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E-NOTES: WHEN THE NEWS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE BLOG OF E. ETHELBERT MILLER
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
WHAT A DRONE
I've been having some conversations about the use of drones for Human Rights work with some of my think tank buddies. Say the word drone and many of them can only think of its military use and how they function in today's world. I think they fail to see the rapid advancement of robotics in our society. We also tend to trap ourselves in old narratives and definitions. The increased use of drones will probably be part of the privatization of war. What rules and regulations should they operate under? If drones can be used in a positive way and save lives - shouldn't they be used? We know they have been successful in the war against terrorism. But it's difficult for people on the progressive Left to accept this - since we seem to have no position on terrorism. We tend to always take a position that U.S. foreign policy is wrong. But when should we use force to protect our interests? Never?? Unless we are pacifists, I think we need answers. Meanwhile, we need to view drones as tools and not simply war weapons. Sooner or later we are going to be using drones to curtail domestic crime. Let those civil liberties debates begin. I've been locking my doors all my life; if someone can provide me with a better security system - I have to listen. Too often after trouble hits - we look upwards at the sky - seeking answers and explanations from God. Maybe now and then a drone might know something. God is very busy these days - man still struggles to be good.
I've been having some conversations about the use of drones for Human Rights work with some of my think tank buddies. Say the word drone and many of them can only think of its military use and how they function in today's world. I think they fail to see the rapid advancement of robotics in our society. We also tend to trap ourselves in old narratives and definitions. The increased use of drones will probably be part of the privatization of war. What rules and regulations should they operate under? If drones can be used in a positive way and save lives - shouldn't they be used? We know they have been successful in the war against terrorism. But it's difficult for people on the progressive Left to accept this - since we seem to have no position on terrorism. We tend to always take a position that U.S. foreign policy is wrong. But when should we use force to protect our interests? Never?? Unless we are pacifists, I think we need answers. Meanwhile, we need to view drones as tools and not simply war weapons. Sooner or later we are going to be using drones to curtail domestic crime. Let those civil liberties debates begin. I've been locking my doors all my life; if someone can provide me with a better security system - I have to listen. Too often after trouble hits - we look upwards at the sky - seeking answers and explanations from God. Maybe now and then a drone might know something. God is very busy these days - man still struggles to be good.
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| DOUGLAS BRINKLEY |
Tuesday evening (at the downtown Barnes & Noble) I had a chance to hear him talk about his book - THE QUIET WORLD. It's about Alaska and how people were able to protect the wilderness from 1879 to 1960. It's a book about John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Rachel Carson and many others. Call it an ode to the great outdoors. I love Brinkley and the many projects he completes. He has a forthcoming book on Walter Cronkite. I think it will be out in a few months. I need to get busy too. Time to make history.
The E(ssential) things to remember when promoting one’s book.
- Most writers have no plan when it comes to book promotion.
- Book promotion means getting your work into the hands of new audiences.
- Target 2-3 new audiences that you feel will be interested in your work.
- Find the “big” ideas in your book and promote them over personality.
- Think global when doing any thinking about your book.
- Don’t depend on just the social media. It will make you lazy.
- Get your book into as many classrooms as possible.
- Many of the people who purchase your book won’t read it.
- If you are a writer you should spend twice as much time writing than promoting yourself.
Quote of the Day:
English's emergence as the global language, along with the rapid progress in machine translation and the fragmentation of languages spoken around the world, make it less clear that the substantial investment necessary to speak a foreign tongue is universally worthwhile.
- Lawrence H. Summers
English's emergence as the global language, along with the rapid progress in machine translation and the fragmentation of languages spoken around the world, make it less clear that the substantial investment necessary to speak a foreign tongue is universally worthwhile.
- Lawrence H. Summers
This is one of the most important articles written so far this year:
Drones for Human Rights - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Contributors. Drones for Human Rights. By ANDREW STOBO SNIDERMAN and MARK HANIS. Published: January 30, 2012.
Drones for Human Rights - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Contributors. Drones for Human Rights. By ANDREW STOBO SNIDERMAN and MARK HANIS. Published: January 30, 2012.
EVERYTHING.
READ: http://www.pmpress.org/content/article.php?story=20090216164752198
Monday, January 30, 2012
SAVE THE DATE!!
The Toni Cade Bambara Scholar-Activists
Annual Conference
March 23-24, 2012
The Toni Cade Bambara Writers/Scholars/Activists (TCB) Program, founded in 1985, is a funded project of the Women's Research and Resource Center that celebrates the vision and work of Bambara. Under the guidance and leadership of Dr. M. Bahati Kuumba, Associate Director of the Women's Research Center, Spelman students are involved in a range of lectures, workshops, forums, and activities to enhance their development as prolific Black feminist scholar-activists. The TCB Program provides student participants with the opportunty to engage in dialogue and exchange with prominent and experienced scholar-activists, with an emphasis on women writers and scholars of African descent. Please visit the Women's Research and Resource Center webpage for more details about the conference. This event is free and open to the public.
