so, there's this big push to get more people to go to college. and concommittant with that is the cry that college degrees are becoming worthless because too many people are getting them (i've already posted elsewhere about the push to outsource entry-level job training to educational insititutions, so i won't rehash my opinions on that).
and yet... it seems as though the conversation is a bit one-sided. or at least, those mostly partaking of the conversation are coming from a specific, possibly skewed context.
less than one-third of american adults over 25 have an undergraduate degree. and this is a high, recently passing the 30% mark, as the article notes.*
i dunno. maybe if we actually started thinking about education as education, and took a wider look at where we actually are, the conversation might change. with less than one third of the population having even undergraduate degrees, i don't think that increasing that number will have a huge economic effect any time soon. approaching 50%, then i could see the panic.
although, reflecting... apparently the majority of jobs out there don't require a degree since the majority of adults don't have one. i mean, unemployment isn't that high. on the other hand, assuming we get more people in the workforce with critical thinking skills, even those jobs can theoretically be done better.
on yet another hand, if the majority of the workforce is kept from getting a higher education, and especially an education specializing in teaching them how to think instead of just how to manipulate a widget, that keeps the power in the hands of those who already have it. hmm...
well. full disclosure. i also come from a context where i would never have guessed that the attainment rate is only about 30% for the country (i thought it was higher).
*i tried to find the actual data, but the link for the 2011 report only goes to an "about" page. since the article only says "more than 30%" i'm taking that as journalist-speak for "30.01%-32.99%" on the assumption that "one third!" would have made a better headline if they could have used it. the 2009 report says that 28% have completed undergraduate degrees.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
a little creepy.
i think i'm going to have to stop shopping at target.
on the other hand, what's interesting about this is that i hate shopping so much, everything is a conscious decision. what cereal do i want this week? what orange juice? which store is the least hassle to buy socks? i compulsively read labels.
i wonder what my shopping habit reward is.
on the other hand, what's interesting about this is that i hate shopping so much, everything is a conscious decision. what cereal do i want this week? what orange juice? which store is the least hassle to buy socks? i compulsively read labels.
i wonder what my shopping habit reward is.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
the deceit of fruit.
i just ate an orange.
i shouldn't have been able to eat that orange; i bought it 2 weeks ago. but it was actually still underripe. i washed it, peeled it, and then had to wash my hands again because they were covered with wax.
as far as i can tell, most apples and citrus fruit sold in u.s. supermarkets is waxed.
i remember the first time a british friend went shopping with me. he exclaimed at the size and shininess of the apples. i said, "oh, they're covered in wax."
the fruit gets waxed for 2 reasons. 1) to keep it looking nice. wax seals the pores in the skin and smooths it out, making the fruit look shiny, uniform, and therefore attractive. and 2) to keep it from spoiling (or as in the case of my orange, from even getting ripe). because fruit is picked so far away from its selling location, it gets waxed to prevent air from carrying molds and bacteria into the fruit and spoiling it.
1) is the one that bothers me more. i can understand needing to wax fruit because it needs to be shipped from florida or california or washington to the other side of the country. but waxing the fruit changes the perception of what fruit should look like. we only see huge, over-irrigated, underripe, shiny, gleaming fruit. i have no idea what a non-industrial-farmed orange looks like. i do know what real apples are supposed to look like because we had 2 apple trees in our backyard when i was a kid.
but our food is as carefully curated for appearance as works of art in a museum. not only is this weird, but it makes us even more ignorant of what we eat, what we put in our bodies. the huge, waxed orange moves me just a little further from one reality into another one where appearance is carefully controlled and manufactured.
hm.
oh, and happy new year.
i shouldn't have been able to eat that orange; i bought it 2 weeks ago. but it was actually still underripe. i washed it, peeled it, and then had to wash my hands again because they were covered with wax.
as far as i can tell, most apples and citrus fruit sold in u.s. supermarkets is waxed.
i remember the first time a british friend went shopping with me. he exclaimed at the size and shininess of the apples. i said, "oh, they're covered in wax."
the fruit gets waxed for 2 reasons. 1) to keep it looking nice. wax seals the pores in the skin and smooths it out, making the fruit look shiny, uniform, and therefore attractive. and 2) to keep it from spoiling (or as in the case of my orange, from even getting ripe). because fruit is picked so far away from its selling location, it gets waxed to prevent air from carrying molds and bacteria into the fruit and spoiling it.
