Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Thanh Nguyen's LiveJournal:

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Friday, July 4th, 2008
3:51 pm	Happy 4th, everyone! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! For those who care, sorry I've been absent. Been really busy with the products line-up for the website. Living my life in real time with real people :-) I dare not look at the friends' page! Cuz you know what happens when I do: 3 hours of comment whoring. Not now. I look forward to posting again soon. Esp. when there's something to report! Lots. It'll be good! A belated nod to the debonair theoctothorpe! Folsom East seems so far away, and yet it was only 2 weeks ago. But the pleasure was mine, my lord. We shall meet again! I keep 2 Englishmen of opposite ends of English eccentrics on my list. Parce qu'ils sont tous les deux tres anglais! Mais de maniere completement differente. N'est-ce-pas? A bientot, mes memes! Bisous :-) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
7:38 pm	NEWFEST 08 I missed the 1st half last weekend :-( But last night's Dutch and German flics weren't 1/2 bad (consult their website or catalogue). More penny reviews later if there's time. 1 film on thursday. 3 on Friday + Boystown from Spain. It sounds promising. It's on *rushed*, don't you know? That means it's sold out, and you have to go on stand-by like JetBlue or something to see it. But I'm not sitting on the 1st row! Then, there is Solos (Singapore, no dialogue) on saturday that may be interesting. I'm into films that have no or minimal dialogue. How to tell a story in a visually lyrical way = art, no? In plays = Beckett had said that much. Ang Lee does it well. And that (Taiwanese or Singaporean) film that's real dark in which it rains averse is a good example, although not the most effective. I think Joan Baez is hosting or coordinating the forums this weekend. I am making the pilgrimage. She is a god we must worship. It's at HK Lounge. Yes! Of all places :-) Otherwise, it's been busy. The one thousand times edible Andreas R invited me to the Director's lab at Lincoln Center last saturday (3 weeks worth of heavy drinking and chitchat. Not too bad?) The 2 hour-(sort of) conference was fun. Met another German director. Kinda cute in a dorky sort of way which is always the best kind, right? We talked about The Life of Others, and briefly if not distantly on how sexy *intensely principled* Germans can be... but not *too much*, you know... Then, it becomes like, well, SF :-) The website is another post. Es muy caliente, mira! Joe B is going to that Alaska Playwrights retreat this weekend. I must make that next year. That's all for now. Let's go live real life before reporting it on LJ. No? :-) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
8:16 pm	Ho finito! Viva le vacanze! Well, suddenly, it's all over. I was scrambling for the last test today, only to find out that I didn't have to take it because my grades during the semester are more than enough to secure an A. Only 4 other people in the class were exempt. There is a god! We were elated as we left to the envy of the rest of the class who had to sweat it out. It's a weird feeling when you were on alert going 150 mph one minute, and the next - nothing! Not a single thing more to do. It's over. Summer has begun! Yippee! For a minute, I didn't know what to do with myself! Weird. So, I went to have a late lunch and went back to sit by the panoramic cross-over that connects the North and South buildings of BMCC. It's a gorgous view of the water, and NJ is one the other side. It was drizzling ever so lightly, and the sky looked like an immense window shade pulled 3/4 down leaving a glimpse of a golden red sky as the backdrop of the NJ skyline. It's the perfect moment for contemplation. But I don't want to. Maybe tomorrow. Or the day after. But right now, nothing. Absolute nothing. I laid down on a bench and stared at NJ. It's a lovely early evening... and I'm free. On a somber note, Ric R., our teacher had just returned from TX where he went to the funeral of his 25-year partner. He said it plainly in class to explain the delay of the final which should have taken place on monday. It seemed the man was ill for some time. And it finally happened. Ric seemed ok. But I can't imagine. We made plans to visit sometime next month. He lives in Brooklyn off the D line, same as me. This is one the few people here I really wanna make friends with (outside of school). He is the loveliest person ever. And it would be a pleasure and privilege to get to know him more. And, it so happens, he's from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Small world. That's it for now. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 19th, 2008
5:18 pm	not that we've finally stooped to scat posts, but... since I've once complained about the cardboard they used for lower lips blotching at BMCC, the most civilized seat cover tissue on campus compel me to post this observation, and ask this question of utmost GPC (green politically correct) importance: 4 plys (of the seat cover tissue) ought to do it? Or less? Because it is a profoundly gratifying feeling to be able to sit your entire behind down instead of hunching over like some cheap whore in a peep joint (and, yes, I've seen them, hence imitated!) when sitting down to do God's natural bidness in a public venue. But, we don't want to be wasteful = the G of GPC. Thank you for caring. PS: Upon returning to my computer station in the lab, the African-American girl next to me cooed, "O, you're lucky I was here! Somebody was trying to take your seat!". I gasped, "Why! Did you defend it with the kung fu I taught you?". Laughs. Sigh! Youth. Adorable. Now, she says she gotta pee. "Watch my stuff!". I gotcha. Grrl, we're rollin'! Cuz you gotta watch everything around here. Yes, shoodo! (Comment on this)
