OMG! The future is here and now and is hanging on my wall in the form of a Panasonic television screen equipped with VieraCast! What, you ask? High def viewing combined with the power of the Internet, wild sound, a camera and the likes of SKYPE, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon Movies (did you even know they had a competitive service to Netflix??), Weather.com, Pandora radio, Picasa photos, assorted channels from Germany (yes, Germany, although I am in Pasadena, California) and all of my 500 channels from AT&T/U-verse. All this on the clearest, crispest plasma screen I've ever seen!
I am wowed. I can't wait to see what other services they have in store for us that are "coming soon."
All you need is an electric connection, Internet access and either your digital box for free television channels or a connection to a programming distribution service. VieraCast is a smart TV platform brought to us by Panasonic that makes it possible to stream multimedia content from the Internet directly into select televisions. Maybe this is the return of family viewing. The return of families sitting around the TV, together.
My husband and I did something we haven't done in years -- we actually danced and sang the night away, in our living room. We went to Pandora and set up our favorite, personal radio stations, choosing our favorite songs so that Pandora's computer software could psycho-select our stations for us! It reminded me of so many nights my sisters and I would put on records and dance while my parents watched, shaking their heads but inwardly appreciating the beat as we moved our hips and threw up our arms like chimps and had a great, shared time.
If you haven't yet gotten all your holiday gifts, this is one to consider! Ours cost us under $800 and has already given us hours of fun.
Happy Holidays to all!
VOTE for MY Blog Please!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Feeling Empty or Full This Year?
As we approach the end of 2010, we bid adieu to our first decade of this, the twenty-first century. And guess what, folks? WE MADE IT! I guess that goes into the “full” category. My husband and I met ten years ago this month, so the magic of this past decade has not been lost on us. We made it this far. Yippee!
In no order of importance, this year has had its ups, downs and wacky turnarounds.
We remain in our town of South Pasadena, the home of the South Pas Tigers. Ten minutes from downtown LA. Thirty minutes from the Pacific. Fifteen minutes to the San Gabriel Mountains. Former home of the Ostrich Farm, where strippers from the 20s to 40s could find their plumes for coverage.
Our youngest, Michael, now a Senator at his elementary school, turns eight in January and is more convinced than ever that the elections of 2044 will be his year to get to the White House. It’s not too early to put your contributions aside for the first Jewish-Greek-American President. We’ll be counting on you. We know where you live.
Alex, our twenty-something son, has moved to hip Atwater Village where he and the lovely Andrea share a one-bedroom apartment that combines mid-century kitsch (think bobble heads of The Monkees on a shelf in a room with an Eames-like chair) with up to date electronics and very powerful speakers. He remains happily employed with thoughts of academia a fading memory from his past.
I, on the other hand, am thinking of turning to academia more and more. Professor Davis has a nice ring…But maybe not, as I have just gotten notice that I now qualify for my fourth (yes fourth!) federal extension to receive unemployment benefits, approved by President Obama. It was automatically filed on my behalf, as it was for the other millions of folks who have been downsized, marginalized, penalized and otherwise life-jeopardized since 2008. I can’t afford a low-paying job like teaching, when the Federal government continues to bail me out.
My better half, Nick, who began the year thinking we would be ending it in Prague, where he would be running a division of Europe’s fastest growing IPTV provider, is scheduled to have his thirty-fifth interview with the same company tomorrow. But he can only make it if the oil & gas company in Aberdeen can re-schedule his SKYPE interview for a COO position and if the Reuters IT team can put off the launch of the new system he has headed and if the non-profit stops calling to ask for his help with their website and if the darn Cub Scouts would only postpone their Den meeting…
This year, we lost our beloved Betta, Chester, who lasted three years longer than the average fish. We lost relatives and close friends. Cancer, homelessness, unemployment have hit those we love. The riots in Greece have put us on edge.
And yet…
We can’t help feeling full with a roof over our heads, a smile on our kids’ faces, fragrant lemons for picking all over town, the mountains beckoning and our friends calling from around the world. My book series The Jelly Bean Chronicles continues to entertain kids and their parents.
All in all, we’ve felt empty and we’ve felt full this year. But one thing is for sure: our glass has not yet been dry. May 2011 be a year of comebacks. Heck, Sarah Palin came back. Eliot Spitzer has his own show on CNN. Even the iPhone 4 came back with a better version.
Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year.
In no order of importance, this year has had its ups, downs and wacky turnarounds.
We remain in our town of South Pasadena, the home of the South Pas Tigers. Ten minutes from downtown LA. Thirty minutes from the Pacific. Fifteen minutes to the San Gabriel Mountains. Former home of the Ostrich Farm, where strippers from the 20s to 40s could find their plumes for coverage.
Our youngest, Michael, now a Senator at his elementary school, turns eight in January and is more convinced than ever that the elections of 2044 will be his year to get to the White House. It’s not too early to put your contributions aside for the first Jewish-Greek-American President. We’ll be counting on you. We know where you live.
Alex, our twenty-something son, has moved to hip Atwater Village where he and the lovely Andrea share a one-bedroom apartment that combines mid-century kitsch (think bobble heads of The Monkees on a shelf in a room with an Eames-like chair) with up to date electronics and very powerful speakers. He remains happily employed with thoughts of academia a fading memory from his past.
I, on the other hand, am thinking of turning to academia more and more. Professor Davis has a nice ring…But maybe not, as I have just gotten notice that I now qualify for my fourth (yes fourth!) federal extension to receive unemployment benefits, approved by President Obama. It was automatically filed on my behalf, as it was for the other millions of folks who have been downsized, marginalized, penalized and otherwise life-jeopardized since 2008. I can’t afford a low-paying job like teaching, when the Federal government continues to bail me out.
My better half, Nick, who began the year thinking we would be ending it in Prague, where he would be running a division of Europe’s fastest growing IPTV provider, is scheduled to have his thirty-fifth interview with the same company tomorrow. But he can only make it if the oil & gas company in Aberdeen can re-schedule his SKYPE interview for a COO position and if the Reuters IT team can put off the launch of the new system he has headed and if the non-profit stops calling to ask for his help with their website and if the darn Cub Scouts would only postpone their Den meeting…
This year, we lost our beloved Betta, Chester, who lasted three years longer than the average fish. We lost relatives and close friends. Cancer, homelessness, unemployment have hit those we love. The riots in Greece have put us on edge.
And yet…
We can’t help feeling full with a roof over our heads, a smile on our kids’ faces, fragrant lemons for picking all over town, the mountains beckoning and our friends calling from around the world. My book series The Jelly Bean Chronicles continues to entertain kids and their parents.
All in all, we’ve felt empty and we’ve felt full this year. But one thing is for sure: our glass has not yet been dry. May 2011 be a year of comebacks. Heck, Sarah Palin came back. Eliot Spitzer has his own show on CNN. Even the iPhone 4 came back with a better version.
Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tilting Left or Right, It's All Turned Around
Like the faults in California's crust, there was a lot of shifting last night, but surprisingly not what we would think in California. Where the rest of the country dramatically tilted right, California voters resoundingly went left. The country's seismic patterning was spectacular and strange. Blue went red, left went right. Latinos against immigration. South Carolinian Republicans claiming there is no difference between wealthy, middle class and poor folks. Huh? What was going on?
After spending nearly $200 million on her gubernatorial campaign, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman lost her fight to ex-Governor Jerry Brown. Thirty years after he was one of the youngest to ever run any state, he takes over as one of the oldest to course-correct this now- crumbling state.
Boy did she ever blunder after the Nannygate doors were thrown open. OK, so she employed a non-documented worker. So do millions of employers. Anyone who does that is taking a risk as are the workers for working under illegal circumstances. The woman, the nanny/housekeeper in question, had come from an agency to which she had provided false papers. Whitman and her husband probably did not ask or simply turned a blind-eye to the situation. Then, after controversial lawyer Gloria Allred, fresh from getting money from numerous mistresses of Tiger Woods, took on the housekeeper's case, what did Whitman do? She went to the mat, declaring no-knowledge of non-documentation and then let her employee of nine years be faced with deportation. Latinos took that as the ultimate insult-- even though it was the housekeeper who lied -- committed fraud actually. How dare she turn her back on a household employee who served her for nine years?
Latinos switched in droves. Here's what I find irritating in this: we all use "don't ask don't tell" when it's convenient. I have no doubt that over nine years the question of her papers came about and my guess is the housekeeper said something like "Don't worry. I have papers." I've heard it many times. I guess if Meg had really wanted to pursue it, she could have.
Where she blundered was not being able to turn this around as an example of why we desperately NEED immigration reform. Granted there are many who take advantage of this country and have no sense of debt to it or pride of being here. They do not want to be American; but, simply take the American dollar to improve life for those back home. For those, deportation may in fact be proper.
But for millions of other undocumented workers who work hard, who are trying to follow the correct legal paths to naturalization, who are providing services for families, businesses, farms, restaurants, hotels and others, the state of immigration is untenable, frustrating and plain WRONG. They want to be part of this country legally but are forced to work here under undocumented circumstances. And what's more, this country needs to grow its economic base, lower unemployment and can by creating fast-track citizenships for these millions of aspirational "immigrants" living in this country today. By legalizing these workers, we can dramatically reshape this country for the future.
