Week 6: Dependency

A centralized theme throughout What is the What is dependency. As a refugee, Valentino struggles in Ethiopia and Kenya and is dependent upon people like Dut and Noriyake to help him survive. When he comes to the United States, he is dependent upon people like Phil and Mary to help him with every day things. When he leaves the hospital and arrives at his house, he has no desire to stay there. Instead, he travels to the Newton's house and wants to take a nap on their couch for an hour before he has to head off to work. When he gets to their house, he realizes that nobody would be home and starts to get frustrated that he drove all this way to bug them. He's tired of always being dependent upon others and always needing help. Today, Valentino has built schools in Sudan and has started non-profit organizations. What he didn't realize at the time, was in order to be successful here, he needed to be dependent upon people like Phil and Mary. He needed them to teach him the ways of Americans. Although he was frustrated, it was for the better. He now has the tools to help others that are in the position he was in back home. Being dependent helped him gain access to resources he wouldn't have had otherwise, such as an education, a car, and an apartment.

Week 5: Is Valentino credible?

While I am entrenched in my readings, I completely trust Achak/Valentino as a narrator, but if I step back later and think critically, I start to let some of the one-line admissions sink in, and I know that he is pretty much confessing to us that he's embellishing or at least making assumptions at certain points, “None of the boys who walked with me say Monynhial perish in his hole but we all know this story to be true, It is very easy for a boy to die in Sudan” (160), and quotes like that prove it. I am fascinated, though, at the subtle ways that Eggers establishes a sort of overarching air of credibility for Valentino (at least in my eyes). I Think the story telling aspects do a lot to this end. For example, when he is telling the story of how William K made it to the river, he stays in William's mind using only direct quotes, and then without any commentary, he falls back into his own story. Now, I know William K's story is thrown in for effect, but I forget that seeing it recounted this way; it just seems like an honest conversation with his best friend. Secondly, I feel that Eggers keeping Valentino in story telling mode is very effective as well. Valentino recounts the story frankly, and he speaks frankly to his audience--Powder, Michael, and Julian (even if they are unaware they are his audience), and this calm tone doesn't make me feel as if I am trying to be convinced of anything. Lastly, the intimate way he talks to his audience reminds me of a father or a teacher--some who is wise with authority--always calling them by name, and asking them questions as he goes, "Do you know what she wants, Julian?"
(249). I guess what I am trying to say is that, intellectually, I know I am being convinced of something, but not until I think about it; it is innocuous to me while I'm reading.

Week 5: Are All of Valentino's Stories Reliable?

In regards to question 2, Valentino is reliable to what he believes happened with his storytelling. For when he is told someone died he does not feel the need to actually check because death seems to surround him. It is understandable that he would not want to see another dead body, for just seeing one dead body in a lifetime is more than enough. But this does not make him reliable in a factual sense because when someone wants to be taken as credible they should have evidence to back that point up (just like in any essay you need specific reliable sources to back up your claim). Valentino may not have seen the need to see for himself that this death had happened, but since most of his audience for his stories have really no idea what happened there is a sense that he may say something and whoever he is telling this to really has no idea if this is fact or fiction. I think that Valentino does believe what he is telling happened, I just think that he needs to provide solid credible evidence to what he says so there is no leftover questions such as why didn’t he check to see that Monynhial had actually died or just decided to move to a different area. For an example, “On the third day he decided to die in the hole, because it was warm there and there were no sounds inside. And he did die that day because he was ready”(160). This shows that a reader may question what Valentino has to say actually happened for if no one looked to see that Monynhial had died how does he know what happened to him? Who told him? But it is a good book with people like President Obama and Angelina Jolie reading this book and recommending it, it seems like most people will not think about credible Sources. But it is also to be taken into fact that this book is said to be fiction instead of non fiction explaining why there aren't credible sources.

