the third time's a charm

love is never gone, as we travel on

2010-10-07T06:05:00.001-05:00

its not farewell, but fare forward in the adventures of growing up.

one last link dump

2010-10-06T00:26:00.000-05:00

more fashion week: love some of moschino. on writing and translation. "i also assumed -- taking my cues from hemingway, maugham and fitzgerald -- that i had years of globetrotting to do before i'd consider settling down with anyone." two readings of the mapping report that compare the leaked draft to the final text. hamlet via facebook. brilliant interview with jstew. so go have fun already! offer kindness. on online communities, spring/summer 2010. on holding rwanda accountable. on doing it the same, just back in the day.

i'm off tomorrow -- keep in touch here.

'cause i've got a big heart to feed

2010-10-01T17:36:00.006-05:00

it gets better: a brilliant project by a man i would've hopelessly loved had we gone to high school together (oh come on, yall know its true). share your joy, give 'em hope:

the un mapping report is out today, "un bureaucratic wrangling aside, the central point stands: none of this is new" news if you've been watching the region (maaajor kudos to french and gettleman). "it will be a fine line to walk between brotherly relations and justice." my dreams tend to include airports these days. how vikings make news. burmese election watch. on hermeneutics. on the second round of history - synthesized, declassified docs on the lead up to the iraq war. bombs go off during nigeria's 50th anniversary celebrations. how to live forever - shake up your routine and have some fun.

ps: aria just brought me a card with a bag of green swedish fish taped inside. love her. so much.

and i think its about time to tell you this

2010-09-30T13:38:00.002-05:00

one week to go, and i've got nearly everything checked off my to-do list. just have to head to the united states postal office one last time - one box to the ocon, one to trond.

the first, ever, human rights based sanctions re:iran. free song download located here. surprise surprise, delays in sudan's january election. BIOL 430. relationships are when you put two people in a jar, and then, you shake the jar! the individual as (super)hero. advice for the ladies. go watch bonnie and clyde tonight. avett gains a harmonica via g.love - my soul says YESSSSSSSS:

visible horizon

2010-09-29T16:20:00.003-05:00

gio's three months old today!!!

on storytelling, "i had to get stupid and jump off a cliff." keeping up with the LRA. speaking of... clinton's statecraft. on conflict and governance. where good ideas come from. what will future generations say about us? more african music. bono-watch. sweet mother of mangos (and pakistan). what's your degree of separation to the bacon kevin bacon?

ps: new live avett album set to drop 5.10.10

know that you have nothing to lose

2010-09-28T11:29:00.003-05:00

despite everything that's going on, i'm finding little to say these days. my apologies.

well, other than I AM SO EXCITED. that is all.

what happens to your books after you die? "not much of a choice, i think." adjectives, fucking adjectives. the filming of animal documentaries, explained. excerpt from new sedaris. on documentaries about justice. on asking why. they tell me cooking is about intimacy. karadzic defends himself. "and that is exactly what human beings are - analogue and noble. and, and people who try to aggrandize language into something right or wrong, you might as well say a person is right or wrong. its just ass gravy." "but this does seem to be the only true way to ultimately nip terrorism at its roots." on being confronted to give money on the street. ten things sec clinton and lady gaga have in common.

"the sex.." vs "Žižek"

2010-09-25T00:13:00.000-05:00

mhm, not sure there's a better way to spend a friday evening than watching your sis-in-law bake cupcakes and making post-mod jokes with your brother.

20 mustaches that changed history. is there such a thing as too much love of the constitution? funny thing - i know what movie(s) they're referencing. "i guess a guy can only discuss meat importation for so long before losing a grip on sanity."always remember to love your index - drezner's right. "he speaks in full paragraphs..""then, look him in the eye and fraternally ask, 'so, are you guys planning a keg party while i'm out?'"

its not where i am its who i'm with

2010-09-23T15:27:00.003-05:00

with two weeks to go, the second gleam has become my background buzz.

"stupid existentialist debate club." shutter.fm. warning: advice on writing has an expiration date. if they don't get you, its their loss. documentary worth checking out. for the renaissance-minded, book suggestions. a great lakes regional committee has been established to prevent genocide et al - this should be interesting to watch unfold. why you should never, ever say no to a panda. woody allen podcast, mhmm. blehhh.

would you always, maybe sometimes make it easy

2010-09-22T11:22:00.005-05:00

been downsizing / organizing my files over the last few days -- going through old photos has to be one of the most amusing things you can spend a few hours doing.

look at the stars lighting up the sky: no one of them stays in the same place -- seneca

fascinating bit on clarity in writing. glee, the old-school video game. yup, this is awesome. the follow up to the gladstone report. anyway, this is how come i'm into vegetables that look like celebs. thanks to your personal confession, this moment just got AWKWARD!! we just maxed out cute. ahahaha. an open letter to pres mbeki. how to live safely in a science fictional universe. das gift and the berlin smile. "as a matter of hygiene, please respect our ban on velveeta, which we learned the hard way does not double as a lubricant." the bad ex secret service. "there's something very discomforting about sitting in a hotel ballroom full of rich people talking about the best ways to help the world's poorest people when almost none of the latter are present." a fantasy maybe, but no legit excuse to need it. a modest proposalfor authors / publishers. come friday, what will obama say about sudan? turkey takes the stage. oh woody, you slay me: "if i get an idea for a brilliant film in the sudan, i crumple it up and throw it away." down with fun. travel quotes and alt-travel quotes.

close of a chapter, close of a book.

2010-09-21T21:33:00.003-05:00

i made it to the end of probs & process and was greeted by a smile:

In this book I have suggested that international law is a process, a system of authoritative decision-making. It is not just the neutral application of rules. None of the problems explored in these lectures can be satisfactorily resolved by confident invocation of a 'correct rule'. The problem exactly is that various, quite plausible, alternative prescriptions can and have been argued for. The role of international law is to assist in choice between these various alternatives.
I hope I have demonstrated that what one suggests as the answer to each of our problems depends in large part upon how one looks at the sources of international law as they bear on the particular subject. And how one looks at the sources in turn depends very much on one's legal philosophy. There is no separating legal philosophy from substantive norms when it comes to problem-solving in particular cases.
I hope that this book has assisted in showing 'how the pieces fit together'. My experience is that these linkages are not always apparent. I would like students to understand better, for example, that immunities are really part of the topic on jurisdiction; that competence over events on vessels is part of the law of jurisdiction and not the law of the seas, notwithstanding its customary placement under the latter heading in textbooks; that recognition is relevant to immunity issues and to the problems of act of state.
It is not enough to be familiar with the current 'buzz-words' of international law. There is a contemporary trend of mindless invocations of the fashionable concepts -- self-determination, rights erga omnes, uti possidetis, etc., etc. But these are not mantras, the mere chanting of which is sufficient in itself. We have to see, rigorously, what exactly these legal concepts mean, and when they are appropriately applicable. This book has urged that we must resist treating evolving ideas as if they are all things to all men.
We must expect in the international system an endless kaleidoscope of problems. Major changes in the international system -- such as those we have witnessed in the last ten years -- will change the pattern of the problems, but not eliminate the phenomenon. International law is a process for resolving problems. And it is a great and exciting adventure.
-- Rosalyn Higgins, 1994

time to ship her back to the ocon, so she too can lie waiting in storage. fare forward, friend.

(instrumental)

2010-09-21T14:32:00.004-05:00

real peeved about news from the senate today -- seriously yall?!

