Enemies of the People
This evening was the second event I’ve attended with the World Without Genocide program, and it was a showing of the film on the Khmer Rouge genocide titled, ‘Enemies of the People ‘(http://enemiesofthepeoplemovie.com/).
The film maker, a survivor of the genocide, traveled around Cambodia to meet with those who had killed for the regime. He asked them how they felt nowadays about their actions, what they were thinking at the time that they were murdering so many, and if they had any regrets.
It was an eye opening movie for me. In one scene that was quite difficult to watch, one of the elder genocideers demonstrated how he would kill the victims, by using a plastic knife on a young teenager. The old man placed his foot on the back of the prone boy, then lifted the boy’s face and gestured how he would either slice or stab the throat.
In another scene, the film maker finally confronts Nuon Chea, ‘Brother Number 2′ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuon_Chea) after three years of friendly interviewing, confessing that his (the filmmaker’s) entire was massacred during the regime. Nuon Chea, in a rare move away from his usual stoic self, expressed sorrow and regret for what he had done.
Many of the other killers who admitted to what they had done during the years of the regime also expressed to the film maker a great deal of remorse and sorrow for their murderous actions.
As a student of the Holocaust, this willingness to apologize to a victim was strange. In two rare examples of early apologies by the Nazi Party heads, Hans Frank and Albert Speer both apologized for the Nazi genocide at the conclusion of their trial at Nuremberg. (Full quotes here: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/nurembergACCOUNT.html). So many of the remaining survivors fled Germany at the first available opportunity and the Germans themselves were wrecked with yet another lost world war, starvation, and a destroyed nation. Was there opportunity then for these Germans to find and directly apologize to their victims?
How much power does this direct, face to face apology hold for victims of genocide? I imagine restitution is good enough for some, when all that is desired is to move on. But what about for others? An apology to an entire people from a handful of politicians usually comes about (for the Australian Aboriginals, it was much later rather than sooner), but does it accomplish the necessary and personalized acknowledgement of loss and suffering?
I suppose this is why the Rwandan method of gacaca courts is so fascinating. International tribunals are helpful, but for a victim to face their oppressor, or the person who murdered their family, and to hear that murderer’s explanation of why they so acted and to then genuinely apologize for their horrific deeds, surely, the healing process can move forward? (More information on Gacaca courts: http://www.justiceinperspective.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=60)
More thoughts on this matter later. But for now, here is a link to a book I’m currently reading about the Cambodian genocide: http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=0300096496
Troy Davis, a memorial in 500 characters or less
If the death penalty in America is going to be carried out, it should be carried out by the family of the victim. If they decide that life is prison is justice served, then let that wongful actor live his life in prison. Whatever happened to personal catharsis? Who can be served by the State executing someone whose innocence is still in question? Gd help me, Georgia state government, you acted shamefully tonight.
Because 1L wasn’t enough work…
I started a group a few weeks ago on Facebook which hunts down and reports hate pages:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewatcherz/
So far, my co-founder and I have gathered over 300 members, all of whom have contributed to reporting on 1000+ pages, all of which violate Facebook’s Terms of Agreement regarding hate speech, violence, calls for violent action, bullying, or discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, gender, and so on. We’ve successfully taken down 105 pages, and are increasing in numbers every day.
Its tough searching for these pages, a bit of engaging with the disgusting in order to extinguish it. But the members of this group have been a great source of support and energy, so I think creating this group and investing as much time in it as I have has been deeply rewarding. It seems like every few days, someone in the group comes up with a new way for us to organize pages so we know which ones have been reported, or to contact companies that have ads running on these pro-rape or hate pages, or a list of trigger words which will help uncover more hate pages to report. I feel so proud of all these people, most of whom I’ve never met. It gives the idea of an ‘imagined community’ a huge boost in the virtual world application.