Week 5: True or False

Valentino has two types of truth, the first being factual, and the second being known. Most of his stories are based on known truths. Does this mean he isn't a reliable source? I don't think it does. Growing up, all he ever experienced was friends and family being killed in front of him, dying in their sleep from starvation and dehydration, and boys being carried away by lions or hyenas. He assumes his friend is dead because he has seen this happen to other loved ones. This is why he doesn't need to check on him. One of the examples my group used to support that his knowledge holds true is in Chapter 1 when Valentino is getting robbed by Powder and Tonya, he admits to himself that he "has survived many oppressions, but have never fought with a man standing in front of me" (9). The way we interpreted this is that the oppression he's faced are his known truths. When Powder is standing in front of him, this conflict is present, thus being factual. I trust his narrative because I think that what he's endured in the past is enough to believe him. Not only that, but I've done the research to know he is being truthful. Another blogger had mentioned that we are moved by watching the Lost Boys more than we are by reading about them. I think this is another reason why I trust him; in class we saw them going through the situations Valentino has described to us.

Extra Post: Deng, "the most commonly found name in Dinka."

I found this on wikipedia, and I thought that others might find it interesting, too :)

"Deng is a first or last name used among the tribes of Southern Sudan. It's shared by the Dinkas, Nuers and shilluk. Its meaning various for instant, in Dinka, it means "Rain" and it also refers to heavens or God. The Dinkas believe that the most powerful God, god of all gods is 'Deng". It's the most commonly found name in Dinka."

Week 4: An Attempt at Democracy and Peace

While doing research about the current state of Sudan, I learned that there will be elections for Sudan’s presidency and parliament from April 5, 2010 to April 12, 2010. The elections were supposed to be held in 2008 according to the peace agreement signed between the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement of the south and the National Congress of the north. Throughout the year, 6 elections will be held: national presidency and parliamentary, the south Sudanese presidency, state governors, the southern parliament and state assemblies. The elections that will be held in April will be the first that have been held in the troubled country in over 20 years. Relations between the two political parties remains tense, however, most are optimistic that true democracy will prevail. According to the peace agreement, southern Sudan should by granted independence from Sudan by 2011. More information about the Sudanese elections can be found here.

Week 4: Lost Boys and Post Traumatic Stress

I couldn’t stop thinking about the lost boy in the film who went missing and then turned up on a city bus in the throes of a nervous breakdown, so I decided to find out if there are any statistics on how the lost boys are getting along emotionally and what, if anything, is being done to help them. Here’s what I found out: A 2005 study of 304 Sudanese Lost Boy refugees found that at least 1/5 of them had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (which seems low to me, PTSD in the AZ Lost Boys population has been put somewhere between 80 and 90%). The boys in the study had a mean age of seventeen-and-a-half. 93% of them said that their villages had been attacked and they had witnessed loved ones being killed, and 20% of them said they had been tortured themselves. The boys living in U.S. foster care or group institutions fared the worst with respect to developing PTSD. An article in the Arizona Republic states that the symptoms of PTSD can sometimes take years to develop, but when they do, they put these men and boys a greater risk for broken relationships, domestic violence, and alcoholism. Thankfully the problem isn’t going ignored, and there are avenues of assistance. For example, Outreach Africa: Lost Boy Foundation doesn’t mention mental health directly, but it says that it provides medical and emotional support. Also, the Arizona Lost Boys Center recently received $155,000 that would be used specifically to “address the mental-health issues in the Sudanese community…” In a last example, The Hope of Sudan Foundation provides not only educational and vocational scholarships for NY area lost boys but also trauma healing and emotional support. In short, thankfully, every group I found that works within or to help the Lost Boy community is working in one way or another to offer emotional healing as well, whether that is through counseling, reconciliation with family members, or medical care.

Week 4: What Happened to the Lost Girls?

What happened to the lost girls?