No man with a genius for legislation has appeared in America. They are rare in the history of the world. There are orators, politicians, and eloquent men, by the thousand; but the speaker has not yet opened his mouth to speak who is capable of settling the much-vexed questions of the day. We love eloquence for its own sake, and not for any truth which it may utter, or any heroism it may inspire. Our legislators have not yet learned the comparative value of free-trade and of freedom, of union, and of rectitude, to a nation. They have no genius or talent for comparatively humble questions of taxation and finance, commerce and manufacturers and agriculture. If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America could not long retain her rank among the nations.

a legit argument for why the US should send troops (or spooks) to the congo. meanwhile, glenn beck puts a new spin on the causation - correlation debate: genital cleaning progs in africa questioned with - not over - pie. "and i'm trying to be the change i seek in the world, taking lunch and playing basketball." contemporary reasons to read thucydides - includes star trek (?). a proposal for an international inquiry commish into burma gets reenergized. ahh, cliches. on wearing boat shoes in landlocked denver. as seen from the eyes of vikings. GLEEEEEEE. "war is so obviously evil and wrong that the idea that there could be anything good to it feels almost like a profanity. people who think about world peace need to think about that." a freedom agenda - fascinating take on a potentially overhyped book. haunted wisconsin.

you grew up by playin' near the valley so wild

2010-09-20T11:39:00.010-05:00

it about broke my heart today when mina told me she wants me to stay in beaverton forever.

cheap decorating via rasterbating. "on saturday afternoons when i sit in here and these big reports come in, i sometimes wonder if i'm the only human being who will ever read them." 1000 awesome things. why do you do what you do? easterly on what do to in the face of tyranny. mr angry mustache on obama. its fall, so all of the world leaders head to the un: a primer. hooray, new jaymay! more aloe blacc most certainly is a good thing. and once again, an office i'd never ever be late to. the first virtual library. get a real degree when it comes to writing.

with my feet on the dash

2010-09-19T17:04:00.004-05:00

turns out the body is amazing at hiding stress. found this strangely calming,

autumn. mister mort - if i was a guy, i'd wear the last one here practically daily. this would be a fun road trip to take. keep the "i'm mad as hell!" quote in context. here's to kicking off a week of dialogue and possible protests.

only free range here, folks.

2010-09-18T22:21:00.001-05:00

take a stroll around the world. a doc about pastry chefs. an open letter to miss h duff. on un reform, "in reality, the problem was much deeper and, ultimately, much harder to solve." "he has learned all too well how to exploit the weakness of international diplomacy. now he holds a lit match over a vast bonfire. perhaps he fears the consequences of flicking it on to the pyre, but the irresolute response of years past have ensured it's his choice -- and his alone." having character v. a name. its like a neo-"make me a sandwich!" kind of kitchen. meet: anders osborne. judge me as you see fit, but i rather adore the oscar de la renta spring '11 collection, l.a.m.b. and, gant by michael bastian. relatedly, beef with gaga. bono speaks on MGD(s).

it's like nothing in this world's ever still

2010-09-16T17:53:00.002-05:00

the tallest man on earth has a new ep out - AND HE WILL BE TOURING IN EUROPE THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR! oh happy, happy day!

another reason why i love moleskins -- passions. "apparently, that girl from the north country remembers me! she just 'friended' me!" as alfred hitchcock once furthered the cinematic transition of the radical wipe, so do i pioneer with the provocative primacy of the powerpoint fire transition. google in the courthouse for jury selection. oh seth, how you always know what i need to hear. you may not be beautiful / but who am i to judge? / i don't know if you're beautiful, because i love you too much. "ok ladies, before we start the day, you have one final bit of training to do. propositional avoidance and countermeasures." can humanities survive the 21st century? HERZOG. "we need a truth commission on torture" - agreed. the rolls royce of ... chalk. lombardi - the play.

gutted: the notes on my phone

2010-09-16T16:05:00.004-05:00

in an effort to get organized pre-departure, here's to posting all the random crap that was on my phone:

horace in his odes confessed that for him one corner or the earth wore a special smile. i believe this to be true for all people who have roots. -- monica m hutchings

"live forever!" and i thought, "god, that's wonderful how do you do that?" -- ray bradburry interviews

take no heroes. only inspiration -- some guy named ryan

crime against history -- w. cronkite

you live your life as if its real / a thousand kisses deep -- cohen

she does not solve cases so much as tell the stories of them -- chabon, ypu

its like there's a film score playing playing behind them, heavy on the castanets. -- chabon, ypu

having a sister or a friend is like sitting at night in a lighted house -- m robinson, housekeeping

we "feel free" because we lack the very language to articulate our unfreedom. -- zizek

if slothkin's right, maybe the death of the institutions of friendship is the death of innovation in the arts. -- kurt v.

he wasn't a child anymore. he was a badly jangled man. -- kurt v., king and queen of the universe

moreover, friendship would seem to hold cities together, and legislators would seem to be more concerned about it than justice. for concord would seem to be similar to friendship and they aim at concord above all, while they try above all to expel civil conflict, which is enmity. further, if people are friends, they have no need of justice. but if they are just they need friendship in addition; and the justice that is most just seems to belong to friendship. -- aristotle

i think today's changed all my stupid rules of who and what and why and where and how much i'm willing to lose. -- five and dime

before elvis, there was nothing. -- john lennon (board on elvis pres. bvld.)

its a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation. roberto benigni

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

2010-09-15T17:32:00.005-05:00

quantified, stuff white people like (hint: van halen). stuff amanda loves: woody allen. good film, good question to ponder. better book titles? autesserre responds (hello next book on my list). suburban knights. stuff amanda loves pt.2: john stewart re:tony blair. three circles show truth. a love poem for the ladiesss. turkey voted - big changes to come.

you and me have seen everything to see from bangkok to calgary

2010-09-13T21:30:00.001-05:00

just finished steve martin's born standing up. it chronicles his stand-up comedy years -- with a lonely undertone, his unyielding charm persists.

number one school for the do-gooder? lynx hell yes. this is linked only because they used the phrase "you have to be kind of a margaret mead of prep to go in and discover.." on the frustrations of soft power. glow-in-the-dark jesus (spotted: rwanda). guide to transiting through the DRC (awesomeee). the john bolton view of international judicial processes. a fond and inventive satire for the ages: true prep. "after all, music isn't everything. and it is subjective. and just because someone doesn't know what the hell they're talking about and has garbage-ears doesn't mean i would just up and abandon that person.." the world as you've never seen it before. the one oprah show i would've happily been in the audience for. DENARRATION, FICTIVE REST and other words from the near future. the view from the HRC. why every beer hall should serve the glory that is PBR. change is in the air in the DRC - beyond just the mineral export ban.

the street lamp will be tethered to her station

2010-09-11T10:39:00.008-05:00

a) this is when i fell in love with jstew.

a.ps) relatedly: "people learn how to treat you based on what you accept from them - so do not accept silence..."

b) john hodgman, welcoming remarks made at a literary reading, 9.25.01:

Good evening.
My name is John Hodgman. I am a former professional literary agent, which on a good day is a pretty small thing to be, and these days feels rather microscopic. Before I was a professional literary agent, I thought it would be a good idea to be a teacher of fiction in a college MFA program because it is easy and you are adored all the time and of course it pays a lot of money.
I used to have a lot of bright ideas.
I even had two lessons planned out, which, by all accounts from MFA programs that I've heard, is one more than you need. The first would address the comfort of storytelling. I would explain to my adoring students that stories hold power because they convey the illusion that life has purpose and direction. Where God is absent from the lives of all but the most blessed, the writer, of all people, replaces that ordering principle. Stories make sense when so much around us is senseless, and perhaps what makes them most comforting is that, while life goes on and pain goes on, stories do us the favor of ending.
Not a very original idea, but one that seemed more or less reasonable before something happened that showed us how perversely powerful stories can be when told into the ears of desperate and evil men, and showed as well how sadly challenged stories are in providing comfort now. What happened on Tuesday was enormous, sublime in the darkest sense of the word, so large as to overwhelm our ability to describe it, to sense it except in parts, and certainly to order it and make it make sense. In the immediate aftermath, we have only our very personal flash memories, but personalizing an event that has touched so many and so cruelly, announcing by byline our own survival, feels shamefully self-involved. To convert this experience into metaphor, into symbolic gesture, feels almost offensive when we are still pressed by such an urgent reality that is ongoing and uncontainable by words.
I have heard a lot recently about the role of writing, song, music, painting, in the tragic blank space in our souls that this event has left behind. Of course, this preoccupation is largely a result of an unconscious bias of the media. If pig farmers had as much currency with NPR as literary novelists, we would be hearing just as much about the healing power of bacon. And knowing that power well, I can say that it is certainly comparable to the reading of a sensitive short story as far as comfort goes; and yet both fall far below the direct aid that is being passed from person to person, below Chambers Street, in our homes, on the phone with strangers, with an actual touch, in the actual, nonsymbolic, unannotated world of grief in which we live. The great temptation is to be silent, forever, in sympathy.
The second lesson plan that I had in those days was a very lazy assessment of storytelling's function, beginning in the oral tradition, when it served a civic purpose aside from getting you invited to cocktail parties. As I would explain to my adoring students, storytelling served initially in every culture three purposes: to inform, as in relay news and record history, to instruct, as in pass down a set of moral guidelines, and to entertain. We are, as regards this event and its unfolding, all too well informed. And as for entertainment: when I thought this was a bright idea, it was when I was younger and war seemed so far away. But I realize now that those in history whose lives were short and mean and threatened by sword and disease gathered and told stories not as leisure, but as desperately needed distraction, and reassurance that they were not alone.
So if art cannot contain or describe this event, and if for now the suffering is too keen to be alleviated by parable ... if stories are for the moment not as critically needed, as courage, as medicine, as blood, as bacon, they can at least revert to this social function. As time goes on, this will all pass away into memory, into a story with a beginning and a middle and finally an end. And that transition from the real into fable will bring its own kind of comfort and pain. Now, though, we may gather and distract one another, take comfort in our proximity, and know that we are, at this moment, safe.
Not many of my ideas seem bright anymore, and I am not a teacher. I am only humbled: to be here, to be alive.
That is all.

