tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150160312024-03-07T15:16:18.291-05:00Chai's AnalysisChaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-91189115902468839172008-03-12T08:50:00.003-05:002008-03-12T09:18:03.835-05:00What a ShockMy goodness. This is the such a crazy political moment. With Governor Spitzer stepping down, and David Paterson stepping up, I am blown away on so many ways. What makes me really sad is that this man ran on a moral, ethics platform. Albany, one of the most undemocratic systems in the nation, was ready to be changed.<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stronger penalties against the "johns."</span> Gov. Spitzer pushed one of the strongest bills in the nation <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/nyregion/12prostitute.html?hp">against human sex trafficking</a>. It is one of the pieces of legislation I helped with in lobbying and working with the interest groups to help pass. However, much help was not needed because we had our man, Gov. Spitzer in power. Why was the "our man"? When Spitzer worked as the NY Attorney General, he broke up and prosecuted several prostitution rings. It is so sad.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The financial risk software program.</span> Ironically, Spitzer was destroyed by a program he urged, as the AG, that all big banks should have installed. He wanted to make sure that terrorists cannot lauder money in smaller chunks than $10,000 (the threshold for an IRS flag). This is what destroyed him. <br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">A disabled governor. </span> I have met Lt. Gov. Paterson and I can honestly say he is one of the most sincerest politicians I have ever been privy to meet. He is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/nyregion/12paterson.html?hp">legally blind</a>. But, the man ran the NYC marathon and you know how much I heart runners. I am excited for NY to have a different governor. A governor that will not disappoint and will bring in the changes they ran on. Yet, unlike Spitzer, he will do it in a different way.</li></ol>Finally, I just want to note that prostitution is not a victimless crime. It is a crime to call it victimless. There are victims, just like there are victims in drug crimes. Although NYT has a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/opinion/12farley.html?ex=1363060800&en=6b2fd68df046f976&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">great op-ed</a> on this, I want to add that most women who are brought into the United States and do sex work are put through horrible situations that forces them into this life. And domestically, most females and males who work as sex workers are not doing it to pay off college loans. Most are doing it because they were pressured into the work at a young age. Too many people think that being a call girl or escort is like living Julia Roberts life in "Pretty Woman." Unfortunately, it is far from that.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-54717784460914105972008-03-06T10:50:00.002-05:002008-03-06T11:18:49.311-05:00Maureen DowdIn 2004, I was sitting in a car, waiting for the clock to display "2:00." I wanted to get back home since my anxiety with driving on the freeway was starting to take over my life. I sat in my car patiently, getting bored with the radio hip-hop and pop. I didn't bring any CDs and did not own an iPod (and still don't). And, very unlike me, I didn't have a book or magazine to read.<br /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span></span><br />I finally found the NPR station on the radio dial. <a href="wamu.org/programs/dr/">Diane Rehm</a> was interviewing a woman I had never heard of- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_Dowd">Maureen Dowd</a>. Ms. Dowd had just released a book, <a href="www.amazon.com/Bushworld-Enter-Your-Own-Risk/dp/039915258X">Bushworld</a>, and was out doing the publicity stunts for it. While being interviewed by Ms. Rehm, Ms. Dowd had such a soft demeanor, she was even asked if she was shy. Ms. Dowd answered in the positive. And, yet, she had this quick wit and often cynical view of the world that catered to my needs right then and there. I felt a strong connection to her work and her attitude about the people who rule this world, particularly the disgust of W.<br /><br />After the interview, I wanted to read all of Ms. Dowd's columns. I didn't discover the joy of New York Times until that interview. I had been such a Washington Post lady, I wouldn't dare to venture to a new online site that gave me the same news, with different writers. From time to time, I would find Ms. Dowd's column and read it. And then NYT decided to go "Time Select" and I was cut off from reading her words. In some ways, that may have been a blessing.<br /><br />In the past several months, I have found Ms. Dowd's attitude about our democratic process, the people running for president demeaning and juvenile. I miss her days of critically thinking through America's problems and writing in a manner that teased with our minds. And I also miss her writing that dealt with the actual Bush administration, along with the world events. It is as if NYT editors have pegged her to only write about the Hillary Clinton factor and how much Ms. Dowd hates her. Ah, a real "girl fight." <br /><br />I don't think she is doing any justice to Barack Obama either. I don't find her support for him convincing, more than just the fact that she does not like Mrs. Clinton. Again, that type of support, which many people have towards Mr. Obama, is myopic. Shouldn't you like the candidate because they are the candidate and not because they are not THAT other candidate? <span style="font-style: italic;">The negative is so much more hollow than the positive.</span> <br /><br />And that is where Ms. Dowd is right now. Her words are meaningless and although her column is often in the "Top Emailed Articles", I think it is because her negativity about one candidate helps another.<br /><br />I often miss the days where Ms. Dowd actually wrote columns that attacked a mutual enemy, the Bush Administration over concrete grounds, not simply because he was a Bush. Her arguments were logical and strengthened by her own proses and articles in the newspaper that lambasted Mr. Bush for lying to the public about the various programs he has initiated.<br /><br />When 2:00 rolled around, I jumped out of the car to pick up my visa from the Indian Consulate. I felt an energy that only strong women can give me. I felt Ms. Dowd's words and believed that she was my light, our light in the newspaper industry. Unfortunately, I don't feel like that anymore.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-83970381837495066912008-01-16T13:56:00.001-05:002008-01-16T14:14:02.206-05:00the 21 day cure.I am brewing over the CBS' 60 minute segment on <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/11/60minutes/main3701249.shtml">the war in Congo</a>. So many thoughts are being processed on my word processing machine that will get published shortly on this blog. But, before I jump into rape and how that segment may have changed my life, I have to share <span style="font-style: italic;">another</span> life altering event that happened to me last night.<br /><br />Over the past week, through some Internet happenstance of clicking, I clicked my way to the <a href="http://www.welikeitraw.com/">raw food diet</a>. It has been such an interesting dive into this world of eating raw, knowing raw, and becoming one with Mother Earth, that I am beginning to think of ways to incorporate into my partner's and my life.<br /><br />Not really knowing much about the raw food diet, I signed up to attend a lecture by a doctor who just published a book called <a href="http://www.21daycure.com/">The 21 Day Cure</a>. The book is designed for those who have Type 2 diabetes. T's father and all of my aunts and uncles/grandparents have diabetes, meaning we have a high risk of getting diabetes as well. I went in honor of T's dad, who is very special to T, to learn more about the doctor's claims that diabetes can be cured.