In years past, it would be the Democrats to do this. Or a coalition. Or at least teams of Latino lobbyists. But it's going to be some crazy times ahead. We don't know who will do what or where it will come from. If Latinos are one thing it's this: they are divergent and do not vote as one.
Look at New Mexico. Governor-elect Susana Martinez is now the first Latina Governor. Great you would think, if immigration reform is on your mind. But she ran on the Republican platform espoused by neighboring Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona. She is about as right as you can get and if she has her way, will give power to her police force in unprecedented ways to keep her state free of "illegals" and "corruption." She is already plotting to repeal driver's licenses given out this year to 50,000 undocumented workers in her state. She wants a wall between Mexico and the "Land of Enchantment."
How about Marco Rubio in Florida? He considers himself not "American" first but a "Son of Exiles" first. He too ran on the Republican -- Tea Party -- ticket. He's not thinking of those millions of undocumented workers. He's thinking of how to get land back in Cuba.
This country is at a major crossroad and voters showed their distaste for the course we are on. Course correction, introspection and action are needed. Unfortunately what we got was a lot of pandemonium.
After spending nearly $200 million on her gubernatorial campaign, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman lost her fight to ex-Governor Jerry Brown. Thirty years after he was one of the youngest to ever run any state, he takes over as one of the oldest to course-correct this now- crumbling state.
Boy did she ever blunder after the Nannygate doors were thrown open. OK, so she employed a non-documented worker. So do millions of employers. Anyone who does that is taking a risk as are the workers for working under illegal circumstances. The woman, the nanny/housekeeper in question, had come from an agency to which she had provided false papers. Whitman and her husband probably did not ask or simply turned a blind-eye to the situation. Then, after controversial lawyer Gloria Allred, fresh from getting money from numerous mistresses of Tiger Woods, took on the housekeeper's case, what did Whitman do? She went to the mat, declaring no-knowledge of non-documentation and then let her employee of nine years be faced with deportation. Latinos took that as the ultimate insult-- even though it was the housekeeper who lied -- committed fraud actually. How dare she turn her back on a household employee who served her for nine years?
Latinos switched in droves. Here's what I find irritating in this: we all use "don't ask don't tell" when it's convenient. I have no doubt that over nine years the question of her papers came about and my guess is the housekeeper said something like "Don't worry. I have papers." I've heard it many times. I guess if Meg had really wanted to pursue it, she could have.
Where she blundered was not being able to turn this around as an example of why we desperately NEED immigration reform. Granted there are many who take advantage of this country and have no sense of debt to it or pride of being here. They do not want to be American; but, simply take the American dollar to improve life for those back home. For those, deportation may in fact be proper.
But for millions of other undocumented workers who work hard, who are trying to follow the correct legal paths to naturalization, who are providing services for families, businesses, farms, restaurants, hotels and others, the state of immigration is untenable, frustrating and plain WRONG. They want to be part of this country legally but are forced to work here under undocumented circumstances. And what's more, this country needs to grow its economic base, lower unemployment and can by creating fast-track citizenships for these millions of aspirational "immigrants" living in this country today. By legalizing these workers, we can dramatically reshape this country for the future.
In years past, it would be the Democrats to do this. Or a coalition. Or at least teams of Latino lobbyists. But it's going to be some crazy times ahead. We don't know who will do what or where it will come from. If Latinos are one thing it's this: they are divergent and do not vote as one.
Look at New Mexico. Governor-elect Susana Martinez is now the first Latina Governor. Great you would think, if immigration reform is on your mind. But she ran on the Republican platform espoused by neighboring Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona. She is about as right as you can get and if she has her way, will give power to her police force in unprecedented ways to keep her state free of "illegals" and "corruption." She is already plotting to repeal driver's licenses given out this year to 50,000 undocumented workers in her state. She wants a wall between Mexico and the "Land of Enchantment."
How about Marco Rubio in Florida? He considers himself not "American" first but a "Son of Exiles" first. He too ran on the Republican -- Tea Party -- ticket. He's not thinking of those millions of undocumented workers. He's thinking of how to get land back in Cuba.
This country is at a major crossroad and voters showed their distaste for the course we are on. Course correction, introspection and action are needed. Unfortunately what we got was a lot of pandemonium.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
China Zooms Ahead…Again
Have you ever heard of a "petaflop"? Nope, nothing to do with things like pedophilia, pedantic, petroglyphs. It's a measurement of performance, speed, on a computer and has never-before-been tested. Well we'll be getting to know the Tianhe, the Chinese supercomputer that can perform 2,507 trillion calculations per second. That's 2.507 PETAFLOPS per second.
The new supercomputer has over 14,000 Intel chips and nearly 200 graphics processing units, all of which were made in the US. The speed of this machine "blows away" the previous fastest computers by a long shot, according to one guy who maintains a ranking of the 500 fastest computers in the world. Even he is astounded by this new turn of events. Housed in over 100 refrigerated units in China, this supercomputer is a total game-changer and puts China, once again, at front and center of new and emerging technologies. Animation, gaming, defense technologies, real estate transactions, financial transactions will all be changed by this.
Bigger, better, faster, less expensive are the watchwords of the "new" China. They are competitive, aggressive and "the" global force to be reckoned with. They continue to zoom ahead on all fronts. Anyone that thinks otherwise must just plain have his head in the sand.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Rent Is Too Damn High!
And you've got to admit: He's right. But it's not just for New Yorkers. It needs to be said out loud, nationwide.
Monday, October 18, 2010
It's Great to Be a Billionaire but you Better Speak Mandarin to Say Congratulations!
A list of the world's twenty richest self-made women was released today and surprise of all, most of them are from China. Mainland China, at that. Only eight of the twenty are not Chinese.
Among them, are Zhang Yin, a big manufacturer of container-board products, weighing in at a $5.6 billion self-worth, making her the world's wealthiest entrepreneurial woman. The industries in which they made their money are varied: publishing, semiconductors, real estate, landscaping, steel manufacturing, media, eyeglasses and my favorite, a woman who founded the largest producer of collagen sausage casings. That one really caught my eye. She's number #19 on the list.
Author JK Rowlings of Harry Potter fame is #20. A British "Dame" who manufactures eyeglasses made the list. Russian mogul Yelena Baturina makes pre-fab housing. Giuliana Benetton, clothing. There are only four Americans on the list: Oprah, Meg Whitman, Doris Fisher and Ruth Parasol.
Oprah, a household name here, needs no introduction. Meg Whitman, for those not on the west coast, is the Republican nominee currently running for Governor of the great state of California against tried and tested Jerry Brown. Meg made her fortune at eBay, with some stops at Goldman Sachs, Disney and other giants along the way. Doris Fisher, along with her husband, founded Gap. She is now in her 90s but still embraces the business world.
Ruth Parasol, at 43, is the youngest of the Americans. She spring-boarded her father's million-dollar phone-sex business into an online gambling empire becoming a billionaire with partygaming.com in 2001. Her stateside partying business was cut short after a few years when the government decided to take measures against online gambling. She fled to Gibraltar where she now lives with her husband and kids. They say if she comes back to the US she could face a trial.
Imagining that the paths those twelve Chinese women had to follow was one crooked road, I am wondering exactly what they had to endure to reach the top. How did most of them even make it in a country known to abandon girls? To only allow one child per family? Are their mothers proud of them or do they think they lead misguided lives? Are they able to enjoy their money and live freely?
However they did it, I say, "congratulations" or however one says that in Mandarin or Cantonese.
Among them, are Zhang Yin, a big manufacturer of container-board products, weighing in at a $5.6 billion self-worth, making her the world's wealthiest entrepreneurial woman. The industries in which they made their money are varied: publishing, semiconductors, real estate, landscaping, steel manufacturing, media, eyeglasses and my favorite, a woman who founded the largest producer of collagen sausage casings. That one really caught my eye. She's number #19 on the list.
Author JK Rowlings of Harry Potter fame is #20. A British "Dame" who manufactures eyeglasses made the list. Russian mogul Yelena Baturina makes pre-fab housing. Giuliana Benetton, clothing. There are only four Americans on the list: Oprah, Meg Whitman, Doris Fisher and Ruth Parasol.
Oprah, a household name here, needs no introduction. Meg Whitman, for those not on the west coast, is the Republican nominee currently running for Governor of the great state of California against tried and tested Jerry Brown. Meg made her fortune at eBay, with some stops at Goldman Sachs, Disney and other giants along the way. Doris Fisher, along with her husband, founded Gap. She is now in her 90s but still embraces the business world.
Ruth Parasol, at 43, is the youngest of the Americans. She spring-boarded her father's million-dollar phone-sex business into an online gambling empire becoming a billionaire with partygaming.com in 2001. Her stateside partying business was cut short after a few years when the government decided to take measures against online gambling. She fled to Gibraltar where she now lives with her husband and kids. They say if she comes back to the US she could face a trial.
Imagining that the paths those twelve Chinese women had to follow was one crooked road, I am wondering exactly what they had to endure to reach the top. How did most of them even make it in a country known to abandon girls? To only allow one child per family? Are their mothers proud of them or do they think they lead misguided lives? Are they able to enjoy their money and live freely?
However they did it, I say, "congratulations" or however one says that in Mandarin or Cantonese.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Tony Blair is in Love
Tony Blair declares he's had a love affair! Not what you think, perhaps. Not with a woman. The object of his affection: the United States. In this simple declaration, he's become my hero. What America needs -- and has always needed -- are non-American ambassadors whose understanding can bridge misunderstandings and dispel outright disdain. Someone who just plain "gets" us.
Let me explain something: I am married to a naturalized American citizen who, too, has found that the beauty of this country lies not in its sameness but in its diversity. We talk about it a lot. His family in Greece doesn't "get" us. There is no "one" America. There is no sameness. That this is not a cultural wasteland, a breeding ground for "ugly" Americans. The commonalities we have that bind us together lie not in being "American" but in our tolerance of others' beliefs, in our ability to argue and in our inherent naivete. In our love of search and quest. By and large, Americans still believe that anyone can achieve, can overcome, can succeed. It's the foundation upon which our society was built and continues to grow. And it's still the only place on Earth where that is so.
The times I have lived outside the United States have been the moments I have felt most patriotic, having to defend the actions of my Presidents and Congress, my fellow citizens, good and bad, who certainly have faltered, flawed and fumbled. We have not always been the best ambassadors for our cause. Having to dispel the myth of the "ugly" American, the "gringo, the cultural wasteland is an every-day occurrence for those living outside.
I would like to see the Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, George Bush show. There's no question it will make you laugh, make you think, may even make you cry. But above all, it will confirm that we are a force to be reckoned with.
I think this book needs to be a must-read for our generation, around the world.
Let me explain something: I am married to a naturalized American citizen who, too, has found that the beauty of this country lies not in its sameness but in its diversity. We talk about it a lot. His family in Greece doesn't "get" us. There is no "one" America. There is no sameness. That this is not a cultural wasteland, a breeding ground for "ugly" Americans. The commonalities we have that bind us together lie not in being "American" but in our tolerance of others' beliefs, in our ability to argue and in our inherent naivete. In our love of search and quest. By and large, Americans still believe that anyone can achieve, can overcome, can succeed. It's the foundation upon which our society was built and continues to grow. And it's still the only place on Earth where that is so.
The times I have lived outside the United States have been the moments I have felt most patriotic, having to defend the actions of my Presidents and Congress, my fellow citizens, good and bad, who certainly have faltered, flawed and fumbled. We have not always been the best ambassadors for our cause. Having to dispel the myth of the "ugly" American, the "gringo, the cultural wasteland is an every-day occurrence for those living outside.
I would like to see the Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, George Bush show. There's no question it will make you laugh, make you think, may even make you cry. But above all, it will confirm that we are a force to be reckoned with.
I think this book needs to be a must-read for our generation, around the world.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
C-Section on Mother Earth
Upon seeing the last of the thirty-three miners lifted to safety, one woman there was quoted as likening the whole operation to "a caesarean section on Mother Earth." As a Mom, I totally understood what she meant. As an American, I'm proud of the work my fellow countrymen played in this rescue. As an observer, I hope more people take to heart the lesson President Pinera illustrated. When we come together for a common mission, united, there is no power that will stop us.
The feeling of re-birth for those men, for the country, even for the billions of viewers watching every moment on television and computer screens is undeniable. I've read accounts of people thanking Jesus, of thanking G-d, of thanking the Chilean people. All well and good. But let's not forget Mother Earth herself, for not collapsing the holes. How about giving thanks to the Pennsylvanian teams that provided the equipment to drill the holes? If this were a C-section, they were the special doctors called in. Schramm Inc. and Center Rock, the two PA-based mining-support companies, had been onsite since the collapse and never faltered, never left. Like good and committed "doctors."
While we're at it, how about NASA? The aeronautics agency specializes in preparing for leaving the earth-- not necessarily for being trapped within it. But they rose to the occasion brilliantly. Space age technology and nutritionists devised both the food plan to keep them alive and nourished throughout the entrapment and the engineering to build the "Phoenix"- the cage that lifted the men to safety.
Above all, we need to thank the Chilean President, who dealt with the devastating earthquake earlier this year and had the foresight in this horrible catastrophe to seek out help from the international community and, then, ACCEPT the help that was offered.
Welcome back to the world, miners! Welcome to the new millennium everyone! May this re-birthing be the way of the future.
Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite - Latest Generation
The feeling of re-birth for those men, for the country, even for the billions of viewers watching every moment on television and computer screens is undeniable. I've read accounts of people thanking Jesus, of thanking G-d, of thanking the Chilean people. All well and good. But let's not forget Mother Earth herself, for not collapsing the holes. How about giving thanks to the Pennsylvanian teams that provided the equipment to drill the holes? If this were a C-section, they were the special doctors called in. Schramm Inc. and Center Rock, the two PA-based mining-support companies, had been onsite since the collapse and never faltered, never left. Like good and committed "doctors."
While we're at it, how about NASA? The aeronautics agency specializes in preparing for leaving the earth-- not necessarily for being trapped within it. But they rose to the occasion brilliantly. Space age technology and nutritionists devised both the food plan to keep them alive and nourished throughout the entrapment and the engineering to build the "Phoenix"- the cage that lifted the men to safety.
Above all, we need to thank the Chilean President, who dealt with the devastating earthquake earlier this year and had the foresight in this horrible catastrophe to seek out help from the international community and, then, ACCEPT the help that was offered.
Welcome back to the world, miners! Welcome to the new millennium everyone! May this re-birthing be the way of the future.
Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite - Latest Generation
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
"Sea of Otherness"
If there were a phrase that best describes the feeling of awkward self-awareness one has at the realization that you're in a truly foreign place, it must be Carl Hoffman's description of his being planted in a "sea of otherness" while traveling on a ferry in Indonesia where white men were curious but scarce commodities. His book called "The Lunatic Express" is a must-read for all Urban Nomads!
First of all, I think that the desire to discover the world in its unperturbed, untainted, unspoiled state is at the heart of everyone who has had that peripatetic flame spark inside of them. Well Carl took that a couple steps further than most. He didn't want to be a tourist or anything like that. He wanted to be a traveler. To be among the poorest, the destitute, the least affected by society. He wanted to experience the "deathtraps" of overcrowded ferries and unsafe airlines. He wanted to feel the sweat of his neighbors lying side by side like sardines on linoleum platforms while hundreds slept on boats with little more than small portholes for air. In fact the book's subtitle conveys his goal: "Discovering the World ...via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains and Planes." What Carl Hoffman did was decide to seek out the most statistically dangerous places in the world and write about them. It makes a great read.
There is a strange and odd relationship I have to this Lunatic Express. The name "The Lunatic Express" was first given to the railway in East Africa that once linked Uganda to the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa in Kenya, or British East Africa as it was known then. It was thought to be the ultimate folly of imperialism by its detractors -- to think that the colonialists could build such a rail system in the midst of warring tribes, marauding lions, ravines, famine, lack of funds -- you name it. But actually the Brits did it. It's a feat of ingenuity and persistence. But there is another reason for the name and I came to know why on a very personal basis. A visitation, you might say. Perhaps by a "lunatic." In the early 1980s my sister and I had the pleasure of going on safari in Africa. We were told we must take the train from Nairobi to Mombasa. It would be unlike anything we had ever experienced. Well, if truth be told, one detail had been left out: that the train was also known as the "Haunted Train to Mombasa." The building of the railroad had a storied past, including the massacre of some 500 Maasai and attacks by warring Nandi. Many felt the Brits had no right to tear across the land of the tribesmen. It was controversial then and it has remained a bit of a mystery since. To this day, stories of dead Maasai workers on the train haunting passengers, of bells ringing in the middle of the night, of windows rattling and unscheduled stops are commonplace. All I can say is that night was unlike any other…and it certainly was lunacy!
First of all, I think that the desire to discover the world in its unperturbed, untainted, unspoiled state is at the heart of everyone who has had that peripatetic flame spark inside of them. Well Carl took that a couple steps further than most. He didn't want to be a tourist or anything like that. He wanted to be a traveler. To be among the poorest, the destitute, the least affected by society. He wanted to experience the "deathtraps" of overcrowded ferries and unsafe airlines. He wanted to feel the sweat of his neighbors lying side by side like sardines on linoleum platforms while hundreds slept on boats with little more than small portholes for air. In fact the book's subtitle conveys his goal: "Discovering the World ...via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains and Planes." What Carl Hoffman did was decide to seek out the most statistically dangerous places in the world and write about them. It makes a great read.