this'll be like bad lieutenant: walikale - drc. relatedly: a stab at the legalese of the mapping report. "that issue of the onion made me proud to be an american."

love is the coal that makes this train roll

2010-09-10T21:12:00.024-05:00

"uh.. you are in my heart always." a must-read about rape in the DRC. eric reeves (!) on the time bomb in sudan. on how international judges are selected (surprised, its pretty low key); relatedly: another american gets a post to the ICC. how to write about issue advocacy: "if your article doesn't include the words 'badvocacy,' 'slacktivist,' or 'awareness,' you're doing it wrong. talk about branded wristbands, berets, and - yes - thongs like they're an end, not a means to one." "greene believed that horror should be remembered in tranquility." brilliant lecture on the crime of aggression. Dear People Who, When I Tell Them I Am an American Sign Language Interpreter, Tell Me How Difficult They Imagine Braille Is to Learn/Read Books With. what about the world as it is would have to change for your idea to be important? kampala: a success. on the history of human rights and the human rights movement (fascinating). "what will survive of us is love." "there is, i am sad to say, no palinology, and thus no general explanation for sarah palin, good or bad." kudos to clinton.

there is a light that never goes out

2010-09-09T20:53:00.013-05:00

today saw the return of r higgins and the smiths to my life.

don't ask don't tell was ruled unconstitutional today under the first amendment (us district court in california).

if you love something, you have to protect it. a collection a day. on the selection of (international) judges. explaining my life to my parents. its really best to keep gingers behind bars. goebbles, you deutschbag, this is arial! ever hired a driver while abroad? on what to do with kagame. debating the peacekeeping presence in the drc.

you promised you'd pinch me when i fall

2010-09-08T20:29:00.001-05:00

for here, for there, for everywhere: so much love to go around.

As the god of bad romantic comedies intended. find the bit on this blog about the rwandan film fest - fascinating. ICC PR in kenya. serbia plans to go ahead with a UNGA draft resolution about kosovo. "and this here is the face of a champion. when it's not buried in mam glands, it's winning hot air balloon races." this is supposedly old news, but talk about a baaaad idea. terrible textbooks. fall, it turns out, is the season of international summitry. surprise, there's a war criminal living next door (so, lets draft the CPPCAH?). "but now, with the simultaneous relentless parodying of "miracles," and the tila tequila incident i fear that all my work has been for naught." dear outkast, i concur, love amanda. b >>> a. thoughts on the huge donation to HRW. there will soon be an article 8 bis to the rome statute. a pep talk for the united states (some commentary). on why monusco is failing so badly. where scholarship and journalism meet. read this if you're curious about the congo.

on reification --

2010-09-06T12:30:00.009-05:00

from rob crilly over at south of west -- worth posting in its entirety:

Poor old George Clooney. While promoting his latest multimillion dollar move with a string of interviews, he manages to slip in a mention of how the ongoing crisis in Darfur is causing him so much pain...
"But in the case of Darfur it's been the greatest failure of my life."
"With other people, we've been able to get a lot of attention focused on the terrible situation there and then nothing has changed. It's very frustrating."
In this soundbite he manages to encapsulate almost everything that is wrong with the world's response to the conflict in Sudan, and highlight the shift that has happened in how we think about humanitarian assistance and conflict resolution.
The simple fact, George, is that the failure in Darfur is not about you. It is not about your pain or frustration or disappointment. It is about the 144 people who died in violence during July (the most recent figures), it is about the risk of a flare-up in the conflict and the millions of people still living in aid camps too frightened to go home.
But this is not what the global response to Darfur is based upon. Instead of adopting policies that will mitigate the pain and suffering on the ground, the advocacy movement has focused on a human rights analysis that highlights the motives of consumers, politicians and leaders in the West. Divestment campaigns, rallies and letter writing campaigns are the tactic, with a strategy of forcing governments at home to adopt a pure outlook.
It is a clever way of operating. By concentrating on T-shirts, banners and wristbands it has clear, achievable targets and can generate a vast, grassroots movement. The same tactics have been used by anti-poverty campaigners and anti-war protestors, turning the debate from discussing outcomes in Africa or Iraq to one of personal responsibility: What did you do in the anti-war campaign, Daddy?
The problem though is that Darfur -- or any other humanitarian crisis -- is not about what we are doing. It should be about whether or not we have made a difference on the ground. It should be about them. Clooney's words suggest he has discovered this dichotomy. His campaign has been incredibly successful -- helping deploy UN-AU peacekeepers and getting President Omar al Bashir indicated at the International Criminal Court -- yet it hasn't helped stop the conflict. Instead Clooney should change his ethical outlook, opting instead for one that values improvements on the ground rather than judging the morality of the players. Ends rather than means.
He is not alone. Principles such as the responsibility to protect or calls to human rights have supplanted other ways of looking at the world. They are powerful norms to prompt people to act in preventing suffering, but they have been reified, turned into ends themselves. They aren't. They are rules of thumb: shortcuts to do the right thing. Forget that and we are in danger of forgetting the purpose of what we are trying to do.
Ultimately we have to remember that actions can only be right in so much as they improve conditions of people in need, erase suffering and make the world a better place. I'm sorry you are disappointed and frustrated, George, but you aren't the one I care about.

i said good gracious can this be my luck

2010-09-06T12:19:00.001-05:00

my PS short list:

1. graceland

2. the paul simon songbook

went through 12 solo pursuits. they're all lovely in their own way -- or, certainly have tracks i'm glad to have discovered. i can chalk graceland's top seed to an emotional attachment: its been around for some truly lovely moments of my life. even gio's been in on the fun as of recent, probably involuntarily, singing and dancing around the house with me (fact: he smiles despite my singing). as to where it'll play next, only time will tell.

hipster hitler. "the future of labor belongs to enlightened, passionate people on both sides of the planet, people who want to do work that matters." 14 first-listens before super tuesday. grumblings re: tenure. new doc on gould. on the fate of the roma. the war is boring guys are in the congo and argue that it does matter. on getting into writing. "i tried, throughout those weeks of traveling, to look and listen with an open mind and heart, and i hope that i managed, in some small way, to bring the life of that region -- with all its joy, frustration, laughter, disappointment, uncertainty, fear, hope, sorrow, and above all else, dignity -- to the page." invoking de tocqueville to think beyond burma's upcoming election.

for the record, the mask is a pumpkin. not a peach.

