Review, "Rebirth of a Nation" by Jackson Lears

An excellent re-telling of the period between the American Civil War and the First World War, Rebirth of a Nation is ultimately a critique not merely of American Imperialism, and not even of American Racism, but of American Militaristism, as it has informed its imperalistic and racist history. On occasion enamored of densely-packed sentences reminiscent of many less artful academicians, Jackson Lears constructs a predominately accessible, readable, and fascinating narrative that tells us not just where America has been, but why it is here today.

Thus, throughout his narrative, he draws clear analogies between the choices that a militaristic Teddy Roosevelt made with the ones George W. Bush has made, decisions couched in the language of regeneration-through-blood-and-military-sacrifice that can bring an "American-styled democracy" to all lands. Should not all lands (read: economic colonies) enjoy the riches we do every day? Never mind, he reminds us, that the only way for these other colonies, like present-day Iraq, must be economically exploited for their material and labor resources to ensure the continued livelihood of large corporations whom Bush had invested in.

More importantly, Lears draws a stark picture of racism from Reconstruction onward. As Eric Foner has convincingly shown, Reconstruction was initially an experiment of joint white-black governance of the south, as well as black self-governance, quickly gutted by the successful backroom deals made between Andrew Johnson and white Democrats anxious to re-establish their power base. Too long have Americans ignored the long history of racism and its continued resonance in our policies today.

Lears shines a startlingly harsh light on all these convenient obliviousnesses and demonstrates that we cannot remain blind to these impulses, of self-righteousness in the name of Christianity, of racism couched in moral superiority, and of economic imperalism disguised as benevolent paternalism or cleansing militarism, if we intend to conduct ourselves with true integrity.

Perkins+Will Los Angeles, Architecture, and The Economic Depression

July 17, 2009 marks the beginning of the layoff process at Perkins+Will, Los Angeles. Though there have been rumblings, for example, people leaving over the past few months because of a lack of new projects for the firm, as well as four people who were laid off earlier this year, this has been the first wide-spread move. Fifteen of the staff at P+W Los Angeles were laid off on Friday. Evidently, Friday is the traditional day for such moves, presumably because that way, the ongoing staff will not become overly distressed or frightened.

But they should be. P+W, Atlanta just laid off 20 employees--no, they aren't "workers" because that is a convenient dehumanization that allows people in higher positions to forget that the people they laid off are, well, people--right after the completion of a large project they were on.

This is what happened at P+W Los Angeles. And that is just the latest in a long string of layoffs at multi-national architecture firms that a short two years ago appeared impervious to the signs of recession. Gensler, for one, began its layoff process late last year.

Indeed, the architecture field is in such dire straits right now that international firms have begun bidding for small projects that are normally the purview of small and boutique-sized firms. The first thing that disappears during an economic depression, not recession, is people's interest in building new buildings and urban projects. It's the first thing people realize they don't need more of when they can't afford to put food on the table: buildings or urban projects. Suddenly, all this appears to be a luxury rather than a necessity.

a view on stocks

some thoughts by one of our members on today's stock market:

"

yesterday was up sligtly or not down as much as previous 2 days.

i am still figuring markets down, but compared to last year, markets i think are down 50-100 points, which i think is more normal.

it was going up at about that same pace in april and may, and early june.

any plays to upside, keep tight stops.

possible plays on downside.

morning looks like might be up

markets been channeling up slowly, now seems to be channeling down slowly

agriculture sector seems to be really down.

agu, pot, mos, mos feed, But after a week or so, might provide buying opportunity

steel

internet

some financials, or the ones including ms gs

oil

are weak,

as i said, i think markets are slowly pulling back,

but this should give us opportunity to buy, we hope in a bout a week or so.

but this in heading into summer, typically slower for stock market, until later july early aug, to sep when

fall , and market picks up again."

How To Watch Foreign DVD's

Earlier, I had posted that a combination of DVD Decrypter version 3.5.4 could help with dvd's that have different region codes than the one your computer is set for because the VLC Media Player could then play the files.

Since then, I've changed my mind because my computer has Vista Home Premium, which VLC was crashing.

I then read that if you revealed the extensions on the vob (video object files) that were
made by DVD decrypter to an mpg/mpeg extension, you could play the files on Media 11 Player, which came with my Dell. That was also helpful, but it entailed a lot of work, changing all the extensions. And then you couldn't get subtitles.

Btw, I did this all in service of the complete set of Murphy's Law with James Nesbitt I had purchased from a British purveyor, where the dvd's are set to region 2.

Then I read from another website more about how to use DVD Decrypter. I didn't quite understand it all, but I read something about Daemon Tools, which would create a virtual dvd drive on your computer which could then help the dvd software program on my computer read the ISO file made by DVD Decrypter as if it were a real dvd without any region code problems.

Again, Daemon Tools was not compatible with my OS, so I uninstalled it, which was also a bit of a problem.

Then I read about another program, which is also freeware, that makes a virtual drive on your computer so that my main media-playing software, MediaDirect by Cyberlink, can play the ISO file Decrypter made for me as if it were a region 1 dvd.

It's perfect. The program, Virtual CloneDrive by Slysoft, is their only free program and it creates a single virtual dvd drive on your computer. And for my purposes, why do I need more than one?

It works a treat because now when I use Decrypter to make an ISO file of the Region 2 dvd's I bought, it immediately recognizes that it will be associated with Virtual CloneDrive. I click on the ISO file, and MediaDirect opens it right up.

Perfect.

How To Remove Splinters-Vinegar/Peroxide and Baking Soda

This is the only remedy that really works. Reliably.

Because while other suggest warm water and baking soda, or using a debriding agent like a salicylic patch, these don't work. Those methods may soften the skin sufficiently so that you can remove the splinter a bit more easily, but they don't actually cause a chemical reaction that causes an embedded splinter to move towards the surface of the skin Much as those who rely on the warm water/baking soda aver, there is no chemical reaction going on there. It's inert.

With vinegar/peroxide and baking soda, there is a chemical reaction. That initial bubbling reaction that you get may stop, but the interaction of the two ingredients that causes that initial bubbling? That continues to work more subtly on the finger. And, after about twenty minutes of soaking, the splinter will move closer to the surface of the skin. And it can then be painlessly, and I do mean painlessly, removed with tweezers.

Friends, Kitty-style

Swine Flu and the Racist Discourse

The other day, someone said that he didn't want to be around "Mexican" people at all. He then observed that he didn't feel the same way when there was the media-driven SARS scare. Of course, he is East Asian.

This is an interesting illustration of a few things. First, that while ethnic minorities cannot be racist in that they do not have the social power that allows them to act out their bigotry on a level that can intimidate on a deeper level than just a personal threat, they can harbor racist ideation. Meaning they can have racist thoughts. The big difference, obviously, is that members of ethnic/racial minorities cannot plug into, resonate with, or otherwise take advantage of a long, historically-established, set of institutionalized racist agendas that have made entire racial groups feel oppressed, fearful, and exploited because they are the victims of such behavior. Racism as a practice implies the ability to do just that: plug into a larger, institutionalized, oppressive, and exploitative discourse that regulates our institutions. However, you can be a bigot.

So that was the first interesting characteristic of this particular observation.

The second is this. That the reason this person did not fear for his health during the SARS scare was that he was Asian, and he knew that the likelihood of his contracting that illness here, in the U.S., was remote. And what's more, he knew that he, as an East Asian, had absolutely nothing to do with its spread so the idea that people were demanding that East Asians be confined if they had traveled, was not only preposterous, but as he correctly had identified, was racist.

And this is the thing about identifying these illnesses along with a particular country: they plug into, resonate with, and further institutionalize people's racist ideation, especially those Euro-Americans in power. And here is the true racism, because it can be acted upon through legal, institutional avenues that then reinforce people's racist ideas.

(Chinese) Avian flu, (Mexican) swine flu, (Asian) SARS, all of these illnesses legitimized racist discourses against an entire people, here and abroad.

On returning to this man, he further said that not only would he not want to be around any "Mexicans" at all, but that he didn't think it was safe to go to entire counties because a few "possible" cases might have been identified in those counties. That is akin to asking a person who lives in Los Angeles whether they are alright because an earthquake of 4.4 registered in Morro Bay (that is in the middle of the state). In short, it is quite ridiculous.

