August 2010
5 posts
Sunday
8/8/10 - an auspicious day for a Sunday.
On Laughter (Part 1) - - the cause of and solution...
(Apologies to Simpsons)
I love to laugh. That may seem hard to believe to some who’ve met me but that’s in part because laughter is a double edged sword. But my friends who know me, know that about me. I’ll never claim to be a comedian myself, but I am a fan: Chris Rock, Ellen, David Allan Grier, Chapelle. Now why do I mention minority comedians. Because unfortunately I...
Lexicon++
How many are familiar with a term called gang-stalking?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gang%20stalking .
Some other info I ran across:
http://www.multistalkervictims.org/
http://www.stopcovertwar.com/
Seems like a rather troubling trend? Wonder why no one is paying attention to this kind of violence, by other means. Well I think we can just leave it up to the...
“God respects me when I work, but ‘He’ loves me when I “sing”
– Rabindranath Tagore
The need to fight
The perception of past injustices keeps us at war. As Martin Luther King explained to his brother when they were on the highway, and the other car flashes his lights, that he shouldn’t respond in kind because someone in that exchange, someone on that highway had to maintain their sanity. And yet there is a time to fight when injustice reaches an unbearable level.
I recently purchased a...
July 2010
5 posts
Peace
Peace is a noble sentiment. So noble it shouldn’t be sought after in a glib manner. So desirable it shouldn’t be invoked merely to restrain the injured party from taking up arms after every other path towards getting justice has been exhausted. So often, that which we call “violence” is retribution in a physical form in response to abuses far more damaging to the soul...
Social Interaction: The Social Group Type and the...
The Story
I was in a cafe in Oakland recently and observed a conflict. Well, not a conflict in the sense of a blowout argument or fistfight. This was the less sensational but far-more-common subtle tension between people that manifests in our daily life, here there and everywhere. The details are so trivial, they hardly constitute a “story” but here goes. I order a latte and sit...
Straight Talk
>http://wcbstv.com/topstories/tea.party.naacp.2.1812710.html
“The first time I was faced with having to help a white farmer save his farm, he took a long time talking but he was trying to show me he was superior to me. I know what he was doing, but he had come to me for help. ’
Said by: Shirley Sherrod, USDA Rural Development Georgia State Director, delivered at the NAACP’s...
SNL
Discussing SNL is hardly much use. The prevailing attitude is “it sucks but used to be good back when … {fill in the blanks}”. I LOVE SNL right now and I particularly love the current cast- Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, Bobby Moynihan. I find the writing to be genius and the nuances captured in the acting to be unlike anything else on TV. I like many other people...
Where we stand
Strange when we consider racial equality — and find the surest attitudes against it from…. within us as minorities.
Indian-Americans just like any other minority struggle with the world they have been shown and taught to think is ideal. The larger propaganda is clearly effective. That racism that we are nonetheless so attuned to spot elsewhere so often lies unseen within us. And...
June 2010
1 post
Indians and Jews
Jewish people are overrepresented in many areas of life such as Nobel prizes and billionaires. Its interesting to note that Ashekenazi jews rate highly on the IQ scale. The area they have the greatest advantage over others though is on the verbal portion of the IQ test. If I compare Indians and Jews, both value intellect, but the problem with Indians is we stop there. We place no emphasis on...
May 2010
3 posts
What other people think
People have a conflicted view when it comes to what “other people think”. Sometimes a person will say “I don’t give a sh*t what people think”; but its said with so much anger and resentment that I have to wonder whether that’s really the case. Unfortunately, it does matter what people think, especially since their view tends to spread, infect others, and can...
Funny
Cypress Hill…Rap Superstar:
When you sign to a record label, you don’t know you sign your life over and these white boys don’t care about you ‘cause the minute you fall off they’ll find another Noreaga and they’ll find another Capone-N-Noreaga and they’ll find another B-Real so you need to just keep, stack your chips up, do what you gotta do while you hot...
America and the Cult of materialism
America’s long fairytale with money I’m afraid will have an unhappy ending. Critics of America have described our obsession with money as the dead-end of materialism, and I’m afraid they’re right. Without any deeper beliefs or without a common culture, one can’t help if the American life is a pointless go-round, with the exception of taking as many overhyped iPads...
April 2010
11 posts
An Elite Lie: Be Independent
Oftentimes memes find their way into popular culture not as the natural outgrowth of people’s opinions but also because they serve interests of other forces. Laugh at me if you will but even the KGB admitted 75% of their work was media-related and the CIA has acknowledged psy-ops through funding of media such as Ms. magazine.
One of these memes that has been ingrained in the social mind...
Book Review: Stuff White People Like
Here are the emotions I went through reading Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander and in the order I went through them:
Mirth: Ha! That’s true about white people liking coffee but calling it anything but coffee.