2010-09-05T19:18:00.008-05:00

oh, my darling family: this brought me to tears laughing:

edit: turns out the mask is a mandarin orange character from san-x. sigh.

what a great day - so much love, yall.

food for thought

2010-09-05T14:15:00.008-05:00

..In this regard, many folks go analogy shopping. Moving up and down the aisles of a Safeway-like store chock-a-block full of historical analogies on the shelves, they search until they find ones that reinforce their preexisting policy inclinations. For instance, I heard a prominent pundit say on a Sunday morning news show two weeks ago in defense of staying the current course in Afghanistan rather than scaling back the U.S. troop presence –that would be like giving up in World War II after the American defeat in February 1943 in North Africa at the Battle of Kasserine Pass. When Ernest and I were teaching for several years a Kennedy School course on "Assessing Other Governments," he gave the students this method of examining the relevance of historical analogies to current policy decisions: Take a long sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle of it. On the left side, identify all ways in which the historical analogy is similar to the current policy problem. On the right side, list all the differences. Ernest observed that most of the time, the enumeration on the right side will be much longer than the one on the left and, if so, policymakers should be exceedingly careful about acting on the basis of purported historical relevance.
-- Robert D. Blackwill

have you ever experienced a period of grace where you brain just takes a seat behind your face and the world begins the elephant dance?

2010-09-04T12:37:00.022-05:00

seriously hoping trondheim has farmers markets akin to portland - its amazing how quickly you can get spoiled as the season progresses, mm.

[also: shout out to barbur world foods. love you lots.]

so, very quickly i've (re)discovered the perils of working with children: at the end of the summer, they all shift rooms or go back to school! its borderline heartbreaking when you get attached and they say "bye miss amanda!" for the last time during summer camp.

haha, i'd let federer keep his chocolates. an interview with gould on MASH's 40th (!) anniversary. balkanising, the verb, used to describe what is happening to the internet. more professors should be this wonderful. "the lesson, whether about geopolitics or daily life, should be clear: if what you are thinking could just as easily be expressed in a slogan, and shouted out or held aloft on a banner by a crowd, then you are probably not thinking at all." "it's about understanding the difference between what buddy wore, what onassis wore, what james dean wore." dig this guy.

got a ticket to my destination

2010-09-03T20:09:00.030-05:00

the grin says it all.

the mapping report's release date has been delayed | commentary on whether or not UNSG had any sway | read the report for yourself and decide - and think about what justice could look like.

hope for the rest of us!! read the rest of the links, or just this in summa. ocampo's OTP is sending a rep to kagame's inauguration. censorship in russia. a class on cinema, human rights and advocacy (no, really). other hallowed-groundprohibitions. first world beverage problems. best seats on the plane. condemned for teachingabout the holocaust. a case for drive-by shooting. mitchell on the ongoing peace talks. a new ICG report on the (increasingly militarized) demarkation of sudan. paper on the crime of aggression.

it's just after breakfast i'm in the road and the weatherman lied

2010-09-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

ezra koenig (finally) covers paul simon?

oh please, release this soon. or.. lets road trip to toronto.

("what are you doing over the long weekend?" figuring out which is my favorite paul simon album, obv.)

..don't get me wrong, but this is your song

2010-09-01T20:55:00.029-05:00

the best-articulated answer to this question as of yet, courtesy of jess:

I get it--we modern women are damn confusing. We are strong and ambitious and committed to forging ahead on all cylinders, be them career, finances, worldly experience, or love. At work, we're going to whip you into shape, talk down to you, and fight you neck and neck for that promotion. On a non-date, we won't shy away from sharing our views on politics, religion or the social tragedy that is Kate Gosselin. Even once we're married, we may expect you to do the cooking or hang out with the kids or play stay-at-home dad while we rule the world. We see ourselves as forces to be reckoned with.
However.
We still want a strong man! Not someone who is going to constantly critique us, surely (our egos are still sensitive, no matter how many kudos we get from the boss in the corner office). But a man who has strong opinions and beliefs. A man who is radiating confidence in his own decisions and worth. A man who makes decisions, and who makes plans, and who challenges our way of thinking about the world around us.
Not a man who agrees with everything we say, or just goes with the flow even when we're asking for his input, or just acts "meh" about things. We want our boyfriend to take over the world with us -- not sit back with a chill, blank stare as we do our thing. We want to be with someone who we consider at least an equal, if not a partner who we can lovingly aspire to match.
Again, we want a man, with all his manly viewpoints and feelings and attitudes, in all his complex and confusing glory.

fascinating take on HR. "somehow, we can't help thinking that when the power goes out and the candles are lit, we may want that print edition." robert frank and fellini go to the carnival. chicago: the font: spotted, loved. "it was one of those early warning signs that, with all the good will in the world, the two sides didn't understand each other or, in a way, themselves." fantastic solo piano to work out to (!). "its about a commitment to mastery, passion and remarkability." swedish campaign: army v au pair. f.a. hayek on human rights, "the US discovered human rights two years ago or five years ago. suddenly it's the main object and leads to a degree of interference with the policy of other countries which, even if i sympathized with the general aim, i don't think it's in the least justified." "you mean occupied north texas?" the declaration from the IHL dialogue. rwanda may pull peacekeeping troops. tweeting through russian state council sessions. on the road through the serengeti. never-ending wars. turkey's achilles' heel. the iraq generation -- you agree?

i'm gonna stand guard like a postcard of a golden retriever

2010-08-31T19:41:00.012-05:00

its a gray day in portland and i'm exhausted.

caught this playing by chance at work today. if i can't get lucky like the kids and have a designated nap time with someone to rub my back, i'll settle for the avetts (usually).

---

"Human language is inadequate to describe the inhuman abuses detailed in the report. The men and women and children who endured them, kept their communities going, treated survivors, buried their dead, provided public services, and continue to live with insecurity to this day are remarkable human beings." -- from laura @texas in africa.

as for the line "We owe them justice," i can't say i agree, because i don't believe justice to be something you can simply give or provide. but to help enable a process that makes space for justice -- well, more thoughts on this to come. if the "voice as [one manifestation of] justice" thesis holds any, i can only hope that this mapping report progresses necessary (and bleated) dialogue.

he never felt so exposed, or so open to the world

2010-08-31T00:04:00.012-05:00

worth an entire post on its own: jason at congo siasa breaks down the rwandan rebuttal of the leaked un mapping report.

and for those who speak french, he's posted a copy of the report. anyone want to translate 500+ pages for me?

to keep the mood warm and fuzzy: a great poem, shooting the moon, on passion and opinions, and on diplomacy not being a dead end.

this is how you close wolski's.

2010-08-29T22:08:00.007-05:00

"this is a fjord. this is a fjord."

2010-08-29T21:31:00.006-05:00

new journey, new blog. (creative, huh?)

so: you've been forewarned: #3 will be phased out, #4 phased in.

wahoo!

you found that old slice of a smile

2010-08-28T19:14:00.019-05:00

ahh, a million little moments made today fantastic. i hope you found the same joy.

AND -- tracked down portland's take on poutine @ potato champion. (picture to come? check back.)

a big effing deal: the UN mapping report, mandated to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in the DRC between 1993 and 2003, was leaked. from what it seems to say, it offers the strongest condemnation of the ethnic tutsi-dominated rwandan government, which has been largely credited with liberating the country from the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide (..and kagame just won a landslide reelection). background on the genocide claim | "the enigma of the so-called 'g-word'" |highlights of the early years (1993-6) | on jurisdiction (hey, ICTR) | statement from a rep from the rwandan government.

dutch prosecutors to investigate peacekeepers at srebrencia. how to react to a controversial judicial ruling. language shaping how you think. the new (non-military) burmese junta. clinton on the mass gang-rape in the DRC. charles taylor trial spotlight. on journalism. i only smoke american spirits.

so far, the answer's been the same

2010-08-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

ohh, this is a lovely story --

little girls tell the biggest lies

2010-08-26T18:11:00.000-05:00

so, while listening to my music, my nieces declared their love for this song. awesome.

it won't cost much, just your voice

2010-08-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

i don't want to talk grammar. i want to talk like a lady.
-- george bernard shaw

the last few weeks is proof that potential can be found in the most unexpected places. just takes time and never-ending engagement. go figure.