<br /><br />I learned so much about diabetes it's wild. Did you know that 1 out of 8 New Yorkers are diabetic? And that 1 in 5 people in East Harlem are diabetic? US is in the top three leading nations of diabetic patients. India is number one, followed by China. I learned about different genes and cell production, the doctor's notions as to why diabetes occurs, and how a raw green plant-based diet can bring down the blood sugar by 95%. He talked a bit about the raw food diet in general and how it helps anti-aging cells which also control diabetes and cancer (in lay person's terms). He showed us a movie that is in response to "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Food_Nation_%28film%29">Fast Food Nation</a>," where the participants, all diabetic, go on the 21 day diet and how all of them succeeded (it brought me to tears). And, I got the book!<br /><br />I strongly suggest any diabetic or person who is in risk of diabetes (which is most of us), to go to the 21 Day cure site and learn more about this program. I think T and i are going to invest in a dehydrator this weekend. We are going to discuss more, but I think both of us want to put nutrition as the primary facet in our living, which in turn means more raw foods.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-34924795045361529132008-01-05T10:24:00.001-05:002008-01-05T10:48:10.093-05:00i owe ya, i-o-wa.ah, the lovely state of iowa. doesn't all this attention to iowa make you want to visit the state? i want to see how this tiny state gets so much love from all these politicians who are running federal campaigns that, in the large scheme of things, don't affect the local citizen. it does from a military, foreign policy, globalization standpoint. but, what matters to your life is more local, like property tax, education, local farming, zoning, parking regulations, and noise statutes. <br /><br />but, this post is not about local politics and re-energizing our country to think local. no, siree. this post is about what happened in iowa two days back. i'm sure you have read or heard every talking head mention the historical nature of the iowa caucus (sidenote- doesn't caucus sound so dirty?), what it means to the democratic establishment, and how crazy certain folks (*cough* evangelicals *cough*) truly are (dude, you HAVE to know where pakistan is or, as my friend noted, you are automatically disqualified from any elective position...ever.). <br /><br />what i think obama and two buck huck's votes mean to me is that people are sick of the establishment. i can speak from the "progressive" side. obama symbolizes, to many of my friends, that we are ready for a change. many of my friends don't look at race, so his racial composition has never been a question for our many conversations on gmail chat or at a bar. most of my generation, from the time they became politically aware, started with Bush. then it went to Clinton. then came Bush junior. now another Clinton is trying to get into the house? it's a bit...i dunno..dynastic.<br /><br />more importantly, our generation is sick of being told that we are too young. we are sick of being told that our voice doesn't matter. we are sick of the older establishment NOT taking time out of their schedules to MENTOR us, to NURTURE this younger crop, to HELP us out. and when we try to show leadership, this older establishment becomes threatened, vengeful, and ugly. it's sad to see this endemic in all the movements, from feminism, to labor, to political parties. the one movement that has seen an influx of younger folks is the environmental movement and that is solely due to watershed moments over the past years. <br /><br />but, have the environmental big wigs ever thought that <span style="font-style: italic;">MAYBE</span> if they gave in to certain ideas the younger generation was fighting for a few years back, these watershed moments would not have happened.<br /><br />personally, i keep voicing my frustration with the feminism movement or lack thereof. lady clinton thought she had all the female votes on lock down. yes, it is really inspiring to see a woman, with such intellectual vigor, be a legitimate candidate for the white house. however, don't think like a first wave feminist that all women are the same, that we all care for the same issues, bouncing yourself on identity politics. third wave feminists are more nuanced, more splintered in their identities, more holistic in their approaches to female concerns and issues. post-modern feminism is raging.<br /><br />ironically, all these movements that started in the early sixties and seventies were about breaking down walls. they were about the power of the people, the community, the family. and yet these leaders are now the people my generation wants to topple because power has corrupted the movements, the cause, the multiple visions. newer social justice activists know this and try to make a movement less hierarchical, which is why you don't see one leader. instead there are a sea of them, ready to create a tide for change.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-63089896453092092142007-12-06T08:27:00.000-05:002007-12-06T12:04:46.954-05:00Teenage Pregnancy Up...And we should be shocked? I'm not. <br /><blockquote>WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 — The birth rate among teenagers 15 to 19 in the United<br />States rose 3 percent in 2006, according to a report issued Wednesday, the<br />first such increase since 1991. The finding surprised scholars and fueled a<br />debate about whether the Bush administration’s abstinence-only sexual<br />education efforts are working. [<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/health/06birth.html?hp">link</a>]</blockquote><br />Come on! Educators, parents, social workers have been saying for years that the abstience programs that this Bush Administration pushes does and cannot work. You cannot tell teens, in age of information, not to have sex, regardless how much you push it down their throat that they are partaking in sin. Word to the wise, most teens enjoy partaking in sin.<br /><blockquote><p>President Bush noted the long decline in <a title="In-depth reference and news articles about Adolescent pregnancy." href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/adolescent-pregnancy/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier">teenage pregnancy</a> rates in his 2006 State of the Union address, saying, “Wise policies such as welfare reform, drug education and support for abstinence and adoption have made a difference in the character of our country.” The <strong>White House did not respond to requests for comment</strong> Wednesday.</p></blockquote><br />I watched a really great documentary on abstience only programs taking place in Lubbock, Texas which has the highest level of teenage pregnancy in the nation. <a href="http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2005/shelbyknox/">The Education of Shelby Knox</a> shows the struggles of one teen trying to bring sex education to her school district after she witnesses the number of pregnant teens in her high school. <br /><br />Why can't we go back to the days of sex education? I just don't see the harm in it.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-54619216555125776862007-11-20T08:15:00.000-05:002007-11-20T11:19:52.577-05:00cyclone victimsnatural disasters = natural human instincts to help.<br /><br />to donate to the B<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">angla</span> victims' please consider this organization:<br /><a href="http://blog4brac.blogspot.com/">http://blog4brac.