My co-creator and fellow administrator is an amazing German guy. I’d like to tell the world his name and everything about him, since he deserves all sorts of accolades. But he enjoys his privacy, so suffice to say that this man is also a source of inspiration and energy.
I’ll update this post in a few weeks and report on our activity and success rates. Stay tuned!
Night Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon
From the Age of the Gods
Empress Saimei (594–661 AD)
From the age of the gods
Man has continued,
Men in their myriads
Fill the land.
Like flights of wild duck
Bustling, they come and go.
But the one I love -
You – are not here.
All day,
Till the darkness comes,
All night,
To the lintel of the dawn,
I think of you,
Unable to sleep -
Even to the dawn
Of this long night.
Breaking into the NGO field… and why you should
Background:
Two years ago, when I was about to graduate university into one of the worst economies Hawaii has faced, I realized it was time to sink or swim. (Well, by ‘sink’, I mean ‘work the late shift at Diamond Head Video.’) Knowing since childhood I wanted to work in the field of human rights and international law, I decided to search for relevant jobs and internships.
With all due respect, the Career Office at my school was useless, so I was on my own for where to begin this hunt and how to cover the basics, such as writing a cover letter and how to fashion an appropriate CV. These tasks were made a thousand times more bearable with the help of the Internet, of course. I soon knew how to make an EU CV, an American style resume, a GB CV, and how to write a compelling cover letter on precisely one page.
My first application was to the CICC – the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, an elite organization committed to furthering the cause and member countries of the ICC. I never heard back from these guys, probably because they really do only accept the best and brightest… and those who remember to sign their cover letters, unlike yours truly.
My second was to ISHR – the International Service for Human Rights. This application was successful, although I wouldn’t know that for about for another four months, and wouldn’t begin my internship until January, of the following year (approximately seven months after I began internship hunting).
Not knowing I would land this internship, I continued applying. To many, many, many… many organizations. I think in the end, I applied to roughly 75 different groups and organizations around the world. Ironically, I was accepted into the better ones, and rejected by those not so well funded, well known, well run.
In two weeks, I begin law school in America. In the time between graduating from UHM and beginning WMCL, I’ve interned or consulted for 9 NGOs in person and online, been invited to intern or work by twice the number, and traveled to or lived in 12 countries. I’ve been published in human rights journals 4 times, not including work done on various NGO websites. The people at the UN that I met (including the President of the ICC, several state leaders, and dozens of diplomats and ambassadors) have had a strong influence over my own future ideas for jobs and personal philosophy.
I’d like to help others have those same opportunities, so I’m going to outline a few basic steps: where to apply, how to write a cover letter, how to write a CV, how to conduct a telephone interview, and a few other tips. NB: These tips are based solely on my experience, so take them with a grain of salt. What worked for me, may not work for you. But the websites I recommend are all solid sources 
Where to apply:
My first NGO in Geneva was with ISHR, as mentioned above. Here is a complete and shameless plug for their organization, as I still consider it to be one of the finest run and friendliest places I have ever worked. The staff is professional, open to any and all questions, and fellow interns were bright, motivated, and a helluva lot of fun at state mission parties. They have a prestigious internship program focused on training human rights defenders and monitoring /reporting on UN meetings, so I would highly recommend turning to them first: www.ishr.ch
Bear in mind, however, that in the time I was there, they were receiving a few hundred applications from all around the world at any given time, so don’t rely solely on this organization in your human rights field internship hunt.
Like I mentioned above, I interned and consulted for several NGOs, but ISHR is one of the few which I feel that really went above and beyond taking care of its interns (ie, welcome drinks, birthday cards, excellent communication, professional bearing, respect for the free labor). The other NGOs and organizations are listed on my CV, which can be downloaded here: http://independent.academia.edu/ArielRicker/CurriculumVitae
Some helpful websites for searching for a job, a volunteer gig, or an internship:
www.idealist.org -> this is your one stop shop for EVERYTHING you’ll need. I can list other websites which post NGO and related jobs or internships, but frankly, if the organization knows what its doing, it will post an ad or listing here. I found all my internships on here (meaning, no matter where else I found an appealing offer, it was also posted on idealist.org).