ebène quartet - worth the listen. why marriage (?). when to buy plane tickets. usa v kabila (really). surprise, our brains need downtime from technology. new beach house ep. xkcd occasionally posts sweet strips. oh, how we've all done this before. 24 hours of film. live from the front lines of online dating - surprise, its just like the real world. bahaha. sesame square. mr putin working on his doolittle doctorate. remind me why you laugh when i say how much i enjoy mass transit? "come home to choose" your own adventure. marshmallow peep chick lit, "i can't get behind that." jazz boyfriend - a hilarious (-ly legit?) litmus test for love.

white noise

2010-08-23T21:17:00.021-05:00

powell's flagship this weekend was a grounding experience.

and so was the thought that i have to make the fourth iteration of this blog come fall. hot damn.

ranking evil. urban planning in southern sudan, animal style (really). when philosophy intersects with steve urkel. antony and the johnsons new video. coco tries spoken word on for size. the beach boys take on gershwin. leviathan vis a vis kosovo. technology vs academic journals. radiohead solo projects. hipsters of mazar. fascinating point, on the banality of evil 2010. contemplating the us + icc. theorizing how (us) millennials will take to international relations. authors reveal their favorite fonts. where people would move in a borderless world. lawrence arabia live. "i was the only one laughing during a somber afternoon showing of allen's 'manhattan.'" don't let inspiration find you. on docs, "they bespeak if not a love of the world then at least a curiosity about it." kudos - on keeping a grounded dialogue going in today's clusterfuck.

my life, as of recent.

2010-08-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

i thought i had all the time and world enough to discover what i should

2010-08-19T20:20:00.009-05:00

in honor of world photograph day my favorite photo that i've taken; widen the scope and we hit a wall of impossibility.

[istanbul, 2008]

and we are going to graceland

2010-08-18T19:44:00.001-05:00

[insert story about death week '07]

a tower of power - the architecture of american diplomacy. one take on the history of human rights. brownback's case against the proposed turkish ambassador. khadr's trial began. top global cities. ny film fest lineup. ridiculously exciting jazz discovery. incredible interview, if for no other reason the land route he takes. this is damn catchy. "i suspect we also need to start looking past the cold war. if we are going to understand the current landscape, 2001 might be just as important as 1989." photoshopping chuck n. finally getting on burma's case. hah, on changes in meaning. bloody twentysomethings. there ain't no tea at the UN. "Tolerance doesn't mean a thing if we apply it only to people who are already just like us." a mustache i can't get behind. e.b. white on the crisis in a nutshell. potentially solid new (old) documentary. a literal formula for successful hollywood flicks, gross. actually defying gravity: sex in space. haha, writing in FLs. cringe, online dating for those literate folk, "i just finished infinite jest. wanna bone?"

yet... kan Ernie telle baklengs?

2010-08-15T19:27:00.002-05:00

glad to know bert (bernt) is grouchy cross-culturally.

...can't stop the dancing chickens. send an electrician, we're standing by.

2010-08-15T11:12:00.003-05:00

your food for thought this sunday morning,

I have tried to show where I draw the line between what are human rights and what are not. It is more than an academic matter, because the articulation of claims as human rights is part of the process of according priority to decision-making processes. The question is often asked as to whether there is a finite list of rights, or whether it can be expanded indefinitely. The answer to that question depends upon one's perception of what constitutes a human right. For some, it is a core set of civil and political rights. For some, it is al civil and political rights, but not economic, social, and cultural rights. For others, economic and social rights could be included on a "basic-needs" basis--thus the right to food and shelter would be regarded as rights, but other matters as aspirations. Where does our sense of something being a "right", an "entitlement", come from? Beyond the "basic-needs" approach to human rights, it is hard to pinpoint an objective basis. The philosophy of the social contract, whereby the state protects the liberty and security of the person, and his property, in return for loyalty, provides one answer--but also a very short list of civil and political rights. I myself prefer the position that human rights are demands of a particularly high intensity made by individuals vis-a-vis their governments. Thus it is that we now have an unprecedented ratification rate for a treaty on the rights of the child, whereas a decade ago there would have been serious doubt that there was any such human right. In principle, therefore, the list could be infinite. In practice, the continued expansion of the list of rights presents problems. If states accede to this expansion for reasons of political convenience, rather than conviction, then the coinage will undoubtedly become debased, and the major operational importance of designating a right a human right--that opprobrium attaches to ignoring it--will be lost.
-- rosalyn higgins, problems and processes, p105 (1995 ed - footnotes omitted).

now i'm wondering why it's thundering with the sky as clear as your eyes

2010-08-14T09:36:00.004-05:00

sudan's fourth point of contention: Guantánamo Bay.

ohhhh boy.

ps: going to have a bruno marathon tomorrow.

what's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?

2010-08-14T03:19:00.004-05:00

whoa, haven't written about a film in awhile. just finished no man's land (2001) and thought it was worth the blurb. what got me was the wit -- men from opposite sides of the world meet in the "no man's land" of mid-90's trench warfare and get to talking. a strange and beautiful sense of humanity unfolds, even as obnoxious actors ("smurfs" and the token bitchy british journalist) dance in and out of the shot. the end is no surprise per se, but surprisingly honest, holding a fascinating light to the conflict at large. and then there's simon callow. bottom line: any film where prisoner's dilemma plays out with an actor in a rolling stones t-shirt gets a gold star in my book.

this week has brought out my belated love of the white stripes.

all spiffed up at the polling station. slow change matters. a court in bosnia confirmed four indictments on charges of genocide. burma sets first election date in 20 years. on picky eating. 27 levels of compatibility. new media and international relations. gration may move to kenya; commentary. court rejects challenge concerning teaching materials on armenian genocide. women in northern sudan. on literature gracing the shelves of statesmen. pop culture happy hour.

how we would dance out loud

2010-08-12T20:49:00.001-05:00

"that said, no other e-reader impressed us more -- both in terms of convenience and fine hat-making." obama on the geneva conventions. foreign policy catch-22: southern sudan. on the territorial scope of the rome statute. so what if i'm partial: dave douglas brass ecstasy. paul simon (back) on stage. this is funny because it's so true. aww, every frame counts. "in our house we no longer say, 'who is john galt?' instead we say, 'who's our little princess?'" repubs reject suggested turkey envoy (more on turkey). j. newsom live. haha - hot academics. ahh, more beautiful TMOE. vonnegut on the arc of literature. from a dmz to a peace forest. oh kony - the LRA is recruiting (again). "i learned long ago, never wrestle with a pig, you get dirty; and besides, the pig likes it." happy things in international relations. is doha failing? thoughts on the 61st anniversary of the geneva conventions. and, yes karl, the skies were cloudy in kigali.

with maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank

2010-08-11T14:05:00.014-05:00

a note* that a dear friend wrote recently resonated deeply with me in reflection on past (and future) travels --

Taking Wanderlust Seriously
...often we found ourselves pursued by the ghost of past life. We found that understanding sought us out, that our backpacks and water bottles and hours spent alone on park benches were invitations to relationships. We leaned hard into the world this year [...] And we consistently sighed into the arms of graciousness. We allowed our heavy packs and trains of thought to be buoyed by concrete sleeping places and meals prepared with kindness. We lived on conversations that expanded our belief in what is possible in this world. And, finally, we relaxed into the yawning expanse of un-certainty with a complete faith in the love of strangers. [...]
But what we saw matters so much less than who we became. [Our projects] had less to do with the tornado of insight and emotion that catalyzed into being than did the contours of experience that cultivated our mind's ability to understand the way our hearts were opened. Finding insight [into our projects] matters so much less than the fact that we found each other.
So I hope you're at ease, my friends. Because while we may [have] sought adventure in strange places across the globe this year, I think the true nexus of excitement and intrigue lay at that place where our eyes meet the horizon; that spot where the soles of our shoes hit the dirt path; in that place where food touches our lips and the rain stings our eyes. And that place, my friends, is wherever you are.
Go gently into that great night, amigos. But into the night you must go.

maybe that last line took me back to a moment where i wasn't asked to stay, but gently told i was to go (and, as always, how right you were). maybe reading that was timed perfectly with the delivery of a postcard -- a kind reminder of potential discovered in the margins of a book (takk). i was going to write about the search for moderation. nahh..that's not actually what i want. lean in, walk loud, love it all.

anthony, as always, thanks for your stunning clarity on such beauty in life.