Sunday, May 18th, 2008
9:39 pm	California lifts gay marriage ban California's top court has ruled that a state law banning marriage between same-sex couples is unconstitutional. The state's Supreme Court said the "right to form a family relationship" applied to all Californians regardless of sexuality. YAH!!! Remember, I want Cartier comes NY's turn! Ooops! Where d'they all go? heh :-) (Comment on this)
9:11 pm	FURBALL A blast! I needed it. All this studying is making me, well, what it's making me... I was a bit of a dance floor ho' with a nearby dancing bear, but I don't think anyone noticed. And I'm saying it like I care! Didn't run into any LJers :-( Pity! I like these dances at The Center more than the dance bars. The music is much better + NO attitude. The whole thing is very friendly and democratic. FURBALL, like the Studio 54 theme (week before last, I think?) = an A. O yeah! And Da Bears were cute! I'll be back, Ah-nol'! BTW, the gay nightlife in NYC is momentarily comatose. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
7:38 pm	Jet Blue blues A laugh at the end of the day... A JetBlue passenger is suing the airline for $2 million after he was forced to sit in the bathroom for most of his cross-country flight. Mr. Gokhan Mutlu says he was “humiliated and dishonored” after the captain ordered him to give up his seat for a stewardess approximately 90 minutes into the five-hour flight. Mutlu was a standby passenger on the full flight from San Diego to New York on February 23rd. Initially he was seated in a regular seat, but had to move after a stewardess complained that her jumpseat was uncomfortable. Mutlu was then guided to the bathroom, while the stewardess took his spot. According to the lawsuit, the flight experienced severe turbulence while Mutlu was still seated in the bathroom. Mutlu tells the NY Post that he wouldn’t have sued if he had been allowed to switch seats with the stewardess, but the captain told him that this was against regulations. - NY Post. I'm ashamed to quote from the NY Post. But I laughed so hard, I had to share. I think the man's got some mooney comin' :-0) Cuz who wouldn't believe this face? Read more here: http://www.nypost.com/seven/05122008/news/nationalnews/suit__man_forced_to_sit_in_jetblue_bathr_110553.htm (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
7:47 pm	Rauschenberg est mort The great American artist Robert Rauschenberg died monday night at his home on Captiva Island, Florida at the age of 82. Like Janis Joplin, he was born in Port Arthur, the same small TX town where the sculptor Douglas Clark lives and works. They don't care about fame there, or so it seems. I saw Rauschenberg's murals in which there were elephants at the Menil Museum when that retrospective caused a ruckus in Houston that involved the suits at Baker Botts and HPD. I was enthralled. There is such a thing as a god-given talent. "A lot of people try to think up ideas. I'm not one. I'd rather accept the irresistible possibilities of what I can't ignore." "Anything you do will be an abuse of somebody else's aesthetics." "I think you're born an artist or not. I couldn't have learned it. And I hope I never do because knowing more only encourages your limitations." I concur. Many thanks to my fellow LJer and Texan soundofwaves for his memory of a great American artist: http://soundofwaves.livejournal.com/28007.html It isn't so bad to be from TX, is it? No. It's FAB. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
8:09 pm	NOBEL laureate Eric Maskin at BMCC on Friday, 05/09/08 @ 11:00AM Eric Maskin (I could do him. Easily) NOBEL laureate in Economics Eric Maskin will grace BMCC campus on friday 05/09/08 @ 11:00AM in Theatre II to talk about The Question of Presidential Elections. Debate or relate? BE THERE! Maskin, the Albert O. Hirschmann Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), was named a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for "having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory." He shared the $1.56 million award with Leonid Hurwicz, a professor at the University of Minnesota, and Roger Myerson of the University of Chicago. (Comment on this)
4:17 pm	Who says we're a 2-party nation? IF WE WERE ITALY... Political pluralism would only have mattered until Y2K. But now? Forget it! We're fucked. They got us by the balls, just like they did the insolent ones in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, circa 1800's. But this time, they won't even need violence. Why?... Why be blamed for forceful and messy repression (like the Chinese are) when you have conditioning and mass manipulation down to a state-of-the-art? NO ONE can blame them now. The Chinese methods are so passe. Yestercentennial! When you still have to hold a gun up to people's head, you ain't winning. Tiananmen Square looked so bad! Tibet - more than embarrassing! But, they got us now, here in the USA, mesdames et messieurs! Slaves once again. Willingly so they can never be blamed. I thought to go back to the fateful 2000 election because that's the beginning of the "post-American world", as coined by cutie fanatic Glenn Beck. Sigh! Why do some of these right-wing fanatics have to be so apple pie-edible, I don't know?... But, Glenn Beck is apple pie cute. Isn't he? I bet you it makes for very hot in bed. Never mind the S&M! :-) So, if you're thinking about writing-in your candidate this November, here's a re-cap of the 2000 line-up - the last time pluralism theoratically still made sense in American politics, or elections. PRESIDENCY 2000 - Democrats, Republicans, third party candidates and Independents ... if they ran for President in 2000, you can find them ALL here ... plus other P2000 resources! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEMOCRATIC PARTY Al Gore Jr. (Tennessee) Presidential Nominee Joe Lieberman (Connecticut) Vice Presidential Nominee OTHER DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATES Warren Beatty Bill Bradley ... the rest is, well, blah! But you can look on your own if you want. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REPUBLICAN PARTY (from Texas) Name withheld pending international war crimes tribunal Presidential Nominee (from Wyoming) Name withheld pending international war crimes tribunal Vice Presidential Nominee OTHER REPUBLICAN PARTY CANDIDATES Name withheld pending national civil rights tribunal Name withheld: children may be present and recruited ... The rest: Hiding in plaiu sight in America. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES with Ballot Status: CONSTITUTION PARTY & INDEPENDENT AMERICAN PARTY Howard Phillips (Virginia) Presidential Nominee Curt Frazier (Missouri) Vice Presidential Nominee OTHER CONSTITUTION PARTY CANDIDATES unimportant ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GRASSROOTS PARTY Denny Lane (Vermont) Presidential Nominee NO PIX Dale Wilkinson (Minnesota) Vice Presidential Nominee ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREEN PARTY & AMERICAN REFORM PARTY Ralph Nader (Connecticut), aka The Stealth Trojan Horse of the GOP 2000 Presidential Nominee Winona LaDuke (Minnesota) Vice Presidential Nominee OTHER GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES further research on your own ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIBERTARIAN PARTY Harry Browne (Tennessee) Presidential Nominee Art Olivier (California) Vice Presidential Nominee RENEGADE L.P. TICKET (WITH BALLOT STATUS ONLY IN ARIZONA): NO PIX AVAIL. L. Neil Smith (Colorado) - Presidential Candidate Vin Suprynowicz (Nevada) - Vice Presidential Candidate OTHER LIBERTARIAN PARTY CANDIDATES and so on... Yeah! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NATURAL LAW PARTY John Hagelin (Iowa) Presidential Nominee Nat Goldhaber (California) Vice Presidential Nominee ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PROHIBITION PARTY Earl Dodge (Colorado) Presidential Nominee Dean Watkins (Arizona) Vice Presidential Nominee ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REFORM PARTY & RIGHT TO LIFE PARTY Pat Buchanan (Virginia) (also as GOP candidate. But too "something" for the GOP! So, exiled here) Presidential Nominee Ezola Foster (California) Vice Presidential Nominee OTHER REFORM PARTY CANDIDATES unavailable due to GRUESOME PRE-NATAL GRAPHICS PLACARD-HOLDING DUTY AT THE RED LIGHT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOCIALIST PARTY USA (And what does this mean in America? Learn more! May be, Berkeley Dreaming!) David McReynolds (New York) Presidential Nominee Mary Cal Hollis (Colorado) Vice Presidential Nominee ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY James Harris (Georgia) Presidential Nominee Maggie Trowe (Minnesota) Vice Presidential Nominee ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORKERS WORLD PARTY Monica Moorehead (New Jersey) Presidential Nominee Gloria LaRiva (California) Vice Presidential Nominee -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES: NO PIX AVAILABLE CANDIDATES WITH BALLOT STATUS: Cathy Gordon Brown (I-Tennessee) Randall Venson (I-Tennessee) Louie Youngkeit (I-Utah) WRITE-IN CANDIDATES: A.J. Albritton (American Republican Party-Mississippi) Paris Alvarez (I-Florida) Dave Barry (I-Florida) Guy Benintendi (I-Colorado) Paula Bennett (I-Nebraska) Thomas Bentley (Progressive Party-New York) John T. Brantley (I-Georgia) Stephen Brown (I-Virginia) Jerry Leon Carroll (I-California) Ronald R. Carlsen (I-Nevada) Ronald Carter (I-Texas) Alan Caruba (Boring Party-New Jersey) Richard G. Casebolt (I-Illinois) Clifford R. Catton (Church of God Party-New York) Quentin Colgan (I-California) Fred Cook (Christian Alliance-Georgia) Charles Doty (I-Oklahoma) Ernest L. Easton (Veterans Industrial Party-Indiana) Max Englerius (I-Washington) John Michael Fitzpatrick (I-California) John Galt Jr. (I-Pensylvania) George J. Gehring (I-California) Robert Gottier (I-California) Jack Grimes (United Fascist Union-Delaware) Richard Alan Hale (I-California) Russell Hirschon (I-D.C.) Michael Jenkins (Priorities Party-Virginia) Kurt Kemp (I-Indiana) Robert Donald Kilgallon (Pennsylvania) Matt Klemmensen (I-California) Temperance Alesha Lance-Council (Anti-Hypocrisy Party-California) Rick Lovelien (I-Oklahoma) Les Lummis (I-Guam) Bradford J. Lyttle (US Pacifist Party-Illinois) Mike B. Martisko (National Sovereignty Party-West Virginia) Isabelle Masters (Looking Back Party-Kansas) Barry McClain (I-California) Aristedes Mendes (I-New York) Neil R. Miller (I-California) Richard R. Monts (I-Massachusetts) Bruce Muckian (I-Washington) Bruce S. Nelson (Optimization