The blogger, the thinker, the provocateur

On the Latest and Definitely NOT Greatest at Penn State

2011-11-11T10:19:00.001-06:00

Greetings to my friends and bloggers around the world. It has been a while since I last blogged. That doesn't mean The Doctor of Patronomics has stopped trying to hit the hornets' nest like it's a piñata! On the contrary, the fight is still on from multiple fronts. I will write more about other events in my life soon. Today, I'd like to weigh in on the scandalous and shameful incident at Penn State.

As I mentioned in my last entry, I still have quite a few emotional links with the U.S. I am also a die-hard sports fan of all things Fighting Illini and I follow Big Ten sports quite frequently even from Colombia. So, as an alum from a Big Ten institution, it hits you even harder to hear the news of the sexual abuse incident at Penn State. It hits you even harder to notice how students at that institution rallied and vandalized the campus in support of Joe Paterno (I'll get back to him later) and how it seems that there are so many folks who have forgotten that the ONLY VICTIMS here are those 9 children who were abused, not to mention the possibly dozens who may or may not step forward. Then I read a blog from a parent and it hit me that I needed to get back to the blog and write my thoughts. Just as this blog helped me heal on April, 2007 after the VA Tech massacre, I feel I need to write these ideas to get over the rage (Warning: There will be some foul language here and there, and for that I apologize beforehand.)

Just for starters, let's set something straight:

Those children are the victims here. The adults? NOT ANY OF THEM!

The protests at Happy Valley seemed to imply that Joe Paterno was a victim in this event. Let me make this clear: HE IS NEITHER A VICTIM OR A SCAPEGOAT. Sure, say what you will about his doing the minimum he was supposed to do. But, we're talking about CHILDREN IN DANGER here, not about some football player selling his jersey or something like that, ok? What he really had to do was DIAL 911! Anything else is unexcusable! And yes, I do have a few words for Sue Paterno. You see, when we get married, or at least that's how I did it, we seek for strong women who can also become our compass, especially our MORAL COMPASS. And real men do listen to our wives (we know there's a reason we call them "my better half", you know). So, why didn't Mrs. Paterno told Joe to CALL 911? Yes, ma'am, I am wagging my finger to you and assuring you that the Sandman will stop by to pay you a visit. Enjoy your slumbers from now on, Mr. and Mrs. Paterno!

Hold it! I'm not done, not by a longshot.

I have a few words for Mike McQueary, whom I wish no harm. We need no more violence, enough harm has been done to add blood to this tragedy. But, The Dr. goes on record to call you a COWARD. Sure, you went to Coach Paterno and reported what you saw... now slow down, Cochise... did I just write WHAT YOU SAW? Oh, yes, according to the Grand Jury (I tried to read this and I only made it to page 7 before I had to vomit. Warning: The stuff in this report is so crude and graphic that the writers from Law & Order Speciual Victims Unit can't even think about using as inspiration for an episode!), you SAW the rape take place, and you did what ANY REAL MAN would do, right? You fled and called your dad? And what did your dad do, like any real dad would do? Tell you to call JoePa? Here I have a couple of questions for you and your dad (please answer them while you surrender your BALLS to the Planetary Man Guild... your membership is under review as we speak): 1. Why didn't you stop this? Seriously, why not? 2. Why didn't you call 911? (I think Jon Stewart put it best, "and didn't do the two things most adults would do: Stop it and call the cops, or call the cops to come stop it. Both scenarios involve the police and stopping it") Why didn't your dad? You, sir, deserve to have your mug pasted near the word COWARD in the Oxford Dictionary, right below your dad's.

And of course, I do have words for Jerry Sandusky, you filthy scum of a human being. I don't give a fuck how you want to spin it: I heard his lawyer on CNN last night saying that, sure, Sandusky and the 10-year-old boy were naked, but nothing happened. In the holy words of the Maharishi, WHAT THE FUCK? You're an adult male, naked with a little boy and NOTHING HAPPENED? That alone is disgusting and if you attorneys are using that as your defense, they're even more despicable human beings (how an attorney, after reading the report from the Grand Jury, can say, sure I'll defend him, makes me cringe. How do they sleep at night, with pillows made with the skins of live chickens?). The fact that you created a foundation, which you later used as your pipeline for your deviant behavior, is inexcusable! You are everything that's wrong with the human race and not only do you deserve to rot in jail, I hope Hell as a place reserved for scum like you!

Then, there's of course, the NCAA, whom I also blame. While sure, I understand that they're letting the investigation run its course, the lack of a strong statement is troublesome. Here's why: The NCAA leaves the impression that if a coach meets adult recruits at his home for a bbq, that's a major violation, but if another coach meets a young child in a shower in the school's facilities, that doesn't even merit a wag of the finger? REALLY NCAA? Are you going to hide behind your "student-athlete" semantics? It's that double standard what's so effed-up about college sports. Penn State deserves to be penalized big time, if only to show the point that the NCAA cares about those kids so scarred for life that their pain and shame will never let them even be able to "go pro in something other than sports".

Of course, there's the students who vandalized the city. Sure, you respect the coach, but your priority should've been demanding JUSTICE for those children who were abused ON YOUR CAMPUS. You see, the heinous actions of one adult and the heinous inactions of at least five others have brought, as Mercutio would say, a curse on ALL YOUR HOUSES. You shouldn't be demanding that Joe Pa be reinstated, you should be demanding that all the perpetrators and enablers be brought to justice. You should be demanding that the Trustees keep digging deeper. You should be demanding for Penn State not to pay the legal fees of their administrators on leave, but all the counseling and therapy fees that these children (and now adults) will need in order to become once again fully functioning adults. Don't worry so much about Joe Paterno! He lived a good life and for all I care, now that he's retired, he might as well blow 10000 balloons around his home and to go to South America, like the old man from UP (they kinda look alike even). I believe that there must be a lot of good left in Joe, anyway, and I know that right now he knows that mirrors have become his worst enemies for however long he still lives. But, please, worry about the CHILDREN. They are the ONLY VICTIMS here, they are the ONLY LOSERS here.

In fact, one thing that makes me cringe about the students protesting is the possibility that among that mob, there might be EDUCATION majors, boys and girls who are getting ready to become the teachers of a future generation of children. I just hope that when they are faced with the tough decisions that one faces in the classroom, maybe THEN they'll choose to do the right thing. But, when it comes to them, we have earned ourselves the benefit of the doubt.

Why am I so outraged about this now? It's simple: It's the result of my life. As I read the stories about this incident, I looked back to 2002, when I started grad school.., and then 2006, when my nieces were born... and 2008, when I started dating the love of my life... and 2010, when we got married... and then this year, when we're living together and we are making our own plans to have our own children in the not-so-distant future. I always remember the famous Bill Engvall joke ("I got no problem going back to prison" - Check it out at the 2:50 mark) and I start thinking, like the dad who wrote the blog I mentioned earlier, that I would anything to anybody who would so much as try to harm my nieces or my children in the future. And then, I can't understand why those adults did nothing to stop it because there's no rational explanation whatsoever. I can't understand why some college students (who are supposed to go there to LEARN and EDUCATE THEMSELVES) did what they did on Wednesday night. I can't because I was brought up at home and all the academic institutions to believe in doing what's right and to fight for justice from whatever arena I chose for my career. And yes, as an alum I know that the ideas of the institutions will outlast those men and women in positions of power who forget the very ideals that forged the institutions in first place. I hope that Penn State will rise up again, hopefully not as a "football school'' or a "party school", but as a proud institution that will choose to do what right and not what's profitable. I also hope that all other academic institutions in the world will learn the RIGHT LESSONS from this and if they have to choose between the "swoosh" and the child, they'll choose the latter even if they have to wear uglier jerseys next season.

I just hope that all of us who are adults learn the biggest lesson of all: That sometimes all that children (ours and other people's) have to save them from harm is ourselves. I just hope that I can keep reminding my undergraduate and graduate students in education that they're are the first, the last, and sometimes the ONLY line of defense these children have against those monsters who seek sexual gratification from them. I hope that I can do everything that's in my power when I am a father to live up to the challenge to defend them with my life if need may be (just like my parents did when I was younger). I just hope that we, the adults, teachers, police officers, coaches, etc. who are bestowed the responsibility to look after these children that not doing the right thing when they are in harm's way (especially if they are in danger of being sexually abused) means that we are a COMPLETE FAILURE as professionals, as adults, and worst of all, as human beings. We owe the children that much: Not just to do what's the legal requirement, but WHATEVER IT TAKES to save them. That's where those adults at Penn State failed to do. Let's learn from them and avoid making the same fatal mistake ever again...

... because as Bob Sinclar said in his song, our job "is to save the children, we're all very serious about that because we expect the children to save our soul."

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell...

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...

Raúl A. (El Patrón Himself / The Doctor of Patronomics)

With Apologies to Martin Niemöller...

2011-02-25T21:00:00.001-06:00

Greetings to my friends and bloggers around the world. I've been away for a while, but I'm not gone. The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur (or as I also go these days, The Dr of Patronomics) is still here and speaking louder than ever.

As you all know, I lived in the US for 8 years. I got my graduate education there, I made wonderful friends, and I even met my wife while I was in Illinois. So, I have a sweet spot for the US of A. Every day, I read the news and I feel that things are not going as they should. The "Land of the Free" is becoming the "Land of the Few", the "Home of the Brave" is being turned into the "Home of the Bully" by the GOP and the Tea Party. Meanwhile, peaceful uprisings are taking place all over Northern Africa and the Middle East: The people are calling for the end of tyranny in that side of the world. Why aren't Americans following suit?

So, I decided to paraphrase the immortal Martin Niemöller. You may remember his famous Sermon:

When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent;

I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.

(Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Niem%C3%B6ller)

So, with apologies to Father Niemöller, I had the courage to paraphrase his words and adapt them to the current craziness in America. I know this may come off as rough words, but I've always said that I don't just stir up the hornets' nest, but that I bang it like it's a piñata! Without any further ado...

First, the Tea Party and the GOP went after the immigrants in Arizona.

I didn't care.

After all, I was neither a Mexican nor an immigrant, and I wasn't in Arizona.

Then, they went after the union workers in Wisconsin and other states,

I did nothing either;

I was not in a union, or in Wisconsin, after all.

Later, they started plotting against women's rights and putting them in danger with their definitions of "rape" and other attacks.

I remained silent.

I'm a man (and let's face it, I'm not a rapist) so why be outraged?

At some point, they also they took rights off African Americans,

I wasn't moved one bit.

I'm white, so what's the point? They wouldn't dare come after me!

Finally, those politicians and their followers in the media came for me and others like me,

And at that point, there were no freedoms left for me or anybody else in my country.

It's not too late yet to care. The world is watching!

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell.

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...

Raúl A. (El Patrón Himself / The Doctor of Patronomics)

Getting My FUNK Back and Catching a Virus... Thoughts in the aftermath of Cornel West's Visit

2009-04-03T23:05:00.003-05:00

Greetings to my friends and bloggers around the world. I'm taking a break from my academic writing otherwise known as my dissertation for some Gonzo 2.0. In case you're still wondering why I call this Gonzo 2.0, this is my tribute to the great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, creater of Gonzo journalism and, to me, the godfather of the blog. Before I get into the heart and matter of this posting, a few shout-outs are de rigueur...

First, thanks to all my friends who showed me some love over my mom's surgery this week. Mom had a procedure to fix a hernia; she did quite well and right now she's recovering at home, taken care of by the one man I really want to be like when I grow up: My DAD! Thanks, gracias, merci, spasibo, muito obrigado, for your thoughts and prayers. I know they did make a difference and you'll get the same from me if either you or yours needs some moral support from me. Don't hesitate to ask! Any good you do to my family, I give it back a trillionfold, no hyperbole there!

Second, thanks to good friend Juan José and his laborious efforts, I'll be going to see U2 at Soldier Field in September! It's awesome and I look forward to that concert! Third, a big shout-out to my sister, who's turning Three-Zero at the end of the month! That's pretty awesome and I hope your shindig, whatever it is that you do as a shindig, goes effin'-A great! You deserve that!

That's it for the time being. Now, on to the main event...

Thoughts After Listening to Cornel West: Bringing Funky Back, Inspoken/Outspoken, and Spreading a New "Pandemic"

Yesterday, a few of us, never mind, a few were that small horde of what I think were frat boys and sorority girls in shorts and swimsuits running on Wright and Daniel Streets to catch a bus to go to the random big party of the month sponsored by the (insert random Greek letters here) frasorterority on campus. There were a lot of us flocking to Foellinger to hear one of the greatest minds of the last 50 years: Dr. Cornel West (no relation to Kanye, so don't go there!), of The Matrix Trilogy fame and a professor at Princeton... one of the truest and most illustrious provocateurs of our modern day. His talk was about how the Dream, à la Martin Luther King, Jr., was still in process of realization and how the Obama administration gave all of us, regardless of creed, color, orientation, or nationality, a chance to really build a society where justice, equity, and being your brother's keeper would mean something again. Those were strong words from a strong mind. I will summarize three salient points right now...

1. Brinking FUNKY Back - Or why the FUNK is actually a good thing?

One thing that Dr. West said, and which I had the chance to share with my friend Abel aka Terco Chicanogradstudent on Facebook was how Dr. West talked about the mainstream efforts to "deodorize the FUNK." It made me realize how even the dictionaries have a negative connotation for funk. A quick look at the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary offered these entries:

1. a strong offensive smell;

2. 1 a: a state of paralyzing fear b: a depressed state of mind; 2: one that funks : coward; 3: slump 1 funk> funk>

As you can see, no wonder we need to "deodorize the funk!" That actually made me realize that we need to start listening to James Brown A LOT more often. You see, JB is one of the masters of Funk, along with the great George Clinton and his Parliament Funkadelic. JB really showed the world what the Funk was about when he proclaimed, in the heat of the Civil Rights movement, "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud!" (he also acknowledged that even if this is a man's world, we're nothing without a good woman, but that's for another day!). In this sense, one can argue that this Funk is a counternarrative to those negative connotations. That maybe it is NOW that I'm into a Funk, that my mind is in the right place and right time, that my thoughts are flowing more clearly than ever and that I'm getting my sting and my voice back in my writing.

It also means that having the Funk, as Dr. West said, was all about not losing one's identity, one's flavor, one's style, and one's joie de vivre, if you will. That maybe there's method to the madness in the rhythmic works of the Funk and that we need to start hearing the music more often to actually leave that provoked funk and get into a real Funk, where ideas flow and feelings are real... that's also part of the "Pandemic" I'll talk about later...