Moreover, the chances that you will get sick from this flu strain is very, very small. I mean, really. All the people who have been confirmed to have contracted it had mostly 1)mild symptom, and 2) have added up to may 20. Or 30. All over this nation.

Who is to blame? First, and most obviously, the media. While scientists keep telling the news media that this is not hitting people very hard, even local NPR--for shame--stations rebroadcast the "threat" on the hour, along with the hourly news update.

Second, people are to blame. For being alarmist. Gullible. And watching TV news, which is not news. It's entertainment.

This country seems filled with people who always need a scapegoat, a bugaboo, or some kind of enemy to "fight." Who knows why.

A Good Companion for VLC Media Player

The VLC player is good, but only insofar as it can actually read dvd's from different regions. For one disc I bought (a series called Murphy's Law from the UK), I had no trouble. Indeed, when I bought the third series from a used dvd outlet in Australia called RedeyeRecords, I didn't even have to change my region setting on my new Dell 1525.

But with this entire set of the series, I did have to change the region. And then I discovered this media player and I thought, I'm set, now I can buy all sorts of dvd's of UK series that they just won't sell for an American audience. Shows like Waking the Dead, for example.

Unfortunately, after the first disc, none of the others would play. The picture kept pixelating. I read on the VLC forum that it was because I needed to address the problem at the firmware level.

I reject that because I happen to know, from downloading a free trial of Divx Player that the problem can be addressed at the software level.

However, I have discovered that if I copy my dvd's to my computer using a program called DVD Decryptor, then I can then use VLC player to play the files on my computer. It is a little less convenient because I do have to copy them to my computer, and it doesn't play all the chapter's seamlessly: I have to then click on the next video file. But at least I can buy dvd's from all different regions, now, and not worry about not being able to watch them. And best of all, it is free.

Obviously, the problem with these programs is that they can be used to make illegal copies of dvd's and cd's, which is actually an unfortunate by-product. Really what's great, I think, about them is that they allow you to any region dvd and play them. Without spending money on a silly program.

Best Freeware Region-Free DVD Program: VLC or VideoLAN Player

After doing a bit of searching on the web, and recognizing a few programs, I discovered a few things. One was this article in, of all online publications, Popular Mechanics which discussed a few free programs that deal with the region-specific demands of computers.

Because as everyone has noted, you can only change the region on your computer a max of 5 times and then you're locked for good. While most articles tell you that you can't change that, even if you re-load Windows, you actually can. But it would require that you erase your hard-drive and then completely reinstall everything. I know. I've done it.

So this seemed a more promising route: simply download a program that overrides your DVD player program's demand that you commit to a region. The one recommended in the article was called Remote Selector and it has a rather bare bones approach to how to use the program.

That did not work for me. I have Power DVD's Dell-specific program called "Media Direct" and that wasn't compatible with this program.

The other program the article recommended for MAC users is actually GREAT with Windows users, as well. This is the VideoLAN VLC Player.

In brief, it's awesome!!

You download it. It's an independent player. No interface necessary. Nothing fancy. Just literally a player that recognizes all regions. And it's a shareware, I downloaded the one from Madison University in Wisconsin, and it works an absolute treat. Did I mention the free part? Legally? Because it's shareware. No paying $59.95 or whatever for Div-X or some such thing.

But the absolute best part? All those programs like Div-X and the like require that you actually copy the dvd onto your hard drive and then you can play the movie. What if you don't have enough space? I mean, I do because I just bought a new computer, but honestly. I don't want that cluttering up my computer. And for all those people who say, "Yes, but it uses more energy that way, to run the movie off the dvd itself," I say pshaw. I want to play something immediately, not copy it over to my hard drive first.

VLC is, in short, GREAT!

Texas Rep. Betty Brown: She Didnt Insult "Asians"--She Insulted CHINESE-Americans

Here is the text, cited from Thinkprogress, below.

The problem with her subsequent apology is that it is directed at Asian Amnericans, when her racist comment was directed at CHINESE AMERICANS IN PARTICULAR.

This is an important distinction. Because the discourse of racism directed specifically Chinese either born here in the U.S. or foreign born becomes erased, elided, invisible, by the discourse of "Asian Americans" and the supposed collective group that forms.

Sorry, but Asian Americans are not a discrete group. But Asians encompasses South Asia (such as India), Southeast Asian (Thailand, Vietnam, for example) and East Asia (China, Japan and Korea). So "Asians" is not a cohesive group.

Imagine how insulted Northern Europeans would be to be confused with someone from, say, Italy, and you'll understand.

Who says racism is latent in America?

"“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told [Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey] Ko: 'Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?'

Pomegranates: How to Peel Them Easily

There are all sorts of juices out there to make consuming pomegranates easily. Unfortunately, they are all pretty dismal and strange.

Why not eat the real thing? Of course, some stores like Trader Joe's sell small tubs of the seeds so you can eat them without peeling because it seems so daunting.

No more. This is what to do. Break open the fruit and then peel it in a bowl of water. Voila. The inner vein will float to the top, and the seeds will sink to the bottom. They separate themselves for you in the water.

So enjoy the real thing without fear! And without paying $3.99 for a small tub of seeds.

Vista Patch for HP Duplex Printing

There are some issues with the duplex printing function with several HP printers and a person named Bob Headrick who has authored several patches to solve them. His email is Bobh@proaxis.com and wow, did it fix the problem immediately!

His instructions are a little technical, but if you email him, he'll give you the patch and attach instructions. If they still confuse, essentially, you just have to use the patch he gives you and put it into the folder ending in:

drivers\w32x86\3

Then you have to delete all the files ending in ".bud" because, as he says, they will regenerate with new ones using the patch.

Great!

It worked like a charm, so email him and get rolling.

Nigerian Scam: Paypal Notification

This really looks authentic. Click on the image and a clear screen will come up. Problem is, the return email isn't from Paypal.

Nigerian Paypal Scam

Just to reiterate:

hsbcgold@gmail.com professes to be an "agent" of Paypal.com

First of all, Paypal doesn't use gmail email addresses--they use their own domain name.

Another gmail account, serviceonlinefund@mail2consultant.com, professes to be the "customer service" rep of Paypal.

Another, Jerry Springer, aka Anita Morgan at Springerfuture011@gmail.com, professes to be the buyer.

The address?

Let me again reiterate:

NAME: OWOLABI KAZEEM
ADDRESS: NO 11 ADEOLUYOYE STR OFF IMALEFALAFIA ROAD
CITY; IBADAN
STATE: OYO
COUNTRY: NIGERIA
ZIP CODE: 23402

How can it be that the buyer is different from the recipient, who is again different from the original buyer?

Nigerian Scam Buying Items Using Fake Paypal

There are a lot of posts on this problem, so I don't profess to be the last word on it. Indeed, this is just another post on the burgeoning problem. In fact, there is a website devoted to the past addresses and fake names used by past Nigeria-based scams.

But this one deserves a little spotlight.

It began with an ad I posted in the L.A. Craigslist, as well as on Blujay, for some 18k Tiffany Fringe Earrings. I put the ad in because, like many other people, I need the money.

And that's when it began. So I wanted to prove that I had bought the earrings myself and because, like most normal people, I threw away the receipt, I put up an image of my bank account statement. It said I could prove that I bought them myself. Which I did. All $514.19 of it. Sheesh. What was I thinking?

At any rate, I was, and am, asking for a little over $100 less than I paid for them. $400 to be specific. And I got a response within a few hours.

It sounded too good to be true. Sound familiar? What is that adage they say about "If it sounds to good to be true, it is?" Well, as much as we would like to think that we are special, individually, there is a reason that is an adage. Because it is true.

So the buyer was named "Jerry Springer": beware of that name, right? Again, sounds unreal, so it probably is. The email address, and all subsequent ones, are gmail addresses: Springerfuture011@gmail.com.

This is the content of a series of emails over the past two days, from April 1 (so appropriate) through April 3:


IS THIS ITEM STIL FOR SALE GET BACK TO ME ASAP...........

