May 2011 Recap

April 30-May 1 [Tribute post 10]: Professor Rachel Tudor: A tribute to a colleague who had been unjustly denied tenure for the worst reasons and is fighting back eloquently and significantly.May 2: Exhibit A: Rambo and James Bond help remind me, on the occasion of Bin Laden's death, of how complicated and confused the histories of American/Western and Afghan relationships really are.May 3: Remember It, Jake: Repeat of an early December post on the AmericanStudies meanings and resonances of Chinatown.May 4: May the Fourth Be With Us: Four things that Star Wars can still teach us about America, on the anniversary of its 1977 release.May 5: Cinco de Cinco: A Cinco de Mayo special on five inspiring Mexican Americans.May 6-8: The Mother of All Stories: A Mother's Day visit from my Mom inspires a repeat of this December post on Tillie Olsen and parenting.May 9: Planes, Trains, and Americans: Vehicular segregation, racial profiling, and American history and ideals.May 10: End of Semester Post 1, All That We Leave Behind: The first of five end of semester inspired posts, this one on the open-endedness of any class and semester.May 11: End Post 2, On Indoctrinations: Second in the series, this one on the genuinely ludicrous concept of liberal professors "indoctrinating" unsuspecting college students.May 12: End Post 3, Teacher, Examine Thyself: Third in the series, on a new exam question I came up with and my continuing realization about how much I have to learn about this gig.May 13: End Post 4, Party, School: Fourth in the series, on why I cut Fitchburg State students some serious slack when it comes to their hard-partying tendencies.May 16: End Post 5, Keep DREAMing: Fifth and final entry in the series, on my Ethnic American Literature class and what its featured authors might help us understand about the DREAM Act.May 17: The Other Side: Illegal immigration, Obama's egregious deportation policy, and the need to remember the families and children most affected by such deportations.May 18: Grading on a Curve: Eugenics, The Bell Curve, and continuing racializations of science and identity.May 19 {Uber-Tribute Post]: An Exemplary American: A tribute to my paternal grandfather, Art Railton, who passed away today at the age of 96.May 20 [Tribute continued]: One More Take: The very moving obituary to my grandfather in his local newspaper.May 23: Home Lands: Historical debates and controversies over naturalization, citizenship, and "sojourner" immigrants—and contemporary debates over US-Israeli relations.May 24: I'm on a Boat: A boat trip to my grandfather's funeral reminds me of four very significant such trips in American culture and history.May 25: Accept It: A revision to my uber-tribute to my grandfather, to emphasize the crucial difference between tolerance and acceptance.May 26: The Two-Way Street: Contemporary narratives of reverse or anti-white racism, and the genuine need for national narratives and identities that can include and connect all Americans.May 28: Pahk Your Blog in Hahvahd Yard: A visit to Boston's Public Garden reminds me of three great moments in American literature and culture set in and around Boston landmarks.May 29-30: Memory and Memorials: Some Memorial Day reflections on the holiday, remembering war and soldiers, and competing post-Civil War narratives.May 31: Let's Review: Two significant lessons I learned from writing my first published, academic book review.[image error]