THE FOLLOWING WAS TAKEN FROM TODAY'S WASHINGTON POST:
“Let’s send Obama back to Chicago!” he went on, and a gray-haired woman yelled, “You mean out of the country!” and an elderly man shouted, “Yeah!” and a younger woman held up a homemade sign that read “Newt-er Obama!”
FEAR OF THE NEWTON BOMB
This seems like a job for the Racialist. Let's read "race" into the above piece of journalism. Notice the reference to send Obama first back to Chicago and then out of the country. This has a tone of ethnic cleansing - get rid of the aliens and - the Other. The "Newt-er Obama!" sounds like something left over from a Klan rally. How sexual is this sign? White fear of the black organ (again)? One can smell the genocide coming from the ink of the homemade sign. Made in America?
“Let’s send Obama back to Chicago!” he went on, and a gray-haired woman yelled, “You mean out of the country!” and an elderly man shouted, “Yeah!” and a younger woman held up a homemade sign that read “Newt-er Obama!”
FEAR OF THE NEWTON BOMB
This seems like a job for the Racialist. Let's read "race" into the above piece of journalism. Notice the reference to send Obama first back to Chicago and then out of the country. This has a tone of ethnic cleansing - get rid of the aliens and - the Other. The "Newt-er Obama!" sounds like something left over from a Klan rally. How sexual is this sign? White fear of the black organ (again)? One can smell the genocide coming from the ink of the homemade sign. Made in America?
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Sheila C. Johnson Design CenterParsons the New School for Design
2 W. 13 Street, Ground Floor
New York, NY
February 3 - April 15, 2012
OPENING RECEPTION: FEBRUARY 2, 2012, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Where Do We Migrate To? features the work of nineteen internationally recognized artists and collectives, including: Acconci Studio, Svetlana Boym, Blane De St. Croix, Lara Dhondt, Brendan Fernandes, Claire Fontaine, Nicole Franchy, Andrea Geyer, Isola and Norzi, Kimsooja, Pedro Lasch, Adrian Piper, Raqs Media Collective, Société Réaliste, Julika Rudelius, Xaviera Simmons, Fereshteh Toosi, Philippe Vandenberg, and Eric Van Hove.
Where Do We Migrate To? is curated by Niels Van Tomme, Director of Arts and Media at Provisions Learning Project. The nationally touring exhibition is organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The exhibition and catalogue are made possible, in part, with the support of the Flemish Gorvernment through Flanders House New York. *The title of the project is inspired by Julika Rudelius's video Where Do We Migrate To, 2005.
Image: Xaviera Simmons, (detail) Superunknown (Alive in the), 2010.
WHERE DO WE MIGRATE TO?
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center
2 W. 13 Street, Ground Floor
New York, NY
February 3 - April 15, 2012
OPENING RECEPTION: FEBRUARY 2, 2012, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Where Do We Migrate To? features the work of nineteen internationally recognized artists and collectives, including: Acconci Studio, Svetlana Boym, Blane De St. Croix, Lara Dhondt, Brendan Fernandes, Claire Fontaine, Nicole Franchy, Andrea Geyer, Isola and Norzi, Kimsooja, Pedro Lasch, Adrian Piper, Raqs Media Collective, Société Réaliste, Julika Rudelius, Xaviera Simmons, Fereshteh Toosi, Philippe Vandenberg, and Eric Van Hove.
Where Do We Migrate To? is curated by Niels Van Tomme, Director of Arts and Media at Provisions Learning Project. The nationally touring exhibition is organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The exhibition and catalogue are made possible, in part, with the support of the Flemish Gorvernment through Flanders House New York. *The title of the project is inspired by Julika Rudelius's video Where Do We Migrate To, 2005.
Image: Xaviera Simmons, (detail) Superunknown (Alive in the), 2010.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
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 Washington DC & Fairfax VA 202-670-PROV JANUARY, 2012 |  |
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VISIT THE E GALLERY: www.ethelbertgallery.blogspot.com/
Read the work of Me-K Ahn. Next month giovanni singleton will be presented.