4/0/09 12:18 pm: I am very glad to hear back from you,but i will just like to know if the item is really in good condition?cos i wanna get this for my partner who is on a company project inspector in abroad, and i will not be able to come and pick it up from your place,Because am out of state for a Business trip,so i will be glad if you can help me to handle the shipping and i prefer to paying you $100 for the shipping cost via USPS EXPRESS MAIL INTERNATIONAL EMS AND YOU CAN GET THIS FROM YOUR POST OFFICE THERE....so get back to me with all details to proceed the payment and the total price including the shipping fee as well.....and i will like to pay you via paypal email account...ok.....so do get back to me now with your paypal email personal account for instant payment..ok....

Thanks.

4/1/09 11:57: YES..IT GREAT TO HAVE YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT EMAIL ID...I WILL MAKE THE PAYMENT INTO YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT NOW AND I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS AM THROUGH WITH TRANSACTION PAYMENT.
THANKS

And finally in response to a deadline I set of a payment by 8 am PST where I said, and did, cancel my Paypal bill, this is what I received, at 12:59 pm, 4/2/09, no less:

thanks for the propmt mail,i am very busy here and right now i just transfer the money into your account..i am sure that paypal will have get back to you through your paypal email address that you use to have the account with them ..and i have add the shipping fees with the money i sent to your account so as soon as you got the notify mail from paypal i want you to kndly get the package ship to this address ..

NAME: OWOLABI KAZEEM
ADDRESS: NO 11 ADEOLUYOYE STR OFF IMALEFALAFIA ROAD
CITY; IBADAN
STATE: OYO
COUNTRY: NIGERIA
ZIP CODE: 23402

and i want this to be ship through express mail international and you can get this done in your post office there and you get back to me with the tracking number so i can forward this to paypal for final verification ...hope to hear from you back soonest ..

After my husband checked our real paypal account, and saw that there was no deposit, I decided to check the email account associated with the Paypal account.

Four emails were in my box, from, supposedly, Paypal, though the return address was different:

serviceonlinefund@mail2consultant.com, "Hank Bonds" at --can you believe it??

And now we are getting emails from hsbcgold@gmail.com that says

It is important we know the status of the item bought otherwise, legal action may be taken against you since you have not replied to the confirmation of payment made to your account by our client(Anita Morgan) via PayPal.We request for the Tracking Number to prove postage of the item in less than 24hours and we will fund the money into your account or face the consequences of LEGAL ACTION.

We believed you entered into bidding agreement by requesting money through Pay Pal , and by non response to the payment confirmation made to your account you have violate Pay Pal agreement. However the buyer has already contacted us in other to make report about your non response. We are ensuring to make PayPal a safer place, therefore we need to set confidence on our users.

Therefore, if your Money is credit into your Account before the shipment of the item, that means the item will not be shipped to the Buyer. From IC3 we give you 24hours (1days) to ship the package to the Delivery Address given to you by your buyer, and also send the Shipment Tracking Number immediately to us to verify the shipment.Immediately we confirm the shipping.You will receive a confirmation e-mail that your account has been credited.

NOTE:
Failure to respond to this means your Name and Address will be forward to the law enforcement Agency in your Country which may result to an Arrest, because you are practicing Scam, And your Account with PayPal will be BLOCKED, In order to free yourself from this'' Ship the package within 24hours and send the Shipment Tracking to PayPal for them to Verify. If you have any comment on this issue do not hesitate to contact us via our customer care email. Although we check our e-mail frequently, we do not consider it to be an alternative to telephonic contact in emergency situations.Feel free to contact us directly to this mail (serviceonlinefund@mail2consultant.com)
New York Field Office
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Can you believe this?

Shocking.

Exoticizing the "Native Chinese"

Westerners always think that these kinds of photos are not just "artsy" but that they are somehow "illuminating" of the culture. Especially if those people are "of color" as compared to your basic Euro-American, who is often thought of as setting the standard and definition against whom those of color must be defined.

After taking this photo, I realize that it doesn't say anything except that I observe my own people in cliched terms. Because I was born in the West, so try as I might, I still see people through that privileging lens, though I myself am oppressed by institutionalized racism and bigotry.

Zinc Oxide (A+D Cream): Cyst and Pimple Remedy

Well, it makes sense. After all, you use the A+D cream, not ointment which has a petrolatum (vaseline) base, for diaper rash. Which essentially dries out the rash and voila! You have a happy baby or toddler once more. The stuff usually works within a few hours. On really bad diaper rash, too.

Well, that same drying action works wonders on cysts. Wonders. And pimples, too.

Forget the expensive decoctions you're buying with Salicylic Acid in those tiny glass bottles at $20 for .5 oz. This works much better and you get a 4 oz tube, which if you're not an infant, will last you literally years. Unless you break out a lot. Even then, it will last much longer than .5 oz.

Just apply a dab. Put a bandaid over it to keep the thick coating on your cyst or pimple. It will significantly reduce overnight.

Stem Cell Research and the EPA on Mining Mountaintops

A few good things President Obama is doing.

1) Loosening restrictions on stem cell research.

2) The EPA is now going to closely review Mountaintop Mining, where an entire Mountaintop is razed during the mining process. See the NY Times article for more information.

Vegetarians Can Be Tiresome

I used to be one, so I know of what I speak.

Vegetarians, vegans, and all those other people with severe dietary restrictions that are not purely medical need to learn manners. Or stop being churlish, one of the two.

What does that mean? It means that vegetarians always expect everyone else to cater to them but they never cater to anyone else. Ever been to a vegetarian's house? Ever hear them offer you anything with meat? No?

But if they come to your house, guess what you're supposed to do? Offer them something vegetarian, of course!

You'll hear them protest, but vegetarianism is good for you. It's ethical.

And there's the rub. They're always being superior, so they think, morally and ethically. There is always an implied critique on your lifestyle if you do eat meat.

So to recap, 1) they always expect you to cater to them but they never cater to you, a clear case of bad manners, and 2) they act as if you should be grateful to them for not feeding you meat and demanding that you eat more vegetables, which implies

1) you are inferior, you have no morals, ethics, and hence again they are being presumptuous and showing bad manners, and 2) that you don't know what's best for you. Maybe you have a dietary need that requires meat. But that is never considered, either.

And what's more, there is such a level of hypocrisy in these assumnptions that it's almost comical.

Here are the questions that need to be answered by people who think they are superior for not eating meat.
1) Do you take antibiotics?
2) Do you wear leather anywhere on your body?
3) Have you ever taken any other kinds of medicine?

Yes to any of these? Then let's rethink the "moral superiority."

Plus, many local beef providers are actually quite humane and have been actively courting people to consider meat that is locally husbanded. That's right. It keeps smaller animal husbandry purveyors in business.

Helping the World's Poor through Micro-Lending

Recent organizations have made it easier for individuals to relieve impoverished individuals around the world who need small loans to either start a new business to sustain themselves or to improve their small businesses.

One is Kiva. The process is simple. The minimum amount you can donate is $25. And then you choose a region in the world you are interested in lending to, and once you pick that region, you scroll through the different people asking for loans.

Once you lend, you get periodic updates from Kiva informing you of the status of repayment. Even if you don't receive the entire amount, you can relend to another borrower, as long as you make up the difference to amount to at least $25 for another loan.

It is a great program and a good way to lend directly to people who want to start some sort of enterprise and need a small boost.

It's also a good way to donate, which is essentially what this is if you continue rolling over the money to other borrowers, in addition to donating to more traditional organizations which use part of donations for their operating costs.

ThinkorSwim.com: The Best Stock Trading Software

Tried Muriel Siebert, Schwab, and various other trading engines that are now defunct.

Thinkorswim.com is the best! And unless you do high volume trading, not most people, it's way cheaper than Scottrade.com at $5.00 per order.

Can't beat that. Plus, analysis, charts, software to download to your desktop, great customer service.

Buddhism, Like All Religions, Has Cultural Connotations Westerners Don't Get

I was attending a lecture at UCLA by Professor Gregory Schopen. As is clear, the man is no slouch in the intellect department nor is he uninformed about Buddhism, the South Asian and Southeast Asian kind that Euro-Americans are so enamored of.