Party-Europe) Joe Newman (I-Arizona) Andisheh "Andy" Nouraee (I-Georgia) Randy Owens (I-Virginia) Jim Oyster (I-Virginia) Bernie Palicki (I-Alabama) Scott Palmer (I-Indiana) Jeffrey B. Peters (We The People Party-New Hampshire) Raymond K. Petry (interParty-Hawaii) Charles A. Phillips (I-California) Burton Ridgeway (I-California) Don Rogers (American Party-California) Robin Lee Salyers (I-Kentucky) Donald Sauter (I-Maryland) Joe C. "Average Joe" Schriner (I-Ohio) Lacey Mark Sivak (I-Idaho) R.U. Sirius (The Revolution-Illinois) Mike Strauss (Mike's Party-Massachusetts) Jeff Sturk (Buffalo Party-Virginia) Scott Taylor (I-Texas) Charles Gordon Vick (I-Tennessee) Da Vid (Light Party-California) Jim Watkins (Tupperware Party-Indiana) William L. Wallace (The Church-Alabama) Tom Wells (Family Values Party-Florida) Rick Williams (I-Tennessee) Jeffrey G. Winter (I-California) James W. Wright (I-Texas) David Wyatt (I-Florida) Abraham Zizkis (I-Connecticut) OTHER INDEPENDENT/WRITE-IN CANDIDATES (INCLUDING INACTIVE CANDIDATES) SHEEESH!... WHAT?!!... NO COMMUNIST PARTY??? O, don't worry. The Chinese are coming :-0) O! Correction: They're already here :-( But, at least they do free healthcare? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- pix & text = politics1.com snide remarks = tkn1114 (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
7:23 pm	a sigh for the USA LJ ITEM 1 In a rare White House press conference, first lady Laura Bush urged Myanmar's military-ruled government to accept aid from the U.S., and chastised the regime for not informing its people of the impending disaster. "The response to the cyclone is the most recent failure of the regime to meet its people's basic needs," Bush said Monday. - News quote ganked from a blog I'm always fond of for reasons that remain inexplicable, so no name mentioning for fear of being, emm, frowned at. LJ ITEM 2 Let America Be America Again - Langston Hughes, from "Let America be America Again" I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek – And finding only the same old stupid plan. Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak… O, let America be America again – The land that never has been yet – And yet must be – the land where every man is free. The land that's mine – the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME -- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose – The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America! Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.") Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek-- And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak. I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one's own greed! I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-- Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years. Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That's made America the land it has become. O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home-- For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore, And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa's strand I came To build a "homeland of the free." The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we've dreamed And all the songs we've sung And all the hopes we've held And all the flags we've hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay-- Except the dream that's almost dead today. O, let America be America again-- The land that never has been yet-- And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose-- The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America! O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath-- America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states-- And make America again! - Poem courtesy of jucundushomo LJ ITEM 3 - the sigh of tkn1114 One of the saddest things about the state of affairs in this country at this moment has got to be the general election in November. Because we already know who the winner is. The black son of Islamic-sounding name with a fresh association/disassociation with his preacher damned as divisive traitor by his own country is up against the white establishment elite war hero who never got over his ass getting kicked either in VN or at the Hanoi Hilton, the symptoms of which he could not conceal throughout his entire career, and now would not. What are the odds? Really! Let's not kid ourselves. Not at this time in American history, or this political climate. The silver lining? O, let's feign optimism! We are, after all, Americans, are we not? The black man is finally given rite of passage in America. We hope?... Whether or not it's a fluke, he is recognized before the woman. Just like the slaves have been freed and allowed to vote before women were in this country. I will vote. Of course. But I will write in the name of my presidential choice: The one who will call what this country what it is: Imperialist! The same one who will urge Americans to re-consider their way of life - and even standards - in order to do away with oil to finally catch Osama bin Laden. NOTE: My apologies for the length of this post. But I've forgotten how to put text behind a cut. But then again, I do not feel the urgency to learn, because if the issue is of no great concern to djmrswhite, it should not be of no great concern to me, either :-) BONUS: from New Rules by Bill Maher... "A church somewhere in America has a sign that says: "OSAMA or OBAMA? Are they brothers?". "NO!", replied Bill Maher, "They're not even related. Which is more than I can say for the couple(s) in your church!" - You tell' em, Willy! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, May 2nd, 2008