2. MJ - Great Highlights... and that's it (With Apologies to any and all MJ's fans)

One of the students who was fortunate enough to raise a question asked Dr. West about his thoughts on the dearth of outspoken [black] athletes. Dr. West was quick to point what have become Exhibits A and B of the inspoken (yes, I just made up a word... I found a blog that's named "inspoken" but that's more like this dude intend to remain anonymous... in case you're wondering, Inspoken would be the polar opposite of Outspoken, especially in a socio-political context) [black] athlete: Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Tiger's case, well, he's still got time to go on the lofty goals his father had to be a changer. Sure, Tiger may have done a lot of charity work that may go untold and uncredited, and it should be kept that way. If anything, that's the Christian way of doing charity! But, as Tiger has realized in the aftermath of Obama, this is not a time to remain silent or on the sidelines. He, as much as or even more than Barack, can be a voice that shows us that this is supposed to be a multicultural millennium (especially since his children will be even more multiracial than he was!) and I got this feeling that he's starting to react...

Which brings us to MJ...

You see, I'm an admirer of MJ's game. He was one of the seven legitimate revolutions in the NBA (another blog that I owe you all!!!!), he changed the game, for better and worse, in ways that we're yet to even appreciate. He was as clutch as there'll ever be; he was ultracompetitive, a passionate athlete, and his tenure is not just a chapter, but a whole tome in the lore of the NBA. He's earned every accolade he's been bestowed upon, and his inclusion in the Naismith Hall of Fame deserves not even its own wing, it deserves building another floor just for His Airness alone. So, you see, I'm not a hater of MJ the player... I'm still more fond of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar though.

However, we cannot deny that right after the highlights, the dunks, the jams, the clutch shots, and the Flu Game, a lot of people will always remember this next to MJ:

"Republicans buy shoes too!"

Yup, that was his response when asked once about Jesse Helms, that controversial senator from North Carolina. Forgive me if I sound sacrilegous, but one man cannot come and step up on the rich tradition of athletes who were not afraid to fight the good fight from the arena of the arena. "Republicans buy shoes too" is a slap in the face to the struggles of Jackie Robinson and the ball players in the Negro Leagues, the ostracism that Tommie Smith and John Carlos faced after Mexico '68, the death threats and letters filled with racial slurs and the N word that Hank Aaron received on a daily basis as he was pursuing Babe Ruth's home run record. It's disregarding the statements, on and off the field, of people like Jim Brown or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It's ignoring the scrutiny that Muhammad Ali faced once he refused to go to Vietnam. Do you realize how different it would have been if Smith and Carlos hadn't stood up for what they believed and have gone "Republicans buy shoes too" in Mexico '68? Or if Ali had gone RBST and chosen to go to Vietnam and fight?

Would we still respect Ali as a man as much as we do today? Would Smith and Carlos be revered and given their due as history so rightfully has today? Would we remember the plights of Jackie Robinson on Hank Aaron with the same passion and utmost respect? Probably not.

And that's why MJ deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame... and that's it!

3. There's a new Pandemic, a new Virus in town... and you'd be better off catching it!

One thing that Dr. West said and that resonated highly in me was,

"You see too many echoes and not enough voices."

It made me recall pretty quickly the lines from Violeta Parra, "si se calla el cantor, calla la vida" (if the singer's silent, life is silent). We need more voices out there, we need to reclaim what's rightfully ours, that was the rallying cry that Cornel West was bringing us. In a way, think of him as another Morpheus, one of several out there, that's inviting us, intriguing us, challenging us, to take the RED PILL and avoid the BLUE PILL at all costs.

You see, that's where the Virus I'm telling you about comes in. There's a new virus going on, it's airborne and it's socially, enviromentally, and even sexually transmitted! It's called INFORMATION! It's called KNOWLEDGE! It's called CRITICAL THINKING! It's called OPINION! It has many strains and varieties. The trick is, unlike other viruses, it's easier to get innoculated from it...

All you have to do is just keep watching what you usually do. Yes, I mean your Tila Tequila, your Hannah Montana, your reality shows on VH1, the Real World (MTV, one day history will remember you at the same level as the Spanish Inquisition and the III Reich for the damage you did to the world, MARK MY WORDS!!!!!), Lost (very adequate name, wouldn't you think?), etc. Don't get me wrong, I like watching TV and I have my guilty pleasures, like Law and Order. But I actually like my life better since I had to cancel cable because I couldn't afford it a few years ago. I watched enough television in my childhood to last me 4 lifetimes... I learned a lot of English and useless facts in the process, and I ended up doing some of my research about how to better use it in EFL classrooms... but I digressed...

I'm not saying stop watching TV, or do if you want... I'm just saying that most of today's TV is the medium and the massage (paraphrasing Marshall McLuhan) that relaxes your brain. Granted, there are efforts out there like the Daily Show and the Colbert Report that are trying to use comedy (as Edward Vizenor would argue) to tilt the mainstream discourse on its axis and show it for what it is: A sad joke at best and a fraud at worst.

The Virus, the pandemic, is out there! People like Annie Leonard, to whom I was acquainted thanks to my good friend Andrés Salas, and her efforts to take George Carlin's idea that what I own is stuff and what others own is just shit to a whole new level with her video "The Story of Stuff." You see, the Virus has an interesting effect: It's like the sunglasses in John Carpenter's movie, "They Live": It lets you see the truth behind the curtain! It shows you that there may be one "Inconvenient Truth" (as Al Gore would say) but that there are also a lot of "inconvenient truths" that need to be unmasked and put to shame like any Mexican Luchador who loses his mask in a Máscara contra Cabellera (mask vs. hair) event. They need to be called for what they are.

The Pandemic is getting out of control, even if they don't want you to notice! And governments are noticing! It's no surprise that some governments are trying to "shut down Skynet" (a quick ref to the Terminator movies) because they do know that Skynet is not going anywhere and that Judgment Day is not going to be about a nuclear catastrophe... but about people who are getting their FUNK back and are ready to start holding every last one of them accountable for their sins and crimes. But, you can't shut down Skynet no matter how hard you try and sooner or later, Judgment Day will be upon all of them too.

You see, the Virus is out there and THIS TIME, it can't be contained!!! I don't know if the revolution will be televised, as Gil Scott-Heron (BIG shout-out to Mr. Mertz - my favorite DJ not only because he knows how to work the turntables but because he has the intellectual soundbites to back up his mixes when the music's off - for the reference to the name!), but I know that thanks to a few mavericks out there not named lonelygirl14, the Revolution will be Blogged, Facebooked, and Twittered for and BY a lot of us...

A lot of people like those few of us that weathered the storm to fill the seats at Foellinger nto listen to Cornel West... there are many more out there who are fighting this good fight, a lot of brothers and sisters who got tired of the lies... a lot of us who have finally decided it's time to rebuild the master's house with a new set of tools that the master thought we couldn't figure out how to use for own purposes...

The Pandemic, the Virus, is here! The FUNK isn't going anywhere and is going to get us all infected... and the way to get infected is through RESISTANCE... you see, resistant isn't futile... it's the way to get this virus called knowledge... resisting is the way to go...

But in the end, you can still take the blue pill... sorry, I meant you can take MY blue pill if you'd like...

The red pill I took is kicking in as we speak!

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell.

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...

Raúl A. (El Patrón)

Call Me an Eco-Freak if You Wish, but I'm Joining Earth Hour!

2009-03-28T18:45:00.003-05:00

Greetings to all my friends and bloggers around the world. It's been a while since I added my print to the ongoing Gonzo 2.0 revolution. Well, I have some less Gonzo-like writing to take care of lately so that's kept me away. Before I get into the matter, some quick shout-outs and kudos...

Patronapalooza Christmas Extravaganza was out of this world! My girl and I had a great time, so big shout-out to my family and my friends who made it possible. Especially, I want to thank my folks for being SO FREAKING nice while we were there! Also, my good friend Oscar "David Bloodclot" García, who was an amazing host while we were in Boyacá. The meal in Sutamarchán, the afternoon in Ráquira, and the visit to Chiquinquirá with your dad will always be remembered. Another big shout-out to my Colombian brother from another mother, Carlos Rico and his lovely girl, Michelle! It was great seeing you two together... best of luck!!!
Seeing the girls, Isa & Manu, was out of this world! They're amazingly bright, lovely, and beautiful... and they can rest assured that for as long as I live, there'll be no hippos bothering you EVER!
My mind is now in Medellín more than ever ... Mom's got a surgery to fix a hernia this coming Wednesday. Whoever you believe in, please offer a prayer for her health. If you're not into the whole deity thing, your positive thoughts and wishes are also helpful. El Patrón accepts happy thoughts and get-well wishes in a non-denominational fashion.
One final shout-out to my former students in Early Childhood and Secondary Education at the U of I who are graduating in May. I've read in their Facebook statuses that they've passed their certification exams. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Soon enough you'll learn the happiness one feels as a teacher when his/her students are thriving and succeeding!!!

Now, on to the main event...

Eco-Freak? Maybe; Tree-Hugger? Not so much; Concerned about the earth? Absolutely! And that's why I'm shutting my lights off tonight!

Global warming is a fairly heated issue. Whether you adamantly believe in it and think we need to do something to save our planet before it's taken over as parking space (à la Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), that we need to do something for everybody's future, or you think "global warming" is an invention of some crazies that belong to the Church of Al Gore and there's nothing wrong with a warmer planet because you abhor the winters in the Midwest anyway, we all have an opinion on the matter. I am not here to chastise those who are against environmental efforts, nor will I be so sanctimonious to call myself the Second Coming of Captain Planet. I'm just a citizen of earth who's concerned about what your and my children will be able to call landscapes.

Since 2008, there's an ongoing global effort spearheaded by the other WWF (sorry, in the back of my mind, WWF will ALWAYS be the World Wrestling Federation... we all guilty pleasures and mine is "wraslin'") for people around the world to turn their lights off for an hour, wherever they are, in an effort for more awareness of the consequences of global warming and the lack of concrete policies in regards to the environment (more on that later). More and more people keep joining, and reports indicate that some of our greatest architectural landmarks have gone dark in celebration. Sure, critics of the event have been quick to point out that the WWF is a pseudo-fascist organization that is inspired by obscure commercial agendas that ultimately wants to drive civilization back to the Dark Ages by obliterating what made us progress in the first place: Energy and light. Some of these pundits are in fact inviting everybody and their mother to actually turn every light and appliance you have available and if necessary borrow a few from the neighbors who are celebrating Earth Hour (hey, it's not like they'll be using that stereo between 8:30 and 9:30 anyway, right?).

As I said, my goal here is not to chastise those critics of Earth Hour per se. But, I'd be failing to the third descriptor in the name of my Gonzo 2.0 page (you know, provocateur) if I didn't lambast them somehow, right? Let's see... turning my lights off will promote a fascist society where progress isn't allowed, yada yada yada... well, the way I see it, turning my lights off and controlling my energy consumption may actually benefit my wallet too. Plus, some of those economic journals need to start thinking of other issues, like why on earth some of them were in cahoots with Wall Street and some of those conglomerates like AIG in creating the clusterf**** of epic proportions under which we are now. It's a good think that folks like Jon Stewart are already doing that for the rest of us (if you haven't seen the Daily Show interview with the Mad Money guy and how Steward owned him, look it up!). I think controlled consumption of our resources might actually benefit our economy to some degree. That's a reason why I'm endorsing Earth Hour.

I'll give some of the critiques to the event something, a little bone I'm throwing at them, if you will. We need to move past awareness and move on to knowledge and I may add a serious praxis. Those of us into critical theories have heard of praxis: Practice based on theory and reflection. I agree that being aware of something means squat if I don't DO anything about it. It won't do me any good to be aware that gaining too much weight is going to affect the shelf life of my right knee. But I don't go to the gym and exercise, my knee is going to deteriorate faster. Being aware of that won't slow it down. Knowing what to do to and actually doing it, that's the X-factor there. Ditto for the enviroment. A lot of people are aware that the environment needs a hand, that maybe we're wasting too many resources by throwing garbage to the floor or driving trucks with 10 mpg consumption. It's what we actually DO what makes a difference. And that's why I again endorse Earth Hour.

However, that shouldn't stop there. As I read in a time article recently, action at the political level is also required. We need to push for some change in terms of policies. Smart energy consumption policies are good for your pocket - just to give you an incentive. More energy-efficient appliances will bring lower energy bills! It's also about what we can do at an individual level. I have my own methods and I have my own plans to offset how many trees I'm killing by working on my dissertation. I only invite you to think about what you can do and if you ultimately want to borrow my laptop to watch videos on YouTube while I keep my lights off, do it beacuse you've reflected why that's a good idea. Ditto if you finally turn the lights off in an hour. Do it reflexively, not because it's a cool fad.

One thing is for sure, I know that one of the reasons I'm doing it is because if I have children one day, I'd like to take them to their mother's homeland to visit the Siberian snows, not the Siberian prarie, or I'd love to show them the beaches of Cartagena, not the shores of Cartagena Island... if you catch my drift...

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell.

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...

Raúl A. (El Patrón)

Worried About Being Bored on the Eve of Christmas? Here's an idea!

2008-11-29T02:47:00.003-06:00

Greetings to all my friends and bloggers around the world. This has been an interesting Thanksgiving break. First and foremost, my sincerest condolences to the family of the Wal-Mart employee in New Jersey who got killed by a senseless, irrational horde that ran over him to get a cheap discount on Black Friday. This is one of those moments where we really need to sit down and reflect if letting our wallets and not our brains rule our decisions is really worth it. It is one of those times when, if I have to pay an extra buck or two and in the process I save the life of a store clerk, it is a dollar well spent. Life cannot be on sale. I read those news and they made me sick and even ashamed of the human race. I also want to extend my condolences to the victims of the (here we go again) senseless, irrational acts of a terrorist group in Mumbai. It is unfortunate when people have to resort to violence to prove a political point (yes, it is a million times more shameful when they resort to violence to buy something on sale, but I digress). This kind of reminded me of a scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day between John Connor (Edward Furlong) and The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger):

John Connor: We're not gonna make it, are we? People, I mean.
The Terminator: It's in your nature to destroy yourselves.
John Connor: Yeah. Major drag, huh?

May all these victims of irrationality rest in peace.

As I did the last time, I will save you all from the updates on my nieces. In a few weeks, I'll reprise the role of the annoying uncle who shoves his nieces down your throats with a super-long update (followed by a very critical blog about how we're turning into the Truman Show... just stayed tuned... A Gonzo 2.0 Christmas will be something else!!!!)

But, for now, on to the blog...

Still Wondering What to Do on Dec. 23 or the Morning of Dec. 24?
The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur has an idea for you!

