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Even more RL stuff
Feb. 21st, 2010 01:47 amThe other "big thing" that happened on Thursday that I mentioned a few posts back was a workshop with Gretchen Wallace, founder of Global Grassroots, an organization that helps women in post-conflict regions (Rwanda, Darfur, etc.) create social change; she also helped produce The Devil Came on Horseback. The workshop was about conscious social change, and it was RSVP-only; initially I couldn't get in because it had filled up pretty quickly, but that morning I got an e-mail saying slots had opened up and I could attend. :D It was very interesting, and here were a few things that really stood out in my mind that I think you might be interested in too, even if you're already aware of them.
( Shadow selves and Zen farmers and wheelbarrows oh my! )
I also went to a lecture on Friday by Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a key figure in both Bush administrations regarding both Iraq wars. He talked about his book War of Necessity, War of Choice (which we'll be reading in our AFP class soon), about the difference between a "war of necessity" (where the U.S. had no choice but to go to war) versus a "war of choice" (where we had other options that we could have taken that we didn't try before going to war -- he stressed that it doesn't always imply those other choices are better, just that there were and hadn't been used), how the first Iraq war was the former while the current one is the latter, how Afghanistan started as a "war of necessity" after 9/11 but has since become a "war of choice," how rigorous policy analysis is necessary before implementing it (and how the only decision regarding Iraq put under such scrutiny under the second Bush administration was the "surge," which turned out to be a success), how there will be talks about having a "war of choice" with Iran soon, etc. I had some problems with some of the things he said (of course, considering who he worked with), but he talked a lot about Iran and the "Green Revolution" there, and how the U.S. shouldn't intervene in that and simply observe how it plays out, which made me very happy. 8D
Today was pretty good; in the strategic gaming club we got around to playing Settlers of Catan, which I enjoyed A LOT. It was a very close, intense game, and it's definitely something I want to play way more often! XDDDDDDDDDDDD Anime club was also quite enjoyable. I tried getting some reading done for AFP, but I'm still so far behind it's ridiculous. I've gotten better at reading faster and not getting so distracted after the appointment on Friday; I learned about a lot of great study strategies that I'm going to try to use, even if they feel a little awkward at first. :P I'm still way behind, though, and I have so freaking much it's almost unbearable, so I planned out what I'm going to have to read and do for the next week or so instead. Oh well, Saturdays are becoming my "free" days this semester, and it's not terribly important anyway, so I can't say I can complain. ;-) And I managed to get a bit of writing done tonight too. I still don't know what the hell to do with the ideas I have, and if I work with what I wrote without scrapping the whole thing it'll need a lot of polishing, but at least it's something. So yeah, overall, things have been going very well! (And sorry for this post being more rushed and disorganized than usual; this is what happens when I write at 2 in the morning. :PPP)
And because I can't get enough of this sort of thing:
( Shadow selves and Zen farmers and wheelbarrows oh my! )
I also went to a lecture on Friday by Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a key figure in both Bush administrations regarding both Iraq wars. He talked about his book War of Necessity, War of Choice (which we'll be reading in our AFP class soon), about the difference between a "war of necessity" (where the U.S. had no choice but to go to war) versus a "war of choice" (where we had other options that we could have taken that we didn't try before going to war -- he stressed that it doesn't always imply those other choices are better, just that there were and hadn't been used), how the first Iraq war was the former while the current one is the latter, how Afghanistan started as a "war of necessity" after 9/11 but has since become a "war of choice," how rigorous policy analysis is necessary before implementing it (and how the only decision regarding Iraq put under such scrutiny under the second Bush administration was the "surge," which turned out to be a success), how there will be talks about having a "war of choice" with Iran soon, etc. I had some problems with some of the things he said (of course, considering who he worked with), but he talked a lot about Iran and the "Green Revolution" there, and how the U.S. shouldn't intervene in that and simply observe how it plays out, which made me very happy. 8D
Today was pretty good; in the strategic gaming club we got around to playing Settlers of Catan, which I enjoyed A LOT. It was a very close, intense game, and it's definitely something I want to play way more often! XDDDDDDDDDDDD Anime club was also quite enjoyable. I tried getting some reading done for AFP, but I'm still so far behind it's ridiculous. I've gotten better at reading faster and not getting so distracted after the appointment on Friday; I learned about a lot of great study strategies that I'm going to try to use, even if they feel a little awkward at first. :P I'm still way behind, though, and I have so freaking much it's almost unbearable, so I planned out what I'm going to have to read and do for the next week or so instead. Oh well, Saturdays are becoming my "free" days this semester, and it's not terribly important anyway, so I can't say I can complain. ;-) And I managed to get a bit of writing done tonight too. I still don't know what the hell to do with the ideas I have, and if I work with what I wrote without scrapping the whole thing it'll need a lot of polishing, but at least it's something. So yeah, overall, things have been going very well! (And sorry for this post being more rushed and disorganized than usual; this is what happens when I write at 2 in the morning. :PPP)
And because I can't get enough of this sort of thing:
