Why the rest of the world respects the United States so much...
We let monkey men run the country.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
And the hardest part / Was letting go, not taking part / Was the hardest part
I'm a believer that some of the most profound life-changing lessons come in the form of the most mundane experiences.
When I was in high school, I wrote a college essay about the profound experience of shopping for back-to-school clothes. In my mind, that annual family experience captured my family's dynamic, our socio-economic conditions, some of my culturally-infused values, and most importantly, a major life lesson I had come to learn throughout the course of my childhood.
To summarize, in my family, shopping is a bit of a sacred tradition. We were never rich enough to buy new things all the time, so my parents made it a point to avoid the shopping malls altogether. So, when we did go shopping, it was always an experience. We would wake up extra early, get showered and properly dressed (my mom always wore her nicer clothes, my dad would be in khakis and a button-up shirt), and we would spend the day indulging ourselves in material items that we would never be able to afford throughout the year. My brother and I would load up on new clothes for the upcoming school year. We were fortunate to live in Southern California, where the weather stayed pretty consistent and different clothes weren't really needed for different seasons.
Buying clothes would always be a struggle for me, because I was always extremely underweight for my age. Pants would fit around the waist, but would be too short at the ankle. Dresses were a no-go, because I would swim in them. It would be embarrassing to ask for a size '8' when I was actually 12 years old. I would only be able to afford a few select "cool" articles of clothing, because that's all we could really afford. Shopping, as exciting as a family event it was, always left me a little dejected by the time I got home, because nothing would fit quite the way that they should.
It took me years before I could come to accept my body for what it is. I'm still a little too thin, a little too lanky, and extremely flat-chested. But over the years, I learned to find what works for my body, rather than trying to fit my body to what's popular. Finally realizing that I didn't have to wear what everyone else was wearing was one of those profound life lessons about learning to accept and be happy with who I am.
The mundane, yet profound, life lesson I thought of today has to do with my hair. Walking into the office, a colleague noted that my hair looked particularly pretty put up. I had tied my hair up to eat my lunch, without putting much thought into it. I know though that if I try to mimic this hair again, it'll never happen. My hair is just funny like that-- if I try to make it do anything, it just doesn't work. I realized that life is like that too. Planning for it sometimes doesn't do very much. Just trying something, without thinking about it, yields great, unexpected results.
Given this view of the world, I am prone to think a lot about every little interaction and situation, trying to determine if there was a greater lesson to be derived from it. I guess this is what makes me such a serious person most of the time... I'm always thinking and reflecting about life's that has already happened. I figure at some point I'm going to have to let this little obsession go and just let life be, but for now, it's fun to think that everything connects to everything else...
When I was in high school, I wrote a college essay about the profound experience of shopping for back-to-school clothes. In my mind, that annual family experience captured my family's dynamic, our socio-economic conditions, some of my culturally-infused values, and most importantly, a major life lesson I had come to learn throughout the course of my childhood.
To summarize, in my family, shopping is a bit of a sacred tradition. We were never rich enough to buy new things all the time, so my parents made it a point to avoid the shopping malls altogether. So, when we did go shopping, it was always an experience. We would wake up extra early, get showered and properly dressed (my mom always wore her nicer clothes, my dad would be in khakis and a button-up shirt), and we would spend the day indulging ourselves in material items that we would never be able to afford throughout the year. My brother and I would load up on new clothes for the upcoming school year. We were fortunate to live in Southern California, where the weather stayed pretty consistent and different clothes weren't really needed for different seasons.
Buying clothes would always be a struggle for me, because I was always extremely underweight for my age. Pants would fit around the waist, but would be too short at the ankle. Dresses were a no-go, because I would swim in them. It would be embarrassing to ask for a size '8' when I was actually 12 years old. I would only be able to afford a few select "cool" articles of clothing, because that's all we could really afford. Shopping, as exciting as a family event it was, always left me a little dejected by the time I got home, because nothing would fit quite the way that they should.
It took me years before I could come to accept my body for what it is. I'm still a little too thin, a little too lanky, and extremely flat-chested. But over the years, I learned to find what works for my body, rather than trying to fit my body to what's popular. Finally realizing that I didn't have to wear what everyone else was wearing was one of those profound life lessons about learning to accept and be happy with who I am.
The mundane, yet profound, life lesson I thought of today has to do with my hair. Walking into the office, a colleague noted that my hair looked particularly pretty put up. I had tied my hair up to eat my lunch, without putting much thought into it. I know though that if I try to mimic this hair again, it'll never happen. My hair is just funny like that-- if I try to make it do anything, it just doesn't work. I realized that life is like that too. Planning for it sometimes doesn't do very much. Just trying something, without thinking about it, yields great, unexpected results.
