Going South in the Dirty Jerz

I just got a job offer in South Jersey, to work with a migrant worker outreach program.  South Jersey, I’ve discovered, is surprisingly rural.  It’s also the blueberry capital of the US.  Because of that, it attracts a huge migrant agricultural worker population that makes a circuit between New York and Florida each year.  Most workers, from what I understand, are most commonly Latino (not sure of nationality) or Haitian.

I’m very excited, not just to be fully employed again, but also to use Spanish and to work in a medical and health education setting.  I also just recently found a great article written by a friend of a friend about the conditions for the workers in the area.  The catch to the job is that it doesn’t involve any advocacy, but at least it offers the chance to stay informed and make a positive contribution to a community that desperately needs more attention.

Blogroll

The site PAP Blog is one of my new favorite sites on the web.  Specifically the series on political graffiti.  Check it out.

Political Graffiti

I am so fascinated by how necessary media is. Art and art as communication is a fundamental aspect of human expression and existence, and I think political graffiti is a clear expression of that. I once heard someone quote, “When the media is silent, the walls speak.” Here are a few of my recent finds of political graffiti.  I’m brainstorming any reason to have to go do a major research project on this kind of art so I can interview and shadow Banksy.

In other astonishing news, check this statistic out!

UPDATE:  more from Palestine!!!

Vive la France!

I have been accepted to teach English in France next year through the government assistantship (TAPIF)!  I have been placed in the region of Amiens, though I don’t have any specifics on which town or school in that region.  I also don’t know the specific start date, because some schools have orientation earlier than others.  The program typically starts around October 1, so I am planning to leave around mid or late September.  Depending on my placement, I could be stationed at a school (or several schools) for seven or nine months.  I’m excited!

Also, I just found this really cool widget at Skyscanner, that I haven’t been able to make work just yet.  But hopefully I’ll have it up shortly so it will be that much easier to plan your visit!

FELLOW TAPIFs! Please tell me if you found this because you were looking for info on Amiens!  We can connect now and share our research (or just daydream about travel plans!)!

Sweet Dreams and my new obsession with stop-motion

I have developed a semi-recent obsession with stop-motion animation.  I say “semi” because I’ve always loved stop-motion and been interested in design, but only recently have I put a name (and software) to the style that so fascinates me.

This short is called Sweet Dreams, by Kristen Lepore.  I think it was her senior project for art school or something.  I went to her website, and it looks like this video has opened a lot of doors for her–plus the fact that she’s clearly awesome at what she does.  She’s doing some really cool animation work and work with After Effects (so jealous, I want to learn it!!).  Anyway it’s fantastic, and this is precisely the type of work that I would like to get good at.  This is a short blog about the video, and how she made it.

more about “Sweet Dreams by Kirsten Lepore“, posted with vodpod

15 Creative Recession Time Graffiti

Photos of creative graffiti made addressing the economic crisis.

15 Creative Recession Time Graffiti – Oddee.com.

Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip

A short animated film about choices we’ve made and are making currently that are likely to lead to catastrophic climate change, by Leo Murray.  The script, with extensive peer-reviewed references and additional information and links, is available here.

There is now a multilingual DVD available thanks to cinerebelde.org

more about “Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip“, posted with vodpod

Minilogue/hitchhikers choice

This is the short version of this stop-motion animated drawing. I am developing a new obsession with this format, and hopefully will also develop the drawing skill to do something half as awesome as this.

more about "Minilogue/hitchhikers choice", posted with vodpod

Life Inc., by Douglas Rushkoff

This clip talks about how corporatism (read: capitalism & the neoliberal system) has damaged society, and is, in the long run, destroying life.

For more information about Douglas Rushkoff’s book, “LIFE INC.: How The World Became A Corporation And How To Take It Back”

more about “Life Inc The Movie“, posted with vodpod

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

TED Talks Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. It’s a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.