Oh, Christmas (sorry, but 1995 called and said they had totally run out of political correctness to supply the blogs in 2008... so if say "the holidays" is simply to spice up the narrative. I actually PREFER Christmas, thank you!), that wonderful time of the year when school is out and we all start thinking about what to do until classes begin again, in the case of students. In general, it is the time to take a break and celebrate with friends and family and give an honorable goodbye to the year that soon will be over. For those of us who live abroad, we may be blessed to go visit our families in our native countries, or some decide to stay in their university campuses most of the time because of either school or money issues, sometimes both. Regardless, we are all thinking about what to do during Christmas and it is very likely that we will make arrangements not to be all by ourselves during the holidays.

Unless you do not know me or do not read my blogs (like some of my school and college friends on Facebook - told you I'm going all Carlos Mencia on this one!), you already know I have had an 11-month situation with my right leg. I am still in the process of recovery (slow but steady) and I will be home by the time there is one year after the surgery. It has taken quite a toll on my whole family, I know it has taken a bit of a toll on my girlfriend even. I have been thinking of doing something to celebrate my recovery. While talking to my beloved the other day, I came up with an idea to celebrate. I want to share it with you in hopes that you also find this inspirational and follow suit as an activity for 12/23 and Christmas' Eve in the morning

I had my leg surgery on the 23rd and was discharged from the hospital at 3:00 on Christmas' Eve. For a moment, I thought I would spend that day in a hospital room. Even though I pulled a Neo on this one and dodged that bullet, I imagined there were folks at this hospital who were not so lucky. Then I thought of a visit I did to a children's hospital and an orphanage in Medellin 10 years ago and how much that moved me. Putting two and two together, this is what I will do. Again, I share this not to sell myself as a good samaritan (I believe what the Good Book says about not letting your right hand know what your left hand is doing... plus, I believe that showboating is something I myself do as part of being in the academia... showboating and charity go together just like caviare and pumpkin pie do!) but to maybe give you some food for thought.

It dawned on me that on Dec. 23, there will be children at that hospital and orphanage who will be left to their own devices and very likely spend Christmas at a hospital. I will not be able to spend that day with them, but at least I can brighten their holidays a little bit. So, I will contact these two places and will take some presents for some children. I am no Bill Gates, so my funds are very limited. I will narrow down my options for the hospital to children about to have surgery or recovering from it and who will be hospitalized on 12/24. I will visit a few of them and will at least give them a toy and a warm wish for their recovery. That for me is the best way to celebrate the blessings from my recovery.

In fact, I will officially make this pledge to you, my friends and bloggers around the world: Beginning this year, I will do this every Dec. 23, no matter where I am. I will visit a hospital and keep some company to children who do not have anybody else, or maybe to elderly people who have a surgery and nobody to keep them company. Life blessed me with resources to have the surgery and amazing friends to be with me. It is time for me to pay my dues.

This is my personal pledge. But, think about it: All you will do on those two days is probably veg out and watch TV. Spending a few hours spreading holiday cheer might make a huge difference to those children, elder people, etc. who may possibly be all by themselves otherwise. Plus, if some people have time to stand up for 12 hours in front of a store to get cheap electronics, I think we can spend a twelfth of that time visiting someone who will REALLY, TRULY, UNEQUIVOCALLY "appreciate our business." I already have my agenda for Dec. 23 figured out... it is up to you to decide in which direction you spread joy.

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell.

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...

Raúl A. (El Patrón)

Yes We Can! Obama: How we should all start turning a new page!

2008-11-05T00:30:00.003-06:00

Greetings to all my friends and bloggers around the world. There will be no acknowledgments or updates this time around. My tribute to Gonzo 2.0 is all about President-Elect Obama! So, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

The Turning of a Page? Obama and the Larger Picture...

Unless you're living under a rock, you already know what happened. Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois, is now the next President of the United States of America. It is a moment of epic and historical proportions and it is a moment to reflect on what the next four years will and should be like. After all, Obama's victory is something that is the end-result of a larger, a much larger effort. I won't claim to know it all, but I'll try to offer an historical perspective, incomplete, but historical nonetheless.

You see, the fact that an African-American has made it to the highest post on the planet is no act of sheer serendipity. It's more than the outrage and discontent for eight years of failed policies. There's a deeper philosophical struggle here and that needs to be mentioned as well. Obama's accomplishment is the build-up of the work of several Black/African-American men and women in the arts, the academia, sports, and even entertainment, who have been standing up against the inequailities of the times and the lack of opportunities over the past two centuries. Obama mentioned a 106-year-old lady in his speech. In those 106 years, a lot of people have worked towards this day, a day that we should not forget; a day when we should recall some of those names...

When I saw Obama standing on that podium, I could see the legacy of intellectuals such as Frederick Douglass and what he said about issues of inequality and discrimination. I see people like Carter G. Woodson, and how maybe he can be hopeful that the Negro, the Latino, the Disabled, and other minorities in the U.S. and the world will no longer be Miseducated. I can see that the efforts to stand up for their rights that brave men and women like Rosa Parks and her refusal to move to the back of the bus were not futile. I can see that the act of civil disobedience by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, back in Mexico '68 is something to be proud of and not, as was at the time, something to be vilified about. I can see the war cry of the late James Brown, the Godfather of Soul and Forefather of Hip-Hop, "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud!" still giving all of us inspiration. I can see the efforts behind the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education making more and more sense and why everybody deserves fair access to education.

In Obama's words of hope, I can see the efforts of more men and women who have not been afraid to speak their minds and fight for their beliefs from their different fronts and while doing that, breaking ground. I see the work, words, and actions of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Bob Marley, Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, The Texas Western Miners, Muhammad Ali, Toni Morrison, Cornel West, Richard Pryor, even Jesse Jackson, just to name a few. African-American history (as African and Afro history around the world) is rich and full of moments worth highlighting. Obama's victory is simply a moment when everybody's efforts have converged in that victory walk at the podium at Grant Park in Chicago.

But this is more than a much-deserved moment of victory and even vindication for so many African-Americans who have felt what oppression looks like. It is a moment of vindication for all of us who believe in social justice and true equality. It is also a challenge for those of us who believe that no children should really be left behind beyond cheap rhetoric. This is not a challenge that simply belongs to the U.S. In many countries, mine included, there are still millions of people from different minorities still dealing with oppression, disenfranchisement, marginalization, etc. If anything, Obama has taught us what WE, meaning those of us who have the privilege of a world-class education, need to do with it. Mind you, he could've used his Harvard Law degree just to be partner of the law of "Johnson, Smith, Jones, & Obama," right? He could've conformed with being a millionaire attorney making money of our lawsuits. Instead, he has worked hard for the have-nots, since his days as an activist in Chicago. Obama has reminded us that access to these golden opportunities places us in a position of advantage from which we can help and empower others.

One of Obama's slogans was, "Change we can believe in." The questions for the rest of us, both in the U.S. and the world are: What kind of CHANGE do we believe in? What kind of CHANGE do we want to be part of? What kind of CHANGE do we want to bring about in our communities, in our cities, in our countries? I think this should galvanize all of us, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, etc. and make us aware of the challenges ahead of us as citizens of the world. We live in what Marshall McLuhan used to call the Global Village. We're more connected to each other than ever. What will we use those connections for? To benefit ourselves only? Or to benefit others? I think the change of the guard that we just noticed is a call for all of us, White, Black, Latino, Asian, Straight, Gay, Lesbian, Christian, Muslim, etc. to start making a difference once and for all. The winds of change are knocking on our doors. Our children and grandchildren will judge us for how we respond or refuse to respond to this call. It is up to us, in the words of the great Bob Marley, to "get up, stand up..."

I know I already have!

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell.

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...

Raúl A. (El Patrón)

Updates and an old blog I forgot to edit...

2008-10-06T18:02:00.000-05:00

Greetings to all my friends and bloggers around the world. I'm still in Chambana, preparing myself for the fall season and the incoming winter. Now, here would the time when I'd rant about the awful transition where there's no fall. But, the girl I love told me a few days ago that it's already snowing in good old Россия (or Russia for all of you!), so I guess no complaints here :).

It's been a good few months since the last blog: My committee is pretty much all involved in the work with my dissertation, my leg's healing well (I've even started jogging), and things are going well overall. And... I'm going home for Christmas! Tickets are booked and I'll have all my arrangements made pretty soon. Of course, there'll be plenty of Gonzo 2.0 live from Colombia (in fact, I may even have a guest blogger... fingers crossed on that one!)

No twins update this time... there'll be time for that too! Now, on to the blog:

Blogo Bonito: About Fútbol/Football and Other Thoughts Regarding the Beautiful Game!

[Blogger's note: I originally wrote this blog around the time of Euro 2008 (or, as some call it, the Brazil-Argentina-free World Cup) and I recently found it hidden in my archives. So, I'm unearthing it!]

This blog is all devoted to The Beautiful Game and its fans... especially those who refuse to capitulate and continue calling the sport as it was meant to be... fútbol, futebol, fussball, FOOTBALL (if you're a fan of American Rugby, er, American Football feel free to stop reading here). Right now, a quick disclaimer...

Yes, I am VERY WELL AWARE of the origin of "soccer" as a reduced form of "Association Football." So, spare me the history lesson (and please don't even try to pull that off on me... you'd be suprised how much I know about the history of U.S. sports, particularly basketball, so let's leave it at that!). Any of you who has followed my "quest" on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2208427575&ref=ts) knows that I'm all for the Footballución... and I think that David Beckham is a freaking sellout (calling Football "sockah"... COME ON! All Old Trafford with me... SELLOUT!)

After that, let's get back on track... and let's get this game started...

First Half: Why I love Football...

First things first, my love for football comes primarily out of geography: As a good South American, fútbol is a big deal. Our sports lives come to their pinnacle every four years, during the World Cup... an event where (sarcasm spoiler here) World actually means several countries are represented by their national teams, unlike, say the World Series... and where whichever team becomes World Champions actually defeated teams from other parts of the world... unlike, say the NBA or NFL World Champions (ok... I'll cut the NFL some slack since they're World Champions by default; after all, the only place on earth where this kind of football is played is the US... which makes me wonder... shouldn't the Canadian Football League and the Aussie Rules champions be declared World Champions under that same logic? I can't cut the NBA much slack until they actually win a Gold medal in the Olympics or win a FIBA World Championship). So, it's no suprise that the Championship Match for the World Cup is watched by BILLIONS around the world, which I don't think even the Super Bowl can claim, let alone the NBA Finals or the MLB "World" Series (an ironic thing, this "World" Series thing since Japan actually won the World Baseball Challenge in the US no less!). Football is one of the sports where national pride is always at stake, where not making it to the largest stage doesn't mean you get to pick the best players at the draft, and where an embarrassing defeat becomes a scarlet letter every time your friends from the opposing country meet you... because players come and go... victories and defeats live forever (ask Brazilians, the defeat in 1950 still stings... or the Germans in 1966, they'll tell you the ball never crossed the goal line... etc, etc, etc).

The other reason I love futebol is the fans at stadia around the world. With apologies to all professional sports fans in the U.S. (some of whom are dear friends), the passion that football triggers is unrivaled. I always make the argument that when I see fans in baseball/basketball/American football dancing around a BONFIRE, we can claim they're truly hardcore. Also, football fans don't need cheerleaders or PA announcers to tell them to make "NOISE" (as I've seen in games at college or pro levels)... football fans at the stadium are ready to chant, scream, and wave all 90 minutes. The most harcore fans won't even consider sitting down all the time. Some football teams may have cheerleaders, but the bottom line is, fans at these games are given free reign to celebrate the game... it's not about how many celebrities you can spot (and quite frankly, I'd find it rather ridiculous to see Hollywood celebrities at a football match... they'd be so out of place... I mean, "it's hot" is not something fans would chant, right?)

Another reason is the game itself. You have 11 players on each side, 10 of whom are actually expected to help on both sides of the pitch. You only get THREE substitutions, which means that at least 16 players won't have much of a timeout for a good 90 minutes. I can only think of another game that expects this much from a small group of players... RUGBY, but that's for another day. In futebol, you don't see such a thing as a dude that only comes in a few times per game to kick the ball (punters and place kickers, yes, it's you I'm talking about!). A futbol roster is about 18-22 players, not a whopping 60 (like some American Football rosters). Plus, in football, pretty much ANYONE can be part of that Holy Grail of football otherwise known as the GOL... a defensive linebacker scoring a touchdown? Technically possible, but more unlikely than a defender scoring a goal... In addition, football IS a contact sport, so contact is expected and, with a few exceptions, there's no bad blood when contact happens. Plus, since there is neither protective armor nor excessive weight differences among players, that prevents some injuries from going further... I mean, sure, there are football players who have torn their ACLs, broken legs, noses even... but how many of them have suffered a PARALYZING NECK INJURY? I mean, for that to happen in a fútbol match, we're talking about a defender who's the love child of Chuck Norris and the Incredible Hulk... in American Football, all it takes is a 350-lb linebacker.

Second Half: Things I love (and hate) about The Beautiful Game

Having declared my passion for fútbol, there are things I really enjoy and some that really irk me about the game... here's a list for you!

I love the celebrations... when a team scores a goal, the rest of the team enjoys it genuinely. It's not about how outlandish you can be or how much of a selfish bastard you can be (T.O., Ocho Cinco, yes, I'm talking TO and ABOUT you... your celebrations actually exclude everybody and their mother!). Plus, more often than not, the players remember someone special when they score. Goals have been dedicated to parents, girlfriends and wives, friends, etc. Yes, there's some showboating involved when you wear the picture of your child underneath your shirt to show it after you score... but how many touchdowns are dedicated to babies? And, of course, LeBron always thinks of his mama when he shoots a buzzer beater... right?
I really hate it when they show the players during the national anthems and they're not singing. Guys, you know they're gonna show your mugs during the introductions, so PLEASE learn your freaking national anthems. We're not asking you to learn some scientific law here, just your anthem. And please, don't freaking chew gum during introductions either!
I love the fact that, with football, Earth is literally a pitch. Right now, on any random street in Europe or South America (to name two), a big-time match is taking place. These street warriors won't make it to Sports Center tonight, but every time you play a match, bragging rights are on the line. I played a few of those myself!
Fútbol is a sport where you can be a fan of multiple teams without feeling you're a traitor or a fairweather fan. You can follow a team in England, Italy, or Spain, Brazil or Argentina (by the way, I put those as binaries because they're somehow mutually exclusive. In the South American context, it's okay to root for a local team and a team from Brazil or Argentina... but you don't root for teams from both countries... that's called jumping on a bandwagon) plus your home team and that's fine. That's a luxury that other sports really don't have (maybe Rugby is an exception here).
I really hate the excessive violence from fans. I do. That's the first salvo that any fútbol-hater uses to bash the beautiful game. And it's our fault. I believe violence has to leave the stadia and our game. Nothing wrong with the extreme passion of the sport... after all, there's nothing wrong in and of itself to get mad when those 11 cats are making your country look bad on the pitch. But, how does violence help? It doesn't so PLEASE QUIT IT!!!!!