Several months ago, I won't quote who, a professor in that same department said in an LA Times article that Buddhism was anything one brought to it. It was as if it was a free-floating thing. Transcending culture. Time. Timeless.

I'm not certain what he meant. But I know what a lot of Euro-Americans think: "Hey, Buddhism is, like, this totally cool religion! I can, like, meditate, and feel good! Like I'm not making all this bad karma, you know? And it's so open. This Noble Eight-fold Path is great, the Four Noble Truths are great, and if I follow them, I am soo superior to my fellow average white American! And you know what? If I add a few new-agey, completely stupid ideas that came out of my own head, hey, that's alright because it's Buddhism! Everything and anything goes! Oh, and we're apolitical, the Buddha doesn't like that. Except when it comes to China. Then we're really political, but the Dalai Lama says it's okay."

Something like that.

I have few things to say about those opinions. First, they are wrong. Buddhism is not an open, free-floating religion that accepts all the stupid ideas that you can come up with. It's not the "new religion" that can replace the narrow-mindedness you associate with Christianity. It's also not a way to forget you are a white, Euro-American. Sorry. You don't get to just adopt the "good bits" and feel good about yourself, all the while maintaining your white superiority. Doesn't work like that.

Buddhism is a very culture-specific religion. Like all religions. There are certain practices, tenets, and beliefs that reflect very specific times, places and people. That's right, folks. You can't just plug in, take what you want, and say blithely, "Hey, I'm a Buddhist! Everything goes!"

What does this very brief cultural critique of white Americans who feel like if they don't fit into the Christian tradition, they can easily adopt and culturally colonize this other one? Well, exactly this. That during this faculty lecture, amongst the many arguments Schopen was making was that not only was the Buddha portrayed in many narratives as a businessman, but that he was an eminent pragmatist. That his concern was not to remain "up in the clouds, meditating" the way all these annoying Euro-Americans do when they're trying to escape the pain in their lives. That he was often portrayed in dialogues as teaching very practical lessons regarding institutional longevity and even basic successful institutionalization that rather less-than-pragmatic monks often did not grasp. Else what was the need for such didactic texts?

He also argues that the idiots always "meditating" were considered the fringe. Rather like they are here. Loser fringe people who can't make it in the mainstream world, so they run away to the "land of spirituality", India. Which probably doesn't appreciate all these annoying Euro-Americans looking in someone else's backyard for things they should be seeking in their own.

Moreover, and I find this particularly entertaining in re: these Euro-Americans here, things like the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths? Well, guess what? They weren't universal.

Gasp!

Yes, it's just that these were amongst the few scriptures that were translated into English. So lots of white people got their hands on them, assumed that they were representative of all of Buddhism, and voila! Globalization! Universalization! Stupidity.

The crux of the problem is that the majority of white Americans "practicing" Buddhism don't speak any language other than American English. They haven't grasped the fact that there are literally stacks and stacks of volumes at UCLA's YRL, East Asian Library, that have yet to be explored. Of course, that would require the average American interested in this sort of thing to be, oh, bilingual. Perish the thought!

Can't do it. Much easier to remain in a haze of ignorance abroad, traveling around India, Nepal, or wherever the heck it is convenient for these fringe Americans to be and not confront the fact that they cannot succeed in their own country. That they have to go abroad for some Cultural Imperialism before they can feel good about themselves.

Rafael Vinoly Grant

They rejected the best grant proposal they are going to get in a long time. I think so, anyway, and since I wrote the thing, why wouldn't I think that? But still, the fact that they didn't pick this as one of the five grantees makes me wonder. What are they afraid of? A real Ph.D. candidate? One who isn't getting a Ph.D. in architecture, where they don't know real research if it bit them on the you-know-where, but in a field where architecture requires knowing other disciplines. Fields. An undergraduate degree that isn't primarily a skilled trade degree?

So here it is:

Despite all recent press, a close reading of China’s urbanization has not been performed by those trained in its history, language, culture, historiography or epistemology. Western, Orientalist discourses privilege the “Nest,” the “Egg,” CCTV or hutongs as the sole relevant examples of Chinese urbanization. They exemplify China’s modernity and its failings, along with superior Western design. Presumably China cannot attain true modernity, producing grotesque imitations plagued by uniquely Chinese problems: alienation, exploitation and the spectacle amidst indiscriminate demolition.

"This project transforms the entire discourse on Chinese urbanization, transcending narrow studies on “hutong preservation” or “migrant housing”. It frames context: Western discourses portray projects as decontextualized icons. We investigate an entire area of all formal, informal, small and medium-scale projects and spaces. Most importantly, we situate them in their larger context. We study Beijing because it has become the proxy for China’s failed modernization and has been so grossly misrepresented.

At stake is fundamentally changing strategies and policies for urbanizing China—not just Beijing—to prevent what Westerners lament and yet replicate: designs disassociated from China’s cultural and historical context. By documenting how architects, China’s government, residents and the Western gaze construct Beijing, this project will shape advanced strategies and policies."

My guess that the post-Orientalist, and anti-Orientalist approach was too much for their rather narrow, dare I even suggest racist? minds. I think so. They'd rather have some Chinese person from China, who doesn't question basic American epistemology about China, to make a proposal about China.

This was a grant about emerging economies, the BRIC economies, and I think it is just too threatening for conventional people not educated outside of the architectural field to contemplate something different. I guarantee none of them has ever read Edward Said. Or, dare I suggest a woman? Chandra Talpade Mohanty?

I await the de-Orientalizing of the architecture field

The Discourse of "Skin Whitening in Asia"

A story on the PRI radio show, The World, made much of the idea that this trend of skin whitening is not so much one of a long history as it is one of the cultural colonialism of the West.

I would suggest that that arrogance is itself evidence of the West's Cultural Colonialism.

How? Because historically, light skin was not "white" skin that supposedly mimicked Western Europeans or Euro-Americans.

It signified wealth. How? Because wealthy people did not labor in the marketplaces or in the fields. In other words, they had enough money, and servants, to do all of that for them. They themselves could engage in the more heady activities of politics, social policy, and the like.

Another cultural specificity that Euro-Americans just don't get? Fat babies. They don't get them. Pride in a fat baby? Don't call her fat, they say! That will give her a complex.

Beyond the practical stupidity of that statement--no, babies don't have that Euro-American obsession with being skinny, that's for adults--fat babies meant something very specific. That you had enough food to feed your baby. That your baby would then be healthy. And that because of that, you in turn must be if not wealthy, at least comfortable.

So before Euro-Americans go patting themselves on the back, again, for setting the "trend" for what constitutes desirable all over the world, maybe they should step back for a moment and consider the culture of which they speak.

Discrimination Against "Same-Sex" Marriage and Autism in "Liberal" California

California is not a liberal state. Witness how we are making an entire class of people institutionally discriminated against. We are denying them rights we consider basic to the most destitute Tibetans. Think not? Visit any "Free Tibet" website and see how hypocritical we are.

Oh, so you think this is a debate about religion? It isn't. It is about demarcating what is "authoritative" "normal" and what passes for "legitimate", especially in the eyes of the law.

So, an entire sector of the population continues to be denied their rights. To have the same protections as people who just happen to be heterosexual. Think it's abnormal to be homosexual? Ever read any of the European Classics? From Greece?

Talk about denying people their Human Rights, let alone Civil Rights.

Hypocrisy. Nothing short. The LA Times has done a series on this issue, and they bear examination: 1, 2.

And now that it appears that the State Supreme Court will uphold the "law" all I can say is, I am ashamed.

And as for the discrimination against those with Autism, this is a severe blow to those people who have children with any form of Autism, from Asperger's Syndrome to the full-blown Autistic cases.

Discrimination, pure and simple. Having worked for Ivar Lovaas at UCLA before he formed the actual "Lovaas Institute", I can attest to the astonishingly effective, yet labor intensive work that autistic children require. They also require intervention at a very young age.

For insurance companies to not only deny such care, but to redefine what comprises necessary care for these people is shameless.

And it is a certainty that these are the same people who decry abortion as "killing an unborn child."

Too bad they don't care about these children once they are born with severe illnesses that need equally intense treatments.

