peabody for sale!

Where is your brain from?

The United States of Mind by Stephanie Simon. Seriously cool, plus an interactive MAP!!! Who knew Alaska was so psychologically boring?

The unfortunate part:

Why did New Yorkers seem so tense and inward-focused, often brusque to the point of rudeness?

That sounds way too much like me. Actually, Erin and I went to a Focus the Nation (much love, FtN) Clean Energy Forum where I made a kind of harsh remark to one of the panelists. She mentioned that her group needs volunteers for “slave labor” and I said, in the microphone no less, I didn’t think that was funny. Several people thanked me for the comment, one even high-fived me, but I felt like a jerk. The other part about being tense and inward-focused – I’m fucking blogging about this, I doubt it can be more obvious that I’m insane. New York and I strangely enough belong together, and this withdrawal is slowly eating away at my psyche. On the other hand, the slow friendly pace of New Mexico is probably doing me a favor especially when it comes to the weather. My weather widget predicts rain for the next two days in New York, where as here clear sunny skies as usual. Sweet deal.

Running

I’ve started running. Well I’ve done it three times so far and am getting increasingly better. I lap around our apartment’s block three times. At first it was mostly walking, but now I can do two laps of running with one walking. Interestingly enough, memories flood my consciousness as I run, mostly pertaining to elementary school where we would do mandatory mile-runs in gym. I remember my blond gym teacher towering over me and insisting that I keep running. I could feel my lungs shrinking, muscles in my airway constricting and tried to relate this to her through shaky breaths of air.  She retorted with three well-reasoned arguments: asthma was no excuse to quit; she had it when she was my age; and I can’t make excuses my entire life.

Volunteering

It’s interesting how when we try to launch our on campaign, we keep getting sucked into other ones. For instance, we’ve been asked to join 1Sky, the Forgotten People, and now the Boys and Girls Club would probably rather have us volunteer with their programs than run our own.

It’s unfortunate that the lack of activism here leads to a lot of issues being kind of tackled, but not to the extent that anyone who is working on it would like to see. Each issue only has a few, if not just one, person working on it and yet even when groups overlap in interests, they don’t seem to want to work together. This is probably the most frustrating thing as the drive and passion is there but the lack of resources make it impossible. It’s more than just a matter of getting funding for specific groups, the entire community is ravished and without basic needs. Information doesn’t spread. Unwise decisions get made. All because the fucking United States forced these people into this whack-ass situation, stripping them of all means to pull themselves up.

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to stick to my guns and really get our project to see the light of day with all this other shit going on. It seems like I really could just fuck school and volunteer here for eternity. At least we’re on the B&G Calendar for November.

Another great article!

The Forgotten Navajo: People in Need by Katy Bolger

Actually, this is a really good article, highlighting issues with uranium and coal mining in the Navajo Nation and the impacts on the community.

NYU students (what a small world) took a two-day journalism trip to report on, seemingly whatever they wanted as the variety of articles produced, interviewing groups that we’ve been trying to work with. Funnily enough, the groups don’t like Erin and me due to what they stated as previously wasting their time talking to outsiders about their issues and not receiving any action around it.

Thanks a lot, NYU. You’ve outdone yourself.

My response to a recent article

Gallatin Student Tackles Climate Change by Charlotte Evans

Before I tear this article a new one, I’d like to express that it’s kind of cool to be referred to by my last name. And that it’s nice of this girl to have attempted to write decent journalism. However, from personal experience, the staff editor is an idiot.

For Gallatin sophomore Amanda Hass, taking a semester off from school hasn’t made for an easy break.

1. I’m not a sophomore and I’m taking a year off.

In particular, Hass will highlight her work by training Navajo teenagers to fight the construction of the Desert Rock Coal Plant, which she believes will be harmful to the environment.

2. For the 1,000th time, I’m not fucking training anyone.

3. How can one be of the opinion that a coal plant is harmful to the environment? You can argue against it being economically viable, but not that it physically extracts coal from the earth and burns it. Even the employees know it’s not helping the environment.

Hass is hoping to garner support from the NYU community to cover the cost.

4. I haven’t asked anyone at NYU to help. I never expected NYU to help. This chick emailed me!

“Our planet is precious and fragile,” Tisch freshman Abby Petterchak said. “This conference can help raise awareness.”

5. Who is this girl?

6. The entire point of the conference is to create BINDING ACTION, not fucking awareness.

About

I’m working on a campaign called “Rethink Dine Power” to get Navajo youth engaged in activism in their communities. This is a tough project as neither of us are from the Navajo Nation, nor Navajo, nor speak Navajo. Since we’re new, we’re pushed to the back of a lot of people’s filing cabinets and our work is taking quite longer than I would have hoped due to meetings being pushed back, etc. Plus, due to previous tensions between local environmental groups, between local environmental groups and outsiders, and the Navajo Nation and outsiders, we’ve unknowingly grabbed very short end of the stick.

I don’t expect to be treated like a princess, by any means, so hopefully this blog will help to relieve some of the frustration around genuinely good-hearted efforts. Unfortunately, not a lot of accurate press is out about our efforts, either.