Finally, the main reason I love the game... Because very few things in life can send a WHOLE COUNTRY to hell and back to heaven in a matter of seconds.... very few things in life paralyze an entire city for an hour... very few things in life become a language of its own that transcends religion, ethnicity, nationality, creed, and even gender... after all, across five continents, many of us know what it's like to bite your nails and dream every four years, what it's like to learn about players from places you wouldn't know about otherwise, to love and hate your country all in one afternoon, to find ways to connect with people from other countries...

... and that's all thanks to the BEAUTIFUL GAME!

That's why I think that an edited version of the Bible would include this paragraph...

And after creating the world in seven days, God saw that everything looked good yet his seventh day was missing something... something that would create excitement and passion for that day... so, on the eighth day, God created FOOTBALL... and all was good!

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell!

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...
Raúl A. (El Patrón)

It Takes a Child to Change the Village: Life after Isabella & Manuela - Windows and Mirrors

2008-07-19T11:10:00.011-05:00

Greetings, as always, to my friends, readers, and bloggers around the world. It's time for Gonzo 2.0 - In case you're still wondering what this Gonzo 2.0 means, well, it's my little tribute to the great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, father of Gonzo journalism and to some (including myself), the original blogger before blogs existed. So here's to you HST, we'll keep Gonzo alive while you keep writing Fear and Loathing in Heaven and Hell!

Before I go onto the main event, an update on my previous blog: Last night I went to see The Dark Knight. I won't disclose any details; well, it doesn't matter. Even if I did, this movie is like The Usual Suspects: No matter how much I tell you, I won't make a coherent summary and you're better off watching it yourself. But, here are some highlights in the aftermath:
1. Tom Cruise must be REALLY pissed off. Conspiracy theorists around the world: All bets are off on this one!
2. Jack: You put the JOKE in Joker! Heath is the real goods here. Would somebody please just hand in the Golden Globe and the Oscar already?
3. From now on, I will only count the existence of two Batman flicks: Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The previous flicks are apocryphal and I'll leave to revisionist historians to obliterate all records of the existence of such travesties to the Caped Crusader. And yes, Mr. Clooney, the world is still waiting for your apology letter, thank you!
4. We need to reclassify the list of the baddest of the bad guys. Here's my top 3 as of last night: Darth Vader, The Joker (H. Ledger's version), Hannibal Lecter (A. Hopkins version).
5. I think this one will be a tough act to follow. It's probably one of the best adaptations of comic book films ever.
6. As a follow up to last week's blog... Is there any way Batman can make Superman look any less vanilla than he's already making him look? Right now, Superman is as multidimensional as a folded piece of paper!

Okay, now on to the main event...

It Takes a Child to Change the Village:
A look back at my life after Isabella and Manuela

Tomorrow, July 20, it's the second birthday of my twin nieces. I've literally had to follow their lives through the proverbial looking glass, in some ways literally - the first time I saw them was at the NICU through the window and through some pictures I took in my cell phone. I guess you've all heard the expression, "It takes a village to raise a child." I always thought there was a sense of hyperbole in that saying. Then I realized that though this holds true, a child does change the village in more ways than one.

One of the first things I learned is that children in your family, even if they aren't yours, change the dynamics of life as you know it. I know my life changed the day my sister called me and told me she was pregnant. No, I'm not claiming that "I'm gonna be an uncle" is as transcendental as "I'm gonna be a dad." Claiming so would be pretentious of me. After all, some of the parental woes are things I can live vicariously and be fine about it. But, life does change in little ways:

Before: My trips to the mall included stops at Macy's, the Gap, American Eagle, the caps store,etc. I would make the occasional stop at the pet store, thinking how much I would like to own a puppy.
Now: I still stop at the Gap... Baby Gap that is! American Eagle is out, Gymboree (a local store for infant/toddler clothing) is in; I still go to the pet stop, thinking how much they would like to own a puppy!
Before: My dad's DVD wish list: The Godfather, Michael Jackson's best videos (please DON'T ASK!), westerns, etc.
Now: Barney DVDs (PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T ASK!!!!!!)
Before: I would get stuffed animals for my sister and maybe my significant other.
Now: Sorry, ladies, you'll have to wait some... there's only room for two teddy bears and those are for the twin babies!
Before: "Mom, how are you and dad doing? And how's my sister, by the way?"
Now: "Mom, how are the girls? (long pause) oh yes, and how's dad? and how's the girl's mom... I mean, how's my sister?"

These are just mundane examples of how life changed for me after the twins were born. Yes, I still oppose with every inch of my will to buying that Barney paraphernalia, but that'll be the first thing I'll pack if and when I go home to visit... I know my parents won't look at me funny if I don't bring them a present, but I'll have to carry my passport all day long because my family will send me on a guilt trip for the ages if I forget that Barney stuff. But, again, this is just the simple stuff...

As I hinted above, I really knew my life changed after that call in December, 2005. The minute it dawned on me, "I'm going to be an uncle" (and yes, I'm that oddball uncle by defaut, and I can live with that!), my outlook on life changed. It is weird, really. I know they're my sister's kids, but they're somehow mine too. I can't help talking about them every other sentence. Even my older blogs had that little "gratuitous twin nieces update" section. There's a sense of transcendence in knowing your family has extended. I know that something clicked the first time I saw those tiny little ones through the window, lying on their incubators. Call me silly if you may, but I could feel they knew exactly who I was. When my sister approached them for me to look at them the day before I returned to Champaign, that saying, "blood is thicker than water," seemed to make a lot more sense. Right now, they do know exactly who I am, and I have to thank my sister and my mom for making my presence in those girls' lives be active. They recognize my pictures and they address me by the title that thus far makes me the proudest: Tío Raúl (Sure, Dr. Mora is gonna look pretty fancy, but this one takes the cake for now!!!!). Knowing that they will recognize me when I get off the plane is a really big deal for me.

I've also noticed that sense of transcendence I was talking about in the way I approach things: I know that what I'm doing here affects them. I'm sacrificing being with them to pursue my degree and something tells me I owe it to them not to do anything but my very best every single day. I teach my early childhood class with a sense that I need to learn as much as my students because my sister will need all the help she can get to ensure the best education for those tinies. I feel a larger responsibility to live my life as a righteous person, educator, and citizen because I need to lead by example and because they will eventually hold me accountable for my actions and how they'll affect them. Call me idealist, but if they decide to come to the U of I one day, I want them to know that I worked my butt off every single day to leave a good impression here.

I can also see my past and my future in them. It's interesting: the first time I saw Isabella (and others have corroborated this), I could see my sister's mirror image right there. She looks just like her mom. What happened when people saw Manuela, on the other hand, was intense: They said she looked like ME! Knowing that someone looks like you, for real, is flattering and challenging. It also makes me wonder about what my own life will look like and whether at some point my sister's and my roles will switch (as in, her being the aunt and my being the parent... the jury's still out on that one!). There are a lot of questions and a lot of challenges. I just know that they're here to stay and their welfare has become one of my priorities now.

My life changed the day Isabella and Manuela appeared. I embrace their existence as a big part of myself. Through major and minor changes, they've affected my outlook in life, they've given me a lot of reasons to do the things I do. In fact, they actually contributed to the very first thing you'll read on my dissertation after you move past the cover page:

They've contributed the Dedication Page!

It was two years since I got that phone call from dad announcing the good news that I was officially an uncle. Their presence reminds me of that metaphor of "windows and mirrors." I've seen most of their lives through windows because that's how our relationship started and how it's been, living their childhood vicariously. But, they've also offered me a mirror to see where I want my life to go. These have been two fantastic years for me, with some ups and downs, with some good breaks and some not as good, but always with the notion that I am truly here for something larger than myself. Maybe one day I may have children, and then Gonzo 2.0 will change forever. Until then, these two are a big ray of light in my daily woes and my grad student life.

For all, that, all I can say today is:

Thank you girls! and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU BOTH!!!! I'll be celebrating right here but right next to you in heart and spirit!!! Lots of love to you two, my girls!!!!

That's it for now. Till my next blog, THEY bid farewell!

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...
Raúl A. (El Patrón)

Superman or Batman? The Choice is Yours!

2008-07-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

Greetings to all my fellow friends, bloggers, and readers around the world. First things first, bat-knowledgements to some of my friends:

First, to Mr. B-Hernz, Esq. for his admission to U of I Law School. St. Funs still lives on in Chambana! Second, let me send props to the loveliest, most amazing woman... my girlfriend! Finally, I;ll start promoting my friends' blogs when I know about them. Here's the first ad for my friend Yupin: http://www.yupinblog.com. If you have a blog and would like the provocateur himself to advertise it, just drop me a line!

No update on the twins this week either. Next week's blog is all about them!

So now, on to the main event!

Superman or Batman? Choose Wisely, for Ye Shalt be Judged upon Thy Choice!

Well, the Blog Knight, the Caped Blogger, the World's Greatest Blogger is back upon us! (by now, we already established I'm geeked about the new Batman flick, right!) This blog is partly about Batman, partly about the kind of person you are. Your choice of comics will say a lot!

This discussion is actually inspired by Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. In one of the conversations between Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta), Mia asks Vincent whether he is an Elvis guy or a Beatles guy. That's where this Superman or Batman discussion stems from. Granted, in most of my thoughts I don't believe in binary oppositions (hence my conceptual disagreements with French linguist Ferdinand de Saussure), but I'll make allowance here since the binary opposition more than serves my purpose. Choosing between Superman and Batman is one of the big dilemmas of some hardcore and less fervient fans.

The question, then is, why Batman and not Superman? Here are my two reasons:

1. Superman is actually a condescending prick!

Here allow me to quote directly on a man whose persona of Kwai Chang Caine is a lot wiser than me, David Carradine as Bill. From Kill Bill 2:

"As you know, l'm quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology... The mythology is not only great, it's unique. Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race."

(Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378194/quotes)

I agree with this. Whereas Batman represents a man's resilience in overcoming his fears (to the dark, to bats, etc.) and using them to fuel his cause for justice, Superman believes he is inherently better than us and therefore needs to make fun of our fears since we wouldn't be able to overcome them without his almighty self. Pompous SOB, I say!

2. Batman is a self-made superhero.

To the best of my knowledge, and I kindly ask comic book buffs to throw me a bone here, I can only recall three superheroes that made themselves as such in a combination of technology, resources (as in a crapload of money in Mr. Wayne's and Mr. Stark's cases!), skill, training, and sheer human ingenuity: Iron Man (aka Tony Stark), The Punisher (aka Frank Castle) and the aforementioned Caped Crusader. What about the others? Well, here's a brief summary: (Note: This is extracted and edited from a Skype conversation between my girlfriend and me... and then you wonder why I love this woman?)

Superman came from another planet and had his strength increased by the yellow sun;Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Thor are demigod-like characters born with their powers; Spider-Man was bitten by a radioactive spider, which gave him superhuman strength (but, duly noted, not the ability to shoot spider webs); Green Lantern was given his powers by an alien police force who bestowed upon him a super ring; Flash, The Fantastic Four, and the Incredible Hulk, obtained his superpowers from an experiment gone awry; the X-Men were born with mutant superpowers; Hawkman and Martian Manhunter are superpowered soldiers from another planet; Hellboy was the son of the Prince of Darkness himself; Spawn was a former special ops whose powers were given, again, by the Prince of Darkness himself;... and those are the ones off the top of my head...

Now, let's look at Batman (and the other two I mentioned)...

True, Bruce Wayne is the son of a billionaire, but the death of his parents pushed him to the edge of vengeance first and justice later. After getting extensive physical and tactical training, he used his resources to create gadgets and devices that would aid him in his quest. The Punisher was a former agent whose family was killed. So, he starts chasing bad guys, using his training in weapons, fighting, and counter terrorism to defeat them. Iron Man is the creation of yet another billionaire. Tony Stark, after getting captured after an explosion creates an armor to escape and with all the resources available to him, creates a super-armor fueled by the electromagnet on his chest which was devised to prevent the shrapnel from the explosion of which he was a victim to puncture his heart.

As you can see, Batman is the example of how people use their ingenuity and resilience to overcome obstacles. Batman doesn't have any special built-in powers. His strength? Let's just say that Batman is the original Mixed Martial Artist. His weapons? Created by himself or a decent team of engineers who gave him the famous utility belt. No crazy DNA, weird science or voodoo stuff here, folks! That's why Batman is the real goods!

So there you have it! Who will you ultimately be rooting for? Some dude from outer space with the perfect hair who thinks he's much better than us, lives in a vanilla city like Metropolis, and is overly condescending upon us? Or an Earth dude who is an example of intelligence, resources, and motivation to save Gotham, a city as light and dark as our actual cities? It's up to you... Me, I already gave my endorsement to Batman as Head Superhero in Charge!

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell!

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...
Raúl A. (El Patrón)

With Apologies to Dennis Miller... Or A Vocabulary Rant as a Break from the 800-lb Gorilla

2008-05-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

Greetings to all my fellow readers and bloggers around the world. It's summer time, which in the Prarie State means one day of splendorous weather sandwiched between a thunderstorm and a 100-degree heat wave for a 3-month period.

Before getting into the meat of it, the acknowledgments: First, to my friends who recently graduated in '08: CONGRATULATIONS, and I promise I'll be joining the ranks of the cap-and-gown wearing, diploma-bearing, hood-sporting crowds pretty soon. Second, to everybody who wished me a Happy (34th) Birthday: THANKS! Also, thanks to everybody who keeps supporting me in my ongoing recovery. Finally, props to my girlfriend (that story will be the subject of another blog coming very soon)... it feels good to have you around!

There will be no updates about my nieces. I'm saving all of those for a longer blog coming in July. So, as Mills Lane would say, "Let's get it on!"

I Don't Mean to Go off on a Rant Here... But...

Those were the famous words of comedian Dennis Miller every time he would go off on a rant about something in today's society that bothered him. We all have pet peeves. That's part of human nature. I got a few here and there, like people who can't get their grammar straight and keep claiming that IM, Facebook status messages, and e-mail are some sort of grammar-free zone where "you're" is the same as "your" and "they're," "there," and "their" are actually interchangeable; where "then" is the form of choice for the comparative; and apostrophes can be placed willy-nilly. Of course, there is also the case of people who decide against my will that I have to eavesdrop their conversations while I'm trying to read the stuff for Chapter Two of my dissertation. And, how can we forget the occasional "movie color commentator," the person right behind you at the theatre who decides that they need to not only explain the plot, characters, settings, etc. of the movie to their date/partner/friend sitting next to them, but also feel the urge to warn the hero of every peril ahead of him/her.