In most of the narratives about the lost children from Sudan the focus is placed mostly on the boys. But what I was curious about is what happened to the few lost girls also placed in the United States. How did they adapt to life in the US? The main reason that boys are the focus in these documentaries is that Sudanese women are taught to be quiet and to not be outspoken. Veronica Abbas, a lost girl, explains Sudanese women further, “In our culture, freedom is not for girls, Girls are polite and keep quiet. It is hard to have a good life when you think you don't have a voice." And also there is not as many girls that came over through the refugee program. In 1999 4,000 boys came to the US, while only 89 girls came. Many of the lost girls were placed in foster homes in Africa and were eventually sold for a valuable bride-price and were lost track of. One of the lost girls placed in a foster home was Aluel. She was raped in her room one night and became pregnant. She is now a single mother and is considered an outcast from society. Kofi Marble, the head of a UN refugee agency does not hold high hopes for the lost girls, “We have lost them... they are completely lost", Mr Mable says regretfully, "They have lost that status of lost girls. Some of them are mothers. They are married...There's nothing I can do - or anyone else can do” Many of the lost girls who did manage to find a way to the US have united and are trying to help other women in the same situation. Southern Sudanese Women's Association was founded by Harriet Dumba, Agnes Oswaha, and Veronica Abbas. This association provides free counseling and education to Sudanese children. This shows that things are looking up for the lost girls but they still have much more work to do to try to help a woman’s place in Sudan be better and without fear.

Week 4: Extra Post

I know we aren't talking about the public sphere anymore, but I was pumping gas when a man came up to me and our encounter made me think of this class. He asked me which pump he was supposed to use and if it was regular, so I told him it was fine. I thought he was confused about whether or not it was Diesel. So he asked me, "'Do you pump it?" And I said, "Yes, you pump it." And he said, "No, you pump it," and he was pointing at me. I was so confused, but before I could starting yelling at him for being a jerk, he asked, "You work here, don't you?" I was like, "oh, no buddy. I don't work here." He pointed to my car like I stole it and asked, "Is this your car?"

He didn't know how to pay for gas, or how to pump it. So after a crash course in gas-station 101, I asked him where he was from. He was from Israel and was here with his friend on vacation. Where he is from, the gas station works the same way, but they have people to help you pump it. Whenever I've thought of employees that pump gas at gas stations, I've envisioned guys that look like the one on the left--not ME! At least I know I have a promising future in the gas station biz.

Week 4: What is the current status of Sudan?

After seeing the video about the Lost Boys last week, and moving on to the text, I was curious about the current status of Sudan. Such as if they still have these conflicts. Upon doing my research, I found this website to answer those very questions http://www.insightonconflict.org/conflicts/sudan/?gclid=COCUl4Ga-J8CFRcdawodhyuuXwyuuXw. In 2005, the conflict of fighting ended as a result of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Sudan still has three major conflicts occurring: 1. between the north and south, 2. in Darfur, and 3. Arab-African. Major problems within Sudan are because of oil, and much like many other African states, politics. Politics is a huge issue within Africa because it is ethno-centric. In Sudan alone, there are 56 ethnicities and about 600 sub-ethnicities. Although this number sounds large, it's nothing compared to ethnicities within Africa as a whole. These issues have raised concerns that the conflicts could trickle into neighboring countries and result in a regional war. Today, in Darfur, there are still heinous crimes being committed. In fact, in March of 2009, Sudan's President was arrested for engaging in genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Darfur currently has a strong peacekeeping force that the United Nations and African Union have jointly created. According to Transparency International, Sudan is one of the world's most corrupt states. In class, a student asked why America didn't do anything in Sudan during the war. This was one of my questions as well, in regards to today. I was wondering why America doesn't cut off ties with Africa (as far as the money we send their way), and just barge in there and take over. But we can't do this because this would shed light on the shady politics we take part in within the United States. In regards to Sudan, insightonconflict.org has said that, "US policy has recently become more proactive with respect to Sudan". Thank goodness!

Week 3: Geeking Out

I fully admit to many different types of 'geekery.' I play video games, I read all kinds of books (including comic books), I love computers and technology, I adore old zombie movies. Heck, I honestly don't even know how many times I've read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seriously. I'm a giant geek. Thanks to the Internet, though, I don't have to feel ostracized by all the cool people.

