The Conversation
- “But he hit me back first!” (13)
- Siegfried: If it was a Russian or any other white man who told blacks”to go back to Africa”, it would...
- Raguel: I saw that Spike Lee film “Do the Right Thing” years ago but still can’t understand it.
- bigWOWO: Stele: “Care to qualify that statement? Even if that were true, you have to look at this case on its...
- Two podcasts that address racism in the military, and Danny Chen the person (9)
- Raguel: The origins of racism in the American military as described by loudestfuckingazns is accurate. Very recently,...
- bigWOWO: Sorry, Larry, just noticed that the spam robot junked your comment. Approved!
- bigWOWO: Agreed. It just has more weight if you include your name. Not that the ideas are any less valid, but it just...
- Facebook IPO (5)
- King: Actually WOWO, I bump into plenty of Asians up at the Art Center College of Design http://www.artcenter.edu/a...
- bigWOWO: Agree with King. This might not be a bad thing for Asian Americans to hear about. We can jump off the STEM...
- Raguel: People are too accustomed to thinking about value only in terms of money. Even artists are guilty of it. Some...
- Stop SOPA and PIPA (7)
- Raguel: Found a great website, take a look at this: https://www.cdt.org/ Why should privacy be important, in an age...
- Raguel: Following the temporary shelving of SOPA and PIPA in the long line of net neutrality battles, the feds and...
- Chr..: “Asian American men have to get more involved, not less. It’s a civic responsibility, and you have to...
- Activism is as activism does (10)
- trolldetector: Brooks also goes onto say ‘You should attach yourself to a counter-tradition and school of...
- bigWOWO: By the way, speaking of activism, there was a great David Brooks column recently. He talks about how people...
- Raguel: I have no experience whatsoever with activism. I simply do not feel safe participating in it. There is always...
- How to Win a Streetfight (18)
- bigWOWO: No worries. I feel the same way. Nothing against her, but just doubtful.
- Raguel: Hi Byron! I’ve been occupied doing a lot of reading and thinking recently. I suppose its just another...
- bigWOWO: Hey Raguel, What about your comments on ASSK?
I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
- What Cultures Value (19)
- UFC 117 Sonnen vs. Silva Recap (1)
- bigWOWO: I think Michael Bisping solved the Chael Sonnen puzzle today, even though he lost a controversial decision....
- 6 on 1 Beatdown of Asian Man (36)
- King: “I mean I look around me and 99% of the time there are no women that look like or dress like Adriana Lima...
- SWR: Apparently the girl in the second video was not the girl who filmed the fight. It was probably unwise of her to...
- Raguel: I mean I look around me and 99% of the time there are no women that look like or dress like Adriana Lima in...
- Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids by Bryan Caplan (Review) (6)
- bigWOWO: Jeff, You called it! They were (if I recall correctly) 7 (twins) and 2. He’s still in the honeymoon...
- jeffat8asians: “Overpaying?” With the possible exception of college tuition (and even that is arguable),...
- Hitler: Kids suck lol.
- The Asian Rock Thread (16)
- ben: I’ve been getting into Asian rock music recently so thank you all very much for uploading all these videos.
- Simple Pickup on ABC News (132)
- Tommy: I think I’m coming here more for Moro’s comments than BigWoWO’s posts.
- Moroboshi: I didn’t say that. All I said was guys who believe in HBD are the same guys who probably also follow...
- Chr..: Moro, I don’t want to argue with you anymore! You seem to think that AMs are just as popular as other...
- “Lazy” Americans and the Decline of the American Middle Class (6)
- bigWOWO: But kobu, how can we have literature and art without money to support artists and writers? About...
- kobukson: I don’t know why everyone seems to think the notion of the decline of the middle class is such a bad...
- bigWOWO: There are a lot of veterans (supposedly) on that site. I can kind of understand it–military guys are...
- Aung Sung Suu Kyi Movie with Michelle Yeoh (45)
- bigWOWO: Eurasian, Lee Kuan Yew has always been upfront about Singapore’s hybrid system. To the best of my...
- Eurasian Sensation: @ BigWowo: New governments following independence or a major power struggle often have the sort...
- N: @bww And ironically, one of the rare democratic successes in the region that is Singapore behaves much closer to a...
- Paper Pushers by the Stunt People (4)
- Andre M. Smith: I divide my year annually between New York and Shanghai. One of my common visitations in the latter...
- Raguel: Smiley tests 8 )
8( - Raguel: ROFL! Thank you for thoroughly destroying Amy Chua, Andre. WELL SAID ^_^ You know the destruction is so...
- Amy Chua: Chinese Conceit, Chinese Ignorance, and the $24,000 question (245)
- Andre M. Smith: I believe some useful purpose will be served by offering here, what the lawyers might like to call,...
- N: What’s your opinion on Yundi Li and Yoyo Ma.
- Andre M. Smith: Amy Chua has never lived in China. Her understanding of its culture, that is, the culture as it’s...
- How to Finish Life With No Regrets (9)
- trolldetector: ^ i’d agree with that. but i wouldnt call them ‘idiots’, just misguided. crazy media...
- N: Agree with Jeff that not one regret is unlikely, the key is learn from it. Another way to look at it is that...
- American Jobs and India (14)
- lingyai: I am not sure what happen there with my name, that is not my email, so just ignore.
- lingyai@hotmail.com: @bigwowo Just because the average income in India is $2 a day doesn’t make a person...
- AM/AF couple: Nottyboy, Yes, just like every place of employment, upper management needs to do a better job in terms...
