This is a song from the up-coming Hemp Revolution CD coming out this fall. Enjoy. This is the first session of the title song "Hemp Song"...keep posted for the final product due out very soon. Also, please check out other Hemp Activist websites to learn more about the movement. Peace
4.30.2007
4.28.2007
rhetoric and citizenship on a saturday
i'm working on a paper right now on starbucks and feminism and i came across this statement in an essay by paula mathieu (a UIC grad) entitled "economic citizenship and the rhetoric of gourmet coffee":
"If rhetoric is the 'ability to see the available means of persuasion' as Aristotle suggests, rhetorical analysis can be an act of citizenship by interrogating how economic forces seek to predetermine and limit the available means to citizens" (mathieu 114).
you, my dear students, are now masters of rhetorical analysis, so what do you think of mathieu's claim? do you (or can you) see rhetorical analysis as "an act of citizenship"? and, if so, where does economics come into play? how do economic forces seek to predetermine and limit your available means?
"If rhetoric is the 'ability to see the available means of persuasion' as Aristotle suggests, rhetorical analysis can be an act of citizenship by interrogating how economic forces seek to predetermine and limit the available means to citizens" (mathieu 114).
you, my dear students, are now masters of rhetorical analysis, so what do you think of mathieu's claim? do you (or can you) see rhetorical analysis as "an act of citizenship"? and, if so, where does economics come into play? how do economic forces seek to predetermine and limit your available means?
4.25.2007
BSB Architecture
Describe Space/Building:
The building is all concrete and brick, with low dark lighting. It is all winding and confusing. It is not well maintaned, with garbage everywhere and broken signs and lights. There is alot of colorful student art on the walls and colored lighting. It feels like a dungeon.
Interactions with space:
People seem to utilize the space here as much as possible. People sit wherever they can, not just where they are intended to. People sleep on stairs and other areas. The bar seating in the cafeteria is utilized well, since many people like to sit alone. Lots of doors are propped, which shows that people are using the building in ways not intended. Many homeade signs are posted about, since the building design is so confusing.
Many people do not seem to be aware of the services offered in the BSB because of the confusing layout. For example, many people do not know there is a computer lab in the basement, and often lines are really long for one bathroom when another empty one is right around the corner.
How people act:
mostly people are very quiet and keep to themselves, save the cafeteria area. People definately try to take advantage of all available space.
Ideology: confined spaes, darkness, brutalism
The building is all concrete and brick, with low dark lighting. It is all winding and confusing. It is not well maintaned, with garbage everywhere and broken signs and lights. There is alot of colorful student art on the walls and colored lighting. It feels like a dungeon.
Interactions with space:
People seem to utilize the space here as much as possible. People sit wherever they can, not just where they are intended to. People sleep on stairs and other areas. The bar seating in the cafeteria is utilized well, since many people like to sit alone. Lots of doors are propped, which shows that people are using the building in ways not intended. Many homeade signs are posted about, since the building design is so confusing.
Many people do not seem to be aware of the services offered in the BSB because of the confusing layout. For example, many people do not know there is a computer lab in the basement, and often lines are really long for one bathroom when another empty one is right around the corner.
How people act:
mostly people are very quiet and keep to themselves, save the cafeteria area. People definately try to take advantage of all available space.
Ideology: confined spaes, darkness, brutalism
4.24.2007
University Hall
The exterior of UH exhibits a dream-like experience with the new landscaping and cafe. The small rolling hills with imbedded light fixtures and the metalic structure inhibiting foliage does not offset the authority of the tower. Neither does the new walking area with bared divits in the sidewalk. "The eye Tower" emerges in the middle of all these eye catchers resembling a structure from 'Lord of the Rings.' Knowing and seeing all, the verticle entity is the tallest concrete structure on campus. The dreary gothic appearance still lurks despite changes made.
Once inside of this office-like structure you may not be sure you actually are. Carpeting lines the way to cold and functional concrete benches. A computer with a huge screen is found between the benches that is supposed to aid visitors. There it remains void of attention between the unwelcoming cement benches. Very oppressive and unwelcoming. Pictures in the the tower are colorful but still operates as functional.Upon going up to the second floor with the cafe, one is greeted with casino like furniture and carpeting. Plush couches, seats, and booths are scattered in an orderly fashion. The sequence of seats with tables and cushioning furniture encourage you to bath in the natural light from the huge windows.