When I had a bad experience last May with a sham organization that had posted on idealist.org, I contacted idealist.org to complain. Within 6 hours, someone had contacted me back, took my claim seriously, and had taken down this organization’s info and advertisement. Excellent work on their part.
Other excellent search sites: http://www.internweb.com, http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/sds/internsh/index.htm, http://www.genevainternational.org/pages/en/87;Non-Governmental_Organisations (lists all the NGOs based in Geneva, an excellent resource), www.google.com (I would recommend googling first. I didn’t know about idealist.org until a few hours into my search, and while it might expedite your hunt if you know what you’re after, google is the best way to find other helpful sites on NGOs, IGOs, flights, funding… everything)
Motivation:
I would *highly* recommend knowing what you want to do with your internship, and what field of human rights you want to pursue. Its not enough to say, ‘I want to save the world’, or ‘I don’t know, I’d like to help people.’ Its neither professional or convincing, and when you’re competing against many other bright and motivated individuals, you want to rise above the pack, not be trampled below. If you aren’t sure, then take some time to think about it – what drew you into this field to begin with? What can you see yourself doing in a few years time? If you truly don’t know, then get a job and save some money for when you have decided and are ready to break into the field.
Finances:
Bear in mind, virtually none of these internships are paid, so unless you’re well off, you should have a strong desire to be in the field. Starving in Geneva is no laughing matter. Food is expensive here! If you’re on your way to Geneva, let me know, and I’ll gladly share some tips for shopping cheaply and places to look for housing.
Otherwise, I’d recommend saving, appealing to the better nature of friends and family (and you can use a ‘Chipin’ widget for online donations), or pick up a small, under the table job in whatever city you end up in. You can also apply for scholarships or grants. Here is a handy site: http://www.isoa.org/list_scholarships.aspx
Cover letter:
Must.Be.One.Page. Nothing else will matter as much as keeping it short and sweet. Here are some websites that helped me figure out what is necessary and what is not: http://blogs.forbes.com/susanadams/2011/03/24/how-to-write-a-cover-letter/, http://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/CoverLetterSamples.html, http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/career/guides/cover_ltr.shtml, http://knol.google.com/k/norman-creaney/how-to-write-a-great-cover-letter/1hzaxtdr9c09g/24# (I highly recommend checking *all* of these sites, and be sure to check out more of the knols – just because I love knols and also in this last site, there is an link to another knol on how to write a great resume!)
CV:
I plead guilty to not following my own advice, since mine is 3 pages long. But the consensus is to keep a CV to two pages – one page, front and back. I can see the appeal of this brevity, but I’ve also known one talented and successful colleague who had a six page CV. The other very important factor to consider is where you are sending your CV – sometimes the organization will specify what kind of CV they want, other times you will have to figure it out on your own. For example, there is the European Union (EU) CV, the American style CV, the Great Britain CV… each of these require certain things the others don’t, such as a picture, marital status, graduating cum GPA, and a drivers license number. Lastly – while its natural to exaggerate some of your qualifications, never ever ever lie or fabricate something on the CV. This seems obvious, but I’ve heard a few horror stories and reputations being destroyed over something completely unnecessary.
Incidentally, Microsoft Office has four or five great CV and cover letter templates. With some tweaking, you can make any one of them work for you (in other words, never pay for a CV template).
Here are a few websites that will help you figure out how to make your own CV as appealing as possible: http://www.europeanresources.co.uk/jobseekers/writingcvs.html, http://www.cvtips.com/, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/641/01/, http://chronicle.com/section/First-Time-on-the-Market-/146/ (This site is a helpful, all around source for job and internship advice)
Interviews:
So you’ve passed the first round of applications and now you’ve been contacted for an offer for an interview. More likely than not, this will be a phone interview, and also more likely than not, it will be a Skype interview (free and accessible!). My first phone interview was with ISHR, and it was possibly the worst interview I ever gave, solely because reliable and free internet was a valued and surprisingly rare commodity in Jerusalem, where I was at the time. So, pro tip: scrounge up the extra money and go to a quiet internet cafe. Don’t use cafes or bars, or even libraries.
