In-Betweens: College.

            Fall, in Cambridge, is a bit of a sordid affair.  Miserable long weeks of rain flirt with hours, or even days, of blinding sun and mild temperatures.  Lawn crunches with morning frost one day, and the next you've accidentally left your sweater in the library because it's too warm to wear.  Boat crews battle hefty winds blowing sleet up and down the River Cam one morning, and then gut sunburned in their tank-tops the next.  Fall, in Cambridge, is full of baby-faced "freshers" and exhausted 4th year PhD students.  Fall in Cambridge (which I have now experienced a grand total of twice) is a less a season on it's own, than it is a sort of odd empty space between the long lazy summer, and the sort of cold grey endless thing that is winter.  
            In that sense, Fall is a particularly fitting time for educational journeys to start.  Universities, whether they be Community College, State Schools, Liberal Arts Institutions or Research Centers all share the fact that they serve as an intermediary in life's long journey.  Universities, and all the subsets of them, are a step that we take.  An "in-between" now and wherever we hope to be in 4, 5 or 10 years time.  A semi-traditional stepping stone for middle class kids, first degrees (let alone second or third) are becoming increasingly expensive, and fewer and fewer of us are able to afford the cost of taking a year or three out of our working lives to simply learn.  
            For undergraduates it's a time to explore exactly who they are and will be as people, time to learn how to budget time, money, energy and space.  To foster interests in subjects flung far beyond what every day working life will offer.  Algebra, History, Sociology and Art.  Time to lie on lawns and stare at clouds while discussion the post-modern implications of Foucaultian conceptions of modernity.
For those of us who continue on to do Master's and PhD's, maybe we're inspired to join an MBA--looking for better returns on the hours we'll spend working, or maybe we've caught some bug around cross cultural encounters or feel a deep seated need to understand how the universe ticks at some very particular sub-atomic level.  
No matter who you are, or how many times you've wandered through the halls of a college library, you are all sharing that space.  That space of being in-between.  Whether it's in-between childhood and adulthood, or in-between careers.  Whether you are looking for a fresh start or have come back to study physics at 90 to fulfill a lifelong dream, you are taking a breath.  Pausing.  Not knowing where you will live in four years, or how you will ever manage to pay off those loans.  You are doing an internal reset.  Relearning who you are, what you need to know and how to function in a new environment and a new space.  You are making new friends, and tasting new food.  You are learning to play handball and squash, because for once in your adult life you have time to just do that.
            Most importantly--and maybe this is where the rough weather comes in--you have a chance here, in this in-between, to break old patterns.  To decide that molds from a year ago, five years ago or decades ago, don't need to fit if they don't serve some good purpose.  You have a chance to take some time to become a better you.  Time that isn't swamped with a full time job or whatever demands "home" had for you.  Time where you get to be in-between.  No longer defined, if only for a moment.  So whether you are that 17 year old genius starting college a year or two early, or that 56 year old returning to education for a second professional degree, remember that despite the wind and the cold frosty nights.  Being in a place of transition has some glorious sunny days and a host of opportunities that cannot ever be overstated.

It's Time To Vote!

Hey Oregon Friends!

Even though I live abroad, I still have the nifty opportunity to vote!  And since Oregon is nice and forward thinking when it comes to things like voter turnout and ease of registration, I'm even allowed to vote via email since I'm a U.S. citizen resident abroad, so I've been staring my ballot down for the last few days, and as some of you know, I get a little obsessive over voting, but have finally made some decisions regarding our fine state, and how I think it oughtta be run.

Here's the breakdown:

US Senator:  Jeff Merkley.
Yes, he's a big(ish) name, but I've been watching this guy for the last few years, and he seems to have taken Oregon to the capitol.  He's developing a reputation as quite the progressive (for a US senator) and has gone to bad for things like extensions of unemployment, regulating Wall Street, tougher enforcement of environmental protections and better health care for Americans.  Sure, there's always the Pacific Green Party candidate Christina Jean Lugo to vote for....but Merkley's done good.  I'm happy to have him represent me for another term.