Intrigue and Recognition: They are into antique furniture and like to take sometimes a single antique item and set it amongst otherwise modern furniture. I could think of...
Thoughts
-It concerns me that lately it seems elites are more grounded than their critics. The former appear to be the only ones capable of seeing and addressing reality as it is. For them, there are two considerations: reality and the public rationale (or as 20th century thinker Leo Strauss put it: the use of noble lies and deadly truths to achieve social cohesion). The critics of the elite conflate...
Terrorism
Terrorism is defined by Merriam Webster’s as:
violent or destructive acts (as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands
In 1945, the United States dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There were not military targets. Over 100,000 Japanese civilians died from the explosion and...
When Partisans Attack
One thing you may have noticed when talking to a partisan is that they bypass logical pathways when forming arguments. Inconsistencies, double standards, selective memory, feigned outrage are all unfortunate outgrowths of partisan tribalism. Loyalty can have a high cost. Science now shows us that in the human mind, reward centers are triggered by partisans when they deny an inconvenient fact...
Wow, I'm Impressed. Well Said.
Stephanopoulos, offering up a question from a viewer named “Myron” via his blog, asked, “Do you feel that, as an African-American, you have a slimmer margin for error than another chairman would?”
“The honest answer is yes,” said Steele responded. “Barack Obama has a slimmer margin. A lot of folks do. It’s a different role for me to play and others...
iPad
I am seriously considering getting an iPad. Publishing a video with me banging on it with a hammer for 5 minutes, and then tossing it in the garbage. And putting it up on YouTube. Good idea huh?
Consume
I’ve always deplored conversations about consumption. This covers food you eat. But it also covers music you listen to. Anything where there is something you take in and there is nothing learned, only experienced.
The reason I hate these conversations is numerous. First, I feel compelled to agree with the person even though my tastes may be very different. IE: the person who goes off...
Ha!
No sooner do I make the below post (regarding the nature of minority accomodation) and I read this on Twitter by someone:
“Accept something which you cannot change and you will feel better”
FB Page
Ran across a very interesting Facebook Page called “How to Deal with Whites”. An interesting subject especially since the author himself is perhaps borderline; Jewish- which can be mistaken for white but has a different heritage and culture.
I instantly took to the idea of this book, though I haven’t read it yet. Why? We are so squeamish to talk about whites. Even saying...
Jump Ball
The game was on the line. Having rallied from down 16 points, the Cleveland Wolverines were down one point with less than 10 seconds to go. The hometown fans were on their feet, anxious for what their team could deliver. An inbound pass and layup would give them the game — and bragging rights over their bitter rival. Sitting on the bench was Cleveland’s star, Darius Young. Young...
March 2010
3 posts
Why It Happened
“Alexis Pilkington was a popular athlete, a well-liked star who had already landed a soccer scholarship to college. But none of that stopped the 17-year-old from becoming the target of nasty online comments.
Even after the Long Island girl killed herself, the harassing Internet messages kept on coming, posted on a page meant to stand as a tribute.”
—
My reaction: I had to...
Real spying vs. Movie spying
In reading real-life accounts of spy agencies, I have to marvel at how transactional much of agency work appears to be. The “Bond” account of spying has to do with lurking in the shadows, eavesdropping on sensitive conversations, beating information out of a target if need be. The spy is actively engaged in insinuating himself into the circles of the opposition; he is amidst the...
Gold
There is nothing more thankless than attacking a basic assumption people have, never question, and can hardly be encouraged to think about. These hard-wired assumptions are taboo in the sense that you may speak about them…to little consequence. Therefore, I am tempted to follow Wittgenstein’s advice that ”Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”
However, I...
February 2010
5 posts
The Permanent Poor
In the Ny Times today, about the jobs not coming back.
Large companies are increasingly owned by institutional investors who crave swift profits, a feat often achieved by cutting payroll. The declining influence of unions has made it easier for employers to shift work to part-time and temporary employees. Factory work and even white-collar jobs have moved in recent years to low-cost countries in...
Goodnight America
What’s another trillion ?
Oh and while the average American can’t catch a break, and unemployment is at a 20 year high, Pentagon employees and government workers are cracking 6 figures by the tens of thousands.
We ran a $1T+ annual deficit last year, and Obama will top that with $1.7T - an annual deficit of more than 10% of the GDP. Interest on the debt annually is now $500B, or...
Spaniards
Some how seeing this (Spanish basketball team mocking their Chinese hosts during the 08 olympics)
And hearing the overwhelming response from Spaniards that this behavior was not racist.
Makes sense when you realize these are the sons of the Spaniards who came to the new world, took advantage of the natives, accepted all their gifts, then forced them to collect enough gold to avoid having...