However, this rant is not about them. They too will get their day in court. This is about the misuse of certain words that are becoming trivialized and losing their actual value. Again, with apologies to Dennis Miller (and no one else... in case you failed to read the title of my blog, the last word is "provocateur..." and I intend to live up to its bill this time around), I don't mean to go off on a rant here but...

Why do millionaire athletes claim they're "Hungry?"

Before the Bard starts rolling over on his grave, spare me the Shakespearian/"poetic license"/metaphor theory here. Some words should never be taken lightly, hungry being one of them. Yes, yes, I know that one of the definitions of "hungry," according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com) is, "Strongly motivated (as by ambition)." But, there is a sense of irony here. Where there are people dying of actual hunger, I find it ironic that some people who've never really experienced hunger first-hand (and no, I haven't... my dad has though and he banned us from saying that we were starving or "dying of hunger" at home since we didn't really know what it was like to be in a jungle for one week feeding on leaves or the soles of your shoes... dad taught me and my sister well about not blowing things out of proportion) talk about how "hungry" they are. That just cheapens suffering when you use the same descriptor to explain your desire for a championship ring in the NBA and your desire for at least an onion ring somewhere in an impoverished village in Central Africa.

I mean, if there was a public outrage over an athlete saying that playing a rivalry game was like going to war for him, we should also put athletes on notice that they have no right to claim to be hungry, unless they themselves have dealt with it as they were growing up. Oh yes, I have read stories about athletes coming from Africa, Brazil, Colombia, and other developing countries, as well as minority athletes coming from impoverished areas in the U.S. who talk about their families' struggles to make ends meet. I just can assure you that none of them would be so trigger-happy to say they're "hungry" for a championship. You can hear that, however, from the mouths of the children of a former Roland Garros champion and two former NBA stars... if you're sports savvy, yes, I'm talking about three former Florida Gators, who could afford not to test the NBA waters and stick around for school one more year because they were "hungry" for another title. Enough said! So, seriously, let's watch out what we're really hungry for... some people can't even tell you they are because they're too weak to utter that sentence...

When Did "Survivor" Start Handing Diplomas?

My second rant of the blog has to do with the trivialization of the term "Alum," the reduced form of the term "Alumnus" or "Alumna" (by the way, "Alumni" is the PLURAL form of "Alumnus," so please refrain from say you are "An Alumni" from a school!). Let me provide this definition from Wikipedia, "As indicated in the American Heritage Dictionary, an alumnus or alumna is either someone who has attended the school (or a "former student of a school") or someone who has graduated from the school." Yes, by definition, An alum(nus/a) is someone who either went to school or preferably graduated. So, when exchange students write that they are "UIllinois Alum" in their profiles, that is very accurate. When I write that I am a "Fulbright Alumnus," it is accurate since I was given a scholarship to pursue my master's. Anybody who has attended an educational institution by extension can call him/herself an alum.

What really irks me is when you start referring to anyone who has been on a TV show (a la Saturday Night Live) or a reality TV show as "Alums" of that show. Really, I wonder what curriculum they had to pursue to earn the right to be alums of "Survivor College," "Flavor of Love Polytechnic," or "The Real World/Road Rules State University?" I mean, it is hard work to get a Bachelor's, for instance. I know that my friends who just graduated had to spend lots of hours at the library to get theirs. I know that my education students have to bust their chops every semester and keep a high GPA just to get, in some cases, their education MINORS (at this point, anyone who claims you don't have to study hard if you're in education doesn't want to know how far up your humanity you'll have to go to give me my walking cane back!). In order for me to be an "Alumnus" of The University of Illinois, I first had to write a thesis and now I have to write this 2000-lb gorilla otherwise known as my dissertation. So excuse me if I hurt a few sensitivities by being irked by a few reality-TV castaways who are so devoid of parental love and need to be called "Alums," sometimes to justify the fact that getting drunk on national TV and making "Girls Gone Wild" videos beats getting a decent education! At least there are bona-fide actors and directors who are Alumni/ae of schools around the U.S. (or at worst they attended the school long enough to be recognized as former students). I'm sorry, but I know how hard it is to get your education for someone to try to go the easy way out and simply diminish my (and my friends') accomplishments by using the same title that I have earned.

Does this make me an elitist? So what if it does? Getting your education is a big deal and it shouldn't be diminished. Just because I was an Army brat, it doesn't mean I am a "soldier," and being a fan of a team doesn't make me a member of a "Nation." We need to call a spade a spade, and be respectful of what it takes to earn a name. Although it is true, as the Bard once said, that if a rose were called something different it would smell the same, none of you would describe a pile of scum as a "rose."

And, in the words of that great cynic, Mr. Miller, "This is my opinion, but I could be wrong!"

That's it for now. Till my next blog, I bid farewell!

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...
Raúl A. (El Patrón)

The Search for the "James Bond Moment"

2008-05-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

Greetings bloggers and fans around the net. First, thanks to my friends for the words of encouragement about my last blog about my leg. The road to healing is still on and I'll get back to 100% soon enough. I can't thank you all enough for your support.

Second, props to what in my mind will be one of the most legendary intramural sports teams of all time: The St. Funs Broomball Club. We had good times and heartbreak, but somewhere along the way, we actually got to really become good friends, brothers if you will. Whether I'll retire from broomball is yet to be decided, but it'll be hard to replicate the experience and I'd rather live with the memories I've already collected.

I don't have much of an update on my twin nieces. I promise one very soon and a very special two-year anniversary blog about what the arrival of Isabella and Manuela has represented for my life. It'll be a good one, I promise.

Now, on to my blog...

Shaken, not Stirred: The Search for the "James Bond" Moment

I won't lie: I am a James Bond fan, the kind of fan that knows that there was such a thing as an actual dude named James Bond, who happened to me an ornitologist and whose name drew inspiration for Ian Fleming to name his 007 MI5 Agent, on Her Majesty's Secret Service. The kind of purist that denounces "Never Say Never Again" as part of the saga. Geekiness aside, there's one reason why James Bond has never lost his allure as a cultural icon: It's the fact that some parts of his persona are enticing (and no, it's not the neverending list of STD that Mr. Bond probably has after so many random encounters with random women!), like the casinos, cars, and of course, the gadgets. As comic Craig Ferguson once said, most of us always anticipated the Bond-Q encounter where Q would go over the gadgets du jour with 007. It is no surprise that "Bond, James Bond" was picked at the end of the 21st century as the most popular movie phrase of all time. Multiple variations of that have made it to different movies alike. Also, the emergence of so many Bond parodies (Get Smart, Johnny English, Austin Powers, to name a few) and the eternal search for the U.S. version of James Bond (Jason Bourne, anyone?) are more than enough evidence that Commander Bond will always be a point of reference for movie buffs.

There is one thing, though, that a lot of people would like to experience first-hand. It's what I like to call "Your own James Bond moment." You may want to feel it while driving, a la the guy from the Ruben Blades song "Decisiones" (Decisions), or while drinking a martini, etc. You don't really need to be able to afford an Aston Martin (although it's gotta be pretty freaking cool to own one, eh?) or sport a Tuxedo (which is still in my list of things to wear while I'm still single) to have one of those. The bottom line is, once you get your James Bond moment, that represents eternal bragging rights and a fun story to share with generations to come!

And... oh yes, I DO have my own James Bond moment and I've cherished it ever since it happened. That (and of course being flat broke by virtue of grad school) is the main reason I don't feel like I ever need to hit a casino ever again. I'm in anecdotal mood, so let me share the story...

The year: 1998. The place: Cartagena, Colombia (oh yes, a tourist location with beaches and beautiful women galore; it may not be Monte Carlo, but it was really fun. I recommend visiting Cartagena sometime). The setting: A night in January at a casino right across the street from the place we were staying. This was a moment that was pivotal not only for our vacation but for the moment when the whole "Patron" thing really got going. Here's the situation: A group of close friends (whom we'll call Andres A., Carlos R.D., Javier M., and Javier R. because those are their actual names!) and I came back from a night out and in order to give two friends some space, we went to the aforementioned casino. With a few bucks and our crazy spirits, we took over the locale. We started at the roulette first; after a while, we actually hit the blackjack table. I sat down, Bond style, and started playing. I won some, I lost some. And then...

The Pivotal Moment that changed the course of my history...

One of the rounds of blackjack, I got five cards: 2, 5, 4, 2, for 13. Decisions, decisions... I couldn't stand pat because the house would win. I could only go for another card and take my chances to go over 21... or maybe get that much-needed 8 and beat the house on that round. After consulting with my entourage (by that point, they actually were in character!), they encouraged me to take my chances. I did and I told the dealer (and I will include the original quote in Spanish):

"Tireme ese OCHO que tiene ahi!" (Translation: "Hit me with that EIGHT you've got right there!")

I was a rather brash statement, outlandish even. I knew I could make a fool of myself. But, I also knew that the stuff of legends happens in moments like these. The dealer pulled the card.. and... wait for it...

Oh my! AN EIGHT OF CLUBS was the card that got me to 21 and won that round. My friends couldn't believe it. I, of course, knew what I was doing (James Bond would too!) and acted nonchalant. Yes, I lost almost all of my money in the next few rounds and left the table with just a buck. Right now, it doesn't matter! That buck could've been spent in a cheap pair of sunglasses or getting ripped off by the oyster guys (another story for another time). But, I wouldn't have my eternal bragging rights, the feeling of knowing EXACTLY what James Bond feels when he beats the bad guys at the table and the fact that for one brief moment... I could go and say...

"Yeah, I am Bond... PATRON Bond!"

I was in the mood for a light-hearted blog... and this just did it! I hope you enjoyed reading it.

I'll be back with more soon. Till my next blog, I bid farewell!

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...
Raúl A. (El Patrón)

Three months, one plate, two pins, and five screws later: Reflections about life after a broken leg

2008-04-11T14:48:00.000-05:00

Greetings to all my friends and bloggers around the world. It's been a while since I sat down and wrote a blog. I had a bit of writer's block, but as Austin Powers would say, I've got my mojo back. I had lost my ability to write but it's back and here to stay!

I'll save the acknowledgments for later. But first, here's yet another installment of the...

Gratuitous Twin Nieces Update (Because we finally found someone who'll save us from the abomination that are the Olsen Twins!)

Well, the girls are absolutely adorable! They're looking really pretty and witty and fine. They're able to talk some more and they now fully recognize me, even though they can't fully pronounce my name (the downside of such an awesome name as Raúl is that it takes a while to say that R at the beginning). I also got some pictures to share...

That does it for this update. Now, on to my main event...

Three Months, One Plate, Two Pins, and Five Screws Later:

Reflections about life after a broken leg

Before I even start sharing my deeper thoughts, let me tell you this much:

I doubt I'll ever get over the cold chill down my spine every time I recall what happened when I landed on the floor after the attempted layup (and no, I don't remember whether I scored or not!) and I felt a pop in my knee and I felt my whole leg bone shifting to the right.

Every time I relive those images in my brain, I feel the same chill, the same incredulity and I keep wondering why on earth this happened. It still feels surreal, recalling what happened in the next 30 hours after that moment: Calling my friends to come to my aid, getting on the ambulance, feeling loopy from the morphine, experiencing that brief despair when I was told I'd needed surgery, calling my family to tell them, going to surgery, waking up from it, and being at the hospital the next morning. It still feels surreal, like an episode from a drama about life in grad school or something...

Until I look at my leg and see that this is as real as it gets: An eight-inch scar on my right leg, the crutches, knowing that by the time I can walk unassisted it will most likely be six months. It has been a life-changing journey for me and that's what the next lines will be all about...

Friends who become family

I've said it once and I'll say it again: God only knows that I didn't go through hell and back because of my friends in Champaign. From the moment I landed on the hardwood floor, my friends have stepped up and helped me. Some of them have already transcended that categorization of friends and have become my family away from home. You know who you are and if you read this, it's you I'm talking about. My friends have been able to look past the crutches, the awkward walking, the waiting forever for me to sit down or stand up, and still see me for who I am. Having my parents and sister thousands of miles away, they've been a source of emotional support that's made my life easier to handle. I don't know how long it'll take for me to repay them, but I surely will.

Let me say thanks to a few, since the list is long... To my Colombian friends, thanks once again. It's good to know there are so many good Colombians left in the world! To my other friends from around the world, thanks for your support. To my teammates from the best broomball team ever, ST. FUNS, I miss playing defense but I love being your Coach! To my students, thanks for putting up with me. I promised you I'd give you 150% every class and I've delivered! To my family back home: Don't be bummed because you're not here physically. You've been here in spirit every day and you're the main reason I take my therapy so seriously.

Learn, Unlearn, Relearn

It's interesting to think about all that we take for granted. Before this, everything was so easy and obvious. Then, I forgot how to walk, standing up was an endurance test, and points A and B were a thousand miles away even if a few yards apart. One of the hardest days was the first weekend when I had my cast put on, at the beginning of January. It was one of those rare 40-Fahrenheit-degree days in Champaign, perfect for a long walk. I ventured outside the apartment as best as I could and sat outside my apartment... and I couldn't help crying out of sheer frustration. It's been tough not to do what I liked to do. As I was lying down in the emergency room, right after I was told I'd need surgery, I couldn't help thinking about all that I'd miss in the spring: My trip to New York, dancing nights, the intramural broomball season (the first game of the season was a tough pill to swallow... it helped me understand what injured athletes feel like at that moment and how tough it is to be on the sidelines when you'd wish otherwise), etc. On the other hand, as the months progress and I regain my ability to walk, I'm starting to look forward to the long walks I'll take and I'm even thinking of getting a brand-new bicycle for the summer. I guess that's part of reaching little milestones every day in therapy.

The Flip Side of the Coin: I'd never felt discriminated against... until now!

One thing about my graduate studies has been how sensitive it's made me about issues of discrimination. I didn't really know what being looked funny on the grounds of anything looked like. I know what "white privilege" was like from my days back home; I've never felt linguistic discrimination because of my English; and even my nationality has never been an issue. However, I've learned first-hand what being discriminated against by virtue of disability (the one form of discrimination that really seems to be color-blind) looks like, on a small scale. Let me repeat that: On a small scale. But, yes, I've had the funny looks when I stand on a dance floor and I have folks looking at me like, "what are you doing here?" or telling me, "You shouldn't be here" or "This isn't safe for you" (These are actual quotes I've heard, plus the patronizing tone that I can't replicate on a blog). I've seen how some people seem to feel mad that they have to move to the end of the bus or some even refuse to move because they're too comfortable in the front seats. I've even felt embarrassed that it takes me so long to get in or out of a car (even if none of my friends have implied anything) and I'm still really self-conscious about wearing shorts (I wear a sleeve under my brace partly to protect the scar from the sun, partly not to show it).