Hypocrisy is apparently live and rampant in California.

Morgan Tsvangirai and the Beleaguered Zimbabwe Nation

Well, as I reported yesterday, some of the early AP reports carried on some other sites, like the unfortunately equally-beleaguered Yahoo, were carrying reports that Susan Tsvangirai was seriously injured but not dead. I checked later and the story Yahoo's AP feed was carrying finally acknowledged that she had died.

I cannot express enough sadness for this country and its struggles since it finally threw off the shackles of colonialism.

Now of course there are questions of whether this was an intentional assassination attempt on Tsvangirai himself. That remains to be seen, and is clearly a very sensitive subject given the very delicate position he occupies, vis-a-vis Robert Mugabe and his cohort.

But I express my deepest, most heartfelt sympathy for the man, and his movement. And I hope that the situation improves, though I have my doubts.

Zimbabwe's Primer Minister Tsvangirai Injured, Wife Susan Dies in Crash

The accident occurred south of Harare and was evidently caused by, amongst other factors, that most streets are not two-way. So overtaking cars is the norm. The details aren't clear, though the story by The World appears most reliable. Other sources are citing that Susan Tsvangirai is severely injured, but one wonders whether as reputable a show as The World would declare her death unless they had confirmed with several reliable sources. One hopes.

But though the American eye may be focused on Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, even Afghanistan, I can't help but lament American foreign inattention to countries like Zimbabwe. Evidently since we cannot colonize them, exploit their resources, or otherwise subjugate them, they don't really register on our foreign policy radar, let alone your average person.

But this country's struggles over the past year and a half to establish something of truce between Robert Mugabe, the President of over 28 years, and Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, has been a lasting indictment of the pernicious vestiges of colonialism in Africa. Though Robert Mugabe was initially hailed as a "Democratic-Western-style" leader when he led his country to independence, Westerners are now shocked and amazed at how he has remained unwilling to relinquish power.

Hypocrisy-much?

Not to mention that whenever Western NGO's have offered help, especially last year with all the slayings of Tsvangirai supporters over the election Mugabe seemed to have lost, many of Mugabe's ministers would staunchly aver that there was no way they were going to let Western organizations in their country. Who knows, they might try to colonize them again. Take resources, labor and power away from the Zimbabweans.

Sound crazy? Look at Iraq.

I don't have judgment about what's going on Zimbabwe about "Human Rights Violations" because I don't believe we should be pointing the finger at anyone else when the West is the reason they are in this mess in the first place. But I do have a lot of sympathy for the people. That nation. And it's really sad history.

That seems a nation worth volunteering for.

James Otis Auctions Mohandas Gandhi's Items

It's true, the Indian businessman who successfully bid on the glasses and other personal items from James Otis, a self-proclaimed "pacifist".

But the problem with Mr. Otis, and others in this country like him, is that although he claims to respect India, he refused to honor their sovereignty by fundamentally recognizing that his act of putting them up for auction was a cultural, if not ethical and moral violation.

Why is it a violation? Imagine if some Indian, or, gasp, Chinese person owned some memorabilia of Abraham Lincoln's. Can you imagine the uproar, the American national outrage? And then, imagine if this foreign national said, "Well, I'll give these over to your government to display in the Smithsonian, but only if you agree to raise your national spending on Welfare Programs, especially for single parent households."

Imagine that. Can't do it? Well, that's exactly what Mr. Otis did. Since when did we allow someone from another country who possessed cultural icons from our country hold those items hostage until we changed our domestic policies? Never? Right.

So where do Americans think it's alright to coerce other countries that they should change their policies or they'll go right on doing the wrong thing and sell off/auction off their cultural icons?

Oh, right, Western Europeans and Euro-Americans like James Otis, and Mr. Berge, Yves Saint Laurent's partner.

Pro-Tibet Rhetoric by Euro-Americans Often Is Racist

It is interesting that many Chinese-Americans will not join in the Pro-Tibet rallies. Why not, you wonder? Are they all so awful, have they all been so indoctrinated that they simply cannot contemplate that Tibetans civil, not human, let's call it something that Americans can relate to in their own past, civil rights, are being violated?

The short answer: no. Chinese-Americans, or rather, American-Chinese, get it. Of course they are offended. They think it's wrong. So why don't they join in the debate?

Because pro-Tibet rallies that critique Chinese people are often shorthand for racism against Chinese.

How, you ask?

Let's begin with some basics. Ever notice a white person criticizing Tibet? Think about this. Do they have a lot of American-Chinese friends? No? Number one, then.

Number two, why not? Because they assume that all Chinese people must be bad, because their government, and let's face it, white people always say it's your government since they immediately forget that lots of Chinese people have been here for generations. They're still not American, hence the term American-Chinese, rather than Chinese-American. So, alright. They don't have any faith that these people have any critical thinking skills and can critique the Chinese government. Even though per capita, there are more Chinese people born here and abroad who have professional jobs than Euro-Americans, per capita.

Third, let's see. When was the last time a Chinese person born anywhere suffered from racism, I mean of the institutionalized kind that makes them feel if they are violated even verbally, they can't say anything, they just have to swallow it because otherwise people will just say, "Oh, you're being too sensitive." Yesterday? Okay, so yesterday that just happened. Sanctioned by the community, who doesn't want to hear that you're just too sensitive. You're just being too "touchy." That's right. Institutionalized racism.

Soo, that person next to you complaining about all those civil rights violations occurring across the world? Does she or he care about how the civil rights of that Chinese person standing next to them are constantly being violated, flouted, or otherwise ignored?

And does that person care about how Latinos, so often just "Mexicans" as if it's a dirty word, are being exploited? How their labor is exploited but the government won't legalize them. So they can be exploited and then deported conveniently, to whatever country they come from, when we're done exploiting their labor? Does that person crying "Foul" about Tibet care about them?

Do you see those people demonstrating in the streets? In San Francisco? In Los Angeles? Anywhere? About the poor black man caught smoking pot forty-five years ago in the South and is still in jail? Along with hundreds of his now compadres? Or protesting the government, yes, the federal government, initially introduced drugs to South and East L.A. to keep the black people down who were finally feeling their civil rights? Do you see them protesting that, and all the ills that have resulted from it? Do you see it?

I heard from someone that after all, there isn't a ranking of these kinds of social ills. The one is as bad as the other.

No. They aren't. If it's happening in your own backyard, that's worse. Because you have to take care of your own house before you go pointing the finger at how someone else's is corrupt. Something American's are soo good at doing: pointing the finger elsewhere. Can't think about how we still oppress people here.

It's so much easier to point the finger at China and Tibet. It's not an issue of condoning heinous civil rights violations abroad. It's about doing something about the heinous, continued civil rights violations here, in the U.S., of the poor, disadvantaged or just plain colored people.

If you're so worried about civil rights violations, shut up. And do something. Here. In your community. With your government. Protest that. Or are you too racist or bigoted to care about the poor people in the South? The disadvantaged colored people in the cities? And the exploited migrant women and men picking all your vegetables?

French Man Refuses to Return China's Imperial Bronzes

It should have been deemed an illegal auctioning of two Chinese imperial bronzes looted from the Imperial Palace when the French and the English sacked it during the Opium "War." That "war, by the way, was really a shameless attempt again by the Brits and French to colonize China because, after all, they were so used to colonizing everyone else in the world. Christie's response? They couldn't deny the right to auction the pieces, owned by the partner of the late Yves Saint Laurent.

One wonders. If this were the Italian government, protesting that the Getty had yet again acquired more statues illegally, of course both Christie's and this French man, would have acquiesced, stopped the auction and returned the pieces.

But it's China. Hey, they are just so easy to scapegoat. Again and again. So this French man said that he would return the illegally obtained bronzes if China "improved its human rights record."

That's shorthand for, you know, I'm really irresponsible, I'd rather have the money, and since everyone else points to China's human rights, I will too. It's convenient, rather than actually confronting the central issue: these were looted bronzes, illegally obtained during a war that was, frankly, a colonialist attempt by the French to subjugate the Chinese by inducing rampant drug addiction. When that didn't work, hey, why not just invade them? It's our right, after all, isn't it? We're from the West, we're French. We can do anything.

