DADT | Footenotes

October 13, 2010

Round-Up! 10/4 – 10/10

No Footenotes has not moved to Wednesdays, I just got a little swamped this week. Good thing I did though because while I normally use the first bit of the blog here to rant I’m going to go ahead and calm down a little and be happy at the news. Turns out ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is (maybe) over! Look, I know, the Justice Department has appealled the decision and if this year has taught us anything it’s to set the bar low but c’mon – isn’t this nicer than talking about some of the other unsavory things going on as we creep towards election day? I’m looking at you Carl Paladino.

Seriously, who is this guy? You don’t want your kids “brainwashed” into thinking homosexuality is acceptable?

No. Settle…calm…nice thoughts, nice thoughts…let’s talk about the blogs!

Over at A Fast-Changing World CUNYites want to know where Obama is on that climate change legislation he was so excited about at the beginning of his term. I’m surprised there wasn’t more cross discussion here with the folks over at The Obama Presidency blog on the Commons. Have you two met? I realize this makes me the laziest CUNY affiliate ever but sometimes when I get disappointed with this administration I think back to the good old days of “with us or against us.” Seriously, it helps. Just push back from the desk a little and try to visualize the cool mechanical hum of Dick Cheney’s cold robot heart.

Speaking of Presidents, Tim Wilson @Twilson over at Franglophone Studies posted a review of “Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson.” I really want to catch this show but it’s looking logistically impossible. He also hints at the upcoming Pee-Wee Herman show headed to Broadway. Oh Paul Reubens…where are you? Actually, I know exactly where he is, he was in the sleeper hit ‘Life During Wartime‘ that might still be playing down at the IFC Center. It feels a little risky recommending a Todd Solondz film, so I’ll just say – it exists. That either means something to you or it doesn’t.

While you’re downtown seeing movies The Paradox of Sustainability Seminar blog recommends you check out 2012: Time for Change, a film about the need to shift the paradigm away from the one we’re watching crack apart at the moment. Sounds good, though I do love dystopian future stories. Didn’t everyone want to huddle around a garbage pail lit on fire for warmth while drones fly around? No?

It’s basically coming to that though for those of us in Higher Ed – or at least it might feel that way. News hawk Tony Picciano @Apicciano pulled out the ‘The Browne Report‘ this week for those of us who like getting our feelings hurt. It looks like most of what’s headed down the pike for the UK schools is headed across the pond. A couple of weeks ago Tim Wilson called out SUNY’s plan to gut the language departments of its schools, and as if you don’t already know – CUNY isn’t exactly in the best shape either.

So actually, if the weather on the blog roll is any indication, we’re a little glum this week.

Nothing a little Monty Python can’t cure.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ[/youtube]

Chin up – till next week folks!

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September 28, 2010

Round-Up 9/20-9/26

Because I’m an idiot and a masochist I watched the Senate vote live on the military spending bill for this year that included a repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and passing the DREAM Act. By now you know what came out of that but I mention it here because if you watched Senator Durbin’s speech after the vote he mentioned a CUNY Law student who would have benefited from the passing of the DREAM act. I was too pissed distraught to write down the name of that student which is a shame because I was hoping he might be here. I want to say it was nice to see CUNY mentioned during the circus, especially since both the repeal of DADT and passing the DREAM act would have been huge victories for so many in the CUNY community. The thing is – it wasn’t nice. I wasn’t glad to see a big cardboard picture of a CUNY student being waived around the senate floor in an effort to try and convince a bunch of senators that lots of people who don’t fit into their idea of ‘America’ deserve the right to serve their country.

I do take some consolation in remembering that at any given time CUNY has just under half a million students going through its programs. That’s not to say that everyone in the university shares my opinions on DADT or DREAM, but I do believe that CUNY students, reflecting the diversity and great breadth of cultures that make New York what it is, know a little something about overcoming obstacles to get to great places.

Look, I know. I try to keep it light even when I’m picking on people but I’m still a little stunned by the vote. Besides – making fun of Linda McMahon would be too easy, even for you folks.

Speaking of you folks – it was a busy week on the blogs! Here’s a few things of note.