US Representative District 3: Earl Blumenauer.
This one's easy for me.  I interned for Blumenauer in 2007 and learned that he bikes to work or takes the bus almost every day.  He's huge into environmental protection, actually DOES give a shit about his constituents, treats his staff quite well and is always open to hearing from the people he represents.  Add to that the fact that he launched his political career by helping shut down the Mt. Hood Highway project, and I'm gonna say he's one damn good rep. all the way.

State Governor: John Kitzhaber.
I'm not nearly as gung-ho about Kitzhaber as I am about Merkley and Blumenauer, but Dennis Richardson is NOT the person I want running my state.  Particularly as Oregon has a lot of opportunities over the next four years to rethink the way we do higher education, recycling, electricity production, etc.  Not the sort of thing I'm gonna leave to the party of "hand it to the white upper-class businessmen then shut-up."   Although, ironically.  Both parties still mostly run white upper class men for all positions.

State Senator, 20th District: Jamie Damon.
I've known Jamie since high school.  We haven't always gotten along, but I know she means well, works hard and will absolutely represent rural Clackamas County FOR rural Clackamas County.  Who could ask for more?

State Representative, 39th District: Bill Kennemer.
He's running unopposed, so it doesn't much matter who I write in, but even though he's a Republican (which I am decidedly not) his voting record indicates he's willing to reach across the aisle, and limited interactions with his staff at the plethora of fairs I worked this summer convinced me that they were by no means a distasteful bunch.

Judge of the Circuit Court, 5th District, Position 8: Heather Karabeika
Karabeika is also running unopposed, however she has done some awesome work advocating for an expansion of legal aid so more folks can be represented more thoroughly.  So why not?

County Clerk: David Robinson
I dislike it when my tiny county makes national news for repeated errors in the election process.  Plus, although it may have just been poor timing, the fact that Clackamas County officiants started using rubber stamps on marriage certificates the same week that equal marriage took effect in Oregon (see the Oregon Dems website) is just a little "meh" at best and distasteful at worst.  I don't know if Robinson will do better, but at least it'll be a different approach.

County Treasurer: Shari Anderson
Running unopposed, but I like that she preferentially invests county money in local and regional banks, and the fraud hotline is cool.

Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District Director Pos. 2 At Large: Roger Fantz
Seems open to dam removal and REALLY into sustainable farming.

Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation Director Zone 1: Write-In
I picked someone I knew from the area who would do the job well, Jesse didn't even bother to answer the county questionnaire.

Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation Director Zone 3: Jeff Becker.
Running unopposed, but big into organic stuff and farmers markets.

Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation Director Zone 4: Joan Zuber
She was appointed back in February, has done a decent enough job as far as I can tell and to top it off, she is one of only a handful of female faces in the district's leadership.  Provides tiny slice of a diverse viewpoint in a place where diversity is lacking.

Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation Director Zone 5: My mum
No compelling reason to vote for the only candidate running.  It's not like he'll lose.  And hey, why not?

Measure 86: Yes.
This measure allows for a state debt funded pot to help provide Oregonians pursuing secondary education with more opportunities to succeed.  I'm ALWAYS for higher education being more accessible.  ALWAYS.   Plus, Portland City Club agrees.

Measure 87: No.
Despite the fact that a lot of papers and such are coming out to say "yes" to 87's "unleashing" of Oregon State Judge's, I'm okay with the continuing separation of powers.  Even if it means they can't necessarily serve on the National Guard, or get paid to teach at public universities.  They can do both of those things if and when they retire.

Measure 88: Yes.
Just because the immigration system is broken, doesn't mean that all folks living in Oregon shouldn't be licensed to drive.

Measure 89: No.
It's symbolic.  But it already exists.

Measure 90: No.
No, no, no, no and no.  Yes our election system is broken, but no this ain't the way to fix it.  The Pacific Green Party might never end up the ballot if we lose our primary system, and what happens if we end up with a Dem/Dem election?  Or a Rep/Rep election?  NOT COOL.

Measure 91: Yes.
It's 2014.  Time to stop treating a joint like they treated a beer in 1929.

Measure 92: Yes.
Yes.  GMO's aren't probably as scary as some people think, but what's wrong with a label?  It provides for consumer choice and helps us all know what we are eating.