6:11 pm	asian girls, TFF, rush to finals, and misc... I had lunch at Starbuck's today. Lunch at Starbuck's? Why yes! Visitors take note: A stone throw from BMCC campus and the glorious waterfront overlooking NJ lined by Rockerfeller Park, the Tribeca location is a fave haunt of certain regulars, like moi, who bring their lunches to wash down with Starbuck's various products. And stake out the bathroom! If you want an autograph from what's his name I forgot who was in that movie I forgot, he and co. will be happy to sign one for you, and your kid, too! Yes, the things you do for money?!? The tourists are flocking here since last week to catch a glimpse at whoever it is they hope to glimpse at the Tribeca Film Festival that's going on until sunday. I say, the star gazing is lame. Cuz, well, there ain't no stars! Not really. As seen on TV: Just the screaming paparazzi in-training for a Talk Soup spot later in their, umm, career! May be... But back to today... As I was standing at the counter waiting for my overpriced yuppielatteriat iced something I forgot, these 2 asian girls, cute as giggly cute can be, were struggling with chopsticks! The one was saying, "Well, no!... Ya gotta hold it like a pen!", which promptly did with 1 chopstick in one hand. The other tried to mimick... but unsuccessfully. She was really struggling. But just couldn't get it! I sighed! "Are you kidding? Could this be true? Has it come to this?". But the Starbuck's co-worker/owner (cuz that's what they are, you know? Everyone who works there is a co-owner of the company, and don't you dare tell them otherwise!) called me back to our reality. "That will be $1.95, SIR!" (Oh yes, never "Please". This is NY, ya know?!!) I dutifully pulled out my wallet and handed her a credit card. Cuz that's how you pay for yuppielatteriat products, you see? With a credit card. Even if it's .50c! Cuz, it's the appropriate thing to do. We're a debt society! And yuppielatteriat should be in debt. As I turned to walk out the door, the 2 asian girls were diving into their lunches with a vengeance, and chopsticks were swinging artfully in both girls' hands! Weird? How d'that happen? So, I stopped and said, "O, wow! For a minute there, I thought you were orphans raised by white people!". One of them turned and frowned, "Uh-uh! We were just playing! Uncle!". Ah!... I see. "Bon apetit, then". I walked out. Then, it striked me. UNCLE??? As in, Uncle Tai??? Bitch! Do you mean to tell me I'm old enough for the... title??? O. My. God! That's it! I'm done budding in! The Tribeca Film Festival's catalogue promises a lot of edgy stuff. But, I saved the catalogue for when the DVDs come out. But, ya'll go ahead! Otherwise, we're rushing toward finals... 2 more weeks!... Then, LIFE again! I'm going to tour the sex clubs in all 5 boroughs. And then, we'll see?... Oh, and Brooklyn. Manhattan I know well. But, Brooklyn's a new adventure. I live 10 minutes from the water, but haven't even seen it!... Well, it was winter when I arrived. Then, I gotta move my stuff up from TX. That's another post! And then, writing, and theatre! That's another post yet. And the website. Boy, I got shit to do, or what?!! I saw a Future Farmers of America blue corduroy jacket on the train the other night. Complete with cowboy boots and Wrangler jeans. Wonder where he came from? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
4:03 pm	MERMAN Magician David Blaine outside his water-filled glass sphere where he is spending seven days and nights underwater at Lincoln Center in New York May 6, 2006. Blaine set a world record for underwater breath holding on Wednesday when he stopped breathing for more than 17 minutes suspended in a water-filled sphere on the stage of Oprah Winfrey's talk show. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) Surely, the skill must be a mystifying asset to one's sexual prowess? (Comment on this)
Monday, April 28th, 2008
3:03 pm	Some Facts re: US Economy going toward November This is a comprehensive summary of the state of affairs in our country since 2001. I've tried to edit out as much as possible. But it was really hard, because a lot of it are SIMPLE FACTS! From the article: "The Myths and Harsh Effects of Bush's Economic Class War, by Larry Beinhart, via AlterNet.com The recession of 2001 never ended. At least not for ordinary Americans. Ordinary Americans found that their income was declining. From 2001 to 2007, median family income declined - depending on where you get your figures from - by somewhere between $500 and $1,000. Median individual income went down by at least $1,000. ... . The number of people in manufacturing jobs decreased by over 3 million. . The number who got health care at work went down, from 64.2 million to 59.7 million. The number of people without health care went up from 38.4 to 46.9 million. . The number of people in poverty increased from 31.6 million to 36.5 million. . Home heating oil went up about 150 percent. Gas at the pump at least doubled. The cost of health insurance went up about 50 percent. The cost of college went up about 30 percent. Now food is going up. ... Part of it is the standard theology and story telling about free markets and America always being number one and the envy of the world. ... The key fact is this: during the Bush administration the