The virtues of not having an audience
I was thinking recently that it sucks I dont’ have many readers of this blog. Then I thought what a virtue it was- and how that means I have no restraints. I can write about anything, no matter how frivolous. And that leads to..
How I was thinking about a situation thats roughly the inverse of the above - something first considered positive but has serious downsides when you further...
Talking the Talk...Mother Jones, The Atlantic, and...
My politics these days can best be characterized by “None of the Above”. However, one thing that I have found obnoxious over the years is the penchance of those on the Left to characterize themselves as defenders of affirmative action , opponents of structural racism, as well as champions of diversity - while closing the door to minorities within they have the opportunity to make good...
January 2010
2 posts
Book of Basketball
Almost done reading “Book of Basketball” by Bill Simmons. Why “almost”? The book is 697 pages; which is one of the reasons I didn’t buy it, but I ended up being given it as a Xmas gift. I’m not one to shy away from “big books”- a year ago, I read Tragedy and Hope by Caroll Quigley which was over 1,200 pages. But I thought that as much as I love...
The News
November 2009
2 posts
I feel old
I’m not sure how old I am. I lost count. But one thing I do know is that I’ve been in entrepreneurship for 13 years now. It feels as though one year in entrepreneurship will age you a few years. The whole left side of my head is gray. Here’s an interesting experiment- talk to someone the day before they start a company. Then talk to them one year out. Its enough to make...
Yesterday
So yesterday was a day like many others. A few notes: I drove to a cafeteria-style restaurant near my apt. that I passed the other day. Its a local ‘hofbrau’ and I had been meaning to check it out. It sells turkey, roast beef, and similar. Those cafeteria style restaurants really take me back to school days. Anyhow, I parked on the road. Then an asian lady passes me and says...
October 2009
10 posts
Simpsons- from Lisa the Vegetarian
The family is gathered around the breakfast table.
Homer: Marge? Since I'm not talking to Lisa, would you please ask her
to pass me the syrup?
Marge: [Wearily] Dear, please pass your father the syrup, Lisa.
Lisa: Bart, tell Dad I will only pass the syrup if it won't be used on
any meat product.
Bart: [To Homer] You dunkin' your sausages in that syrup homeboy?
Homer: Marge, tell...
1st time i smoked pot
haha, found this on digg. it rocks!!
Don't Proliferate!
If only America knew how ridiculous its stance of nuclear non-proliferation seems abroad. In America, to us, we fixate on the threat of “unstable” regimes gaining access to nuclear technology, weaponizing it, and then threatening and possibly/likely using it against America or its allies. To this end, we view the nuclear technology ownership issue through the highly narrow prism of...
Comings and Goings
In high school, I was always a bit odd looking. Let me reference a Jon Stewart quote to explain: ”I was quite a catch. Less than five feet tall, yet my head was the same size it is now. Didn’t even really look like a head, it looked more like a container for a head. I looked like a Peanuts character. Peanuts characters had terrible acne. But what I lacked in looks I made up for with a...
Well, isn't that convenient?
Some snippets in a row (trust me, it’ll make sense) from http://business.rediff.com/report/2009/aug/08/indian-american-gets-top-post-in-department-of-commerce.htm
“Ro Khanna, 32, has been appointed by President Barack Obama as the new deputy assistant secretary of commerce for domestic operations of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration...
Having room to think...
A failing routinely cited of Americans is that they’ve had too much for too long. A sort of entitlement sets in; a feeling that much has been given, little has been asked. I have countless ex-college buddies who sit around doing nothing; make snarky remarks about musical tastes, and politics; seem to have time to do everything to express their over-educated nature, but look through the...
Quotes
“Your dream may come to fruition, even after you’ve given up and resigned yourself.” _ Christoph Waltz, acclaimed actor, Inglorious Basterds
“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Air India is a joke
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/business/india-business/Air-India-pilots-crew-slug-it-out-at-30000-ft/articleshow/5085243.cms
This story of Air India pilots sexually harassing a filght attendant doesn’t surprise me. Whatever you may believe about the accusations, the behavior of the staff jeapordizes the lives of those on the plane. To call it unprofessional barely scratches the...
September 2009
2 posts
Money
I’m getting a bit of concerned about the money the Obama administration is handing out and the way its doing it. Its one thing to loan money to businesses that have a strong track record, in a temporary slump due to the unavoidable nature of the global economy. Its another thing to offer a half billion “loan” to start-ups whose entire business is speculative such as Tesla...
Redux
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-22/michelle-malkin-has-feelings-too/
Malkin has been forced to grapple personally with the issue of race. “I mean, look at me,” she once told a college audience. “I’ve been called a Jap, Chink, Gook, Dog-eater.” One day in kindergarten, she came home sobbing after being the target of racial insults from other children. “My mom wiped my...
August 2009
1 post