Here are some sites with good tips on how to conduct a phone interview: http://www.quintcareers.com/phone_interview_etiquette.html, http://www.himjobs.com/interview_tips/phoneinterviews.htm, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124390348922474789.html
I’ll add more to this post over the next few days as I think of more tips, such as where and how to find contacts in the field and cheap flights. If I missed something, or you have another useful website, send it my way: ariel.ricker@gmail.com
Good luck!
Legal Linguist!
This week in ‘exciting law school study aides’, I’m focusing on the mesmerizing field of Contracts.
Since it is every bit as dry and numbing as the Apple ITunes ‘Terms and Services’ contract appears to be, I’ve decided to liven things up a bit and start an ongoing list of actual legal terms that are chuckle provoking or head scratchingly random (as much as legal terms can be).
NB: In the future, I’ll be adding non-contracts related terms as well!
Thus, I bring you:
1. ‘colorable claim’: A plausible legal claim. In other words, a claim strong enough to have a reasonable chance of being valid if the legal basis is generally correct and the facts can be proven in court. The claim need not actually result in a win. (http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/colorable_claim)
2. ‘grumbling assent’: Counter offers can sometimes be confused for “grumbling assent” or “counter inquiry.” Grumbling assent is acceptance with some comment like: “I accept but still think the price is too high.” A counter inquiry is acceptance with a proposal for new terms. For instance: “I accept but would you consider less money?” A grumbling assent or counter inquiry is not a counter offer, it is acceptance. The key here is clear acceptance and a request or comment, not a demand or other statement that would call into question the willingness to proceed with the terms proposed in the offer. ( http://riskmanagementtoolkit.com/contracts.php)
3. ‘toxic tort’: A special type of personal injury lawsuit in which the plaintiff claims that exposure to a chemical caused the plaintiff’s injury or disease. Most toxic tort cases have arisen either from exposure to pharmaceutical drugs or occupational exposures. (http://www.toxictorts.com/faq.shtml)
4. ‘officious intermeddler’: (Otherwise known as a greedy yenta): A volunteer who assists and/or benefits another without contractual responsibility or legal duty to do so, but nevertheless wants compensation for his/her actions. The courts generally find that the intermeddler must rely on the equally voluntary gratitude of the recipient of the alleged benefit. (http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=1388)
Also, there is a blog called ‘The Officious Intermeddler”: (http://officiousintermeddler.blogspot.com/)
5. ‘fornication’: Voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 297) [*emphasis added - you'd think they'd have a more exciting term for such morally acceptable fun]
6. ‘mulct’: To punish by a fine. To deprive or divest of, esp. fraudulently. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 471)
7. ‘moral turpitude’: Conduct that is contrary to justice, honesty, or morality. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p.465) [Think Sheriff of Nottingham...]
