Helen's Next Blog Post

Feedback/Suggestions:
I am learning a lot about the area, which is good, but I'm not really clear on how I am going to be applying this knowledge. For example, last class (and the reading) made "King Coal" seem sinister and also pretty impossible to defeat, like in the court cases. So how can people like me apply what they know if such an obstacle is in the way? Even if King Coal was dying out, how could wind power (for example) step in to take his place? Are people even thinking about that as an option for real? I suppose everything will become more clear on the actual trip or in later classes, but right now it feels like insurmountable forces of History/Economy are shaping events in Appalachia. Maybe I shouldn't think about this right after reading about Communist theories of History...

I think Suejung's suggestions are great, especially snacks! But seriously, one thing we did in a class I took was each week someone singed up to bring in a snack and also a "self box" which was just a bag/box of stuff that represented them or their life experiences. We could do something similar where people sign up to do a really quick presentation on themselves in some way (and also bring snacks?).