On Holiday!

Heading off to Spain for 6 days and 5 nights. We need the break... after my latest essay score debacle and the craziness of the program ending...

We start and end in Barcelona; I'm sure we'll have some fun stories!

Story at 11.

Lost and Found

Exactly one year to the week, I found some film that I lost! And I am happy, because they are some of the best photo's I have taken during our entire time here. I'll email them out soon, until then... enjoy the latest Picture in the Caption Contest. CLICK HERE or go to the bottom left links.

BTW, I awarded the caption prize to a real wanker this time... forgive me.

Friday night campfire

Last night was the first house 'campfire'. We'd like to call it a bonfire, but the negative connotation of 'partying it up' and the fact that it really was a pretty small fire prevent that from happening. However, the volleyball, the burgers on the grill and the stories around the fire with a beer in your hands is as close to the Minnesota/Wisconsin summers that we can get! Some of these students are hungry for home. Although most I would say are sad that there is less than 3 weeks left of their time abroad.

I must say, that in my experience, that some of the best heart to hearts are had around fire. Last evening was no exception. Discussion ranged from family, to politics to life. A good night. These students are going to leave this place with such a great formal and informal education, as am I.

Essays are Done.

Iason, Me, Jessica, Tali, Catherine, Jennifer, Andi and Vincent

It is hard to believe, but my courses and assessment for my masters degree are done! I submitted my finally essay for my Human Rights course yesterday.

How, if at all, can universal human rights be reconcilled with the fact of cultural diversity? It was relatively easy topic to summarize but the more difficult to solve. I emphasized the constructivist viewpoint (of course!) and the increasing global human rights norms and the flexible and dynamic nature of culture and communities for possible openings in universalizing human rights.

With Social Movements essay handed in last week, and American Foreign Policy done 3 weeks ago (the picture is the AFP gang celebrating the finish at the Blind Poet), I now go full time on dissertation.

Word of the Day

meliorism \MEE-lee-uh-riz-um\ noun

: the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment

Good new word. Use it in a sentence this week.

March visitors

IN FRONT OF EDINBURGH CASTLE, late March with Brad and Derek, Tim and I were on our way to dinner with them and then out for some pints.

Volleyball Pics

Some Volley Ball Tourney pictures. Some students orgranized 30-40 folks to set up, play and judge a little inter-house tournanment. Good fun! My team made it to the finals, but ultimately lost (2 out of 3, the second game score was 29-27 I think!) to the Dalkeith Dominators.

(The Dominators in white pose after their first victory)

(Brandon, Alisa, me, Holly and Lindsay)
In typical orchidaceous fashion - YES, I am wearing a crown. Our team name was the 'Dazzlers', so you have to cut me some slack.

Fresh from Spring Break

It's a BEAUTIFUL day out today. The weather this past week has finally been so much better (warmer!) that most of the cold month of March. I succeeded in finishing my second essay this past weekend. A brief review of how the study of social movements has shifted, privileging, slightly, the topic of identity -- at least in how it has been approach. It is not just a descriptor of a group or collective action, but sometimes a strategy or goal of a social movment. I used the labor and gay movements to discuss the quote, "Movements that privilege identity ignore opportunities" (Tarrow, 1998). By highlighting how labor movements actually did have some identity components to them (either in providing a collective 'conscious' or solidarity or as an impetus for social as well as economic reform) and how the 'quintessential' identity-based movement has recognized the constraints of a ‘fixed’ identity and the benefits of queer theory’s poststructuralist contributions to the movement, I didn’t disprove Tarrow’s statement so much as qualify it.

Ted left yesterday. Despite working almost the entire time he was here (me anyway) Tim and I had a wonderful time with him. Tim was sick the last night he was here, so Ted and I got to hang out and chat over a few pints on our own - a fun night indeed in the new ‘smoking garden’ - the new smoking laws are in effect and the locals have something to say about. We met Sheena and her twin sisters Christine and Irene.

Fresh from spring break, the students are home and start back to classes today. There less than 6 weeks left - they will start freaking out soon. This weekend we have the overnight Durham/York trip. Tim and I and around 40 students are scheduled to go. It’s always a highlight of the semester.

This week I need to grade some journals, starting sketching out the summer SCC course and working on my final essay! I’m shooting to have it done by 10 April - one week. Go.