Beer Summit 2009

Interesting choice of beverages; I myself would have had a Heineken Light. Most would give my favorite beer a  medium score [Grade B] because it is a soft drink — light on the hops. And, as a serious runner who measures calories, it is a light beer. 
I thought the Beer Summit was a great idea. What [...]

The Talk Of The Town Is Healthcare. What Happened To Immigration, Mr. President? By Senior Patrick Ryan

I brought my computer in to be re-imaged at Houston Christian School’s tech office last Tuesday when I saw Carson diligently working on an outside presentation while the rest of the school was effectively closed. I had hoped to catch up with him because I had recently been formulating the perimeters of a new public policy [...]

Gates

There is still an unfortunate reality in America when it comes to race: There are those who hold power and those who are forced to sub come to it. Although America  arguably has the best of race relations in comparison to many European nation-states that face ethnic tension, the dark reality of race is that [...]

Colleague’s Wedding

Upon arriving back to Houston, I was honored to attend my friend and colleague’s wedding; Julia Raymond, a member of the English department, will be starting the year as a married woman. She is a great runner, an excellent teacher, and a great conversationalist. The wedding took place in the Pampell Chapel on the campus [...]

Slavery by Another Name

I am currently reading Slavery by Another Name : The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. The author, Douglas Blackmon, concludes that slavery really emerged after the Emancipation Proclamation.  I addressed this some before in a piece on democracy and race when I stated this: In Karl Marx’s historical [...]

The Conference

I conducted a European history session with a colleague this past weekend; it went seemingly well. My colleague was a star and did a great job engaging the audience and asking great questions. The audience was wonderful. The overall conference went great. Now that part one is complete, we must now finish the writing process [...]

Emmitt Till

I honestly cried as a 9th grader the first time I heard the story of Emmitt Till’s fate. It was far more emotional and less academic at that time in my life; however, the more I think about Till’s fate and the social condition that brought about it, I am reminded that the historical often [...]

Teaching History

I like the process of understanding the studyof history. The nature of the field is complex in that perspectives are what shapes history. Sure, the so called “history buff” will always call on historical facts, which are important, but it is how various states see those facts that ultimately determines the writing of history. My now [...]

Sotomoyor: Race, Reproduction, & Gender By Jaylon Williams

I am watching the confirmation hearings of Sotomayor; currently, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions is attacking her 1970s liberalism via race, gender, and reproductive rights. The topic of affirmative action, once thought almost dead, has been recently resurrected by way of Obama’sselection of a candidate who might look to find sympathy among the American people. I suspect the [...]

Just A Thought: President Carson

Writing and Presentation Projects

I have been doing some work towards completing two journal articles this summer; one looks at the historical impact of rap music and the socioeconomic conditions that shaped race relations during the 1980s; much of this piece looks at the pedagogical significance of teaching the 80s via music and pop culture in the U.S. history [...]

Hispanics & Politics Part 1:Obamanos

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Above: I observed this for the first time while headed towards Austin, Texas
“Obamanos” is a strange bit of political Spanglish, often seen in the past few months on bumper stickers in states with large Hispanic populations. The term translates — in essence, not literally — to “let’s go Obama.”
This has been the general spirit in [...]

Is it (Paris, Arkansas) a Sundown Town (Updated)?

We traveled to the town close to the national forest only to discover this street:

I am wondering what kind of people are willing to live on a street with this name? I will not be moving to Paris, Arkansas. I guess if it is a sundown town, this street sign did it for me. Oh, [...]

The Trek

Our trek through the Ozark National Forest was good; the route was okay — though not the most scenic one; it was also  pretty tough task. the best part about the trip was the bear. We woke up at 1:00 AM to a bear in our camp looking for food; it made its way around [...]