1) is the one that bothers me more. i can understand needing to wax fruit because it needs to be shipped from florida or california or washington to the other side of the country. but waxing the fruit changes the perception of what fruit should look like. we only see huge, over-irrigated, underripe, shiny, gleaming fruit. i have no idea what a non-industrial-farmed orange looks like. i do know what real apples are supposed to look like because we had 2 apple trees in our backyard when i was a kid.
but our food is as carefully curated for appearance as works of art in a museum. not only is this weird, but it makes us even more ignorant of what we eat, what we put in our bodies. the huge, waxed orange moves me just a little further from one reality into another one where appearance is carefully controlled and manufactured.
hm.
oh, and happy new year.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
more winter holidays.
last stop before slogging through the dark and cold and wet that is winter.
gifts have been given, food has been eaten. 2 more days of vacation left (class starts again on monday). oh, and *sigh* the koph is in the middle of "hannukah." it starts with a (c)het, which makes the "channukah" transliteration even less appropriate.
i feel like there should be something to say at the end of another year, but i pretty much already said it for this year.
i will say that when 2011 began, i had no idea it would end here.
this year does apparently mark the lowest number of posts on this blog. i'm not sure anyone read is anymore anyway, but i apparently used to have more to say. maybe everything i have to say these days goes into my papers.
well. happy new year.
gifts have been given, food has been eaten. 2 more days of vacation left (class starts again on monday). oh, and *sigh* the koph is in the middle of "hannukah." it starts with a (c)het, which makes the "channukah" transliteration even less appropriate.
i feel like there should be something to say at the end of another year, but i pretty much already said it for this year.
i will say that when 2011 began, i had no idea it would end here.
this year does apparently mark the lowest number of posts on this blog. i'm not sure anyone read is anymore anyway, but i apparently used to have more to say. maybe everything i have to say these days goes into my papers.
well. happy new year.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
happy hannukah.
yes, now that i can read hebrew, i know it starts with a koph, but "channukah" just looks weird to me for some reason.
(speaking of semitic languages, i got an a- in syriac. yay!)
anyway. it's not for dinner tonight, because it's too much work, but here's a recipe:
latkes
3-4 potatoes suitable for frying (i like yukon golds, but russets are the classic frying potato)
1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion
1 cup matzo meal
2 eggs
salt, pepper, and parsley to taste
lots of oil for frying
1. peel the potatoes.
2. grate the onion into a bowl.
3. grate the potatoes on top of the onion to keep the fumes from making everyone cry.
4. beat the eggs and add them with the salt and pepper to the onion-potato mixture. mix well.
5. add the matzo meal a little at a time until the mixture is thick and there is not too much liquid in the bottom of the bowl anymore.
6. pour a tablespoon or two of oil into a frying pan and heat over medium to medium-high heat. there should not be a standing pool of oil; latkes just get pan-fried, not deep-fried.
7. scoop big spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the frying pan and flatten to make patties. when the latkes are crispy on one side, flip over and fry until crisp on the other side. remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. continue scooping, adding more oil as necessary until all the latkes are made.
eat! applesauce and sour cream are the traditional toppings.
(speaking of semitic languages, i got an a- in syriac. yay!)
anyway. it's not for dinner tonight, because it's too much work, but here's a recipe:
latkes
3-4 potatoes suitable for frying (i like yukon golds, but russets are the classic frying potato)
1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion
1 cup matzo meal
2 eggs
salt, pepper, and parsley to taste
lots of oil for frying
1. peel the potatoes.