There is a strange and odd relationship I have to this Lunatic Express. The name "The Lunatic Express" was first given to the railway in East Africa that once linked Uganda to the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa in Kenya, or British East Africa as it was known then. It was thought to be the ultimate folly of imperialism by its detractors -- to think that the colonialists could build such a rail system in the midst of warring tribes, marauding lions, ravines, famine, lack of funds -- you name it. But actually the Brits did it. It's a feat of ingenuity and persistence. But there is another reason for the name and I came to know why on a very personal basis. A visitation, you might say. Perhaps by a "lunatic." In the early 1980s my sister and I had the pleasure of going on safari in Africa. We were told we must take the train from Nairobi to Mombasa. It would be unlike anything we had ever experienced. Well, if truth be told, one detail had been left out: that the train was also known as the "Haunted Train to Mombasa." The building of the railroad had a storied past, including the massacre of some 500 Maasai and attacks by warring Nandi. Many felt the Brits had no right to tear across the land of the tribesmen. It was controversial then and it has remained a bit of a mystery since. To this day, stories of dead Maasai workers on the train haunting passengers, of bells ringing in the middle of the night, of windows rattling and unscheduled stops are commonplace. All I can say is that night was unlike any other…and it certainly was lunacy!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Eight LatAm Nations: Shut the F… Up!
Are eight Latin American nations right in telling the US to shove it or are they taking advantage of an unfortunate situation and using it to their benefit?
What if we told Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru that we wouldn't stand for their immigration policies? That Napoleonic law was unjust and we just would stop doing business with them unless they released all those held for suspicion without cause or overturned their Napoleonic code of justice and created systems where an accused needed to be found guilty rather than presumed guilty?
As much as this pains me, and it does, to say this: they have no right to demand this unless and until they accord similar accommodations for US workers who want to work in their countries. Mexico says the Arizona law would lead to racial profiling and hinder trade, tourism and the fight against drug trafficking.
Come on. Mexicans in Mexico against racial profiling? Talk about calling a kettle black. Mexico has a long-standing caste system dating from colonial times. OK. I know the overt caste systems have been overturned by legislation, but that does not mean that social prejudices and economic exploitation are not present. Even though overt racial oppression is no longer permissible by law, people still hold personal opinions about members of other races based upon preconceived notions.
Fact: for three years, working predominantly in Mexico City, I was called "Gringa" every single day. Don't tell me I wasn't subject to racial profiling. I was told point-blank in Mexico that I was a "woman" so I shouldn't possibly think about submitting my CV for a position for which I was qualified. Those who do menial labor are called "negros" " negritos" and other names based on racial profiling. Mulattos and mestizos may not be "legal" terms of codification anymore, but they are certainly used.
Racial profiling IS illegal in the United States. The Arizona law does indeed open that State up to all sorts of opposition, legal and other…but the point is: Go Away. Let us handle matters in our own house, thank you. I challenge those eight nations to take a long, hard look at their own immigration and labor policies before condemning other sovereign nations and threatening about trade.
What if we told Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru that we wouldn't stand for their immigration policies? That Napoleonic law was unjust and we just would stop doing business with them unless they released all those held for suspicion without cause or overturned their Napoleonic code of justice and created systems where an accused needed to be found guilty rather than presumed guilty?
As much as this pains me, and it does, to say this: they have no right to demand this unless and until they accord similar accommodations for US workers who want to work in their countries. Mexico says the Arizona law would lead to racial profiling and hinder trade, tourism and the fight against drug trafficking.
Come on. Mexicans in Mexico against racial profiling? Talk about calling a kettle black. Mexico has a long-standing caste system dating from colonial times. OK. I know the overt caste systems have been overturned by legislation, but that does not mean that social prejudices and economic exploitation are not present. Even though overt racial oppression is no longer permissible by law, people still hold personal opinions about members of other races based upon preconceived notions.
Fact: for three years, working predominantly in Mexico City, I was called "Gringa" every single day. Don't tell me I wasn't subject to racial profiling. I was told point-blank in Mexico that I was a "woman" so I shouldn't possibly think about submitting my CV for a position for which I was qualified. Those who do menial labor are called "negros" " negritos" and other names based on racial profiling. Mulattos and mestizos may not be "legal" terms of codification anymore, but they are certainly used.
Racial profiling IS illegal in the United States. The Arizona law does indeed open that State up to all sorts of opposition, legal and other…but the point is: Go Away. Let us handle matters in our own house, thank you. I challenge those eight nations to take a long, hard look at their own immigration and labor policies before condemning other sovereign nations and threatening about trade.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sarah Palin and Refudiation
"Peaceful Muslims," Mrs. Palin implored this week "refudiate…" Refuse? Refute? Repudiate?
Nope. Re-fu-di-ate. As in this sentence posted on Twitter: "Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate."
Mrs. Malaprop didn't just stop there. Nooooo. When her Tweet became a viral laugh to thousands of Tweeters, she attempted to correct it by using the word "refute" in place of repudiate, which actually was imploring those "peace-loving Muslims" to prove their brethren wrong. That wasn't right either…so she took down the comment altogether.
Ahhh, it's comforting and nice to see history continuing. Just when I was missing the good old days of Dan Quayle claiming "I am not part of the problem. I am a Republican" came W Bush and his strategerizing.
The way I see it, Palin is rightfully claiming her place in Republican history. Or should I say Republican herstory? Seems more fitting. By refudiating the English language, Palin has drawn her line in the sand. Or put her best foot in the sand. Or something like that.
Nope. Re-fu-di-ate. As in this sentence posted on Twitter: "Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate."
Mrs. Malaprop didn't just stop there. Nooooo. When her Tweet became a viral laugh to thousands of Tweeters, she attempted to correct it by using the word "refute" in place of repudiate, which actually was imploring those "peace-loving Muslims" to prove their brethren wrong. That wasn't right either…so she took down the comment altogether.
Ahhh, it's comforting and nice to see history continuing. Just when I was missing the good old days of Dan Quayle claiming "I am not part of the problem. I am a Republican" came W Bush and his strategerizing.
The way I see it, Palin is rightfully claiming her place in Republican history. Or should I say Republican herstory? Seems more fitting. By refudiating the English language, Palin has drawn her line in the sand. Or put her best foot in the sand. Or something like that.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Other Side of Globalization
I am passing on a portion of an article I read today online on Business Insider.
"Well, the globalism and "free trade" that our politicians and business leaders insisted would be so good for us have had some rather nasty side effects. It turns out that they didn't tell us that the "global economy" would mean that middle class American workers would eventually have to directly compete for jobs with people on the other side of the world where there is no minimum wage and very few regulations. The big global corporations have greatly benefited by exploiting third world labor pools over the last several decades, but middle class American workers have increasingly found things to be very tough.
The reality is that no matter how smart, how strong, how educated or how hard working American workers are, they just cannot compete with people who are desperate to put in 10 to 12 hour days at less than a dollar an hour on the other side of the world. After all, what corporation in their right mind is going to pay an American worker ten times more (plus benefits) to do the same job? The world is fundamentally changing. Wealth and power are rapidly becoming concentrated at the top and the big global corporations are making massive amounts of money. Meanwhile, the American middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence as U.S. workers are slowly being merged into the new "global" labor pool. "
I wanted to add that in the '80s, when those of us who were in college, were studying globalization, our antidote to this was to seek jobs internationally, thus giving rise to the culture of Urban Nomads. No question that we consider ourselves part of that "global labor pool." The problem is the older we get (most of us are now reaching or have hit our 50s), the more experience we carry, the less relevant we become to those increasingly in charge. The more overlooked and unemployed we become.
So not only is the "middle class" in trouble, but the aging group -- regardless of class -- is becoming a burden.
In essence our globalization and worldliness has screwed us out of enjoying the lives we expected to have but has made us healthy enough to live longer and wise enough to know we will have to live through it and adjust.
Talk about backfiring!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Barbarity Beware!
The news that a woman, an "accused" adulterer, would not be stoned to death in Iran has been widely headlined as "good news." But here's the reality: this 43 year old widow, who was found guilty of adultery, allegedly committed the crime after her husband was murdered. And now, after a much heralded international plea from Hollywood to Bollywood, news today has been released that the government will not seek to stone her.
This woman, a mother, who has been imprisoned since 2006 for the crime of having sex outside of her marriage, even though she was widowed, will in all probability still die at the hands of the government. The Iranian state has not said it would release her nor did it clarify that it would not seek execution of another kind.
International human rights activists seem momentarily relieved. The stoning is stayed. One US Embassy worker said, "Stoning, as a means of execution, is tantamount to torture. It's barbaric and an abhorrent act." But here's what I am questioning: shouldn't the international community be fighting against execution as a consequence of sex outside of marriage?? It seems to me that the barbarity lies in the execution -- whether by stoning, shooting, injection or firing squad.
Let's start calling things as they really are: killing adults for consensual sex is barbaric any place, at any time. The fact is that even the Koran, according to Islamic educators, does not call for stoning. It does call for lashing, for punishment, if there are actual witnesses to the act of penetration. In Mrs. Ashtiani's case, there were no witnesses, just a judge who seems to have had a grudge against her. And she has already lived through the punishment of 100 lashes for her alleged crime.
Legal, secular codes getting mixed up with religious law is the tricky business that fundamental Islamists, jihadists and other radical hardliners use to push their agendae forward and to rationalize their barbaric acts of domestic, gender and international terrorism. They need to be stopped. Consensual sex is not an executable crime. It is a crime of the heart, perhaps. A crime of dishonoring a marital pledge. In fact, it has no place as a crime of the state at all.
This woman, a mother, who has been imprisoned since 2006 for the crime of having sex outside of her marriage, even though she was widowed, will in all probability still die at the hands of the government. The Iranian state has not said it would release her nor did it clarify that it would not seek execution of another kind.
