Let me start this blog post by saying that if I had done something actually illegal—well, more specifically, something for which I feared prosecution—I would not be posting it on this blog. Sorry to disappoint. This will make for my third activism-related post in a row, though. For those looking for different content, I suggest… Continue reading I Smashed A Bank, And I Didn’t Like It
Tomorrow, we march. I’ve been attending so many meetings, assemblies, flyer-ings, and marches in the last few weeks that it’s hard to see them as distinct events. But still I tell myself that tomorrow is critical; that in a week that saw coordinated crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations across the country, it’s a crucial time to… Continue reading On Efficacy
In fifteen minutes, I’ll be heading to Shattuck and Central to take part in the first General Assembly of Occupy Berkeley. I spent the start of this week frantically searching for plane tickets to get me to New York, hoping to stand up and be counted among the protesters of Occupy Wall Street before police… Continue reading 99% Plus One
The story of the last two months has been one of finding places for things. It started when I began packing to leave Oxford, attempting to cajole my worldly possessions into fitting in two duffel bags. Looking into the closets and storage spaces of my college-owned graduate house, I realized that many international students had… Continue reading Outfitting My Room: Bargain Shopping for Anti-Consumerists
Periodically, animal advocates get torn to shreds for daring to suggest that the suffering of animals deserves our consideration alongside the suffering of humans. Last year, Natalie Portman had the audacity to ask, “If we don’t tolerate rape, why do we tolerate meat eating?”—and was promptly pounced upon by feminist bloggers. More recently, twitter called… Continue reading PETA vs. the Feminist Blogosphere
This week, Oxford’s homeless population will be eating hot dog buns. I’ve said on this blog before that one of the high points of my week is my work with Food Justice, a non-profit in Oxford that diverts nearly-expired supermarket food from the landfill and gives it to organizations that provide meals for the needy. … Continue reading On Hot Dog Buns and Capitalism
During the crux of my punk rock days*, I wondered whether “the kids” would ever revolt. I didn’t put much thought into what would happen if they actually did; after all, as Sham 69 put it, “If the kids are united, they will never be divided.” I’m fascinated by the student protests in the U.K.… Continue reading When the Kids Revolted
Oh hai. If you haven’t heard, there’s a war on higher education going on. As nearly every social service that makes civilization, well, civilized is currently up for debate, it’s not particularly surprising that university funding hasn’t really made it on to most peoples’ radars. But in Britain, the restructuring of higher education that is… Continue reading News from the Front
I’ve often wondered whether people who live their entire lives in places with really fantastic National-Geographic-esque animals still get excited when they see them. Are elephants still cool if you live in Kenya? And are squirrel monkeys equally entertaining for Amazonians as they are for me, or are they just like, well, squirrels? For their… Continue reading On the Need for a Huaorani A.L.F.
If I actually had the wherewithal to draw up a budget for this trip, I think I would have to include a byline for what I give to mendigos (Spanish for “beggars”). As sure as it is that I will go to Café Amazonica every day in Coca—they get the whole vegetarian thing, and have… Continue reading Mendigos and Some Development Naivety
Alex V. Barnard - Sociology 