[*this was written for a completely different audience: the rockin' watsons - cuts are stuff comments specific to that crew.]

where the winds hit heavy on the borderline

2010-08-11T11:22:00.002-05:00

the phenomenology of ugly (hah). "hell must've had central air conditioning installed."

breathe, keep breathing, don't lose your nerve.

2010-08-10T19:52:00.009-05:00

great mail is soul food. also, i want to go run around and play in an ikea. fin.

solid advice. interview with gourevitch (on the radar: a new book). another view, "that's not a recipe for ongoing engagement, it's an invitation to withdraw further from an already-remote problem." i happen to agree with gaar re: sheboygan, wisc. kudos, sir.

omgcd, where are you now?

2010-08-09T15:41:00.016-05:00

days revolve around child care, nights around the shorties at the house, laaate nights mean logging hours studying language. there's really not much more to say. sorry, yall.

(well, other than yes, its nice to know that there's always a dance saved for me to (any) tune by AL.)

ohh, how i have a whole new respect for you, long dayyys of life (footnote the h/t to dfw circa 2005).

ps: walker's language ("right to marry" vs "right to marry someone of the same sex") mirrors the ICCPR article 23. i know this is a constitutional issue and all; just another reason i respect that. and yes, my progress through higgins' probs and process continues. on the HR chapter - expect (ignore?) commentary at some point in the near future.

naomi testimony conclusion: probably not helpful for the prosecution. make a winning bet for tomorrow's election. love this idea: making music while traveling. go east, young man. what other musicians should run for political office? chart: gay marriage v marrying your cousin. how to dress for events. 24 types of libertarians. AU on OTP. the phd explained, visually (happy day of images?). congress and refugees. a campaign for meatless mondays. make sure to stop at the dostoevskaya station. did columbia self-refer to the ICC? a muuch different voice on the issue of blood diamonds. relatedly, please mr allen, make a film about this - you'd even get to bring mia farrow back! geopolitics of google.earth. first listen: new ray lamontagne (& the pariah dogs) >> love.

sweet as the summer time and strong as the sunshine

2010-08-07T10:57:00.022-05:00

another music day. clips (to come) from the newport JAZZ fest: jamie cullum | wynton marsalis quintet feat. dave brubeck | gretchen parlato | darcy james argue's secret society

and a throwback inspired by TG's video clip (bahaaaha - hope yall keep the dancing tradition alive - this man deserves it!)

getting "real honest" about turkey's EU bid. "the situation is grave." making math pink (ti-1000 included, too?). thoughts on kenya's high tech election serving as a model for others. elections in the DRC are less than a year away. "this is Enough, after all, not Good Enough" (ZING!) "when you get to 60, that's when you just go to bingo, i suppose, but that's not my scene."

dress up day

2010-08-06T19:00:00.004-05:00

a more borris- than natasha-esque russian? dj lance wanna-be? awesome entertainment when shit hits the fan? you decide.

(note: i did not wear this on safari last night with the girls. there was a sweet bucket hat involved, obviously.)

bahaha, your cheat-sheet to my love. an open letter to safeway employees (creepy). modern yoga (funny). lemonade stand shot down in portland. is aid work depressing? "i know its not easy, i know the [video is] not happy, but we must look because they are truth." one man's story on becoming a magnetic zero. more on kosovo. and kagame. huzzah, mexico! life released their photos from hiroshima and nagasaki. the real carmen sandiego (i totally had a cooler hat). if you read only one thing i link discussing the politics of kagame, look here for brilliant commentary. another reason why i love fareed.

a PS:

2010-08-05T18:21:00.004-05:00

there's a lot of people i miss dearly, for a lot of different reasons (walks, talks, laughing, calling out my bullshit, the sheer act of just sitting in silence, you name it). newsflash: it sucks.

i've always been transparent, everybody knows that. so, apologies for not finding a more eloquent way to package the delightfully banal truth written on my face: YOU are loved and missed.

so, please smile. internalize that. and have fuuun in whatever time zone you're holding down.

this journey isn't over it's a long way to the house of fitzcarraldo

2010-08-05T11:43:00.001-05:00

two fascinating viewpoints that resonated,

listen to the echoes - the ray bradbury interviews: "love motivated me. love is the answer to everything. i was in love with life."
this guy: "..as a compliment to their lifestyle, not a necessity."

the rwandan elections are soon approaching. roundup of the commentary: what to watch,synthesisof the guardian's coverage, fantastic video, karegeya's interview in the ugandanobserver (redux - "calls for war on kagame"). another take on kagame.

favre even caught TNR's attention. naomi testifies about sparkly things that may or may not come in boxes. walker's decision weighs heavy on the justice kennedy citations. "airplanes" and an attempted purse snatching. on forgotten music. canadian human rights training for children. ahh bloomberg, "i believe that this is an important test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetimes, as important a test. and it is critically important that we get it right." searching for closure in the former yugoslavia. kenya votes yes for a new constitution. bridging generations with photos.

under due process and equal protection

2010-08-04T14:41:00.046-05:00

a very fitting decision came out today after an illuminating conversation last night --

on what marriage is,

Marriage is a coming together for better or worse, hopefully enduring, and intimate to the degree of being sacred. It is an association that promotes a way of life, not causes; a harmony in living, not political faiths; a bilateral loyalty, not commercial or social projects. Yet it is an association for as noble a purpose as any involved in our prior decisions (citing Griswold: 381 US 479, 486 (1965)).
The evidence shows that the movement of marriage away from a genderized institution and toward an institution free from state-mandated gender roles reflects an evolution in the understanding of gender rather than a change in marriage [..] [t]he exclusion exists as an artifact of a time when the genders were seen as having distinct roles in society and in marriage. That time has passed. [..] Gender no longer forms an essential part of marriage; marriage under law is a union of equals (at 113).
Thus: California does not meet its due process obligation to allow plaintiffs to marry by offering them a substitute and inferior institution that denies marriage to same-sex couples (at 116).

on the types of discrimination,

The evidence at trial shows that gays and lesbians experience discrimination based on unfounded stereotypes and prejudices specific to sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians have historically been targeted for discrimination because of their sexual orientation; that discrimination continues to the present. FF 74-76. As the case of Perry and the other plaintiffs illustrates, sex and sexual orientation are necessarily interrelated, as an individual's choice of romantic or intimate partner based on sex is a large part of what defines an individual's sexual orientation. See FF 42-43. Sexual orientation discrimination is thus a phenomenon distinct from, but related to, sex discrimination (at 119 - 120).
Having considered the evidence, the relationship between sex and sexual orientation and the fact that Proposition 8 eliminates a right only a gay man or a lesbian would exercise, the court determines that plaintiffs' equal protection claim is based on sexual orientation, but this claim is equivalent to a claim of discrimination based on sex (at 121).
(on norm emergence in state law,) Tradition alone, however, cannot form a rational basis for a law (citing Williams v Illinois, 399 US 235, 239 (1970)). The "ancient lineage" of a classification does not make it rational (citing Heller, 509 US at 327). Rather, the state must have an interest apart from the fact of the tradition itself. [..] Proposition 8 thus enshrines in the California Constitution a gender restriction that the evidence shows to be nothing more than an artifact of a foregone notion that men and women fulfill different roles in civic life [..] the evidence shows that Proposition 8 harms the state's interest in equality, because it mandates that men and women be treated differently based only on antiquated and discredited notions of gender. See FF 32, 57 (at 124).

on the argument re:children rearing,

Even if California had an interest in preferring opposite-sex parents to same-sex parents -- and the evidence plainly shows that California does not -- Proposition 8 is not rationally related to that interest, because Proposition 8 does not affect who can or should become a parent under California law. [..]To the extent proponents seek to encourage a norm that sexual activity occur within marriage to ensure that reproduction occur within stable households, Proposition 8 discourages that norm because it requires some sexual activity and child-bearing and child-rearing to occur outside marriage (at 128).

