New Class! ENG 371WR

Just in time to help us through these last weeks of the never-ending semester, McSweeney's offers a new course to consider.

Check it out.

It's bound to be popular.

ENG 371WR:
Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era
M-W-F: 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Lanham

Course Description
As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers.

Instant messaging. Twittering. Facebook updates. These 21st-century literary genres are defining a new "Lost Generation" of minimalists who would much rather watch Lost on their iPhones than toil over long-winded articles and short stories. Students will acquire the tools needed to make their tweets glimmer with a complete lack of forethought, their Facebook updates ring with self-importance, and their blog entries shimmer with literary pithiness. All without the restraints of writing in complete sentences. w00t! w00t! Throughout the course, a further paring down of the Hemingway/Stein school of minimalism will be emphasized, limiting the superfluous use of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, gerunds, and other literary pitfalls.

Prerequisites

Students must have completed at least two of the following.

ENG: 232WR—Advanced Tweeting: The Elements of Droll
LIT: 223—Early-21st-Century Literature: 140 Characters or Less
ENG: 102—Staring Blankly at Handheld Devices While Others Are Talking
ENG: 301—Advanced Blog and Book Skimming
ENG: 231WR—Facebook Wall Alliteration and Assonance
LIT: 202—The Literary Merits of Lolcats
LIT: 209—Internet-Age Surrealistic Narcissism and Self-Absorption

Sample assignment:

Week 8: New Rules

Students will analyze the publishing industry and learn how to be more innovative than the bards of yesteryear. They'll be asked to consider, for instance, Thomas Pynchon. How much more successful would Gravity's Rainbow have been if it were two paragraphs long and posted on a blog beneath a picture of scantily clad coeds? And why not add a Google search box? Or what if Susan Sontag had friended 10 million people on Facebook and then published a shorter version of The Volcano Lover as a status update: "Susan thinks a volcano is a great metaphor for primal passion. Also, streak of my hair turning white—d'oh!"

To read more, click here.

More old Orange County pics

Santa Ana: c. 1930
(Click on the photos to enlarge)

I found these photos at two websites: City of Anaheim: historic Anaheim photos & Santa Ana History. Check' em out.

The above 1926 photo is explained as follows:

"Bernardo Antonio Yorba adobe residence, known as "San Antonio", built ca. 1834 on his Rancho Canon de Santa Ana in Santa Ana Canyon; two-story home had 30 rooms for the large Yorba family as well as many rancho workers... image shows ruins of two-story adobe building, several columns along street; two men [one possibly Samuel Kraemer?], standing behind an automobile parked on the street, are pointing to large portion of demolished wall; telephone poles and two oil drilling platforms visible in background; adobe demolished March 11, 1926 by Samuel Kraemer."

They demolished it? Of course they did.

Here's what the adobe looked like in 1881 and then in about 1920:

CLICK ON THE PICS!

Santa Ana, c. 1920

Anaheim, c. 1887. Description:

"View of West Center Street (later Lincoln Ave.); image shows Center Street looking west, a dirt street flanked with telephone poles and hitching posts; Metz Block building is visible to the left, and the Federman Block building, telegraph office, post office and Paul A. Derge drug store visible to the right; a horse-drawn carriage is on the right and a horse-drawn streetcar in the background; the Anaheim Streetcar Company, [Theodore Rimpau, president] operated from January, 1887, until the fall of 1899; the tracks were removed in 1901; signage on facade of building at far right reads "PAUL A. DERG[E] / MEDICAL HA [...]" above a sign that reads "[...illeg.] TELEPHONE"

1899:

"Anaheim City Hall and business block, Anaheim; image shows second City Hall, located on Center Street (later Lincoln Ave.), constructed in 1892, with tower in center of building; also housed the Anaheim police and fire departments; other buildings visible to the right of City Hall are identified as Anaheim Realty Co., Dr. W.H. Syer Physician, dentistry, and a hardware store; telephone pole visible at the right and horse-drawn carriage at far right; muddy road and sidewalk visible in foreground."

Anaheim: great flood of 1938

Anaheim, 1899:

"Metz Block building, built in 1889 and located at 106 S. Los Angeles St. (later Anaheim Blvd.); image shows two-story brick facade...; various store signage reads, from left to right "STAPLE HARDWARE CROCKERY GLASSWARE TINWARE AGATEWARE, ETC.", "L.E. MILLER HARDWARE" and "PACIFIC LODGING HOUSE"; visible at top of the building is "1889" and METZ BLOCK;" visible at extreme left is the Candy Kitchen, and at extreme right is C.H. Schaefer Cabinet Maker and the Anaheim Bakery."