US economy "grew" by 37 percent. Give or take, plus or minus, but something around there . What has been ignored is what that growth consists of. And even more, what it cost. . The middle class has shrunk and is less well off. So the growth isn't there. . The stock market is flat, so it's not in business. Manufacturing jobs have been dramatically reduced, so it's not there. . The "growth" in the US economy is a bubble. It consists entirely of debt. ... Here are the numbers: The US economy grew by about $4 trillion. -- The national debt in Jan. 2008: $9.2 trillion -- The national debt in 2001: $5.7 trillion An increase of $3.5 trillion -- Total consumer credit debt in 2008: $12.8 trillion -- Total consumer credit debt in 2001: $7.65 trillion . An increase of $5.25 trillion . In the course of achieving growth of $4 trillion, we took on $8.75 trillion in debt, combining what we owe as a nation and as individuals. . Since we have nothing to show for it, it's the worst single investment in world history. ... Is debt innately evil? No. . There are lots of good reasons to take on debt. But the national choices should be made on roughly the same basis as taking on personal debt. If you can pay as you go, it's cheaper. . But sometimes there are emergencies. If something is vital, like saving your child's life, even when you don't have health insurance, you will hock whatever you can. When the nation is attacked, we normally spend what we have, plus what we can raise with taxes, and then borrow more, for the national defense. . It also makes sense to borrow to do something profitable - start, expand, or improve a business. The government equivalent is building infrastructure. Roads, education, communications, criminal justice and court systems, all facilitate commerce and generate more business, which ultimately creates new tax revenue. . Sometime you borrow to buy something that's worth the extra cost of paying interest, either because of it's utility, like a car, or because you expect it to appreciate more than the interest you pay, like a house. Nowadays, governments routinely borrow to jump start or stimulate economies. ... That idea started during the Great Depression... . As originally conceived, it was trickle up, or ideally, multiply up economics. If you put the unemployed to work, they would spend their income on housing, food and other necessities. . That would go to shopkeepers, service people, property owners, farmers and the manufacturers of the goods they all bought. . At each step there would be tax revenue so the deficits would ultimately pay for themselves. ... Then along came the trickle down people. . They believed that if rich people had more money, they would invest it in businesses, creating more employment, that would produce more things, that people would flock to buy, which would, likewise, create more tax revenue. . The problem is that it doesn't work...in a generally balanced economy it doesn't. . It doesn't work because rich people with extra money do not say, "Ah hah! I have an extra hundred grand, I'll open a grocery store!" They toss it in whatever market is handy or buy a second, third, or fourth home. ... Here's what happened in Bush the Lesser's experiment. . The government pumped out lots of money by increased spending, much of it going to the military industrial complex, the pharmaceutical and insurance industry, and, of course, a special big chunk on the wars. . They also cut taxes. Mostly for the very rich. So rich people suddenly had lots of money on hand. . They didn't go out and open new businesses, they simply sold the money. That is, they put it in "the financial sector," banks, investment companies, brokerages, insurance companies, real estate funds, hedge funds and the like . The financial sector suddenly had an influx of money... they went out aggressively to make loans, both to businesses and consumers. The government was hand in glove with them, keeping interest rates low and deregulating or signoring regulations. ... There was a real estate bubble. That should have been a warning sign... It is a signal that there is a lot of money around with no productive place to go. No businesses expanding. No hot new industries. No genuine growth. ... . The problem is that the government, the nation, and the individuals in our country have all taken on massive amounts of new debt. . Without investing it anything productive. . Even our conquests of Afghanistan and Iraq are not profitable (except for specific war profiteers)... creating more debts. . Debts which are, bizarrely, kept off the books the way Enron used to do it, or more pertinently, the way George Bush used to do it when he was at Harken Energy. ... This is quite accurately reflected in the fall of the dollar against such currencies as the Euro. ... . The dollar is now worth one third less than it was in 2001, pretty much the size of the bubble, one third of the economy. . It is also the primary cause of half of the increase in the price of oil. Since oil is priced in dollars, oil producers have had to raise their prices by fifty percent just to keep even. . our energy policy has been to just keep using oil, that makes the problem self-perpetuating, sending more and more money out of the country. . Here's another statistic to make things scarier still: Amount more Americans earned than spent in 2001: +2.3 percent Amount less Americans are earning than spending in 2008: -0.5 percent (State of the Union 2008: By the Numbers, Reuters, 