International human rights activists seem momentarily relieved. The stoning is stayed. One US Embassy worker said, "Stoning, as a means of execution, is tantamount to torture. It's barbaric and an abhorrent act." But here's what I am questioning: shouldn't the international community be fighting against execution as a consequence of sex outside of marriage?? It seems to me that the barbarity lies in the execution -- whether by stoning, shooting, injection or firing squad.
Let's start calling things as they really are: killing adults for consensual sex is barbaric any place, at any time. The fact is that even the Koran, according to Islamic educators, does not call for stoning. It does call for lashing, for punishment, if there are actual witnesses to the act of penetration. In Mrs. Ashtiani's case, there were no witnesses, just a judge who seems to have had a grudge against her. And she has already lived through the punishment of 100 lashes for her alleged crime.
Legal, secular codes getting mixed up with religious law is the tricky business that fundamental Islamists, jihadists and other radical hardliners use to push their agendae forward and to rationalize their barbaric acts of domestic, gender and international terrorism. They need to be stopped. Consensual sex is not an executable crime. It is a crime of the heart, perhaps. A crime of dishonoring a marital pledge. In fact, it has no place as a crime of the state at all.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Flying Cars and Much More...
Flying cars. Apple's new phone sucks. Especially if you're a left-hander and therefore you naturally cover up the antenna. Congress votes down the bill to extend unemployment benefits to those collecting.
So, maybe you can fly, but you'll be hard pressed to get a signal to tell your buddy about it and you won't have any more cash cause the funds are all dried up and you still can't find a job. That's what's happening in our world today, at this very moment.
Not so very long ago, we watched the Jetsons and our dreams were propelled toward a future that would include treadmills for dogs and flying cars. In that futuristic world, we never saw poverty. We had supposedly figured out how to feed the hungry, create jobs for all and maintain family life that included everything imaginable. Possibility.
The possibilities that exist in today's world seem to be closer at hand for those in the top 1% of the world. For the rest, there is a sheen of hopelessness that exists. Shoddy products abound. Unemployment rages on. Jobless statistics vastly underestimate reality and discount the hundreds of thousands of people who have gone beyond their unemployment benefits and are still without work. Employers look not for longevity but cost savings; not for innovation, but for meeting the status quo.
Undeniably we are at a low point. The only way out is to persevere. As the Brits said during WWII "Keep Calm and Carry On."
I'll just keep that lovely image of flying cars in my mind's eye and take a deep breath.
So, maybe you can fly, but you'll be hard pressed to get a signal to tell your buddy about it and you won't have any more cash cause the funds are all dried up and you still can't find a job. That's what's happening in our world today, at this very moment.
Not so very long ago, we watched the Jetsons and our dreams were propelled toward a future that would include treadmills for dogs and flying cars. In that futuristic world, we never saw poverty. We had supposedly figured out how to feed the hungry, create jobs for all and maintain family life that included everything imaginable. Possibility.
The possibilities that exist in today's world seem to be closer at hand for those in the top 1% of the world. For the rest, there is a sheen of hopelessness that exists. Shoddy products abound. Unemployment rages on. Jobless statistics vastly underestimate reality and discount the hundreds of thousands of people who have gone beyond their unemployment benefits and are still without work. Employers look not for longevity but cost savings; not for innovation, but for meeting the status quo.
Undeniably we are at a low point. The only way out is to persevere. As the Brits said during WWII "Keep Calm and Carry On."
I'll just keep that lovely image of flying cars in my mind's eye and take a deep breath.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Kudos to Ford
Finally, jobs are coming back to the US by a major company! Woo-hoo! Just this morning, Ford announced it was bringing back manufacturing of many parts for its new electric vehicles to Michigan. For years, it has been getting these parts from suppliers in Japan and Mexico. This news made this Urban Nomad, who watched as 200 jobs from her previous company went to Mexico, very happy. Over two hundred new jobs back to the heart of car-land USA. It's a start. Green, clean and lean.
Not so much the news that for every job opening, there are five unemployed workers, according to former Secretary and Professor Robert Reich. Or his conclusion that the reason our GDP increased over the last quarter was due to the trend of families spending their savings to live. (see www.robertreich.org)
My husband and I seem to now fit into what he calls the "anxious" class. We, along with many others, are watching our dwindling "retirement" funds each time we need to purchase something new. Drawing down savings to live is not what I would call an indication of a healthy economy. A society on an upswing. On the road to recovery. What's going to happen when all of our middle class savings are depleted?
Kudos goes to Ford for finding factories that are sitting in limbo and for bringing work back to this country. That's an indication of a plan well executed at a critical time. What will lesson the "anxiety" for all of us will not be when the government tells us that the economy is doing better, but when we find jobs for those seeking them, wage increases for those who have been working extra hours at the same compensation and factories once again opening doors.
We should support companies like Ford and urge others to take similar steps to put Americans back to work and America back in business.
Not so much the news that for every job opening, there are five unemployed workers, according to former Secretary and Professor Robert Reich. Or his conclusion that the reason our GDP increased over the last quarter was due to the trend of families spending their savings to live. (see www.robertreich.org)
My husband and I seem to now fit into what he calls the "anxious" class. We, along with many others, are watching our dwindling "retirement" funds each time we need to purchase something new. Drawing down savings to live is not what I would call an indication of a healthy economy. A society on an upswing. On the road to recovery. What's going to happen when all of our middle class savings are depleted?
Kudos goes to Ford for finding factories that are sitting in limbo and for bringing work back to this country. That's an indication of a plan well executed at a critical time. What will lesson the "anxiety" for all of us will not be when the government tells us that the economy is doing better, but when we find jobs for those seeking them, wage increases for those who have been working extra hours at the same compensation and factories once again opening doors.
We should support companies like Ford and urge others to take similar steps to put Americans back to work and America back in business.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Job Seekers: Kabul is a "Safe" Zone
I recently received a note from an executive recruiter seeking a CEO for a news organziation in Kabul. Yes, Afghanistan. He wanted to know if I was interested in or knew anyone who might be interested in his posting. For one second, it sparked my interest. There's that one part of me, that adrenaline junkie part, that wanted to hear more about the position. Mostly as a joke, I wrote back, querying the "benefits." Standard things in a war zone like a bullet proof car? Security detail? Safe housing? Medi-vac insurance? His instant answer was a little shocking, even to an old nomad like me.
"Rest assured the office is safe. Totally in a green Zone in Kabul. Your safe as a baby in the womb."
Why was this shocking to me? Because he was serious! First of all, I could understand if he were being ironic. The circumstance of a baby in a womb being at all safe, near bombs, is a bizarre and twisted thought. I doubt that many of the mothers in Kabul, would consider it so safe for their young ones. My hunch is they'd rather get their kids to safety than stay in a war-torn city, even if it was their home, if they could. So luckily, his quick answer shocked me back to reality.
In addition to this, I had just gotten off the phone with a dear friend who works for the UN. She was telling me about the bombing of their offices in Kabul and how devastating it was to the whole organization.
The day following the exchange with this particular recruiter, two bombs went off in what was considered the "Green Zone" there.
What kept coming back to me was a simple question: just how far do we have to go to get a job?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Whatever We're Doing, We're Doing Something WRONG!
Greece. Spain. Europe turned upside-down. Arizona. Immigration reform or ethnic cleansing? Double digit unemployment in the US. Folks over 45 unable to find jobs. California- the land of prosperity and hope -- bankrupt. Snow in the sunshine state. No more PE, art, music in our schools. Kids who are weak, undereducated, uninspired and unmotivated are moving into the work force.
Whatever we are doing, it isn't working. It's time for a major course correction.
Europeans are blaming the Americans. Americans started out blaming the banks and are now shifting blame at the minorities. The Chinese are still sitting pretty, although even they are being affected, as factories are closing because the rest of the world can't consume at the same levels they were just a year ago.
I saw a sign one of the Greek protesters held last week. It read: "Today ends Fascism." Huh?
I don't even think they know why they are protesting. The Greeks recently elected a Socialist. I think they just have a "knee-jerk" default: anyone doing anything they don't like is deemed a "fascist." Well, there are many problems, but "fascism" in Greece is really not one of them!
Clearly the world is full of anger. Well it's time to put that anger to good use. It's time for collective change. Non-violent, collective change.
Shout it from the rafters, from the windows, from the streets. Shout loud and clear: "We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore." And then get out and vote. Make your voice heard. Elect people who care. Get involved in your schools. Get involved in your communities.
To make it RIGHT, we all need to be involved.
Whatever we are doing, it isn't working. It's time for a major course correction.
Europeans are blaming the Americans. Americans started out blaming the banks and are now shifting blame at the minorities. The Chinese are still sitting pretty, although even they are being affected, as factories are closing because the rest of the world can't consume at the same levels they were just a year ago.
I saw a sign one of the Greek protesters held last week. It read: "Today ends Fascism." Huh?
I don't even think they know why they are protesting. The Greeks recently elected a Socialist. I think they just have a "knee-jerk" default: anyone doing anything they don't like is deemed a "fascist." Well, there are many problems, but "fascism" in Greece is really not one of them!
Clearly the world is full of anger. Well it's time to put that anger to good use. It's time for collective change. Non-violent, collective change.
