By way of Angry Asian Man, Congress passed a resolution honoring the contributions of Asian Pacific American soldiers who served in the US Civil War sponsored by Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA). Two soldiers were especially acknowledged for their historic participation: Edward Day Cohota and Joseph L. Pierce.
It is discoveries like these that makes history so alive.
If there's one thing I miss about California it would be earthquakes. Or if I had my choice of natural disasters from tornadoes to hurricanes, I think earthquakes would top the list. Why? Because even in a really bad earthquake, you can stand and watch other people run and scream in terror. You can't do that in a tornado or a hurricane because, well, you'll be blown away. And it's worse to be in a shelter because, well, remember Katrina? Earthquakes are extremely short events and its devastation can last beyond the mere seconds it occurred, but it is also a spectacle that I as a native San Franciscan endured and, to a certain extent, miss.
Yes, that's very sadistic and heartless of me, but I grew up with a series of tremors that ran for almost a decade in my youth. The City experienced a number of quakes and shocks ranging from 3.0 to 4.5 and some "experts" were predicting that these quakes were leading up to the "big one" sometime in the next thirty years. Incidentally, someone said the same thing on CNN today about yesterday's earthquake in Chino Hills, CA. Yesterday's earthquake could potentially unleash a devastating one in the region. Whatever. I grew up with daily earthquake and fire drills at my grammar school. I learned safety procedures and basic emergency first aid. Later in college, I experienced the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. A 6.9-7.1 earthquake that stopped the World Series, destroyed the Nimitz Freeway, collapsed a section of the Bay Bridge, heavily damaged and destroyed homes and apartments in the Marina district, and killed over 50 people and injured 3,000.
I was in the Student Union on the campus of San Francisco State University when the earthquake occurred. If anyone went to or is familiar with the Student Union it is a structure entirely made of concrete and steel. The design of the building is "unique" which means it sucks. A famous SF columnist, Herb Caen, once described the building looking like two ships sinking in the horizon. And it does. But it was supposedly the safest building on campus since it was built with improved earthquake codes. After the building was evacuated, I met up with my friends outside who saw the "two ships" of the Student Union bounce in the course of the earthquake. That's several thousand tons of concrete and steel bouncing up-and-down on top of several thousand more tons of concrete and steel with *me* inside watching the concrete columns swaying back-and-forth. Two of my best friends (both native San Franciscans) and I sat in our club's office when the quake hit. We paused for a moment to confirm that it was indeed an earthquake, and then casually walked over to the entrance of the door for safety. We knew this quake was SERIOUS. It was not your average tremor. We knew that the damage will be bad, but we didn't know how devastating it was until much later.
So when I saw the news reports and footage of yesterday's earthquake, and with all those people running around in a panicked state, I shook my head and laughed. I couldn't believe how many people cried over a 5.4 earthquake. The drama kings and queens were in full force, but of course, that's Los Angeles for you. Everyone and everything is a spectacle. For me, anything less than a 6.0 earthquake is still a walk in the park. Of course there will be damage but yesterday's quake was nothing compared to the 1989 Loma Prieta (6.9-7.1) or the disastrous 1994 Northridge quake (6.7). The running joke among my friends is that you can tell who the native San Franciscan was, or at the least a Californian, when they acted calmly or went about their business. We knew when an earthquake was serious, but whenever we saw anyone who panicked, we also knew that they were often more dangerous than the quake itself.
Still having trouble with my home internet connection. Too many thunderstorms left the lines in a tattered state. Grrrrrrr.
This is one of the reasons why I love and miss San Francisco.
George W. Bush Sewage Plant Plan is on ballot(07-17) 14:57 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco voters will be asked to decide whether to name a city sewage plant in honor of President Bush, after a satiric measure qualified for the November ballot Thursday.
Backers of the measure, who for several months circulated a petition to place the measure on the ballot, turned in more than 12,000 signatures on July 7, said organizer Brian McConnell. The Department of Elections on Thursday informed those supporters, the self-proclaimed Presidential Memorial Commission, that they had enough valid signatures - a minimum of 7,168 registered San Francisco voters - to qualify for the November ballot.
McConnell, who came up with the idea over beers with friends, often donned an Uncle Sam outfit to drum up support for the petition. The all-volunteer group of signature gatherers often carried around an American flag and blasted patriotic music from a boom box to attract attention. He said the campaign to pass the measure will be an equally grassroots effort.