But, funny as it may, I've seen how some people can't really look past my crutches and all they see is those two aluminum pieces and the large brace around my leg. It's funny how some people think they can't be with me because I can't really walk that well for the time being. They can't seem to go beyond that. It's as if everything else were Photoshop blurred from their brain and their foci were those things. It makes me wonder how many of them can't look past a wheelchair or a missing limb. It makes me wonder how many times I may have done exactly the same and how many people I missed a chance to meet or know because of this.

Right now, more than wonder, it does make me pity them, those few and far between who think I'm out of place at a bar or a dance floor. Maybe they're the ones out of place in this world. After all, as Everlast once said, "God forbid you ever have to walk one mile in their shoes, cuz then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues."

But, again, let me be honest: That's a minority. My true friends don't care about that. To them, I'm still their friend and I'm not any worse because of this. And that definitely offsets any weird looks I get on occasion.

The Road Ahead...

I've still got a stretch to go on the road to full recovery. I've started therapy (after three long months of having a stiff right leg) and I'm walking... not in a figurative sense. I AM walking. That actually reminds me of the only other time I've cried during this journey. I remember it well, it was the last Thursday in March, after I came back from the hospital and my monthly check-up. I entered my classroom and actually attempted to put weight on my leg and walk. One step, then another, then one more... as I kept walking to my desk, I couldn't help repeating, "I can't believe I'm walking, I can't believe I'm walking!" and all of a sudden, I was crying, as Sting would say, "I'm so happy that I can't stop crying, I'm so happy I'm laughing through my tears." I was able to walk again, and let me tell you, it was one of the most delightful feelings I've experienced in a long time!

As I was saying, I'll be in therapy for at least two months, if not three. But, I'm optimistic that I'll be fine at the end of this. In fact, I really like Raúl A. version 2.5 (I like to think that there's such a thing as Raúl A. version 2.0 - the post-grad school version!). I've lost a few pounds, which I needed to do anyway. I've learned to be more patient about a few things and I've learned not to use anything as an excuse for not doing something else. I've learned to appreciate the things and people I have around me. Oh, and I don't feel any bit bad that this happened to me, nor do I feel that I was star-struck or anything of that kind. It was an accident and it changed my life... for the better!

Plus, how many of you can actually say that you're literally an "Iron Man"?

I didn't think so!

That's it for now. Till my next blog I bid farewell!

The Blogger, the Thinker, the Provocateur...
Raúl A. (El Patrón)

Reading Too Much on the Movies, or Am I Onto Something?

2007-12-15T18:05:00.002-06:00

Jingle Blogs, Jingle Blogs, Blogging All the Way...

Greetings to all my fellow bloggers and dearest friends around the world. In the words of LL Cool J, "Don't call it a comeback!" The blog was just taking a quick break, but I'm back and fully loaded!

First things first, some acknowledgments: As always, props to the other members to the awesomest broomball team EVER, The Famous St. Funs. I can't wait to play intramural again! I'm so pumped! Finally, to all my students this semester, thanks for making a difference yet again.
And now, yes you know it! It's time for...

The Gratuitous Twin Nieces Update (Because those are my favorite "snowflakes"):
Ok, so they will turn 17 months old next week. They're now almost fully mobile (as in walking!) and still very vivacious. And, get this, they already recognize me IN PICTURES. My mom said she took one picture where I look really nice (by golly, I had no idea there was such a thing as a pic in which I look good... I still think that's an urban legend or my mom's trying to cheer me up some!) and they really know I am their uncle! I'm so looking forward to my summer trip just to see them!

Ok. Now it's time for tonight's blog...

Reading the movies: Is there a hidden message somewhere to which we should pay attention?

Those who know what I do as part of my research (whatever the hell it is that I do) know that I have an interest in media literacy, television/movies, and popular culture. What that means is that while I can still enjoy the movies, I sometimes tend to overanalyze them, not in a Roger Ebert kind of way, but I still do. I went to watch "I am Legend," the latest Will Smith vehicle. Without killing the plot too much, it is about a man who ends up all by himself in New York, after almost everybody got wiped out by some crazy virus. I am not going to discuss the cinematic values of the production or acting (after all, I am not into Cinema Studies). In media literacy, one is more interested in the messages hidden behind the messages, the social constructions being laid out in the media, and what that particular movie, TV show, or song is saying about the world at large.

So, since I decided to give my brain the afternoon off (that means: Not think about my dissertation), a thought came to me this morning after my shower and while I tried to take a nap (you would be surprised what ideas I come up with when I shave!): What are these movies trying to tell us? This very quick-and-dirty analysis will contrast two genres of movies: Sci-fi and the Zombie/End of the World genres:

If you look at some movies from the Science Fiction genre (e.g. Independence Day, Armageddon, Deep Impact, The Core, Alien, Predator, etc.), there is an underlying thread that can be recognized by reading between the lines: There is a threat to humanity, whether foreign/alien (other civilizations, asteroids, comets, etc.) or domestic (earth itself) and humanity needs to pool either all their technological resources together (Armageddon, The Core) or get the best out of human ingenuity (Alien, Predator) to vanquish it. Enemies become friends (Independence Day), Weapons of Mass Destruction become Weapons of Mass "Salvation" (Armageddon, Deep Impact, The Core), and ultimately the best of the human race seems to be highlighted, our core values surface in the face of extreme adversity. In addition, the "threat," when in the form of alien races or species, is always portrayed as superior to us, both technologically and physically. Think of the "Predator" character: It is physically imposing, a freak of nature if you will. It is the same as the Alien from the namesake franchise. And yet, we seem to find a way to best them with our (to them) archaic technology and underdeveloped skills. Finally, the aftermath seems to be positive: Earth finds a way to recover a better balance, things look positive after things are done.

However, take a look at how we are portrayed in the Zombie/End of the World genre (e.g. I am Legend, Dawn of the Dead, Land of the Dead, 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, etc.): We are portrayed first as a scientific community that seems to defy the rules of ethics and wants to play God for its sake. What happens is what Sting in "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" can best describe, "Never saw no miracle of science/That didn't go from a blessing to a curse." Oh yes, all these movies somehow imply either that something in science either created a virus (Resident Evil, I Am Legend) or that something happened that made a common cold go haywire (28 Days Later, Dawn Of The Dead). Then, there is the portrayal of the survivors. Unlike the survivors in the Sci-fi genre, here they seem to be first devoid of most resources, especially technological. Second, they seem to be completely outsmarted and outnumbered by what is described as an "inferior" version of themselves (unlike our enemies in Sci-fi as I pointed above). Somehow, somewhere, the zombies always seem to get the best of them, there is no apparent way to defeat them, let alone save them. Furthermore, the depiction of earth is actually scary. The planet is shown as completely devastated (Resident Evil: Extinction, 28 Weeks Later) and people are forced to move to small enclaves to survive (Land of the Dead, I Am Legend, 28 Days Later), without an apparent way to restore order out of the existing chaos.

Now, I am not implying that most directors have actually thought about this, with the exception, of course, of the master of the Zombie genre himself, George A. Romero (just watch the original "Night of the Living Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," and his most recent "Land of the Dead" and the social commentary is pretty evident). But, as I said earlier, this is what us media literacy folks do: Unearth messages where they seemingly are not. A very simple message that comes from cross-checking the genres is: We can defeat pretty much anyone, anytime, anything, anywhere... except ourselves. These movies remind us that, in addition to our endless capacity for creation, we also share the same hunger for destruction. One thing that the zombie genre hardly ever asks (with the exception of I Am Legend and the Resident Evil franchise) is, "How did we get here?" I think as a society, it might be worth thinking about it. After all, there is such a thing as biochemical warfare and folks are getting affected by it. How long might it be until those things come knocking on our door.

Another reading about these movies has to do with what we do and who we are. As "Shaun Of The Dead" so poignantly reminds us in the early sequences, sometimes we seem to act as "zombies" already, moving on to life aimlessly. If I were to come up with an umbrella lesson from this cross-examination, it would be this: There is so much about us that we still need to tap into and we are sometimes wasting it. Is it not time to stop going through the motions and reclaiming our humanity? And, finally, as someone used to say, if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem. The larger question is, how are we going to use those resources that, in our imaginations, we use to defeat those imaginaries that put us against the rope to help those who are already facing adversity?

Those are larger questions, whose answers I am still figuring out. After all, there is more to my Ph.D. than writing a dissertation.

Thanks for letting me share, and until the next blog,

The Blogger, the thinker, the provocateur...
Raúl A. (El Patron)

2007-10-17T14:17:00.000-05:00

Q&A with Raúl A. Mora, aka El Patrón

Greetings fellow bloggers around the world. I included an earlier version of this note on Facebook. This is a longer version, just for you to learn more about me...

Where are you from?
COLOMBIA, with an O, not a U!

Where in Colombia?
MEDELLIN - That's center, about an 8-hour drive from Bogota.

Do you drink coffee?
Not much until I came here. Yet, I know how to make A CUP of coffee. My dad taught me not to rely on coffee makers.

Can you cook Colombian food?
Does "arroz con huevo count?" Just kidding! I know a few recipes here and there.

Do you miss any Colombian food?
Well, not a lot of it. I do miss lentils (though my mom always cooks that for me when I go home) and fruit stands all over the city. Fruit in the US is too expensive (and too tiny) for my taste!

Do you dance salsa?
Invite me to Soma or Ko Fusion and see for yourself ;o)

Do you play soccer?
Before I even answer that question, please see my soccer-related Facebook group...

My bad, do you play FUTBOL?
I play goalie.

How long have you been here?
5 years and counting.

Are you an exchange student?
Under my visa status, technically yes. But I'm a doctoral student.

Doctoral student in Engineering, like all the other Colombians?
No. I'm the "token Humanities doc student" of the bunch, the Colombian Tajel if you will. I'm doing my Ph.D. in Education.

So you wanna be a teacher?
No, I want to PREPARE teachers. I taught for almost 10 years in Colombia.

What did you teach?
English.

Really? What grades?
I taught from 5th to 11th grade at high schools in the city; I also taught English to children and adults, and I was an adjunct instructor at a local college.

Why do they call you EL PATRON?
It's a very long story that has been running for over 10 years. That deserves a full blog of its own :o).

What's up with the A. after Raúl?
I'm named after my father, who happens to be Raúl Mora. My mom chose the middle name (Alberto). For professional purposes, in 2003 I made it emphatic that all papers where I appear as co-author should include my middle initial, A. When I write solo, I use the full middle name, though. I also identify myself as "Raúl A. Mora" when I meet someone in the academic circles.

Does your name have an accent?
Yes, in the U, so it's spelled Raúl. That actually affects the pronunciation, so it's not "Rawl" but "Ra-ool". However, I don't make that big of a fuss if you forget to add it. You do get kudos, though, if you accentuate the U. My advisor and some of my professors do. And most people say "Ra-ool" too :)

Why did you come to U of I?
It's a great school in education, and no I don't miss the mountains that much. However, I really hate the weather changes... my allergies act up like crazy in Illinois!

But do you miss your family?
Of course I do! It is hard not to be there to see my nieces grow up (I talked about that in a blog a while ago), and I know my parents and especially my sister miss me a lot (it is hard to talk to her sometimes, she ends up crying after we talk...). We communicate often, though, so that makes things more bearable for all of us.

Have you ever been married?
No. No wives, no children (the other Mora Velez has taken care of the children quota!!!!)

How many girlfriends have you had?
4 on the record (5 off the record... long story), but only the last 3 really matter.

Do you still talk to them?
Occasionally, but overall, we're in good terms.

What's Broomball?
Check the link to Wikipedia in my previous notes. Just to give you a quick-and-dirty: It is NOT hockey, but you play on ice and without skates. It is like playing field hockey on ice, if you will.

Are you really 33 years old? You don't look that old!
Yes, I am, and no, I don't!

So do you speak Colombian?
No, I actually speak native Spanish, perfect English, quasi-fluent French, and broken Portuguese (but working on it!)

What's your favorite drink?
Good beer, Veraison wine, Tequila Sunrise with (you guessed it) Patron Silver, or a good martini.

What should anyone who just met you avoid doing?
First, don't ask me a "cocaine" question right after meeting me. I don't mind talking about hard topics, but asking me if I can score you some coke (no, I can't) or if you can buy it on any street corner (no, you can't either) just proves that you're very impolite, overly ignorant, and awfully stupid. Second, don't ever smack me in the head!

My Blog 2.0: Blogs up till now in 2007

2007-09-15T16:34:00.001-05:00

As promised, here's the second batch of blogs I've moved. From now on, there'll be original postings.

Till next blog,

Raul A. (El Patron)

August 20, 2007

So you're planning to study in the US? Here are some tips!

Greetings fellow readers and fans in the blogosphere. For the last three years, I've worked every end of the summer with the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at the ever-glorious University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (hail to the orange, hail to the blue!!!!). In that time, I've met students from all over the world, while learning about visas, paperwork, etc. Although I could probably parlay this experience into an alternate career in overseas counseling, I love teacher education too much to do so. However, some of what I've learned may be beneficial to others.