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />i get scared about donating to charities and such when i don't know how much actually goes to overhead or the relief effort. so, i like smaller charities who have less overhead and are based on real <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">humanitarianism</span>, instead of bureaucracy.<br /><br />so, think about this organization, wish for a quick recovery in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bangladesh</span> and part of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">India</span> affected by this flooding during this thanksgiving.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-70620753166825357502007-11-19T08:52:00.000-05:002007-11-19T09:54:05.548-05:00A letter from PakistanForwarded from a friend's friend:<br />-----------------------------<br />Dear Friend,<br /><br />I believe my letter will find you in best of health. And I also once again hope that you remember your Oxford colleagues of International human Rights Law, Program 2004.<br /><br />Due to the security reasons, I am writing you from my new email address.<br /><br />You must be having an idea of Pakistan’s present situation. In Pakistan, Mr. President General Pervez Musharaf, due to his lust for Power, has brought a different sort of coup i.e. coup against Judiciary, Lawyers and Electronic Media. However at the pretext that its important for the progress of so called “War on terror”, whereas in fact this coup has nothing to do with the War on Terror but is helping the actual Terrorists to strengthen themselves.<br /><br />As Mr. President General Pervez Musharaf expected a Judgment against him from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, barring him to be president of the country for another 5 years, hence he ironically insulted and removed all the Judges of Supreme Court , who were about to deliver Judgment against him. So much so that like minded Judges in the High Courts have also been removed by the same General. All the lawyers who were pleading cases against him in the courts have been arrested. And the Electronic Media, which used to show true picture to the nation has been banned. Besides others, thousands of Lawyers including office bearers of all the Pakistan court Bars Councils, have been sent behind the bars under different unfounded charges. Lawyers are being tortured and disgraced in public. Police while using force against the lawyers drag them from hairs and slap them. Just to humiliate them. Constitution of the Country has been suspended. This is in fact more than a Martial Law. But very cleverly has been given the name of Emergency.<br /><br />However, it is very strange that US and other governments are not showing considerable interest in the restoration of Judiciary and are showing no resentment against confinement of Judges, Senior Lawyers and Human Right activists. The fact is being totally ignored that no country and no democracy can work, without free and fair judiciary. If the judiciary is allowed to be demoralized in this way, it would not be a good precedent even for the other developing countries. At present the president is collecting judges, who can only favour him. He is turning the courts to Mock Courts, JUST FOR HIS OWN VESTED INTERST.<br /><br />I will request you to please come forwards and help the Judiciary & judicial System of this country. The only crime of this country Deposed Judiciary is this that, it tried to be fair and stand by the truth. Please play your pivotal role for restoration of free judiciary and release of Lawyers and true democracy in Pakistan. Please show your resentment in some way and motivate the other also, in the interest of justice. Amongst others, the lawyers of Pakistan direly need you. At least pass resolutions in this respect in your organizations/institute/bar council and refer the same to UN etc<br /><br />Regards.<br /> <br />Ghulam Shoaib, Advocate<br /><br /><br />In order to examine certain rays of Emergency news and activities in Pakisitan Please log on to <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com</a> or <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.geo.tv/" target="_blank">www.geo.tv</a><br />----<br /><br />please write to your local congress people, including senators, informing them about the situation in pakistan and how they have the power to do something.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-83584609144750196392007-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:002007-11-14T12:20:07.134-05:00the pakistan and us connectionThere are so many connections between Pakistan and the United States. We literally have our fingers in every single country in this world, don't we? What is happening in Pakistan affects us, in the United States, more than I think we think it does. To boil it down, this is what I believe has happened:<br /><ul><li>U.S. support General Musharaff, who took power via a military coup, to help end terrorism.</li><li>Mushie writes a book and claims that Pakistan is a democratic state.</li><li>Mushie puts the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court in jail because he didn't like what he said.</li><li>Through increasing pressure, past exile leaders attempt to come back to Pakistan.</li><li>Bhutto successfully comes back and bombs kill her supporters and on-lookers.</li><li>Mushie calls for an emergency state and freezes the Pakistan Constitution.</li><li>Subsequently, Mushie forces judges and lawyers to support him; if not, see yourself go to prison.</li><li>Bhutto puts pressure on Mushie to end emergency rule. She wants to protest. </li><li>Mushie puts Bhutto on house arrest, with hundreds of police guarding one house. </li></ul><p>Man, what a trip! And the psycho part is this- it could happen here and some people think it has happened here. Yes, we are a democratic country, but in real terms, we are a republic. We have a popular vote (the one that Al Gore won) and we have an electoral vote (the one that George W. won). Simplified, the electoral vote has more pull. </p><p>When George W. walked into office, he brought Cheney (an ex-officio of corporation). He also came in with notions of military power exceeding Constitutional powers. We have people, under the guise of the PATRIOT Act, arresting and detaining American citizens, <strong>without</strong> any Constitutional rights of an attorney, speedy trial, or being detained with a charge. We have judicial and legislative powers being trumped for executive privileges and power. At least in other countries, they have the integrity to call it what is (emergency rule). We still call ourselves the leaders in bringing democracy. It looks like we are teaching and leading examples of a military/coup like government rule.</p><p>Yesterday, lawyers from NYC rallied in support of the lawyers and judicial branch in Pakistan. Below are a few pictures from the rally. There were hundreds of people there, mostly non-South Asian, who listened to speeches by presidents of the various bars and the son of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, who is a NYC lawyer.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2dukMn1n3CYYVEIGyysu1QvP0tGOgS4JgvD-Sdis0iCSPHZgCUjMzxC_BE5UQ6pz831jV2LKR0LTK3lG0tGuoRihmw2iS4GKE6UeQNv7tWoE5gC3gF9wgI-eZSo03lEy5xYlWQ/s1600-h/Fall+2007+236.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132746188461508338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2dukMn1n3CYYVEIGyysu1QvP0tGOgS4JgvD-Sdis0iCSPHZgCUjMzxC_BE5UQ6pz831jV2LKR0LTK3lG0tGuoRihmw2iS4GKE6UeQNv7tWoE5gC3gF9wgI-eZSo03lEy5xYlWQ/s200/Fall+2007+236.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_v8g_AVE5VUvkfRTzDLdsZe9JrB2_mx_7g10EKzF1wYT698KGG6iE79PGlp8-j8vtCeaEFZyUeb_Omznq0O9_u9upLj6-7UycYk0eJRTMOL2kBAU3oggNwfZ8OOm-fRZle6TNdw/s1600-h/Fall+2007+237.