1/28/2008 the source of many of the statistics included here.) The beat goes on. ... . A check sent to every American, paid for by .... debt. . Support for failing financial institutions and for defaulting mortgage holders, paid for by .... debt. . Artificially low interest rates, so there will be more lending, creating more debt. . All to keep the big bubble from bursting. All in the service of denying the big bubble is actually a bubble. ... . If America is going to get out of this, we will probably have to do it the old fashioned way, work for it. The way to encourage work, is to make doing business - making things, inventing things, providing services - more attractive and profitable than simply lending money. Credit that's too easy to get encourages careless and wasteful choices among consumers, bankers, and business people. ... . Fixing it requires raising taxes to pay off the government debts. Cutting military spending, the bloated excesses in the name of the War on Terror and ending the War in Iraq, will help immensely. . It also requires sensible investment by the government, in the sort of infrastructure that will create business that takes place here, in the United States. ... Larry Beinhart is the author of "Wag the Dog," "The Librarian," and "Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin." All available at nationbooks.org. You can read the article in its entirety here: http://www.alternet.org (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
10:20 pm	from NY in solidarity: "I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO!..." Did me proud, ya'll!!! It's been busy! But this is worth it however late! Thanks for looking, and sharing these images! Yah! San Francisco! More here: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/usa/features/article_1399202.php BTW, I have a screen warning while uploading these images that this activity's privacy has been "threatened" and "monitored"! Well, monitor this: FUCK YOU!!! (Comment on this)
5:26 pm	What is a reliable translation website? I'm in a hurry! Does anyone know an easy-to-access and reliable language translation website where I can translate English to Italian and vice versa for an essay? I'm taking Italian IV which is the highest level here and, yes, we're writing essays in correct Italian and all appropriate tenses for mid-term and finals! FUN!!! I'm doing it the old-fashioned way with the verbs book and a dictionary, but it'd be so nice to speed up the process with a little web help so I can go home early tonight! I know some of you are pretty versed on these translation websites, so I thought to ask? Thanks so much, in advance! (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
8:23 pm	Invitation to a reading of BUNNY & BEAR You are cordially invited to a reading of a play by Thanh Nguyen. . PLAY: BUNNY & BEAR . SYNOPSIS: The campy trials and tribulations of the most unlikely match who has one thing in common: DRAH-MA! Ah! Never underestimate the power of Drahhhh-maaaa Queeeeens! Sex, raunch, flirt, rude, fun!... and, of course, tear-jerking gay "heart" - everything that makes gay "gay" is here to boot! We're workshopping it for the Wings Theatre in June to coincide - what else? NY Gay Pride 2008! . LOCATION: GLBT community center, 208 W.13th St/7 Ave (212 620 7310) c/o The Village Playwrights Group (Take #1 train (red line) to 14th St. Walk across the street to the community center) . DATE: WEDNESDAY 04/09/08 . TIME: 8:00PM . COST: $3.00 (toward room use) . RSVP: Please leave a comment in this post to reserve a complimentary seat Looking forward to the presentation, thank you for joining us! Cordially, Thanh Nguyen (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 7th, 2008
5:11 pm	from NY in solidarity: LONDON CALLING LONDON — The Olympic torch made its way under heavy police guard through 31 miles of raucous protests across London on Sunday, amid mounting calls for European leaders to boycott the Games' opening ceremonies in Beijing to protest China's record on human rights. With shouts of "Free Tibet!" and "Shame on China!" from the crowds, the torch occasionally had to be sheltered on a bus while police scuffled with demonstrators who leapt in to halt the parade. In one case, a protester briefly grabbed the torch; in another, a man in a yellow jacket opened fire at the torch with an extinguisher. - text excerpts from article by Kim Murphy and Geraldine Baum | Tribune newspapers (Comment on this)
2:08 pm	From NY in solidarity: Vive la France! Vive la Liberte! OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY IN PARIS HALTED AS PROTEST SPREAD PARIS - What was supposed to be a majestic procession through the French capital for the Olympic torch turned into chaos Monday as thousands of people from around Europe, many with Tibetan flags, massed to protest the relay and deny China the promotional boost it hoped for in the runup to the games. "Paris,co gi la khong em? Mai, anh ve em co con ngoan?" "What's new in Paris? Will you be good if I visit tomorrow?" (lyrics from a popular VNmese song) The torch went out several times, and police officers had to bring it onto a bus to try to protect it as demonstrators swarmed the security detail. In the end, organizers canceled the final leg of the procession, deciding to have the torch transported by bus. extinghuished torch :-( flame kept in the bus! :-) Despite heavy security, at least one activist got within a meter of the pack of Rollerblading police officers