Why doesn't Mr. Pierre Berge confronting real history and examining what his country did to acquire these pieces in the first place?

The issue is not what China does do, the issue here is what other countries also do but don't take responsibility for because they avoid the issue by pointing the finger at China. That's the issue Westerners often don't grasp.

See the entire article here.

Indie103.1.com

Ever since Indie 103.1 went off the FM airwaves on January 16, 2009, there has been chatter about what will happen to the online-only radio station.

I have a few things to say about it. First of all, Indie 1031.com is still great--it is not a shadow of its former airwave radio self. Moreover, Indie 103.1.com is better by far than any other Independent/Alternative radio station. This includes another favorite of this blog, Morning Becomes Eclectic, now hosted by Jason Bentley. It's good, but not as good. Too much, well, eclecticism. I don't always want to listen to some weird, breathy woman from Brazil trying to be ethereal, if you know what I mean.

As for the few pseudo-news (i.e. blog posts) that lament that Indie 103.1.com is a shadow of its former self now that Jonesy's Jukebox is no more, I disagree. I appreciate Steve Jones and all but I am not one who laments the passing of his show. I mean, one can only listen to so much 70's music, which often comprised the majority of his two hour show. Ugh. It is sad that Henry Rollins's show, Harmony in My Head is moving to KCRW, but Indie still rules.

And for the many who want Indie to live on beyond the internet, there was one person who was evidently petitioning Entravision, the owners of the station who are still evidently willing to support it online. I remain unconvinced how effective that was.

And while it is great that Henry Rollins will be moving to KCRW for a new forum for his show, Harmony in My Head, I still think that Indie 103.1 is by far the best radio around. I will be sticking with it!

Being Western Isn't Enough of a Credential Anymore

The days when being a Westerner, especially one form Western Europe (read: Britain) or from the U.S., in order to be instantly credible, experienced and desirable, are over. In what context? In the East Asia context.

Americans and Western Europeans who travel to India still experience some cache, as do those same people who also travel to other countries in South Asia. They've been colonized enough to be "used to" Westerners who treat a trip to India, for example, as a spiritual pilgrimage. Usually these same people don't subscribe to a "conventional religion" but they sure don't mind using an entire country to activate their "spirituality."

But more and more, partly because much of East Asia was not colonized by these same Western countries, Americans, Brits, French, they aren't instantaneously viewed as more capable, more skilled, more intelligent, or otherwise more informed, than the indigenous peoples. Travel to any of the major cities in China, for example, and one will find more sophistication in the young people than anything Americans might offer. More ambition, better gadgets, and for those born in the city, better educated.

It must be so disappointing for travelers who assume that just because they are less than stellar in their own country, either sexually or professionally, they can still establish their cultural hegemony over there. Well, they can no longer.

Being Euro-American just isn't enough of a credential anymore. Wherever one goes in East Asia, one will find that not only can they do things just as well, they can often do it better, with better technology. It can be done more quicker, and their adoption of newer, more sustainable and efficient technologies is far more rapid and agile than the slow process made in Euro-American countries. Except perhaps those in North-western Europe, where many of these technologies originate.

Nevertheless, the idea of the BRIC economy is more than merely the latest wave of strong, developing economies. It is of cultures that are rapidly gaining on those of the West, building upon both their developments and their mistakes. Americans in particular should take note and stop being so arrogant.

"I don't like Chinese food" Often Equals Racism

It does sound like a leap, but bear with this reasoning.

In an article the other day, an actor who was filming in Hong Kong over the summer vehemently declared he "hated Chinese food." He was there for three months, had nothing to say about traveling, the culture, different as it is from China since it was a colony for 150 years and is inexorably changed, and nothing to say about the experience. Just that he hated Chinese food.

Hmm. What happened to all the other aspects of Hong Kong that are interesting? I know, for the sanitized white tourist, it's far too difficult to embrace.

Imagine that same white tourist, this one from Boston where the actor was from, in, say, India. Suddenly things change, don't they? Because India was a colony for over 300 years, white people who find it far too intimidating to travel to China or even Hong Kong will travel to India. Why? Because int he popular imaginary, there is nothing threatening about India. The people, most obviously, have been subdued for centuries. That they finaly threw off the shackles of colonialism happened only in the recent past. Look how long it's been trying to overcome the long-lasting effects of centuries of slavery and you'll understand that fifty years means nothing compared to hundreds of years. India was a colony for over 300.

So people know that the Indians will speak English. They feel that they ar a non-threatening peole. They aren't violent. They've adopted an originally British Indianized dish of Chicken Tiki Masala, just for the Western palate, even. And theydon't do violent things. They are, in short, nonthreatening.

Imagine China, now. People do't speak the language. The government has never been touched by a Western hand. And the Communism? It wasn't as Marx envisioned. It was never an economic system in China, just another form of imperial control, under a different name. The peole have never been cowed. They do things so differently. There isn't a lot of history about China that has not aready been sanitized by hundreds of years of Western scholars. There are, in short, unknown. Hence threatening. And the likelihood that a Westerner traveling to China knows the language? Right.

So when someone says, I don't like Chinese food, what they are saying is Chinese food is a proxy for a culture and a people they find different, threatening, scary and unable to e cowed. By Western values of "democracy" or "humanity"--yes, that's why we criminalize same-sex marriage, here, homosexuality, colored people, single mothers--yes, we are humane, here, incarcerating old men over fifty years in the South because once, a black man sold some pot. Gee. And what happens to Robert Downey, Jr.? A few months? Hmm. But we are humane. Yes, we are. We value human rights. We don't incarcerate, criminalkize or otherwise discriminate. Unless somehow those groups deserve it.

And imagine if someone said, I hate hot dogs and baseball. What would be the reaction? You mean you hate America?

UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball Trounces the Stanford Cardinal, 97-63

At half-time, the Bruins only had a lead of about 13 over the Cardinal, with the scores hovering in the 30's and 20's, respectively.

But while the major newspapers are touting the 40-14 run by the Bruins, which helped rout the Cardinal, what was more impressive about the game was Howland's vision of his bench and the development of his players.

So with a little more than 9 minutes left in the second half, and UCLA at a comfortable 30-point lead, Howland decided to rotate some of his younger players in. The second team. With James Keefe, who just lately got bumped from his starter position, who along with Michael Roll, were the two veteran players of the second team. Roll for his part continues to solidify his talent for sinking 3's. Then Howland began rotating even greener players like Jerime Anderson, Drew Gordon, Malcolm Lee and J'mison Morgan for significant minutes. To not just give them experience during the height of the season, but to more importantly deepen his bench for the March Madness Run.

There will be talk of the selflessness of passes, rather than driving for a basket, making the pass, but what really struck me watching this game was that for almost ten minutes during the second half, Stanford scored primarily through free throws. And while that can often be the difference between winning and losing, they were technically playing the second and third teams. And against them, the veteran players on Stanford's team should have been able to score more than they did.

Which proves the importance of the mental game. By the time Howland began rotating his bench in, the Stanford team had already begun losing in their minds. Granted, the 30-point lead can weigh heavily on the mind, but they were clearly much more experienced, and bigger, than the Bruins. And yet still, they couldn't seem to score. Again, highlighting the importance of the mental game. For all the fans who left early, you missed some great last minute plays.

Though in fairness, Darren Collison, my favorite, is a really exceptional athlete and I give him a lot of credit for energizing his team, playing solidly throughout the first and second halves until Howland began rotating other players in.

Go Bruins.

Republican Solution to Everything: Cut Taxes

While it has been repeatedly reported that the Republicans are being obfuscatory in their total lack of support to help this sinking recessive economy, the most interesting aspect of their ideological quandary is their lack of any alternative suggestions. Other than cut taxes.

Which is patently unhelpful. Unemployed, homeless people who lost both job and home do not need tax cuts. They need housing. And most importantly, they require jobs. Jobs that will secure a home, any kind of home, rented or bought, for the foreseeable future. That is what is required.