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132746768282093314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_v8g_AVE5VUvkfRTzDLdsZe9JrB2_mx_7g10EKzF1wYT698KGG6iE79PGlp8-j8vtCeaEFZyUeb_Omznq0O9_u9upLj6-7UycYk0eJRTMOL2kBAU3oggNwfZ8OOm-fRZle6TNdw/s200/Fall+2007+237.jpg" border="0" /></a>Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-76342907727350446952007-11-12T18:11:00.001-05:002007-11-12T18:11:55.332-05:00i'm going to begin analyzing againi am. there is much to be analyzed and much to be written about. i will start again. have no fear, my analyzing friends.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-86239523611409265642007-04-19T07:33:00.000-05:002007-04-19T11:27:27.763-05:00i'm pissed.i'm not going to cover my anger through words like "let's breathe" or "karma" or whatever. right now i am ANGRY. i am an ANGRY non-PMSy Woman for several reasons.<br /><ol><li>A huuuuuuuuuuge slice of a woman's right to choose pie was handed to us (prochoicers) <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/18/AR2007041800710.html?hpid=topnews">yesterday</a>. What a blow man. And to hear what Kennedy had to write hurt. No joke. When an old, white man decides my fate in life, it really, really bothers me. Really, Kennedy, it's cool if women die for the sake of a pregnancy? Are we in the 1800s again? I am so angry. <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">The silver lining</span>: Ginsberg did something pretty rare and amazing- she gave an oral dissent from the bench. Go Ruthie! And I am praying to God that this mobilizes the pro-choice movement, the women's movement, the militia. Addendum: You know what fucking makes me sick? That NO abortion related article is in the "most emailed articles" box on the NYT. Fucking <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/dining/18indi.html?em&ex=1177128000&en=71ad1c2ac1ea9c43&ei=5087%0A">Delhi snacks move up off the street</a> is getting more "street" cred. WTF?!!?!<br /></li><li>After y-e-a-r-s, our president acknowledges that <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9678523">Darfur is the next holocaust</a>. He talked about sanctions and peace keeping troops at the <a href="www.ushmm.org">Holocaust Museum</a> in Washington, DC. What we, as the public, have yet to recognize is that it doesn't matter if the United States pulls out our economic resources from Sudan. You wanna know why? Because countries with more capital expenditure are pouring t<a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/04/16/PM200704166.html">heir money into the Sudanese economy</a>. These countries include: <span style="font-weight: bold;">China</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">India</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Saudi Arabia</span>. After I barfed from listening to the report, I came to the conclusion that this world sucks. India? Seriously?! A country known for it's God-like figure, Gandhi, is supporting this shit? Fine, they are keeping a blind eye to it?! What the fuck? There is <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">no damn silver lining</span> to this anger.</li><li>He killed so many people. And for what? Let's see. At this point we have no "official" reason(s), but I am willing to speculate. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/18/AR2007041802824.html">He was found stalking two women in 2005</a>. <a href="http://www.ncvc.org/src/AGP.Net/Components/DocumentViewer/Download.aspxnz?DocumentID=40616">A clear sign of abusive behavior</a>. He desperately sought out attention. Loved attention, evidenced clearly from his mailings. Which would make sense because he probably stalked women he wanted attention from. So, let's see if any of my rambling is making sense: wants attention from female- doesn't give it to her- finds a way to keep tabs on her (stalking and threatening emails)- police and mental health community get involved- <a href="http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/pdf/cho_mentalhealth.pdf?hpid=topnews">don't take it too seriously</a>, 'cause come on now, it's JUST stalking and love- needs more attention- has mental health issues- starts video taping himself and writing psycho thoughts- buys gun (<a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/04/18/PM200704184.html">because easier to buy guns than buy anti-depression medicine in this country</a>)- decides how to shoot people to get the most carnage- kills two people- goes to the post office to mail <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/18/AR2007041800834.html?hpid=topnews">off his psycho photos, videos, and letter</a>- kills more people- kills himself. Now, <span style="font-weight: bold;">WE</span> are left to piece this all together. All I can say is gender based violence comes in different shapes and colours and we need to take it SERIOUSLY. <span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);">the silver lining</span>: mobilizing the Asian American community to admit and address mental health issues in our respective communities.<br /></li></ol>I can go on to discuss my disgust with the deaths in Iraq, the Nigerian presidential crisis, the looming United States deficit, the lies that Gonzales spews, the apathy in our generation of folks. I am not whining. I am seriously pissed.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-26032958152041630782007-03-08T07:56:00.000-05:002007-03-08T08:22:41.877-05:00is he right?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thenthdegree.com/images/apathylg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thenthdegree.com/images/apathylg.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I just finished listening to <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7765148">John Mayer on NPR's Morning Edition</a> and something he said bothered me. John Inskeep asked Mayer why he didn't make the song action based, like the '60s anti-war songs. Mayer said that it wouldn't sound right and that this generation is not okay with people telling them what to do. <blockquote>John Mayer has spent 33 weeks on the music charts with what sounds like an anti-war song. <blockquote class="edTag">Now if we had the power<br />to bring our neighbors home from war<br />they would have never missed a Christmas<br />no more ribbons on their door</blockquote> <p>But for the 29-year-old singer, "Waiting on the World to Change" (<a href="javascript:getStaticMedia('/me/20070308_me_mayerwaiting','RM,WM')">listen</a>) turns into more of an explanation for why his generation seems so apathetic.</p> <blockquote class="edTag">It's not that we don't care,<br />We just know that the fight ain't fair<br />So we keep on waiting<br />Waiting on the world to change</blockquote> <p>Rather than urging people to change the world, he seems to say, there's nothing we can do.</p></blockquote><p> </p>Nothing we can do? Is he for real? He can't possibly be taping into the human's inate strength of laziness and apathy. I mean it doesn't make any sense why we would wait for the world change when thousands of people are <a href="http://www.darfurgenocide.org/">dying in Darfur</a>, hundreds more each week <a href="http://icasualties.org/oif/">in Iraq</a>, and god only knows the atrocities occuring <a href="http://www.hrnk.org/">in North Korea</a> (click on press release). Let's not even begin with the United States where our own people still don't have homes that were devastated from a hurricane and <a href="http://vatul.net/blog/index.php/1217/">human failure over a year ago</a> (she's a great NO blogger).<br /><br />It's because we live in America, where we are sheltered and believe whole heartedly in the media, that we are sheltered from our own atrocities, as well as those across our borders.