So, without further ado, here's some of what I've learned:

1. Your documents:

The entry Visa (the document on your passport) is overrated, so don't obsess so much about it. That's only useful to enter the US. Once you've crossed immigration, other documents kick in. One that's really important once you're in the US is your I-94 - you know, that little piece of paper that they give you while on the airplane that you're trying to fill out in the middle of that turbulence of while watching the awful in-flight movie. Losing that one will screw you up royally, so don't lose track of it. I've seen all the hassles new students have when they lose it. One suggestion is to staple it right next to your entry visa on your passport.
When you're at the port of entry, take some time to look carefully at what the immigration officer writes on your I-94. I know it's hard when you're in the middle of the fracas, but those two seconds may come in handy. Make sure those scribblings on your I-94 match what's on your visa and that they don't forget to write anything. Take a few seconds to read it before you leave and if necessary, ask the officer to make all corrections on the spot. That might save you an unnecessary trip to a nearby international airport.
If you're single, choosing an F-1 or J-1 visa may not make that much of a difference. If you're married, applying for an F-1 or J-1 visa may make A WHOLE WORLD of difference, not for you, but for YOUR SPOUSE. I can't say much right now, but if you're married, you may want to look into that before applying for school. Your spouse might thank you later.
More on the visa type: Think carefully about your needs and future travel plans before applying for an F or J visa. There are some benefits to having either, as well as disadvantages. If possible, check with an overseas studies advisor or consult the international student office at the university you're applying for about what the best one for you would be.
If you're planning to be in the US for more than six months, do consider taking up a driver's license from the state you'll be residing in. Yes, some states will allow you to drive with your own, but sometimes that won't be accepted as a valid form of ID. Plus, you don't want to drink and carry your passport... bad idea! What if you can't drive? Well, most states also have a State ID card that resembles a driver's license. It's not that expensive to get, you can use even at airports if you're flying within the continental US and again, if you lose that one, it's only 5-10 dollars to get a duplicate. Getting a new passport, visa and I-94? A little more than that

2. Learning about the environment:

Arriving in a new country is always tough. The US has its very own intricacies and many college campuses are ginormous. Some tips to survive these educational juggernauts:

Learn to read maps. US culture is map-oriented (they'll even draw you a map to go to the restroom!), and reading maps is a skill that will serve you well. Get a campus map as soon as you arrive on campus, and make sure to know which way is North (this sounds silly, but going up is not necessarily heading north!). Also, get used to using north, south, east, and west as much as you would use up, down, left, and right. It's not unusual to get directions and folks will tell you, "go north on X street..."
Embrace it: You WILL get lost at some point. Just relax and enjoy getting lost on your campus. That's just as inevitable as getting the Ph.D. bug as a master's student or succumbing to the "freshman 15." That will always makes up for crazy anecdotes when you get back home.
It's not better or worse, just DIFFERENT. As obvious as it may seem, some people can't get detached of everything they had at home and expect to find equivalents in the US. The sooner you rid yourself of such a notion, the easier it'll be to adapt. Meat cuts won't be the same here as in you country, fruits will look and taste different, just deal with it!
Contact your compatriots. It's not uncommon for large universities to have international student associations. Get in touch with them, and do hang out with them. It's actually (in my not-so-humble-after-all opinion) kind of rude not to try to reach out to them at least a few times while you're in school. You'd rather be with other people, fine! But don't be a stranger. Your compatriots are the first line of defense and many are seasoned residents who can give you some nice tips about surviving. Having said that...
Don't narrow yourself down. US universities, particularly at the graduate level, are oases of cultural diversity. Never in your life will you meet so many people from so many countries, unless you end up in foreign relations or the U.N. So, enjoy it. and don't spend every second of your day with people too similar to you. You'd be suprised how similar we can be across nationality lines. Have a little bit of fun too. Learn to say "hello" in different languages, even if that's all you know about the language. Greet your Muslim friends wih "Asalaam Alaikum" and you'll find out how much you may understand them when they reply "Alaikum Salaam." Don't just say "cheers" when you can toast by saying, "sante," "saude," "slainte," "prost," etc. Kiss your Argentine friends on the cheek and give two kisses to the Spanish, Austrian, or Lebanese girls. As I said, you'll never meet so many people from so many countries in one place. Don't put it to waste.
Go to some of the local events near campus. In fact, try not to spend a lot of time on the campus districts! You'd be surprised how different life looks through the lense of the local folks. Go to local festivals or events on the streets in the downtown areas. Enjoy a free concert by a local band and interact with the townies, they're not bad people!

3. Your English:

Try to learn as much as you can before you come here. Don't take for granted that being here alone will improve it. Take courses, read in English, practice, practice, practice before you come here! Although that holds true especially for people in the humanities, folks in engineering can benefit from all the practice.
Learn about events for international students. There are conversation tables and groups sponsored by groups and organizations. That's a way to practice in a more relaxed environment.
Don't be afraid to speak and use your English. Take risks and talk. Also, don't EVER apologize for your accent or lack of "American" pronunciation. Be proud of your heritage, even when you speak English!
No matter how good your English is, get ready to learn all over again. Developing an academic register when you speak and write is a whole different animal and it'll take you time to learn it. Ask your adviser and other professors for help (hint: They too HAD TO LEARN to write and speak academically... remember this, NONE OF YOUR PROFESSORS WAS BORN WITH A PHD. THEY ALL HAD TO GO TO GRAD SCHOOL JUST LIKE YOU, so don't hesitate to ask for help. Unless they're certified jerks, they'll help you get better), as well as more advanced graduate students.

4. Brush up on some skills:

Google will be your best buddy ever, so learn to use it effectively.
Take some time to learn some typing skills. They'll come in handy when you're writing reports.
If you're going to do some social science research, take a listening comprehension course before coming here. Practice transcribing tapes in English. You'll need that skill throughout your degree work.
Learn to read on your computer screen. You might get tired at first, but many professors now give you the readings in .pdf format. Plus, that saves trees :).
Learn to use Office applications (powerpoint, word, excel). You have no idea how much those skills will come in handy.

That's some of my advice for now. I'll get back to writing more tips as my quest to finish my dissertation continues.

Till my next blog,

Raul A. (El Patron)

The Return of the Blog... in time for Fall!!!!

The Return of the Blog

Greetings to all my friends and fans on the blogosphere and Facebook. After a long absence from writing, I've decided to reactivate my blog. It's been a while since I've written some lines so I'll indulge for a little bit...

But before I go any further... oh yes, you know what's coming, don't you? It's time for an enhanced...

Gratuitous Update on Isabella & Manuela (well, because they're Isa and Manu, and you're not!)

So my lovely, adorable, and gorgeous nieces turned ONE a month ago (yes, they're 13 months old!) and the family had a nice little shindig for them at my aunt's farm. Pictures galore from the event have flooded my e-mail and I've tried to post them up on Facebook as fast as I can. Progress reports indicate that they're already giving little strides here and there, they can say a few words (notably an obsession with saying hi to everybody they run into!) and they recognize their oddball Tio Raul in pictures. Unfortunately, it seems they have some respiratory problems, and that's freaked me out a little freaked out (God forbid they have their uncle's nose!), so we'll see what happens.

Ok, now that I got that out of my system, on with the blog...

Random thoughts before the end of the summer....

1. "I'll get by with a little help from my friends." - Joe Cocker

Anyone who ever watched "The Wonder Years" probably remembers that song by Joe Cocker. I wanted to start my blog with that line to give a bunch of my close friends a HUGE THANK YOU for your support over the past few months (you know damn well who you are!). I've finally gotten over a huge funk that went on and off all of last year. I won't discuss the causes, but its aftermath has included some time off from the dating game to collect my thoughts together and get all of my life back on track. I got two years left to graduate, so the stakes are increasingly higher. But, make no mistake, if it hadn't been for that "little help from my friends," in the form of friendly advice (Sandra), listening to my rants on facebook and AIM (An, Scott, Aubrey, Yupin), or simply just being there (Aragon, Yovani, Ricardo). it's very unlikely I'd have reached the peace of mind I seem to have found as of late. To all of them, you know damn well that EL PATRON may be down, but never out., and rest assured that when you need me, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, I'll answer the call when you need me!

2. My thoughts for Peru

A few days ago, a devastating earthquake destroyed parts of Peru to points that seem to be mind-blowing. I was told that one of my cousins' husband is covering the news from Lima and that the scene brings you to tears. My condolences and prayers to any and all Peruvians around the world. I have seen first-hand what the wrath of nature can do to a city/country, and I know how much you must be suffering. From this blog, all I can do is offer my unwavering support and any possible help.

3. Damn, it's Fall already!

I can't believe it's almost the end of the summer. This one went by so fast, and I really didn't have much of a break, with the exception of a weekend trip to Springfield, IL. But, at least I had enough money to eat decently and go out on occasion, and the rent was paid on time. Now, fall's here. What's in store for me: Well, preparing everything for my dissertation proposal defense in December, teaching 2 courses, and of course playing one more season with the best broomball team on earth, THE FAMOUS ST. FUNS (you know, B-Hernz, Da Schaf, Homie, Wags, and Harold the pope... King Doug, we'll miss you!!!! Oh, and check out our St. Funs broomball videos on youtube!) That should keep me entertained. But, I'm really looking forward to this fall... at least it had a much better kickoff than last year's!!!!! Also, old friends are back and new friends were met, so that's always good. To my old friends back in town (Igor, Rebecca, Maryline, etc), welcome back home. It's good to have you around. To my new friends (Carlo, Xioda, Mirona, etc...) welcome to Chambana... a place you may too call home soon enough.

4. The countdown to 2009 begins

I have two years left in Chambana, so let's start the countdown to 2009. I promised a few friends (Bongani, Issam, etc.) that I'm going to get this done no matter what. I came here on a mission, and yes I've met wonderful people along the way. I'm really excited about this and I can't wait to take on the challenges for the next two years. Just tag along for the ride. It'll be pretty awesome!!!!!!

Till my next blog...

Raul A. (El Patron)

April 18, 2007

Thoughts After the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Greetings to all my fellow bloggers and friends around the world. As you can tell, I've chosen Maroon and Orange for this blog. This entire blog is dedicated to the 32 victims of the Virginia Tech shootings this past Monday. However, a special dedication to the memories of two of the victims: Professor Liviu Librescu, who showed us the ultimate sacrifice a teacher can (and when need may be, must) make, and Professor James Bishop, a "brother" of mine, if you will, since he (just as I am now) was a Fulbright Alum in Germany. Peace to all of them in their resting places and my prayers to all of them, friends, and families.

On my with blog:

Thoughts in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech Tragedy: Some of my reflections and cathartic thoughts

Before I start, a caveat: I assume sole responsibility of these thoughts. They are my catharsis. I've been choking tears for the last three days and I need this to clear my mind. They represent my uncertainty, my sadness, and even my anger. However, I'm trying to be fair and honest.

We're all Hokies... because we all could've been Illini.

It has been a sad week for anyone who attends a university anywhere in the world. In the morning of April 16, 2007, 32 students and faculty died in the hands of another student, who was disenchanted with life and decided to make them (and us at large) the recipients of his unjustified nemesis (more on that later). It is an unfortunate day because this could really have happened anywhere else. For all we know, it could've been in Champaign, Illinois, and now I'd have to be calling everybody else to tell them I am alive and safe. I prayed to God on Tuesday morning when all I had to talk to my mom was about my sister's broken ankle. When that's the topic of conversation compared to what could've been about, as Friar Lawrence would say, "Therefore thou art happy."

Why did this happen, we all wonder? Part of it is the very nature of these universities. In terms of safety, these are monolithic constructions in the middle of small towns. I mean, how would you feel if someone tried to place the Eiffel Tower in your backyard? Overwhelmed? Mad as hell? Some folks here might if you think about the social imbalances on both sides of the invisible fence that college campuses have created. True, this time it was a student himself who perpetrated such atrocities, but what might preclude someone unaffiliated with the university to try to teach us a lesson in inequality and injustice? Then, there's the very nature of the academic life at these universities. Virginia Tech, just as Illinois, is a Research University. The demands are high and the pressure sometimes even higher. It is not hard to crack under pressure, believe me. We all feel the weight under our shoulders, and anyone who says otherwise is full of it, I promise. The thing is, some of us have other outlets to relieve the pressure, some of us have close and good friends who rescue us day in and day out. That Korean kid had none of them. I'm neither defending nor justifying his actions. Let me get this straight: No matter how much pressure you live under, there's no excuse to punish others for it, especially if the punishment is death. You can always seek other outlets, seek counseling, talk to someone.

However, this is a cautionary tale for all of us. How many people do we know that never talk to anyone? We have seen them at lecture halls, we have seen them at coffee shops, we have seen them at the libraries, yet we hide under the shield of our papers, research, and dissertations to avoid them. We classify them as "weird" or "creepy" when maybe there's someone worth talking to. There are 45,000 students at the U of I. How many loners are there roaming our campus? I think we need to be more careful and try to find ways to help them if we know a case. They might not go ballistic on anyone, but they might hurt themselves. That we cannot allow it either.

I am trying to make sense of these events using the University as a field, devoid of the "It's in the USA" discussion. Contextualizing this in the "those gringos brought it to themselves" cloud is not my point (and I know for a fact that some folks around the world - as I noticed in a forum I read in a Colombian newspaper - are actually celebrating this... probably not in South Korea, though). I still think something like this, or along these lines, could happen elsewhere. We have universities all over the world, and they are a microcosm of our societies. Am I advocating for lessening the demands so that our students don't go bananas someday? No. It's not my style to call for mediocrity. I wasn't raised to be mediocre, and I thank my parents for that. I am advocating for present and future faculty to be less of a Professor and more of a Teacher. I mentioned in a past blog how I saw myself as a teacher. That's what we need: More professors and teaching assistants who care more for their students or at least as much as they do for their research. We need faculty who can give students what Wikipedia will never be able to: a comforting hand in the times of need, a voice of support when we're down, to show that we care for the scholars they can be but even more so for the person they are. And for that, we don't need a goddamn Ph.D. We just need a heart.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Here I want to stop and pay tribute to Professor Liviu Librescu, one of the true HEROES of A-16. For those who haven't heard yet. Prof. Librescu, a former Holocaust survivor, gave his life away to save his students. He blocked his classroom door with HIS OWN BODY to allow his students to escape. In the process, the bullets hit him and his life was over. Sometimes people question teachers too lightly and claim they're not doing their job right. I get teary-eyed when I think of this. The reason: I know I would've done EXACTLY THE SAME under those circumstances. NO BULLSHIT THERE. It is not our job to put our lives in the line of fire, as police or firefighters do every day, but we know there are risks. Sometimes I think about that scene and what if I had been there. I teach a class, and I care for my students' safety. So, to those of you who dare criticize teachers, let me look at you straight in the eye, and let me ask you: Would you be willing to care for and protect a group of kids to the point of giving your life to save theirs? Ok... so pretty please, with sugar on top, GET OFF MY TEACHERS' BACKS!!!!! Thank you.

Here I'd also take a moment to thank a teacher who showed me 18 years ago what teaching is about. The year: 1989. The place: My high school, French class. The scenario: A group of thieves broke into our campus to avoid the police. The police entered the campus in pursuit of the criminals. Gunshots galore followed. It was about 11 am. Our French teacher, after hearing the gunfire, yelled at us all, "everybody down, hide under the seats!" and immediately asked us to barricade the door with desks. True, he was a little agitated at the time and we all took it as a joke of an overreacting teacher back them. But, in hindsight, it was the right thing to do: Make sure the thieves wouldn't have a chance to enter the room. After reading what some students at VT did to prevent the killer to break into their rooms, throw desks against the door, I cannot help but say: THANKS, LEON, wherever you are. Be as it may, you cared so much for our lives and you weren't overreacting after all. You were just being a concerned teacher.

I'm not playing the blame game

Right now, it's very easy to start blaming everybody for what happened at Blacksburg. Some will go on and blame video games. Others will blame hip-hop or rap or heavy metal, etc. For all we know, someone will blame Barack Obama and others will blame Hillary Rodham Clinton. And many will blame Hollywood. Finally, some will just blame the United States at large. I'm still trying to make sense of this tragedy; as I said, it could've been Champaign-Urbana just the same. Blaming video games is pointless. True, some of them depict violence, but for all I know a U of Illinois alumnus created Mortal Kombat and you don't see people here trying to rip each other's hearts off in the Quad. Blame it on TV? Too easy. Blame it on the permissive gun culture in the U.S.? It's plausible but others are debating now as we speak. True, getting access to guns here is easier than it is in Colombia for instance (9mm pistols, for example, are restricted by law for exclusive use by members of the armed forces) but instances of violence can outburst anywhere. And, unfortunately, where there is an evil will there is an evil way. Whose fault is it then? Everybody's and nobody's. It's nobody's fault because sometimes we cannot control what goes on in other people's minds. But it's out fault because sometimes we ourselves, as I mentioned above, are fostering the existence of social outcasts due to the very circles we create.