on private moral views and the legislative process,

In the absence of a rational basis, what remains of proponents' case is an inference, amply supported by evidence in the record, that Proposition 8 was permitted on the belief that same-sex couples simply are not as good as opposite-sex couples. FF 78-80. Whether that belief is based on moral disapproval of homosexuality, animus towards gay and lesbians or simply a belief that a relationship between a man and a woman is inherently better than a relationship between two men or two women, this belief is not a proper basis on which to legislate. See Romer, 517 US at 633; Moreno, 413 US at 534; Palmore v Sidoti, 466 US 429, 433 (1984) ("[T]he Constitution cannot control [private biases] but neither can it tolerate them.") (at 132).
..The question here is whether California voters can enforce those same principles through regulation of marriage licenses. They cannot. California's obligation is to treat its citizens equally, not to "mandate [its] own moral code" (citing Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa v Casey, 505 US 833, 850, (1992)).

thus:::

Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional (at 135).

context for my potentially confused friends abroad: Perry et al v Schwarzenegger is an unprecedented trial -- the California Constitutional amendment "Proposition 8", upheld 6-1 by the CA Supreme Court, was challenged as a violation of the federal constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples (specifically: "the fundamental right to marry"**) under the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th amendment. A stay was issued along with the decision; the appeals would fall before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals; the final appeal, if accepted, would then come before the US Supreme Court. Hello history: this is the first federal court test of a state banning gay marriage.

(**v "the right to marry someone of the same sex" -- something the 9th CCA could take up: is this a fundamental right? y/n begets a much different constitutional protection and, thus, court decision.)

here's to love surviving all - even law. cheers, yall.

a very different voice on conflict minerals in the DRC. this is gonna be a dope ass day. i'm weak, it referenced knitting. prez wyclef... called it. many, many quotes. if you didn't want to listen to all of the concerts from the newport folk fest,here's the highlights. overview on the abuse of process in the lubanga trial. imam muda: be the next (televised) muslim leader to change the world. the potential for the ICC to investigate crimes in columbia.

never looking down just in awe of what's in front of me

2010-08-03T10:44:00.003-05:00

working with kids certainly has its... amusing moments. while joining the 6-11yrs for a field trip, it was collectively decided that i was both ancient and ridiculous for not being married with kids. one little darling offered to set me up with her "really cool older brother" (turns out he's 15), while the others thought the latest guy off "the bachelor" was my best bet at bliss. i tuned out when one kiddie started talking about sacraments.

here's to character building and being happy with where you're at, even if it doesn't meet your local 8yr's approval.

atheists. genocide prosecutions in canada (eh?). recap of big int'l law stories if you've been on vaca, too. seth, a-z. norsk history for bostonians. "Thankfully, Snoop Dogg arrived toned, tanned, fit, and ready. For what exactly, we could only speculate.." (from California Gurls: an anthropological study). suggested end-of-summer books (includes orwell). man's search for meaning continues. political baby names. death rates in CAR. "He ought not to be altogether ignorant of the law of nations." overview of rwandan elections coming up next week. women and foreign policy. "gay games". a member of queen just got his ph.d. this is solid - so what if i'm partial to the title?

don't put your trust in walls 'cause walls will only crush you when they fall

2010-08-01T09:31:00.019-05:00

NPR brings the newport folk fest to you (thanks!!) - some concerts i would've loved to have seen:

a window to the world: pamuk on istanbul. just trust me and tune in for trala-lala. uhhh, easterly on what aid critics could learn from film critics; excuse me, i'll be spending the rest of my day laughing.

let the memories be good for those who stay

2010-07-31T16:34:00.027-05:00

ladies and gentlemen, mr gaar adams has returned to the blogosphere! follow what this dear friend of mine has to say about his adventures in abu dhabi - he's got the goods. (hey gaar, we need to talk visits - tickets will be way cheap when i get to the other side of the atlantic!)

livemocha >> googletranslate: det stemmer.

(also, pimsleur is like suzuki.. a pain in the ass for visual learners)

"travel should be an adventure, not an assignment -- and if you spend your vacations armed with too many checklists, you're missing the point of leaving home: 101 places not to see before you die." crying over matisyahu. trading boredom for a lack of creativity. a beer for fukuyama / those that enjoy drinking from dead animals: the end of history brew. you know, the OMGDRC underpants gnome logic is spot on. the agnostic manifesto. on the tyrannical justice system in the states (also: on the aims of criminal justice). "holding a stick with shit at both ends." could be a fascinating doc. endearing. AC's a.t. embarks on a solo project. malcom gladwell podcast on success. on the internet. sudan's "groundhog day". AU on bashir+ICC (so, really, the SC). best magazine articles ever (dfw's got 8; 2 of the top 7. "Genius is not replicable. Inspiration, though, is contagious, and multiform -- and even just to see, close up, power and aggression made vulnerable to beauty is to feel inspired and (in a fleeting, mortal way) reconciled").

i'll tell ya what we're gonna do

2010-07-30T09:50:00.021-05:00

So at the end of the King's garden a great stand had been set up, and as soon as the Royal Pyrotechnist had put everything in its proper place, the fireworks began to talk to each other.
'The world is certainly very beautiful,' cried a little Squib. 'Just look at those yellow tulips. Why! if they were real crackers they could not be lovelier. I am very glad I have travelled. Travel improves the mind wonderfully, and does away with one's prejudices.'
'The King's garden is not the world, you foolish squib,' said a big Roman Candle; 'the world is an enormous place, and it would take you three days to see it thoroughly.'
'Any place you love is the world to you,' exclaimed a pensive Catherine Wheel, who had been attached to an old deal box in early life, and prided herself on her broken heart; 'but love is not fashionable anymore, the poets have killed it. They wrote so much about it that nobody believe them, and I am not surprised. True love suffers, and is silent. I remember myself once -- But it is no matter now. Romance is a thing of the past.'
'Nonsense!' said the Roman Candle. 'Romance never dies. It is like the moon, and lives forever. The bride and bridegroom, for instance, love each other very dearly. I heard all about them this morning from a brown-paper cartridge, who happened to be staying in the same drawer as myself, and knew the latest Court news.'
But the Catherine Wheel shook her head. 'Romance is dead, Romance is dead, Romance is dead,' she murmured. She was one of those people who think that, if you say the same thing over and over a great many times, it becomes true in the end.

-- the remarkable rocket, oscar wilde

for anyone else attempting to teach themselves another language, some fun resources: for audio, rhinospike; for live assistance and community, livemocha; for pen pals, mylanguageexchange.

"Saving lives is a young man's game, and I'm old enough to be the illegitimate father of any one of you." when in doubt, ignore the shadow. and so it begins (continues). on love, a kite that couldn't be tied down. regulation - easier said than done. fun totes for a good cause. a resource for those with a more classical taste. new artist obsession: richard long. ohhh, thank you ed. sharpe for always making my icky days better ("it really is just love").

i am a ticket taker, many tickets have i torn

2010-07-29T17:33:00.002-05:00

MADE, the creative playground. possible future for food magazines. don't tell me they're gonna pick on hummus next. on modern odysseys and finding home. commentary on the newest human right - water. i'll just tell my mother i'm staying here. on spelunking through ptsd. no more lovin' forrescue annie. miles + monk = 'round midnight, 1955. here's to making politics purple. more ray l.

outside the rain is tapping on the leaves to me it sounds like they're applauding us

2010-07-29T17:05:00.001-05:00

aha..this song does exist. ray: you're a genius.

dear world: i currently have a pretty strong anti-synth piano platform. cheers, a.