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">No, Mayer, we can't WAIT. We must begin to ACT. </span>Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1170939899386711032007-02-08T07:58:00.000-05:002007-02-08T08:06:17.020-05:00Skini absolutely adore this movie. <object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8W1ByOFFNeg"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8W1ByOFFNeg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object> <br /><br />[h/t <a href="http://feministing.com/">feministing</a>] <br /><br />the meaning is simple, yet complex. the music enunciates the words, without overtaking them. the editing and filming captures you, yet keeps you at a far distance.<br /><br />why do we judge each other based on the skin we were born with? it's as if we had a choice to be brown, darker brown, lighter brown. it's as if we had the choice to have blue, green, hazel eyes.<br /><br />we judge each other on an individual/societal level on a choice we didn't have. amazing.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1168872074418120272007-01-15T09:11:00.000-05:002007-01-15T09:41:14.473-05:00Remembering MLKI love reading biographies of great people and animals. I love learning about how other people lead their lives. One thing I have learned about great people is that they all had their faults, including MLK. However, he was aware of his weakness and often told people not to hold him out as an immortal. But we did and do.<br /><br />MLK's words continue to inspire. He and his speech writers had a way with words. Back then, words actually inspired millions of people to do something, to make a change. <br /><br />In college, I partook in the annual MLK speech contest. Although I love public speaking, when I signed up, I hadn't been in a speech contest since high school (<span style="font-style: italic;">oh</span> the glory days of speech and debate!). I remember writing the speech at 2AM in the morning, three days before the contest. I was inspired by feminism and the women around me. We were supposed to incorporate MLK's statement, "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Injustice anwhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.</span>" (<span style="font-size:78%;">cliche alert</span>) As luck would have it, this morning I was clearing out another box of my crap and found the speech I gave. It's a militant speech about the injustices women have faced. I won't bore you with the entire speech, so here is a snippet of it: <blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">...Women's bodies are still being lynched by people looking for power in their lives. Rather than typing people up by rope, we have limited them through money, through education, through opportunities. We have a history of oppression. Many groups have asked and continue to ask for reparations for the oppression their ancestors, and trickled down, what they are currently going through. What would it be like if women started to ask for monetary reparations for centuries of their pain and suffering?...<br /><br />If injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, than for everyone who treasures comfort and stability of their suburban lifestyle, beware because injustice ravages on. For all these people who sing the anthem at their favorite ballpark or knell graciously on their church pew, beware because injustice rages on. For all those individuals who claim to embrace diversity, yet spend their lives surrounded by those like them, beware because injustice continues, unwaveringly, onward. Our nation, our country's foundation, our very sense of being and identity is created upon the ideal of equality, yet we still don't have it.....<br /><br />America has spent these past 225 years trying to define itself by embracing the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence to no avail. The question of gender inequality still looms in our society like a cancerous lump in a woman's breast, a lump that requires little recognition but much comprehension. On Novemeber 2, 1920, over eight million American women voted for the first time. Thomas Jefferson had proclaimed equality as the bedrock of America, but it took over 144 years for this to occur on paper...So long as America continues to believe that equality for all has been reached, our women get paid less, our laws repeal simple freedoms for a woman, our rapists continue to walk the streets freely, our sisters get kicked around by abusers with little or no protection. So long as we deny America a commitment to equality, and deny America the American creed, women who fight so hard for noble causes will continue to die unnoticed. ...</span></blockquote>Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1163800161320405632006-11-17T16:22:00.000-05:002006-11-17T16:53:18.806-05:00Man, He Smacks Me Wanna Smack Him!Trust me, I usually don't get violent tendencies towards others. Hey, I work in the violence against women field and that hitting other people would probably ban me from all the cool joints we anti-violent people hang out in. But, <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/16035768.htm">this just gets me so angry</a> to the point of violence. OJ Simpson has written a book book semi-confessing to the killing of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman. <strong>Seriously?</strong><br /><br /><blockquote><p>After a 12-year search, O.J. Simpson has found the true killer. Hypothetically. It turns out that Simpson murdered his ex-wife and her friend, hypothetically, and will get $3.5 million in blood money for a book titled ``If I Did It'' that gives all the gory details. This is one of those how-low-can-you-go moments. No one should fall for the Tripe of the Century.<br /><br />In the book due out Nov. 30, Simpson describes his marriage and divorce and then switches into hypothetical mode to describe the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.<br /><br />``There's little that would surprise me from this murdering SOB, but this does reach an all-time low, even for him,'' Ron Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, succinctly told the New York Post.<br /><br />The Fox network is promoting the book through a two-part special, ``If I Did It, Here's How It Happened,'' featuring Simpson being interviewed by his book's publisher, Judith Regan. It's an inside job: News Corp. owns both Fox and HarperCollins, which owns ReganBooks.</blockquote> I mean for real?<br /><br />In college, I volunteered for the Clothesline Project and one of the shirts we received a shirt made by Nicole Brown's sister. That shirt was special because it was placed among thousands of other shirts, symbolizing the crimes against those due to their gender. While reading the editorial and the numerous articles spitting on O.J. Simpson, I thought about the publisher. Who would want to publish his crap?<br /><br />Well, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/business/mutfund/17cnd-regan-text.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1">she did</a>. And she did it, allegedly to get the killer to confess, just like she wanted her ex-husband to confess. Now, I hear that. I get what she is saying, but to give him (or allegedly his children) 3.5 million dollars is just crossing the line. And did he confess? No. And even if he did confess, what would that do to us? Just show us that our judicial system is biased? That our judicial system takes crimes against women lightly? That our judicial system erred, like humans do? I don't think we needed this scumbag to show us that. I get articles every.single.day. reporting how the judicial system fails to adequately protect survivors of (spousal, parental) abuse. Seriously, Judith Regan, you could have interviewed men who committed spousal abuse (even killed their partners) to get a real inside look at a wife-killer. But him?<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch">Rupert, Rupert, Rupert</a>. Shame on you and your croonies for doing this. Shame on your stupid FOX Network and all the media outlets you own. Shame on you. <br /><br />Ugh. All of this just disgusts me. <strong>All of it.