a checkup

so after my recover i really got into working on grad school. in case you were curious about what i have been up to, here's the latest -

what i did last semester was a quantitative analysis of media consumption patterns, interpersonal communication, and civic engagement (activism). my subject sources were all on the low side of civic engagement, so i was all, "well what about the people that actually do things and, you know, make decisions about healthcare and rights and so on?"

so now i am working with state senators, city hall, and a government sponsored neighborhood empowerment organization and sending my questionnaire to a load of people that ARE politically active, find out where they find unbiased, credible and reliable sources of information (both local and national) and compare the results with civic engagement and interpersonal communication.

the end result will (hopefully) be a guide for marginalized communities to give them the power and tools to become more active for their rights and needs for community improvement and empowerment in case of disaster (THE BIG EARTHQUAKE, DROUGHT, FAMINE, etc.).

something to use as a guide for why this is a necessity is the current condition of impoverished neighborhoods in what used to be new orleans. katrina ruined them and they're STILL piles of nothing. the neighborhoods that had a voice and an active community were able to help each other through the struggle and have been able to rebuild their homes to stasis. i dont want that to happen to residents of other cities that are in risk of natural disasters or epidemics. i want people to have their voices, get the rights and protection they deserve, and to understand how to be effective leaders and members of a community.

making sure they know what's going on in the world is a preliminary necessity in becoming active so, in comes my study.

thankfully, i can still claim to have downtime and living in san francisco helps because it always has something to take my mind away from academia.

love and loyalty