Shout it from the rafters, from the windows, from the streets. Shout loud and clear: "We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore." And then get out and vote. Make your voice heard. Elect people who care. Get involved in your schools. Get involved in your communities.
To make it RIGHT, we all need to be involved.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Lamenting a Lost Art
Helen Thomas, doyenne of the White House press corp since JFK days, is naturally skeptical of new media and all this Facebooking and tweeting. “I think we’re all suffering from the real lack of true communication,” she said.
I read this this evening on "The Daily Beast" a top rated blog in blogosphere. What it made me realize is how far we've come from the days of honoring -- and honing -- the art of speech, for the purpose of actually communicating to each other. What has happened to one on one, in person, face to face dialogue? Aspiring to eloquently turn a phrase and elicit a reaction? A smile? A tear? A heartfelt moment? A connection?
The late WIlliam Safire, who, from 1979 until his death in 2009, wrote "On Language" for the NY TImes Magazine, a column I religiously followed and enjoyed. It explored trends, delved into the origins and meanings of words and phrases and kept smiles on his devoted Lexicographic followers every weekend. Boy do I miss him.
I think he would agree that it is the art of connection that is being lost. For all the hundreds of "followers" one amasses, how many true connections are being made? Through our new preponderance of tweeting, texting, messaging, blogging, we are losing the art of the spoken word. And it's a shame.
I read this this evening on "The Daily Beast" a top rated blog in blogosphere. What it made me realize is how far we've come from the days of honoring -- and honing -- the art of speech, for the purpose of actually communicating to each other. What has happened to one on one, in person, face to face dialogue? Aspiring to eloquently turn a phrase and elicit a reaction? A smile? A tear? A heartfelt moment? A connection?
The late WIlliam Safire, who, from 1979 until his death in 2009, wrote "On Language" for the NY TImes Magazine, a column I religiously followed and enjoyed. It explored trends, delved into the origins and meanings of words and phrases and kept smiles on his devoted Lexicographic followers every weekend. Boy do I miss him.
I think he would agree that it is the art of connection that is being lost. For all the hundreds of "followers" one amasses, how many true connections are being made? Through our new preponderance of tweeting, texting, messaging, blogging, we are losing the art of the spoken word. And it's a shame.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
"Ubiquitous Media…"
I like the sound of that…"ubiquitous media." In fact, maybe I'll use that as the name of my next company. Ubiquitous. An adjective. Pronounced \yü-ˈbi-kwÉ™-tÉ™s\. According to Merriam's dictionary, a word that began its use in 1830 to mean "existing or being everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread."
Ad Age just told me that "teens, tweens and adults" are "consuming ubiquitous media." Funny. I always considered that we consumed things like food, candy, beverages, booze. But now our tweens are consuming ubiquitous media. And at rates and levels never before imagined. Should we be alarmed?
They are consuming phones, tvs, computers, remotes. Content is bombarding their little brains at the speed of light. The speed of sound. The speed of thought. They are consuming with a fervor never before known. Chomping down content, rapidly.
Meanwhile, the virtual size of media is rapidly diminishing. We can carry around movies in our pockets. We can carry on conversations with dozens of people without ever speaking to them. Our children refer to having "talked" to someone they've never met after texting, IMing, tweeting, mailing or pinging. Not sure where all this ubiquity leads us.
Are we better off? More informed? Quicker? Stealthier? Or simply more aware of our ADD tendencies, inadequacies? Desires?
Feed me. Look at me. Try me. Do something with me. That's the cry of ubiquitous media.
Me? I think I'll go consume a sandwich.
Ad Age just told me that "teens, tweens and adults" are "consuming ubiquitous media." Funny. I always considered that we consumed things like food, candy, beverages, booze. But now our tweens are consuming ubiquitous media. And at rates and levels never before imagined. Should we be alarmed?
They are consuming phones, tvs, computers, remotes. Content is bombarding their little brains at the speed of light. The speed of sound. The speed of thought. They are consuming with a fervor never before known. Chomping down content, rapidly.
Meanwhile, the virtual size of media is rapidly diminishing. We can carry around movies in our pockets. We can carry on conversations with dozens of people without ever speaking to them. Our children refer to having "talked" to someone they've never met after texting, IMing, tweeting, mailing or pinging. Not sure where all this ubiquity leads us.
Are we better off? More informed? Quicker? Stealthier? Or simply more aware of our ADD tendencies, inadequacies? Desires?
Feed me. Look at me. Try me. Do something with me. That's the cry of ubiquitous media.
Me? I think I'll go consume a sandwich.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Old World Teaching New Things...
I've just discovered something that makes me think that being an "Urban Nomad" is actually in my blood. Bukovina, the county in Romania from where my grandfather's family hailed, was actually known as the most progressive, dynamic, forward-thinking and entrepreneurial spot for Jews in the Austro-Hungarian empire during the 1800s. I had no idea. But during a Google search this week, I found the "History of Jews in Bukowina" by Dr. NM Gelber and it's been a real eye-opener.
Being Jewish was not a religious issue, as many people think nowadays, but one of race. Jews were treated like any other minority. Not great, but not without respect. It was not until the first world war that the Jews of Bukovina began to have problems of race and ethnicity there. So the assumption that we've always made that most families came to the US to avoid religious persecution is not really accurate. During that time, in Bukovina, Jews were studying in universities, building hospitals, practicing law, medicine and prospering along with Christians and non-believers.
In 1849, the Autonomous Duchy of Bukovina was founded and, with all liberality, provided that Jews be granted full and equal rights of other citizens under the Autro-Hungarian monarchy. It was one of the 11 "Crown-Lands" under Emperor Franz Josef. The Jews there loved their Kaiser. They loved those Hapsburgs. And the Crown loved them as much as they did their other minorities-- the Magyars, Romanians, Ruthenes, Germans among them. Of the 516 seats in the Parliament at the time, Bukovina with 300,098 inhabitants was allocated 14 seats. These 14 seats were distributed on a population basis as follows:
So the outpouring from Bukovina of so many Jewish families before World War I may really have been stirred by purely economic and social reasons than anything having to do with religion. It may have been more that my own particular family had not done as well over there as, say, the man who founded the "Blue-White" games which later became known as the international Maccabi games or Mr. Isak Rubinstein who was elected to the chamber of commerce for the 1873 to 1879 term left the leadership of the community and became hospital director, in which position, he served until his death in 1878.
When I discovered these and many other facts about Bukovina, it gave me a completely different perspective on my own nomadic inclinations. It reminded me of why, in 1991, I decided that New York was no longer a place for a single woman, who was a writer, producer who was not-gainfully employed. I was not making the money my friends were on Wall Street or prospering the way some others were during the previous Reagan years. For those of us in that category, the world beyond New York was where opportunity lay.
I jumped on the "think global, act local" bandwagon with a fervor that has propelled me to this very day, some twenty years later, much like my ancestors from Bukovina. I know my Grandfather is smiling down on me. I think there are many more insights he's sending my way...
Being Jewish was not a religious issue, as many people think nowadays, but one of race. Jews were treated like any other minority. Not great, but not without respect. It was not until the first world war that the Jews of Bukovina began to have problems of race and ethnicity there. So the assumption that we've always made that most families came to the US to avoid religious persecution is not really accurate. During that time, in Bukovina, Jews were studying in universities, building hospitals, practicing law, medicine and prospering along with Christians and non-believers.
In 1849, the Autonomous Duchy of Bukovina was founded and, with all liberality, provided that Jews be granted full and equal rights of other citizens under the Autro-Hungarian monarchy. It was one of the 11 "Crown-Lands" under Emperor Franz Josef. The Jews there loved their Kaiser. They loved those Hapsburgs. And the Crown loved them as much as they did their other minorities-- the Magyars, Romanians, Ruthenes, Germans among them. Of the 516 seats in the Parliament at the time, Bukovina with 300,098 inhabitants was allocated 14 seats. These 14 seats were distributed on a population basis as follows:
| 305,110 Ruthenes | 5 seats |
| 273,254 Romanians | 5 seats |
| 102,900 Jews | 2 seats |
| 65,951 Germans | 2 Seats |
So the outpouring from Bukovina of so many Jewish families before World War I may really have been stirred by purely economic and social reasons than anything having to do with religion. It may have been more that my own particular family had not done as well over there as, say, the man who founded the "Blue-White" games which later became known as the international Maccabi games or Mr. Isak Rubinstein who was elected to the chamber of commerce for the 1873 to 1879 term left the leadership of the community and became hospital director, in which position, he served until his death in 1878.
When I discovered these and many other facts about Bukovina, it gave me a completely different perspective on my own nomadic inclinations. It reminded me of why, in 1991, I decided that New York was no longer a place for a single woman, who was a writer, producer who was not-gainfully employed. I was not making the money my friends were on Wall Street or prospering the way some others were during the previous Reagan years. For those of us in that category, the world beyond New York was where opportunity lay.
I jumped on the "think global, act local" bandwagon with a fervor that has propelled me to this very day, some twenty years later, much like my ancestors from Bukovina. I know my Grandfather is smiling down on me. I think there are many more insights he's sending my way...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Now Back to Intelligent-Classy-Well-Educated Ladies...