</strong>Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1163480581711097022006-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:002006-11-14T00:03:01.720-05:00georges all aroundwow...this video is probably the best thing i have seen in some time. (hat tip <span style="font-weight: bold;">AB </span>via email)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wm2OXQh3duI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wm2OXQh3duI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1163001717477157982006-11-08T10:42:00.001-05:002006-11-08T11:01:57.486-05:00Da House.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newyeargala.ntdtv.com/2005/en/greet/i/joe_lieberman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://newyeargala.ntdtv.com/2005/en/greet/i/joe_lieberman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'm very excited. The Dems took the House back. Unfortunately, I don't have time to delve into the election results right now because I am off to NYC, but I can't go without saying some thoughts.<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110800748.html">How did Virginia voters vote for George Allen</a>?</li><li>Wow, the cigarette companies actually convinced most of the California public not to increase the tax because of the anti-trust laws that were written in!</li><li>I'm really sad about <a href="http://www.fordfortennessee.com/">Harold Ford, Jr.</a> losing.</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Ohio went BLUE.</li><li><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2006/CA/2006-11-08-pelosi-profile_x.htm">Nancy Pelosi</a>, 'nuff said.<br /></li><li>Who says looks count in an election? Did you hear that Joe Lieberman won?</li><li>Did CNN have their blog meet-up at TRYST?!?!?!?!?<br /></li><li>Also, did anyone see a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/4836/GaelGarcia_Pimen_8777470_400.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Garc%EDa%20Bernal,%20Gael&seq=4">Gael Garcia Bernal</a> look-alike (or maybe it <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> him?) behind Jim Webb while he was delivering his speech last night?</li></ul>I voted for the first time in person! It was quite the experience. More thoughts and pictures in a bit. Off to catch the plane!Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1162924656100067192006-11-07T13:16:00.000-05:002006-11-07T13:37:40.123-05:00Vote!!It is so strange that people don't vote. As an immigrant, I have always voted since the year I became a naturalized citizen. It's important, it makes you feel like you are part of society, it is also something different to do in your mundane schedule.<br /><br />Today, I will be voting, for the first time, in an actual voting booth. I am *so* excited! Every single year, I have had to file an absentee vote. Although I am voting, absentee voting is such a joy kill for me. There is no scandal! No mispronunciation of my name by a senior citizen! I get no sticker that states, with colourful excitment, "<span style="font-weight: bold;">I voted!</span>" I am looking forward to all of that, followed by the gym.<br /><br />After last week's request, I did some research and decided on my votes. Here they are in ballot particular order:<br /><br />Governor: Phil Angelides<br />Lt. Governor: John Garamendi<br />Secretary of State: Debra Bowen<br />Controller: John Chiang<br />Treasurer: Bill Lockyer (although I thought for a split second to vote for Mehul Thakker, but thought that was silly; two party all the way!)<br />Attorney General: Jerry Brown (btw, when are hip hop artists gonna do a song with Jerry Brown's name in it?)<br />Insurance Commissioner: Cruz Bustamante (tough choices because they all suck)<br />State Board of Equalization: Betty T. Yee (APA pride)<br />U.S. Senator: Dianne Feinstein<br /><br />For the <span style="font-weight: bold;">judicial officers</span>, I researched a few of their cases and ratings by other judicial members, and I voted:<br /><br />Joyce L. Kennard: Yes<br />Carol A. Coorigan: Yes<br />Conrad L. Rushing: Yes<br />Nathan D. Mihara: No<br />Richard McAdams: Yes<br />Wendy Clark Duffy: No<br /><br />Now here come the <span style="font-weight: bold;">propositions</span>:<br />1A-1E: Yes<br />83: No<br />84: Yes<br />85: No<br />86: Yes (although I hate Kaiser and anyone excusing themselves from anti-trust lawsuits)<br />87: No<br />88: No<br />89: Yes<br />90: No<br /><br />I am going to definitely record my experience as a first time voter in person. Are we allowed to bring cameras inside a voting booth? And I am asking for a paper ballot, if possible.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1162578996214367332006-11-03T12:29:00.000-05:002006-11-03T13:36:36.293-05:00A True Sign of LoveYesterday night, my dad and I hunkered down on the couch to watch "<a href="http://www.nbc.com/The_Office">The Office</a>." My dad has never been the television person, except when it comes to "Cheers," "Seinfeld", or the 10 o'clock news on KTVU. (Sidenote: Probably the earliest memory I have of television is one of <a href="http://www.ktvu.com/station/1849450/detail.html">Dennis Richmond,</a> the KTVU anchor for the past thirty years. Yes, even before the Smurfs, I remember Dennis. He's like my long lost grandfather.)<br /><br />All week, my dad has asked me with a tinge of excitement in his voice, "Is the it on tonight? The Office?" So, why The Office? Yesterday, the show was on Diwali, portrayed as the Hindu festival of lights (although, I will let you know that after going to the <a href="http://www.sikhs.org/smithsonian/index.html">Sikh exhibit at the Smithsonian Natural History museum</a>, I learned that Sikhs also practice Diwali). <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uXhgBbFKooc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uXhgBbFKooc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> Written by <a href="http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/bios/mindy_kaling.shtml">Mindy Kaling,</a> the actor who plays Kelly Kapoor, the episode was funny, played on various stereotypes (of course!), and a bit all over the place. I'm not a television critic; hell, I rarely watch the boob tube. However, I missed the first two minutes of the show, and I feel those two minutes would have helped me understand the rest of the 24 minutes. <br /><br />What was more amazing than the actual episode were the proposition commercials. Each commercial was trying to be "real" so they used "real" people to get their position across. One commerical had an African American doctor <a href="http://www.noprop86.org/">not supporting the proposition dealing with cigarette taxes</a> (although this site doesn't have the ad I saw last night, it has other scary ads). Another commercial was a firefighter who didn't support another proposition. Another was a teacher who said something about <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/elections/15654109.htm">another proposition</a>. And finally, the other was one of good ol' Bill Clinton who was putting faith in Californian's to change the course of America's dependence on foreign oil (watch a segment of the ad <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=elections&id=4673963">here</a>). For the first time, I felt bad for California voters. They are pummelled with television and radio ads. Their phone rings off the hook with recorded messages. The local and national media writes in support of a proposition or urges you not to vote for it. It plain sucks.<br /><br />My dad, an true immigrant voter (<span style="font-weight: bold;">read</span>: he takes voting very seriously), asked me, as genuinely as he could, "Chai, would you mind doing the research on these various propositions? The numbers are starting to drive me crazy." I started laughing. He then went on this one mintue rant (quite short for a person in his position) about how not only is there is state wide propositions, there are local measures with all these letters and that confuses him. "So, please, for your mom and I, do a summary of the propositions and recommendation. We will vote according to your recommendation."