8. ‘divorce a vinculo matrimonii’: (Latin: ‘(divorce) from the chains of marriage’) A total divorce. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 220)
9. ‘lollipop syndrome’: (Family law) A situation in which one or both parents, often in a custody battle, manipulate the child with gifts, fun, good times, and minimal discipline in an attempt to win over the child. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 438)
10. ‘graymail’: A criminal defendant’s threat to reveal classified information during the trial in the hope of forcing the government to drop the criminal charge. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 319)
11. ‘bunco’: A swindling game or scheme. A trick or ploy calculated to win a person’s confidence in an attempt to deceive that person. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 82)
12. ‘invidious discrimination’: Discrimination that is offensive or objectionable, esp. because it involves prejudice or stereotyping. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 214)
13. ‘sandwich lease’: A lease in which the lessee subleases the property to a third party, esp. for more rent than under the original lease. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 416)
14. ‘Ker-Frisbie rule’: The principle that the government’s power to try a criminal defendant is not impaired by the defendant’s having been brought back illegally to the USA from a foreign country. [Ker v. Illinois, 119 US 436, 7 S.Ct. 225 (1886); Frisbie v. Collins, 342 US 519, 72 S. Ct 509 (1952).] (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 402)
15. ‘attractive nuisance’: ‘A dangerous condition that may attract children onto land, thereby causing a risk to their safety.’ (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 497) [Incidentally, for you 'Boston Legal' fans out there, you'll appreciate that the first time I heard of this phrase was when Denny Crane described Ivana Trump's bottom. I'll leave judgments on the accuracy of this claim to you...]
16. ‘defalcation’: ‘[embezzlement] The failure to meet an obligation; a non-fraudulent default.’ (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 188)
17. ‘step-in-the-dark rule’: [torts] The contributory – negligence rule that a person who enters a totally unfamiliar area in the darkness has a duty, in the absence of unusual stress, to refrain from proceeding until first ascertaining whether any dangerous obstacles exist.’ (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 678)
18. ‘sin tax’: An excise tax imposed on goods or activities that are considered harmful or immoral. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 703) [In other words, tax on all the things we weren't allowed to do 'til we moved out of the house. On a related note, here is an interesting article on sumptuary laws: http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Sumptuary+laws]
19. ‘trigamy’ : The act of marrying a person while legally married to someone else and bigamously married to yet another. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 734) [I will not make Utah jokes. I will not make Utah jokes. I will not...]
20. ‘rhadamanthine’: (of a judge) Rigorous and inflexible. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 623) [Alright, I confess. I found this term years ago in a completely non-legal setting. But I still strongly encourage everyone to use this term tomorrow at work around the boss...]
21. ‘allodial title’: Held in absolute ownership; pertaining to an allodium (an estate held in fee simple absolute). (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 31) [I have no jokes for this one. But the word 'allodium' does make me giggle alittle]
22. ‘laches’: Unreasonable delay in pursuing a right or claim – almost always an equitable one – in a way that prejudices the party against whom relief is sought. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 406) [From French, 'laziness.' <see following term: prorogue>]
23. ‘prorogue’: To postpone or defer. To suspend or discontinue a legislative session. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 575) [see: 'How lawyers procrastinate and still bill clients']
24. ‘bork’: (slang) (Of the US Senate) to reject a nominee, esp for the US Supreme Court, on grounds of the nominee’s political and legal philosophy. Also, to smear a political opponent. (Black’s Law Dictionary, Third Pocket Edition, 2006, p. 78) [Come on, we all know the reason why this term made the list is because of the Swedish Chef! So, as a reward for making it all the way to the bottom of the list: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbs64GvGgPU]
Narcissus
“If he but fail to recognize himself,
a long life he may have, beneath the sun,”
http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/anthony/Classics/OvidEchoNarcissus.htm
Narcissus actually saw perfection and idealism in the stranger he fell in love with, he was unknowing as to the object of his affection. Shows the place of self-referentiality, where the object and subject were subsumed within the subject, however, nonetheless distinct in real opposition. Narcissus became the Ouroboros.
When he fell in love, he gave up the Self’s priority, which results in a natural death. However, in that process, he did the impossible, and transmuted into the Other.
(Note the use of “love” by Ovid – he deliberately chose N’s downfall via love, because according to Hesiod and later Plato, Love/Eros was one of the first of Greek deities born from Chaos, and thus a sense of darkness and irrationality are inherent within this emotion/god.)
The myth is for the purpose of relating the danger of finding the Other more appealing than the Self. One must always keep a sense of their own self as the primary reason for being/acting/performing. In other words, survival comes first. Once the conditions for that have been reasonably and sustainably reconciled, reaching outwards and seeking such things as love or social interaction is permissible. (Philosophy of Mercantilism is the economic version of this and Isolationism is the politico-military version)
The contemporary understanding of a “narcissist” is actually of binary opposition to Ovid’s intention.
