BRAVE STAR
singing like a slow scent beneath the sunArchive for November, 2006
016.
tudo e bem bonito agora, neste momento.
i have had no time to write. no time to acknowledge all the beautiful moments. no time to really unpack all the thoughts that have been swooshing around in my head. i have had a plethora of new experiences in the past month. some being more worthwhile learning experiences than others. i have seen some true colors. i have become more aware of my senses. i have felt more alive. more like myself. more inside myself. i have shared smiles. shared poems. shared laughter. i have congratulated and sympathized. i have been excited and disappointed and pissed off and scared. i have been awkward. i have been warm. i have frozen my ass off. i have had daydreams and nightmares. i have stayed up to watch the day begin. i celebrated. i hurt. i listened. i spoke up. i stepped up. i passed the torch. i started something new. i followed thru. i giggled. i was alone. i was surrounded. i was loved. i loved. i reconnected. i disconnected. i made a friend. i sang. i danced. i remembered. i forgot. i tried. i travelled.
so this is life. this is living. sometimes it’s overwhelming. november has been so full. i’m tired but i’m also feeling better than ever. i wouldn’t mind if it kept going like this forever. despite the fact that most of my schoolwork now is just distracting busywork, i have not been so stimulated outside of class in a long time. i needed this because i knew there was more. there’s still more but that’ll come when it’s supposed to. i think maybe it’s already on it’s way. i’m excited.
i was walking home late last night and i felt like i was the only person awake in the whole neighborhood. the night was was silent and warm, like a dream, and it was about to rain. right before it started to drizzle, i caught a raindrop on my eyelashes. then on my forehead. then in my hair. one by one slowly. they felt like splashes of blessings. like my angels were pinning dollar bills to me. except this was rain not money. then it it started to rain harder and it must have looked crazy, but i was smiling at 3 in the morning on my doorstep because i remembered that my angels, my ancestors, and all my guiding forces are still there. still here with me.
so yeah, i am in a good mood.
beijinhos, meus amores.
015.
here i am with one golden hour on my hands before my portuguese class and i just thought i’d share a lil sumthinsumthin…
fwd: wharton got pwned!
>COMPASSIONATE SLAVERY’ MARKET FOR AFRICA: WTO
>
> November 13, 2006
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> WTO ANNOUNCES FORMALIZED SLAVERY MARKET FOR AFRICA
>
> Philadelphia – At a Wharton Business School conference on business in
> Africa, World Trade Organization representative Hanniford Schmidt
> announced the creation of a WTO initiative for “full private
> stewardry of labor” for the parts of Africa that have been hardest
> hit by the 500 years of Africa’s free trade with the West.
>
> The initiative will require Western companies doing business in some
> parts of Africa to own their workers outright. Schmidt recounted how
> private stewardship has been successfully applied to transport,
> power, water, traditional knowledge, and even the human genome. The
> WTO’s “full private stewardry” program will extend these successes to
> (re)privatize humans themselves.
>
> “Full, untrammelled stewardry is the best available solution to
> African poverty, and the inevitable result of free-market theory,”
> Schmidt told more than 150 attendees. Schmidt acknowledged that the
> stewardry program was similar in many ways to slavery, but explained
> that just as “compassionate conservatism” has polished the rough
> edges on labor relations in industrialized countries, full stewardry,
> or “compassionate slavery,” could be a similar boon to developing
> ones.
>
> The audience included Prof. Charles Soludo (Governor of the Central
> Bank of Nigeria), Dr. Laurie Ann Agama (Director for African Affairs
> at the Office of the US Trade Representative), and other notables.
> Agama prefaced her remarks by thanking Scmidt for his macroscopic
> perspective, saying that the USTR view adds details to the WTO’s
> general approach. Nigerian Central Bank Governor Soludo also
> acknowledged the WTO proposal, though he did not seem to appreciate
> it as much as did Agama.