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Quelle power</span>! <span style="font-style: italic;">Quelle amour!</span> I get to assert which propositions two individuals should vote for. Wow. If this ain't love, I truly don't know what is. Hey, and maybe this will be my stepping stone to becoming a policy consultant?<br /><br />The research is due on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday</span>. Who said unemployment means no work?Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1161975739644115002006-10-27T13:14:00.000-05:002006-11-03T13:46:31.593-05:00Cheerleaders are being discriminated against? Bring it On!Answer "yes" or "no" to the following questions:<br /><ol><li>In highschool, did you loathe the cheerleaders?<br /></li><li>Did you try out for cheerleading? If yes, did you make it on the squad? If not, were you disappointed?</li><li>Did you try out for junior varsity or varsity athletic teams?</li><li>Did you party in highschool?</li><li>Were cigarettes and/or alcohol part of the party?</li><li>Did you take pictures of people at the party?</li><li>Did you post those pictures on a website?</li><li>If you were a cheerleader or athlete, whose pictures were sent around the school (or via website), did you get suspended?</li></ol>Well, if you were Jaimee Bruno, a highschool cheerleader, attempting to party but never partook in the drinking and smoking, and still got suspended after pictures of you and your squad mates ended up on myspace.com, would you be angry?<br /><br />I sure would.<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;">Jaimee Bruno, 17, one of the five cheerleaders suspended from the Leland High School squad, and her mother, Denise Bruno, allege that educators selectively suspended the female cheerleaders for attending the 2005 party, but took no action against the male athletes. The Santa Clara County Superior Court lawsuit says the San Jose Unified School District violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act and seeks an unspecified amount in damages and reimbursement for attorney fees and other costs. [<a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/crime_courts/15862083.htm">link</a>]<br /></span></blockquote>There are two reasons why I think this lawsuit is interesting. First, Leland allegedly never suspended the male athletes who were at the same party. I don't understand how school districts can make, in my eyes, blatant mistakes like this. Granted, I know the counsel for the District has arguments to justify the administration's stance on why only the five female athletes were suspended, however, it just doesn't seem right. Let's look at the law the plantiff cited that the defendants allegedly violated: the Unruh Civil Rights Act. This Act states,<br /><blockquote>"All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">sex</span>, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, or medical condition are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever." <a href="www.dfeh.ca.gov/Publications/DFEH%20250.pdf">Civil Code section 51(b)</a></blockquote>And, yes, accomodations covers public agencies, which means the District cannot (intentionally) violate this Act.<br /><br />The second interesting point of the article and the lawsuit is the alleged contract that the cheerleaders and athletes had to sign. I find this interesting on so many levels which I can't help but bullet point.<br /><ul><li>A minor signing a contract is probably not valid. Depending on the age of majority in California, these athletes may have been younger than that age. Well, maybe the parents signed for their child, but still, quite fishy.<br /></li><li>The contract allegedly states that athletes cannot be drinking and smoking. Okay, fair enough. But shouldn't they be promoting that to all the kids in their school, not just athletes?</li><li>Finally, if there was a contract that stated the above provision, wouldn't the male athletes be in as much of a violation as the suspended cheerleaders?</li></ul>And, on a last note, Bruno's mom sounds like quite the saavy parent. According to this article, it sounds like she exhausted her administrative relief and is now, prior to the statute of limitations for the Act, she filed a lawsuit on behalf of her daughter. It is so rare that you meet a parent who doesn't want to jump into the lawsuit circuit before exhausting administrative remedies. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. We are talking about Leland here, a really well-to-do area, with many resources. Anyway, I got my popcorn ready to watch the drama unfold. As we (non-cheerleaders say about anything cheerleading) say, "Bring it ON!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.chipola.edu/extrac/athl/cheerleader/pictures%2004-05/cheerleaders%20018-04-05.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.chipola.edu/extrac/athl/cheerleader/pictures%2004-05/cheerleaders%20018-04-05.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />p.s. Hot damn! The poor girl doing the bridge!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Update</span>. Thanks <a href="http://wonkette.com/politics/metro-section/metro-section-why-did-the-vampire-subscribe-to-the-wall-street-journal-210780.php"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wonkette</span></a> for linking to this site. Also, the Mercury News did an <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/15899792.htm">editorial</a> piece on this story.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1161732963763943782006-10-24T18:35:00.000-05:002006-10-24T18:36:03.773-05:00why?why is it that when i am at home i analyze more about my life than about the world? why is it when i am at my own home, i analyze more about the world than about my life?Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1161153800232111442006-10-17T21:23:00.000-05:002006-10-18T01:44:08.966-05:00One Anniversary That Shook<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://quake.ualr.edu/schools/coloring/quake.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://quake.ualr.edu/schools/coloring/quake.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Loma Prieta. Doesn't that name sound beautiful? "Loma" means <a href="http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/dict_en_es/entry?lb=e&p=num%3As14096">hill</a> in Spanish. "Prieta" means [<span style="font-size:85%;">insert lack of Spanish knowledge here</span>]. To me, those two words means earthquake. A big, bad earthquake. Today marks the seventeen (17) year anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Really? Seventeen years? Wow. Seems like yesterday.<br /><br />I remember, on that fateful day, that I just finished eating my afternoon snack with my grandparents, mom, and little brother. My mom told me to go to my room to start my homework. I remember opening up my "Hello Kitty" pencil box to look for my favoritest pencil to start my fifth grade math homework. A few minutes after I started my homework, my desk started to shake. My first thought was that my brother was running around. While the shaking got stronger, I realized that it wasn't my brother, it was an earthquake. Earthquake in California elementary schools means "<a href="http://www.earthquakecountry.info/dropcoverholdon/">drop, cover, and hold on</a>." I dropped what I was doing (homework) and found cover underneath my desk. I held on to the desk and in a few seconds, my hutch came crashing over me. I was a stunned.