Notable also is the relationship of Narcissus (then still “living”) and Echo – Echo had been condemned by Hera to never be able to speak first, only to reply/speak secondly. Rejected ultimately by Narcissus because of this curse, she flees to the mountains.
Echo’s fate isn’t relevant here – it is Narcissus’ initial rejection of the Other that is relevant. Abiding by nature’s law of placing survival first, he shuns love and its association with Chaos, and thus his life is spared. It is in his later encounter with the Other that he falls victim to its weapons of Eros/Chaos, and “dies”.
That he only could hear the voice of Echo and still survived versus his collapse before the image of the Other/Stranger may play into how to interpret our prioritizing of senses. One can survive in the natural world far longer without the ability to hear than with blindness, on a purely pragmatic level.
The matter of sight was of particular concern to the Greeks (and later the Romans). Sight was not confined to the human realm of ocular abilities, rather it was in reference to the “sight” and associated knowledge of Fate (the arrangement of man’s role in the universe) that was exclusive to the gods. It was only through the occasional and entirely blurred interface of the oracle’s literary episode that a human was able to glance at his Fate. Often oracles and poets were represented as blind, so as to demonstrate both their rejection of mortal and limited vision and gift of divine sight.
Also significant is the manner in which Narcissus fell in(to) love/chaos. His damnation is from the Nemesis, the goddess of Revenge and Vengeance (also importantly, gods born from Chaos) in reponse to a prayer from a rejected male admirer of Narcissus. Unable now to keep the forces of Chaos at bay as earlier with Echo, Narcissus capitulates to their appealing visions and is metamorphosized from man to flower (perhaps a reminder of the power and adaptability of nature?).
If we read this myth in another way, it was although Narcissus took up the challenge of interpreting a sign sent from the divine, always sent with caustic intent, and in failing to interpret the proper meaning, lost not only his sight (as he was unable to take his eyes from the pond/image of love) but his mortal orientation.
This latter point could have been Ovid’s omnious warning to his fellow Romans on the downfall of the Greeks- In the Greek world, the rejectionof “sight” was the sign of progress, moving from dependency on gods to relay our Fate, towards the acceptance of conjecture, as seen in the development of medicine, which by its nature, was reliant on rationality and judging the invisible (cause) from the visible (effects). However, no matter how far along a people move from divine dependency, a respect for our basis, the irrational and unpredictable must be maintained, else we lose our “sight”, our developed civil/secular bearing.
Similar to the message of Euripdes’ ‘The Bacchae’.
…and against the Word the unstilled world still whirled…
My favorite poem by TS Eliot -’Ash Wednesday’. Here it is slightly abridged, but its as much as I know off the top of my head. Enjoy.
Because I do not hope to turn again
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man’s gift and that man’s scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things
(Why should the aged eagle stretch its wings?)
Why should I mourn
The vanished power of the usual reign?
Because I do not hope to know again
The infirm glory of the positive hour
Because I do not think
Because I know I shall not know
The one veritable transitory power
Because I cannot drink
There, where trees flower, and springs flow, for there is nothing again
Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and
I renounce the blessed face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice
And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us
Because these wings are no longer wings to fly
But merely vans to beat the air
The air which is now thoroughly small and dry
Smaller and dryer than the will
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still.
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
…
Under a juniper-tree the bones sang, scattered and shining
We are glad to be scattered, we did little good to each other,
Under a tree in the cool of the day, with the blessing of sand,
Forgetting themselves and each other, united
In the quiet of the desert. This is the land which ye
Shall divide by lot. And neither division nor unity
Matters. This is the land. We have our inheritance.