Michael Smith @MSmith returned to the blogs this week. Blogging for York College’s excellent 60 Minutes BootCamp, it looks like the journalism students from York have put together another fantastic piece – this time covering the Islamic community center south of the WTC. In case you hadn’t heard they’re going to open a community center for Muslims and those interested in Islam downtown. Apparently people have some thoughts on the matter.

Over at A Cosa Stai Pensando Beniamina Cassetta @beniamina has lost control of her thumbs. Facebook is something of a dirty word around here so I try not to bring it up much, but you’re right – it is weird you can only like something. At least Youtube gives you the option to vote down. This is especially interesting when you consider that you can always delete negative comments as well. It’s entirely possible to present reality on facebook in such a way that everything you say or link to is liked and commented on positively. If only I could find a way to do that here on Footenotes…

Our resident poet and busiest guy at the keyboard, Carl James Grindley @Grindley is working on a book. I’m afraid if I say too much here I might do more harm than good so I’ll leave it at congrats on the grant and good luck! Invite us to the book party!

Since I’m writing this today, Tuesday, I can kind of see into the future as to what next week’s round-up will be. Linda it’s good to see you again here, and I have…uhm…opinions…about this high school/college swap business on Tony’s blog.

They’ll have to wait – See you next week!

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September 20, 2010

The Last Round Up of Summer 9/13-9/19

Finally.

Summer’s one of those seasons you’re supposed to love, but by the end of it you just think, “Come on already…”

What’s been going on this week? Phyllis Green was on the radar. She’s a 90 year old lady living in hospice care who has decided to start blogging. I know it’s not exactly (or even remotely) a Commons blog but I wanted to put her in the round-up as a tip of the hat. I love that someone can want to blog at 90. I wonder if she F5’s for comments all the time too?

Speaking of blogs, if you missed it there’s an amazing post up over on the wiki called ‘Blogs to Follow‘ that has a ton of great edu-blogs on it. The folks over at the Digital Humanities Initiative posted it as a resource and everyone should take a look at the list they’ve put together. It’s basically the blog roll cheat sheet that I’ve been waiting for. Thanks DHI!

Everyone go hug a librarian because next week is BANNED BOOKS WEEK. From their website it’s weird to learn that Catcher in the Rye and The Color Purple are still freaking people out. Any CUNY librarians on the front want to share some war stories?

Meanwhile at the Commons:

Tony Picciano @APicciano called everyone’s attention to a NY Times piece that suggests the “blood on the floor” (as I once heard it gruesomely called) from state budget cuts to public education is largely because states have shifted their focus over to supporting Medicaid. So wait a minute, wait a minute…do I have this right? 25 years ago states invested in a generation’s education and now that generation needs medical assistance so we’re gutting this generation’s educational structures? Maybe that’s a touch two dimensional but I can’t help thinking this probably has something to do with which generation actually shows up at the voting booth. PoliSci folks – c’mon – call me out on that.

Helldriver @Helldriver posted this week with a blog titled ‘Briefly.’ I didn’t believe it. I was ready to sit back and spend twenty minutes reading his blog and another thirty minutes downloading songs. Alas, it was brief.

Part of my job is to keep a pulse on the blogs so I have no idea how I missed this. There’s a newer blog up called The Obama Presidency being written by Kristen Cahill Garcia @kcahillgarcia that I know I’ve covered at least once before. What I hadn’t realized was how prolific this blog had been in between posts! This week had a ton of interesting posts up – I’ve got too much catching up to do now to say much, but I will say that everyone has these weird personal metrics for Obama that are probably wildly unfair given the scope of his presidency but exist none the less. While it might be unfair to be a single issue critic, if he doesn’t manage to at least shut down this DADT business the honeymoon is over. Well…you know…figuratively speaking of course…there wasn’t a honeymoon for myself and the president, he’s been a vocal opponent of gay marriage.

David Shaprio’s @Dshapiro32 The Inference of Fraud showed up again this week with a micro-review of The Studs Lonigan Trilogy. I think it was a good review. “Thumbs Up” usually means but the admonishment of such a low bar made me wonder if I missed something there. Either way I could use a good book that’ll make me feel less ignorant than the protagonist, which is what it says it’ll do right there on there on the label. If I finish this thing and you we’re wrong, we’re taking it to the comments.

Alright, that’s the week that was. Next week – first round up of the fall!

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