Me-K AHN ON REVISION
Whenever I'm struggling with the seventh or eighth draft of a story, I'm reminded of Toni Morrison's thoughts about writing being more about the editing than the actual writing. To write is to fall in love with the editing process! And despite how thrilling it is to finish the first draft of an entire story in one sitting, I enjoy the editing and revising the most. This is the stage when the characters can really come alive and lead you to where they want or need to go. Editing and revising can take you to the most unexpected exhilarating places if you don't get in the way and just let the process take over. The worst thing I can do is try to map out the ending before I get there. I need to get out of the way and let the writing do the writing. | ||||||
| Me-K AHN |
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| ROB GRONKOWSKI |
Countdown to the Super Bowl. Much of the attention this week will focus on the injured left ankle of Rob Gronkowski. Will he be 100% by next Sunday? How good will Brady play? Will New England find a defense for just one more game? Oh, and what about Cruz? Will he salsa for New York? It should be a good game. A rematch without Randy Moss and a number of other players.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
MARIE MY SISTER LOVE
How do you define Sister love? Not the love between sisters but Sister love – the way a baby brother adores his big sister. Before there was an Ethelbert – there was just a Richard, a Marie and a Gene. Sister Love was somewhere in the middle; like the sweetness in those Twinkies and Hostess cupcakes. She was Marie Josephine Miller before some Hunter came and took her- away.
My first memory of Sister Love – is reaching up and grabbing one of those braids while sucking my tongue…twirling a Marie braid in my hand before I even associated hair with womanhood.
I first met Marie at 938 Longwood Avenue. It was November 1950. I was just born. Marie introduced herself to me, and maybe I wasn’t what she wanted. Maybe she wanted a baby sister and not a baby brother. I wonder who first unwrapped me – and where is the receipt?
In the early pictures our father took of us, we were often at the Bronx Zoo or sitting in our Bronx apartment, now and then without heat - or maybe we were in Brooklyn at Aunt Winnie’s house – and downstairs there were people with accents who kept reminding us of family; people who were often defined by their work.
Before we talk about retirement – we must talk about work. And what do people talk about when they talk about work? They talk about family – and how work is important for supporting a family. People often talk about work when they measure the meaning and purpose of their life.
My father worked in the Post Office almost all his life. My mother worked in the Garment Industry, on occasions when there was no heat. But mostly my mother was a house wife; A woman who took pride in cleanliness and order. My brother Richard fell out of order with the Monastery and for most of his life he worked at Bankers Trust. For most of my life I’ve worked at Howard University, known as the MECCA in Washington. And so what does all of that have to do with my Sister Love?
For almost 50 years my sister Marie has been a nurse. She started on this defining journey when many men would have preferred women to remain in the house; to not have a career or even think of one. I think somewhere in my mother’s dreams, she wanted to be a nurse, wear a uniform, work in a hospital and take care of others.
I have to think of my mother and my father this evening because their lives helped me to appreciate my sister. Perhaps because my Sister was in the middle of the family she can best be seen as our rudder steering us through the years – or our pillar, the one who held us up…who held us together.
Although my sister is retiring from her job – she never once retired from her family; she has always been there. When anyone became sick – or even thought about being sick – a call went out to Marie. Ask Marie, she would know what to do.
I knew I didn’t know. I have no idea how my kidneys, heart or liver works. I do know that my heart hurts every now and then – but listen to Etta James or Adele singing on the radio – and you begin to understand how every heart hurts.
While growing up the beautiful women surrounding me were not singers…they were my mother and sister. They shaped and defined how I saw the world; they were the music for my soul.
I don’t think I would have become a writer without listening to my sister. It was my Sister Love who knew the family stories. It was my Sister Love who made me laugh – who would hit a note when she became excited that would hurt my Brother’s “Butter Ears;” and would make my mother – shush us into silence out of fear of waking our sleeping neighbors.
There is something very quiet about my sister that often goes unnoticed. Perhaps it is her soul, a place where she finds her strength and dignity. My sister’s spirit glowed everyday she took care of our mother. We live in a world in which our elders descend into death and darkness too often alone. My sister was a light for my mother, an angel for someone experiencing her last years on this earth. At the end of the day, Marie has a heart for goodness.
When I was growing up I thought M&M stood for Marie Miller. I thought my sister was real sweet. I still do.
Marie, I think on the day of your retirement – you should only retire from work. I hope you will be blessed with good health and many days of happiness. There are many places I hope you will travel to and visit. I can see you in Paris, Italy, South Africa, or Norway. I can see you looking around at the architecture of old buildings, shopping in stores, tasting fine wine, looking at the mountains and staring at the ocean. I can see you being a Lady Columbus.
My Sister Love, outside the hospital, the world is still round….Embrace this world and allow it to “Nurse” you.
Sister, Sister Love … I love you!
~ E. Ethelbert Miller
January 21, 2012
Yonkers, NY