…
If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spent
If the unheard, unspoken
Word is unspoken, unheard;
Still is the unspoken word, the Word unheard,
The Word without a word, the Word within
The world and for the world;
And the light shone in darkness and
Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled
About the centre of the silent Word.
O my people, what have I done unto thee.
Where shall the word be found, where will the word
Resound? Not here, there is not enough silence
Not on the sea or on the islands, not
On the mainland, in the desert or the rain land,
For those who walk in darkness
Both in the day time and in the night time
The right time and the right place are not here
No place of grace for those who avoid the face
No time to rejoice for those who walk among noise and deny the voice
Will the veiled sister pray for
Those who walk in darkness, who chose thee and oppose thee,
Those who are torn on the horn between season and season, time and time, between
Hour and hour, word and word, power and power, those who wait
In darkness? Will the veiled sister pray
For children at the gate
Who will not go away and cannot pray:
Pray for those who chose and oppose
O my people, what have I done unto thee.
Will the veiled sister between the slender
Yew trees pray for those who offend her
And are terrified and cannot surrender
And affirm before the world and deny between the rocks
In the last desert before the last blue rocks
The desert in the garden the garden in the desert
Of drouth, spitting from the mouth the withered apple-seed.
O my people.
…
Although I do not hope to turn again
Although I do not hope
Although I do not hope to turn
Wavering between the profit and the loss
In this brief transit where the dreams cross
The dreamcrossed twilight between birth and dying
(Bless me father) though I do not wish to wish these things
From the wide window towards the granite shore
The white sails still fly seaward, seaward flying
Unbroken wings
And the lost heart stiffens and rejoices
In the lost lilac and the lost sea voices
And the weak spirit quickens to rebel
For the bent golden-rod and the lost sea smell
Quickens to recover
The cry of quail and the whirling plover
And the blind eye creates
The empty forms between the ivory gates
And smell renews the salt savour of the sandy earth
This is the time of tension between dying and birth
The place of solitude where three dreams cross Between blue rocks
But when the voices shaken from the yew-tree drift away
Let the other yew be shaken and reply.
Blessed sister, holy mother, spirit of the fountain, spirit of the garden,
Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still
Even among these rocks,
Our peace in His will
And even among these rocks
Sister, mother
And spirit of the river, spirit of the sea,
Suffer me not to be separated
And let my cry come unto Thee.
My good friend Avihai runs a site of constant /facepalms. Ever have that family member call you up to tell you their computer isn’t working? And you patiently run them through the steps for an hour, and you discover 1.5 hours later its because the power isn’t on?
Yea, this site is for you then. Its failbook for computer techies. And you heard that here.
0L
Well, its official. A law school has picked me up by the scruff of my neck, brushed off the dust, looked at my teeth and feet, and determined I’m law school worthy.
Excited? Hell yea. Nervous? Hell yea. Moderately terrified? Yup.
Orientation is mid-August, so I’ve got about two and a half months of freedom and jewboo time left. I’ve been reading a few different websites with advice for what OL’ers should do the summer prior to the three years of hell. Most recommend relaxing, working out, reading some good books, getting a tan, yada yada. All good advice. I’m planning on doing three hours a day of reading from study guides on the classes I’m taking next year: torts, contracts, civil procedure, and property. I also really need to start running again (tonight, I swear!).
I’ve never been to MN, and I hear the weather is awful. But the rent is cheap ($450 a month?!), the distance of my potential house to school is slight, and the people I’ve met through Facebook also enrolled seem friendly and intelligent.
I keep telling myself that I’ve been working abroad in the field of international law, and with only a modest BA. I have no intention of staying in the States after I take the Bar, so the American legal market doesn’t concern me. Starting salary for UN lawyers runs about 80K, no taxes. Surely I can find something within 9 months of graduating. Surely.
Either way, I plan on using this blog for the next three years as a place to offer some views and humble advice on the law school process to future law students and interested parties. Oh, and some haikus on the staple foods of school: pizza and coffee. Nom om om!