I spend tons of time browsing several technology/gadget-oriented web-sites and their forums. Some of my favorites include CNet, Engadget and Gizmodo. These sites, however, pale in importance to the resource of resources, the apex of Internet geekery, TWiT. TWiT, which stands for "This Week in Tech," is a podcasting network run by Leo "The Tech Guy" Laporte. They produce multiple netcasts/podcasts covering a wide range of technological sub-genres. It's really geeky, and I love it. The forums/chatrooms are vibrant and informative.

One of the most interesting aspects of TWiT's coverage is their absolute, obsessive detail. This sort of in-depth coverage of a niche market of information is the real service they provide. To that end, it should be obvious that only the Postmodern perspective would welcome their sort of involvement in the public sphere. Clearly, in-depth analysis of new technology and gadgets would be seen as trivial by both Modernists and Postmodernists alike, but only the Postmodernists would consider this trivial information worthy of entering the public sphere.

I think that one of the truly valuable innovations of the Internet is its extreme fragmentation, a perspective that would surely alienate the Modernists. Where more unified resources like a newspaper are relatively difficult to whittle down only to the information that the reader is interested in, the Internet has an entire world of focused, narrow niches of information just a few clicks away. What could be more Postmodern (and geeky) than that?

Week 3: Niches in the Public Sphere

One of my identities is that of a vegetarian, and I spend a fair amount of time looking for new recipes, which over the years has taken me through the gamut of information the online public sphere has to offer. The vegetarian niche of the public sphere ranges anywhere from the micro-niche to the more general. The micro-niche would be, for example, are sites like "How to Become a fruitarian" or even anti-vegetarian sites proclaiming the best way to save a cow is to eat a vegetarian. On the other side, we find much more generalized sites that focus only on the health or heart benefits of a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet, not to mention everything in between. In respect to the postmodern idea of the public sphere, I think it would be accepting of most (save the extremes maybe) of this niche as legitimately valid and engaging. With respect to the modern idea of the public sphere, however, I feel that the health driven, scientifically sound websites/blogs would be considered more acceptable for public consumption. I kind of tend to see the modernist side here as I recall the times I have just been on the hunt to get a recipe or find where to buy vegetarian marshmallows, but have, instead, spent an hour or so side tracked by following links to pages that don't accomplish any of my goals. These blogs/sites are enticing and morbidly entertaining; they are usually sites debating some aspect of the aforementioned extremes, which have nothing to do with me. I know, it was my choice to waste that hour, but these sites are distracting, nonetheless. Having said that, I do believe the ultimate responsibility lies more with me to be discerning: just because it is there doesn't mean I have to look.

Week 3: Do We Spend Too Much Time in Forums?

I think that modernists would not see the point of websites like facebook and myspace, even if there is a special group for students to discuss issues that affect them. Because for the most part these kinds of sites release personal information that is not really anyones business. People usually end up going off topic for an example in a student forum instead of talking about classes and books it will probably go off topic to a student talking about a drinking party or something else to that extent. Not saying that it would but these things happen more so than don’t. These public spheres detract from an idealized public sphere through the fact that they go off topic and can lead to people being glued to the computer instead of being out in the real world, which is in a sense a time killer that can cause people to get lazy in their writing and releases information to the public which is in a sense can be considered trash. Mckee argues that, "But for 'modern' writers, assuming that the masses are passive, it's possible to argue that the reason the public sphere is currently full of sensational, trashy material is because that is what producers provide" (86). McKee's point is that people are subjected to trash daily which in a sense dumbs down the audience and what people may talk about in forums and such. This is not to say that all forums are like this, but a lot of them tend to be based on personal issues instead of what the forum is supposed to be about. These websites do provide a place for people to release their thoughts, problems, and ideas that can help a person but it does not really contribute to the public sphere because in almost all groups it goes off topic and can wonder from the issue that actually brought these people together in the first place.