2010-07-28T12:03:00.023-05:00

yall - does anyone see this as being really, really bad foreshadowing? uganda (et al), welcome to the war on terror.

this was the last dialogue in unit one. ohh, anglophiles..

frank: unnskyld.

en nordmann: ja?

frank: jeg snakker ikke norsk.

nordmann: ikke det? er du student?

frank: jeg snakker ikke norsk.

nordmann: god dag! jeg heter hannsen.

frank: jeg snakker ikke norsk.

nordmann: jeg er fra bergen. er familien din fra norge?

frank: unnskyld. jeg forstår ikke norsk.

nordmann: familien min er i amerika nå. heter du hannsen? jeg er lærer her i norge. er du lærer?

frank: jeg forstår ikke . . .

nordmann: hvordan har du det? bra?

frank: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?!

nordmann: jeg forstår ikke ... kunne du si det en gang til?

lykke til! [for real.]

diplomats need to feel the love, too. ganic's extradition thwarted (almost begs the question: is the idea of justice available for both sides of a conflict? and what of symbolism?). should you ever need a good bag or tent, buy local. if you like cameras and coffee, this could be the kitschiest mug for you. love - glad to know my books survived the great flood of SE WI ('10). a look at possible ideology at play in sudan. the blogosphere's tizzy over the DRC continues: more (valid) questions for the "good ship ENOUGH"; "lets keep our feet on the ground and our heads screwed on"; succinct historical background to the conflict. bangladesh's new court could use a second look. FAREEEED.

i hope the stars set you free

2010-07-27T12:47:00.018-05:00

pete tries wayyy too hard - but, his honesty makes for both a heartbreaking and charming story about a story. and you'll laugh your ass off. go grab a cup of coffee and steve hely's "how i became a famous novelist",

But it went something like this. In their garrets full of dog-eared copies of Emerson's Essays and Barthes on Barthes, they cleaned their hands against their Powell's Bookstore t-shirts and started weighing in [...]
It's a book about searching, and losing things. It's about human connections, how tangled we are with each other. How we struggle and grapple and claw our way across the earth. There are scenes in it, sentences even, that seem realer to me than my own memory--the man feeling a burning in his throat that his child has, too. Naughton turning the dust on his hands into mud as he pours a trickle of water down his arms. It's about fear and seizing. The way you have to settle. The way we're all cursed with an idea of perfect when the world is so messy. How there's never enough of anything. Mostly it's simple, tiny scenes--there's the Japanese invasion, but it comes in a broken-down truck, the skinny officer trying to hide how bad he has it. There's a tiger, but he's seen in snatches and glimpses and a quiver on the skin and when they finally kill him, his flesh hangs in the sun and gets pecked away by birds and flies, viscus drying into dust. you can feel thumbs pressing against rocks, and you're made to feel this stress, this weight we all shoulder, and you can feel the desperation to keep digging, to break through, to transcend the earth. As if there might be something other than the earth.
You get lost in the language of it, but not because it's trying too hard. It's not. What it's really about--and I thought about this for a whole day, sitting at the bar at Wonderland--is how the cruelties we inflict on each other start out so small but become inevitable. It's about what kind of creatures we are and how we came to be this way. These fictional characters that only exist as words on a page somehow seem to know better than I do how to live your life. That the only way to live is to lose yourself.
I can't even describe it right. And I won't bother excerpting it here. Go find it.

brilliant bit on race. cameron wants turkey in the club. "You thought of stories ... You went out and you had to be the smartest person in the room. He demanded that of you." minerals in the DRC: british court case; more fascinating questions for advo groups like ENOUGH; voices of those still not convinced; point/counterpoint; or, just read this and impress your other nerdy friends. and, "congo, welcome to the land of international terror." won't you be my neighbour? super sad true love story - another book worth savoring. if i ever do a themed trip, perhaps this'll be the muse. don't piss off the octopus. soon-to-be reality? when in doubt, defer to hitler, always.

this belief stemmed from early exposure to sad british pop music and a total mis-reading of the movie 'the graduate'

2010-07-26T08:50:00.017-05:00

my two cents on a running theme between a few friends: life isn't about length, its about density: who you love, what you love, knowing what you want to do and actually doing it. if you can figure any of this out, congrats: you've won half the battle; now you owe it to yourself to follow through. the ones that are worth the work are those who enable you. like most great things in life, proximity is linked to reciprocity: you'll have to meet them halfway (however that may manifest) if you want to keep them around; if not, people will leave. and! never apologize for your passions. ever. just trust that grin of yours - it's directly linked to your gut.

"one's own soul and the passions of one's friends - these were the fascinating things in life."

(and, the low anthem.)

amen, amen, amen to this advice. TIA's having "minerals week" for anyone hip to the DRC (ps: fascinating commentary). "OLSON: You could have a slogan like, 'Dare to Dream' or 'Full Dream Ahead.'" i think mama c could get behind my world travels with this - a scratch off world map. fonts and lemonade stands. on balance in life. ohh, venn diagrams. ECCC convicts duch - with video / more commentary on being unextraordinary. on elections and the danger of rushing to the polls. the african union prez's statement re:bashir's indictment. more thoughts on kosovo. one minute portraits. oh, did npr correctly quote the duke - this is beyond category. ugh - i'm on the wrong side of the country for this and this. thanks stefan, you make me miss istanbul even more.

well, you know, henry miller said the best way to get over a woman is to turn her into literature

2010-07-25T16:10:00.002-05:00

happy christmas in july.

am runs kick my ass. pm sedaris kicks my sense of humor.

thanks to mr pamuk for putting out another book (lectures!) that i think even moreland would enjoy. travel diva's tips for airport navigation. "mama don't take my Kodachrome away." why did i never come across these before? poor north/oakland: the sinkhole made news in the UK. yayyy best coast. postmadern men. maybe chad'll prompt some clarity, maybe not. more trials awaiting verdicts. t allen's (et al) new book on the LRA. bacon-infused cocktails (seriously).

i was a victim of a killer smile

2010-07-24T03:48:00.003-05:00

turns out there's such a thing as the "amanda award" (amandaprisen) -- found only at the norwegian international film festival.

huh..

but i can't move the mountains for you

2010-07-23T11:44:00.020-05:00

today's brought to you by the letter P: powell's (books), portland (writ large), post (office), piano (jazz), paris (notebooks used for norsk lessons - hah), prime ministers (via email), pouring (rain - oohhh, sad, sad intersection..)

a wrap up on the kosovor commentary: borgen, jacobs, akande, bosco, milanovic

on freedom. sisyphus meets the 21st century. choose-your-own-adventure-style itunes. for those who love scuba diving - buy a ticket for the bahamas. "ignorance is not simply a void: it has important effects on the kind of opinions one is able to consider, the alternatives one can examine, and the perspectives with which one can view a situation or a problem" (e. eisner, 1979). who will speak for the trees? "...you must have sexy legs," tutu (2009). realists in sudan.

it's not the long walk home that will change this heart

2010-07-22T17:00:00.012-05:00

the icj just released their decision re:kosovo. here's a quickie of the very narrow verdict on the question at hand ("was kosovo's declaration of independence in accordance with IL?"). kudos to iphone updates to hold place until the icj's website becomes functional once again. (6.40pst edit - here's the decision.)

to friends in wisconsin: stay dry! (--why does life get exciting after i leave?)

my norwegian textbooks came. holy hell - there's not a word of english in them. the rosalyn higgins lectures on IL came, too. time to start brewin' the coffee..

depressing cooking advice for the ladies, whoa. d tutu retires. game on - who is coming with me? precedent, precedent, precedent. the most expensive bottle (!) of pbr yet. to those still in memphis: get on this please. self- evolution, forgetting and the internet. well, at least this gets you off your computer for a little bit if you're going to indulge anyways. of everyone in the world, i love you most.

roll away your stone, i'll roll away mine

2010-07-21T20:13:00.002-05:00

oh mr truman,

The difficulty is that it is easier to get people to agree upon peace as an ideal than to agree upon principles of law and justice or to agree to subject their own acts to the collective judgment of mankind.

"...which means Facebook has become a war zone." "i pray this missive and my grenades find you well. war is hell." in light of all the recent links about cases, here's to letting the defendant explain their story. has photography gone full circle? from mel, the musical, "Have some mercy, sugar tits." feinstein on where to try those held in gitmo (context). "[they're] what I refer to as Lonely Planet People, carrying the venerable guidebook under their arms the way an itinerant preacher might carry the Bible." a belated, but still landslide, victory for ILGHRC. your local library is about to see some lovin'. mm, another great modern jazz pianist (he covered fifty ways to leave your lover and wonderwall). on chad's legal obligations in the coming days. because jack white needed any more credibility, shooot.