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!
It's such a sad day. I'm a big big fan of George Carlin as far as I could remember and it's a sad day to see him depart right before he was to be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (although, I can see that he might make a scathing critique out of that award as well). Carlin is what Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert wish they could be: entertainer, comedian, satirist, political agitator, and master of language whose work became the basis for the 1978 US Supreme Court case of FCC v. Pacifica Foundation where Carlin's "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" was aired at a radio station in New York City. In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that limited civil sanctions can be levied against a radio broadcast of "patently offensive words."
I loved Carlin's political and cultural critique but unlike Stewart or Colbert, his work was not about innuendos or linguistic slights, that is, implied critiques. His comedy was open, in your face, dark, and punchy on topics that included Christianity, surveillance, politics, elections, excesses of American culture, materialism, and many other social issues and taboo subjects. It had a working-class roughness and his comedy was not for everyone. But that's what I liked about him and why I always thought of him as a political and cultural agitator of the best kind where his intents and motivations were clear cut and out in the open.
I last saw Carlin at a sold-out performance when I was vacationing in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. I can't believe that's the end of another wonderful man with a truly historic career.
I was tagged by Ortho who maintains his very cool blog Baudrillard's Bastard.
The Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
"The Facts"
1. I am an avid billiards player who once considered going pro some years ago right when I started graduate school. In my undergraduate days I was ranked fourth in the western region and I competed regularly in tournaments. I once made $1000 in one week from winning several tournaments. That was a lot of work by the way.
2. I play World of Warcraft, well, for the moment anyways until something better comes along. The fascination of the game has since worn off and I only logon for pvp or chat with my Aussie and Kiwi friends. And in case you're wondering my main is a mage ... and a paladin ... and a priest ... and a hunter ... and ...
3. I'm still trying to quit smoking.
4. My favorite fantasy book is Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2004). It's a wonderful read about the art of magic and war in 19th century England. And it reads like an academic book complete with footnotes and references to "magical scholarship."
5. My partner accuses me of being a Francophile. I will not deny it. But I will not admit it either. By the way, she speaks fluent French.
6. I was arrested in San Francisco in a citywide protest against the Rodney King decision ... and I had to appear in trial with sixty others who were arrested with me.
7. I just bought a brand spanking new Nikon D60 for my graduation present. I'm not a professional photographer but I love to go on photowalks whenever I can. I don't have a particular specialty; I guess I'm exploring different styles at the moment. If I had to choose one genre it would be night photography. The technical aspects of it fascinate me as well as the spectacular visual effect.
Hmmmm ... who do I tag? So many to choose ...
What the hell is this war of words that pits racism and sexism against each other? As if one was worse than the other so therefore it deserves more attention and import than the other? Or that sexism was the cause of Hillary's downfall? Or that Obama needs to win because racism is worse than sexism?
How odd. I feel fine. But maybe it's about time to cut back, yes?
OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets
With the final revisions done, I made two copies of my dissertation and mailed it off to CGU along with my check for processing.
I checked and double-checked my pagination, margins, titles, footnotes, and bibliographic format and all seems to be in order. If there's no major problem -- and there better not be -- I will be officially done with my degree by June 2008.
And now I have to take care of consolidating my pesky student loans. *grrrrr*
Turner Classic Movies is hosting a month long retrospective called Race and Hollywood: Asian Images in Film for the month of June. Every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 8pm and ending in the wee hours of the early morning, thirty-seven films will be aired representing historically significant and stereotypical images of Asians in cinema. It's an impressive selection from early films such as The Cheat (1915), Broken Blossoms (1915), Shanghai Express (1932) to recent films such as Enter the Dragon (1973) and The Joy Luck Club (1993). Although some of the choices for these recent films are totally random like Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Mr. Baseball (1992). It features some of the first Asian American actors and actresses like Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star in the 1920s, James Shigeta who is considered to the first Asian American leading male in the 1960s, Nancy Kwan and her debut role as an exotic prostitute in The World of Suzie Wong (1960), and of course, the martial artistry of Bruce Lee and many others. It also covers the politically charged and problematic practice of "yellow face" with actors such as Peter Ustinov as Charlie Chan and Christopher Lee (yes, Count Dooku himself) as Fu Manchu.