It's unconscionable that the fat cats called Republican congressmen and women, who have no worry about their own livelihoods, are pushing only federal tax cuts as their solution to a problem that is complex and deep. Conservatism is not working. It hasn't since Bush's infamous tax cuts. Numerous tax cuts. That, coupled with intense deregulation, lack of governmental oversight, and the evidently uncontrollable urge towards cronyism, has led to a worldwide recession.

It was unthinkable that anyone could see that reality and not understand that tax cuts would not help. People don't need a one-time five hundred dollar check from their government. What people need when they don't have employment is, guess what? Employment. People need more services until they can afford to buy them through their future employment. People need housing.

And what is even more unconscionable is that Republicans forget those millions of working poor, who make minimum wage and can't feed and house themselves properly, let alone any children or spouses they might have. Don't believe it? Read Nickel and Dimed, written by Barbara Ehrenreich. She has a Ph.D. and she could not make a living earning minimum wage.

One really wonders exactly how privilege has blinded Republicans into thinking that, as long as they stick with their outmoded, privilege only wealthy-white-people policies, they will eventually convince the poor masses Republicans have their best interests at heart. On the other hand, it worked for eight years with Bush.

The Economy Closes More Smalltown Stores: Harari Off and Eastside Book Cafe

Los Angeles and its wealthy playgrounds should be immune from the Recession, one might think. But if the Dow Jones Industrial Average is an accurate measure, the economy continues to reside in the cautious side of pessimistic. A few weeks ago, when it began climbing towards 8900, I thought that finally, people would stop freaking out. And I want to tell all the idiots who keep making it hover around 8100, stop it! Stop freaking out! You're in this for the long haul, that's why you bought stocks in the first place, so stop making it artificially roil! But no, I believe it was Keynes, though it might have been Friedman, who said that while markets act rationally, once they begin to fall freely, they behave irrationally. Or, in other words, instead of anthropomorphizing markets, let's be real. Markets reflect the people who are buying and selling stocks. And they behave rationally as long as things seem to be going well. But once these people get spooked, guess what? So does their behavior in selling and buying stocks. Hence a spooked market.

At any rate, this recession has continued to shutter small businesses that provide goods to locals and tourists alike. The first lament is for the Eastside Book Cafe in Big Bear City, which is different from the more touristy Big Bear Lake. This gem of a bookstore was not simply replete with a great selection of books, but also offered a great little cafe next door, as well as free wifi. And on the weekends, the parking lot provided a venue for locals to sell their wares while they reconnected. The link to the article says that Gail Sefl, the owner, renegotiated her lease to remain open. Unfortunately, that didn't work. As a matter of fact, there was another story published in the Big Bear Grizzly newspaper by Brian Charles, but interestingly, that story can no longer be located on the web. At any rate, this was the only decent bookstore not just in Big Bear but for the surrounding area, including Lake Arrowhead. That bookstore, located at the downtown "mall" was turned into a clothing store because, as the owner confessed, no one was interested in books. Evidently. So no more gems from Ruth Prawer Jhabvala John Berger, or Rex Stout to be bought anywhere in the mountains east of Los Angeles. Evidently, after skiing or shopping at the local antique shops, people just want to watch television.

I hope that the economy improves and that this trend of small stores closing ends. Especially small bookstores. As it is, with Midnight Special closing in Santa Monica four years ago and then Dutton books (though that wasn't nearly as good), there are very few good bookstores in L.A. that aren't overly specialized. I often looked forward to going to the mountains just to visit that bookstore and now it's gone.

A different kind of store in Redondo Beach will also be sorely missed and I'm guessing not just by me. This is the Harari Off outlet store located in the Riviera across from the local Trader Joe's. This has been a mainstay not just for those who live in the South Bay, which included Palos Verdes just up the hill, but for anyone who has appreciated elegant, comfortable and extremely well-made clothing at a good price. Normally Harari designs are sold at a price point that favors their Neiman Marcus clientele. But at the outlet store, these same designs, with printed silks that were not only daring in design, but were also graceful and rendered in tasteful and sometimes bold palettes, could be had at prices ranging from $10 to $100.

Sadly, Harari has decided that they can make a better profit by changing their market strategy. They will be decreasing their patterned designs which were probably expensive to make, in conjunction with using using different manufacturers who emphasize plain fabrics, as well as carrying additional lines. They will also be decreasing their inventory, making less of their own designs with their new contracted manufacturers. That will be in conjunction with carrying other lines they don't have to spend money producing, thus diversifying their smaller inventory. So they will no longer need an outlet store to move sale items since there will be less of it. They can sell what little they have in store, for a larger profit.

Tant pis. I know I won't be going to the Montana, Santa Monica store anytime soon. The staff there are so overly impressed with themselves. Ditto for the store in Beverly Hills. The women at the Redondo Beach outlet store were polite, helpful and nice, all characteristics that are sorely in need in our Post-Bush society.

Organizing for America (OFA) and the Community Action Network (CAN)

There has been a strange phenomenon occurring on the MyBarackObama.com website. The good thing about the website is it has a lot of tools to make organizing events and groups extremely easy. The bad thing is that this has also bred a lot of competition for power within the structure.

The ongoing feud between people who want to join the official Organizing for America or OFA organization, run by the Obama Administration's representatives, or the Community Action Network CAN, run by some very enterprising Obama supporters, is a good example.

Essentially, a tempest in a teapot has begun because the two organizers of the nationwide CAN, which one can join through MyBarackObama.com, Lisa Lindo and Paul Currier, have been, well, organized and enterprising. And lots of people who have worked on the campaign as volunteers, paid or otherwise, are upset.

So, for example, some emails by a woman who worked on the campaign named Laura Velkei, has been protesting vociferously that these people are charlatans, they don't represent the Obama Administration, their agenda should not be heeded, and that, by the way, you can unsubscribe to the CAN emails at the bottom of this email or on the MyBarackObama.com website, seems like professional jealousy. Though the emails were entitled innocuously, "In the spirit of openness" or some such thing, that was clearly disingenuous and what she wanted to do was discredit these people.

There were very restrained responses by Paul Currier and Lisa Lindo, who did say that this was approved by David Plouffe, even if they aren't the official organizing arm of the Administration,
which included that they wanted to organize and help, people are still protesting from all over the country.

It is decidedly strange. After all, if one doesn't want to join, don't. If one does not want to embark upon the campaign suggested by Mr. Currier or Ms. Lindo, don't. Do what Ms. Velkei herself should clearly do: unsubscribe. Do something else constructive with your time.

It is puzzling. The struggle for power and ascendancy, even in this supposedly equalizing forum, is mind-boggling. Actually, it is quite similar to the campaign itself: headed by a person who is clearly passionate about his principles and then supported, especially at the very lowest rungs, by people elbowing each other out of the way as they jockey for power.

Jettison "No Child Left Behind"

The Obama Administration needs to jettison the absurd, pedagogically useless policy of "No Child Left Behind."

Teachers throughout the K-12 system I've spoken too, especially those who teach kindergarten through sixth grade, routinely criticize this system because rather than ensuring that children are performing well, it saddles teachers with constantly prepping their students for exams.

And studies have shown that tests are predictive of very little. They don't predict anything except how well students perform on exams. They don't accurately reflect what kids have learned. They certainly don't predict what they will be capable of learning in the future. And they place an inordinate burden on students.

For example, in one school in Redondo Beach, CA, Kindergarteners are required to produce a book report. Yes, that's right, five year olds. A book report. Teachers recommend that parents keep their children out of kindergarten until age 6 because of this requirement.

How about let's make certain the children actually just learn through activities that have nothing to do with exams? Plenty of smart people in our society achieved many things without being tested or required to do one to two hours of homework a night as a first-grader. But that's what happens in Pacific Palisades' Marquez school, CA, to make sure their students fulfill the NCLB requirements.

These exams are also culturally biased. Pegged for certain ways of approaching problems, like exams. And privileging certain types of thought.

In the Math Ph.D. program at UCLA, all the pure math majors pride themselves on getting perfect scores on their Verbal GRE's, as well as obviously perfect scores on th Math portion and the Subject exam. Why? Because, as I was informed by a friend, those exams privilege a certain type of thinking. So that even if one doesn't know the vocabulary, or the stories to analyze, one knows how to think in order to assess which answer is correct.

