What ksemolic has done in 2008

Recent stories by and about ksemolic

A story about Molly Ivins

Although we’re both Texans, I was living in New Orleans when I met Molly Ivins. I was development director at the ACLU of LA and she was the keynote speaker at our annual dinner. I met her by picking her up from the airport and delivering her to her hotel and while I thought I appreciated the experience, like many others I’ve had, I was too young and concerned with not making her feel she had to entertain me to realize how to take full advantage of the opportunity to chat with her. I had a feeling she was tired and I always imagine celebrities would just as soon be left alone when off stage. God knows she gave us her all when she performed, we who were probably just another roomful of liberal activists desperate for a laugh. Good belly laughs. She also helped us have the most successful fundraising dinner to date. She was a model for me however, poised and statuesque and yet not ruled by concerns about her appearance.

A story about Starhawk

I met Starhawk at the Unitarian Universalist Church in New Orleans around 1990. She was a guest speaker, more of a facilitator, and gathered us in a circle. It was intimate and playful and joyous and we were lucky to host her.

A story about Noam Chomsky

When I was a wide eyed linguistics geek way back in the eighties, he gave a lecture to a small group of linguists at the University of Louisiana in Baton Rouge and a friend and colleague of mine at the time made the trip up from New Orleans in her daddy’s caddy. I think it was 1986 or 7. I was young enough to be both humbled by the experience and dismissive of his certainty. I guess I’ve always wondered how folks can be so convicted to things which they cannot prove and also admiring of their convictions and dedication. What made seeing Noam Chomsky different from other scholars was his political involvement, which lent an air of intrigue to the event and made it feel like we were all on the fringe. Mr. Chomsky kept all discussion to linguistics and I admired the professionalism of that decision. Black box, black box…I’m thinking I should review his work from where I am today, a reformed linguist, as I’ve heard it described.


The world wants to meet…

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