, TV, newspaper and magazine appearances: after all this. After I listened to a professor (who shall remain nameless despite ubiquitous knowledge of his love & support for the man in question) rave about the way this man has affected rock & roll, changed the public perception of charity, altered The World Itself. After creating a dissenting opinion I consider(ed) so fool-proof I'd be willing to confront Bono himself to pinpoint the precise height of the bullshit he is stepping in (right up to his 24k gold hoop earrings).

"Product(RED) my ass, 90% of those profits go to GAP!" I'd storm.
"End poverty in 50 years!!" I hooted.
"THOSE GLASSES!" I decried.

Do you have the balls to really change the food system?

Rebecca Thistlewaite's article for Grist is right on. The way she sets the stage for true change in the food system really breaks down the many ways food drives our unconscious lifestyle choices. We want things to be easy because we are tired, we don't feel good, or we are in a hurry. We are used to instantaneous gratification of desire. And so when all this "green living" stuff became trendy, of course the public reaction was to try to fit it in to our already-burgeoning schedules by simplifying it -- unfortunately, as Thistlewaite points out, changing the food system is fundamentally NOT going to be easy, and the shallow morality of buying organic at Costco just won't do. Her suggestions:

what & why

What is "skinvisible"?

"Skin Visible: Stories of Race at Luther College" began as my senior project as an Africana Studies & French major in the spring of 2009. A collaborative effort between myself and Rachel Billstein, the project consisted of two months of interview-based primary research and reflection followed by a month of creative output, resulting in a 30-minute performance piece, a cast of fifteen, and a one-night show before an audience of 200.

"We need to get the facts out"

on immigration in Minnesota, says Sandra Vargas of the Minneapolis Foundation. I couldn't agree more. Researcher Dr. Owen's brand of "just-the-facts" reporting, based on current numbers, trends and statistics in MN, can help people to see immigration as it truly is today. It's also interesting to compare our numbers with the United States as a whole and consider the different challenges we face in our local community.

Link to "Just the facts on immigration in Minnesota" by Mary Turck of the TC Daily Planet.

Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

(Not so) new information about study habits in school and at home from Mind on NYTimes.com. I'm interested to know why these findings, some of which supposedly date back to the 1970s, are not common knowledge -- why we continue to stick to old methods that have been proven false. When I look at the data of student proficiency in reading and math in the Saint Paul Public Schools, I think about the reasons we aren't getting through to kids, why we aren't improving our services to give kids what they need to succeed at school and in life. It seems to me that a lots of the time, education academia and education practices don't match up.