Anaheim 4th of July parade, c. 1901

Trustees are clueless

WORKIN’. Is it just me, or is this an especially busy semester?

Last week, I—and five or six other instructors, among others—finished work on a search for IVC’s first full-time Film Studies instructor. That went very well, I think. With any luck, we’ll hire someone soon and great things will begin to happen in the area of Film (and TV, etc.), starting in the Fall.

Yesterday, I finished work on a search for an Art History/Museum hire. That went well, too, I think. The committee was terrific. (Next come the second-level interviews.)

Most of my colleagues have been on at least one of these search committees in recent months, and some of us have been on two or three or more. The paper screening alone can take twenty or more hours. And it’s tedious, boy. Then come the interviews and deliberations, which can take days. (I recall one committee I served on that did its interviews for two days on the weekend.)

During this last semester, I've chaired two student grievance committees, a task the involves setting up meetings, writing letters, and whatnot. (Like service on search committees, such work is uncompensated.) Many of my colleagues regularly do this kind of work, which can be difficult.

At the last board meeting, on Monday, Trustee Tom Fuentes—who once complained about instructors’ alleged 36-hour work week—was perplexed when he learned that faculty go through something like 1000 curriculum changes per year (at IVC alone). IVC Academic Senate Prez Wendy G, among others, tried to explain this to him.

The fact is that most of our district’s trustees haven’t a clue what instructors do.

Last year, Board President Don Wagner worked with a team of faculty (among others) on our college’s accreditation problems. His exposure to faculty over those many months led him to a new appreciation of IVC personnel. To his credit, since that time, he has gone out of his way to praise and appreciate these people. His “eyes have been opened,” he said.

That’s great. But Don has been on the board since freakin’ 1998. How can it be that our faculty’s virtue, earnestness, and hard work have come to his attention only recently?

Hey trustees! I hereby invite you to a ride-along! Wanna experience my day? Wanna know what people like me really do?


You don’t have to hang with me, of course. I’m sure that many faculty at IVC and Saddleback would be more than pleased to have you tag along.

–And don’t forget to come home with us, too, to watch us process a huge pile of student writing. It'll be like watchin' paint dry.

COLLEGE PAPERS:

Once in a while, I check out the local college papers.

This time, I didn’t find much.

This story from the Lariat is pretty old, but it’s interesting:

Saddleback College Lariat: Author [Anouar Majid of the University of New England] says dissent is good for U.S.

“We need free thinkers in society,” Majid said. “We need heretics.” ¶ According to Majid, we should reject our “culture of obedience”and think for ourselves. For Majid, this means questioning how the Bible became a published book or why God allegedly spoke to only a handful of prophets.

Yes, dissent is good. We’ve always said so here at, um, Dissent.


Here’s proof that virtually nothing ever happens at OCC. One of their paper’s big stories is:

The OCC Coast Report: Faculty upset by campus policy

Orange Coast College faculty members are rallying behind Literature and Languages division secretary Betty Rodriguez, who is being required to pay for keys stolen in a recent theft. ¶ English department faculty members are circulating a petition condemning the OCC policy that requires Rodriguez to pay for keys stolen out of the Literature and Languages buildings.

Yep, a slow news day.

Gosh, Tom, are you sorry?

• The OC Reg reports that, according to a federal court, Mission Viejo history teacher James Corbett violated the First Amendment when making comments in his history class disparaging Christians and Christianity.

…Corbett, a 20-year teacher at Capistrano Valley High School, was found guilty of referring to Creationism as “religious, superstitious nonsense” during a 2007 classroom lecture, denigrating his former Advanced Placement European history student, Chad Farnan.
…
"Corbett states an unequivocal belief that Creationism is 'superstitious nonsense,'" U.S. District Court Judge James Selna said in a 37-page ruling released from his Santa Ana courtroom. "The court cannot discern a legitimate secular purpose in this statement, even when considered in context."
…
The establishment clause prohibits the government from making any law "respecting an establishment of religion" and has been interpreted by U.S. courts to also prohibit government employees from displaying religious hostility. (See High school teacher guilty of insulting Christians.)

Naturally Farnan’s attorney (of Advocates for Faith & Freedom) was thrilled.

Still to be determined is whether Corbett (or his school district) will be required to pay damages and attorney’s fees.

