Glarg
Okay, look. I've found 19 abstracts that look promising for this citation project. Yet only 10 of those are accessible in PDF format. Two of the journals are physically located at the Drexel library. But I can't find the other seven journals even through inter library loan. Cock. Sucker.
Trolling databases for scholarly articles is a pain in the ass. But you can turn up some fascinating sources of information. For example, the African Journals Online database which is free to search unlike the ancient and ponderous Dialog Classic. AJOL introduced me to the African Journal of AIDS Research. Man, I'd love to get my hands on a subscription if only such publications weren't so far out of my price range. Of course the information is interesting, but not relevant enough to my area of study to warrant the expense. And I am loathe to shell out $18 for a PDF of one teeny tiny wittle article.
This is where being a student AND working for a medical college should come in handy. Or so you'd think. But no, I won't be reading Marlise Richter's Sex work, reform initiatves and HIV/AIDS in inner-city Johannesburg or Elizabeth Arend's Wellness programme and health policy development at a large faith-based organisation in Khayelitsha, South Africa any time soon. Stupid database, enticing me with its mouth watering and unattainable abstracts.
In other news, the vendor on the first floor of my building is sweet on me. And not in a dirty old man kind of way, but in a fatherly kind of way. We usually have a quick conversation in the afternoon about the city, or India, or California, or the weather. And he's given me a few freebies here and there (bottle of water, cup of tea, etc). This morning I was avoiding his soda display b/c I was fighting the urge to drink a Mountain Dew for breakfast. Then I went up to my office and discovered the vultures had drunk all my half and half so I wasn't going to be able to have any coffee.
I grumped my way back downstairs and grabbed a Mountain Dew. Vendor guy plucked it out of my hand, reminded me that I didn't want it for breakfast, and tried to give me a free coffee (I left $1 on the counter anyway). See, little stuff like that can really get your day off to a good start - with or without accessible scholarly articles about AIDS.
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson *audiobook
A comprehensive biography of Che which takes an unflinching look at the man's life and political philosophy. The book begins with his parents and follows Che from birth, through the motorcycle diaries, medical school, guerrilla warfare, marriage and fatherhood, his relationship with Fidel, the industrialization of Cuba, turning revolutionary life into an international commodity, the Congo, and finally the ill-fated debacle in Bolivia.
Before I read this book I knew nothing about Che or Cuba. Anderson's work helped me develop a better understanding of what was behind the formation of that Socialist Republic and Che's moral compass. While you might not agree with his philosophy, you have to admire the man's commitment. His conviction was unswerving and he lived up to the personal standard he demanded from the people around him. The clearest theme in Anderson's book conveys Che's presence and integrity - alongside enough information that the reader can decide whether that aspect of the man was misguided or not.
I enjoyed Che, and learned a lot from reading it. I'd recommend it; but I still liked The Unknown Mao better.