I also said that I wasn't going to go down the easy road and blame tne U. S. of A. for all of this. That's too simplistic and misses the point. True, there are some things that the government has done which have begotten more violence elsewhere. That's just one side of this country, which a lot of folks here don't agree with either and are just as disgusted by. I have lived and felt another side of this society. That of people who are willing to lend you a hand when nobody else would. I've had people offer me help, emotional, economic, and otherwise, in times of need. I have people here offer me their undivided friendship and care. I have cared for and loved people in this country, so I can't just go and say, "They deserve it". Trust me:

Nobody deserves to see their friends or compatriots die, NOBODY!!!!

I've seen people from all over the country show their support for those who died on Monday, and I can assure you that if some of these people weren't blindfolded by their own goverment as many are would care for other people's deaths also. Saying that everybody in the U.S. are inconsiderate and don't care about the world is as pointless as now thinking that all Koreans are one massacre waiting to happen (Which is utterly false. I have GREAT, AMAZING friends from Korea, and I can assure you they're terrified by all this) or calling us all Colombians Mules or Cokeheads just because you think we are all ready to pull a "Maria Full of Grace" at the next U.S. Airport. Just as I don't think all Arabs are walking suicide bomb either (I cried for my Lebanese friends last year when I heard about the bombings in the summer). This is a sad day for all of us. As is every day that soldiers and civilians alike die in Iraq, or as people die in Darfur for ethnic purposes, and I could go on and on. It's a sad day because someone else decided that his life was so worthless that it was worth taking 32 others along with his. That's what makes it sad. It is sad to think that life means so little for others when there are couples out there crying night in and night out trying to bring a life here. It is sad to think that life means so little for someone when there are thousands breathing through machines who would've traded places with that Korean kid and have the new lease on life they don't have right now.

My Tears Tonight, My Challenge Tomorrow...

That's why I cry. Because deep inside me, I know although I have made something to make other people's lives worthwhile, I still haven't made enough and need to do more. I cry for those 32, along with all the thousands that died today and no one talked about on Facebook or wrote a tribute to on a blog, because they all missed the chance to make a difference. I cry because there are children who died in Iraq and elsewhere today whom I won't be able to call brothers and sisters when they would've been bestowed the honor to be Fulbright students or come to the University of Illinois. I cry for them because they don't have anymore the chance that I still have: The chance to still make a difference for someone. Why me and not them? I'll leave it up to God himslef to explain that to me one day, not that he needs to justify his choosing me over all of them. It is up to me to honor that decision. And I'll cry for them because I mean it, not to make a spectacle of it all. And I know some of these tears are for my grandmother, whom I kindly ask to take care of those who died at Blacksburg and other parts of the world, as she did for me and my cousins at some point in time. I'm not afraid to admit that I've cried while writing this blog. Because I'm human and I care for other people's suffering, even if I don't know them. It's because I never will that I care and even cry in the end.

Tonight, I'll pray for all of them. What will I do tomorrow? Very simple: I'll get up early and go to work. And I'll continue fulfilling the mission that I set for myself when I left home 5 years ago. And I will give my friendship and love to those near me and, if possible, those far away from me. In the end, the best tribute we can pay to those Hokies and others is not just to keep living, but to keep living with intensity. It's about making every day worthwhile. As cliche as it seems, we never know when it'll be the last. And, as my mom always keeps telling my sister and me, "EN VIDA, HERMANO, EN VIDA." That is, while living, my brother, while living. Why wait to tell someone how awesome they are during an eulogy. Tell them in every which way you can. Heck, even Facebook poking may do that! You can read a poke as "here he goes again annoying me" or "damn, someone took two seconds of their busy time to look for me and annoy me with a poke... that's kinda cool!"

In the end, we can't replace anyone who's died, but we may as well try to make up for their absence by giving it all every day of the rest of our lives. That is the challenge for us all. Let's remember them all by living life at its fullest and taking advantage of those little luxuries they no longer have, such as breathing the air and feeling the sun in our heads. It's about giving other people the luxury that Korean kid didn't have: To have someone call him "Friend" or "Brother". We sometimes underestimate the power they have. But what difference can they make in one person's life. They can be the difference between spending $570 on a gun or $570 on a home theater to invite their friends over for movies and popcorn. Ridiculous? Try asking those 32+ 1 who died on Monday.

That's it for now. I'll be back soon with, I hope, a more uplifting blog. Take care of yourselves, my friends and brothers/sisters out there. I'd hate to hear I won't be able to know you're alive tomorrow... and by the way, all of you...

ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Raul A. (El Patron)

February 14

U of I Snow Day I & II 2007: The Winter event of a lifetime!

Greetings to all my fellow bloggers and readers around the world. Today's blog is a very special one. Before I go into details, some acknowledgments are de rigueur: First, to my fellas at St. Funz: Big Bryan, the Schaf, Doug, and of course my White Street Loco partner, Harry - It was awesome to get back together at Broomball, and I can't wait for intramurals to start so we can kick some H-Core ass!!!!! To my friends at the snow fight (Steffen, Scott, Brian, Kelsey, Julie, Jonas, Dominik, Jim, Michelle, Jared... remind me if I forgot someone!), it was awesome to be with y'all at the Quad! To my good friend Katie, great seeing you and I hope Obama makes it to the White House! To Rebecca, I guess I'll see you in a while.

Of course, how can I go on without...,

The gratuitous twin nieces update! (Because they don't need no Valentine... they're my family's Valentine!)

So I got more pictures of them, and it seems that I finally learned the code to distinguish them faster. You see, I learned from my mom yesterday that Isabella usually wears pink and Manuela usually wears blue. So that's how I can recognize them in pictures! Isabella does look like my sister; whether Manuela looks like me is beyond my scope. Big tip of the hat for my sister for teaching them some discipline early on. HUGE wag of the finger to my dad: Dad, the last thing I want is a couple of spoiled brats as nieces, so quit it! Stop spoiling them, especially Manuela... don't make me go back and take you to school, dude!

Now, on with the blog...

Snow Day at U of I: A once-in-a-lifetime event and the best time on the snow ever!

The Midwest, and Illinois in particular, are pretty unpredictable when it comes to the weather. A common saying here is, "If you don't like the weather... just wait 15 more minutes!" Up until last week, we had a very mild winter, almost no snow and all. In the last two weeks, however, we had an arctic freeze swing by Chambana, with temperatures close to -20 F (about -30-some degrees Celsius). Last week, onTuesday, we had about 4 inches of snow. And on Monday, we had a winter storm alert that became blizzard alert within the hours. It started snowing around 10:00 P.M. People went to the grocery stores in flocks to get supplies for the next two days. Schools closed for the day. By Tuesday morning, some of the smaller colleges closed. But by 8 A.M., our flagship University was still operating. You see, the U of I never closes, unless we're talking about some tsunami coming from Lake Michigan, an asteroid shower hitting campus, or an alien invasion. So we all expected business as usual on Campustown.

And then, the unthinkable just happened. Around 9 A.M., U of I Chancellor Richard Herman sent us all a massmail announcing that CLASSES HAD BEEN CANCELED DUE TO SNOW! You have to understand the ramifications of this: The U of I hadn't closed for classes since 1979. Yes, Illini students are expected to perform regardless of the weather, so for us to hear this news was huge. And what did most of us do given the hard weather conditions? Well, what anyone would do given the magnitude of the event: We went out and played in the snow! The Quad became the stage for the biggest snow extravaganza in the 140-year glorious history of the Orange and Blue. Someone even pulled out his skis and walked on the quad! People playing snow football, picking snow fights, tackling each other to the ground was all you saw for several hours. Oh, and then Snow Day took even more historical significance when the Chancellor announced that today, Wednesday 14, 2007, WE WOULDN'T HAVE CLASSES EITHER! For the first time EVER, the U of I had closed for 2 days in a row! This is unprecedented and all of us are glad to be part of history! I am glad to be part of yet another historical moment in my grad school tenure. The highlight of my Snow Day was climbing the famed monument of the Alma Mater and, atop the chair, sing our famous "Hail to the Orange," one of our most traditional fight songs. In case you've never heard it, it goes like this:

HAIL TO THE ORANGE

HAIL TO THE BLUE

HAIL ALMA MATER, EVER SO TRUE [SO TRUE!]

WE LOVE NO OTHER, SO LET OUR MOTTO BE:

VICTORY, ILLINOIS

VARSITY!!!!!

It was an uber-cool moment, let me tell you, the kind you tell friends and your children about forever and ever. Those of us who played together this cold afternoon will neer forget this, and if you missed it... shame on you! Snow Day I and II will never return, it'll never be the same after this, we saw history in the making!

However, I know that there's a flip side to all the frolicking in the snow. When the snow settled, we had somewhere around 10 inches to 3 or 4 feet of snow in some areas. People have their cars buried in the snow, and very likely some folks are still locked in their homes because of the snow piled up. Chambana is white all over, the snow will need weeks to finally melt. I imagine lots of businesses lost money because of closing and maybe damages. In fact, one of our basketball players was a victim of the blizzard, and God knows how many more injuries and casualties there may be. My thoughts and prayers go with all those who may have suffered the consequences of the hardest blizzard in decades in Central Illinois.

Champaign-Urbana is getting back to normal around the snow. Be as it may, all of us who lived it and enjoyed will always have these moments etched in our memories. True, we're here for our education, but there are things that define each generation of Illini Alumni. For us, Snow Day I & II will always be one of those. After all, how many of you before us or after us can say that you had a ginormous snow fight on the quad? And you don't know what Hail to the Orange means until you've climbed the Alma Mater in the midst of a blizzard. Snow Day I & II, the two days when U of I closed, will be in our memories and hearts forever.

Good luck to all, enjoy the weather you get right now, and talk to you soon!

Till my next blog...

Raul (El Patron)

February 06

And the GEEK Shall Rule the Earth: The Geekiest Blog Yet

Paraphrasing James Brown: "Say it loud... I'M GEEK AND I'M PROUD!!!!!"

Greetings to all my fellow bloggers and siblings in arms around the world... I'm back with the blog. First, some acknowledgments and news. So last week, there was a huge forum at the U of I about race, racism, and privilege. If you go to the U of I, regardless of nationality and missed this, big SHAME ON YOU!!!!! It was very interesting and enlightening. I made some comments in regards to what I wrote in my last blog. To those of you who heard me and gave me props, thanks! I'm truly humbled that you liked what I said. In all honesty, I just had to speak because some change has to take place here before things escalate. Now, onto less transcendental issues, Broomball season is under way, and I can't wait to play with my brothers in arms Bryan and the Schaf! And this time, we're going intramural baby!!!!! I'll keep you posted. To my friend John Garlisch, thanks for a nice Super Bowl shindig. It was fun, and it was good to see some friends there...

So DA BEARS lost. Yes, I'm still a 49ers fan at heart, but I remember the SUPERBOWL SHUFFLE... Heck, I saw it WHEN IT HAPPENED, not the yearly reruns!!!!!! And I heard about Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, and the Fridge long before many of you... plus I LOVE CHI-TOWN... That's my claim to being a BEARS FAN as well... It was sad to see Da Bears lose yesterday... but we'll get back...

Oh, and now... yes you know it... it's time for...

The Gratuitous Twin Nieces Update (Because even though my sister doesn't know it... they're geekettes in training!): So I saw the girls on webcam on Saturday! They looked absolutely gorgeous, sporting their ILLINI T-SHIRTS!!!!!! Oh they were adorable... I hope to get more pictures coming soon!

And now, it's time for our feature presentation:

THIS IS THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF GEEKQUARIUS, GEEKQUARIUS.... GEEKQUARIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I said above, I'm proud to be a Geek. I can't deny it, I'm doing a PhD, that automatically places me there. No shame in that! You see, these days, being a Geek, as opposed to the Nerd stereotypes of the 70's and 80's, is not such a bad thing after all. You can be a geek and have a sense of fashion. Long gone are the days where Urkel was the quintessential geek. We've now got better symbols to look up to. This beginning of the century has two common denominators: An utter disgust for the lack of brains of the average celebrities and the rise of people who don't look "Perfect" but are actually cool and successful, albeit a bit aloof at times. You don't believe me? Well, here's my evidence:

1. Biggest grossing movies of the last 5 years (some, at least): Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Harry Potter, X-Men, The Matrix Trilogy

2. Some of the most popular books in the last 5 years: Harry Potter (come on, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are pretty geeky... but cool!)

3. Some of the most popular TV shows in the last 5 years: CSI (Grisham is a certified Geek, Ph.D. and all!), Law and Order (all variations), Monk (Sherlock Holmes with OCD anyone?), Lost (it takes a lot of thinking to follow on the subplots), Heroes.

4. Weird Al Yankovic's "WHITE AND NERDY" actually outranked the original (Chamillionnaire's Ridin' Dirty) in the Top 40 lists! You know you're legit when Ice-T introduces you on TV as a Hip-hop legend!

5. The Transformers Movie is coming in 2007.

6. Google and YouTube, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs... all geek-related.

7. Some of the most popular cartoons around: Get Fuzzy (come on, Bucky, Rob, and Satchel are all pretty geeky) and PhD, Piled Higher and Deeper (about, you guessed it, Grad Students).

8. Time magazine declared all of "us" (as in all of us who blog, Facebook, and go to YouTube and Wikipedia) as the Person of the Year.

9. Coolest comedians/satirists: Steve Carrell (we all loved the 40-year-old virgin), Steven Colbert, Jon Stewart, Ben Stiller, The Wilson Brothers, even Will Ferrell has some quirky geekiness to himself... all making geek pretty chic!

and La Piece de Resistance... as much as it pains us Bears fans...

10. Peyton Manning, the Anti-Tom Brady and probably the geekiest quarterback of all time, is the SuperBowl MVP. Heck, even Tony Dungy looks geeky... but he's respected now as a football genius!

I could think of more examples, but that's beside the point. Being a GEEK is actually pretty cool these days. We've come a long way since "Revenge of the Nerds." Stereotypes are being broken yet again, and hopefully these signs will help children around the world, whom I know from experience as a student and teacher, in high schools and colleges around the world, not to be shameful because they're laborious, like to study hard, and get good grades. I'm fine with it, after all, being a geek has taken me far and wide... as has many of my friends here at Illinois and elsewhere. So, again, to paraphrase good ole James Brown,

SAY IT LOUD, I'M GEEK AND I'M PROUD!

Till my next blog!

Raul A. (El Patron)