SEE ALSO: Judge swings both ways (OC Weekly)

• According to the Reg, Irvine cops are asking citizens to identify a thief. (See Police ask public’s help in search for Irvine office thief.)

Apparently, the guy (see pic of suspect at left) has taken wallets, cash, and credit cards in office buildings near the 405 and Jamboree.

He looks pretty dapper for a guy who steals wallets for a living.

• The OC Weekly’s Matt Coker notes that OC Reg editorialist Steven Greenhut is taking former Sheriff Carona’s big Republican supporters to task for their fair-weather friendship and silence, now that the Mikester is headed for the Big House. (See Greenhut Praises Moxley, Blasts Carona's Disappeared Defenders.)

Writes Greenhut,

It would be nice to read what Carona's staunchest GOP defenders have to say now about the conviction and sentencing. Were they duped? Are they sorry? Is this merely a case of prosecutorial abuse? Do they still think Carona epitomizes GOP values? Did they just not see the other side of Mike? Did they know about how he was running the department? Were they simply doing the bidding of the party?

Among the Mikester’s staunchest supporters has been our own Trustee Tom Fuentes, who made sure that “America’s sheriff” made Irvine Valley College his second home.

Gosh, Tom, were you duped? Are you sorry?

In particular, are you sorry that you have once again tarnished the image of Irvine Valley College and the SOCCCD?

SEE A pious Mike Carona at IVC, 9-11-07

Sidewalk chalk art at Irvine Valley College

I do believe that this work was done under the direction of art instructor Julie Kirk, an internationally recognized street painter and professional artist.
Those in the know: pass on any information you'd care to share about this exhibit.

I overheard someone talking about "chalk art" this afternoon, and so, at about 7:00, after hanging out with friends over at Waters, I dropped by IVC to find it. Someone was still working there. I left them alone.
Naturally, I had the wrong lens, and so I couldn't take any wide shots. I did the best I could. Plus the light was fading fast.
* * * * *
The chalk art can be found at Irvine Valley College, just past the Student Services Building and in front of the PE gym.
Check it out. Don't know how long it will last.
This stuff is ephemeral. Very cool.

LATE NEWS:
Two probable swine flu cases found in Irvine

RANDOM SHOTS FROM MY CAR, ON THE WAY HOME:

Along Live Oak Canyon Road

Approaching Cook's Corner

Live Oak Canyon Road

Try not to run amok

SWINE FLU NEWS. Daffodil J. Altan over at the OC Weekly reports (here)—or maybe just opines—that those surgical masks that everybody’s dying for are useless.

My sister Annie told me that she was at Home Depot yesterday and some lady was literally running through the building crying that she could find no surgical masks! “There’s a pandemic!” she yelped, said sis. Annie claimed to be standing right there where they keep those mask that workers wear when they’re, like, blowin’ leaves around and disturbing the peace. For some reason Annie didn’t clue the lady in about that.

So, anyway, Daffodil reports that

After essentially quarantining a CSULB student who has received a "probable positive test" (um, is it or isn't it?) for piggy flu, health officials on the Long Beach campus handed out surgical face masks to students on campus who have "been paranoid," according to a Press Telegram report.

That’s pretty funny, I guess. But don’t be surprised if, one day soon, you open your door and see a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. If people can vote for George W. Bush twice, they can run amok looking for useless leaf-blower masks.


FIRE. Did you notice the fire at the IVC library a few days ago? Yeah, right there at the “grand entrance hall,” about twenty-five feet up and to the right, a light bulb in one of those ritzy Art Deco fixtures caught fire. I’m told that the first sign of trouble was a smell of melting or burning plastic. Sensing trouble, students started running out of the building—just like Kevin McCarthy in, well, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Then that light bulb caught fire. Flames, smoke, screaming.

I guess they (whoever “they” were) took care of it tout de suite. (Sorry, I meant “lickety-split.” What was I thinkin’?) All you can see now is some black soot up and around the fixture.

A friend said, “Hey, what if this happened on the weekend?” I said, “Yeah. The contractor must’ve bought some cheap econo-bulbs from China.”

“Yeah,” he said. We grunted unpleasantly.


ZODIAC. Did you hear about that OC woman who, yesterday, held a press conference—up in San Francisco—to declare that her father was the Zodiac Killer? It’s probably BS, but you can read all about it here.

DAVIES. The OC Reg’s Science Dude (Paul Davies) reports that

Paul Davies, a theoretical physicist widely known for helping explain the origins of the universe and for his eloquence in discussing the nature of science and religion to the public, will give the undergraduate commencement address at Chapman University in Orange on May 23.