>
> A system in which corporations own workers is the only free-market
> solution to African poverty, Schmidt said. “Today, in African
> factories, the only concern a company has for the worker is for his
> or her productive hours, and within his or her productive years,” he
> said. “As soon as AIDS or pregnancy hits–out the door. Get sick, get
> fired. If you extend the employer’s obligation to a 24/7, lifelong
> concern, you have an entirely different situation: get sick, get
> care. With each life valuable from start to finish, the AIDS scourge
> will be quickly contained via accords with drug manufacturers as a
> profitable investment in human stewardees. And educating a child for
> later might make more sense than working it to the bone right now.”
>
> To prove that human stewardry can work, Schmidt cited a proposal by a
> free-market think tank to save whales by selling them. “Those who
> don’t like whaling can purchase rights to specific whales or groups
> of whales in order to stop those particular whales from getting
> whaled as much,” he explained. Similarly, the market in Third-World
> humans will “empower” caring First Worlders to help them, Schmidt
> said. (http://www.policynetwork.net/main/article.php?article_id=505)
>
> One conference attendee asked what incentive employers had to remain
> as stewards once their employees are too old to work or reproduce.
> Schmidt responded that a large new biotech market would answer that
> worry. He then reminded the audience that this was the only possible
> solution under free-market theory.
>
> There were no other questions from the audience that took issue with
> Schmidt’s proposal.
>
> During his talk, Schmidt outlined the three phases of Africa’s 500-
> year history of free trade with the West: slavery, colonialism, and
> post-colonial markets. Each time, he noted, the trade has brought
> tremendous wealth to the West but catastrophe to Africa, with poverty
> steadily deepening and ever more millions of dead. “So far there’s a
> pattern: Good for business, bad for people. Good for business, bad
> for people. Good for business, bad for people. That’s why we’re so
> happy to announce this fourth phase for business between Africa and
> the West: good for business–GOOD for people.”
>
> The conference took place on Saturday, November 11. The panel on
> which Schmidt spoke was entitled “Trade in Africa: Enhancing
> Relationships to Improve Net Worth.” Some of the other panels in the
> conference were entitled “Re-Branding Africa” and “Growing Africa’s
> Appetite.” Throughout the comments by Schmidt and his three
> co-panelists, which lasted 75 minutes, Schmidt’s stewardee, Thomas
> Bongani-Nkemdilim, remained standing at respectful attention off to
> the side.
>
> “This is what free trade’s all about,” said Schmidt. “It’s about the
> freedom to buy and sell anything–even people.”
>
i read this at first and was like WHAT THE FUCK!!! but it didn’t happen.
just another piece of work by The Yes Men. check them out.
i kinda feel like i could write an Octavia Butler-esque story based on that.
i’m not really a science-fiction futuristic kinda girl, but i think that would be a fun challenge. especially since i haven’t written much in a while…
in other news, i’ve been mad busy. there are four more weeks of classes left in this semester, so i’m finally gonna buckle down for a month and get my gpa where it needs to be! wooohoooo.
so, back in june, rob brezny of free will astrology suggested a great way to meditate on your personal truths. he says to find at least one new variety of each of the following: allies, sanctuaries, resources, inspirations, and pleasures.
i’ve seen a couple people try to do this, and i think it’s worth a shot…
allies: i’m not sure if i can name a particular person, but recently i have been lucky enough to enjoy the old and new company of many many different people and they have all been wonderful.
sanctuaries: the pub room of kelly writers house feels like it’s turning into my bedroom. i’m spending more and more time here each week and i’m kinda loving it.
resources: i effing love wikipedia. i can’t deny it. today i learned what “pwned” means. thank you, internet.
inspirations: i haven’t actually read it yet, but The Facts of Winter by Paul Poissel (Paul LaFarge, translator) looks quite good. it’s a series of dreams of people in Paris in Winter 1881. i need to learn more about dreams.
pleasures: au bon pain pastries and soups especially pumpkin spice muffins and pecan rolls and chicken noodle soup. mmmm.
oh one last thing i need to share. it’s kinda scary and sad and embarrassing that these two were on national tv, but here goes.
