Just saw Episode #13 of the final season of Battlestar Galactica and I have six words from an enraged President Roslin ... "I AM COMING FOR ALL OF YOU!"
Also, Admiral Adama's final words on the CIC was pretty chilling ... "If you do this, there will be no forgiveness, no amnesty."
I can't wait until the next episode!
There's quite a flurry of discussion about the terms of presidential succession in today's inauguration. I picked this one up from Volokh Conspiracy. Here's the gist of the argument:
President Barrack Obama is NOT the first African American President of the United States. Someone else, technically, was between the time of 12noon and 12:01pm on 20 January 2009. According to the 20th Amendment (1933) of the US Constitution detailing the presidential line of succession, it states:
Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January ...In Art II, Sec 1 of the US Constitution, it reads:
"Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation ..."Neither Vice President Biden or President Obama took the oath of office in the time stated. Yo-Yo Ma and Perlman were still playing at 12noon. Biden took his oath at 12:01pm, and President Obama at 12:03pm. And just for emphasis, neither George W. Bush or Dick Cheney were qualified since they had already vacated their positions. Therefore, between 12noon to 12:01pm, someone else was President of the United States.
Where was I on this day that Obama took the oath of office?
I was in ARH 320 with my friend and fellow colleague, George Barlow, sitting in a room full of eager students, professors, staff, and fellow members of the Grinnell community.
On a second thought, scratch that.
I sat in a room full of friends.
It has been a long heartbreaking eight years. Time to move on and keep moving on.
I just finished watching President Bush's farewell address from The White House. And I sat there staring at the TV wondering, "What fucking reality was he referring to?" There was not an ounce of reflection in his speech, or even an awareness of the magnitude of the problems he and his administration created in the past eight years. It's as though he created his own rubric by which to measure his own success and that he gave himself an outstanding evaluation.
WTF?!?
No. He does not get the last word. It does not belong to him. Enough of his nonsense!
I think to myself, 5 more days and he'll be gone. Just a little while longer and it'll be all over.
Thanks to Lawrence Sumulong, a student in last semester's Contemporary Asian American Issues course, a video lecture by Jennifer 8. Lee entitled "Who Was General Tso? and Other Mysteries of American Chinese Food." It's a great piece discussing the politics of production, consumption, and circulation of American Chinese food from its historical origins during the 1800s exclusion era to its present day. It's a witty, funny, and provocative when compared with other so-called "American" foods, but she falls flat on her conclusion taking a moralistic ground instead of a more critical analysis. I suppose it's okay considering her audience, but so much of her critique is historically and politically grounded that I was surprised she didn't follow up with a larger critique about the politics of race and food politics. Oh well.
I came across this clip from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart about Dr. Sanjay Gupta's nomination to Surgeon General under Obama's administration. It's a great piece about racial politics and identity that gave me a really good laugh that I certainly needed in recent days.
WARNING: The videos taken from witnesses do record the discharge of a gun by a BART police officer and a murder.
It's about time to get back to work. My trip to San Francisco was great if it didn't include my stay with my parents. Sorry but I don't have that kind of a relationship with my parents that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. They push my buttons, and I am more than happy to return the favors. At any rate, it was nice to get away from the frigid temperatures of Iowa and to enjoy the warmth of the sun, and the comfort of great food and friends. Here's a quick summary of my vacation highlights:
1) California Academy of Sciences: closed due to earthquake damage and reopened in September 2008, the newly redesigned and refurbished museum is simply AWESOME. Smaller than before but nevertheless a great exhibition on conservationism, environmentalism, history, science, astronomy, biology, and ecology.
2) Asian/American/Modern Art: Shifting Currents, 1900-1970 at the de Young Museum: this is probably the first comprehensive survey of ASIAN AMERICAN artists featured at a major fine arts museum. There's over 100 works by 60 artists that spans nearly 70 years. A very fine exhibition.
3) Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes, also at the de Young Museum: Just right after the Asian American art exhibition was Maya Lin's new exhibition which was ... okay. Basically, it's taking computer generated wire framed topographies and transforming them into large scale physical pieces. Some were cool; others ... well ... it just didn't work for me. It doesn't help when I still have this ambivalence about Maya Lin and her racial/gender politics during the Vietnam Veterans Memorial controversy. Meh ...
4) Would you believe that I saw two of my former students from Loyola Marymount University? These two were the better ones, not the screwed up ignorant elitist kids. I was pleasantly surprised and glad to see that they've graduated and moved on with their careers. One was a graduate student in urban planning and the other received her teaching credentials. It was awkward considering that one caught me at a cafe reading a book and the other called me yelled out "Professor Leung!" at the de Young Museum. I was embarrassed, but I was so happy to see both of them. They were my favorite students.
5) Great movies to watch: Doubt and Slumdog Millionaire. Dumbest movie to watch: Bedtime Stories. My younger brother and his wife wanted to see that one. Really, they did.
6) Read a few chapters on a cultural theory and popular culture in preparation for my classes in the spring. That was somewhat productive.
7) I brought my camera with my and photographed The City to my heart's delight, and I also got an opportunity to do a photowalk at the Mountain View Cemetary in Oakland. Very cool.
8) On a sad note, I found out from one of my former students that Randy Senzaki passed away on June 13, 2003. I was shocked and utterly speechless. I remember Randy when he was the director of Equal Opportunity Programs at San Francisco State University. He was one of the few APA administrators who was extremely supportive of student activists and worked tirelessly on issues of social justice. I'm still shaking my head.
My back to work "to do" list includes:
