Black Death

I've been spending some of my morning posting recent stories on my facebook page regarding the Upper Big Branch Mine tragedy. Again, a West Virginia coal-mining "accident" has made national headlines as families of the miners and other West Virginians begin to mourn their fallen brothers. And I feel safe calling them brothers, calling them family. While not from Coal Country (my home mountains are laced with sandstone, not black fuel), I feel a kinship with all West Virginians, so I mourn. And I am enraged.

The coal industry has long been the backbone of West Virginia's economy. Countless jobs and individuals are dependent on the giants, like Massey Energy. I understand that. I know that until alternative energy sources are researched that coal keeps my lights turned on, keeps my laptop running. For now, coal is necessary.

What is not necessary is neglect. Neglect that comes at the cost of lives, at least 25 in the past 24 hours. Four years ago, Sago had us in an uproar. Mismanaged public appearances (our esteemed Governor Manchin claiming all was well when just the opposite was true), repackaged PR campaigns, supposed renewed regulation vigor have come up short. Again.

In December 2007, Joe Manchin takes to federal court to defend Massey Energy (among others) when federal regulations threatened to lessen "productivity."


Understory, the Rainforest Action Network's official blog, reported on the proceedings:

Let me say that again, Joe Manchin came out against federal regulations that would prevent companies like Massey Energy from dumping waste rock and dirt into WV rivers and streams.

As did the WV State Journal: their take on the same story:

Coal company executives have said repeatedly the federal rulings would curtail coal production in southern West Virginia -- production that generates hundreds of jobs, tens of millions of dollars each year in payroll and millions in severance taxes and sales taxes.

and

The Manchin administration correctly argued that West Virginia mining operators have been producing coal under the existing statutes for decades. It points out that West Virginia operators are forced to meet tougher federal standards than operators in other states, and those barriers are certain to cut into production.

Obviously, each source has its slant. Though, it's clear, from either story, that Governor Manchin opposed further regulation. Opposed.

25 dead. But at least productivity is stable.

Well, that was 2007. What do we know in 2010? National coverage of the story has birthed some disturbing statistics.

Moneynews report on most recent disaster:

Though the cause of the blast was not known, the operation run by Massey subsidiary Performance Coal Co. has a history of violations for not properly ventilating highly combustible methane gas, safety officials said.

AP report on Upper Big Branch Mine

In the past year, federal inspectors fined [Massey Energy] more than $382,000 for repeated serious violations involving its ventilation plan and equipment at Upper Big Branch.

A Forbes.com snippet reports that Massey Chief Executive John Blankenship has lost count of the number of times his company has been fined for failing to meet regulatory standards.

I found all of this in the past hour. Imagine what an in-depth analysis would unearth. I implore you, do your own research. Follow the links provided here, educate yourself.

Do something. Write, call, email, complain. Form a coalition, let your elected officials know you won't stand for this. Tell them you value life over productivity.

Find and contact your state legislator.
Send a message to Gov. Manchin
Send a message to Robert C. Byrd

Contact your national senator
Contact your national representative

Foster public awareness: email your local newspaper or the Charleston Gazette: gazette@wvgazette.com.

Curriculum ideas

Some thoughts I'm tossing around in regards to eventually teaching composition, despite my lack of classroom experience.

Open class by reading selections from or all of Persepolis. Use this to introduce cultural difference and power structures.

• Marjane feels confined in Iran, but liberated in France. Yet, in France she has to give up part of herself.
• Anzuldua and Borderlands
  
• Have students brainstorm, freewrite, explore their own borderlands (perhaps journal?)
• Have students create a project (any kind, writing, comic, find some good genres)

Evaluation of sources

• Choose some controversial social issues and have students research perspectives on these issues.
• What do these perspectives leave out? How can their ideas be better developed?
• What points of view are valued, which are undervalued?
• "Blaming the victim" selections

Application

• research a local issue (Marshall, Huntington, own hometown)
• gather perspectives from news sources, community leaders, and individuals
• global research: does this issue occur elsewhere? why/why not? How have other communities dealt with this
• How might "borderlands" be at play in this issue?
• write a "white paper" on findings and conclusions

Creative reinterpretation

• another open-genre project: explore the issue from your white paper and apply it to your personal experience
• perhaps project should reflect a solution or why a solution is unattainable?
• alternate areas of exploration?
  

A Simple Request

I'm really really really really happy that my brother is my roommate. But, by convincing him to live with me, I've robbed him of that all-important college ritual of dorm life. Thus, he doesn't have many "guy" friends. So, if you're male, and not annoying, will you be friends with my brother?

Note: Older brother and Baby not included, but Army uniform is free at no extra cost!

Complaining

It has been a relatively eventful week at work. The number 2 employee (whose attendance and timeliness is lackluster to begin with) is off for the next 4 weeks. The supervisor has been out yesterday and today, and will be gone Thursday and Friday next week as well. Normally, having 2 people out shouldn't be a big deal, especially for me, the one with the least seniority and the least amount of responsibility. Of course, all of that is just speculation.

Yesterday, which marked a week of no air-conditioning in the office, the computer that houses the accounting software crashed, and it was up to me, the part-time student worker, to solve the problem because I'm the only person literate enough to use the computer. Still, no problem. I'm an industrious woman, I rose to the challenge, made some great decisions and multi-tasked us back to productivity. Today is a different story. The computer is back up and running, thankfully, as we have had 4 times the usually amount of mail needing postage today. Despite this, I spent my first hour at work (after everyone else had been here for 2) getting things organized and proving to the senior employee that the software was, in fact, functioning properly. I'm finished with rising to the occasion.