<br /><br />After the earth shook, my mom yelled my name and when she could barely hear me, she ran into my room and almost fainted. So much of our rooms had shifted, but my desk area looked like a disaster zone. She thought I was in that mess. She thought correctly, but I wasn't hurt. Luckily, I listened to my teacher and did the routine successfully. That didn't stop my mom from yelling and praying to God while rescuing me.<br /><br />Fortunately, all of us in the house were safe. We did not want to risk it again, so every year we updated our earthquake kits and had safety brackets on all our furniture. Ah, October 17, 1989, a date that I will never forget.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1161108509368664902006-10-17T12:59:00.000-05:002006-10-17T13:08:29.420-05:00The GAP + AIDSI hate to be writing this because I hate GAP <span style="font-size:180%;">t. h. i. s. m. u. c. h.</span> I have to give it up to their social conscious, we need more money team in coming up with this idea of <a href="http://gapinc.com/red/">GapRed</a>.<br /><br />All the word inspi(red) tee shirts are sold out online. I really wanted to get the shirt that says <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">DESI(RED)</span>. It took me a few seconds to see that it was actually "desired" and not "desi-red." Which would honestly be funny if it was desi-red, because I am Indian (or <span style="font-style: italic;">desi</span>) and Native Americans have historically been called Red (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redskin">Redskins</a>). So it would be a coalition of the Indians from India and the Indians from America on one tee-shirt. Of course, my imagination took the best of me. ;)<span class="" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span><br />So, if you can spare some of your disgust for a few minutes to walk into a sweatshop chain only to support AIDS causes in Africa, then do it. You have been told.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1158238353287308962006-09-14T07:45:00.000-05:002006-09-14T07:52:33.323-05:00Sad DayOne of my favorite political figures <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/13/AR2006091302339.html?nav=hcmodule">passed away</a>. Her wit, her humour, and her ability to connect with her state's citizens.<br /><br />Thank you Ann Richards for paving a way for future Democratic women who want to run for public office.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/09/13/PH2006091302358.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/09/13/PH2006091302358.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1153183713634207342006-07-17T19:29:00.000-05:002006-07-17T19:48:34.970-05:00What Would Gandhi Do?I'm sure everyone has thought the following thought, "Where is Gandhi of our generation?" Or maybe you substituted Gandhi with Martin Luther King, Jr. Regardless of who you chose to fill in the Gandhi (but s/he must be a non-violent preacher), it is now more than ever I feel the need to find him/her. I am so disappointed at people with power hurting innocent people. I am so disenchanted with the world as of late, that it makes me want to give up everything and just become a traveler. I am trying to find justice in a world filled with injustice. And these thoughts question my morals- what are they? why do I want peace? is peace something of an optical illusion?<br /><br />I went to the DC public library few weeks back and found the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060977531/002-9458963-1268802?v=glance&n=283155">India: From Midnight to the Millennium</a> by Shashi Tharoor. I've only finished chapter one and so far he has dazzled me. Tharoor speaks my mind, but in a much more intellectual way. He writes things I have thought about it and I love people who make me feel sane. He writes the following about Gandhian philosophy:<br /><blockquote>Internationally, Gandhi expressed ideals few can reject: he could virtually written the United Nations Charter. But the decades after his death have confirmed that there is no escape from the conflicting sovereignties of states. Some 20 million more lives have been lost in wars and insurrections since his passing. In a dismaying number of countries, <span style="font-weight: bold;">governments spend more for military purposes than for education and health combined</span>. The current stockpile of nuclear weapons represents over a million times the explosive power of the atom bomb whose destruction of Hiroshima so grieved him. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Universal peace, which Gandhi considered so central to Truth, seems as illusionary as ever</span>. </blockquote>How true is the last statement in today's world? I know that Gandhi today would not be upheld as this revolutionary man. His ideals, his way of life, doesn't fit into today's society of need/power/destruction. Instead, he would be cast away as a "loner" or something far more insulting. He would probably be ignored. Much like how we deal with peace today.Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15016031.post-1146798391610469272006-05-04T21:56:00.000-05:002006-05-04T22:06:31.623-05:00Reason #649Everyone under the sun has asked me, "Chai, why domestic violence? Why not immigration or civil rights or...corporate law?" I do domestic violence work because when I hear stories <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/03/AR2006050302501.html">like this</a>, it makes me angry. It makes me sad. It makes me feel like justice was <span style="font-weight: bold;">NOT</span> served. It makes me feel like we can do more. It also makes me see how our souls are not static, but flowing.<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Cade was set ablaze by her estranged husband Oct. 10 at the T-Mobile store in Clinton where she was working. Roger B. Hargrave was convicted last week of attempted murder<br /><br />Winfrey told her audience that <span style="font-weight: bold;">several weeks before Hargrave's attack, a Prince George's District Court judge dismissed a protective order Cade had obtained against Hargrave. </span>The audience gasped.<br /><br />The judge later said the dismissal was the result of a clerical error, Winfrey said in disbelief. "Shame, shame -- that's a shame," she added.<br /><br />Although protective orders are designed to keep abusers away, there is no consensus on whether they are effective.<br /><br />Winfrey played the audiotape of a court hearing in which the judge, Richard A. Palumbo, is sarcastic, talks over Cade and dismisses her protective order.<br /><br />"I think that's awful, don't you?" Winfrey asked audience members, who responded, "Yes!"<br /><br />"We invited Judge Palumbo to be here or provide a statement, and you can see he ain't here," Winfrey said, prompting a big laugh from the crowd.<br /><br />And Cade described what she remembered from that morning: Hargrave came into the store, and when she saw him, she told him she'd be with him in a minute. He then walked up to her and poured gasoline on her from a Sprite bottle. Then she felt something on her back. It was Hargrave, using a lighter to ignite her.<br /><br />Cade ran outside, then back into the store. "I just went to the sink and I began to hose my face," she said. "<span style="font-weight: bold;">And I remember thinking to myself that my face was melting.</span>"</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Honestly, I must give WaPo credit for keeping this story in the news. Beyond the fact that it is so egregious, WaPo has been updating us on Cade's story since it happened. <br /><br />I didn't watch the show, but a few of my co-workers did. They were infuriated with Oprah's questioning and victim blaming. I am watching it at work, so I'll put in my two cents later. Did you watch the show? What did you think?<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote>Chaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17767160667617455167noreply@blogger.com0