I would totally give this an "A" but I'm not. It gets a "B" grade not because of a lack of content or bad selections, but who TCM hired as their "expert" on the subject of Asian American representation in film. I don't know how the hiring process works or what the mechanics that drove this retrospective, but the choice made me wonder if someone in TCM was on crack or just didn't know. I think the latter. There are numerous other scholars who have studied and researched this subject for decades, but I guess he's the one to represent all of that work. Whatever.
I watched the Rules Committee meeting for as much as I could all day. I saw the drama, the heartaches, the passions, and the pleas and at the end of the day, I am still dumbfounded. I know Michigan and Florida violated the rules regarding primary elections to which Obama and Clinton honored the DNC by not campaigning in either state. Yet this "compromise" seems very bizarre. The delegates from Florida and Michigan will only count as 1/2 vote. I suddenly cringed at that thought because it harkened back to the days of the early republic when blacks only counted as 3/5ths of a vote. Now Florida's and Michigan's votes regardless of race only counts as 1/2 vote? That's the compromise? How is 1/2 different from 3/5ths? This compromise had the overall effect that weakened Clinton's possibility for a huge gain and increased Obama's chances to secure the nomination. But here's the kicker, some "reasonable" proportion of Michigan's "uncommitted" votes will go to Obama that is included in the compromise (???). That I do not understand. One person, one vote. How can votes be reappropriated to mean something else? I guess that's what the Rules Committee did, but I'm having a fairly difficult time accepting the rationale for it.
This discourse about "family" and "unity" is quite intriguing. The comments made by Mona Pasquil is an excellent example. If "family" is going to be used then I suggest a multicultural, immigrant, working class family with lots of extended family members. Watching the meeting televised on C-SPAN reminded me of the complicated and heavily politicized big family dinners back in my youth (I think 30-50 core members). There was a lot of posturing and politicking. There were people talking to, by, and past each other; there were some talking in words that no one knew. There was the patriarch of the family demanding order; there were numerous kids making a ruckus over everything (myself included). There were arguments, fights, and bickering and yet despite all the mess we still, for the most part, stuck together. There were the appeals to reason and compassionate pleas for unity. But I wonder about the extent of the fallout to the DNC and in particularly voters? How have they been alienated, ostracized, or left to fend for themselves without any help? I also wonder how mad will people be at the family and what are they capable of if they are angry enough especially when some feel as though the process was "hijacked" by less than transparent intentions? Despite these questions, the most basic and quintessential question remains and that is what is keeping this "family" together in the first place and is "it" -- whatever "it" may be -- strong enough to hold us together?
As vibrant and powerful as my extended family was, there were some wounds that were too deep to heal, some grudges too painful to let go, and an endless fountain of deep seated resentment. The last time the family got together en masse was over sixteen years ago at the funeral of my great grandmother. She was one of the main and last reasons that kept everyone together. Despite this loss, we generally still keep in contact with each other, albeit at a comfortable distance, but never totally out of touch. Like any family, the gossip was a good enough reason for any get together. But I can't call this extended family of mine as a perfect example of a strong union. Instead, our antagonisms continue to imperfectly and awkwardly form the reason on why we stick together. It's too easy for me to say "we're family" and that's why we stay together. But if "family" is about the day-to-day struggle of making it through then I can find the simplicity of it an apt fit.
OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets
197 pages
56,723 words
1,164 paragraphs
5,371 lines
370, 433 characters
... is my final dissertation, complete with my committee's suggested revisions. I printed it out, ran to Kinko's to make a copy, and mailed it off to my dissertation advisor for her final say. If she gives the thumbs up -- in which I sure as hell hope she does -- then it's off to Kinko's again to print out two more copies to be mailed to Claremont with a check for printing, binding, and copyrighting. And then it shall be all done.
I finally removed the link to my old photo blog and replaced it with a brand new page called "Perpetually Reading" which is all about my never-ending reading list. It'll feature what I currently and plan to read, recent acquisitions, and maybe some reviews and commentaries. I'm still tweaking with the design, but like many things in my life, it is a work in progress.