This particular friend was embarrassed because he had broken the record by missing three questions.

Jettison NCLB. And let teachers start teaching again, not just being test monitors.

Faith's Role in Offering Succor

People who are religious will frequently assert that their faith offers succor and solace during difficult times. Death, financial difficulties, work, these are all potential arenas that those who are religious will say that they could not survive if they had not their religion to rely on.

One woman, a Mormon, admitted that during these financially difficult times, she knew that from past experience, she would get through this time, as well. Furthermore, that she knew God would make things alright, though perhaps that result may not come in the form she expects or desires. The past had told her that.

What is really interesting about this is that those who are either agnostic or atheistic, not just towards Christian religions, but towards Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, as well, can experience exactly the same thing.

Therefore, if one experiences tragedy or personal difficulty, unless it results in death, one knows that one will survive. Things will, eventually, be alright. And despite the length of time one was in difficult times, one knows it will pass. Because one knows this from past experience. And one again experiences periods of joy, happiness or contentment.

This is neither an argument for or against religion. It's just an observation that while those who have religious faith think that their faith in the future is exclusive to their belief in a higher being, those without religion experience the same faith that they, too, will be alright. They, however, do not have that higher being in whom they can place that faith/knowledge.

Israeli Shoots and Kills Two Girls, Cripples Third

This story, reported on The World is truly horrifying if it is confirmed. The reporter, Quil Lawrence, did say that on several key points, the stories of the Grandmother, who survived, the father, who carried both his grandmother and one remaining 4-year old daughter a mile to a hospital during the 3 hour "humanitarian" lull, all match. And the 4 year old girl, shot in the spin and crippled, is in Europe so there isn't a lot of opportunity to get her story to "match" her father's and grandmother's story.

Basically, they lived in an area in Gaza under Israeli control, the entire area was leveled. They were told to get out. And so the grandmother, mother and three little girls, 2, 4 and 7 years of age, came out with white flags.

An Israeli soldier purposefully shot them. The 2 and 7 year olds died almost instantly. The mother, father, injured grandmother and daughter hid inside their home for over an hour and a half, waiting for relief or instructions. None came. Israeli soldiers were joking and evidently drinking soda outside.

During the "humanitarian lull"--which is such an offensive term because who gave the Israelis the right to dictate what happens to other people in their own country?--the father took the grandmother not fatally shot, and his one remaining daughter to the hospital and mile and a half away. The daughter was later flown somewhere in Europe for treatment. She will be crippled for life.

The Obama Effect

I arose early this morning and took my daughter to a public event to watch President Obama take his oath of office and his speech that inspired me.

I have some simple thoughts. I think like many people, I have become renewed and resolved. I am ready to serve in what way I can. I do not think that it will change. I will do what I have done in the past, within my skill sets and in line with my principles. But what has changed is that I feel that my efforts will not be fighting a losing battle. Perhaps, if he can continue to ignite people's inspiration, and I'm not talking about those already involved, but those who were not inclined to donate their time to community service of some sort, if President Obama can do that, we may finally begin a progress towards something that transcends the kind of bigotry, narrow-mindedness and selfishness that has marked so much of the past decade.

On the Eve of the Inauguration

It is a profound and profoundly moving moment in history. There is simply no other term for it but a moment in history. No one in this world will ever forget where they were and what they were doing on the 20th of January, 2009.

The nature of President-elect Obama's conduct over the past two months and some days has been extremely moving and personal for innumerable people around this country and indeed, the world. I am no different.

What I find most interesting about this incoming President, and I admit I am more interested in him right now than his administration, is that he has changed the tenor of people's attitudes. Despite the fact that we may be in even more dire circumstances than the Great Depression (after all, this Recession is Global), Mr. Obama has inspired people to change the way they view themselves, their empowerment, and their responsibility to those beyond their own narrow lives.

It is one of the most striking contrasts to the kind of culture and mindset that George W. Bush heralded. With him and his "War on Terror" rather than "Terrorism," Bush instituted a culture of "Me First, in fact, Only Me" wherein the rules of conduct applied to everyone else but oneself. Of course, what that meant was that the rules applied to no one, since everyone occupies the role of "someone else" in relation to other people.

Thus people became rude. They were unrepentantly mean. And racist, "hate" crimes increased dramatically. They could call each other names and then, like Sarah Palin, accuse other people of the very conduct they themselves engaged in by hiding behind the excuse, "Well, you're just being mean." Projection and irresponsibility was the order of the day for eight long years.

If I am any measure, everything has changed. I have gone from being extremely cynical about my agency to feeling that empowerment is less important than the fact that I want to serve my country. I am looking for myriad ways of doing so, despite that I am unemployed and have been for several months. Nevertheless, I am glad I am American. I am actually contemplating wearing an American flag shirt for the celebration in Downtown L.A. though in honesty, I don't have anything like that so I won't. But if I did possess such an item, I certainly would.

I am attending tomorrow morning to watch the Swearing in Ceremony live on enormous screens with thousands of other people. I am taking my daughter to this event, unlike some people I know who are attending the actual inauguration and have left their seven-year old at home. I am going to take photos. Because unlike those other people, I know that though I am not old, this election has not been about me, and this inauguration is likewise, not for just me. It is for and about the younger generation. So while my daughter is not yet two, I intend to take her to this celebration. She will experience what it is like for people to join together in strength, unified in purpose and joined by a vision that can accommodate personal goals in a way that benefits the many. Because even if she does not remember the event when she grows older, I will share that experience with her. With photos and video. And she will know that her life, which began the day before Mr. Obama declared his candidacy, was improved in innumerable, countless ways by this singular event.

I am glad, and proud, to be American. And I will be proud when I go abroad. And people will no longer scorn me when they discover I am American, though I am of color. They will congratulate me. As a representative of something for good.

Service-Oriented Jobs and Living Vicariously

It is interesting that there are certain service sectors, namely ones providing services in the home, that breed a need to live vicariously through their employers. To wit: imagine a full-time housekeeper. S/he works inside someone's home to allow that person or those people to have lives outside that home. In other words, the employers are busy doing things, producing either objects or services, that can be both seen and acknowledged by the outside world.

Now imagine what the person working inside that household does: cleans. Cooks. Shops for those people. Prepares food for them. And then, when they come home, listens to their triumphs. In the outside world.

No wonder people like Kato Kaelin, of Nicole Brown Simpson fame talked the way he did. His words, and his conversation, can be reduced to one word: gossip. That's because he didn't produce anything himself. He lived vicariously through other people's lives. In essence, he did not have his own life. So he garnered vicarious pleasure, pride, and even a sense of achievement, through the lives of those around him who actually did something other than take care of someone else's house.

It is sad. No wonder these people gossip so much. It's what they have. Because their own lives are devoted to making other people's outside lives possible. By taking care of their home lives for them. Cleaning their homes. Cooking for them. And taking care of their children.

Hangers' On, Wannabe's and Others Invited to Inauguration

It is depressing to hear of people who hated Obama, his wife ("Can you believe what she said about being finally proud of Americans?") and vowed that if he won the presidency, this country would go to the dogs?

Those would be the same die-hard Hillary fans who are now riding to the Inauguration, and they hope, the White House administration, on her coattails. They didn't raise money for him, but for her. They didn't do anything at all for him, as a matter of fact, except spread rumours about how awful he was, etc, etc, but aren't they excited about being able to attend the Inaguration now!

After all, it's an opportunity, and this surely is the land of opportunity! Hey, if Obama can be President, why can't all these insignificant, self-aggrandizing opportunists use this chance to promote themselves? Throw an event or two, pretend you're important, and be certain to tell every person who will listen to you, who has less power than you and is stupider than you, that you are soo important! Guess what, they'll believe you!

This inauguration is not about self-promotion, much as these cynical Clintonites like to think. On this upcoming day of service celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday, it is important for these people to recall that it isn't just "the day before the inauguration when I can possibly hob-knob with the person who stands next to the person who stands next to Obama"--it's about what you can do. Not about hiring celebrities for your function or bragging to every person who will listen what you have done. It's about doing something and not bragging. It's about just doing something to help people who don't have the money you were born into. It's about serving.