The interaction of the loby area deals with a high influx of people perhaps needing carpet to guide guests, students, and faculty further in to the facility. Mainly those who are well dressed are part of the administration. Mainly people are quietly studying or engaging in conversation as a group.
The ideology autoritative, administrative, and functional "trying" to be iniviting.
Once inside of this office-like structure you may not be sure you actually are. Carpeting lines the way to cold and functional concrete benches. A computer with a huge screen is found between the benches that is supposed to aid visitors. There it remains void of attention between the unwelcoming cement benches. Very oppressive and unwelcoming. Pictures in the the tower are colorful but still operates as functional.Upon going up to the second floor with the cafe, one is greeted with casino like furniture and carpeting. Plush couches, seats, and booths are scattered in an orderly fashion. The sequence of seats with tables and cushioning furniture encourage you to bath in the natural light from the huge windows.
The interaction of the loby area deals with a high influx of people perhaps needing carpet to guide guests, students, and faculty further in to the facility. Mainly those who are well dressed are part of the administration. Mainly people are quietly studying or engaging in conversation as a group.
The ideology autoritative, administrative, and functional "trying" to be iniviting.
A Place For US
Rather than focus on the lecture halls (which just seem to replicate the concrete hell of the rest of campus) we chose to look at the quad instead. The quad is cocooned by the lecture halls and is a haven of student interaction. Since it was such a nice day, groups were setting up in the different seating nooks. There were a few people drawing with chalk but not interrupting any pathways, though there are so many paths through and around the quad. It is interesting that the quad maintains such an enclosed feeling when there are so many ways to traverse it.
This is one place on campus that was designed with the students in mind and it shows in the casual, comfortable atmosphere. Students were working on homework, eating lunch together, sitting on the ledges, and simply enjoying the sunlight. Student run events are often held on the stage or across the quad and it definitely is a place that feels like it really belongs to us.
This is one place on campus that was designed with the students in mind and it shows in the casual, comfortable atmosphere. Students were working on homework, eating lunch together, sitting on the ledges, and simply enjoying the sunlight. Student run events are often held on the stage or across the quad and it definitely is a place that feels like it really belongs to us.
Writing Center is from Another Planet!?
Douglas Hall is nothing but a lifeless hall: empty, cold, solid, with nothing but silence. Eventhough the building was designed in the same way as the other lecture halls, it lacks the sign of life other halls has. Aside from the bulletin board in the entrance, there are almost nothing that resembles a flyer/poster in the building. All doors are closed, and hardly a single sound of students can be heard. In fact, only a few room in this building serve as classrooms. Most of them are actually offices for UIC staffs who are concentrating on their paperworks, which further explain the silence. A few students I happened to find are either rushing into their class or just reading silently in the hallway. Douglas hall is a lifeless hall... an office of death.
Within such a lifeless place, there is one oasis: the Writing Center. Even a blind person would be able to tell the atmospheric differences between these two places. In contrast with the gray-black concrete walls of the hallway, the Writing Center are decorated with colorful posters, fishtanks, and comfortable sofa. Looking through the glass wall from the hallway you can see students talking excitingly with their writing tutors, and even some of the tutors chitchating among themselves. The mood is always lively, and you can tell that people come here to communicate, to learn, to relax, etc. It is not an office; the Writing Center is a lounge. It is a separate world from the rest of Douglas Hall, like a whole new planet, and yet it is IN the Douglas Hall. Who could imagine a totally different use of space in the same building?
Within such a lifeless place, there is one oasis: the Writing Center. Even a blind person would be able to tell the atmospheric differences between these two places. In contrast with the gray-black concrete walls of the hallway, the Writing Center are decorated with colorful posters, fishtanks, and comfortable sofa. Looking through the glass wall from the hallway you can see students talking excitingly with their writing tutors, and even some of the tutors chitchating among themselves. The mood is always lively, and you can tell that people come here to communicate, to learn, to relax, etc. It is not an office; the Writing Center is a lounge. It is a separate world from the rest of Douglas Hall, like a whole new planet, and yet it is IN the Douglas Hall. Who could imagine a totally different use of space in the same building?
4.23.2007
UIC Library
UIC Library
The building is uninviting and because there are only two entrances placed close together it has a shut off feel. We believe that because of the position of the entrances most activity is carried out in the centre of the building. Because most of the activity is carried out in the centre of the building the layout necessitates placing the study corals between the elevators and the books further out in the wings (we doubt anyone would use the library if this were reversed).