- Literary Fiction vs. Realistic Fiction and the Literary Hierarchy (6)
- Sana Rose: Well, now I am confused. I still can’t classify the novel I am writing.
I wouldn’t say...
- Sana Rose: Well, now I am confused. I still can’t classify the novel I am writing.
- National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012 (32)
- Raguel: http://www.occupydream.org/ ^ I heard about this from Russell Simmons. I hope that things develop well to...
- Raguel: So is that the reasoning for why you don’t need the right to due process? Are you some kind of fucking...
- N: @King The constitution gave power to the states to benefit white america or the constitution gave benefitial power...
- When Your Fan Base is Full of Crazy People (24)
- N: @American girl Too be honest, I don’t really see why this video that ‘disgusting’ –...
- Mitt Romney and the Problem of Wealth (6)
- Raguel: Where do people get their information and knowledge from, though? Media, and education, word of mouth only...
- “But he hit me back first!” (13)
Monthly Archives: January 2009
Angry Senator McCaskill calls to curb executive compensation
“We have a bunch of idiots on Wall Street that are kicking sand in the face of the American taxpayer.”
–Senator Claire McCaskill
Finally, someone has the guts to stand up against these crooked CEOs and Wall Street executives.
Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, is trying to pass the Chief Executive Officer Pay Act of 2009, which would cap the compensation of all executives for companies accepting federal help. This law would limit compensation of all employees to that of the President of the United States, and it would include all compensation, including bonuses and stock options. The president currently makes $400,000 a year. According to the speech above, this cap would be in effect for companies until they paid back every dime of aid that they received.
First African American Chair of the RNC
Michael Steele
Michael Steele is the first African American Chair of the Republican National Committee.
This could be good or bad. The RNC is a big mess these days, and with the ideological differences and the anger following 8 years of Bush, this might not be the best position for Steele right now. That said, it’s great that they’ve brought an African American to the head of a party not known for its diversity efforts.
Helio Gracie, Pioneer of Brazilian Jujitsu, Dies at 95
Helio Gracie
I awoke to find the following e-mail in my inbox.
On Tuesday morning Grand Master Helio Gracie was tanning at his ranch in Brazil, and on Thursday morning at 9:15 he passed on due to natural causes. His legacy will survive forever in all members of the Gracie Family, jiu-jitsu practitioners around the world, and all those who have benefited from the revolution he began.
In his final years, the creator of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu often spoke of his satisfaction with his life’s work. He openly stated that he had accomplished everything he had set out to do, displaying his preparedness for the transition into the afterlife.
Book World Out of Print
The NY Times reported that the Washington Post’s Book World is going out of print. It’s yet another way in which the print media is cutting back.
I’m seriously worried about investigative reporting, but I have a feeling that stuff like book reviews, movie reviews, and the like will be downsized regardless of what we do. When it comes to this kind of thing, I’m in the same state of mind as Jason Epstein–I think we’re going to have to learn how to deal with a new system that takes the internet into account. It’s a fact that booksellers had very little idea what people thought about books before Amazon came out; this is simply a reworking of an industry that may not have been as efficient as it could have been. Professional reviewers are important to society, but the form and method in which they deliver their views will probably have to change.
Endowments: A Possible Solution to the Media Problem
I’m excited. A NY Times Op-Ed just proposed a solution for the media problem that I’ve been blogging about. (see here, for example).
I don’t remember when I said it, but I did: most literary writers, in the future, will most likely be employed by foundations rather than private companies. The money just isn’t there. It’s not that big of a deal–most literary writers are and will continue to be broke anyway–but it speaks against the idea that writers will be independent.
The Scoop on Dirt
For you mommies and daddies out there, when your baby or toddler puts something dirty in his or her mouth, know that there’s an evolutionary reason.
Since all instinctive behaviors have an evolutionary advantage or they would not have been retained for millions of years, chances are that this one too has helped us survive as a species. And, indeed, accumulating evidence strongly suggests that eating dirt is good for you.
Self-Publishing Companies Making Bank
Motoko Rich had a story in the NY Times today about the self-publishing industry. As you all know from a previous post, we’ve got at least one regular here who is a self-published author, along with one who is planning on becoming a self-published author. I think it’s awesome that technology is allowing people to self-publish without prohibitive costs. The world is becoming more democratic.
The story in short goes like this: traditional book publishers, which front money and time to promote books, are hurting badly. Self-publishing companies, on the other hand, which usually charge authors to get started, are flourishing. They seem to be the one bright spot in the entire publishing world.
John Updike Dies at 76
John Updike
See article here.
I’ve never actually read a book by John Updike, but I’ve read his essays. He was a great essayist and reader. Just a few months ago, I read the Best American Short Stories of the Century, for which he was a co-editor (and also a short story writer).
Rest in Peace.
Go home and procreate
There’s an interesting video on CNN about Canon Japan and its new program to get workers to go home early and “procreate.” See the article here. What a great company! I’m proud to own a Canon digital camera.
There were a number of questions/thoughts that popped into my head after watching/reading this.
1. How does the company benefit from sending its workers home early? Cutting overtime seems rather useless compared with the more common method of cutting workforce. Plus, if these people do have babies who scream through the night, they’re going to be tired and walking around like zombies, and they’ll be more or less useless to the company. (I’m speaking a bit from experience.)
71,400 jobs
CNN article here.
All I can say is ouch. My thoughts go out to those who are struggling. Please stay positive.
(Updated to include the numbers which have been added since I posted this morning.)