Then there are the itty bitty ones, but know that I'm a fan of public funding for things like education, but not for pest control.  And if you haven't yet. VOTE.  It's important, and in some states this election will really have the potential to change things locally and nationally.

Cambridge Colleges: Downing College

       Downing College, founded in 1800, was the only of Cambridge's Colleges founded between 1596 and 1869, giving it the unique honor of being able to call itself both the newest of the "old" colleges, and the "oldest" of the new colleges.  The fortune, that eventually provided the for the founding of Downing came from one Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet, who divorced and with no children, left a string of four heirs (starting with his cousin Sir Jacob) in his will, and detailed instructions as to what should be done with his wealth should none of these heirs end up with children to whom the family fortune could be passed on, and that there should be a constituent college of Cambridge founded named for the Downing family.  This was in 1749.  By 1764 all the named heirs had died.  Legally, this ought to have been the year of the founding of Downing, but thanks to a legal challenge by the wife of Sir Jacob, claiming the right to the fortune.  A legal challenge that her sister and second husband continued years after her death in 1778, only relinquishing the funds to the founding of a Cambridge College when legally compelled to do so shortly before 1800.
       So, some 40 years after it's possible conception, committee were formed, an architect (William Wilkins) was appointed, and Downing College began to take shape.  With the Downing fortune having been greatly reduced during the 40 some odd year long legal battle, the property purchased for the college site greatly exceeded the funds available to build  the college.  To this day Downing College maintains a massive sportsfield/green site simply known as the "paddock."  Empty space where the original architect had envisioned the fourth side of a set of buildings surrounding a central square.  As it was, even the current three "squares" of Downing weren't entirely completed until 1951, marking almost 150 years since the college's founding.  Should Downing ever complete this fourth side of the quadrangle, it would mark the end of Trinity Colleges claim to having the largest enclosed square in Cambridge.  A long running urban myth is that Trinity College as paid Downing College a considerable sum each year in return for a guarantee that Downing will never complete that fourth quadrangle.  Downing maintains a unique look among Cambridge Colleges, and the Greco-Roman influence in it's design is clear.
       Downing prides itself on having produced Union Society Presidents, Blues Captains and winning Rugby Teams over the last several decades, and having re-built their college boathouse in 2000, they can claim some of the best access to training facilities for rowers amongst the "new" colleges.  Training that has paid off, with Downing Men's crews taking "head of the river" in Lents Bumps in 2014, and sitting second on the river behind Caius for the upcoming May Bumps.  There will be a blog about Bumps.  Once I figure out how to possibly describe them in a way that makes them sound sane, even if they may not be.  For now, consider "bumps" the heart and soul of rowing culture in Cambridge, and a response to a river on which side by side racing is impossible.
       With a student body of approximately 600-650, 400ish undergrads, 200ish grads and 50ish fellows per year, it is an average size for a Cambridge College.  Notable alum include Martin Kemp, Annie Vernon, Martin Baker, David Lister, Gordon Reece, David Holbrook, Quentin Blake and Monty Python's John Cleese.
       Downing has a sister college relationship with Lincoln College at Oxford and prides itself on the academic and athletic achievement of it's members.
   

Cambridge Colleges: Selwyn

           Rt. Reverand George Selwyn (1809-1878), was a member of the first ever Cambridge University Varsity Crew that raced against the Oxford University Varsity Crew on the Thames in 1829, launching a boat race tradition that continues to this day.  Born in Hampstead, Selwyn was known as both an athlete and a scholar, and it surprised no one when he went on to study at St. John's College, at the University of Cambridge, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1831 (second in the Tripos), and then going onto get an M.A. in 1834 and a D.D. per lit. in 1842.  As he was culminating his academic work, Selwyn--already a priest--was appointed the first bishopship of the Anglican church in 1841.  A post that he held for over 20 years.  In 1868 he was appointed bishop of Lichfield, and said goodbye to his beloved New Zealand to hold this post in England until his death at the age of 69.

