RE: University Safety Procedures
An Open Letter to Dr. Michael T. Nietzel, President of Missouri State University. President Nietzel, I respond to your official statement on the subject of our beloved University’s safety procedures. I am disappointed by the reiteration of Missouri State’s foolish and detrimental policy which prohibits legally carried firearms on our campus. We have seen in Virginia the danger of such discrimination. As a student of Missouri State University, I have at all times abided by the stated policy in that I have not carried a firearm onto campus. I have followed this policy at risk to my...
Read MoreVeggies, Beggars, and Smiles
The feria defines my Cochabamba. The feria is a fresh produce fair held in a stretched loop of good road near the center of town every Saturday and Sunday. My mother and I leave by 8:30 on Saturday mornings, always equipped with numerous bolsas and hopefully coated in sufficient sunscreen. We have our taxi park at the quiet end of the loop and happily enter the friendly cacophany. Outdoor markets make me happy. They’re my favorite feature of Renaissance Fairs, and I watch Notting Hill to see the booths of crafted goods and arts (well, and maybe for the clever sap). When I pictured...
Read MoreStruggle to Escape, part one.
Insanity. Totally bonkers and nutty and filled with stress. That’s what’s it’s like to try and fly on Lloyd Aereo Boliviano. First one cancellation, then the second. I went to the airport and they gave me a voucher for a hotel. The Red Roof Inn at MIA was perfectly pleasant. I walked next door and paid way too much for decent food at Bennigan’s. I enjoyed walking in the evening of Miami, though, after the chills of Missouri. So, okay, good hotel experience for a free night. I was told that the next day we’d have a flight. Right, whatever. I went with it, though....
Read MoreA Sunday Surreal
On December 17th, 2006, my plane from Kansas City left at 7:25am to Miami, Florida, from which I would continue to Bolivia, South America. I was not on that plane. Rewind. Summarized To Do List: - 3 finals - 2 papers - 4 trunks to ship to Bolivia - 1 apartment to pack - 3 cars to empty and clean - 1 tea party to hold - 2,730.3 loose ends to tie 12.3.2006 Grandmother is about to leave for KC. She needs a laptop, desperately, in order to communicate. Funds were tight, no sufficient sales. I decided to sell her my computer for $250. Bought a new notebook, an upgrade from my 2005 model, for...
Read MoreAbout Lorien
I vote as a libertarian influenced by Hayek and Burke, and I think as an anarchist guided by the biblical principles of liberty. I have fenced foil in a diaper-suit and run for political office in a skirt-suit, but my shoes were always fabulous. Both dreadful politics and inspiring design are likely to make me teary.
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