SWINE 2. Inside Higher Ed reports this morning on cases of swine flu at college campuses, including a suspected case at San Diego State University.

Have a nice day. Try not to run amok.

Notes on last night's board meeting, part 2

Eventually, the trustees got to item 6.1, the faculty contract. The trustees made an effort to thank all parties, including members of the faculty negotiating team. Tom Fuentes suggested that the board “divide the question.” The problem with the new contract, he said, was specifically the “raises, some of them retroactive.” In “this economy,” he said, he couldn’t in good conscience support the raise, for he has an “obligation to taxpayers.” He harrumphed. In the end, the contract passed unanimously, except for the raises, which naturally lost Fuentes’ vote. The fellow sighed and then flicked a piece of raw meat into the camera. Splat! Item 6.2 was the renewal of printing and mailing class schedules for Fall 2009, and that was approved. This time, the bill was a mere $75K. Here’s what they approved, evidently:

At the March…meeting the Board instructed the colleges to investigate a more cost effective way to distribute the class schedules, perhaps totally through online. Both Colleges looked at the option to mail out a postcard and found that due to post office requirements…there would be little savings over continuing to mail the class schedules. IVC has determined that it could save approx. $32K by decreasing the number of Fall class schedules…from 314K to 30K (campus copies only) and printing a trifold mailer that will be sent to 284K residents…. The college will use the same approach for Spring 2010…. Saddleback College staff is planning to reduce the number of pages for the Fall schedules from 116 to 110 and will convert to an online schedule of classes in the Spring of 2010. In addition, SC will have some campus copies available for sale in its bookstore for a minimal cost of one or two dollars each. …Campuses are preparing to move toward totally online schedule of classes by Spring 2010….

This sounds pretty dicey to me. Is anyone paying attention to this? I sure hope so. I try to keep people informed, but sometimes I think I oughta just shut down and go home. Fuentes nastily intoned that item 6.2, a cost decrease, is “fitting,” given that the faculty contract represents a cost increase. Item 6.4 was the latest curriculum revisions at IVC. This, too, worried Mr. Fuentes, who asked that he be walked through the process. He seemed stunned to learn that about one thousand curriculum changes occur per year. His eyes grew large. How can this be? It was explained to the fellow. IVC Senate Prez Gabriella chimed in to clarify matters. Some of the changes are minor and technical, she said. But, yeah, we do lots of work in this department buster. Item 6.7 concerned board policy revisions, including BP4016, “Drug-free environment and drug prevention program.” Fuentes got excited. Wait-a-minute, he seemed to say. Don’t we now have a “zero tolerance” policy? For some reason, those in the room who attempted to explain our existing and proposed policies re drugs failed to employ the buzzword “zero tolerance,” and that fact caused in Fuentes palpable and noisy pain. “Zero tolerance, zero tolerance!” he shouted. Yeah, sure, zero tolerance, I guess, said everybody else. We don’t use that phrase, but that’s our policy I suppose. Fuentes suddenly stopped the show, asking if any colleague disagreed with zero tolerance on drugs? He scanned the panel ominously. Finally, some poor soul in the audience squawked, “um…just say no!” Actually, that just happened in my mind. What’s with all the red meat? I can only assume that, for some reason, the expected TV audience for this meeting is going to be big. Maybe there’s an AARP convention in town. Who knows. Item 6.8 was academic personnel actions, including a recommendation for a new administrative position: a Dean of Academic Programs, Student Learning, and Research. Glenn Roquemore explained that, with changes that have occurred in recent years, the burdens on the VPI have grown, yadda yadda. What this boils down to is that the Presidents of the colleges are supposed to be allowed to make their own decisions concerning where money should be spent in maintaining an effective administration, and Glenn really wants, and says he can afford, this new position. But, owing to “this new economy,” some trustees resisted the idea. Somebody failed to get their ducks in a row. Chancellor Mathur stated that he supported the proposal. Oddly, he even seemed to say that, if the position is approved and Glenn sends up a candidate, he’ll support that recommendation too! (I think I got that right.) Sounds like Raghu has been in the woodshed. No wonder he looked so glum and his fanny looked so red. Marcia used the “m” word (micromanagement). We oughta back off and let Glenn do this, she said. But, in the end, 5 of the seven trustees voted to table the item (Marcia and Don dissented). Fuentes used item 7.3 (“basic aid information”) to talk up his boy Chriss Street, OC’s corrupt Treasurer. Yadda yadda yadda.