Despite being dusty and having a rundown feel the library is saved by having friendly staff. The door greeters are never aggressive, and will chat readily (excepting emo boy who we feel still has a lot of inner angst to work out).
Adjectives describing the library that come readily to mind: dingy, hot, suffocating, dark, and uninviting. These descriptors are true but unfair because cleaning and reorganizing could turn things around dramatically if there were the money for it. Also the library has a life of its own, it is like an idiosyncratic spinster uncle Ted who tried (but failed because of parental intervention) to by you that hunting rifle on your tenth birthday. Because things have changed and moved around so much over the decades the whole facility has an ad hoc feel that far from being off putting actually adds to the buildings overall appeal.
This is why people use the building because it has a flavor. There are always students discussing group projects (when CCC would do), and plenty of little nooks to make your own. The building is at the mercy of necessity not some architects aesthetic, which has freed it but made it disastrously ugly.
p.s. What do you all think of when you enter the UIC library?
The building is uninviting and because there are only two entrances placed close together it has a shut off feel. We believe that because of the position of the entrances most activity is carried out in the centre of the building. Because most of the activity is carried out in the centre of the building the layout necessitates placing the study corals between the elevators and the books further out in the wings (we doubt anyone would use the library if this were reversed).
Despite being dusty and having a rundown feel the library is saved by having friendly staff. The door greeters are never aggressive, and will chat readily (excepting emo boy who we feel still has a lot of inner angst to work out).
Adjectives describing the library that come readily to mind: dingy, hot, suffocating, dark, and uninviting. These descriptors are true but unfair because cleaning and reorganizing could turn things around dramatically if there were the money for it. Also the library has a life of its own, it is like an idiosyncratic spinster uncle Ted who tried (but failed because of parental intervention) to by you that hunting rifle on your tenth birthday. Because things have changed and moved around so much over the decades the whole facility has an ad hoc feel that far from being off putting actually adds to the buildings overall appeal.
This is why people use the building because it has a flavor. There are always students discussing group projects (when CCC would do), and plenty of little nooks to make your own. The building is at the mercy of necessity not some architects aesthetic, which has freed it but made it disastrously ugly.
p.s. What do you all think of when you enter the UIC library?
4.22.2007
Delivery
This is a link to an episode of NBC's The Office entitled "Dwight's Speech". I've seen this episode before, but our discussion's on delivery, audience, and ethos really changed the way I watched this episode. What do you think of the audience's reaction to Dwight's speech? Where you surprised by the way they responded?
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/videos/10529
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-office-%2528us%2529/videos/10529
4.18.2007
Pictures!
Tali had expressed some interest in seeing some other pictures that I had taken, so not to toot my own horn or anything here's a link to my online collection. There are A LOT of pictures on there so to see the best ones just go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95222260@N00/sets/72157594581391227/
4.16.2007
Stop, think
No doubt the atrocity committed at Virginia Tech today will haunt many people, those both directly involved and those of us on the periphery, for quite some time. The major thing we should not do is begin huddling in circles and praying, for if a supposedly "loving" and "benevolent" god could reap such calamity on such pious people, Virginia is deep in the Bible-belt, then indeed he either doesn't exist or those certain of his "magnificence" have a few canons of his existence devastatingly wrong.
We shouldn't be asking (a) god "what went wrong," or "why my loved one," nor should we take the dastardly step in assuming religion to even hold some kind of answer or explanation. On the other hand, we should be asking ourselves what motivated this person to this action and if these particularly egregious circumstances could have been prevented. Indeed, I feel a personal sadness and anger that because this action took place in the most pious of places that those most concerned won't be able to move past the "leave it up to god," "he's/she's in a better place now" stage to actually find out what happened, learn from it, and attempt to prevent such situations from occurring again. Chances are likely that we'll find out the young man responsible was emotionally disturbed or had a brewing history of tumultuous relationships. No matter, retribution, not rehabilitation, the priests proclaim, as they push their vile and hate onto vote-seeking conservatives and timid, scared of the religious-zealot liberal, with an air of contemptuous arrogance; retribution is how the god-blessed nation of America deals with its sinners; rehabilitation is for the "liberals, the feminists, and most damningly, most exceedingly, the most evil group of people who ever lived, those responsible for 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, and now Virginia Tech, the homosexuals."
But so goes American society, steeped in the Holiest of emotional ignorance, lives cut short and torn viciously apart; "god has a plan," "leave it up to god," "god will take care of things."