          Having played an influential role in the Anglican church throughout his life, and being a distinguished graduate of the University of Cambridge, a committee was formed shortly after Selwyn's death charged with finding a way to memorialize the scholar and bishop by founding a new College at the University of Cambridge.  Appointing the first master of Selwyn College in 1879, Arthur Lyttleton, and beginning construction on the first of the colleges three brick-work course in 1880, the groundwork for the colleges official admittance to the Cambridge system was laid well before the 1882 Royal Charter was received.  It would take until 1958 for Selwyn to receive full collegiate status, but it was in the 1880's that the first Selwyn students and fellow began their working towards degrees at the University of Cambridge.
         In recognition of the religious work done by the college's namesake, Selwyn maintained a requirement for all student to attend chapel each Sunday until 1935.  Selwyn became one of the first all-male colleges in the University system to admit women, housing their first female students in 1976, and in 2009 Selwyn became the first of the Cambridge Colleges to appoint a woman to the office of "Head Porter."


          The college motto is a bible verse, 1 Corinthions, 16:13, Be Courageous, and the college continues to grow, with permits to carry out construction work on at least two additional stages of the college over the course of the next twenty years, which will enable to the college to grow both it's grad and undergrad populations--currently 180 and 403 respectively.  Selwyn's alumna include Hugh Laurie, John Saunders, Richard Budgett, Ralph Chubb and Clive Anderson.  It is of note that while the college is proud of it's heritage in regards to furthering the access that women in Britain have had to education, none of the notable alum listed on the collge wiki page, are female.
          Selwyn College hosts the Selwyn Snow Ball each year, Cambridge's only annual Winter Ball, distinguishing the event from the other May Balls and Summer Garden Parties held throughout Cambridge.  Selwyn's reputation for providing a relaxed environment perhaps contribute to it's reputation as one of Cambridge's friendlier colleges. 

Op-Ed June 2014: Isla Vista & Misogyny

My June op-ed ran in print again, and not online. So in lieu of sending you a link, I'm putting the text of the piece here, and sharing this. Over-reported topic, I know. But hey, it's the name of the game.

A sleepy day late last month (May 23, 2014) the residents of Isla Vista California, a quiet town surrounding the University of California Santa Barbara, were reeling from a tragedy.  When police finally put all the pieces together, they would learn that in addition to the gunman, 6 people had lost their lives that day in a killing rampage, that according to the Washington Post, that included stabbings, shootings and mowing people down with a car.  For the most-middle class suburb, the events seemed unthinkable.  

What makes this horrifying incident stand out is not the fact that it was a mass shootings.  Whether we like it or not, we must admit that after a movie theater in Denver, a school in Connecticut, two brokerage houses in Georgia, a military base in Texas and countless other heart-wrenching days, mass shootings are a part of America, and as we seem unwilling to either address gun control or mental health provision, it's a part of America we are content to live with.

What made the Isla Vista shooting stand out was the treasure trove of online documentation left behind by 22 year old Elliot Rodger.  A manifesto, trails and trails of chatroom anger and hours of youtube videos detailing the path that this wealthy young man took from being just another college student to ending his own life after destroying those of 7 other people.

Elliot Rodger, as it turned out, hated women.  As a 22 year old virgin he viewed himself as an alpha male who had been denied what was rightfully his--a relationships, sex and female companionship.  He shot, stabbed or ran over 20 people (including himself), killing 7 of them, because of the behavior of women. In the weeks since the shooting the internet has (of course) exploded.  Blogs and vlogs and arm-chair philosophers bandying back and forth.  Debating the role that Rodger's misogynistic online activity had in pushing him to kill, and igniting a debate.

Not the ever ongoing debate that exists on the darker side of the internet, between misogynists and those they target.  The debate about whether or not women should even have a public voice at all.  But a subtler debate, one that sought to separate Rodger's actions from his misogyny.  A debate between perfectly reasonable people, all of whom agree that women ARE human, and should be equal members of society.  

Yes, he was misogynistic, but that's not really the important point, go the arguments.  He was crazy, so it doesn't matter what his internal monologue was saying.

Except, if a  skin-head wrote a racist tirade and posted a film about how he or she hated non-whites and would kill them, and then went on a killing spree.  We would say they were motivated by a deep and horrible racism.

If terrorists planned and conducted an attack killing dozens of people, and left a video behind saying that it was part of a jihad, we   would say they were driven by hate and a twisted version of faith.