Now back to Intelligent-classy-well-educated-women-who-say-Fck-a-lot
I joined a Facebook group called "Intelligent, classy, well-educated women who say "F*ck" a lot." Fuckin' A right, I say! F-U-C-K. Go on, now. Say it. It's been a particular favorite of mine, for, well I just can't count the years. You know those Proustian surveys? The one Vanity Fair magazine uses at the end of each issue? The one James Lipton loves to use, hoping someone will say "fuck" as he smirks and asks "Now beautiful, talented Oscar winner Meryl Streep, what's your favorite curse word?" on Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio?
I've always thought that, when asked, I would jauntily answer "fuck." It feels good coming out of my mouth. Powerful. Strong. Deliberate. Empowering. "I'm in control here, baby."
When I got pregnant and was interviewing my then-current Ob-Gyn to see whether she would be a good partner in weathering the coming storm, one of the first questions I asked her was "Do you mind if I scream FUCK lot at the birth of my child?" She said she minded. Seriously. In fact she told me that she could understand screams at giving birth, but to try to keep the unpleasantries to a minimum. Huh?? I quickly found another Ob-Gyn to deliver my precious cargo. He got the job when he told me he couldn't care if I fucked Jesus Christ on the cross. His job was to deliver a healthy infant to a happy Mom. Fuck or no fuck. He didn't give a flying fuck what came out of my mouth in the process.
I once had a meltdown in front of the building manager of my previous Coop. His last name was Sanchez. He told me my "boyfriend" at the time could not have a parking space, unless he became my "Mr." I told him he had moved in and we were scheduled to become "Mr. and Mrs." in six months, which was the truth. "Well until then, no parking spot." "But there are, like, 200 spots with no cars in them!" This was Miami Beach where most of the owners were "Snowbirds" and were still away. "It's the rule, Miss." "Fuck you Mr. Sanchez!" I screamed. "Fuck you and the fucking rules. You are a fucking moron Mr. Sanchez. Do you hear me??? A fucking moron, idiota, boba!! Fuck you!" Needless to say he closed the door on me. My fiance, a quiet, gentle, European man who had never heard a woman scream that way, became very flustered. He was not yet acquainted with the cleansing benefits of yelling the f-word. We now call that kind of ballistic outrage "pulling a Sanchez."
If you're on Facebook, I encourage you to join us. And if you don't, well…fuck you.
Copyright 2010 Q Ventures LLC
Monday, March 29, 2010
Next Year in…?
For Jews, this is not a question but a statement of purpose, repeated year after year at the end of the Passover Sedar: "Next year in Jerusalem." Some take it literally and plan trips to the Holy Land. Others take a more metaphorical journey and seek out their Jewish spiritual "home" in the coming year. But if you're an Urban Nomad, each year, you ask it more as a question, not knowing where the coming year will take you and whether the journey ahead will be profound or banal. The vernal Passover Sedar is the time to start the clock again, so to speak. Time to reflect on journeys past and adventures ahead, friends and family, food and wine, good and bad. A time to sit back and ponder life's joys as well as its hardships and losses.
Tonight, as we recite the "Four Questions" we start by asking "Why is this night different from all other nights?" I believe it's because it forces us to even ask that question. It gives us a vacation from other nights of television and Twitter, a time to be with family, whether you like them or not. We argue. We debate. We challenge each other. We question our very existence and the root of our "Jewishness." Had it not been for some "parting of the waters" about twenty five hundred years ago, we would not be sharing this meal with each other. Rather we'd still be desert-dwelling slaves, or nomads or even a non-existant tribe referred to only in history books.
But we are here. We've multiplied. We've thrived. We've assimilated. We've become part of the fabric of many cultures. And, some of us have returned to our more nomadic roots.
This year, my family and I are happy to be in California but as we think about the coming year, we don't know where the path will lead us. It is an unknown, as it is for all of us. Next year …could be in Jerusalem. It could be in Prague. Or Greece. Or New York. Or ...
Wherever you land, may it be a fruitful journey. Chag Sameach.
Tonight, as we recite the "Four Questions" we start by asking "Why is this night different from all other nights?" I believe it's because it forces us to even ask that question. It gives us a vacation from other nights of television and Twitter, a time to be with family, whether you like them or not. We argue. We debate. We challenge each other. We question our very existence and the root of our "Jewishness." Had it not been for some "parting of the waters" about twenty five hundred years ago, we would not be sharing this meal with each other. Rather we'd still be desert-dwelling slaves, or nomads or even a non-existant tribe referred to only in history books.
But we are here. We've multiplied. We've thrived. We've assimilated. We've become part of the fabric of many cultures. And, some of us have returned to our more nomadic roots.
This year, my family and I are happy to be in California but as we think about the coming year, we don't know where the path will lead us. It is an unknown, as it is for all of us. Next year …could be in Jerusalem. It could be in Prague. Or Greece. Or New York. Or ...
Wherever you land, may it be a fruitful journey. Chag Sameach.
Friday, March 26, 2010
4G, 3G, 2D, 3D: Why Should I Care?
4G technology is here! Woo-hoo! I was excited when Apple released 3G! But 4-Gs! Wow.
The cartoon "Dilbert" says 4G stands for "g-g-g-good." Wikipedia says it's " referring to the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards" and "is the successor to 3G and 2G." Huh?? If you're still not sure what that means and you really think that 4G technology somehow is a successor to 3D or 2D, raise your hand.
Basically, in real layman's terms, the "G" standard refers to "D-igital." So, it should be "4D" but that was taken by the movie and entertainment business. I guess since the "D" was not available, some brainiac came up with a "G" since it's the closest letter to "D" and because "E" and "F" just didn't seem appropriate. G and D really have nothing to do with each other. Those in the telecommunications industries know that the 4G system is supposed to provide super-duper, comprehensive and secure Internet-based solutions to connect phones and wireless device users to really cool services: gaming, multimedia streaming, IP telephone connections and much faster service than we can even comprehend now.
We used to just pick up a phone, dial and get connected to the person we needed to speak to on the other end. We didn't need to know the technology behind MaBell. In fact, we didn't care about the technology behind MaBell, unless of course you worked there or aspired to from your lab at MIT or CalTech. Phones just worked. Not so anymore. In order to get the best deal, we need to understand the footprint, the device's capabilities, just how many apps it supports, Now, we have so many choices, that we have all become de facto engineers, salesmen, phone repair guys and geeks.
Why should we care? Because we all still want to get the best deal, don't we? We don't want to be left out. Maybe 4 G is THAT g-g-g-good. Maybe we'll have to wait for 5Gs to be really wowed.
c Copyright 2010 Q Ventures
The cartoon "Dilbert" says 4G stands for "g-g-g-good." Wikipedia says it's " referring to the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards" and "is the successor to 3G and 2G." Huh?? If you're still not sure what that means and you really think that 4G technology somehow is a successor to 3D or 2D, raise your hand.
Basically, in real layman's terms, the "G" standard refers to "D-igital." So, it should be "4D" but that was taken by the movie and entertainment business. I guess since the "D" was not available, some brainiac came up with a "G" since it's the closest letter to "D" and because "E" and "F" just didn't seem appropriate. G and D really have nothing to do with each other. Those in the telecommunications industries know that the 4G system is supposed to provide super-duper, comprehensive and secure Internet-based solutions to connect phones and wireless device users to really cool services: gaming, multimedia streaming, IP telephone connections and much faster service than we can even comprehend now.
We used to just pick up a phone, dial and get connected to the person we needed to speak to on the other end. We didn't need to know the technology behind MaBell. In fact, we didn't care about the technology behind MaBell, unless of course you worked there or aspired to from your lab at MIT or CalTech. Phones just worked. Not so anymore. In order to get the best deal, we need to understand the footprint, the device's capabilities, just how many apps it supports, Now, we have so many choices, that we have all become de facto engineers, salesmen, phone repair guys and geeks.
Why should we care? Because we all still want to get the best deal, don't we? We don't want to be left out. Maybe 4 G is THAT g-g-g-good. Maybe we'll have to wait for 5Gs to be really wowed.
c Copyright 2010 Q Ventures
Sunday, March 21, 2010
My alter ego is Latina.
Hemingway had an alter ego. I learned that in seventh grade, when we read The Nick Adams Stories. They say Adams, the protagonist of more than two dozen short stories, was inspired by the author's own experiences -- from growing up fishing on lakes in Michigan to serving as an ambulance driver in Europe during World War I. The unfolding of a boy's adolescence into adulthood is carefully crafted in these stories, all linking a life together. Or maybe two lives, really: Nick's and Hemingway's.
Similarly, I have an alter ego and she has been present for many, many years. Although some have known her, this is her official and "public" coming out.
Similarly, I have an alter ego and she has been present for many, many years. Although some have known her, this is her official and "public" coming out.
In 1983, as a young Spanish-speaking speechwriter, aspiring political promoter and basic go-fer, I was sent to Venezuela as part of a strategic team to work for a year on a Presidential campaign. There, under a name given to me by their Secret Service, I became Conchita Davila and had access to the Cabinet, DISIP (their Secret Service), the President, the presidential candidates and top COPEI party officials.
