An online Remembrance Ritual for Samhain from The Jaded Hippy

As the witching hour draws close here on the West coast I just want to wish everyone a happy Samhain and a happy Halloween. I hope you all had a lovely day and kept yourselves safe.

Welcome to the Ancestors.  Welcome to the Spirits of the Honored Dead.  Welcome to those we have Lost; we think of you often.  Walk amongst us once again.   An offering of incense and brightly burning candles welcome you home, even if just for a visit.

We remember you.

And in that remembrance you live always.

Jonathan

Gloria

Robin

Neioma

Rena

Marilou

And those who went before, whose names I never knew, whose blood flows in my veins or spirit flows through my family, my life.

I remember.

Image: Two wick flames in the dark burn in a twisting, melting candle of red.

Must Read: Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law

Last year, two men showed up in Benson, Ariz., a small desert town 60 miles from the Mexico border, offering a deal.

Glenn Nichols, the Benson city manager, remembers the pitch.

"The gentleman that's the main thrust of this thing has a huge turquoise ring on his finger," Nichols said. "He's a great big huge guy and I equated him to a car salesman."

What he was selling was a prison for women and children who were illegal immigrants.

"They talk [about] how positive this was going to be for the community," Nichols said, "the amount of money that we would realize from each prisoner on a daily rate."

But Nichols wasn't buying. He asked them how would they possibly keep a prison full for years — decades even — with illegal immigrants?

"They talked like they didn't have any doubt they could fill it," Nichols said.

That's because prison companies like this one had a plan — a new business model to lock up illegal immigrants. And the plan became Arizona's immigration law.

Read the story at NPR

Bay Area Event: Cultural Encounters at the de Young

The de Young Museum hosts a yearlong series celebrating the new mural book, "Street Art San Francisco: Mission Muralismo" contributed to by over 200 artists and writers and edited by Annice Jacoby for Precita Eyes Muralists with a foreword by Carlos Santana as part of the museum's weekly program.

This series celebrates one of San Francisco's greatest assets - the Mission District Art Community, a rising star on the global art map. Cutting-edge and Traditional street artists will offer lectures and performances, sharing their art, insights, musings, experiences and perspectives. Friday Nights at the de Young are FREE!

Art and Revolution
Centennial Commemoration of the Mexican Revolution

November 5th
6:00 PM - 8:45 PM

de Young Museum

50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA

For more information call:

(415) 285-2287 or go to

Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center
2981 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

Register to Vote!

For all my California readers: We have a very big election in many local races and the state at large this year, so getting out to vote is really important!

Have you registered to vote? If you've moved or anything like that, you need to register again!

Here's a handy resource: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/

Monday is the last day to turn in registrations! And you should also know that even if Tuesday November 2 is an inconvenient day for you, you can vote early. And by early, I mean right now, at least for all you Alameda county people.

Alameda County, Registrar of Voters Office
1225 Fallon St. Rm. G-1
Oakland, California 94612

8:30am - 5:00pm Mon - Fri.

Reconsider Columbus Day

Blogoversary at The Jaded Hippy!

I always miss these...  But this time I actually noticed!

As of today I've been blogging publicly for three years.  A lot has happened in that time, growth and stasis and growth again.  Pain and laughter.  Bonding and ostracism.  Life, I guess.

It's been fun, and I look forward to the day when I can devote the time to it, to both the reading of others' work and the writing of my own, once again.   And for those who have been with me since very early on (I know there are a few of you) thank you for everything, the comments and encouragement and all that friend-like crap.  Thank you.

Here's to another three years. :)

School Stuff: My Current Research Projects

Long time, no see!

So, I'm guessing if you're still here you might have some interest in what I'm doing while I'm away. Well, I had to turn in my three research project proposals recently, so I thought I'd share and let you see what I've been and will be working on...

First up...

I'm taking a class on Raza Women. For my additional project I'm going to read the book Desert Blood by Gaspar de Alba and discuss how the book intersects with what we've been discussing during the semester. As the book is on the Juarez femicides I'm guessing I'll be talking a lot about Latinas and violence; you know, happy stuff! Am pretty sure I'll find myself having to critique the book for ignoring trans Latinas, but, I'll hope for the best until proved wrong. Still, I'm planning to have to do supplemental research to talk about that in the paper.

Second...

The project I am proposing is one that will require me to research the Wizard Rock community and genre. I plan to do this through primarily internet research and the podcast WZRD, as well as by looking for documentation/discussion in film and print. The final project will consist of a paper of 15 double-spaced pages sharing my findings and analyzing them within the context of the course and our discussions of gender, race and class in popular music. It is also likely, should time permit, that I will analyze one or two songs by a Wizard Rock artist(s) as Sheila Whiteley does at times in her book.

Already since turning this project proposal in I have found in preliminary research that I might end up talking about "filk" (genre focused folk music) initially as a precursor to wrock, and that thinks like trock (TARDIS rock, aka Dr. Who themed rock music) also exist. Might have to inform her of changes as I turn more stuff in on the schedule she (professor) laid out for me.

and Last...

For my research project during this term I would like to analyze three episodes of science fiction television and their portrayal of Indigenous people; specifically, “The Paradise Syndrome” from Star Trek, “Journey’s End” from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and “The Blessing Way” from The X-Files. While the primary “object” of investigation in this project would be the way these episodes deal with race, I would approach the subject from an intersectional perspective, analyzing the way in which gender, sexuality, ability and other axes of identity as well as structures/issues of power, such as colonialism and Whiteness, complicate the projects of these episodes and their impact on the audience. At this time the questions I have are rather basic; “how are indigenous people portrayed in these episodes?” and “how have such portrayals changed over time?”

Thoughts are, of course, welcome.