2. grate the onion into a bowl.
3. grate the potatoes on top of the onion to keep the fumes from making everyone cry.
4. beat the eggs and add them with the salt and pepper to the onion-potato mixture. mix well.
5. add the matzo meal a little at a time until the mixture is thick and there is not too much liquid in the bottom of the bowl anymore.
6. pour a tablespoon or two of oil into a frying pan and heat over medium to medium-high heat. there should not be a standing pool of oil; latkes just get pan-fried, not deep-fried.
7. scoop big spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the frying pan and flatten to make patties. when the latkes are crispy on one side, flip over and fry until crisp on the other side. remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. continue scooping, adding more oil as necessary until all the latkes are made.
eat! applesauce and sour cream are the traditional toppings.
Monday, December 19, 2011
done.
another semester over. now just the pins-and-needles of waiting for grades.
not only but also: i have been given a contact for a ph.d. w00t, i think. we will be meeting some time in the new year.
not only but also: i have been given a contact for a ph.d. w00t, i think. we will be meeting some time in the new year.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
happy thanksgiving.
i think i may have recovered from the food coma.
no black friday shopping this year; we went to visit mom's family and had a second dose of holiday food.
zzz...
oh. i have a paper to write.
no black friday shopping this year; we went to visit mom's family and had a second dose of holiday food.
zzz...
oh. i have a paper to write.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
movement.
i don't believe it's the middle of november already. this is crazy.
we moved a few weeks ago. still haven't sold the damn house; it's being rented by people who are paranoid and wanted a place near the hospital for their new baby.
so we're renting a loft apartment. it's a nice location, 3 blocks from his office, 2 blocks from the subway, 2 blocks from a supermarket.
urban supermarkets are weird things. on one hand, they tend to drive small, locally-owned corner stores out of business. on the other hand, those small, locally-owned corner stores tended to be really expensive and not stock much in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables, or raw meat, or anything not already procesed and cooked somewhere industrial. so now food is cheaper and better quality, and there's way more healthy selections. but more the neighbourhood's money is going to some national chain somewhere. it's nice to be living within walking distance of a supermarket, though, instead of having to drive 20 blocks to a shitty one that was built out in the ghetto because that's where land is cheap.
i think the cat still isn't sure about the new place. he spent the first couple days camped out in his litter box. also, the problem with a loft apartment is that there are no doors, except the front door and the bathroom door, so there's nowhere we can put things to keep them out of his reach. he's currently sitting on my desk and sniffing the bills. not chewing on them yet, thankfully, but the bills used to be in the office in the old place which had a door and he could be kept out. he can also, for the first time in the 7 years we've owned him, spend the night on our bed, which he is really happy about. us, not so much. cats don't sleep through the night like people do (or are supposed to). getting stepped on at 3am isn't great when you have an exam the next morning.
speaking of changes, i've also transferred schools. i think i'm done with change for this year, seriously. can i have a boring year next year? new place to live, new school, new job, new furniture (we should seriously buy stock in ikea), new bank... shit. i want a boring, uneventful couple of months. i am feeling a little more confident when i say i want to do a ph.d. in ancient literature nowadays, though, so the transfer seems to have done that much good already (a big part of the reason i'm doing a professional master's instead of a ph.d. now is because i don't know what i want to be when i grow up).
the other thing i'm really liking about living in the city is mass transit. i know, isn't that weird? but i don't like driving; it stresses me out. i think i overdosed on driving this summer when i drove my sister to phoenix. now i can take the subway and/or train practically everywhere. and the really nice thing about taking mass transit in the city is that everyone does it. out in the 'burbs, it's seen as a thing for poor people who can't afford a car (that someone might not want to have a car doesn't seem to cross many people's minds). in the city, at least in an east coast city, it's everyone: kids, students, poor people, downtown professionals, tourists, and so on. it's kind of an equalizer. i won't say it builds community, despite the often literal rubbing shoulders; most people tend to be quiet and not make eye contact. but at least there's no hands clenched on the wheel, trying to avoid assholes in trucks, breathing exhaust fumes, trapped in a module of steel and glass, and losing several hours a day of productive time. now i can sit on the train and read and do homework. we're going to sell one of the cars. yay. and i guess there is a kind of community feel to mass transit... you're all riding together. it's ok to ask someone for directions, or which train goes where, or am i on the right platform? i always have to wonder about the panhandlers, though. wouldn't it have been smarter to spend your two bucks on food than on entrance to the subway platform where you ask people for quarters for food?
