(There was a post I wrote in late 2001, when I was no longer working anymore but only camped out in front of CNN redeyed and feeling on the edge of unforethinkable change every millisecond, and we were all at a manic and insatiable newsfeeding frenzy.

The entire post was simply

I'M ADDICTED TO BINLADEN

and that's how I feel this year about the current political nightmare feverdream that keeps taking soundbytes out of my calm, this NEVER BEFORE HISTORICAL DRASTIC IMPORTANT IFFY AND FRAGILE AND VOLATILE SNIPEY SNIPE UNPRECEDENTED WINNER TAKE ALL election year. I pray for a cure! But meanwhile I seem to be hooked. Well...it doesn't help that a big part of my job is focusing on these things...)

Various Items:

• the Congressional Hispanic Caucus contacted me in order to open up channels of information. Granted, I could probably have (and probably can) hook up more of these (and M helps me manage the XOLAGRAFIK media guerrilla factions) but it is great that they found me and initiated contact and now we are in contact.

Fact is, if I were paid to blog (don't know that I'd take that gig anyway) and blog alone—or honestly, if I chose blogging over other events/tasks for any reason—I could post strings of alerts and press releases. That's not really my thing. I've always been more about thinking things through and exploring ideas as they relate to topics today...as well as just tell stories unrelated, and all the other things I use this blog for. Images, family, history, identity. Inanity. "this ity, that ity; ity, ity, ity" I say, with apologies to John Lennon. But I do want to post some links I've been meaning to, as well as pass on some news.

• I have given permission for Harvard University's Schlesinger Library to archive the content on this blog for future groups of social scientists and anthropologists and basically any scholars at all who seek it in their association. I feel it is fair to inform all who comment here. You are now part of history!

The Schlesinger Library is a special library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study with important collections in the area of the history of women in America. Capturing the social history of women is among our highest priorities.

We are currently in the midst of a pilot project to harvest and archive contemporary blogs by women for future research by students and scholars. Blogs today are much like diaries of the past and in many ways mimic and extend the type of collecting this Library has done in the past. Your blog is linked to from 8 of the sites that we specifically selected for inclusion in our Web archive - an indication of the importance of your content to our collecting focus.

—Amy Benson
Librarian/Archivist for Digital Initiatives
Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
Harvard University

This is an excerpt from the first email. We exchanged a few, and eventually spoke on the phone. What can I say? The Librarian? And she's from Harvard? It was like toeing an adolescent fantasy of yesteryear. I KID but anyway, Ms. Benson was very willing to give information, and cool and generous with her time, and friendly, and most importantly, I feel it is a good idea. I'm down with supporting the project (honored even) and providing context from at least one interrelated angle. Plus I love the idea...it reminds me so much of Foundation by Asimov, I think? Teams of scholars...studying the "diaries of today." Tomorrow. I probably romanticize it, but hey. That's why you come back. (Next time bring your late fee or you'll be fined!)

• Subtly snide articles and poisonous comment threads like this are what insures I'll never leave la lucha. "His Mexican mother," indeed.

• This really needs its own post. But again I don't want to forget it in my prioritizing other things:

Dear Nezua,

Blackwater is back in California.

Just a few months after the courageous people of Potrero kicked Blackwater out of their small town on the California border, Blackwater has announced plans to open a 61,600 square-foot "training facility" in San Diego just THREE blocks from Mexican border.

In other words, Blackwater is using your tax dollars on a mercenary war in Iraq -- $320 million paid so far, over 60% in no-bid contracts -- to subsidize building a base of operations inside California.

Blackwater's border bait-and-switch has shocked the citizens of San Diego. Shortly before pulling their plans on Potrero, the private military contractor quietly used a shell company called "Southwest Law Enforcement" to gain city permits for a "vocational trade school" a stone's throw from the Tijuana Airport. While Blackwater denies that this deception is a trojan horse to land border security contracts from the federal government before George W. Bush leaves office, the ominous writing is on California's wall.

• Defend the Honor

Quote of the Week:

"There is a public memory within the Mexican-origin community about the period before 1848. That memory is of a fundamental connection to this land despite being made to feel like outsiders or visitors."

—from Raul Ramos, "Absolut Vodka's Ad Map Points to Past," Houston Chronicle, April 20, 2008.

Read the entire op-ed at defendthehonor.org, or go to chron.com

• We know MySpace Latino is about to do a big push. But don't forget to check out the site that was around before MySpace Latino, MyGrito! Wow, the owner of this site got in touch with me long ago and I told her I'd check it out and link. Mañana, I should have said. :) But now that I read about MySpace Latino, which will be of course controlled by Rupert Murdoch and better funded, I must endorse, and right now, MyGrito.

• Long before I made this blog, I had one called "mythirdeye" (can't find it online don't even try sucka) that I used to post fotos I took wandering the city with my new (very cutting edge) Motorola (v505, bought it the day before it was released shnicker). As much of a performer (ahem, "ham") that I am, I did not appear in that blog. Only images. I liked the anonymous feeling. But to the point, now that I have found out how to post fotos I take with my iPhone directly to wordpress, House of Nezua will be featuring more posts like this. So come around and peep it.

• Have you heard about The Great Tortilla Conspiracy? Luisa's got the goods on this.

• LOS SCAVENGERS! Support artistic raza by checking out the trailer for a film in production now by David Rice, Valente Rodriguez, and David Garcia.

• Finally, I keep the UMX backdoor locked. It pays. So, if you are a regular enough commenter to want to have your own commenter account so that you can always get your comment posted without moderation (as long as you are logged in, por supuesto!), comment on this post or right here and say "hey yo! hook me up!" Or your own version of that. And I will, M willing.

• update: WHOA not 'finally' after all! I almost forgot. Any friends/readers in Oregon, drop me a line! The informal and very funky Neztastic Cinco de Mayo party is on May 3, that's Saturday. Peeps are already headed out from the East coast as well as the midwest. It will be small, but very full of sound and fury. Or...cerveza. Something between the two. With the finest of syncopation.

Now, I'm back to hitting my to-do list today. As usual, I have some heavy lifting to do. Well. Virtual heavy lifting. (My graphic tablet pen is getting seriously ripped, mrOWr!)