However, if a man goes on a killing rampage and posts a video about how much he hates women, and how that is driving him to kill, we simply say he is crazy.  We jump to arguing about mental health and gun control.  We call bloggers who focus on Rodger's connection to PUA hate groups, and Men's Rights organizations "obsessed" and "taking things a little too far."

This time, we need to take a moment to remember that while women's rights have come a long way, we still live in a world where one out of every three women living in the United States will face sexual assault during her lifetime.  It's safer for women to give a fake number than say no, they don't want to give out their number because somehow lack of interest on their part is deserving of anger.  A world where women still look over their shoulders when walking in the dark, and hide bruises that their partners leaves on their faces after fights.

No, not all men are violent, most men are not even coercive.  But not all whites are skinheads, and not all Islamic people are terrorists---in fact only tiny tiny percentages of these populations commit horrendous crimes.  But we don't brush off the motivations when they do.  We recognize that social change is still being made, and that some horrible symptoms do represent a larger problem.  A problem that the majority of upstanding citizens can help change.

So no, not all men commit these horrible acts, but all women do live their lives in the shadow of the idea that someday, somewhere, sexism, has will or could impact them.  That impact could come in the form of physical assault, sexualized online bullying, or just someone harassing them on the street or denying them a raise.  And all people, women and men, have an equal responsibility to step forward and work with all women to help change that fact.  Even if part of that change is letting go of being defensive, and living with the discomfort of admitting that yes, misogyny is still a problem, and yes.  Sometimes it does contribute to horribly violent things.

Cambridge Colleges: Homerton College

With roughly 1200 students (undergrad and grads combined) Homerton is the largest of the 31 constituent colleges at Cambridge in terms of student body size, although given that less than half of these students are resident undergraduates Homerton retains the same sort of feel as many of the more traditionally sized Colelges within Cambridge.

       Homerton College has one of the most convoluted histories of all the Cambridge Colleges, only receiving status as a member college of Cambridge in 1976, the college can claim a heritage that dates back the 18th century, and has roots not only in Cambridge, but in London and across the UK as an influence on the development of academic work around the subject of education.  In 1730 the a society was founded in London for the education of Christian young men, gaining steam classes had expanded by 1768, groups were meeting regularly and the society had garnered enough financial support to purchase a house in Homerton, London.  It was in 1817 that the society adopted the name Homerton Academy Society.  In 1850 Homerton was refounded as Homerton College following a transfer of it's seminary school the University of London.  As the area around Homerton became increasingly industrialized, the growing college began looking for new digs.  It was in 1894 that the Congregational Board of Education purchased the estate of Cavendish College, Cambridge after the institution (dedicated to providing poor students the chance to sit Tripos at Cambridge without having to pay the cost of joining a constitnuent college) folded.  Taking the new name of Homerton New College and Cavendish College in Cambridge, which was quicky and blissfully shortened to Homerton College at Cambridge, and shortly after that became an all women's education school.
        Homerton College thrived over the course of the next century, opening it's doors to mixed gender classes in 1976---the same year that the board of regents voted to besow on Homerton the status of "Approved Society of the University of Cambridge.  Making the nearly 300 year old institution the youngest of Cambridge's affiliated institution.  In 2001 Homerton added a post-graduate research community and began taking on more roles of a full Cambridge College, a status Homerton was finally officially awarded a Royal Charter in 2010.
       Much of Homerton's impressive archetecture dates from the late nineteenth century, and the great hall can be described as having a true "Harry Potter" feel, with huge arched wooden beams soaring overhead.  Homerton is also known for it's location very near both the Education Faculty and Addenbrooke's Research Hospital, making this youngest-college a very attractive option for education and medical students of all degree levels.  It's location, away from the city center, also affords Homerton College ample grounds for greenspace, on which they have sprawling gardens and at least one wild orchard.

       Well known Homerton alum includ Samuel Dyer, William Johnson Fox, Carol Ann Duffy, Samuel Morley and Tamzin Merchant.
       Despite being Cambridge's youngest college, Homerton holds onto it's own slew of traditions, including having first years drink from an African cow horn known as the Homerton Horn upon matriculation to the college, and a uniquely designed undergraduate gown that imitates those worn by female students around the turn of the 20th century.  Homerton, like almost all the Cambridge Colleges, claims that the best thing about it, are it's "people."