The measure, if passed, would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. McConnell said the intent is to remember the Bush administration and what the group sees as the president's mistakes, including the war in Iraq.
Some people aren't laughing, including the San Francisco Republican Party, which sees the measure as an embarrassment, even to this famously liberal city. Chairman Howard Epstein has vowed to fight the measure with all means available to him.
A White House spokeswoman, when asked about the measure several weeks ago, refused to comment.
E-mail Marisa Lagos at mlagos@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle.
After arriving last Monday evening, I'm finally back online and writing my first post from the comfort of my new home in Grinnell, Iowa. The packing, moving, and driving over 1000 miles will always test one's patience and it certainly did. I hate having my life upended. I also hate not being connected to my friends via the internet, but there's always an end and J and I are finally feeling like we're at home. I think this weekend we'll have our first real chance to check out the town and the surrounding cities like Des Moines and Iowa City. Here's a few quick highlights ...
Today is my last day in Arlington, VA Washington, DC.
Movers came yesterday and picked up everything that we packed.
J and I had one great and last dinner with a very dear friend/colleague from her department -- Korean BBQ! We had one last toast together and to our friend.
We vacuumed, washed, scrubbed, and dusted (not necessarily in that order) our apartment.
We threw away tons of goodies and foods from Trader Joe's, the Korean market, etc.
We slept on the floor last night because the movers took our bed.
I hit my head on the side view mirror of the mover's truck leaving a 2-inch cut that bled for some time. Yeah, that was stupid of me.
I have no cable TV, but I still have internet access.
Our 80-year-old next door neighbor was sad to see us go, but insisted that J and I finally get married.
We have a few more things to do, final packing, and some more trash to throw away this morning.
We'll have our last lunch here, maybe at the local diner -- the same one that we went to the first night J arrived for her job at "that school" in Fairfax. It's seems fitting that we begin and end there.
After lunch, we'll hit the road driving for about 2-3 days to our first stop at Wichita, KS to see J's family. Her mom's cooking is to die for! And I'll get to shoot pool with her father who is pretty good opponent. After 2-3 days of resting and recuperating, we'll make our way for 6.5 hours to our final destination at Grinnell, IA.
That's it. =D
It's down to the wire as the last bits and pieces and random items need to be collected, cleaned, and either packed or thrown away. Here's a few more quick thoughts from these past few days:
These past two weeks has been extraordinarily stressful. I've been cleaning, packing, and getting ready for my long awaited departure from Washington, DC to Grinnell, IA. We already packed fifty boxes that are just our books only! And we just started with everything else: clothes, dishes, CDs, DVDs, research files, and a bunch of knick knacks. Hiring movers can be a trying experience especially when arranging a schedule is complicated by tornadoes and floods in Iowa. Fortunately, Grinnell was founded on high ground and away from the river. Getting there is the big problem. But for now, if all goes well, the movers will arrive this Tuesday to pack everything up. By Wednesday, I'll be on the road first to stop by my girlfriend's family in Wichita, KS, for a few days and then off to Grinnell. All of which means that this may very well be my last post until I get set up in my new home.
In the meantime, I've got a few quick highlights and thoughts:
1) saw the amazing Body Worlds exhibition in Baltimore, MD.
2) eating Maryland blue crabs at Obricky's is yummy.
3) I give a grade of A+ for Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy in Wanted.
4) I give another A+ for Wall-E.
5) thunderstorms suck in the summer.
6) lightning strikes are cool ... when they're far away.
7) dust is dirty.
8) cleaning grime from the cooking fan is disgusting.
9) Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore, MD, was cool.
10) finding old episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation on video tape from 1992 brings back memories.
11) I found a $100 Australian bill. I have no idea how I came to acquire that.
12) Being poor still sucks especially when a chunk of change is going to pay the movers.
13) Throwing out my old Milli Vanilli CD.
14) Keeping my memorabilia from my senior high school retreat. It's a Catholic thing. I can't figure out why I still have it but oh well.
15) Threw out over 50 video cassettes of old TV shows and movies.
And finally, I am happy to announce that one of my former students will be transferring to Northeastern University in Boston, MA, in the Fall, and another student will be studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Congratulations for their successes!