It's ridiculously hot in here; Huntington is a sauna and living here without air-conditioning is enough to make someone sick, which I've been for three days. Why should it be my responsibility to manage these things? Why am I the only one here thinking clearly and willing to work? This mail room was totally my haven, and the people here used to be nice and conscientious. That doesn't happen anymore. I'm counting down, 3 weeks and I'm finished.

Blantant Referral

Linda Holmes of NPR's "Monkey See" Blog has this brilliant post about/to Pixar.

This is the post.

Read and enjoy.

The Women of Sherlock Holmes get the Victorian Treatment

This, my friends, is the freshly released trailer for Guy Ritchie's adaptation of Sir Author Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes:



And a link for those of you reading via email.

I like Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes, and his portrayal will certainly make the character more accessible than Holmes was in any of Doyle's stories. However, I am a bit perturbed to see most of the women acting as eye candy and humor fodder for the leading man. Not to say that Doyle himself was particularly progressive with his women, but at least they were more realistic than the females seem to be in this film. After all, the first Holmes case that Doyle published involved Irene Adler, one of the few able to foil the world class sleuth.

Now, I'm not saying that I expect ground-breaking feminist manifestos in so-called blockbusters, all I ask for is simple courtesy. For instance, Wolverine is both a good story and a great action flick, and no where along the way are bosoms bursting from dresses nor are meek maids flurrying off to preserve their innocence. In fact, Wolverine's love interest, Kayla Silverfox, aside from her strange name, is a well-rounded self-respecting character with complicated motivations and emotions.

In the past 50 years Hollywood has overcome racism, homophobia, and a number of social injustices. Isn't it time women had better treatment in films?

Reminder

Sometime after finals, I'm going to come back and relate, in detail, all the reasons why Stepbrothers is one of my favorite comedies. For now, a good scene (warning, contains strong language and flatuence:



And a hyperlink for those of you who read this via email: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-j_LSWM_A

Happier

While my post title corresponds to an ironically-named Guster song about a biddy being a biddy, I sincerely feel great this week.

Going to the Guster concert on Sunday put a lot of things into perspective for me, as did a phone conversation with my mom, during which she observed that I had been under an uncharacteristically high level of stress this semester. So, yeah, I've been stressed, only I haven't realized it until recently, and now that I have, I actually feel better.

It probably helps that summer will be here in just a few weeks, and that comprehensive exams may soon be nonexistent in Marshall's English department (fingers crossed).

As far as that silly party contemplation is concerned, I'm kind of over that, and, again, must apologize for being rather melodramatic. That stuff too, is certainly in perspective now, and to quote another singer "I'm just happy being me," and it is quite a relief.

Baseball is fun

The National League central division is off to an exciting start.

Rivals St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs (my fave) are tied for first place.

Longtime trailers, the Cincinnati Reds, with the youngest roster in the division, have won their past two series against the typically strong Brewers and Astros, respectively.

As a habitual Cubs fan and a geographic Reds fan, I'm looking forward to this summer :).

...not that any of you understand much of my baseball lingo.

What it's like to have Social Anxiety

You get dressed up for a party and feel great about it, have talked yourself into giddy excitement, prepared clever anecdotes, and remain poised and confident all day. Then you get to the party and become afraid that no one likes you, that no one wants to speak with you, and that those seemingly inane whispers are really about how no one wants you at the party.

Yes, I try to talk myself out of such illusions. I, in fact, was heartily invited to a party, was talked to throughout the party, had a drink, and tried to look happy and engaged. But, having social anxiety erases all my logic, all my poise, and all of my confidence. It's like a big furry monster stands in front of me the entire time I'm in public. I can't every get around him (thankfully, he smells like vanilla spice, though), and no one can see around him to look at me.

I am aware that I am not an alien. I am aware that I am accomplished, knowledgeable, classy, pretty (maybe?), and funny as all get out, but when I try to project any of these admirable traits, this furry, vacuum monster keeps it all to himself. Then I get anxious, then I get agitated, then I convince myself that I am so anxious that I'm making everyone else anxious, so I start to berate myself for being anxious, but I don't know how not to be anxious, which makes me even angrier with myself, and the cycle continues.

After a few hours into the ordeal, I've fought with myself and this crazy furry monster so much, that I'm tired and cranky, and I fell more than anything else, guilty.

But now, I'm back in my hovel, wishing that I had performed better (for me, it is a performance). I'm calculating and examining the different, clever things I should have said, the different people I should have talked to, the different person I should have been.

It's not as if I don't like who I am, I do, I just assume no one else likes who I am. I always hold part of myself back. I don't know why. Well, in certain instances I do. Sometimes it's a matter of not wanting to hurt someone else, and sometimes it's classic fear of rejection.

What's really unfair about this whole anxiety thing though, what I really don't get is that as everyone else gets better at socializing, networking, friendships, cocktail parties, victory speeches, I get worse, or, at best stand still. There's no handbook for this, no text or novel to teach me how to move forward, no etiquette book on how to be human. And, since I'm a person who loves learning, that prospect is scary.

I think, for serious, that I need a therapist. I tried the prescription drugs, and that didn't work, I ended up being depressed all the time, and it was scary. I can't do that again. I shouldn't be punished for something I can't control.

Of course, I know that I have friends and family who love me. I know this, but this is not a battle I can fight with comrades, this monster keeps me from talking to you about it, from asking for help. But I know you're there for me when I'm ready :).