Op-Ed Oregon & The Death Penalty

There is no question that Clayton Lockett, the inmate whose execution on Tuesday April 29, 2014 was terribly botched, was guilty.  No last minute appeals could be filed based on new evidence, and no mishandling of appeal paperwork by incompetent lawyers.  Lockett hadn’t found faith or hope on death row, hadn’t turned his time in prison towards helping other inmates, or even begged his victim’s family for forgiveness.  Long story short, Lockett made the perfect death row pensioner, and because of it, his writhing painful death, makes the perfect opportunity for us to look at the death penalty not as something we’re worried will impact wrongly convicted innocents, or destroy those capable of change after the fact, but rather whether or not putting individuals who well and truly deserve punishment to death, is something we as a society should continue doing.

The botched execution could have been caused by a catheter inexpertly inserted into Lockett’s groin, or it might have been the new secret mixture of drugs that Ohio has had to resort to since no drug companies will currently sell to prisons or states that conduct executions by lethal injection.  There will be no knowing what happened during the long 26 minutes that resulted in a fatal heart attack, until a state investigation of the procedure is complete.  In the meantime, Lockett’s highly publicized death, has brought the issue of capital punishment once again to the forefront of public attention.

The debate over the death penalty across the United States has taken many forms.  Once a British Colony our history is steeped with a sense of justice.  An eye for an eye, so the old saying goes.  At one time, before we declared our independence, crimes as simple as petty theft, or as made-up as witchcraft, could leave one dangling from the gallows.   The eighth amendment to the Constitution isolated death as a penalty for only the worst crimes.  Aggravated murder, and even then, a jury or judge could decide on each individual case whether or not a defendant deserved to die.  Decisions that over the years saw racial minorities and men far more likely to die at the hands of executioners than whites or women.  Regardless of the crime.  

The US constitution also leaves the sentencing standards up to each individual state---unless a federal crime is being charged.  Today a full 18 States and the District of Columbia either have no death penalty law, or one so nonfunctional that it cannot be enforced.  

Oregon, although a death penalty state, has not executed a prisoner since 1997.  In total, only about 60 people have been executed in the State of Oregon since 1904--paltry compared to Texas, which has executed 68 people since 2010.  In the intervening 110 years since 1904, the death penalty has been abolished and then re-established in Oregon twice.  Today 37 individuals, including women, sit on death row under a temporary reprieve issued by Governor John Kitzhaber in November 2011, when he stated that he would sign no death warrants during his time in office.  Giving our State a handful of years to sit back and consider the merits and drawbacks of what it means to authorize the state--the government--to take a life.  To come to grips with the fine delineation between justice and vengeance.

The 501c3 Oregonians Against the Death Penalty (http://www.oadp.org/) also known as OADP, spearheads a campaign in Oregon to abolish the death penalty in our little corner of the Pacific Northwest.  Pointing out the strong tie between income and minority status, even in Oregon, and receiving the death penalty, and firmly advocating for a view of justice that does not engender increasing levels of violence, and simultaneously OADP works hard to acknowledge the rights of victims and survivors to seek out justice.

OADP, and similar groups, seek to remind us that sometimes “an eye for an eye” isn’t particularly “just” and in the wake of executions such as Lockett’s, we are reminded both that there are human beings capable of the unthinkable--and that sometimes we ask our corrections staff to engage in similar unthinkable acts on behalf of ourselves and our governments.  We are also reminded that Lockett’s family, however guilty he was, didn’t necessarily deserve to lose a man they called brother or son, and they certainly didn’t deserve to read article after article of how he died in pain.  

No matter how it’s approached, capital punishment in a modern world is a topic almost impossible to address, but maybe it’s time for Oregon to join the majority of the Western world, and abolish the death penalty once and for all.  To state that Oregon is a state in which justice can be meted out without the added dose of vengeance.

*Sources include the OADP website, and The Washington Post’s Coverage of Lockett’s execution.