so yeah. life in the city. too much change. too much new shit. i'm about at capacity for this stuff right now.
we moved a few weeks ago. still haven't sold the damn house; it's being rented by people who are paranoid and wanted a place near the hospital for their new baby.
so we're renting a loft apartment. it's a nice location, 3 blocks from his office, 2 blocks from the subway, 2 blocks from a supermarket.
urban supermarkets are weird things. on one hand, they tend to drive small, locally-owned corner stores out of business. on the other hand, those small, locally-owned corner stores tended to be really expensive and not stock much in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables, or raw meat, or anything not already procesed and cooked somewhere industrial. so now food is cheaper and better quality, and there's way more healthy selections. but more the neighbourhood's money is going to some national chain somewhere. it's nice to be living within walking distance of a supermarket, though, instead of having to drive 20 blocks to a shitty one that was built out in the ghetto because that's where land is cheap.
i think the cat still isn't sure about the new place. he spent the first couple days camped out in his litter box. also, the problem with a loft apartment is that there are no doors, except the front door and the bathroom door, so there's nowhere we can put things to keep them out of his reach. he's currently sitting on my desk and sniffing the bills. not chewing on them yet, thankfully, but the bills used to be in the office in the old place which had a door and he could be kept out. he can also, for the first time in the 7 years we've owned him, spend the night on our bed, which he is really happy about. us, not so much. cats don't sleep through the night like people do (or are supposed to). getting stepped on at 3am isn't great when you have an exam the next morning.
speaking of changes, i've also transferred schools. i think i'm done with change for this year, seriously. can i have a boring year next year? new place to live, new school, new job, new furniture (we should seriously buy stock in ikea), new bank... shit. i want a boring, uneventful couple of months. i am feeling a little more confident when i say i want to do a ph.d. in ancient literature nowadays, though, so the transfer seems to have done that much good already (a big part of the reason i'm doing a professional master's instead of a ph.d. now is because i don't know what i want to be when i grow up).
the other thing i'm really liking about living in the city is mass transit. i know, isn't that weird? but i don't like driving; it stresses me out. i think i overdosed on driving this summer when i drove my sister to phoenix. now i can take the subway and/or train practically everywhere. and the really nice thing about taking mass transit in the city is that everyone does it. out in the 'burbs, it's seen as a thing for poor people who can't afford a car (that someone might not want to have a car doesn't seem to cross many people's minds). in the city, at least in an east coast city, it's everyone: kids, students, poor people, downtown professionals, tourists, and so on. it's kind of an equalizer. i won't say it builds community, despite the often literal rubbing shoulders; most people tend to be quiet and not make eye contact. but at least there's no hands clenched on the wheel, trying to avoid assholes in trucks, breathing exhaust fumes, trapped in a module of steel and glass, and losing several hours a day of productive time. now i can sit on the train and read and do homework. we're going to sell one of the cars. yay. and i guess there is a kind of community feel to mass transit... you're all riding together. it's ok to ask someone for directions, or which train goes where, or am i on the right platform? i always have to wonder about the panhandlers, though. wouldn't it have been smarter to spend your two bucks on food than on entrance to the subway platform where you ask people for quarters for food?
so yeah. life in the city. too much change. too much new shit. i'm about at capacity for this stuff right now.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
facebook = reification.