Among my friends and colleagues from those days, the name stuck and they jokingly still refer to "Conchi" in the most endearing terms. But even more lasting has been her spirit, which has provided an impetus for my years of working in Latin America and the US, predominantly in television as a writer, producer, marketer and promoter. I have won numerous awards for both writing and promotions, including an Emmy for a series called “Youth Speaks Out,” a special commendation for a documentary called “Cori: A Struggle for Life”; ADDYs, Tellys and BDA awards for promotional campaigns at networks including WNBC, Telemundo, Cinecanal, MTV Latino and The Weather Channel / El Canal del Tiempo.
But what's always been my motivation are not the accolades, but the ability to transform . In particular, transformation to a culture that was not my birth-right, but my passion. What I've come to realize is that,THAT is the spirit of the Urban Nomad -- the desire to understand the depths of emotion, motivation, action and reaction of a culture not your own and make it your own in new ways, by living it.
In my “spare time,” I have always written fiction. Now, I have decided to write under my alter ego. Conchita's screenplay, is, in fact "writing what I know," as the experts always advise.
The Sanchez Clause, is a holiday tale with, I think, huge commercial potential. Part Beverly Hills Chihuahua, part Fred Clause, this comedy featuring a somewhat “dark” Santa Claus, a loving Latino family from East LA, crazy characters from the Caribbean, Harlem and Park Avenue , I believe, offers a true cross-over opportunity for audiences and actors alike.
I hope you'll embrace Conchita Davila and her works with as much love and support as you've given me, as Karen.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
English as a Foreign Language
Is it my age? Am I totally out of step with my own American culture? Has our spoken language finally crossed into foreign territory? Here's what I am talking about: What exactly is it that makes a song that opens with lyrics that shout "Boy, boy can you get it up?" so popular?
When Rihanna's "Rude Boy" comes on the radio, and she belts out those words, I have to say I get the creeps. Not only do I hate that my seven year old son has to deal with that particular question every morning on "pop" stations, but what first comes to mind is "Didn't this girl get beaten up brutally by her boyfriend?" " I'mma let you be a rider…" "I'mma let you do your thing??" This, from the victim of abuse? Please tell me when being a cock tease became acceptable behavior.
When rappers introduced 'hos as girls, that naturally made some people angry. Now even that seems tame and mainstream.
The "N" word. In my vernacular, that was-- and remains -- a No-No, used by ignorant slobs who didn't know better or freely wanted to promote hatred. But, some use it even as an endearing term for mate, buddy, pal. OK.
Gangster into Gangsta. Timbaland's "…gettin b-tches tipsy…" Waka Waka says "One shot man down, his brains go ka-pow…"
Bitch, ho, shit, pow…when did killing, maiming, verbal denigration, and abuse become so commonplace? For the early rappers, these lyrics and styles were -- dare I say -- poetic, political, true expressions of telling the world what was going on in their neighborhoods, communities, families. It was a reflection of their very existence and a mirror on society.
I don't feel the same way now about what's become so easily "pop" culture and I don't understand it. It seems to me we've crossed some line where ethics no longer exist. Right and wrong have no definition.
I respectfully suggest that Ethics become a subject we re-introduce into our educational system. Maybe teaching Ethics as a foreign language would now be appropriate. Because I'mma gonna tell ya that this 'hos outta touch.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
"Better and Cheaper Outside the US"
In my last position as a senior executive at a Spanish language television network, my colleagues and I were told that layoffs were inevitable because all the work could be done "better and cheaper outside the United States." This presumed "fact" led to, as Brits like to say, the "redundancy" of nearly 200 people at one company alone. ( I love that phrase "to be made redundant" for a firing, lay-off, loss of job. So very quaint, isn't it?)
How many ways is it wrong to tell your staff their work can be done "better and cheaper" somewhere else before even giving them the chance to prove that incorrect? When my department proposed programs that were in fact more economical to produce right here in the U-S- of A, we were dismissed. Literally. Laid off. Gone with anything local.
Perhaps this was because the owner was Mexican and needed to monetize his own facilities in Mexico. Perhaps someone was taking a kick-back from other producers of content and could not afford to have that stream dry up. Perhaps it was simply an inability to understand how to maneuver and prosper in the United States. Whatever the reason, it has convinced me that we need to protect our American assets, workers, communities and businesses now more than ever.
Austerity budgeting, buying American and keeping our working families financially healthy is critical to our nation's future.
How many ways is it wrong to tell your staff their work can be done "better and cheaper" somewhere else before even giving them the chance to prove that incorrect? When my department proposed programs that were in fact more economical to produce right here in the U-S- of A, we were dismissed. Literally. Laid off. Gone with anything local.
Perhaps this was because the owner was Mexican and needed to monetize his own facilities in Mexico. Perhaps someone was taking a kick-back from other producers of content and could not afford to have that stream dry up. Perhaps it was simply an inability to understand how to maneuver and prosper in the United States. Whatever the reason, it has convinced me that we need to protect our American assets, workers, communities and businesses now more than ever.
Austerity budgeting, buying American and keeping our working families financially healthy is critical to our nation's future.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Celebrating Permanence
Today would be my Grandfather's 111th birthday, were he still alive. Mike Pauker, "Grandpa," was an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, an opera-lover, a traveler, a devoted member of the Jewish community, a man who never forgot where he came from and helped those who needed to get back to their own roots. He used his significant self-made wealth to help create permanence in his own life and secure homes for those who couldn't do for themselves. His family, his extended family, his business family and all those who knew him counted on him. He was the antithesis of the "Urban Nomad."
His family came from Bukovina, Romania and when he was as a baby, they arrived in New York on a ship with many other aspirational and fortune seeking travelers. He was the youngest of many brothers and sisters, most of whom I never met. They were all firmly planted on US soil. Their desire was to stay-put.
At seven, Mike ran a pushcart filled with handmade ties around the Lower East Side. At fourteen, he left school, having finished eighth grade, and started a business. His older brothers followed him and together they eventually created one of the largest knitwear companies in the United States. When his family needed help, he was there. When his wife's family needed support, he was there. When Israel called for arms, he was there. When Hitler tortured and killed the Jews of Europe, he was there. He helped relatives and friends of relatives escape to New York and Israel. He made sure that future generations would be safe, secure, healthy and educated by donating his time, wisdom and money to building homes, schools and hospitals.
My permanent tribute to my grandfather is having a son named Michael who shares a joy of life with his great-grandfather. He left us the legacy of getting the best out of life in the time we have. It's ironic. Through permanence, Mike found happiness and security. Yet, for us nomads, constant movement has been the way we've been able to create a secure and fulfilling life. Strange what can happen in two generations.
Happy 111th Birthday, Grandpa.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Q Ventures LLC
His family came from Bukovina, Romania and when he was as a baby, they arrived in New York on a ship with many other aspirational and fortune seeking travelers. He was the youngest of many brothers and sisters, most of whom I never met. They were all firmly planted on US soil. Their desire was to stay-put.
At seven, Mike ran a pushcart filled with handmade ties around the Lower East Side. At fourteen, he left school, having finished eighth grade, and started a business. His older brothers followed him and together they eventually created one of the largest knitwear companies in the United States. When his family needed help, he was there. When his wife's family needed support, he was there. When Israel called for arms, he was there. When Hitler tortured and killed the Jews of Europe, he was there. He helped relatives and friends of relatives escape to New York and Israel. He made sure that future generations would be safe, secure, healthy and educated by donating his time, wisdom and money to building homes, schools and hospitals.
My permanent tribute to my grandfather is having a son named Michael who shares a joy of life with his great-grandfather. He left us the legacy of getting the best out of life in the time we have. It's ironic. Through permanence, Mike found happiness and security. Yet, for us nomads, constant movement has been the way we've been able to create a secure and fulfilling life. Strange what can happen in two generations.
Happy 111th Birthday, Grandpa.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Q Ventures LLC
Thursday, March 11, 2010
What is an Urban Nomad?
I bet you've heard things like "50 is the new 30," "the world is flat" " you can never be too thin" and other catchy phrases that have become cliche. Well I am here to introduce a new concept soon to qualify in cliche terms: the rise of the Urban Nomad as a permanent state. No, I'm not talking about those bereft souls who wander the streets, otherwise known as "bums." Nor am I referring to that small but diverse segment of society that goes to work in urban areas but can't rent, own or otherwise reside there. I am speaking of the new and growing segment of international citizens who are in a constant state of transplanting themselves in search of the next big career opportunity. Well, the next career move, at any rate. Not necessarily even a big one. A sustainable one. One that puts food on the table. One that clothes your kids. One that helps pay the car insurance and, if you're lucky, a big chunk of health insurance too. One that keeps you under a roof.
My own crooked nomadic path has taken me from New York to Budapest to Miami to Mexico to Argentina to the woods of Upstate New York to Los Angeles and, I soon feel, to ports yet unknown.
I am starting this blog to share ideas, doubts, humor, insights, feelings raised in this crazy world of impermanence, from child-rearing to employment searching. From being a good spouse amid turmoil to finding the right words to express all of this in new languages of your new homelands.
I hope you'll follow along and share your thoughts, wisdom, and humor with me.
Karen, the Urban Nomad in LA
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