Given this view of the world, I am prone to think a lot about every little interaction and situation, trying to determine if there was a greater lesson to be derived from it. I guess this is what makes me such a serious person most of the time... I'm always thinking and reflecting about life's that has already happened. I figure at some point I'm going to have to let this little obsession go and just let life be, but for now, it's fun to think that everything connects to everything else...
Monday, May 12, 2008
The things you have learned / They sit with you so beautifully
I'm employed!
Update: 05/13/2008
And... it's official!
Update: 05/13/2008
And... it's official!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
"I want you to feel that Iraqi life is precious."
The US government is finding that negotiating a settlement with Iraqi civilians is harder than they initially thought.
The US is quick to jump to a monetary settlement-- they assume that because they put a price on everything, others will do the same. They want to know if $10,000 to cover the amount the victim would have earned for the family will be enough, or perhaps $400 for the car that was destroyed by the shooting. Assessments of the situation are done, not to really find out what happened, so much as to find out what didn't happen, in case someone tried to file a false claim.
Negotiating a settlement is harder with the Iraqis, than it is with Americans, because they don't want the money first... they want an apology.
What does it say about American society that we would rather try to settle with money, than by dealing with the situation and the emotional consequences of it? What does this reflect about our ideas of fairness, equity, right and wrong? How is this reflected in our justice system, in our policies?
We are disgusted when a mother is willing to give up her child for money, or the first thing an injured party does is sue the other in a civil case... but what could be expected when this is what all Americans do, whether they are a citizen or a leader?
The US is quick to jump to a monetary settlement-- they assume that because they put a price on everything, others will do the same. They want to know if $10,000 to cover the amount the victim would have earned for the family will be enough, or perhaps $400 for the car that was destroyed by the shooting. Assessments of the situation are done, not to really find out what happened, so much as to find out what didn't happen, in case someone tried to file a false claim.
Negotiating a settlement is harder with the Iraqis, than it is with Americans, because they don't want the money first... they want an apology.
... traditional Arab society values honor and decorum above all. If a man kills or badly injures someone in an accident, both families convene a tribal summit. The perpetrator admits responsibility, commiserates with the victim, pays medical expenses and other compensation, all over glasses of tea in a tribal tent.Funny, to think that that we, the purveyors of Democracy and Justice, would rather slap a price tag on a situation, rather than try to find peace between the parties.
What does it say about American society that we would rather try to settle with money, than by dealing with the situation and the emotional consequences of it? What does this reflect about our ideas of fairness, equity, right and wrong? How is this reflected in our justice system, in our policies?
We are disgusted when a mother is willing to give up her child for money, or the first thing an injured party does is sue the other in a civil case... but what could be expected when this is what all Americans do, whether they are a citizen or a leader?
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Who needs keys when we've got clubs? / Who needs please when we've got guns?
And for that matter, who needs education when you have "national security" issues to consider?
Oh wait, we're already doing that, except we've had that inconvenience of waiting until they were 18 years old to sign them up for the military... Now we can skip that whole silly process of waiting until they are no longer considered minors and just start training them at 14 years of age instead!
Absolutely brilliant.
Charter school will focus on homeland securityYes. Let's make them soldiers instead...
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The first high school dedicated to preparing students for the front lines in the Nation's homeland security has gone from theory to planning in Wilmington.
The Project Manager for the Delaware Academy for Public Safety and Security, New Castle Attorney Thomas Little, signed a contract with Innovative Schools, a professional firm which will coordinate the mechanics of preparing the school for its eventual opening.
The process to find and fund a site for as many as six-hundred young men and women in Wilmington's inner city is underway.
Curriculum choices for students, who are to be called Cadets, range from SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) through prison guard, water rescue, paramedic, fireman, professional demolition and emergency response operator, according to a Board statement.
The first Principal of the institution is to be Dr. Fred Fitzgerald. A retired Captain in the Marine Corps, Fitzgerald teaches English, speech and debate at New Castle Christian Academy. Fitzgerald is also a former executive for Coca Cola in Jacksonville, Florida, and a former Director of Operations for the Port of Wilmington.
On the academic side of the new charter school, parents will agree to attend a monthly meeting at the campus with faculty for progress conferences.
To meet personal curriculum goals, all physically capable cadets are to attend a daily after-school exercise program. In addition, two hours of after-school sports or homeland security training will be available for cadet volunteers.
Oh wait, we're already doing that, except we've had that inconvenience of waiting until they were 18 years old to sign them up for the military... Now we can skip that whole silly process of waiting until they are no longer considered minors and just start training them at 14 years of age instead!
Absolutely brilliant.
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