crowding around the torchbearer. On several occasions, officers were seen tackling protesters. A police official quoted by The Associated Press said 28 people were arrested. Trocadero It was the second time in two days that the torch relay had been disrupted in a European capital. About 3,000 police officers — on foot, horseback, Rollerblades, motorbikes and even boats in the Seine — had been deployed in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the scenes played out in London on Sunday, when the relay turned into a tumult of scuffles and dozens of people were arrested. Tour Eiffel But the Paris leg proved just as chaotic. At the start of the relay, a man identified as a Green Party activist was grabbed by security officers as he headed for Stéphane Diagana, the president of France’s national athletics league and a former world champion in the 400-meter hurdles, who was carrying the torch from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. The man was tackled before he got close to Diagana. Oh, la, La! ze scuffle wiz ze gendarme! (but this is not the guy who almost grabbed the torch) An event that was supposed to burnish China’s image around the world has turned into a public relations nightmare — not only for China, but also for the nations along the torch’s route. front pages of Chinese newspapers The 5:30 Eurostar train from London to Paris on Sunday evening carried a large contingent of activists moving from one protest to the next, including Tibetan nuns who had been jailed in China for 12 years and Tibetan athletes who live in Switzerland and who call themselves Team Tibet. La voix de la Liberte s'ecrie a Paris! Ze voice of ze Libertee screams in Pareessss! sign: The flame in Paris, Arms in Bejing! The attention has focused public attention on a cause that has languished on the international back burner for many years. At the International Campaign for Tibet the phones have been ringing off the hook — from media outlets, politicians, and people wanting to sign petitions and host events — said Jan Willem den Besten, the campaign coordinator for the Netherlands who was in Paris on Monday morning. Oh la la! Dragging ze Libertee! “What is most dramatic is to see how broad and deep the support has become,” said den Besten, who accompanied the nuns from London. “You almost have to feel sorry for the Chinese because its turned completely against the public image they wanted to present.” In Paris, again and again protesters interrupted what was supposed to be a triumphant procession. On a street along the Seine, the police said, protesters forced officers to retreat with the torch onto a bus to continue along the route. Around the same time, the flame went out for a first time — for “technical reasons” unrelated to the protests, a police spokeswoman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with policy. About an hour later, the flame was being carried out of a traffic tunnel by an athlete in a wheelchair when the procession was again halted by activists who booed and chanted “Tibet,” The Associated Press reported. "Non!" a la tyrannie! The torch was extinguished for a second time and again put on a bus despite protesters’ apparent failure to get close this time, The AP said, which reported that the flame went out at least four times in total. bon, ca marche pas avec la flamme! :-( By the time it reached the Arc de Triomphe and descended along the Champs-Elysées, the torch was once again carried by an athlete but was barely visible through the dense escort of officers and police vans. A helicopter circled above as a rival teams of onlookers, cheering supporters waving Chinese flags and protesters responding with chants demanding “freedom” for Tibet, crowded behind metal barriers lined by paramilitary police officers. A small truck decorated in the Olympic logo and carrying a percussion band was almost inaudible. - text from NYT article by John F. Burns contributing from London and Jim Yardley from Beijing. LET'S REVIEW... . "Chaotic protests against China's human rights policies forced security officials to extinguish the Olympic torch twice during a relay Monday through Paris that became a tortured procession of stops and starts." - "A tortured procession of stops and starts" - Isn't that so French? :-) . "European athletes and officials have demanded clearer guidelines on how free they will be to express opinions on human rights, Tibet and other issues at the Beijing Olympics." - Well! Results? . "International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has called on China to peacefully end unrest in Tibet, piling further pressure on the nation's communist rulers ahead of the Beijing Games." - More results?... We'll see. All and all, I'd say it was a success, wouldn't you? UP NEXT: SAN FRANCISCO . 'The flame moves to San Francisco on Wednesday, its only U.S. stop. The monthlong tour is scheduled to end in Vietnam; it is to be followed by a six-week, 46-stop tour of China." - SAN FRANCISCO! Ya'll be sure to do us proud now, hear!!! (Comment on this)
Friday, April 4th, 2008
11:48 pm	No, seriously... Is it fair to say that we are entering a new era? In interview with Oprah, pregnant man says baby will be a miracle - News Wire Services: "A transgender man who is six months pregnant said in an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday that he always wanted to have a child and considers it a miracle." Is this a hoax? Otherwise, it's a new era. (6 Comments |Comment on this)