i probably ought to start off by saying that i am still boycotting facebook, but i have been trying out google+ this summer, so i have acquired some familiarity with the whole social media phenomenon. i have also been observing the facebook habits of others from the outside, as is the proper researcher stance (that was a joke). also, i apologize in advance for the ridiculous language in the following post. i've been at school all day, reading philosophy, and the language is infectious.
i have come to the following conclusion: for many people who use facebook, especially those under the age of 30 (the so-called millenial generation), it is the offline world which is more or less unreal, and things are only real when posted or transcribed online, and especially when they are commented on or noticed by "friends." this is contra the usual usage where things happen "on the internet" and "in real life." real life is now facebook, and things that happen offline are merely feeder material for the self-curated online presence.
the glib internet meme "pics or it didn't happen" is demonstrative of this, i think. it is an extremely ironic statement in an age when we are all so aware of the ease of manipulation of digital images. and yet still, somehow, putting a picture of an event online is testimony to its veracity, to its very existence. a thing is not a thing unless it is online for others to see.
but i think facebook takes this to another level. with the obsession of the number of friends one has, and the posting of all life events, regardless of their possible standing in posterity, the nexus of these two elements becomes the location of reality. i think the very compulsion to post images and status updates that record any and all states and events in life is what makes people feel real and connected to a community somehow.
it is pretty much agreed that humans are social creatures. autism is a disorder precisely because it removes from a human the basic need to be in community with other human beings. this is fairly obvious from the anguish parents feel the need to post online about (again, posting online) even children diagnosed with the mildest forms of the spectrum.
however, as we labour under the desperate gasps of a dying modernity, individualism rules the day (i also happen to believe that this is modernity, not postmodernity and that the postmodern project has failed, but that's the subject for another post when i'm feeling more depressed). we are all our own subjects, distressingly separated and cut off from other autonomous subjects. it is in the online communication that we can merge the need for community and our inherited individualism. moreso, it is in the recognition of the artifacts of lives online that people feel truly real.
i'm still going to boycott facebook.
i have come to the following conclusion: for many people who use facebook, especially those under the age of 30 (the so-called millenial generation), it is the offline world which is more or less unreal, and things are only real when posted or transcribed online, and especially when they are commented on or noticed by "friends." this is contra the usual usage where things happen "on the internet" and "in real life." real life is now facebook, and things that happen offline are merely feeder material for the self-curated online presence.
the glib internet meme "pics or it didn't happen" is demonstrative of this, i think. it is an extremely ironic statement in an age when we are all so aware of the ease of manipulation of digital images. and yet still, somehow, putting a picture of an event online is testimony to its veracity, to its very existence. a thing is not a thing unless it is online for others to see.
but i think facebook takes this to another level. with the obsession of the number of friends one has, and the posting of all life events, regardless of their possible standing in posterity, the nexus of these two elements becomes the location of reality. i think the very compulsion to post images and status updates that record any and all states and events in life is what makes people feel real and connected to a community somehow.
it is pretty much agreed that humans are social creatures. autism is a disorder precisely because it removes from a human the basic need to be in community with other human beings. this is fairly obvious from the anguish parents feel the need to post online about (again, posting online) even children diagnosed with the mildest forms of the spectrum.
however, as we labour under the desperate gasps of a dying modernity, individualism rules the day (i also happen to believe that this is modernity, not postmodernity and that the postmodern project has failed, but that's the subject for another post when i'm feeling more depressed). we are all our own subjects, distressingly separated and cut off from other autonomous subjects. it is in the online communication that we can merge the need for community and our inherited individualism. moreso, it is in the recognition of the artifacts of lives online that people feel truly real.
i'm still going to boycott facebook.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
inconveniences.
i just realized it is september and i cannot undertake my annual reading of LotR (i always start in september, get to Frodo's departure by sept 22, weathertop by oct 6 and then just read to the end) because my copies of the novels are packed away in storage because no one has bought my house.
bah. we need to move so i can get my books back.
bah. we need to move so i can get my books back.
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