I'm sorry to have been gone for so long, though I may not have been noticed. School and the theater have simply taken up more and more of my time. But anyway, here are my impressions from the February 15th Mobilization march and protest in NYC.

I was originally going to go to one of the many feeder marches to get to the protest- this one I'm talking about with New York Youth Bloc, a citywide student activist group. But it met at 10:30, and I had to help take care of my mom (she just got back from the hospital) so I had to miss it, and could only make the major march at 49th and 1st, the UN. So I took the subway to Grand Central, but as soon as I got on Lexington there were people marching up. They weren't letting the crowds reach 1st avenue, and were directing us up- it took me til 68th st. to be able to get on to 1st ave.

But it was in no way an easy ride- at 63rd the crowd was so dense, and so vehement that there was talk of taking the barricade. I didn't want a part in that though, it seemed like it would be ineffective, so I moved on up to the crossing at 69th. There I found what I think was the Anarchist and Anti-Capitalist Bloc, and would've followed them if I wasn't waiting for friends on the corner.

The mood was not unlike that at most other protests. There was idealism, there was childish making fun of Bush, there was leftist orthodoxy- the works. There were people who thought only about the moment, the barricade takers and inflammatory guys who get the police riled up. But yeah, it was also a show of support. And I suppose that no matter how dumb many of the individual marchers were that's what's important.

I've been out for a pretty long time, but now that I got out of CPL, I have some free time, so I'm going to make a concerted effort to be somewhat involved again.

Yesterday I lobbied with the directors of the play I'm in to let me miss one rehearsal (technically a pretty important one) in order to go to the protest at DC tomorrow, but they wouldn't let me go, or switch with a member of another cast because of scheduling complications. At least I got to go to the one on the 6th in central park (I'll probably post some kind of article on 'the left' after the environment topic issue- with pictures my friend took of the peace rally.) But still, this one is supposed to be really big, and the bigger they get, the more ludicrous and opportunistic 'the left' becomes, so it should have provided some good material. Oh well I suppose.

I have spent the last couple of days chcking out socialist and anarchist organizations, but it's tough finding one I can agree with. The closest one was the ISO, but they're too Marxist. This is all somewhat hypocritical based on the previous paragraph, but I guess part of being 'leftist' is bearing some kind of animosity to other 'leftist' sects. For now, I'll just continue my anarchistic reading and studying...

I am considering, seriously, for the first time in... the first time, quitting CPL/CE. I'll elaborate further later, but I have a rehearsal.

My birthday, the 13th, was decent. Woulda been nice if my friends showed up when they said they would, but I understand about extended volleyball practices and such.

I haven't posted in a while, or participated in TIG that much this summer, and I am dissappointed, and wish I had done more. But, at least I've been able to do a bunch of work for CPL. In twenty minutes, I should be doing a story with some South African kids on the AIDS epidemic, especially in light of the Johannesburg conferences, despite the lack of direct relevance.

As well, yesterday me and Charles did a piece on the African famine, the in-opportune timing of the unveiling of the McAfrica (a special African burger sold in Oslo) and the feasting at the Johannesburg conferences- ironic that the main topic in question is poverty and the relations with sustainable development...

I should be going back to school in a week exactly. I'm excited, because though I've been busy this summer, less of it has been with friends than with CPL working, so I'm kind of interested in getting to see everyone again. As well, I switched schools, and I hated my old school, so this year should hopefully be a lot better. It's supposed to be a liberal arts school, based on writing, debate, and forum- rather than lecture, churning out automaton minds, math and sciences... And besides, when I graduate I get an associate degree, so it should give me more time to pursue my anarchist/ pre-college activities.

I went up to the Bronx to do a couple of interviews with these homeless folks who had recently been displaced, and moved to the local jail. It was quite depressing, and it really opened my eyes to what the homeless and shelter-entrenched go through. I never really understood the dynamic. I just thought it was a kind of consistent cycle of nothingness, and minor shelter accomodations. But it's a drudgery, consistent application for shelter life. Unbearable, inedible (?) food, crowding, waste, and pestilence.

Let alone, being set up in a prison. Look carefully for the metaphors behind this move. The homeless should be treated like those already at the bottom rung. The homeless are to be punished, and subjected to the pains of the bottom rung Etc.

And there's little chance of escape for most. And obviously, it's not exactly the most nurturing setting for childhood...

I know none of that was articulate, but I'm just thinking aloud for now.