Yes, too bad god didn't take care of things before they became things that needed taking care of. God dropped the ball, again. Anyone out there credulously nescient enough to come to his indefensible defense?
We shouldn't be asking (a) god "what went wrong," or "why my loved one," nor should we take the dastardly step in assuming religion to even hold some kind of answer or explanation. On the other hand, we should be asking ourselves what motivated this person to this action and if these particularly egregious circumstances could have been prevented. Indeed, I feel a personal sadness and anger that because this action took place in the most pious of places that those most concerned won't be able to move past the "leave it up to god," "he's/she's in a better place now" stage to actually find out what happened, learn from it, and attempt to prevent such situations from occurring again. Chances are likely that we'll find out the young man responsible was emotionally disturbed or had a brewing history of tumultuous relationships. No matter, retribution, not rehabilitation, the priests proclaim, as they push their vile and hate onto vote-seeking conservatives and timid, scared of the religious-zealot liberal, with an air of contemptuous arrogance; retribution is how the god-blessed nation of America deals with its sinners; rehabilitation is for the "liberals, the feminists, and most damningly, most exceedingly, the most evil group of people who ever lived, those responsible for 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, and now Virginia Tech, the homosexuals."
But so goes American society, steeped in the Holiest of emotional ignorance, lives cut short and torn viciously apart; "god has a plan," "leave it up to god," "god will take care of things."
Yes, too bad god didn't take care of things before they became things that needed taking care of. God dropped the ball, again. Anyone out there credulously nescient enough to come to his indefensible defense?
4.13.2007
down on the fur-farm
This is excerpted from an email sent by PETA.
Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages, where they are exposed to all weather conditions. They often go without clean water or veterinary care, and they are denied the opportunity to engage in natural behaviors like climbing, burrowing, and swimming. The intensive confinement causes many animals on fur farms to go insane. Fur farmers use the cheapest killing methods available,including neck-breaking, suffocation, poisoning, and electrocution. Many animals are electrocuted by having rods inserted into their rectums and 240 volts of electricity sent through their bodies. The animals convulse, shake, and often cry out before suffering painful heart attacks. Crude killing methods aren't always effective, and sometimes animals "wake up"while they are being skinned.
-Is your wearing fur really worth subjecting another mammal to the pain of being skinned alive or eloctrocuted anally?
Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages, where they are exposed to all weather conditions. They often go without clean water or veterinary care, and they are denied the opportunity to engage in natural behaviors like climbing, burrowing, and swimming. The intensive confinement causes many animals on fur farms to go insane. Fur farmers use the cheapest killing methods available,including neck-breaking, suffocation, poisoning, and electrocution. Many animals are electrocuted by having rods inserted into their rectums and 240 volts of electricity sent through their bodies. The animals convulse, shake, and often cry out before suffering painful heart attacks. Crude killing methods aren't always effective, and sometimes animals "wake up"while they are being skinned.
-Is your wearing fur really worth subjecting another mammal to the pain of being skinned alive or eloctrocuted anally?
4.08.2007
Easter
I hope this Sunday that everyone takes the time to actually think about what they're celebrating: that 30-40 years after a Jewish criminal was put to a deserved death, some guy from Tarsus named Saul started spreading the word that not only was this Jewish criminal born of a virgin, but that after his death, on this very day, he was resurrected and rose bodily to heaven.
In addition, that is, not only was this criminal born of a virgin(!), not only did he come back to life and ascend somewhere in the sky(!), but he is also the father, son, and holy spirit of himself! Who comes up with this nonsense!?
Can you imagine how fast you, personally, would dismiss somebody in 2007 if they came bearing the same fantastic stories? What gives anyone the idea that in an age where plumbing was non-existent, the flu was still considered a curse, the light bulb was 1,800 years away, and the earth was still both flat and the center of the universe that these stories were absolutely nothing more than superstitious mythology?
Can anyone account for this seemingly impossible scenario?
In addition, that is, not only was this criminal born of a virgin(!), not only did he come back to life and ascend somewhere in the sky(!), but he is also the father, son, and holy spirit of himself! Who comes up with this nonsense!?
Can you imagine how fast you, personally, would dismiss somebody in 2007 if they came bearing the same fantastic stories? What gives anyone the idea that in an age where plumbing was non-existent, the flu was still considered a curse, the light bulb was 1,800 years away, and the earth was still both flat and the center of the universe that these stories were absolutely nothing more than superstitious mythology?
Can anyone account for this seemingly impossible scenario?
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