….well folks that’s all i could scour from the depths of my brain.
til next time!
hope there’s sun wherever you are :)
014.
this week has definitely been the fullest, busiest. most hectic, stressful, and exciting week i have had in a while.
i need some time to digest everything.
just wanted to share one good thing:
yesterday i got to read my poem, “elegy after the flood” at the meisel gallery in soho at the kwh event. it was the most validating and fulfilling experience i have had in a while. to know that people appreciate some words i put on a page. ahh. it was definitely what i needed.
jeez, i really need to unwind. i feel like i’ve been on the go forever. and now i gotta run again.
012.
well…no afrobeat party : (
but i did have a nice relaxing night. i made myself the most bombass, most deliciousest turkey feijoada (yumyum) and watched some Passa Passa videos on youtube…and “Cidade de Homens” previews on imeem(see below) ….why? because i don’t have a freakin tv to suck away the time. gotta be creative…
*edit* uh, i tried to embed it…didn’t work:
http://cityofmen.imeem.com/video/6eDTK0gF/city_of_men_episode_5_saturday_preview/
then to make up for not going out…i bumped some club music. some diplo, carioca funk, baile funk and then some good ole baltimore booty music. gottaluvit…i found a brilliant podcast that plays only favela funk. my roomates are about to get reallll annoyed…
i really do wanna read but my brain is mad tired after cramming for exams all week. so i’d rather just stare at the wall…
i guess the day is winding down. and i actually did see something today that made me smile. something unnoticeable. almost secret.
in other news, i need a massage. better yet i should just go to yoga. since i know my mat is balled up in a corner somewhere.
so, right now i’m listening to stephanie renee’s soul sanctuary podcast, and it’s kinda dope. she’s playing “tennessee” by arrested development….so throwback! i challenge you to a game of horseshooooes.
yeah i am all over the place right now. i think i’m gonna try to convert all this additional energy into some writing, or at least, some efficient list- making…
i feel like i’m on one of those kicks where i’m super hyper right before i crash and plummet into the depths of sleep. like at sleepovers back in the day.
god, i am an old lady. i woke up at 7:30, made dinner at 3pm and am now about to call it a night at 10:30. i just need some cats and a chain to put my glasses on….both of which i’m very close to getting.
aw, now she’s playing dionne ferris. the song “hopeless” from “love jones.” i am so close to digging that dvd up.
oh yeah, i actually did have real thoughts that i wanted to put here…the old lady thing reminded me that i wanna do a video interview with my granny. i was poking around in the library today and there was this huge ass collection of black women’s oral histories. they were dope as hell. i need to do a project on that.
also need to do a project on homosexuality in the black community because shit needs to be talked about…
and i’m parched. gonna make some tea now.
tchau-tchau.
011.
i am tired of ranting. so so tired of it. but i need to get this out of my system. i guess it goes along with the detox that i’m supposed to be doing….
now, people are entitled to their opinions and/or faiths, but i have a major problem when supposedly smart people, or rather “educated” people, especially black women, who have suffered a history of oppression, say some ignorant ass, general sweeping, discriminatory statements about other people. that shit irks me. it just doesn’t make sense.
i am not one to argue. not one to teach lessons. not one to persuade. so i didn’t say anything but it’s really been bothering me. because i’m sad and disappointed that people get away with that kind of stuff all the time, without getting called out. especially in a supposedly progressive, open-minded, intellectual space.
whew. i need to see something beautiful today.
“Kneeling in the keeping room where she usually went to talk-think it was clear why Baby Suggs was so starved for color. There was’t any except for two orange squares in a quilt that made the absence shout. The walls of the room were slate-colored, the floor earth-brown, the wooden dresser the color of itself, curtains white, and the dominating feature, the quilt over an iron cot, was made up of scraps of blue serge, black, brown and gray wool–the full range of the dark and the muted that thrift and modesty allowed. In that sober field, two patches of orange looked wild–like life in the raw.” — Toni Morrison, “Beloved.”
that’s what college feels like right now. i need some orange.
i’m going to an afrobeat/ afro-brasilian party at haverford tonight. will be fun, i hope. gotta get thru the rest of this day first though.
